Masamichi Yaga

"Yeah, nothing beats cola and fried chicken!"

Having missed cola for a full thousand years, Sukuna had rushed downtown at daybreak and gone into a fried chicken shop to eat and drink like mad, leading the staff to think a big spender had arrived.

Although the black stripes covering his body made him look like a delinquent, anyone who paid was an upstanding citizen in their eyes.

Sukuna held a can of cola in one hand and fried chicken in the other. At that moment, he had one small complaint: if he still had four hands, he could have enjoyed twice the happiness.

If asked what Sukuna liked best, it would definitely have been canned cola. He had always felt that canned cola had far more fizz than bottled cola.

"Boss, three more family buckets."

Sukuna raised the chicken bone in his hand to signal to the owner nearby.

The owner was a little dumbfounded too. This delinquent covered in black tattoos had already eaten three whole family buckets and drunk five cans of cola! He simply couldn't believe one person's stomach could hold that much food.

"Sir, you really shouldn't overeat. It won't be worth it if you make yourself sick."

Following the principle that the customer was king, the owner offered his advice while setting the family buckets and cola on the table.

"Cut the chatter. This is nothing. That was just an appetizer."

As Sukuna kept eating like mad, his belly gradually grew round. It had been ages since he had eaten anything so delicious. Unfortunately, this body wouldn't let him eat too much.

He could already feel his stomach pumping out acid like crazy.

"Sir, would you like to settle your bill now?"

The server approached with a broad smile. The owner had already gone back, leaving him to handle this order. It was a tidy little profit, after all.

"Money! I'll give it to you right now."

In the time it took the server to blink, Sukuna vanished from his spot, leaving only a table full of chicken bones and cola cans. He even swiped another can of cola on his way out.

The server: "..."

He casually picked the meat stuck between his teeth. "I wonder when Uraume will wake up. It's about time she improved her cooking."

Sukuna could practically see himself sprawled on a couch while Uraume carefully prepared fried chicken in the kitchen, with ice-cold cans of cola sitting on the table. Just imagining it was delightful.

If the Jujutsu Sorcerers from a thousand years ago had known the King of Curses was so easy to please, they would surely have been stunned.

"If I've got the timing right, tomorrow should be enrollment day at Jujutsu High, right? Shouldn't I stir up a little trouble so they'll notice me?"

Given his status, how could he possibly go meekly to Jujutsu High himself? Those Jujutsu Sorcerers ought to come pick him up in person before he agreed to go. Then he could just make up some identity to fool them.

That was what he thought, and that was exactly what he did. Before long, he arrived at a bustling spot.

As he slowly spread his arms, waves of powerful cursed energy surged outward, drawing in quite a few cursed spirits and successfully attracting the attention of "Window."

Everything went just as he had planned. Jujutsu Sorcerers did indeed come to exorcise the gathered cursed spirits.

As the instigator behind it all, he fabricated a story about having lived overseas and only recently returned. Though he probably hadn't fooled "Window," he did successfully meet someone from Jujutsu High.

Masamichi Yaga!

I haven't even finished making up my identity yet! Why is this middle-aged guy here already? What do I do now? Urgent-waiting for answers!

Masamichi Yaga looked at the "boy" before him, who had used such childish methods to attract Jujutsu High's attention, and slowly approached with a slightly grave expression.

"Hello, descendant of Sukuna."

You... wait, no. How did I become my own descendant? Sukuna looked bewildered. He hadn't even finished inventing an identity for himself, and someone had already done it for him.

He didn't even notice when the cola can slipped from his hand and hit the ground. Only when he heard it rattling as it rolled away did he suddenly snap out of his daze.

He hurried forward to pick up the cola, carefully wiped the dust off it, then looked at Masamichi Yaga.

"How did you find out who I am?"

If the man before him gave an answer he didn't like, judging by the murderous intent surging in Sukuna's eyes, Masamichi Yaga definitely wouldn't live to see the main plot begin.

Looking at the person who had suddenly become angry for no apparent reason, Masamichi Yaga didn't know what to say either. Surely he couldn't say someone had only just told him...! Actually, he could. That explanation sounded pretty good.

"The principal only just notified me. You'll have to ask the principal how your identity was discovered. Besides, with all those black stripes on you, it's hard not to recognize you."

Hearing that, Sukuna glanced at the stripes on his body. If he wasn't mistaken, portraits of him must have survived. Recognizing him from those wouldn't be too difficult.

Not to mention the two long scars beneath his eyes, which looked at first glance like another pair of closed eyes. They were far too obvious and eye-catching.

He rubbed the scars on his face, inwardly grumbling at the system. Giving him a new body was one thing, but why put two scars on his face too? They really ruined his good looks.

He turned his gaze back to Masamichi Yaga's face, still silently griping. This burly middle-aged man was the one who had taught Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto. What kind of teaching methods had he used to produce one idiot and one monkey-extermination cult leader?

"Uh... so you're here to enroll me?" Feeling that sounded a little impolite, he also handed his cola can to Masamichi Yaga.

...Holding the cola can in one hand, Masamichi Yaga pointed behind him with the other and said, "That's what the principal instructed me to do. Starting today, you're a first-year student at Tokyo Jujutsu High."

After saying that, he opened the cola Sukuna had given him to seem friendlier. With a hiss, the recently shaken cola sprayed all over his face, and his stern expression instantly fell.

Masamichi Yaga: "..."

"Then I'll just call you Yaga." Sukuna thoughtfully wiped the cola off his face with his sleeve, not seeing anything wrong with it.

"Uh... call me whatever you like. What should I call you?"

"Just call me Sukuna."

"What! You have the same name as your ancestor?" Masamichi Yaga was shocked.

Sukuna gave him a sidelong glance and pursed his lips. "It's just a name. Who told you my ancestor was named Sukuna?"

"Uh..." He had successfully stumped Masamichi Yaga. Just as Yaga was about to ask another question, thoroughly confused, Sukuna had already started walking in the direction he had pointed earlier.

Watching his retreating back, Masamichi Yaga slowly spoke. "Sukuna... you're going the wrong way. It's this way."

The figure ahead suddenly stiffened, then came back as though nothing had happened-and he walked backward the entire way!

On the way, in an effort to ease his awkward relationship with Masamichi Yaga a little, he deliberately took him to the fried chicken shop where he hadn't paid earlier. He insisted that the server collect the money for his chicken and cola from Masamichi Yaga, and even thoughtfully added a small tip.

Masamichi Yaga: "Guys, can anyone relate? I went out to recruit a student today and brought back a demanding old ancestor!"

What he probably didn't realize was that Sukuna wasn't an "ancestor" in the joking modern sense, but a literal thousand-year-old ancestor.

If he had known, he would never have dared approach Sukuna and speak to him. After all, everyone knew the King of Curses was an utterly brutal being.

A thousand years ago, hundreds of thousands of ordinary people in Japan had died at his hands, whether directly or indirectly.

That historical event was known as the "Heian-kyo upheaval"!

Afterward, the new Emperor launched reforms, and countless more people died along the road to reform. Sukuna was ultimately given the title of King of Curses.

The two didn't talk much along the way. For one thing, Masamichi Yaga really had no idea how to teach Sukuna, considering that the aura he radiated was that of a Special Grade Sorcerer.

"By the way, Yaga, how many first-years are there this year?"

Although Sukuna knew some of the plot that would unfold later, he still had to keep up appearances.

"Oh, there are only four, including you. The other three are already at Jujutsu High. I came out specifically to pick you up."

"Oh."

They exchanged no more words for the rest of the trip. Masamichi Yaga walked ahead to lead the way, while Sukuna fiddled with the phone he had just "borrowed" from the server.