Noriko Kamo adjusted her position in the oak tree where she was crouched as she lifted the wireless earbud up to the side of her head.

'Ah, the joys of a modern world', she hummed to herself as her lips pulled into a smug smile. Why would she even need to use Jujutsu when she could just listen in using a set of bluetooth headphones? Fighting hard, she struggled to suppress a childish cackle. Finally finding herself in a comfortable position, she made sure she was completely obscured by the trunk of the tree - which was directly opposite to the side room in which the Kyoto Team's meeting would take place.

There was perhaps a minute of silence before she began to hear low thuds through the carefully planted earbud within the room. It was taped to the underside of the low table and would hopefully relay all their communication back to her.

While her excuse was that Gojo had inadvertently requested she keep a close eye on the other team - especially around Yuji - she was also keen to get the upper hand in the competition (and eavesdropping technically wasn't against the rules). All she wanted to do was win against that Kamo brat - and Mai, maybe, she hadn't decided whether she should continue her cruel torments yet. If she'd attended a regular school, she was sure that this probably would've counted as 'bullying'.

There was a series of shuffling and clearing of throats before the room got silent.

"Kill Sukuna's vessel, Itadori Yuji," the voice was old and gruff - Yoshinobu Gakuganji, the Kyoto principal. It would be a lie to say Noriko wasn't taken aback at how direct he was. Her mouth pursed and her brows deepened into a furrow as she let the tiniest sigh slip from her lips. "He's not a person, so it will go unquestioned. It'll be treated as an accident. There's no need to hold back or hesitate."

There was a pause.

"You say to kill him, but he's here because he didn't die, right?" Mai Zenin's voice was too distinctive not to recognise, but it'd lost the smug purr it normally held when she was talking to the Tokyo Students - and she'd finally said something intelligent. Maybe... in a different life, she could've been friends with these people.

But then she thought of the cruel arrogance of her adopted cousin and reconsidered.

"I've heard that Itadori's previous death was suicide, and this has been verified by multiple sources." That damned old man spoke again, cutting through the silence. "What is the one thing you must be cautious about when ending a hostile sorcerer? Kamo."

Noriko pondered whether she could legally change her last name. She wasn't eighteen yet, so she needed 'parental' permission... and she doubted her legal guardian, the current High Priestess, would let her not carry the name.

In her defence, Noriko was happy to carry the surname 'Kamo' with pride, especially after generations of the family protecting the shrines, but that damn head family ruined it.

"You must kill them with cursed energy to prevent them from coming back as a curse after death," Noritoshi answered coolly and she heard the muted rustle of fabric - he was probably tucking his hands into his sleeves again.

"Exactly, if another delivers the finishing blow with cursed energy, then all is well. At present, Itadori Yuji has control of the body. Unless Sukuna comes out, he's just a first year."

Noriko's smug grin had grown so wide her vision was becoming dimmed with how squinted her eyes were and the shadow of her eyelashes. Did they really think it was that easy? She'd felt the way Yuji's energy had changed upon meeting him; this wasn't realistically going to be some cake walk for them. But, as she thought more, a coil of anxiety began to unravel in the pit of her stomach. It wouldn't be a cake walk for them, but it could be for Aoi Todo.

She fought to keep her energy in check, not wanting to reveal her presence.

"Killing him will be -"

There was a sudden jolt of harsh sound through her earbud and she winced, ripping it out of her ear as she cautiously glanced out from her hiding place. The table she'd taped the earbud to was lying in splinters in the courtyard and the shoji door which separated them was forced off it's rail and appeared to be in a similar condition. Aoi Todo stood where the hole was.

"This is stupid. Do what you want."

Oh?

Her anxiety vanished and her smirk returned - now wider. With Aoi Todo missing from their plan, the Kyoto students weren't enough to stop Yuji. The only ones she had to be wary of was the Kamo heir and Kokichi Muta - but they could be dealt with. The others... well, they didn't exactly strike fear into her cursed heart.

"Come back, Todo." Noritoshi snapped, barely moving an inch from his original position. "The principal hasn't finished yet."

"Takada-chan's making a guest appearance on a walking show at 11. Do I need to explain any more?" The dark-skinned boy retorted, straightening his back to stand at his full height. She wasn't sure who Takada-chan was, but she was eternally grateful.

"You can record it, get back here."

"I'm going to watch the recording and watch it in real time." Todo roared and Noriko flinched back in her position, feeling his energy spill out and swamp the courtyard. It wasn't as heavy as Gojo's energy, but it was more violent - bloodthirsty even. "Listen all of you, you too, old man. Plot and scheme all you want on your own. But if you try to order me around again, I'll kill you."

He stormed off, taking a quick left as he left the compound.

It took some time, but she regained control of her emotions - forcing her anxious heart into submission.

"What do we do now? I don't think we'll be able to carry out the plan with him like that." Miwa stuttered out and this time Noriko had to strain her ears to hear them. "The principal's gone off somewhere, too. I don't want to be killed by that guy."

"Does it even matter? He's going to go straight for the Tokyo team, anyway. If he's just going to go berserk, we can just focus on the game."

"But we have to kill Itadori, Yuji, right? I don't think he'll go as far as killing him. Though he probably could."

"Then we'll need someone to keep an eye on Todo, and deliver the final blow to Itadori Yuji." Kokichi's robotic voice grated on Noriko's ears and she shuddered. He could have at least picked a puppet cuter than that, like a giant bunny, or something? Like Panda.

"We'll have cursed spirits to deal with too, so we'll be in two-man cells, for the majority anyway." Miwa added. "That works for us."

"No. Allowing a half-wit like Itadori Yuji to be a sorcerer at Jujutsu Tech is a serious problem. One that goes beyond this exchange event. I cannot overlook this as the eldest son of the Kamo clan. We're all attacking Itadori Yuji together."

'Yeah, keep talking you pathetic blood supremacist', Noriko mused to herself, 'all calm and collected on the surface, but you really are rotten underneath, Noritoshi.'

"Wait. What happens if Inumaki is with Itadori? Having all of us in one place is a risky move with that cursed speech user. Worst case, he could wipe us all out at once."

"Noriko Kamo can create multiple entities that could potentially push Grade 1 and Fushiguro is an even more dangerous opponent," Mai sighed, folding her arms tightly across her chest. "That'll be tough if either of them are also with him. Like us they'll either have one three man cell or an individual on their own."

"That's true."

"No, if you know he's coming, he's not that scary to face. Besides, I could take Fushiguro... and that imposter really isn't a threat."

The eavesdropper grumbled to herself quietly, rolling her eyes at the statement. What a fool, she seethed internally, to think I haven't improved since when the Head Family last saw my abilities ten years ago?

"Well, then I want Maki. That brown-haired first-year too, if possible."

"You're sounding like Todo. Chitose will take whoever the individual is, but if they've gone for a three man cell, locate the Grade 2 and kill as many Curses as you can."

"Okay."