Yasohachi Bridge

"Between June and September, three people in Morioka, Yokohama, and Nagoya died in exactly the same way."

Akari Nitta paused, then continued, "All of them were stabbed to death by cursed spirits at the entrances to their apartments.

Before their deaths, all three had complained to their building management that the automatic doors kept staying open.

But none of the other residents knew anything about a problem with the automatic doors."

Megumi Fushiguro held the report and asked, "Different times and places. Could it have been the same cursed spirit?"

"Our people couldn't determine whether it was the same cursed spirit from the cursed residue alone.

But their investigation revealed that all three had attended the same junior high school.

And they had overlapped there for two years." Akari Nitta shared information that wasn't in the documents.

"I get it. Those three might have been cursed in the past, and the curse slowly developed over time before finally taking effect recently," Nobara Kugisaki offered her theory.

"That's very likely. But we still need you to investigate the victims' school."

"We've still got a ways to go, right? I'll get some sleep." Chiyo Shin promptly climbed into the back row of the van and went to sleep.

Nobara Kugisaki explained to the dumbfounded Akari Nitta, "Haha, you'll get used to it."

Saitama Municipal Urami East Junior High School

"We're here. Everyone out." Akari Nitta parked the black van outside the school gates.

After getting out, Megumi Fushiguro remembered something. He climbed back in and smacked the sleeping Chiyo Shin on the back of the head.

"Huh? Are we here?" Groggily roused by Megumi Fushiguro, Chiyo Shin staggered out of the van.

Yuji Itadori and Nobara Kugisaki stood nearby, already used to it.

"Let's go." Akari Nitta led them into the school.

The group approached the classroom building.

Chiyo Shin looked around and asked, "This school's huge. How are we supposed to find any clues?"

"Aren't those delinquents over there? Let's beat them up and ask them a few questions while we're at it." Nobara Kugisaki scanned the area and singled out a few troublemakers.

The two students squatting on the ground smoking noticed the group of five too. At first, they didn't pay much attention, until Chiyo Shin stepped aside and revealed Megumi Fushiguro.

The two immediately put out their cigarettes, hurried over, and bowed respectfully. "Thanks for all your hard work!"

Seeing how respectful they were, Yuji Itadori and Nobara Kugisaki immediately started feeling rather pleased with themselves.

"Fushiguro! It's been ages since you graduated."

"Huh?" Yuji Itadori and Nobara Kugisaki looked utterly confused.

"I went to junior high here," Megumi Fushiguro explained, turning his head away.

"Well, well. Who would've guessed? You've got quite a reputation around here, Megumi." Chiyo Shin slung an arm around Megumi Fushiguro and tried to turn his averted head back around.

"Hey, you two. What did Fushiguro do to you?" Nobara Kugisaki asked bluntly.

"We used to cause a lot of trouble, so Fushiguro beat the hell out of us," the two answered in unison.

Chiyo Shin released Megumi Fushiguro's shoulder and looked him up and down. "Impressive, Megumi. I never would've guessed. Seriously, I had no idea you had that in you back in junior high."

Seeing how much clout Megumi Fushiguro had at the school, Akari Nitta said, "Then we'll leave the rest to you."

"Sure," Megumi Fushiguro agreed.

"Hey, who are you people?" An elderly voice interrupted them as they were still processing the revelation that Megumi Fushiguro had been the school bully.

They turned to see a white-haired old man approaching with a school staff badge identifying him as a caretaker.

Akari Nitta quickly stepped forward and showed her identification to establish who they were.

After inspecting her identification, the old caretaker looked up and spotted a familiar figure. "Oh? Fushiguro, is that you?"

Akari Nitta turned back and gave him a thumbs-up. Even after all this time away, the caretaker still remembered him. Not bad, Megumi Fushiguro.

"Mr. Takeda, right?" Megumi Fushiguro recognized the teacher as well.

Teacher and former student began chatting, and Megumi Fushiguro explained to Mr. Takeda why he had returned to the school.

Mr. Takeda was saddened too. He hadn't expected those three to die so suddenly.

They might have been troublemakers, but he had still hoped his students would lead good lives.

"So, what would you like to know?" Mr. Takeda asked Megumi Fushiguro after hearing him out.

Megumi Fushiguro delivered a hard knock to the heads of both Chiyo Shin and Yuji Itadori, who were snickering and egging him on nearby, before asking, "Did they associate with anyone strange? And did they do anything that might have brought some kind of punishment down on them?"

"Anyone strange? No, I don't think so. Anything that might have brought punishment..." Mr. Takeda pondered.

The two delinquents beside them supplied a place name. "Fushiguro, they went to Yasohachi Bridge."

"Yasohachi Bridge?" Nobara Kugisaki looked at Megumi Fushiguro questioningly.

"Yasohachi Bridge is a local suicide hotspot. It's a well-known haunted place," Megumi Fushiguro explained.

"That's right. They went bungee jumping at Yasohachi Bridge back when they were delinquents," Mr. Takeda recalled.

It had caused quite a stir at the time. The four who had died had gone missing for a day after leaving school, and were eventually found at Yasohachi Bridge, all unconscious.

Once they woke up, none of them remembered what had happened, so the police could only give them a verbal warning.

At last, the group had obtained a reasonably reliable lead.

"It should be this place, the local haunted hotspot," Akari Nitta said, leaning against the van.

Chiyo Shin asked, "Doesn't Jujutsu High regularly patrol haunted places?"

"What else can we do? This is our only lead. We'll just have to go take a look," Nobara Kugisaki said helplessly.

"Then let's get in and go. I can get another nap in." Chiyo Shin darted over to the van door.

"How can you sleep so much in one day?" Nobara Kugisaki walked over and kicked Chiyo Shin in the backside.

Chiyo Shin pulled the door open and climbed into the back row. "Come on, I stay up late studying every night, okay?"

Megumi Fushiguro was about to get in too when Mr. Takeda stopped him. "How's Tsumiki?"

"Same as before," Megumi Fushiguro said, turning back with a subdued expression.

"I see." Mr. Takeda sighed.

Megumi Fushiguro climbed into the van, and Yuji Itadori asked, "Who's Tsumiki?"

"My older sister," Megumi Fushiguro said, pulling the door shut.

Chiyo Shin, Nobara Kugisaki, and Yuji Itadori all exclaimed in shock, "What?"

Inside a house

"I've already worked things out with their eldest brother. Let's begin." Kenjaku set the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings in front of Mahito.

Mahito tipped the Cursed Womb: Death Painting out of the third container on the floor, walked over to a man pinned to the wall, and stuffed the third of the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings into his mouth.

The man pinned to the wall writhed in agony before finally transforming into a monster with two mouths on one face.

"Now that you've just been revived, could I ask you to do us a favor?" Mahito asked contemptuously, looking at the newly revived third of the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings.