章節 55: Chapter 55
"What's it like?" Itadori Yuji's voice pulled him back to the present. His friend was beside him, looking out the window with that trademark mix of curiosity and innocence.
Jiki shrugged. "Like any other school."
The words fell from his lips out of habit, but as they hung in the air, he knew they weren't quite true. There was a gulf between his experience and what most people would call school.
In his first life, school had been something different altogether. It had been a place where he was molded not for knowledge or enlightenment, but for death, trickery and deceit. From as young as eight, he was taught to kill, to sharpen his instincts like a blade. In this life, that pattern continued. Only the names of his enemies had changed. Instead of humans, he hunted curses, and instead of openly calling it killing, they had softened it with the word exorcism.
What was a school to him? A battlefield in all but name.
The door clicked open with a soft hiss, and Yuji stepped out, stretching his arms like it was any other day. As if things could be simple again. Jiki felt the corner of his mouth twitch in response—not quite a smile, just an acknowledgment of how different they both were.
Yuji glanced back at him, there was still some uncertainty in the pink haired boy's eyes, so Jiki gave a nod in return. There was nothing left for him behind those old walls, nothing new he could learn from the halls of Jujutsu High. Yuji had something worth going back for; he had hope. Jiki? He had duty.
Maki might be there, waiting in her usual no-nonsense stance, but he wasn't interested in facing her today. Nor Emi. Not now. Not after everything. His concerns lay elsewhere, with things far beyond what either of them could fix.
Yuji waved, a cheerful gesture despite the weight on his shoulders, and started up the long path toward the giant red Torii gates that framed the entrance to the school. The age-old tradition of climbing those cobblestone steps was one Yuji embraced without hesitation. Jiki watched as the boy climbed higher, Satoru Gojo waiting at the top like a sentinel, his white hair bright against the deep blue sky.
Jiki glanced away before the scene could feel too nostalgic. "Let's go," he said, his voice low.
The driver, a faceless member of the Gojo clan who had long perfected the art of being invisible, met his eyes briefly in the rearview mirror before shifting the car into gear. With a subtle lurch, they moved forward, leaving the school behind.
Jiki pulled out his phone, the screen lighting up with the message that had been sitting there all morning.
Ise, Mie Prefecture.
Ise Shrine.
The shrine maidens.
He had been waiting for this moment, and now that it had come, a strange calm settled over him. What did they want from him? What expectations would they place on his shoulders? None of that mattered right now. What mattered was that he knew what he wanted.
...
Across the school grounds, the air seemed to hum with energy as Nobara Kugisaki strode purposefully toward her destination. Her hands were stuffed in her pockets, and her face bore the usual look of irritation, though today it was more pronounced.
"Hey! It's been days. Where are my classmates?" she called out, scanning the area as she approached Maki. The older girl seemed preoccupied, her gaze distant, fixed on something Nobara couldn't see.
Nobara frowned. It wasn't like Maki to space out, especially when Nobara was trying to get her attention. With a swift motion, she pulled a blunt nail from her pouch, one of the ones she used for sparring, and flicked it at Maki's head.
Before it could make contact, Maki's hand snapped out, catching the nail mere inches from her face.
"Finally," Nobara huffed. "What had you so dist—"
Suddenly, Nobara felt it. A flare of cursed energy from Maki. It was brief but sharp, vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. Before she could process it, the nail Maki had caught was flicked back at her with such speed that Nobara barely had time to react. She felt the sting as it grazed her cheek, followed by a sharp thunk as it embedded itself in a tree behind her.
"What the—" she muttered, turning slowly to inspect the damage. But when she examined the tree, her brow furrowed. She couldn't see anything.
"Look closer," Maki instructed, her voice distant.
Nobara, scowling, leaned in, her fingers tracing the bark until she saw it: a tiny hole, just large enough for the nail to have passed through. She leaned closer, squinting, and was suddenly met with the unnerving sight of a pair of blue eyes peering back at her through the hole.
"Ahhh!" Nobara yelped, stumbling backward and landing unceremoniously on her rear.
Gojo Satoru emerged from behind the tree, laughing heartily at her expense. "Kugisaki-chan, you should've seen the look on your face!" he said between chuckles.
Nobara groaned, brushing herself off. "Great, just what I needed." She was about to snap back when Gojo's expression softened, shifting gears almost seamlessly.
"How's our esteemed granny?" he asked, his tone playful but with a hint of genuine curiosity.
Nobara sighed. "She said you should tell them to leave her alone. She's not coming out of retirement to join the council."
Gojo raised an eyebrow, letting out a mock sigh of disappointment. "Tragic. We could really use another ally in that pit of snakes."
As if shaking off the moment, Gojo's usual cheerful demeanor returned, though his attention now focused on Maki. He gave her a nod, his tone light yet sincere.
"Maki-chan, I have to say, you've improved. That split-second use of the gates? Very Impressive."
Maki's face remained neutral, but there was a tension there. She turned toward Gojo, her eyes narrowing. "That was him, wasn't it? In the distance."
Gojo's smile wavered, his usual mask of lightheartedness slipping for just a moment. "He's... going through a phase right now—"
"Then he should reach out!" Maki snapped, her voice laced with frustration. "He's not alone! None of them are."
Satoru's smile dimmed further, an almost imperceptible shift in his usually carefree demeanor. "If it were something you could help with, perhaps. But in the end, he'll only reach out when he's ready."
Maki huffed and turned away, her eyes narrowing as if trying to suppress her own frustration. It took Nobara a few seconds to piece it together, they were talking about Jiki. The last time she had seen him was etched into her memory: that brief flicker of emotion, that screamed murder, followed by the most tranquil, unreadable expression.
Satoru's voice cut through the silence, pulling everyone back to the present. "Anyway, I introduce to you our latest first-year student!" With those words, he reached behind the tree, almost theatrically, and pulled out a pink-haired boy. "Tadaaaa!"
Maki and Nobara exchanged unimpressed glances, both clearly unaffected by Satoru's flair for dramatics. Maki turned on her heel and started to walk off.
"Hey, the introductions aren't over!" Satoru called after her, his voice half-exasperated, half-amused.
Maki didn't even slow her pace. She raised a hand, dismissing him with a casual wave. "Do it with Nobara. I've got to find my other two classmates and drag them out of whatever trouble they've gotten into."
Satoru's smile sharpened into a knowing smirk. "See, that's where you're wrong, Maki-chan."
Maki stopped mid-step, tension radiating from her posture. Slowly, she turned back toward him, her glare icy enough to freeze the air between them. But Satoru was undeterred, his smirk deepening as he continued.
"You're not so free yet. You skipped the regular process of promotion because of what we call a field promotion. While you're officially a Semi Grade One sorcerer now, your status is... shaky at best."
Maki's glare intensified, but Satoru's playful demeanor didn't waver. He tilted his head slightly, the ever-present smirk lingering on his lips. Maki sighed in resignation, running a hand through her short hair in frustration. "So, what now?" she asked, clearly annoyed but resigned to whatever game Satoru was playing.
"Now, introductions!" Satoru announced with enthusiasm, gesturing toward the pink-haired boy standing beside him.
"Ah, hello!" the boy stammered. "I'm Itadori Yuji. Nice to meet you!" He gave an awkward smile, clearly unsure of how to navigate the tense atmosphere.
Nobara eyed the boy critically, her sharp gaze scanning him from head to toe. Pink hair, shaved at the sides, tan skin, and a face that—while not unpleasant—wasn't exactly striking either. He seemed... ordinary. Too ordinary to be a classmate for one such as she. A future grade One and superstar model in the making, but she had to make do. With a resigned sigh, she stretched out her hand. "Kugisaki Nobara," she introduced herself flatly.
Yuji shook her hand, offering a sheepish grin before turning toward Maki, who gave him a dismissive shrug in response. "Tokyo Jujutsu High, second-year. Maki... Just Maki."
Yuji blinked in confusion, clearly thrown off by the lack of a surname, but before he could ask, Satoru jumped back in.
"Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, I've got a mission for you two," he said, clapping his hands together like a teacher eager to start a lesson.
Nobara groaned. "Already? I've got a modeling gig later today."
Satoru grinned. "Well, you'll just have to be quick about it then, won't you?" He turned to Yuji, his smile softening ever so slightly. "Megumi is... preoccupied. But you'll meet him soon enough."
"So, what's the mission?" Nobara asked, folding her arms over her chest.
Satoru's tone shifted, becoming more serious. "Maki, this is your final task and your exam to see if you you have what it takes. You'll be leading these two on the mission."
Maki's frown deepened. Before she could object, Satoru cut her off, his voice lowering just enough to carry weight. "I know where you plan to go, but it's not your job. It's my duty as a teacher to protect and guide my students. I'll handle the Inumaki and Toge by myself."
At the mention of the Inumaki clan, Maki's hard expression softened slightly. Trust wasn't something easily given, but if there was one thing everyone could agree on, it was that Gojo Satoru despite his eccentricities was trustworthy. She gave a reluctant nod.
Satoru's usual cheerfulness returned in full force. "Great! Now, about the mission..." He clapped his hands again, clearly enjoying the theatrics. "It's not the simple, boring one I originally had in mind. Something... more interesting popped up."
"Oh?" Yuji's eyes lit up in curiosity, while Nobara raised an eyebrow, intrigued despite herself.
"No spoilers," Satoru teased. "Ijichi will give you the details when you get there. And Yuji," he turned to the pink-haired boy, his voice dropping into a more serious tone, "don't let Sukuna out unless things get really bad. Understand?"
Yuji swallowed, his expression turning grim for a moment. "Got it."
Satoru's gaze shifted to Maki. "I won't have time to brief you in full, but just know this: Itadori is a vessel for a curse. If he loses control, I expect you to stop him."
Yuji looked at Maki in surprise. "Is she really that strong?"
Satoru's smile was cryptic. "You'll see." With that, he gave a peace sign and promptly vanished, leaving the trio standing there in his wake.
Yuji blinked in astonishment. "Does he do that often?"
Maki shrugged, already turning to lead the way. "You'll get used to it. Let's go."
...
Yuji marveled at how quickly they arrived at their destination. Despite taking a bus, they had made record time. The air around the site felt heavy, almost oppressive.
"Alright, freshies, off we go," Maki called out, her tone brisk as she led the way forward.
Yuji couldn't help but notice the way Maki moved. Every step was purposeful, each motion as precise as a blade. She wore an outfit similar to Nobara's, but on her lower back was a blade, discreetly sheathed in a scabbard that almost seemed to blend into her outfit.
"It's a cursed tool," Nobara explained, noticing Yuji's curious glance.
"Huh?"
Nobara gave him an exasperated look. "A cursed tool is a weapon imbued with cursed energy, or for the really powerful ones, a cursed technique."
"Oh, like the blade she gave me?" Yuji asked, unsheathing the short, wide-bladed blade that Maki had handed him before they boarded the bus.
"Exactly. Though Demon Slaughter is on the weaker side with no special techniques. It's just a basic cursed tool."
Yuji nodded, impressed. "You seem to know a lot."
Nobara tilted her head with a smug grin. "Of course I do. Unlike you, I was actually trained for this... though not as much as the inbred clan guys. Minus our favorite Gojo's, of course."
Yuji opened his mouth to ask about that comment but was cut off by Maki's sharp voice. "We're here."
Yuji's gaze wandered ahead, taking in the scene before him as the last echoes of thunder rumbled through the sky. The clouds were thick and foreboding, and had blocked access to the sun. What had once been a clear sky was now a bruised canopy of gray, the building ahead looming beneath it. It was going to rain soon.
They'd walked in silence since getting off the bus, but now, in the gloom, Yuji felt a subtle weight pressing down on him.
In front of the building entrance, three sleek black cars were parked, and four people stood beside them, dressed in dark suits. The group was deep in conversation, though their voices were drowned out by the sudden crack of thunder overhead. The man at the head of the group. A figure with glasses that reflected the faint light spotted them, his eyes narrowing slightly as he waved them over, stepping away from his companions.
As they approached, the man's calculating gaze flicked from Yuji to Nobara and finally to Maki. She offered a curt, respectful nod.
"Ijichi-san," she greeted, her voice calm and measured.
"Maki-kun," Ijichi acknowledged, his tone brisk yet tinged with relief. His gaze swept over the group, landing on Yuji and Nobara. "You're the one in charge of the first-years today, then?"
Maki nodded again, her expression neutral. "Yes, these are Itadori Yuji and Kugisaki Nobara. Satoru's off handling something else."
Ijichi frowned, adjusting his glasses as his focus lingered on Yuji for a moment longer than necessary. "All right, then. Let's begin with the briefing." His voice shifted into something more formal, businesslike, as he continued. "Our windows have confirmed the presence of the cursed womb inside the building, and we've managed to evacuate at least ninety-five percent of the surrounding area, including civilians living within a five-hundred-mile radius."
"A window?" Yuji asked, his confusion clear.
Ijichi turned, gesturing toward the men and women still standing behind him. "People who can see curses but lack the strength to be registered as sorcerers. They act as our eyes when manpower is stretched thin."
The explanation was brief, but it was enough to satisfy Yuji's curiosity, so Ijichi pressed on. "Despite how quickly we moved, there are still five confirmed individuals trapped inside, close to the epicenter where the cursed womb appeared. And if we don't act soon…" He paused, his tone darkening. "Anyway, we estimate the womb to be special grade."
Nobara took an instinctive step back, her eyes widening in surprise. Maki, however, tilted her head slightly, a flicker of interest crossing her face. But Yuji remained lost.
"A special grade?" he asked, blinking in confusion.
Ijichi's frown deepened as he glanced at Maki. "Itadori Yuji seems awfully uninformed. Are you sure he is prepared for this?"
Maki crossed her arms and met Ijichi's scrutiny head-on. "Satoru gave his approval and I'll be here if things go sideways."
Ijichi gave her a long look before sighing, seeming to weigh the risks in his mind. "All right then. I'll give a simplified explanation, but you'll get a more comprehensive one once you're back in class. I don't understand why Gojo-san decided to give this as your first mission, but Maki's presence here is enough proof that he takes this seriously somewhat." He paused before continuing, his tone heavy with meaning. "Sorcerers, cursed objects, tools, and curses are ranked from Grade Four to Special Grade. Grade Four is the weakest, and Special Grade is… well, you're about to find out."
Yuji, still processing this, remembered the younger white haired Gojo had said something very similar so he blurted out, "Like Jiki?"
The sudden mention of the name brought a sharp reaction from the group. All three of them turned toward him, Nobara's brows knitting together as she spoke first.
"You've met Jiki?"
Yuji blinked, taken aback by their sudden focus on him. "Yeah, I stayed at the Gojo Clan compound for a few days before I was admitted here."
"I see…" Ijichi's voice cut in as he adjusted his glasses once more. "You're correct. Like Gojo Jiki and Gojo Satoru. They are currently two of the strongest sorcerers in recent times. Though Satoru edges out Jiki due to his experience, and the fact that Jiki is rumored to still lack a Domain Expansion, Mei Mei has created ongoing bets that—"
"Ijichi-san," Maki interrupted, her voice sharp as she shot him a look. Ijichi blinked in surprise, realizing he'd gone off track. He cleared his throat, regaining his composure.
"Right. Apologies." He straightened his posture. "Whatever the case, this mission is serious. We're not as short-staffed as we used to be, but if Satoru says you can handle this, then I'll trust his judgment."
A sudden cry interrupted their conversation, the panicked voice of an older woman, tears streaming down her face as she stumbled toward them. "Tadashi! Is Tadashi all right?"
Ijichi's gaze softened briefly as he looked toward her. "One of the guardians for a boy trapped inside," he muttered under his breath before turning back to Yuji and the others. His expression hardened once more. "If there are survivors, do your best to bring them back. If not…" His voice trailed off as he steeled himself. "End the cursed womb as quickly as possible. No hesitation."
Yuji ignored the words, his focus was on the older woman with tears streaming down her cheeks as she openly sobbed. Images of his former classmates came to mind. Their injured forms left in the hospital. People he had barely saved. He didn't know when he spoke, but when he did, his voice silenced Ijichi. "We're going to save them. All of them." His fists clenched, eyes burning with determination. he turned back to face the older man.
Dying to a curse? That was not a good death.
Ijichi glanced at him, his eyes narrowing slightly before he gave a resigned nod. "Do as you will." Without further word, he raised his hands and began chanting softly. "Emerge from darkness darker than darkness, purify that which is impure."
"What's that?" Yuji began to ask, but Nobara cut him off with a knowing glance.
"A veil," she said, stretching her limbs as her expression turned serious. Her usual bravado was tempered by the seriousness of the moment.
Maki yawned, her casual demeanor returning as she leaned back against the hood of one of the cars. "You two go ahead. I'll be here. Remember, your job is to confirm the status of the missing individuals first. If things go south, I'll step in."
Yuji and Nobara exchanged a glance before nodding. With a final deep breath, they stepped past the veil's threshold, the world around them growing silent and still, as though they had crossed into another reality.
Behind them, Ijichi stood beside Maki, his brow furrowed with concern. "Are you certain they'll be all right?"
Maki didn't bother looking up from the dossier Satoru had sent her. "If they're not, I'll handle the worst of it long enough for backup to arrive," she said calmly, her fingers scrolling through the pages with practiced ease. "I've got this covered. Even in the worst case scenario It's still a special grade fresh from the womb and newly born. I doubt it would have a cursed technique or be able to use it well enough to be a threat. If i truly cannot handle that, what hope do i have of facing the Zenin one day."
...
Maki had been rifling through the dossier again, her focus sharp, when she felt it. A sickening pulse of malevolence that seeped into her bones, a vile concoction of hate, fury, and bloodlust. The air itself seemed to curdle, thickening with the weight of cursed energy. Her muscles tensed. Ijichi, mid-conversation with the others, felt it too and his face paled in response. Without hesitation, he sprinted toward her position. But by the time he arrived, Maki was already standing, blade drawn, its edge gleaming under the faint light, poised for action. Her eyes, hidden by the glass lenses of her cursed tool, were locked on the entrance.
"I know," she said, her voice cool and measured, though her pulse had quickened with something she refused to identify.
They waited, the silence between them heavy with anticipation, both attuned to the tension building inside the structure ahead. The other shoe was going to drop—it was only a matter of time—but Maki's patience was wearing thin. The cursed energy was volatile, thickening by the second.
"Expand the evacuation perimeter to fifteen kilometers," she ordered, her voice breaking the tension. "I'm going in."
Ijichi's didn't argue. So Maki bent her knees, her body coiling with power, calves and thighs flexing in preparation. The gates remained unused for now; it was too early to rely on them, not without a clear grasp of what was unfolding inside. And besides, she had survived over fifteen years without them.
With a burst of speed, she tore through the veil, her figure a blur as she plunged into the distorted space ahead. The world twisted around her. A chaotic, incomplete domain that warped the topography of the building into a labyrinthine mess of shifting geometry. The walls were wrong, the angles unnatural, the entire place a held up by something else.
But amidst the disorienting chaos, A single person's cursed energy blazed like a beacon. The signature was erratic, wild, a bonfire in the darkness, drowning out everything else. Explosions echoed in the distance, confirming her path.
There was no real route to follow, so Maki made hers, she carved her own way, smashing through weakened walls that crumbled beneath her strength, or moving horizontally with fluid and precise jumps.
A minute later she felt the domain shudder and a second later she came to an abrupt halt at the edge of a gaping hole that led into the sewers below. At the center stood Yuji, or rather, his body. close by was a confused Nobara, her eyes flicking from the dead curse embedded in the wall to the strange stillness surrounding Yuji and behind Nobara was another kid, he looked older but Maki could make out the name on his shirt, "Tadashi" He survived then.
Yuji turned away from the body imprinted in the wall and focused his attention on Nobara, Nobara's response was to raise her hammer in a defensive stance. A dark twisted chuckle rang out in response.
That laugh enough alone was enough to solidify her suspicion. This wasn't the same Yuji who had entered the building.
Her lips curled into a grin and without hesitation, she leaped into the hole, her blade trailing behind her like a deadly comet. She swung down hard, aiming for the outstretched hand that reached for Nobara. At the last moment, the hand jerked back, narrowly dodging her strike. Water and debris erupted beneath her feet as she landed, splashing into the murky depths, but she didn't slow down. In one seamless motion, she pivoted, her sword flashing in a wide, horizontal arc, parting the water in a spray of mist.
And yet… she missed again.
There was no resistance, no satisfying give of flesh meeting steel. Her grin shifted into a scowl as the water splashed back down, soaking her to the skin. But she didn't blink. Her gaze snapped forward, locking onto the figure standing across from her.
Ryomen Sukuna.
He wore Yuji's face, but the presence, the aura of malevolence that radiated from him was unmistakable and more than all that was the expression that Sukuna had twisted Yuji's face into. He glanced down at his ruined shirt, where a thin, barely visible line marred his skin—not enough to draw blood, but enough to ruin the fabric. A taunting grin spread across his face.
"I had left the girl alive, hoping to use her as leverage to see him again. And while I'd love to play with you," Sukuna's voice dripped with mockery, "the last time I did that, this brat took over."
Behind her, Nobara's voice shook with confusion. "Maki-san, what's happening?"
Maki didn't take her eyes off Sukuna, her mind racing through the options. "Sukuna's is in control. According to the dossier Satoru sent, Itadori should be able to take over soon."
"Oh, is that your plan?" Sukuna's laugh cut through the tension like a blade. His amusement was cruel. "Then let me tilt the odds a little more in my favor."
Before Maki could react, Sukuna opened his palm. Resting on it was a familiar object. A twisted and malformed red finger. In a swift, fluid motion, he swallowed it whole.
Maki's heart skipped a beat. That wasn't supposed to happen.
Her mind raced, trying to process the shift in power as Sukuna ripped open what remained of his shirt, exposing the black markings that coiled and writhed across his skin like living things. His cursed energy surged, thickening the air with a suffocating pressure that made her fingers tremble around her blade.
"That should sink the brat down even further," Sukuna said, his voice dark with satisfaction. He flexed his fingers, eyes gleaming with sadistic intent. "Now, what what were you saying?"
His grin widened, teeth bared in a smile.
"We're switching to plan B," Maki spoke to Nobara even if she didn't take her eyes off Sukuna.
"We have a plan B?"
"We need to stall him until Yuji regains control."
Nobara's shock was palpable as she replied. "Stall that?"
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