Yuji!

Somewhere inside the Jujutsu High barrier.

"Here it is."

Okkotsu poured cursed energy into the concealed barrier on the ground. Once the cursed energy entered, the barrier melted away like butter.

"Tsukumo-senpai is waiting for us inside—hurry in."

Okkotsu grabbed the handle and pulled the door outward, then looked back.

"How many times do I have to say it?! Summon only part of it, not the whole thing!!!"

Xuan brought a huge fist down on Megumi Fushiguro's forehead—summoned in its entirety for the third time, Divine Dog: Black silently crouched on the tatami.

"You really can't grasp the key point..."

"A binding vow, a binding vow!!! If you make a binding vow, shouldn't it be possible in theory?"

"...Mr. Xuan, don't be like that. Fushiguro is only a first-year student. He still has a lot to learn..."

Looking at the somewhat irritated Xuan, Okkotsu could not bear it—of course she could tell that the reason Fushiguro could not summon only part of a shikigami like Xuan was because his cursed energy control was far too weak.

Unlike one's total cursed energy reserves, cursed energy control could be improved through training. Reserves, however, could no longer increase once they reached a certain point.

"His birth didn't help him at all! Come on, try again."

Itadori averted his gaze from Fushiguro's pleading eyes—he had not expected Xuan, who looked gentle enough and whom he had assumed would teach as calmly as Satoru Gojo, to possess not only Gojo-level teaching ability, but also Maki—no, Nobara-level temper.

"Don't use Divine Dog this time. Use Max Elephant. Didn't you say fully summoning Max Elephant costs you a huge amount of cursed energy? Aim at—"

Xuan looked outside the door and spotted a tree.

"Aim at that. Imagine—imagine using only a portion of the shadows between your hands to materialize Max Elephant's water-spraying organ. Then continuously compress it with the cursed energy between your clasped palms, and fire it out like the Kamo Clan's Piercing Blood from Blood Manipulation."

Megumi Fushiguro pressed his hands together and pointed his arms forward, closing his eyes.

Gulp, thump.

"Yuji!! Get down!!"

"Got it!"

The only person present who understood Piercing Blood immediately grabbed Itadori by the collar and shoved him down. The moment Okkotsu heard Choso's voice, she rolled into the stairwell. Then—the water in Fushiguro's hands exploded violently through the gaps between his palms as it was being compressed.

Bang!

The large tree toppled at once.

At the same time, Fushiguro, who had focused solely on power and neglected the "amount," was drenched from head to toe by this Super Water Star + Piercing Water.

Itadori's back, Choso's vest, and—called out by Xuan to take the hit—Divine Dog: Black, which had now become a drowned dog, suffered the same fate.

"Woof!"

Divine Dog: Black slapped Xuan's pant leg hard with a soaking wet forepaw, leaving behind a wet paw print before Xuan dismissed it.

"...I won't put any more pressure on you. At this rate, after soaking me like this, you'll be summoning Mahoraga to beat me up next."

Without a word, Xuan gave Megumi Fushiguro's back a firm pat, cursed energy surging forth to dry his clothes.

Choso followed suit and dried both his own clothes and Itadori's.

Fushiguro awkwardly rubbed his forehead, while Xuan patted his shoulder with restrained force, his gaze falling on the broken tree and the round hole blasted open behind it by Piercing Water.

The output met the mark. That attack could kill at least a Grade 1 cursed spirit, but—

Xuan looked at the jagged stump and the huge round hole behind it.

His cursed energy control really was still lacking.

"Alright, you did well for a beginner."

"How long did it take Mr. Xuan to master it?"

"About five minutes."

Xuan turned around and headed downstairs with Okkotsu and Itadori.

"..."

Fushiguro shut his mouth—he suddenly wondered why he had such a loose tongue. Why did he have to compare himself to a freakishly talented person?

Tap, tap.

"Five minutes? Did it take you five minutes to replicate Piercing Blood?"

As they walked downstairs, Choso turned his head.

"Ah, I meant it took me five minutes to master this technique."

"Xuan-senpai's talent is incredible—but Fushiguro isn't bad either!"

Fushiguro felt his face alternating between green and purple. Stop talking, Itadori, stop talking... This was humiliating.

As the dim staircase finally reached its "bottom," faint specks of light leaked through the door. At last, the group arrived at Tsukumo's hiding place.

As Itadori, walking at the front of the group, peered inside toward the light—Maki, seated in a chair, heard the footsteps and looked up as well.

"Long time no see—though I suppose I can't really say that."

"Maki-senpai?"

Itadori's question was accompanied by suddenly accelerating footsteps behind him.

Then Okkotsu darted up from behind Itadori and hugged Maki.

"Maki-chan—you can move already?"

"Yeah, I'm fine now."

After struggling twice in Okkotsu's embrace, Maki answered helplessly.

Just as Tsukumo was explaining the scars on Maki's body, Xuan and Megumi Fushiguro slowly came down after Choso.

"I told you, barrier techniques are solid geometry! You can use veils, right? Veils are just the most basic kind—covering an entire area with a cube—what do you mean you don't even know what solid geometry is? Didn't you go to high school?!"

Xuan slapped his own face hard, while Megumi lowered his head in shame, like a child who had done something wrong.

"Megumi, who's that? And... what's going on with Tengen's barrier?"

"This is... uh, an ancient ancestor?"

Megumi looked at Xuan and, somewhat uncertainly, uttered a title that made black lines appear across Xuan's face.

"As for Tengen—"

"I'll explain."

Choso patted Megumi's shoulder from behind, then walked toward the center of the group as he spoke.

"Along the path between the gate and the Fallen Star Palace is the Cursed Repository, where Jujutsu High stores cursed tools and cursed objects."

"My six younger brothers are all kept in the Cursed Repository. Through the side effects of my technique, I can sense their locations and use that to find the Fallen Star Palace. It'll probably take two days."

"You should count me in too."

Xuan moved closer from the side.

"If my senses are right, we should be able to shorten that by a bit."

"Good~!"

Tsukumo glanced sideways at Choso, giving a thumbs-up with the hand resting on the sofa.

"I see... but speaking of which, who are you?"

Okkotsu and Megumi suddenly looked up. Right—they had been so busy suspecting Xuan that they had forgotten about this guy. Who was he, and why had he been staying beside Itadori the whole time?

As everyone's gazes gathered on Choso, Itadori rubbed his forehead slightly.

"For now—just think of this guy as my big brother."

"Mm!"

Choso suddenly froze in place, as though something had pinned him there.

"If there are no objections, let's go."

Tsukumo stood up from the sofa. Then the others turned to leave. When the six people present reached the door, Tsukumo turned back.

"Hey, Itadori's big brother, time to go."

At Tsukumo's words, everyone except Itadori turned around—along with Xuan, who was holding back laughter.

Choso, who had been standing there blankly, seemed to have his mind activated by that one sentence. He first looked at Itadori's back, then opened his arms toward him.

"Yuji—!!!!"