Shinjuku.
The Boat Racing Venue.
"Look, the boats are lined up abreast! From the inside lane, the order is 1, 2, 4, 5, 3, 6. And they're off! The boats cut beautiful straight lines across the water."
In the stands, a burly man brazenly occupied more than half the seats. He sat with his legs crossed, leisurely waving his boat-racing betting slip.
"I was wondering why you suddenly disappeared. So this is where you ran off to." A Korean man in a suit approached with his hands in his pockets.
The burly man turned, revealing a rugged, aggressively masculine face. Its only blemish was a small scar beside his mouth.
Like a lion that had yet to fully wake, he lazily waved his betting slip at the newcomer. "I'm making money by putting my money to work."
"I've never seen you win, though."
The Korean man ribbed him with the ease of an old acquaintance, then slowly sat beside him. "Not planning to work?"
The burly man waved his betting slip again and said with mild irritation, "Quit nagging. You make me sound unemployed."
Shiu Kong stated matter-of-factly, "You are unemployed. As your intermediary, I have a duty to report your work performance to the client."
Toji Fushiguro replied casually, "We're dealing with the Gojo Clan's young master. Charging out there without a plan won't accomplish anything. I might as well send a few idiots to wear him down first."
"Wearing him down is fine, but you idiot, you dumped the entire remaining advance onto the Dark Web. Aren't you afraid you'll end up with nothing?"
Toji Fushiguro remained relaxed. "Don't worry. You need a long line to catch a big fish. What's ours will be ours."
Shiu Kong still looked uneasy, his expression grave. "That's all well and good, but what if we reel in a shark instead of a big fish?"
Toji Fushiguro silently watched the boats chase one another. After a long while, he said, "Shiu, are you afraid of Tsukasa Hatayama?"
Shiu Kong smiled frankly. "How could I not be? Jujutsu Society recognizes him as the strongest. They call him the Jujutsu Professor."
"Fortunately, he didn't accept this assignment to guard the star plasma vessel. Otherwise... I really would tuck my tail between my legs and run back to Korea."
Toji Fushiguro tapped the scar beside his mouth, still unconcerned. "You're worrying too much. He's just a brat who's not even sixteen yet. Jujutsu Society runs deep. Not just anyone gets to be the strongest."
He patted Shiu Kong's shoulder and said lightly, "Relax a little. Just follow my plan to wear him down."
"Once the payment comes in..."
"You can go back to Korea, and I'll enjoy Kabukicho."
"Cough, cough... I hope so."
Shiu Kong coughed repeatedly under those pats, forcing out, "And go easy! Hit that hard and you'll give me internal injuries!"
Toji Fushiguro withdrew his hand with a faint smile and settled back to enjoy the boat race.
Shiu Kong rubbed his aching shoulder. Once the pain eased, he got up to leave, only to stop after a few steps.
"By the way, how's Megumi?"
Toji Fushiguro looked slightly startled. He absently touched his eyebrow and the scar beside his mouth, struggling to remember. "Megumi... who's that?"
"Forget it. Pretend I never asked."
Shiu Kong shook his head speechlessly and left. With such an irresponsible father, who knew whether Megumi was blessed or cursed?
"Megumi..." Toji Fushiguro scratched his head in even greater bewilderment, pondering the name until the announcer declared the winning boat. Then he simply stopped thinking about it.
Chiyoda.
In a hotel lounge, the Gojo duo, who had effortlessly dismantled the Q Organization, rubbed their chins as they studied the girl on the sofa like a pair of delinquents.
The girl looked youthful, like a little sister from next door.
Lying unconscious and docile, her petite figure clad in a black-and-white school uniform, she looked so fragile that it inexplicably tugged at their hearts.
Satoru Gojo sighed softly. "If only Tsukasa and Shoko were here. They could use Reverse Cursed Technique to heal this pale little brat."
Suguru Geto's feelings were too complicated for him to respond. The girl before them looked younger than they were, yet she had to give up her life for this baseless assimilation.
That already ran counter to his belief in protecting the weak...
Suguru Geto sighed and took the three Black Orbs his best friend had given him from his pocket.
Following Tsukasa's instructions, he placed them in the Star Plasma Girl's pocket, hoping these two unremarkable things could help her.
Inside the pocket, where neither boy could see, two Black Orbs melted like venom, gradually seeping through her clothes and into her skin...
Suddenly.
The star plasma vessel girl lying on the sofa slowly opened her eyes, sleepily watching as the scene came into focus.
At the sight of two grinning, ill-intentioned delinquent faces leaning over her, her lovely eyes widened, and she instinctively swung her hands.
Smack!
Smack!
The two slaps echoed through the lounge, threatening to carry all the way down the corridor.
Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto clutched their reddened cheeks in fury, their chests heaving as they glared at the star plasma brat, who had raised her hands defensively.
Riko Amanai declared fiercely, "You two despicable scoundrels! If you dare try to kill me, I'll take your lives first!"
Hearing that, the two could no longer swallow the humiliation of being slapped. They charged up to the brat, lifted her, and twisted her like a braided dough stick.
"N-no, please..."
In an instant, pleas for mercy and two different wicked chuckles filled the lounge.
"Ding!"
The nearby elevator suddenly opened, revealing a maid riding a strange yet inexplicably adorable Horned Cursed Spirit.
Seeing the girl's twisted predicament, the maid hurriedly cried out, "P-please... please... please stop!"
Their anger gradually fading, the two let go at her request without the slightest gentleness. Riko Amanai fell to the floor, utterly defeated and questioning her life.
To prevent any further trouble, the maid remained seated on the Horned Cursed Spirit and soothed her. "Miss, these two gentlemen are our allies. If they hadn't arrived in time, the Q Organization might have killed us."
Riko Amanai got up with repeated indignant huffs. When she saw the Horned Cursed Spirit shaking its brass bell, curiosity filled her face. "Kuroi, what are you riding?"
Kuroi pointed at Suguru Geto. "This is that gentleman with the bangs' Cursed Technique."
Suguru Geto's face darkened. "My name is Suguru Geto. And don't give me weird nicknames. My bangs are my soul!"
Satoru Gojo sat imperiously on the sofa with his legs crossed and grumbled, "This brat's even more aggressive than we expected. And here I thought assimilation would have you all melancholy!"
Stroking the cursed spirit's little face, Riko Amanai gave a disdainful snort and said proudly, "Just the sort of thinking I'd expect from lowlifes."
"Listen carefully!"
Riko Amanai vaulted onto the Horned Cursed Spirit's back and proudly puffed out her small chest. "Lord Tengen is I, and I am Lord Tengen!"
"Some ignorant fools think just like you, confusing 'assimilation' with 'death.' They couldn't be more wrong."
"Assimilation will turn me into Lord Tengen, but Lord Tengen will also become me!"
"My consciousness, my heart, and my soul will continue to live in this world after assimilation..."
The two could not be bothered to listen any longer and began enthusiastically discussing a phone wallpaper. Before arriving, they had felt sorry for the star plasma vessel, but now...
"You jerks! Are you even listening to me?!" Riko Amanai exploded, puffing out her cheeks as she glared at them.
Satoru Gojo merely sneered. "With that stuck-up tone, I bet you don't have any friends at school. You're pathetic."
Riko Amanai froze, then quickly turned to Kuroi, who was playing with the cursed spirit. "Kuroi, what time is it? Am I late for school?"
Kuroi hesitated before trying to persuade her. "It's noon. There's still time before your classes, miss, but these are exceptional circumstances..."
"No! I want to go to class!"
Before you continue