Saving Principal Yaga

"What kind of bullshit intelligence network is that? He's just making it all up!"

Megumi Fushiguro returned to Itadori, grumbling and cursing. He hadn't gotten a single useful piece of information from Lu Yun. Whenever he asked about Tsumiki, Lu Yun dodged the question with mystical nonsense like "Heaven's secrets must not be revealed" and "Fate has already decided."

Megumi Fushiguro suspected that Lu Yun was deliberately messing with him.

He really had misjudged Lu Yun on that count. Although Lu Yun could be a little petty, he was still happy to help whenever he could. Unfortunately, he didn't know how to save Tsumiki Fushiguro either.

Perhaps he would get a chance to acquire an ability that could save Tsumiki later. For now, though, he could only brush the questions aside to maintain his image as an intelligence expert.

"It's okay, Fushiguro. Just get on Lu Yun's good side first. He'll definitely have a solution later."

Itadori didn't believe Lu Yun was completely helpless either. He figured they simply weren't close enough yet for Lu Yun to tell them.

After all, Lu Yun had practically rattled off his ID number the moment they met. Even Itadori himself knew little about his parents, yet Lu Yun seemed to know everything about them. It was hard to imagine there was anything he didn't know.

"By the way, since we're heading to Jujutsu High, are you really planning to see Tengen first?"

Just as everyone was about to leave, Lu Yun suddenly asked a question.

Yuta Okkotsu was puzzled.

"Mr. Lu Yun, what do you mean?"

Lu Yun feigned surprise.

"Huh? You didn't know? The Jujutsu Higher-Ups have sentenced the newly designated Special Grade Sorcerer Masamichi Yaga to death. If I remember correctly, he's the principal of your Tokyo Jujutsu High, isn't he?"

"Newly designated Special Grade?"

"The principal?"

"A death sentence?!"

His words sent shock waves through the group. The sheer amount of information left the three Jujutsu High students momentarily stunned.

They never could have imagined that the gentle educator who enjoyed tinkering with strange cursed corpses would have anything to do with a death sentence.

Seeing their horrified expressions, Lu Yun spoke as though realization had dawned on him.

"You and Yaga all belong to Satoru Gojo's faction, so it's understandable that you haven't heard. Those higher-ups wouldn't want you followers of Satoru Gojo interfering with their plans. Huh, come to think of it, agreeing to let you execute Itadori might have just been a way to get you out of the picture before they dealt with Yaga, Okkotsu. You're a Special Grade fighter, after all. With you around, they probably wouldn't have an easy time making their move."

The three of them struggled to process the bombshell. Still, since the news came from Lu Yun, Okkotsu and Itadori chose to believe it.

"I see. So the principal..."

Yuta Okkotsu was wracked with guilt. He hadn't expected his own offer to serve as Itadori's Executioner to indirectly hasten Principal Yaga's death.

During his two years at Jujutsu High, Principal Masamichi Yaga had helped Yuta Okkotsu a great deal, just as Satoru Gojo had.

"Why are you so down? I never said Yaga was dead."

"Huh?"

Okkotsu looked up.

When Lu Yun said the higher-ups had issued a death sentence, he'd assumed the principal had already been executed.

"Are you an idiot?"

Lu Yun gave Okkotsu a light chop on the head and asked him a question.

"How long has it actually been since you accepted the assignment?"

Okkotsu held his head, looking dazed.

"Ow, ow, ow. Uh, not that long, I guess."

Keeping Gojo's instructions firmly in mind, Yuta Okkotsu had feared that any delay might cause trouble, so he'd rushed off to find Itadori the moment he accepted the assignment.

The Jujutsu Higher-Ups' headquarters were in Kyoto, not far from Tokyo. At Okkotsu's top speed, he could get there quickly, so the trip hadn't taken much time.

Lu Yun continued.

"Right? And with how efficiently those higher-ups work? A small meeting every three days, a big one every five. They can spend hours yammering about the tiniest things, let alone everything involved in assigning a Special Grade classification and appointing an Executioner. Who knows how long it'll take for the orders to trickle down to the person actually carrying them out? So it's not too late for us."

"That makes sense!"

Okkotsu's eyes lit up.

Whether they could get any real work done was debatable, but when it came to spouting nonsense and putting on airs, those self-important Jujutsu Higher-Ups were all masters of the craft.

Okkotsu stood up, looked around at everyone, and spoke.

"In that case, change of plans. We'll rescue Principal Yaga first."

"Of course."

Itadori nodded without hesitation.

Since his younger brother had agreed, Choso, as the older brother, naturally had no objections.

Megumi Fushiguro wasn't about to stand by while his own principal was in danger either. He volunteered.

"All right. I'll contact Panda and confirm the principal's location."

"Thanks. Sorry for the trouble."

The night air was cool, and the deserted, out-of-the-way road lay in dim light. Clouds seemed to obscure the moon and stars, leaving only scattered roadside lamps to barely light the way.

A tall figure wearing sunglasses walked alone down the road. His black clothes blended perfectly into the darkness as he trudged beneath the pale lights, his destination unknown.

"Where are you going without any cursed corpses, Principal Yaga?"

An abrupt voice broke the night's silence. A figure dressed in white stood atop a streetlamp ahead of the tall man.

The tall figure in sunglasses was, of course, the Masamichi Yaga addressed by the man in white.

As though he'd expected this, Yaga showed no reaction to the uninvited visitor's sudden appearance. His expression unchanged, he answered calmly.

"To see my son."

Seeing his indifference, the man in white, a member of the Jujutsu Higher-Ups' exclusive unit, snorted and announced the purpose of his visit.

"As the teacher of Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto, you dared to incite your students to cause the Shibuya Incident. The higher-ups have now sentenced you to death. However, our superiors are merciful. Even a heinous criminal like you has been given one last chance. As long as you reveal the method for creating a fully autonomous artificial cursed corpse, they are willing to spare you."

As though he'd heard some colossal joke, a smile appeared even on Masamichi Yaga's normally stern face.

He tore off his black coat, revealing the powerful physique he'd built through day after day of grueling training.

"Now that Satoru's gone, you've all gotten bold."

With no intention of surrendering, Yaga took a fighting stance.

He was a man classified as Special Grade, after all. Even if special circumstances had earned him that designation, he wasn't so weak that some random small fry could push him around.

The man in white looked alarmed, but fortunately, he wouldn't have to fight.

"You don't know what's good for you. It's your turn, Principal Gakuganji."

He was only here to supervise. Someone else had been chosen to carry out the execution.

As his words fell, the amplified notes of a bass guitar rang out from the passage beside Masamichi Yaga.

Yaga turned to look. Beneath the flickering lights, shadows shifted across the face of a bald, white-bearded old man.