A filthy, narrow sewage outlet.
Suguru Geto stood on the grass nearby, dressed in black, stitches running across his forehead.
A thin, twisted snake crawled out of the filthy sewer opening, gradually swelling into Mahito's form.
Only, he reeked, and his expression was rather cold.
Suguru Geto sighed at the sight. "Getting beaten to a pulp isn't a pleasant experience."
Mahito nodded. "Geto, that guy is a monster. I even suspect he doesn't have a soul."
Thinking back to that grotesquely twisted form, how could a soul possibly end up like that!
"But I learned a lot from him. Even if I'm stomped to pieces, even if I'm beaten beyond recognition,
as long as the shape of my soul stays intact, I won't die. I can recover.
The cursed energy I lose can replenish itself, too.
And it looks like there's no risk, no matter how I alter my soul. Next time, I'll try even bolder changes.
Until I can kill Araki Itsuki!"
At that, Mahito looked up at Suguru Geto. "Give me your clothes."
Suguru Geto stepped back. "No. You should take a bath first. You did crawl out of a sewer, after all."
Mahito sniffed the stench coming off his body, a flicker of hatred crossing his eyes.
"But I also discovered something interesting."
Upon hearing that Yuji Itadori and Junpei Yoshino had unexpectedly hit it off, the two schemers, Suguru Geto and Mahito, immediately devised a plan.
"With Yuji Itadori's personality, he won't stand by and watch his friend die in front of him. He'll definitely ask Ryomen Sukuna to help heal Junpei Yoshino."
Mahito rubbed his chin and continued, "Then we can establish a binding vow that favors Ryomen Sukuna."
Meanwhile, on Yuji Itadori's side.
Ijichi drove Yuji Itadori around the streets in search of Junpei Yoshino, finally spotting him.
"Huh? Casual clothes?"
"It looks like he hasn't been going to school lately."
Ijichi brought out a cage containing two vacant-looking fly cursed spirits.
"These are fly heads, low-level curses that don't even qualify as grade 4.
Once he reaches somewhere deserted, we'll let them attack Junpei Yoshino.
If he can't see cursed spirits, or if he can see them but can't handle them, you need to help him. Afterward, we'll ask him what happened.
If he exorcises them with jujutsu, you'll need to arrest him immediately. Even if it's a misunderstanding, we can explain afterward."
At that, Ijichi adjusted his glasses.
"Of course, if Junpei Yoshino has the abilities of a grade 2 jujutsu sorcerer, we need to retreat immediately and regroup with Mr. Nanami."
Yuji Itadori looked puzzled. "If he's a grade 2 jujutsu sorcerer, couldn't I handle him myself?"
"No. You can handle a grade 2 cursed spirit, but not a grade 2 jujutsu sorcerer."
He then explained the grading systems for jujutsu sorcerers and cursed spirits to Yuji Itadori.
"Why am I only hearing something this important now?!"
Ijichi's mouth twitched. "Probably because Satoru Gojo is such an unreliable teacher."
"All right, all right. Let's get started."
Junpei Yoshino was walking down the street when someone suddenly called out to him.
"Yoshino, where have you been?"
He turned to see an extremely overweight man resting on some steps, wiping the sweat from his forehead with a tissue.
It was Junpei Yoshino's teacher.
"How could you skip class?
And have you heard? Honda Nishimura and the other two passed away. You were very close to them, weren't you?
They often looked after you when you had no friends, but you didn't even attend their funerals, did you?
Would you like to come with me to offer them some incense?"
Yet instead of his usual timid behavior, Junpei Yoshino glared at the overweight teacher in irritation and snapped,
"Did you have surgery to move your brain into your ass?"
"You just stayed on to work at the school after graduating, didn't you? You've basically never had anything called real-world experience."
The overweight teacher froze as Junpei Yoshino berated him.
"What are you saying? I'm your teacher!"
Junpei Yoshino stepped forward and grabbed the overweight teacher by his white collar.
"I'm saying you saw those people bullying Junpei Yoshino, didn't you?
But you were too cowardly to get involved. You were afraid that speaking up wouldn't change anything and would undermine your authority, so you hid.
Come on. Nobody's asking you to be an amazing teacher, but at least show the responsibility and accountability a teacher should have.
If you see a student being bullied and don't dare speak up or expose it, doesn't collecting that paycheck make you uneasy?
Don't you feel guilty looking at the tuition their parents pay?"
The overweight teacher had never imagined that Junpei Yoshino would one day reprimand him.
Looking at this utterly unfamiliar boy before him, he suddenly took a frightened step back.
"Y-you... you're not Yo-"
Thud!
Junpei Yoshino drove a fist into his flabby stomach, doubling him over in pain and leaving him unable to speak.
"Shut up, idiot."
"That punch was a lesson for being irresponsible. Take some time to reflect!"
Hiding nearby, Yuji Itadori and Ijichi watched Junpei Yoshino's behavior in confusion.
"You call this timid and cowardly?!"
"Anyway, since there's a civilian here, the operation is canceled."
Yuji Itadori hadn't been interested in their staged test to begin with, so he walked straight over to Junpei Yoshino.
"Hi. Could we talk somewhere else? There's something I'd like to ask you."
"Sure. Let's go."
The overweight teacher lay on the ground, clutching his stomach in agony. He wanted to say something else, but the two had already left.
Yuji Itadori glanced back and asked curiously, "Shouldn't we do something about him?"
"That teacher is irresponsible. He won't even speak up when he sees his own students being bullied. Just leave him."
Yuji Itadori then took Junpei Yoshino to the riverbank.
Would it be okay to ask him outright?
Come to think of it, how much can I tell outsiders about Jujutsu High?
The more Yuji Itadori thought about it, the more conflicted and frustrated he became.
But Ijichi didn't answer his phone because he was busy catching the escaped fly head.
"Aaargh! Enough! I'm just going to ask!"
He pointed at the fly head in his hand.
"Someone died at the movie theater you went to earlier. Did you see anything creepy, like this?"
"No, I didn't."
"I only became able to see them clearly recently."
Yuji Itadori sighed. "Is that so?"
"Okay, then there's no problem."
But since Yuji Itadori didn't know what to do next, he still wanted to wait for Ijichi to arrive before leaving.
"What movie did you watch at the theater?"
"It's a really old movie. You probably wouldn't know it even if I told you."
"Evil Dead 3!"
Yuji Itadori was surprised to hear it was Evil Dead 3.
"That one was so boring! It got me punched a bunch of times!"
"But it was just a gory shock flick to begin with. Maybe we expected too much of it."
The two then launched into an animated discussion.
Meanwhile, a single mother appeared on the steps, carrying scallions and smoking a cigarette. Her features were as delicate as Junpei Yoshino's, and she had a stunning figure.
"Well, this is unusual. A friend?"
Yuji Itadori waved in greeting. "We only just met, but I think we'll become friends."
"What's your name?"
"Yuji Itadori. Ma'am, scallions don't suit you at all."
A lovely smile spread across her face at Yuji Itadori's compliment. "You get it! My goal is to be a woman who doesn't suit scallions."
But after glancing at her oddly behaving son, she took the initiative to put out her cigarette. He's actually not angry. Is it because he's with a friend?
"Yuji, would you like to come over for dinner?"
A black-clad figure walked across the nearby bridge, watching the three chatting happily below with a pleased expression.
"I hit the jackpot."
But an explosion suddenly sounded in the distance. Worried that Mahito was in danger, Suguru Geto immediately hurried over.
After he left, a mocking smile suddenly appeared at the corner of Junpei Yoshino's mouth below.
"Idiot."
Yuji Itadori and his mother both looked at Junpei Yoshino in confusion. "What did you just say, Junpei?"
A gentle smile returned to Junpei Yoshino's face.
"It's all good."
Before you continue