The Figure Falling from the Rooftop

When people were busy, they always failed to notice the passage of time. The few days of leave Eiji had gotten by having Toji Fushiguro pose as his guardian quickly passed, and he had no choice but to return to school.

"What were you doing these past few days?"

On the school rooftop, Suguru Geto and Eiji sat against the wall, each holding bread they had just bought from the convenience store.

Yakisoba bread really was a strange kind of food—carbs sandwiched between carbs.

"I went to tame some Shikigami."

After finishing the last two bites of his bread, Eiji opened a bottle of green tea and gulped it down.

"Oh? How many did you tame?"

Geto became interested. He was a true commoner-born genius, and after interacting with Eiji and Satoru Gojo, he had learned quite a bit about the Jujutsu World. As such, he knew the standing of the Ten Shadows Technique and the Six Eyes within it.

Still, he was confident that his Cursed Spirit Manipulation would not lose to either of them. The Ten Shadows Technique only had ten Shikigami, after all. Couldn't he simply throw ten or a hundred times as many Cursed Spirits at them until they were worn down?

The only thing he needed to watch out for was Mahoraga, the legendary strongest Shikigami.

According to Satoru Gojo, when he and Eiji had first met a few years ago, Eiji had relied on Mahoraga to exorcise a Special Grade Cursed Spirit.

But that was fine. Once he was strong enough, he could capture more Special Grade Cursed Spirits. There would always be a way.

In truth, Geto lacked information on Mahoraga. Otherwise, he could simply use a Maximum Technique: Swirl to destroy Mahoraga in one blow the moment it emerged.

"Nine."

"Which one is left?"

"Mahoraga."

"Huh?"

Geto froze.

Hadn't Satoru Gojo said Eiji had already tamed Mahoraga when they spoke before?

"I haven't tamed Mahoraga. I merely used some special method to temporarily control him."

Seeing Geto's confusion, Eiji did not particularly try to hide it.

"But during this Taming Ritual, I got a clear grasp of Mahoraga's strength. It won't be long before I tame him completely."

As he spoke, Eiji looked at the Command Spell on the back of his hand.

The Fate/stay night anime had yet to air, but all the preparations were complete.

Promotional efforts such as posters had already begun as well. Before long, he would surely accumulate enough Phantasm Force to begin summoning Heroic Spirits.

Then he could begin the Taming Ritual and shove a Noble Phantasm directly into Mahoraga's mouth to see whether he submitted.

"What about you? How have things been lately?"

"I'm planning to quit the club."

"Why?"

Eiji looked at Geto in surprise.

"I want to use this power to help more people and protect them from Cursed Spirits."

"Do you want to become a savior?"

Eiji tilted his head at Geto.

For a moment, Geto's heart stirred, but he did not admit it aloud.

"I don't have such grand ambitions. It's just that only Jujutsu Sorcerers can exorcise Cursed Spirits, right?"

After saying that, Geto raised his head and looked toward the sky.

"Then, as someone strong enough to exorcise Cursed Spirits, I have a duty to protect those who aren't Jujutsu Sorcerers."

How arrogant.

Eiji looked at Geto's profile.

"Non-sorcerers aren't necessarily weak, nor are they all worth protecting."

That was also why Geto would cast aside the righteous path he once upheld in the future.

Constantly keeping company with twisted Cursed Spirits, combined with the immense discomfort the Cursed Spirit Jades caused his body when he swallowed them—

Geto had actually been under tremendous pressure all along. That was precisely why he constantly spoke of the righteous path he upheld.

Only in that way could Geto convince himself that continuously swallowing those nauseating Cursed Spirits had meaning.

But human nature had never possessed only a kind side.

Especially in an Island Nation where countless bullying incidents still occurred at an age that should have been innocent and carefree.

"Geto, you have the makings of a Demon King."

"Huh? No matter how you look at what I just said, shouldn't that make me some kind of hero or brave warrior?"

He was still a middle schooler, after all. No matter how composed he acted, the moment something unexpected happened, he reverted to his true self.

"No, people like you, who believe in righteousness and hold the world in their hearts, are more likely to become Demon Kings."

"Hey, hey, how does that make any sense? If anyone's a Demon King, it's Satoru Gojo."

"No, no. Satoru will become a brave warrior."

A brave warrior who challenged the Demon King Sukuna and tried to save Megumi Fushiguro.

Eiji did not know whether the anime production team had done it deliberately, but when he watched the Jujutsu Kaisen anime in his previous life, there were often close-ups of Megumi Fushiguro's long eyelashes, melancholy sorrowful eyes, slender waist, and the like.

Add in those adorable animal Shikigami, and calling Megumi Fushiguro a Disney Princess on the Run really wasn't wrong.

"Have you lost your mind? Someone as lawless as Satoru could become a brave warrior?"

Geto did not believe it.

"That's right. Although Satoru is lawless, he can firmly uphold who he is and never waver, no matter the circumstances."

"I can do that too."

Geto immediately refused to accept that, and the two began arguing back and forth.

"Hey, Geto!"

Just as neither could convince the other, something unexpected happened.

The school they attended had originally only had a high school division and was a private academy for the wealthy.

Later, because its reputation and profits were both excellent, it built the affiliated middle school that Eiji and Geto now attended beside it. After graduating from this affiliated middle school, students could choose to advance directly into the high school division.

Thus, the high school and middle school sections were separated by only a single wall.

At that moment, in Eiji and Geto's sight, several people had surrounded another person on the high school rooftop.

Although rooftops in anime seemed to be freely accessible and were wonderful places for countless close friends and couples to deepen their bonds—

In reality, school rooftops were all locked, and few people could get up there.

Eiji and Geto could come and go from the rooftop at will only because their Jujutsu-enhanced bodies were superhuman.

But the situation across from them was clearly wrong.

"Is it bullying?"

Geto asked.

"Not sure. Let's watch a little longer."

If it was bullying, the victim would certainly be panicked and afraid. The most common reactions were collapsing onto the ground, covering their head, and pretending to be an ostrich.

Yet the current situation was exactly the opposite. The side with more people kept waving their arms around, seemingly in a panic.

The side with only one person, meanwhile, remained calm the entire time.

Though Eiji could not see her face clearly, her uniform indicated that she was a girl.

For one girl to remain so calm while being cornered on a rooftop by a group of people was clearly abnormal.

The situation changed again the next moment.

A boy on the opposite rooftop suddenly grabbed the girl with force, then shoved her against the railing at the edge of the roof.

"Nue."

An owl with a bony mask on its face emerged from Eiji's shadow and swiftly flew toward the opposite rooftop.

But it was too late. The boy had already forcefully shoved the girl off the rooftop, half dragging and half pushing her over the edge.

"Go save her!"

Even Geto at Eiji's side could not hold back any longer. The two immediately leaped from the rooftop. Geto summoned a flying Cursed Spirit resembling a manta ray to help himself descend, while Eiji used Tiger Funeral's wind-riding ability to land smoothly.

The two rushed toward the high school division.

Yet as he ran, the doubts in Eiji's heart only grew deeper.

Why did the larger group of perpetrators look even more panicked than the lone victim?

Why had that girl allowed the boy to push her off the rooftop without putting up even the slightest resistance?

If the girl had resisted even a little and bought a few seconds, Nue could have saved her.

Why were the remaining people on the rooftop dancing with joy after the girl fell?

Everything about it carried a trace of something deeply unsettling.