9 Amon vs Maki

"I give up" Panda announced before Inumaki used cursed speech. Inumaki didn't seem to care much and immediately hid his mouth under the zipper

"Ah man I wanted to see the infamous cursed speech technique" Amon grumbled. Maki was just practising on her own with her weapons.

"Well well, the winner of the first match is Toge Inumaki. Everyone give a big round of applause" Gojo said while clapping while Amon and Panda were the only ones who clapped back.

"Okay now let's start the next match. The next match is between Maki Zenin and Amon. Please come to the stage" Gojo announced as Amon and Maki came to the arena and prepared for the fight.

"Don't call me by my family name" Maki said glaring at Gojo. But he naturally ignored it.

Both Maki and Amon entered the arena. Maki had a bo staff as a weapon while Amon just kept his hands in his pockets, unconcerned.

"Are you looking down on me?" Maki asked angrily.

"Oh, did you notice it only now?" Amon smirked. Maki became irritated. As soon as Gojo announced the start of the match, she went on the offensive.

Her strikes were fast and precise. It seemed she had years of practice using the weapon. Also, her powerful physique enhanced her strikes.

One of the strikes was crisply aimed at Amon's head but he gracefully evaded it. Maki loosed her grip on the staff. She threw it to her other hand and swung it once again.

But before she knew it Amon was 5 steps back from his original position. She held the staff with both hands and quickly thrust it towards Amon multiple times.

But none of them hit Amon. He was weaving in between the strikes without suffering any damage.

'He definitely has something similar to Teleportation. I need to increase my speed of attack and predict his location when he teleports'

She made a powerful horizontal sweep with her staff but before she knew it, he was behind her.

Amon had just stolen his own presence for a second before teleporting. So it seemed like he became invisible at that second.

He quickly attacked Maki but she at the last second slightly blocked it with her hands to reduce the pain. But still, she retreated three to four steps.

"Wow, you have great instincts. Must be because of heavenly restriction that you have such powerful physical abilities. I thought you are weak but you too are interesting" Amon commented but still, he had a nonchalant expression with one hand in his pocket.

"But is the time to end it" Amon announced as he suddenly appeared in front of Maki punching her. Maki initially wanted to do something but midway she just stood there blankly. She took the full blow of the bunch and her glasses were broken into pieces.

"Ok, let's end this match. Amon is the winner" Gojo announced as Panda clapped enthusiastically. Amon bowed to the audience and retreated before taking one last look at Maki.

Maki appeared like she wanted to retort at Gojo's decision but ultimately kept quiet. This match was a terrible blow to her confidence.

'The first years this time are very strong and diverse. Even Maki who can't see curses normally is very strong. But Amon is in a league of his own' Gojo thought as he went towards Maki.

"Don't get discouraged Maki-san, you just experienced how wide the Jujutsu world is. Don't wallow and practise hard" Gojo consoled as left the arena asking everyone to disperse and take a rest.

Maki went towards her broken glasses and retrieved them. She appeared very angry as this was a special glass that allowed her to see curses.

"It seems I need to get a new one that is stronger" Maki said dejectedly.

Amon went to his room after the fight.

'I almost had the impulse to block after stealing her thought' Amon thought as he entered his room.

There was some hesitation in his action after the stealing her thought. Such a small moment of distraction judges life or death in high-level battles.

...

It was mid-noon and everyone left to eat lunch. But Maki was training with her weapons in the training ground.

From birth, she was ostracised in the Zenin clan due to her lack of cursed energy. The Zenin clan values cursed energy and cursed technique above all else. So, she who could not even see curses was heavily discriminated upon.

But still, she had the hope that she will become a powerful sorcerer. So that she could prove herself to her clan. The only way she could bridge the gap is her powerful physical capability.

Even someone's body reinforced with cursed energy paled in comparison to her physical capability. Her only weapon was her body and she need to train hard to become a powerful sorcerer.

She knew she had the work harder than everyone to become a strong individual and today she learned how powerless she was.

She wants to become a powerful sorcerer so she could prove to everyone in her clan and the ones who looked down on her wrong.

But she has just toyed with Amon during the whole fight. It looked like he didn't even take the fight seriously. He even praised her in the middle of the fight.

"Just you wait, I will definitely catch up to you" Maki gritted her teeth as she continued practising.

Toge and Panda entered the training area with lunch in their hands. Maki stopped her training and looked at them puzzled.

"Didn't you guys go for lunch?" Maki asked.

"We thought we could eat with you here. Come on, we bought you lunch. Practise after eating" Panda said as he handed Maki one of the boxes.

"Salmon" Toge interjected.

Maki felt her heart warm as she got the lunch from Panda and started eating.

"Where is Amon?" Maki asked.

"He is having lunch with Gojo. I wonder if something weird is going on in between those two" Panda said innocently.

Gojo and Amon saw this scene from afar while having lunch.