A splash of red

With the students' wishes and Satoru Gojo's own selfish motives aligned, Yuji Itadori successfully enrolled at Tokyo Metropolitan Jujutsu High as Sukuna's vessel.

Hearing the commotion in the hallway, Megumi Fushiguro went out to investigate and found Satoru Gojo moving Itadori into the room next to his. "There are plenty of empty rooms, aren't there?"

Delighted to see Fushiguro come out, Itadori ran over. "Fushiguro!"

Satoru Gojo looked puzzled. "Isn't it nice to have some company? Seeing how you get along with Shin, I thought you'd like it."

Megumi Fushiguro felt a headache coming on. "Like it, my ass."

Satoru Gojo looked around but saw no sign of Shin. "Is Shin still asleep? I've got some good news, so Megumi can pass it on to him. Tomorrow, we're picking up our last new first-year."

The next day, Morioka.

Nobara Kugisaki emerged from the station and looked around, pleased with bustling Tokyo. "Four hours, and I'm finally out of that miserable countryside."

Harajuku.

Itadori looked at the shops lining the street. "I want that popcorn."

Chiyo Shin called out to Itadori, "Me too, Itadori! Get the biggest size. Megumi, want some?"

Ignoring the two goofballs, Megumi Fushiguro asked Satoru Gojo, "Why are we meeting in Harajuku?"

Satoru Gojo spread his hands. "She requested it."

Itadori came back with the popcorn. "Dig in, Chiyo. It won't taste as good once it's cold."

Chiyo Shin took the popcorn from Itadori and offered it to Megumi Fushiguro. "Megumi, have some."

Megumi Fushiguro waved it away. "No, thanks."

Suddenly, a commotion broke out across the street. A girl wearing a Jujutsu High uniform was arguing with a middle-aged man.

Itadori munched on his popcorn. "That's not her, is it? I'm kind of embarrassed to go say hi."

Chiyo Shin nodded in agreement. "Me too."

Megumi Fushiguro looked at the two idiots beside him. "You two are just like her!"

Without a shred of shame, Satoru Gojo called out, "Hey, over here!"

The group of four met up and went over to a locker.

"Introduce yourselves to your new classmate." Satoru Gojo stepped aside to give them some room.

Nobara Kugisaki planted a hand on her hip. "I'm Nobara Kugisaki. Rejoice, boys. Your splash of red has arrived."

Itadori pointed to himself. "I'm Yuji Itadori, from Sendai."

Megumi Fushiguro's voice was cold. "Megumi Fushiguro."

Chiyo Shin introduced himself with a smile. "I'm Chiyo Shin. Nice to meet you."

In Kugisaki's eyes, Itadori looked like an idiot who'd hit his head as a kid, Megumi Fushiguro was so cold and pretentious that girls would never like him, and Chiyo Shin's smile didn't reach his eyes and lacked any sincerity.

Poor me. I'll have to put up with these people from now on. Is this the price of leaving the countryside?

"Sigh."

Itadori caught every one of Kugisaki's reactions. What the hell? Is she looking at us and sighing?

Megumi Fushiguro caught the popcorn Chiyo Shin was attacking him with. "What are we doing next?"

"Three of the four of you are from the countryside, so naturally, our next stop is a proper sightseeing tour of Tokyo." Satoru Gojo had barely finished speaking.

Kugisaki and Itadori rushed over to discuss where in Tokyo they should go, while Chiyo Shin kept attacking Megumi Fushiguro with popcorn.

Megumi Fushiguro bristled.

Amid the noisy chatter, Satoru Gojo finally settled on Roppongi.

Roppongi.

Though Itadori and Kugisaki had never heard of it, they were both full of enthusiasm.

They drove to their destination.

What greeted them was an abandoned house infested with curses.

Kugisaki and Itadori fell apart. This wasn't Roppongi at all. Gojo had lied to them.

The two kept flailing around behind him in protest.

Satoru Gojo crossed his arms in an X. "Protest denied. The new-student test starts now. Itadori, Kugisaki, go inside and exorcise the cursed spirits."

Kugisaki protested, "Why me and him? Why don't Chiyo and Fushiguro have to go?"

Satoru Gojo pulled Chiyo Shin and Megumi Fushiguro in front of him. "Shin and Megumi had already completed several solo missions before you arrived. This test is just to see what level you two are at."

Resigned, Kugisaki adjusted her leather bag and pulled out a heart-patterned hammer. "Why do I still have to deal with curses after coming to Tokyo? This sucks."

Itadori pointed to himself. "I'm going too? Don't you need a curse to exorcise a curse? But I don't know any jujutsu."

Satoru Gojo took a short blade from behind his back and handed it to Itadori. "It's fine. You ate Sukuna's Finger, so you're already half a curse yourself. Here, take this. It's the cursed tool Slaughter Demon. Cursed tools imbued with cursed energy work pretty well too, you know?"

Hearing their conversation, Kugisaki quickly moved away from Itadori. "Eating a finger? That's disgusting."

Itadori didn't seem bothered. He took the short blade, his eyes sparkling. "So cool."

Satoru Gojo added another warning. "Oh, and Itadori, don't let Sukuna out. That guy's uncontrollable. He'll hurt the people around you."

"Got it."

Itadori and Kugisaki opened the rolling shutter and entered the building.

Sitting on the ground eating popcorn, Chiyo Shin thought for a moment before finally asking, "Gojo, you've fought Sukuna before. If we measure strength in Sukuna's Fingers, how many fingers would I be worth?"

Satoru Gojo considered it for a while before answering. "What a strange unit of measurement. But if we really use Sukuna's Fingers as a yardstick, Shin, you'd be worth three fingers without your cursed techniques, seven using one technique, and fourteen using both. If you mastered a domain, that would add another four fingers."

Chiyo Shin chuckled. "Really? I'm pretty strong, then."

As the two were talking, a bang rang out. Bricks scattered from the building, and a cursed spirit fell through the opening.

Megumi Fushiguro immediately readied himself. "Should I take it out?"

Satoru Gojo quickly stopped him. "Wait a little longer."

No sooner had Satoru Gojo spoken than the cursed spirit burst apart in midair and dissipated.

Satoru Gojo pointed it out to Megumi Fushiguro. "No need to be nervous, Megumi. They're pretty capable."

Before long, Itadori came downstairs carrying a little boy, with Kugisaki beside him.

Satoru Gojo waved. "Thanks for the hard work."

Itadori and Kugisaki shouted at the same time, asking for different things. "Steak!!" "Sushi!!"

"I want barbecue!!" Chiyo Shin sprang to his feet and joined Itadori and Kugisaki's united front.

Seeing this, Satoru Gojo laughed. "Hahaha, all right, all right. Let me take the kid home first, then we'll go."

July, the athletic field at Eiki Juvenile Detention Center in West Tokyo City.

"Hey, look! What's that?"

"Where?"

"Are you blind? Up in the sky."

Jujutsu Headquarters.

Behind a screen, Kamo Yi spoke. "A Window just reported that a cursed womb has appeared above the athletic field at Eiki Juvenile Detention Center in West Tokyo City. Judging by its cursed energy, it's very likely to become special grade once fully formed."

Gojo Jia said, "Then what do we do? We're short on personnel."

Zenin Bing said, "Aren't there first-years at Tokyo Jujutsu High?"

After a long silence, Kamo Yi said, "Satoru Gojo happens to be away on business. Send Chiyo Shin elsewhere and have the remaining first-years go. We can use the special grade cursed spirit to eliminate Yuji Itadori."

Everyone behind the screens fell silent for a moment before replying together, "Agreed."

Tokyo Jujutsu High dormitories.

Knock, knock. Knock, knock.

"Chiyo Shin, open the door! I'm assistant supervisor Ichiro Sato."

Click.

Chiyo Shin came out with a potato chip between his lips. "What do you want?"

"Chiyo Shin, I'm assistant supervisor Ichiro Sato. Jujutsu Headquarters has ordered you to go to Nagoya and exorcise a cursed spirit."

Slam.

Chiyo Shin shut the door before he had even finished listening. What bullshit headquarters? Are they brain-dead? They're still coming to me after what happened last time? Are they really that short on jujutsu sorcerers?

"Chiyo Shin, what is the meaning of this? Disobeying orders from Jujutsu Headquarters has serious consequences."

Chiyo Shin's cursed energy surged as he roared, "Get lost!!"

Ichiro Sato was so frightened that he collapsed to the floor. It took him quite a while to get back up, and he didn't dare utter a single threat before slinking away.

Jujutsu Headquarters.

Kamo Yi seethed. "Outrageous. Like teacher, like student."

Zenin Bing said, "It's fine if he won't leave. I'll pick a few unusual cursed spirits from the clan's training room and put them in there. It'll have the same effect."

Kamo Yi said, "Then hurry. We're running out of time."