Chapter 14: Ch.14 Since You Sincerely Asked, I'll Generously Tell You
In the world of Jujutsu Kaisen, there's an interesting phenomenon—jujutsu sorcerers often have unusual eyes. Either their eyes look strange, or they possess strange abilities, or even if their eyes look normal, they always find a way to cover them up in different ways.
For most people, eye contact is normal, but for these sorcerers…
In his previous life, Akira used to joke about this when watching anime. Now, seeing it up close in person, the feeling was even more intense.
First, there was the "staring contest" between a pair of black-lensed sunglasses and an eye mask, followed by the exchange of looks between those sunglasses and the panda eyes of the mischievous Pancham.
The man with the black-lensed sunglasses was the principal of Tokyo Jujutsu High, Masamichi Yaga.
This was three days after Gojo Satoru's visit to Akira's home. The next day, Akira received his acceptance letter, and on the third day, he reported to the school—truly efficient.
At first glance, Masamichi Yaga didn't look like a kind man. Broad-shouldered and stocky, almost twice as wide as Gojo, his face full of tough features, he looked like a yakuza boss sitting boldly in the room, dressed in his dark Jujutsu High uniform and sunglasses.
He immediately greeted Gojo in a deep, loud voice: "You're too slow, Satoru. Late by half an hour. When are you going to fix this bad habit?"
"I'll never fix it in this lifetime," Gojo replied coolly, unfazed by the scolding. "But since I brought you a gift today, you can forgive me. You'll love it."
With that, Gojo casually tossed Pancham by the scruff of its neck toward Yaga's face.
And so, the "panda-eye-to-panda-eye" staring contest began.
"Pancham~!"
Pancham struggled, its eyes wide in protest, but its cuteness was undeniable.
Yaga's tough features softened instantly, a loving expression visible even through his thick sunglasses.
"What's your name, little one?"
"Pan~?"
"Pancham, is it? What a good name."
"Pan~ Pan~" Pancham waved its tiny paws, clearly happy.
"Principal Yaga is Panda's father. No one in Tokyo loves pandas or knows them better than him," Gojo commented, stating what Akira already knew, but that didn't stop Akira from being surprised.
Most Pokémon could only make a few sounds. Even for Akira, understanding what they were trying to express required years of experience. But Yaga seemed to communicate effortlessly with Pancham. If this wasn't love, then Yaga's affinity for pandas must have reached the heavens.
Indeed, Pancham, who was usually a mischievous ball of energy at home, always keeping Hayami busy, was now completely calm in Yaga's hands. It wasn't restrained by Gardevoir's psychic powers—Pancham was genuinely comfortable. With just a few scratches from Yaga, it relaxed and laid on its back, exposing its round belly.
In the past, this only happened when the little one was full and ready for a nap.
This alone proved that Yaga truly deserved the title of "Panda Whisperer."
"Amazing," Gojo commented, impressed. "I was just saying it for fun, but I didn't expect it to work, even if it's not a cursed corpse."
Hayami, who was trailing behind them, gave Gojo a curious look. She hadn't expected him to have this kind of personality.
But Akira wasn't surprised. Gojo's worst trait was his character, which completely shattered the "perfect man" image.
Everyone familiar with Gojo knew he was someone you could trust, but never someone you could respect. To this day, there were people who seriously disliked him.
Not that Akira particularly cared about Principal Yaga's role as a "panda dad." It was nice if he had it, but no big deal if he didn't.
"You, Satoru—"
Yaga's love for pandas didn't extend to Gojo. His face hardened again, and he was about to lose his temper.
But Gojo wasn't fazed, casually pointing at Pancham, who was still lounging lazily on Yaga's lap, which immediately made Yaga rethink. Not wanting to disturb the little panda, Yaga swallowed his anger, cleared his throat, and tried to act serious.
"I've already heard the details from Gojo. I have one question for you, Akira: why did you come here?"
"Ah, here we go again," Gojo muttered under his breath. "I told you, he's different from the other students. This won't work on him. Besides, you're not even looking that scary right now. No one would be intimidated."
"Satoru!" Yaga growled through gritted teeth.
Gojo, as usual, didn't back down, spreading his arms wide with a grin that said, Come at me if you dare. It was obvious he was goading Yaga, knowing full well Yaga wouldn't follow through.
Unexpectedly, Akira suddenly clapped his hands. "Pancham, use Tackle!"
Pancham, snapping out of its lazy state, leaped into action.
Playtime was over. Akira's identity as a Trainer meant that when it came to battles, Pancham never slacked.
"Pan~!"
Pancham Language #2: "Time to tackle!"
Its target: Gojo Satoru.
Of course, there was no damage done, but Yaga was freed up to use his own "Tackle."
After successfully landing a hit, Yaga followed up with a precise "lock," twisting Gojo into an awkward position.
Gojo's face turned pale from the restricted blood flow, but he still managed to glare at Akira. "Whose side are you on?"
"You're the teacher, and he's the principal. Who do you think I should side with?" Akira spread his hands innocently. "Pancham, don't stop. Go for the knees."
"Pan~"
With the combined efforts of Yaga and Pancham, Gojo was thoroughly defeated, letting out a series of dramatic cries.
"Isn't this a bit much?" Hayami whispered softly.
After all, Gojo was still the head of the Gojo family, and the mother-son duo would be relying on his protection in the future.
"Don't worry."
Akira waved it off. Gojo wouldn't care—he was someone who didn't take anything too seriously. No matter how much you messed with him, he wouldn't act out of character. He had no airs, no rigid sense of hierarchy. Besides, Yaga had been his teacher back in the day, and Gojo was no stranger to Yaga's iron-fisted discipline.
In the end, Gojo raised his hand in a mock military salute. "I surrender... I give up..."
Yaga, satisfied, let go and gave Akira a thumbs-up, which Akira returned.
Pancham, watching the exchange, imitated them and raised its tiny paw in a thumbs-up too.
The only person left pouting was Gojo, who sulked while rubbing his knees. "If you've got time for hand signals, you should watch Kamen Rider Kuuga."
Seeing that Gojo was still in high spirits, Pancham used its "Leer" move to intimidate him, but it wasn't very effective.
Yaga and Akira followed up with their own "Leers," and the effect was immediate.
Gojo, having no shame, quickly retreated behind Hayami, keeping his distance from them.
With the disruptor out of the way, Yaga finally returned to the serious matter at hand.
"Now, answer my question, Akira."
Akira thought for a moment before responding, "Do you want the official version or the Gojo version?"
"I want both," Yaga said, holding out his hand as if to grasp them.
"Alright, let's start with the official version." Akira cleared his throat, crossed his arms, and lifted his chin high, fully embracing the melodrama. "To prevent world destruction, to protect world peace, to preserve love and truth..."