New Year

Shen Yuanyi picked up the shriveled finger. It was strange... and it seemed impossible to destroy. Some Special Grade Cursed Objects had similar properties, having gained their protection through a binding vow of "cease living and do no harm to others."

Sukuna's Finger was an exceptional case. A Cursed Object divided into twenty pieces that could still attract curses after countless years—it was a monster in every sense of the word.

That was why Jujutsu High needed to retrieve it. If left unattended, it would not only draw curses to itself, but if it encountered a suitable "vessel," the King of Curses might very well return to this world.

He took out talisman paper and wrapped the finger completely. As Shen Yuanyi exorcised the Cursed Spirit, the prison's western wing returned to normal.

Ijichi, who had been waiting outside the Curtain, watched as it slowly disappeared. Then Shen Yuanyi emerged from the corridor.

"Good work. Genichi-kun, have you retrieved the mission target?"

Shen Yuanyi showed him the wrapped finger in his hand and asked with some distaste, "Do you have a box I can put this in? Carrying it around just feels really unpleasant."

Ijichi nodded. "There are still some wooden boxes in the car. They were meant for storing Cursed Objects."

"Then let's go."

Under the attentive send-off of Yamaguchi Takuyoshi, who had appeared from who knew where, Shen Yuanyi and Ijichi left the place.

Looking through the car window at the sky seemingly covered by a filter, Shen Yuanyi watched white spirits drift down from the air. They landed on the ground, while those that touched the nearby windowpane instantly melted away, leaving behind tiny watermarks. As if remembering something, he murmured, "It'll be New Year soon."

Ijichi, sitting in the driver's seat, looked surprised. "It's already the thirtieth. A lot of people are planning to line up at shrines tomorrow."

Japan had also been influenced by the culture of that great nation and had always celebrated the New Year. In the past, it observed both New Year's Day and the Lunar New Year. After adopting the Gregorian calendar, however, Japanese people only celebrated New Year's Day. Many customs still bore traces of ancient traditions, mixed with plenty of local practices.

For instance, on the final day of the year, temples rang their bells exactly one hundred and eight times. Buddhism said that ten entanglements and ninety-eight knots made up the one hundred and eight worldly afflictions. People believed each bell toll could dispel one affliction, so the bell was rung one hundred and eight times to drive them all away. After the bells were rung, people would visit shrines and temples to pray for blessings, an event called the First Shrine Visit.

It meant the first worship of the new year. In order to get a good omen, many people started lining up on the thirty-first just to secure a spot closer to the front.

There were also customs such as eating soba noodles, but there was no need to list them all. In past New Years, Shen Yuanyi had eaten with Megumi Fushiguro and the others. The noodles Tsumiki made were always completely devoured by him and Megumi.

"Mr. Ijichi, will you be going home to celebrate the New Year with your family? Oh, right, are you married?"

Ijichi laughed. "Not yet. A lot of Jujutsu Sorcerers marry very late. You know how it is—there are too many unpredictable factors in this line of work. I have it a little easier as an Assistant Supervisor. As for New Year's, of course I'll go home and spend it with my family. To be honest, they've been pushing me to find someone too. Hahaha."

Ijichi naturally knew about Shen Yuanyi's circumstances. He quickly stopped laughing, coughed, and changed the subject. Once they returned to Jujutsu High, Shen Yuanyi said goodbye to him. He still needed to hand over the mission and place Sukuna's Finger in the Forbidden Repository.

He met with Principal Yaga. After taking the wooden box containing Sukuna's Finger and hearing Shen Yuanyi's brief report on the mission, Principal Yaga had no further use for him. All Shen Yuanyi had to do now was wait for his payment.

On the way back to the dorms, he spotted Okkotsu Yuta and Inumaki Toge outside, with White Wolf beside them. The two were carrying bags upon bags of supplies. When they saw Shen Yuanyi from afar, they raised their hands in greeting. After he went over and helped carry some of the load, he naturally asked what they were doing.

"Everyone's planning to spend New Year at Jujutsu High, so Inumaki-senpai and I went out to buy some things. Gojo-sensei also said he'd make handmade noodles for everyone."

"Salmon."

Understanding dawned on Shen Yuanyi. He tried to imagine Gojo Satoru kneading dough, but found it difficult. As far as he remembered, Gojo Satoru had never cooked before. Still, with how he was always saying, "I'm capable of anything," there probably would not be a problem.

"Where are Maki and the others?"

Okkotsu Yuta thought for a moment. "When we left, she was still training with Megumi. They probably haven't finished yet. Panda said he went to clean up a room. He wants to clear out a classroom so we can have a gathering there later."

After putting down the things Okkotsu and Inumaki had bought, the three of them went to Panda first. They found him wearing an apron and holding a broom as he cleaned. The place was not actually dirty, just a little dusty at most. It was more symbolic and psychological than anything else.

With the three of them helping, they quickly finished the work. Then they headed to the Training Ground, where Maki and Megumi were exchanging blows. They had apparently been fighting for some time by the time the others arrived, and Megumi was soon defeated by Maki once more.

"Go review what happened properly first."

Leaving Megumi behind to absorb the experience, Maki walked over to greet the group. Then she said, "You've already finished? I was going to say Megumi and I would come help you later."

Panda said cheerfully, "Yuanyi used his technique and got a lot done in one go. Everything over there is finished."

"Tuna mayonnaise!"

Shen Yuanyi was suddenly reminded of something and immediately asked, "Toge, are you staying at school too?"

"Salmon."

Panda explained from the side, "Toge already told his family. He's planning to go home on the first."

Among the rest of them, Shen Yuanyi and Megumi had nowhere to go. Going home was no different from staying at school. Okkotsu had had some conflicts with his family before. He had improved a lot since Rika's curse was lifted, but he was still planning to spend this New Year at Jujutsu High first.

Maki simply did not want to return to that prison-like "home." A day like New Year's should of course be spent happily. As for Panda, Jujutsu High was his home. With that, the coming New Year seemed like it would be quite lively.

"By the way, none of you have anything to do today, right? How about we go out for a meal? Mr. Ijichi told me about a restaurant before. He said the food is pretty good," Shen Yuanyi suggested.

Panda scratched his head. "Actually, the Sukiyaki you made last time was really delicious too."

The moment he said that, everyone recalled it. The others wore complicated expressions. It had indeed been delicious, but the scorching spiciness had also made them hesitate. They both loved and hated it.

"It's fine. We can make it tomorrow too, and invite some other people. Didn't Principal Yaga like it last time as well?"

They happily settled on it. After getting the restaurant's address and contact information from Ijichi, Shen Yuanyi booked a private room. But then another problem troubled them: among the six of them, not one was an adult with a driver's license. How were they supposed to get there?

In the end, they had to trouble Ijichi and Nitta Akari, who happened to be free, to drive them there. The two were then enthusiastically persuaded to stay for the gathering as well, since they would need to trouble them again for the return trip later.

"It feels like everyone's a lot more relaxed with New Year approaching. It's as if the whole world has become a better place," Nitta Akari sighed after enjoying the meal.

Maki adjusted her glasses and agreed. "That's true. Curse activity has dropped quite a bit. It's probably because people's emotions and mindsets turn more positive around New Year too. I've only had one mission in the past two days."

Everyone chimed in, except Shen Yuanyi, whose face darkened. "Huh? Why have I run several missions in just the last few days? I've even encountered two Special Grade Cursed Spirits."

Panda scratched his head. "Yuanyi, you've been that busy lately? No wonder we hardly saw you."

Maki sneered. "It must have been the blindfolded idiot assigning you those missions, right?"

Shen Yuanyi had nothing to say to that. It did not really matter to him anyway; he had only mentioned it in passing. Soon, the group began discussing the Cursed Spirits Shen Yuanyi had encountered during his missions.

It was not particularly important intelligence, and there were no outsiders around. Anyone else listening would probably have been completely lost, unable to understand what they were talking about.

"A humanoid Cursed Spirit with a stitched face that can speak human language?"

After hearing Shen Yuanyi's description of Mahito, everyone began discussing it. That technique was indeed extremely dangerous. A moment of carelessness could be fatal, and Reverse Cursed Technique was powerless against that kind of injury.

"Strategic retreat!" Panda declared righteously. That was the conclusion he had reached after careful thought. Maki frowned, wanting to refute him, but realized that if one lacked sufficient strength, running away truly was the only option. If it were her, without a Cursed Tool capable of harming the soul, her best choice seemed to be immediate retreat as well.

"By the way, Okkotsu, are you preparing to go abroad?"

Okkotsu Yuta smiled slightly. "Yeah. Gojo-sensei entrusted me with a long-term mission, so I may be overseas for a while. I'm planning to bring back some local specialties for everyone when I return. Is there anything you like?"

Shen Yuanyi said indifferently, "It should be something characteristic of the local area. Otherwise, there's no point. You might as well just buy it online."

Maki, who had heard him, retorted, "I think it's better if it suits the recipient's preferences. That way, both sides will be happy. Some regional specialties are strange. They might be novel at first, but that doesn't mean people will like them."

The two looked at each other, and sparks seemed ready to fly from their eyes. Shen Yuanyi sneered, then began debating with her over whether gifts with local character were better or gifts that suited the recipient's tastes.

"Um... could there be something that has local character and that you both like?"

Okkotsu Yuta cautiously interrupted their argument. The air suddenly fell silent. Shen Yuanyi coughed and asked, "Yuta, do you know which country you'll be going to yet?"

Okkotsu Yuta shook his head. "Gojo-sensei hasn't told me yet. I'll ask him when the time comes."

After enjoying the food at the old restaurant, they found that Ijichi's taste was indeed good. Shen Yuanyi felt that this place was no worse than those heavily advertised brands, perhaps even better.

After returning to Jujutsu High, there was nothing else to do. All that remained was to decorate in advance, hanging shimenawa ropes and the like.

With nothing to do, Shen Yuanyi dragged Panda off to play games together. Then all that was left was the arrival of the New Year.

The next day, the thirty-first, Gojo Satoru arrived with a smile. The moment he met them, he handed everyone a red envelope. There was a red-envelope culture here too, though it went by another name: Otoshidama. The meaning was the same.

As expected of the wealthy head of the Gojo Family, the envelopes they received were thick and bulging. After they thanked him with beaming smiles, Gojo Satoru asked curiously, "What are you preparing?"

"Hot pot. We're planning to have hot pot for lunch and noodles at night. We've already prepared all the ingredients for you, Sensei," Panda answered from the side.

Gojo Satoru gave a thumbs-up and smiled with complete confidence. "No problem. Just wait to enjoy my absolutely amazing cooking!"

Shen Yuanyi had just finished preparing the kitchen and happened to hear Gojo Satoru as he walked out. He immediately complained, "Gojo-sensei, I've never seen you cook before. Don't let our expectations down."

Gojo Satoru looked unconcerned. "Relax. I'm capable of anything... Huh? That smells really good."

"Haha, before that, try my cooking first."

"Did you prepare a lot? I'll call Shoko and the others over too. They should still be at school."

Shen Yuanyi immediately said, "There's plenty. Call Principal Yaga, Nanami-senpai, Miss Shoko, everyone who's at school. New Year is supposed to be lively, isn't it?"

In the end, the final day of the year became incredibly lively. The cleaned-up room was nearly full, and around the steaming hot pot, Ieiri Shoko and Nanami Kento began competing in drinking.

Yaga Masamichi and Ijichi each had a small drink as well. Only Gojo Satoru kept stuffing himself with food while drinking the same beverages as the students.

"Ah... in a cold winter, you need this kind of fiery heat," Ieiri Shoko commented, her alcohol tolerance surprisingly immense.

"But isn't this a little too harsh on the stomach...?" Ijichi said, caught in something of a dilemma.

Okkotsu and the others, who had become somewhat accustomed to it already, were doing better. Their tolerance had gradually improved quite a bit.

After finishing their enjoyable lunch, Gojo Satoru made handmade soba noodles that evening. To everyone's surprise, they actually tasted quite good.

Afterward, everyone prepared to head to Senso-ji Temple for the First Shrine Visit. This time, however, not everyone went. Gojo Satoru had already said goodbye and vanished in the blink of an eye. The main group heading there was the students.

As a famous destination, Senso-ji Temple naturally had no shortage of people. The line was terrifyingly long, but in such a festive atmosphere, no one felt annoyed. During the wait, Shen Yuanyi, Megumi Fushiguro, Inumaki Toge, and Okkotsu Yuta merely had to stand there to draw shy girls over to strike up conversations.

If Maki, Panda, and the others had not looked so unconventional, there probably would have been even more people approaching them.

"Huh? What did you just say?"

Panda held back Maki, who was about to roll up her sleeves and charge forward. Amid their joking and horseplay, the time finally came for the bells to ring.

They were lucky enough to get a chance to ring the bell themselves. After making their wishes, they sent their hopes for a better future into the new year alongside the sound of the bell.

They worshipped the gods, prayed for blessings, and made wishes. Although Shen Yuanyi was an atheist, that did not stop him from following the festive mood and paying respects to those clay and wooden idols. It felt more like a ritual, a symbol.

Finally, as they walked over the soft snow, Panda started a snowball fight. Inumaki Toge and Shen Yuanyi, who never minded stirring up trouble for fun, immediately joined in and dragged everyone else into it.

Maki's throws, however, were incredibly accurate. She hit wherever she aimed. If she meant to throw snow down your collar, it would never hit your face instead.

Ieiri Shoko, who had come along with them, sighed. "This is youth... and companionship, too."