The plan

At a hot spring deep in the mountains, Mahito came racing in after his escape and jumped straight into the water.

"Wow! I feel alive again..." Mahito soaked in the hot spring, swimming a few strokes now and then.

Kenjaku sat on a nearby rock, with what remained of Jogo's body beside him, recovering from his injuries.

"Isn't that Jogo? You're awake?" Mahito greeted him with a smile. "It's pretty comfortable here, and nobody comes to bother us."

Although Jogo disliked his frivolous attitude, they had risked their lives to save him. He merely snorted and ignored him.

"Mahito, you must have used up quite a bit yourself," Kenjaku asked with a genial smile.

"Ah, you noticed?" Mahito rolled onto his back to float. "Those two siblings and Sukuna are practically my natural enemies."

"So?" Kenjaku looked down at Mahito. "Did you see Kujo Mashiro's true nature?"

"Yeah, she's definitely not human." A childlike smile appeared on Mahito's face. "Her soul is a fusion of a jujutsu sorcerer and a shikigami."

"After I used Reverse Technique to draw out what was inside her, four wings grew out of her head."

"Wings?" Kenjaku repeated, tapping a finger against his leg. "A shikigami trait?"

"Right! Tiny, white, and feathered." Mahito gestured beside his ears, then used Idle Transfiguration to grow an identical set behind his own ears.

"They grew out from behind her ears. I've never seen a structure like that before. They were so pretty."

"How did she react at the time?"

"She couldn't move, but it didn't seem to hurt her much." Mahito tilted his head. "Once her shikigami nature was forcibly drawn out, her whole body froze up. She couldn't even hold her sword."

"So Reverse Technique works on her." Kenjaku's lips curved slightly, and he nodded. "You can't kill her by changing the shape of her soul, but you can restrict her movements."

"It probably only works the first time, though." Mahito leaned against a rock at the edge of the hot spring, bracing his hands behind him. "The second time might not do much, or it might not work at all. That's the feeling I got."

"It stops working the second time? Could it be..." Kenjaku frowned, lost in thought.

"Did you think of something, Geto?"

"Ah, no. I was just wondering what kind of shikigami she is," said Kenjaku, who occupied Suguru Geto's body. "So she's the kind of opponent you can't handle?"

"Yeah, even though I've learned Domain Expansion." Mahito counted the points off on his fingers. "But her sword is especially effective against cursed spirits, she can copy cursed techniques, and she's physically strong, too."

He tilted his head at an exaggerated angle.

"She's practically the perfect counter to me. But that's what makes it fun."

Kenjaku stood up and wandered casually beside the hot spring.

"What about Sukuna's Vessel?" Kenjaku asked offhandedly.

"The pink-haired one?" Mahito's expression became a little odd. He pressed a hand to his chest, where the wound from Black Flash piercing the core of his soul had yet to heal completely.

"He can touch my soul. It's not a cursed technique, just his regular punches. He even landed a Black Flash at the end and punched right through my soul."

"Black Flash?" Kenjaku turned around in surprise, an expression rarely seen on his face. "How long has he even been able to use cursed energy?"

"Well, he has Sukuna inside him." Mahito shrugged indifferently. "He feels the contours of the King of Curses' soul every day. It must come naturally."

Kenjaku sat back down on the rock and glanced at Jogo, who was still recovering.

"Jogo won't recover in time for the Goodwill Event," he said. "Hanami's severed arm has fully regenerated, but in her current condition, her odds against Kujo Mashiro aren't good."

"Then should we give up on the Goodwill Event?"

"Of course not." Kenjaku raised a finger. "The Goodwill Event itself isn't the objective. The cursed wombs and Sukuna's Fingers at Jujutsu High are what matter."

Jogo listened, then slowly spoke. "You still intend to carry out that plan of yours?"

Mahito swam over to Jogo and looked at him. "Jogo, I just came into contact with Sukuna. He's absolutely worth it."

"Collect all the fingers and offer them to Sukuna?" He smiled faintly. "We'll all be wiped out in the end, won't we?"

"Oh, you knew." Mahito scratched his head. "That's right. Sukuna will definitely kill us."

Jogo considered it for a while, then said, "All right, then. Even if I'm not the one smiling a hundred years from now, that's fine, as long as the world belongs to curses."

"Then it's settled?" Kenjaku said. "We'll retrieve cursed wombs one through three and the six fingers from Jujutsu High."

"Do we need to retrieve the fingers? Won't Jujutsu High feed them to him anyway?" Jogo asked in confusion.

"No, no. Jujutsu High doesn't know how many fingers he can eat before he loses control. They'll definitely collect all the fingers before letting him eat them."

"Then how do we get in?" Mahito also poked his head up.

"I've already made arrangements. That's why I had you leave that finger for Jujutsu High to recover. It was eaten right away, but that won't affect anything."

"As long as you've got it arranged. What should I do once I've got the goods?"

"Retreat immediately," Kenjaku said as he stood up. "Once you've got them, come out and help Hanami. She'll need your help to get away. If Kujo Mashiro gives chase, use Reverse Technique to hold her back once. You only need to buy three seconds."

"Reverse Technique might only work on her one more time." Mahito raised one finger and wagged it. "No matter what, it definitely won't work a third time."

"Once is enough. Hanami only needs three seconds to disappear into the forest."

Mahito thought it over, then grinned. "All right. I don't want to fight Satoru Gojo anyway. I'd die."

"The Goodwill Event isn't the decisive battle. It's preparation for Shibuya." He paused, looking at Mahito and Jogo as he spoke.

"Kujo Mashiro in particular. We only saw part of her abilities in the last fight. I need to know her entire current stock of cursed techniques."

"She'll be guarding the perimeter on the day of the Goodwill Event, so she'll inevitably take action. That will be the best opportunity to observe her."

"Got it." Mahito climbed out of the hot spring and changed into a fresh set of clothes. "Then I'll wait in the forest tomorrow."

"Yes, I'm leaving it to you. I still can't show my face in front of them."

"Yes, yes, I know." Mahito finished dressing and stretched. "Speaking of which, what if Mashiro kills Hanami before I get there?"

"Hanami regenerates three times faster in the forest than she normally does. Unless Kujo Mashiro can find her core before she disappears completely into the forest, she won't die. And Hanami is better at escaping than you are."

Without raising his head, Kenjaku crossed his arms over his chest and said with a mysterious smile, "Or you could do this..."

Mahito listened closely, his eyes shining with excitement as he nodded from time to time.

"Oh, yeah! That'll work!"

Two days remained until the Sister-School Exchange Event.