"I know what you’re thinking. You’d better stop."
"You bastard......"
"It may have worked on that woman, but I’m different. I don’t want to kill you yet, so I’ll let this go for now. Next time, I’ll devour you for real."
Touch me one more time, brat.
I’ll show you what hell looks like.
With a grinding snarl, Sukuna’s teeth ground together, sending a chill down the spine.
"You’re trapped in Yuji’s body and can’t do a damn thing, so quit acting tough... Want me to really try you?"
Most people would have frozen under Sukuna’s pressure, but Junpei had already been through too much to react that way.
The monsters he had fought on the edge of life and death overlapped with Sukuna’s form, and Junpei’s rebellious streak quietly lifted its head.
Junpei, now thoroughly irritated, tried to reach out again, but the kids held him back.
"Stop it, Yoshino! Maybe you just got lucky with Tsumiki! There’s no guarantee you’ll be okay again!"
"Junpei, calm down."
"Yeah, the risk is way too high."
"Are you really going to get hurt in front of me again.....?"
At Nobara’s plea, her eyes already reddening, Junpei’s hand dropped limply.
Sukuna’s laughter rang through the room.
"Still, I’ll give you credit for that spirit. You’re still pathetic and weak, though."
"You’d better not regret this either, Sukuna. Someday I’ll drag you out of Yuji’s body."
"Junpei, I’m fine, so don’t push yourself."
Yuji waved a hand as if to say he really was okay, and stepped a little away from Junpei.
It was a precaution against any sudden move.
"Sorry, I got too worked up. I’ll give up on absorbing him."
"Good call."
"Phew....."
With that quick concession, Nobara and Megumi finally let go of Junpei.
"So, what happened after that?"
"You’re curious about that now? Get lost. I’ve got nothing to tell you."
"I can hear everything anyway from inside this brat. Just pretend I’m not here and keep going."
As he said, once Junpei had started telling the story, he no longer had a choice.
Leaving Yuji out of it felt wrong, but if he clammed up completely, he’d miss the chance to get closer to the truth.
Junpei ran a hand through his hair irritably, then continued with what happened next.
"That woman came at me like she was trying to kill me, so I tried to summon the previous moon too, but something else came out. A monster I’d never seen before."
"!"
"The darkness around us gathered together and turned into a jellyfish... Honestly, I’d never felt anything like it before. It was overwhelming."
"Oh?"
"In what way?"
"Everything, really. Its power, its presence. If I had to say it, it was the strongest thing I’ve ever seen in my life."
"Then the reason you tried to absorb Sukuna was..."
"I figured if that black jellyfish could take care of Sukuna, then maybe it could beat him."
"Kihihit. What a foolish dream."
Sukuna kept chiming in from the side, needling him, and it was getting on Junpei’s nerves.
He barely managed to suppress his killing intent and snapped at him through clenched teeth.
"Quit interrupting me. I’m trying to talk."
"Yeah, Sukuna. Shut up."
"Ah, my apologies. Your story is just so fascinating—and so laughable."
"Let’s just ignore him and keep going."
"Right... Anyway, that woman rushed at me like she was about to kill me on the spot, but when she saw the jellyfish, she ran. Well, she came back once she realized there was no way out."
"So the black jellyfish won?"
"Yeah. It got absorbed without leaving a trace. She seemed to be a jujutsushi who’d made a name for herself back in the Heian era, but I’d never seen anyone lose that badly before."
"......"
"Once she died, I woke up right away. That’s everything."
"I see."
After all that, the response he got was utterly hollow.
It wasn’t because they weren’t interested. If anything, it was the opposite.
A sorcerer from the Heian era had been hiding inside Tsumiki’s unconscious body, and then the thing Junpei absorbed had turned into an even more monstrous being and devoured her.
They couldn’t explain it well, but it felt like they’d just heard something huge and serious.
Sukuna swept his dull gaze over the dazed kids.
"Is that all?"
"Yeah."
"I see. Then I’m going back in."
"You bastard. Are you kidding me? You were talking about a deal just now, weren’t you?"
"That was when you lot had formed a binding vow. My business is done."
Sukuna’s eyes slowly closed as he sank back into Yuji, and the kids all clung to Yuji with urgent expressions.
Making deals with curses was taboo, but this was different. They hadn’t made a vow with Sukuna.
Now that they’d heard something on such a massive scale, they had to squeeze whatever clues they could out of Sukuna, who knew things they didn’t.
"Waaah!!"
"Hey, don’t go in! Tell us before you leave!"
"Yuji, can’t you do something? Hold that guy down!"
"Kihihihit, look at you all clinging on in the end."
Just before his mouth disappeared completely, Sukuna left them with one last line.
"As payment for hearing something interesting, I’ll tell you one thing."
"What is it!"
"That woman’s name is Yorozu."
Go and look for it.
With that, Sukuna fell completely asleep.
After standing frozen for a long while, the kids all hurriedly pulled out their phones.
"What are you doing?"
"This is beyond what we can handle on our own."
"Let’s call Gojo-sensei."
--------------------------
"So that’s why you called me here?"
"Yes."
"You heard something huge... You’ve had a rough time."
"What are you going to do now?"
"I’ll probably have to gather Principal Yaga, Kusakabe, Mei Mei, Utahime, and the rest of the staff and hold a proper meeting. As for the name Yorozu, I’ll look into it myself."
Gojo wore a more serious expression than usual.
"How’s Tsumiki?"
"There are still a few minor tests left, so she can’t be discharged yet, but she’s completely fine now. She’s in great shape."
"That’s a relief, Megumi. Good for you."
"Well... yeah. It’s all thanks to Yoshino."
Gojo’s feelings were a little complicated.
He was glad his student had a hidden well of power, but the nature of it and the ability itself were deeply unsettling.
It had been quiet until now, then suddenly surfaced when Junpei’s talent reached its peak after completing the Sea God Art.
Wasn’t an uncontrollable talent a curse in itself?
A black jellyfish that seemed to possess a will of its own, one that didn’t even listen to its master.
Maybe, like Megumi’s hidden trump card, it was a double-edged sword that could even devour its owner.
"Junpei."
"Yes?"
"You said you tried to absorb Sukuna?"
"...Yes."
"Why did you do that?"
At Gojo’s gentle tone, Junpei lowered his head.
"If Sukuna were gone, Yuji wouldn’t have to die. And... no one would be tricked into dying because of Sukuna’s fingers."
Junpei’s mother, Yoshino Nagi, had been killed by a curse lured in by Sukuna’s finger.
His reckless actions were driven not only by concern for his friend, but also by sorrow over his mother’s absurd death.
"That was a noble thought."
"....."
"But it was too reckless. You’ve grown stronger, yes, but you’re still nowhere near ready to take on Sukuna. Even if you do have some hidden card up your sleeve."
"I’m sorry."
"And when you faced that sorcerer called Yorozu, it was pretty dangerous too, right? So for now, that power is sealed."
"What?"
"If you’re going to use your power, you need to know exactly what it is. There are plenty of sorcerers who were swallowed by their own uncontrollable abilities and ended up worse than dead. I want you to be better than them."
"...Okay."
"Thanks for understanding. All right, it’s late now, so good little kids should be in bed~"
Gojo clapped his hands and sent the kids out.
Before leaving, they all turned back toward him with uneasy looks.
"It’ll be okay, right, Gojo-sensei?"
"Of course, idiot. Who do you think your teacher is? I’m the strongest. I can handle this kind of thing in no time, so don’t worry about it."
"We’ll be counting on you."
After everyone returned to their rooms, Gojo left as well, closing the door behind him.
He left them with one final warning.
"Junpei, be careful. That thing still isn’t fully yours."
"I’ll keep that in mind."
Even after Gojo left with a grin, Junpei was left alone, turned off the lights, and lay down on his bed.
Even though his body was exhausted and he felt like he’d fall asleep at any moment, his eyes wouldn’t close easily.
So much had happened today.
He had visited Tsumiki in the hospital and broken her curse.
He had nearly fought a sorcerer from a thousand years ago inside an Innate Domain, only to discover a hidden power inside himself that he hadn’t even known existed.
And apparently, that woman knew Sukuna.
His head throbbed.
Ever since becoming a sorcerer, it felt like he’d been standing in the eye of a storm.
Time with his new friends, his teacher, and his lover was certainly fun and happy...
And yet, every time one problem was solved, a new one burst open.
'Even if it’s something you don’t want to do, you have to do it. That is the fate of a sorcerer.'
Nanami’s words from long ago came back to him.
Back then, he’d thought he’d been through something big enough to steel himself, but now that he thought about it, he still felt immature.
You didn’t have to go through some massive ordeal to gain a new mindset and become a better person.
He had always wanted a new environment, but he didn’t think he’d wanted to throw himself into turbulence like this.
And yet, a thin sense of duty and accomplishment,
and the guilt of not being able to forgive himself for letting his mother die, held him in place.
Absorbing curses.
He wondered why a power like this had been given to someone like him.
He hadn’t told the others, but even now, death didn’t really move him all that much.
Unless it was someone in a case similar to his own, all he felt was, Oh, I see. That’s sad.
He probably could never become a righteous person like Yuji for the rest of his life.
And yet, with this power, he had unintentionally saved someone and been thanked for it.
That somehow made everything feel even more messed up.
Would he only become complete after growing used to the dangers lurking around him and after sending away a few people close to him?
How far did he have to go before he could find a clear sense of who he was?
While he was lost in thought, someone knocked on the door.
Knock knock
"Who is it...?"
The door opened, and Nobara appeared in her pajamas.
For some reason, she was holding a blanket in one hand and clutching a pillow tightly in the other.
"Nobara...?"
"Um... Junpei."
"What is it...?"
She hesitated for a moment, then closed her eyes as if she’d made up her mind and stepped into the room.
Junpei was still reeling from her abrupt advance when—
"C-Can I sleep here with you tonight?!"
Nobara’s bombshell dropped.
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