I hated effort. Hated pushing myself. Hated giving something my all. Even if I worked until I was drenched in sweat, there was no guarantee of a reward, and often all that effort got trampled on and tossed away like scrap paper.
So I thought telling someone to "give it everything" was asking far too much. Or rather, it was just stupid.
My body was covered in bruises, scrapes, fatigue, and lethargy, like something rusted all over. Signals of pain kept pouring into my brain every tenth of a second. It was unbearably noisy.
I wanted to sleep. Wanted to lie down. Wanted to do nothing.
My thoughts were nothing but ways to satisfy my laziness.
"And to make those happen, I need Yuji."
So I had to "give it everything."
Clutching a fragment of the shattered Cursed Tool-a blunt weapon-I planted my unsteady feet on the ground. I used the handkerchief Yuji had put in my pocket that morning to bind the fragment to my hand. My fingers were almost too weak to hold on to it anymore.
Yuji watched quietly from behind me.
A low chuckle rumbled deep in his throat.
It was his other personality, I realized.
"Hmph. Go on, 'brother.'"
That commanding tone was nothing like the one I knew. Although it felt a little strange, the fact that he had entrusted this to me sent excitement through my body. Even the word "brother" itself seemed to give me strength.
"Wait for me, big brother."
The words slipped smoothly from my lips.
At that moment, I felt I could even accept my twin brother's split personality.
"96% release."
If I was going to lose Yuji, lose my lazy life, then fine. I would do it.
I really wanted to see the faces of those adults trying to welch on their promises when they faced this so-called "real strength" of mine.
There was no sound when I pushed off.
By the time the ground cracked with a groan, my body was already airborne, leaving everything to the speed propelling me forward.
"Whoa!!"
The white-haired, blindfolded man was startled when I vanished, but he was too late.
I was already behind you.
Circling around to his broad, completely exposed back, I swung my arm with the momentum. That strike should have landed cleanly... it should have.
Crrrk-
Once again, that unknown space between us stopped it with a piercing sound of compression.
"That hurt." The impact rebounded into my hand without losing any force. It hurt like hell. My wrist was about to break.
But at that very instant, his fist was coming for me too. I narrowly dodged the seemingly crushing left hook and tried to drive my second strike into his now-exposed chest.
"Haha, saw that one coming!"
He had read me in our very first exchange and dodged easily. His effortless evasion seemed to flaunt the gulf between our abilities.
"...What a nasty personality."
Muttering, I lowered my body again to prepare a third strike. Although he didn't seem able to see my movements, I could tell he was watching my hands warily. The Cursed Tool fragment no longer resembled a Butterfly Knife. Even so, did it still pose enough of a threat to him?
But.
"Sorry, my footwork sucks."
I feinted with my arm, then instantly swept my leg out.
That was also why I had attacked exclusively with my weapon until now. I wanted him to think, This guy's hands are dangerous. I need to watch his arms, and focus his gaze on my upper body. That would make my lower body's movements harder to notice.
The leg sweep exploiting his fixation on my hands went unexpectedly well, and his body lurched.
Now.
I couldn't let that opening slip away. I twisted my body. This time, I would land the hit. Just as I thrust the sharp blade straight at his eye-
"Megumi."
The name the man murmured as he fell toward the ground made my heart jolt.
I realized who he had called and that he meant to attack me from both sides, but it was too late.
A massive canine shadow lunged from behind me. Claws, fangs, and an enormous body came hurtling at me.
Ah, crap. I didn't even have time to defend myself before its jaws caught me.
"Don't leave such a pathetic opening."
That wasn't how things played out.
Someone yanked hard on my hood and pulled me to safety.
It seemed Yuji's other personality had emerged. His tone was cold, and tattoos marked his face and body. Yet he was strangely gentle.
My big brother gripped my hood with his left hand, while his other arm had already sent the giant dog flying and slammed it into the ground.
Its huge body flew with a shrill "Graaagh-!" But since when had my twin brother become this strong?
"...Is that all?"
He cracked his knuckles and looked at the black-haired young man.
Then his gaze returned to me. Maybe I was so exhausted that my vision was swimming, but Yuji seemed to have four eyes, all peering down at me.
I might be close to my limit. Thinking that, I patted the arm that made me feel safe.
It was also a brave little show of I could still keep going.
That strangely tattooed hand was unlike mine, with thick joints, strong and masculine. It was big enough to cover my little head completely, yet terribly clumsy when it came to petting me.
And it settled on my head again.
A soft rustle. He merely rested it there.
He didn't stroke my head. Didn't tug my hair, either.
My brother's other personality didn't look at me. He just left his hand on my head.
All I could do was gaze blankly up at his profile. Normally, he would turn and flash me a broad grin, but when my brother noticed my gaze, he only glanced at me.
"You did well."
Those few words fell softly.
Although it was like the way someone usually praised a puppy, Yuji's praise always reassured me for some reason. Feeling the comforting weight of his hand on my head, I slowly closed my eyes.
My chest filled with the relief of leaving things to my brother and the satisfaction of being praised.
"I'm leaving it to you, 'brother.'"
I would leave the rest to my "big brother."
Faced with the crushing exhaustion and pain that suddenly swept over me, I forced my lips into a smile. The last thing I saw was his profile, twisted in an arrogant smirk.
And when I woke again, who would have imagined that the white-haired, blindfolded religious fanatic would be right in front of me?
"I'm going back to sleep." "Wait!?"
Just seeing his face drained all the strength from my body, and I was about to surrender to the seductive lure of going back to sleep. Unfortunately, his loud voice interrupted me.
"...Disturbing someone's sleep is a serious crime. Let me sleep."
Despite my appeal, he gave me the troublesome reply, "Overruled♡"
"Come on, come on. Wake up. It's not fair for you to be the only one sleeping in."
As he spoke, he bent his long fingers down one by one in front of my eyes.
"You were asleep for nine whole days. Even if that's the nature of your Heaven-Sent Binding Vow, aren't these injuries a little too severe?"
My eyes involuntarily followed the fingers waving in front of me. It was like hypnosis, making me sleepy.
Just as I started nodding off, the man hurriedly grabbed my shoulders.
"Hey, wake up!? At least check what situation you're in!"
He gripped my shoulders and shook me repeatedly until I was finally forced awake. I slowly lifted my heavy head and looked around.
The room wasn't pitch-black, but it was dim. The walls, lit by a faint orange glow, were plastered with talismans bearing eerie writing and symbols. Then there was the white-haired, blindfolded man leaning against the wall... and-
"Ah, yeah. I get it. Fine, then."
This was definitely a torture chamber in some shady religious cult's underground headquarters.
"No, you definitely don't get anything. Actually, I think you've misunderstood things even worse."
I tried to move my hands and feet, but thick ropes bound them, leaving me completely immobile. In front of me stood that monstrously strong man.
I might as well escape reality and fall asleep.
My still-foggy, newly awakened brain was about to slowly shut down when suddenly-
"...Huh, Yuji?"
I realized the person who was always beside me, taking care of me, was gone.
I looked left and right, up and down, but couldn't find any sign of him or hear his voice. Come to think of it, where had he gone?
With that question in mind, I looked up at the man before me, and he gave me an incredibly irritating smile.
"Yuji Itadori has been given a suspended death sentence☆"
"Which court handed down that miscarriage of justice?"
"The rotten higher-ups of Jujutsu Society."
"...My brain isn't working. Don't use weird metaphors."
I begged him not to use metaphors that were so convoluted and hard to understand. Spare me the tournament.
What did "rotten higher-ups of Jujutsu Society" even mean? Was that Hindi?
But he forcibly changed the subject. "Well, well, let's set that aside for now." He opened his hands toward me.
"So, what do you think?"
Was he joking? Or was he messing with me?
"For now, I'd like you to call 110 on your phone. That'll solve all this trouble."
"Hmm, I think that would only make things more complicated."
"Tch."
"Huh? What's with this kid's attitude??"
Of course I had an attitude. I was sleepy and exhausted, and instead of somewhere warm and sunny enough for a nap, I'd been brought to a torture chamber steeped in religion. My mood was like noodles left soaking until they turned to mush.
I didn't want to do anything, and I had no motivation.
"You seem to have a pretty unusual Cursed Technique. Normally, you don't leak any cursed energy at all, but once you release it, you gain overwhelming speed and explosive power. With that strength, you could... are you listening?"
"...Zzz... zzz..."
"Ah, this kid's hopeless. He's the type to fall asleep after three seconds of serious conversation."
Anyone would get sleepy listening to a low, pleasant voice endlessly speaking fluent "Hindi." Just as my eyelids met and I fell fully asleep, there was a soft snap, and my hands and feet were free again.
"Come on, come on, wake up~. I only untied you because I had no choice. Stand up and walk on your own."
"Mmm."
Someone tugged at my dangling arm.
Was it Yuji? Huh? But Yuji was... mmm, sleepy. No good. Couldn't think.
Following the pull, I lifted myself and took one step. Then a second.
"Come on, this way, this way~."
My feet moved toward the voice.
It felt as though I hadn't walked in ages, and my muscles were about to go on strike. I should stretch a little before walking.
I stopped and lazily stretched both arms toward the ceiling.
Stretch-stretch-... haaah.
"I'm a little tired."
"Huh? What part of that could possibly have tired you out?"
Ignoring the voice that went in one ear and out the other, I stood there in a daze. Just as I thought, Ah, I could probably sleep like this-
"Ahh, honestly!"
With that complaint, a long arm wrapped around my waist.
"Yuji Itadori told me about you. You really live up to your reputation."
My feet left the ground and dangled in the air. Apparently, I was going to be carried away like a parcel tucked under an arm. This way of carrying me around the waist was Yuji's style. Carry me away, then.
"Mmm~."
I completely relaxed and let him do as he pleased.
Haruka Itadori, age sixteen. Special Grade Sorcerer (provisional).
With even that title still undecided, I stepped into a new world.
Satoru Gojo's perspective
A Cursed Technique that converted cursed energy into speed. In itself, it was extremely simple and shouldn't have posed a threat.
It just so happened that its wielder's Heaven-Sent Binding Vow complemented it perfectly. That alone allowed an unremarkable Cursed Technique to display such power that even the old geezers-the rotten higher-ups-and we teachers were deeply shaken.
Haruka Itadori.
The younger twin brother of Yuji Itadori, who had swallowed a Special Grade Cursed Object, was a boy who had lived sixteen years without Jujutsu High discovering him because, "although born with cursed energy, he rarely released it." Unlike his physically gifted older brother, he suffered from extreme sleepiness and a lethargic mindset. Yet this was supposed to be a Heaven-Sent Binding Vow intended to restrict its user.
So why did it support his Cursed Technique instead?
"Because he doesn't use any unnecessary strength at all."
It was like being told, "Don't use unnecessary force," when exercising. During high-speed movement, unnecessary force became a brake that killed speed. But his body had no excess tension to begin with, and none of that speed required him to actively drive his body. That allowed him to apply the maximum force his cursed energy could achieve directly to his opponent.
What was more, the "speed" governing his Cursed Technique even affected the transmission of information within his brain.
For example, the time it took for the thought Kick to arise in my brain, travel to my spinal cord, and produce the kick was nowhere near his information-processing speed. Compared with the excessive strain that practically burned out my brain when I controlled Limitless, his thinking was far faster.
"He's a monster."
I murmured as I looked down at the softly snoring child.
Rewinding a little, to the confrontation involving Yuji, Haruka, and Sukuna.
The child-Haruka-had reached his limit and fallen asleep from exhaustion. Sukuna held him by the scruff of his neck.
"Well, this makes things much easier."
The situation favored our side. Facing both him, with his abnormally high-speed attacks, and Sukuna at once would have been troublesome, but now I could definitely subdue Sukuna. I could also avoid inflicting any more injuries on a child with cursed energy.
As I warmed up, I glanced at Ryomen Sukuna's Incarnated Vessel, who held the child in one hand.
(Hmm...?)
I sensed something distinctly off.
Yuji Itadori should have swallowed only one of Ryomen Sukuna's fingers... but wasn't this a little too much cursed energy?
The cursed energy surrounding the incarnated vessel belonged to Sukuna, but something seemed to be "mixed" into it... that was how it felt.
"Oh, you really do live up to your reputation."
As Sukuna spoke, he flexed his fingers with a series of cracks.
("Really"...? Was something wrong with the incarnated vessel himself, or had they made some sort of binding vow while I was away?)
In Sukuna's conversation with his vessel... Sukuna himself had never agreed to "protect his little brother."
Then was it between Sukuna and the boy? But there had been no sign of that.
Just then, a casual exchange suddenly came back to me.
"Hmph, 'brother.' Go on." "Wait for me, big brother." The words Sukuna had exchanged with him, as though they were brothers.
"I'll leave the rest to you, 'brother.'" The words the boy had entrusted to his older brother.
"...Don't tell me."
I looked up to find Sukuna wearing a mocking expression that said, "You only just noticed?"
"The vow I made with this one was a vow of brotherhood."
That was right. These Itadori twins... or, to be precise, the younger brother, Haruka. He had made a binding vow of brotherhood with Ryomen Sukuna.
"My older brother is Ryomen Sukuna" was an outrageous statement that would shock Jujutsu Sorcerers and cursed spirits alike.
I looked down at the boy, currently draped over my arms like a blanket, and thought, These twins are going to lead me around by the nose. Though seeing the younger brother looking so lethargic did make me feel I couldn't just leave him alone.
"Heave-ho."
I readjusted my hold on the nearly liquefied body in my arms and started walking. Reluctantly, I headed for the old geezers.
By the time we arrived, I wouldn't have been reduced to Gojo's taxi service... would I?
Even Satoru Gojo had never learned what a "flag" was.
"Coming in-."
The room I entered was what they called a remote conference room. Several shikigami floated inside, allowing the old geezers to observe and speak from somewhere safely distant.
In the center, surrounded by them all, stood a single, shabby chair.
I walked over and set down Haruka Itadori, who was still fast asleep. I arranged his limp body in the chair, leaning him against its back.
"Here he is, as requested. Haruka Itadori, the student who made a 'vow of brotherhood' with Ryomen Sukuna."
I exposed him to the curious gazes surrounding us.
His pink hair, dyed the same color as his brother's, swayed over his eyes and brows. His slender neck, arms, and legs rested haphazardly against the chair, with no sign of him waking. His body, snoring softly away, gave off not a trace of cursed energy.
A stir ran through the room.
"What is this? He has no cursed energy."
"Why is he asleep in the first place?"
"You brought us a non-sorcerer?!"
Ah, so noisy. So noisy.
I frowned at the familiar reprimands flying in from either side and exaggeratedly covered my ears. With all this racket... see?
"You're going to wake him up."
The room fell silent, as though someone had thrown cold water over it.
At that very moment, Haruka Itadori slowly lifted his eyelids.
"...Mm."
He lazily raised his drooping head and turned his face forward. A vague glimmer of awareness returned to his sleepy, half-open eyes.
"Good morning for the second time."
But unlike Yuji when he'd woken, the boy before me positively radiated lethargy. He didn't react to my greeting and slowly started drifting off again. Hey, could you wake up a little?
"Come on, we're going to discuss what happens to you. Sit up properly?"
"Mmm, decide whatever you want. I don't really care about my future."
I wanted to explain things properly, but after spending so long as an ordinary person, he apparently had us pegged as some bizarre religious group. He wasn't listening seriously at all.
"No can do. Young people should enjoy their youth."
"You're so annoying. Those hot-blooded types are the biggest pain."
After that chilly rejection, he leaned back against the shabby chair again. Anyone who could maintain his own pace in a place like this had considerable nerve.
But then,
"What? He's a non-sorcerer after all."
One of the old geezers muttered.
Then they began spouting nauseating remarks over one another: "What do we do?" "If he's worthless, dispose of him quickly." "If he's Yuji Itadori's brother, wouldn't he also be a vessel for Sukuna?" Finally, amid all that drivel,
"If the older brother dies, we can just use the younger one." Someone even came out with that utter bullshit.
Wasn't that mouth of his begging for trouble?
Even I was close to losing my temper over that, and I was about to fire back with a few threats.
"...Oh, is that so."
An utterly icy voice beat me to it.
"So you're the ones who decided to kill Yuji."
Limp. His dangling arms still held no strength. His face was lowered too, hiding his expression.
I thought there was no sign of him moving.
But then.
"Sixty percent release."
Before I could react to those words, he had vanished from sight.
"I'm not strong like Yuji."
"Urgh... ngh..."
Before me stood an old geezer who shouldn't have been there, and the boy tightening the rope that had bound his own wrists around the man's neck.
"Even if you tell me to die for other people, I won't die, and I won't let anyone slaughter me."
All weariness had vanished from his cold voice, leaving only one fierce resolve alight.
The old fossil tried to activate his cursed technique to salvage his dignity as a sorcerer, but I kicked his hand aside.
"I'm not kind like Yuji, either. Even if you wave the banner of 'world peace,' I won't surrender my own peace."
The rope creaked... and just as it tightened, seemingly about to be infused with cursed energy,
My hand finally landed on Haruka's shoulder.
"Stop. I get how you feel, but that's going too far."
"...Mm."
He backed away from the old fossil with surprising readiness. Then he swept his gaze over the other shikigami, and me, his expression revealing nothing of his thoughts.
Copper-red eyes flickered through the gaps in his pink bangs, dyed the same color as Yuji's.
"But remember this."
It felt as though that gaze, smoldering with a jumble of emotions, pierced straight through me.
"Even if Yuji accepts an unjust death, I-and I alone... will never accept it.
When that happens, I'll disregard the law, ethics, and binding vows to kill you. I won't spare a single one of you."
A chill ran up my spine. The others must have felt the same, because several sharp intakes of breath came from the shikigami.
"Heh-heh."
To make matters worse, an ill-timed laugh rang out. The old geezers and I snapped our gazes toward it.
On the back of Haruka Itadori's limply hanging hand, there was a mouth.
"...Sukuna!"
It was just like what had happened with Yuji. Sukuna's eyes or mouth appeared somewhere on his body.
Ignoring my shock and the old geezers', Haruka muttered, "Virtual reality technology is amazing these days." He examined the mouth that had grown on his hand, but apparently even holding his hand up was too much effort, because he soon lowered it again.
That reaction apparently displeased Sukuna. "Idiot," he spat.
"Have you gone so senile you can't even recognize your elder brother?"
"Huh? Oh... it's you, big brother. Sorry."
He raised his hand again and exchanged a few words. Then Haruka abruptly extended that hand in front of him.
Sukuna's mouth on his palm was grinning smugly.
"Heh-heh-heh. What a pathetic sight, Jujutsu Sorcerers."
He mocked the old men and spat at them, earning a quiet rebuke of, "That's disgusting."
"That tyranny you're so proud of won't work on this brat. Even if you want to kill him, you can't while my binding vow is in effect, can you?"
The eye that had appeared above the mouth curved into a mocking crescent.
"Wherever you hide, I can drag you right in front of us. Wherever you flee, even to the ends of the earth, this brat will chase you... heh-heh-heh. What a delightful future awaits."
At those spine-chilling words, the rotten higher-ups instantly froze solid. Only faint breathing came from the shikigami.
No wonder. They'd believed they could rest easy somewhere safely distant, only for Ryomen Sukuna to yank one of them out with his cursed technique and drag him before a boy who bore them a grudge. So it really had been Sukuna helping when Haruka released his cursed technique.
As that clicked into place, I noticed a change in the atmosphere.
Their initial hard-line attitude had vanished, and the higher-ups had visibly shrunk back. It looked as though we could settle things smoothly now.
I clapped my hands and stepped between Haruka and the shikigami.
"All right, all right, that's enough from both sides. The old geezers' hearts aren't what they used to be, so go easy on them."
Sukuna clicked his tongue as I intervened in a breezy tone. Paying him little mind, I put an arm around his host, Haruka Itadori, and addressed the shikigami.
"Now, I'd like the old geezers to make a few concessions too.
I'll take this boy in as well and enroll him as a student. Haruka Itadori's power is at Special Grade level, if we include what amounts, in a sense, to a Heaven-Sent Binding Vow."
"...In other words, you're recommending this boy as a Special Grade Sorcerer?"
"Glad you're quick on the uptake. That's exactly right."
My proposal caused another stir, but... yes, I could force it through.
"Or would you all prefer to make enemies of both this boy and Sukuna at once?"
At that question, the air froze... then, amid heavy breaths, the verdict came.
"...Understood. We approve. However, his status as a Special Grade Sorcerer remains strictly 'provisional.'
If this boy shows any sign of defection, you, Satoru Gojo, will execute him."
"That'll do for now."
I left the room with the new student, whose eyes were already threatening to close.
Once outside, the two of us walked down the long corridor.
Haruka's steps were terribly heavy... no, just slow. I matched his snail's pace.
"Sorry for deciding to enroll you without asking. But you'll be with Yuji, so you can relax, right?"
"Mm... as long as I'm with Yuji. You don't seem like a bad person, either."
Huh? Had I earned his trust already?
Just as I was feeling a little surprised,
"I don't trust you," he replied instantly, as though he'd read my mind.
"I just... wanted to try doing what Grandpa told me."
His halting words sounded strangely lonely.
"By Grandpa, you mean yours and Yuji's? He passed away, if I remember right?"
"Yeah. His last words to Yuji were, 'You're strong, so go save people.' To me, he said, 'You're kind, so go save people.'"
Slowly, without any hurry, he took another step and looked into the distance.
What did those pale eyes see on that lifeless wall?
"But I'm not kind."
"Basically, I don't care about myself or anyone else. I'm not looking for excitement, or thrills, or anything dramatic."
Tap, tap.
In that quiet space where only our footsteps and his words echoed, I felt I could glimpse the real emotions within words that had initially seemed devoid of warmth.
"...The first time I wanted to be kind was when Grandpa died.
I couldn't stand losing anything important again. So I won't let Yuji die."
"And as a compromise, you're willing to attend our high school?"
"...What did Yuji say?"
For some reason, I felt I understood how this boy differed from Toji Fushiguro.
Haruka Itadori could care about other people. Toji Fushiguro hadn't had that in him.
Man, comparing a boy like this to that scumbag... I've still got a long way to go, I was thinking.
"He said, 'I don't want to regret the way I lived.'"
When I relayed Yuji's answer, his younger brother's expression shifted.
"...I see."
His soft, relaxed face seemed to hold complicated feelings. Loneliness, happiness, resignation, acceptance... all kinds of expressions mingled together.
"Then I'll follow him."
I sensed a faint amount of cursed energy from the boy walking beside me. He must have been deliberately regulating it so he could converse with me without trouble.
Even in something this small, Haruka Itadori's kindness showed.
"I'll keep it secret from Yuji that you taught those old fossils a lesson."
I'd meant it as a joke, but he brushed it off coldly.
"I don't care."
"It's enough if I'm the only bad guy."
Those words made my eyes widen.
Ignoring my surprise, he ambled ahead at his own pace, even slower than before.
Could it be... Haruka had already acted before I lost my temper back then?
A possibility occurred to me, and I couldn't help frowning.
"Ah, come on."
So much for "not being gentle."
You brothers were far too gentle with other people.
Meanwhile, at the Eishu Juvenile Detention Center in West Tokyo.
"It's over!!
This is unpleasant!! If you're going to switch, hurry up and do it!!"
Ryomen Sukuna, now incarnated, shouted, but the brat gave no response.
"...Brat?"
Even his call went unanswered.
A few seconds later, the king of Cursed Spirits could no longer suppress the rising corners of his mouth and sneered.
"Hmph, first... let's go pick up his 'little brother.'
Let's gouge out that brat's heart right in front of him... keh-heh-heh. That ought to be quite a sight."
The curse he had directed at the humans, at the white-haired sorcerer earlier... now, it would surely be stronger, sharper still.
Imagining that scene, Sukuna felt an unprecedented rush of excitement.
Before you continue