Cursed Corpse White Wolf, First Meeting Megumi Fushiguro

Gojo Satoru said to Shen Yuanyi after setting him down, "Well, welcome to Tokyo Metropolitan Jujutsu High School. When you're older, you'll be studying here."

Shen Yuanyi looked around. A stone-paved road ran between rows of tall, neatly arranged trees, with quite a few stone lanterns on either side. In the distance stood a cluster of buildings hidden among the mountains and woods, their upturned eaves and curved roofs giving them an antique air.

As Gojo Satoru led him along, he said, "This place is protected by a barrier. Ordinary people and those Curse Users can't get in easily. Stay here for a while—I'll arrange things for you once I'm done handling some business."

After passing through various buildings, Gojo Satoru eventually brought Shen Yuanyi before a tall man. He was broad and powerfully built, with a head of vigorous black short hair, a neatly trimmed beard around his chin, and resolute eyes. He looked every bit like the standard image of a tough guy.

"Gojo, what's going on? Why have you brought a child with you?"

Gojo Satoru gave him a rough explanation, then said to Shen Yuanyi, "This is my former homeroom teacher and the next principal of Jujutsu High, Yaga Masamichi. Yaga-sensei, I'll leave him with you for now. I'll be back soon."

Once Gojo Satoru left, the two of them were left staring at each other. Yaga Masamichi folded his arms and looked down at the little boy, who did not even reach his waist, his expression extremely serious.

"Cough, cough..."

Yaga Masamichi was the first to break the silence. They couldn't just keep staring at each other—it would be far too awkward. As it happened, he had an idea. He tried to use the gentlest tone possible. "Um, do you like toys? I have lots of toys that can move. See if there's one you like."

Shen Yuanyi thought of that Panda. The tough-looking man before him seemed to know how to make Cursed Corpses—simply put, he could create nonliving objects with Cursed Energy that could move on their own. Interested in these so-called Cursed Corpses, Shen Yuanyi nodded.

Yaga Masamichi brought Shen Yuanyi into a room filled with countless dolls of all kinds, most modeled after animals. There were also many tools laid out nearby.

Yaga Masamichi picked up a round white ball. It looked fluffy, with only a pair of cartoonish eyes and a mouth on it, and no limbs whatsoever. He handed it to Shen Yuanyi. "Gojo said you have Cursed Energy too. Just hold it in your hands, imagine it moving, then smash it onto the ground."

Shen Yuanyi held the object, which was slightly smaller than a basketball, in both hands and gave it a squeeze. It felt pretty good. Then, following Yaga Masamichi's instructions, he poured Cursed Energy into the ball. The pair of eyes on it immediately became lively, and it began trembling in his hands, gradually becoming difficult to hold onto.

Shen Yuanyi promptly smashed it onto the floor. The White Fur Ball shot up from the ground at incredible speed, struck the ceiling, and soon began tracing a dazzling series of paths throughout the room.

Yaga Masamichi stared in astonishment. He had made this thing in his spare time as something close to a toy. Once infused with Cursed Energy, it gained extremely powerful elasticity. Unfortunately, its lack of killing power meant it had been left unused. But what was with this terrifying speed? And where had those cracks in the walls and ceiling come from?

Just as Yaga Masamichi was about to stop the White Fur Ball, which was still bouncing around at high speed, he saw Shen Yuanyi suddenly spread his arms—and the White Fur Ball was firmly caught in his hands. He immediately realized something was off.

Gojo Satoru had only told him that this little boy was somewhat special, without explaining the details. Yaga Masamichi had barely been able to follow that speed just now. Though he had been unprepared and not paying close attention, it was still enough to shock him.

Shen Yuanyi's eyes gleamed. Although he had the memories of a previous life and was far more mature than children his age, perhaps because of his body, some of a child's nature still remained within him.

Throwing the ball out, watching it ricochet around at tremendous speed, then catching it in his hands at the end—this super-upgraded bouncing ball had Shen Yuanyi playing to his heart's content.

Yaga Masamichi had intended to say something, but seeing how happy Shen Yuanyi was, he swallowed his words. As Shen Yuanyi casually played with the White Fur Ball, Yaga Masamichi took out several relatively harmless Cursed Corpses for him to play with as well.

When Gojo Satoru returned, he saw Yaga Masamichi sitting cross-legged with a cheerful smile, while Shen Yuanyi was playing with a Husky-shaped Cursed Corpse nearby. The boy held a white fur ball in his hand before tossing it away, sending it bouncing off at incredible speed.

The Husky immediately dashed off in excitement. After catching up to the White Fur Ball, it grabbed it in its mouth and ran back. It tripped and tumbled along the way, but quickly rolled back up as if nothing had happened, picked up the fur ball again, and ran toward Shen Yuanyi.

Yaga Masamichi noticed Gojo Satoru and rose to greet him. "Gojo, you're back."

Gojo Satoru scratched his head. What was going on here...? Seeing his reaction, Yaga Masamichi explained, "I was worried he'd be bored, so I found a few Cursed Corpses for him to play with. You know I've recently been researching how to give Cursed Corpses their own consciousness. This dog is one of the less successful attempts."

Yaga Masamichi looked at Gojo Satoru, thought for a moment, and added, "This child is very gifted. Where did you find him, and what are you planning to do with him?"

Gojo Satoru rubbed his chin as Yaga Masamichi's expression turned unpleasant. "Huh? Didn't I tell you before?"

After Gojo Satoru explained Shen Yuanyi's background in greater detail, Yaga Masamichi narrowed his eyes. "That really is something..." Gojo Satoru smiled as he watched the Husky frolicking about and continued, "I've already taken care of things at the Orphanage. I'll find him a place to live later, and if necessary, hire a nanny. At his age, he should more or less be able to live on his own, right?"

Yaga Masamichi sighed. "He's only seven or eight. Even if he's unusually mature, you can't be so careless. By the way, didn't you adopt a child before? Don't you have any experience?"

Upon hearing that, Gojo Satoru suddenly understood and slammed his right fist into his left palm. "Right! I'll have him live with Megumi and the others. They're about the same age, so he'll have another companion too! That settles it."

Yaga Masamichi shook his head, no longer holding out any hope for Gojo Satoru's scatterbrained personality. He turned and beckoned to Shen Yuanyi, signaling for him to come over.

Shen Yuanyi came over carrying the White Fur Ball, with the Husky following beside him. Gojo Satoru waved and said with a grin, "I've taken care of the paperwork at the Orphanage, and I found you a nice place to live too."

"Oh, thank you."

Shen Yuanyi thanked him politely, then turned to return the White Fur Ball to Yaga Masamichi. But Yaga Masamichi waved his hand. "These two Cursed Corpses are yours. Consider them a gift. That white ball isn't very useful, but this dog—I named it White Wolf. It has some fighting ability, and it may be able to help you someday."

Shen Yuanyi lowered his head to look at White Wolf, who was wagging its tail happily, then raised his head and sincerely thanked Yaga Masamichi. He truly had not expected Uncle Yaga to give him these two Cursed Corpses.

The man before him looked fierce and stern on the outside, but he had a soft, caring side as well. He was a good person.

"Then I'll take him with me."

Gojo Satoru called out a farewell, then lifted Shen Yuanyi up again regardless of his wishes. Shen Yuanyi hugged White Wolf and the fur ball against his chest. Gojo Satoru waved goodbye, and the two vanished from the spot in an instant.

When they reappeared, Shen Yuanyi found himself on an open street. Gojo Satoru brought him before a detached house by the roadside and handed him a key. "This will be your home from now on. I can find you a nanny later if needed. First, I'll take you next door. Your future companions live there, and they'll be my future students too."

The two went to the house next door. Gojo Satoru knocked on the door and called out in a slightly cheerful, drawn-out tone, "Megumi, Tsumiki, open up! It's me, Gojo Satoru!"

Amid the rhythmic knocking, the lock clicked open. A girl answered the door. She looked quiet and polite, and she greeted Gojo Satoru when she saw him.

"Where's Megumi? I brought you two a new companion."

Fushiguro Tsumiki looked at the boy standing behind Gojo Satoru and replied, "Megumi is in his room."

With both hands in his pockets, Gojo Satoru headed upstairs as if he knew the place by heart and reached to push open a room's door. However, it opened before he could. A black-haired boy with spiky, sea-urchin-like hair walked out.

"Gojo-sensei, weren't you even planning to knock?"

Gojo Satoru waved a hand. "What do you mean? Didn't I knock?"

The young Megumi Fushiguro sighed. "I wasn't talking about that door... Forget it."

Gojo Satoru reached out and ruffled the boy's hair, pressing down the upturned spikes. But the moment he removed his hand, they sprang back up.

Then Gojo Satoru struck an exaggerated presenting pose. "Ta-da... Let me introduce your new companion. His name is Shen Yuanyi, and just like you, he has the talent to become a Jujutsu Sorcerer. He's awakened his technique too. You might even end up classmates someday."

Shen Yuanyi studied the still-young Megumi Fushiguro. He was not much different from Shen Yuanyi's impression of him, especially his remarkably similar hair. The boy's immature face wore an indifferent expression the whole time, creating a certain... adorable contrast?

But to Shen Yuanyi, he was the kind of person with a rather punchable face. Of course, he was a good kid and would not hit people casually. Back at the Orphanage, everyone had only acknowledged him as their leader because they respected him.

Come to think of it, he wondered how things were going at the Orphanage. But with the authorities and all those professionals around, there probably would not be any problems. Once he was a little older, he would find time to go back and take a look...

While Shen Yuanyi was sizing up Megumi Fushiguro, the other boy was sizing him up as well. After hearing Gojo Satoru's words, Megumi's little face darkened. "I don't want to become some Jujutsu Sorcerer..."

As though he had not heard him, Gojo Satoru continued with a cheerful smile, "Then you two know each other now! Oh, right, school's almost starting. Unless something unexpected happens, you'll be classmates in elementary school too!"

"You two get to know each other first. I have something to do, so I'll be off." With that, Gojo Satoru vanished, leaving only the three little ones behind.