Unlucky Nanami

In the dark, filthy, foul-smelling sewer base.

Kento Nanami was leading the Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerer Ino in clearing out grotesque transfigured humans of every description.

After learning that a Curtain had gone up over the high school, he realized that the extremely dangerous Mahito was probably still alive-and inside Rizakura High School.

He had originally wanted Yuji Itadori to stay put until he could return and join him.

But when he heard that Araki Itsuki would be going with Yuji Itadori, Kento Nanami breathed a sigh of relief.

Things were under control over there.

"Ino, we'll leave that side to Araki Itsuki and the others. The two of us will handle things here. We need to clear out all the transfigured humans nearby before they can get out and hurt ordinary people."

Ino touched the black cap on his head, looking nervous. "Um... aren't there a few too many of them?"

"And weren't all of these things human before?"

Kento Nanami adjusted his glasses. "Don't worry. Once this is over, I'll honor my promise to recommend you for promotion to Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer."

Ino immediately brightened and began preparing with renewed enthusiasm.

Becoming a Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer meant access to more resources. Most simply, it meant a higher salary.

That reminded him of Araki Itsuki, who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. He turned to Kento Nanami, who was hacking down transfigured humans beside him, and asked:

"I heard you worked with Araki before, Nanami. That must have been an easy, unforgettable experience, right?"

Remembering that horrifying, absurd creation, Kento Nanami looked uncomfortable.

It had certainly been easy, but he never wanted to witness that horrifying scene again as long as he lived.

"Ino..."

"What is it, Nanami?"

"Never get curious about Araki Itsuki. I only feel at ease when Mr. Gojo is with him."

Ino gave Kento Nanami a puzzled look, feeling that he was acting rather strangely.

A little while later.

Kento Nanami divided the last transfigured human's body at a seven-to-three ratio. His blunt blade flashed, cutting it in half.

Straightening his tie, Kento Nanami calmly headed outside.

"Ino, let's go."

But just as he stepped out of the dark sewer-

"Hey-ha!"

A figure with a terrifying reserve of cursed energy descended from the sky. Kento Nanami hurriedly leaped aside.

The ground beneath his feet exploded, sending dust flying everywhere. A one-eyed figure stood at its center.

At the sight of the volcano head and short stature Satoru Gojo had described, Kento Nanami's heart sank.

"Nanami!"

Seeing an enemy appear, Ino rushed toward Kento Nanami to help.

"Stop!"

Nanami stopped him with a sharp shout.

He calmly took the watch off his wrist and tossed it behind him. It was the gift Ino had always wanted.

"Ino, run and don't look back. I'll buy you as much time as I can."

Kento Nanami knew Ino was a dependable junior, and his strength was somewhere between Grade 2 and Semi-Grade 1. He was far from weak.

But Satoru Gojo had mentioned that this volcano-headed enemy was a special grade capable of deploying a domain. Apart from Araki Itsuki and Satoru Gojo-

For jujutsu sorcerers like them who had yet to grasp domains, coming here meant certain death, no matter how many of them there were.

"Run!"

With a sharp yell, Kento Nanami activated his cursed technique and charged at Jogo.

Seeing this, Jogo pressed two fingers together and activated his cursed technique. A hill-shaped volcano head bulged into view, aiming at Kento Nanami.

An overwhelming sense of impending death rose inside Kento Nanami. He hastily halted his charge toward Jogo and dodged right.

Boom!

A massive pillar of fire nearly a hundred meters tall shot into the sky, bathing everything around it in fiery red.

The temperature soared. Even the sewage flowing through the sewer began evaporating.

Watching that enormous pillar of fire surge skyward, Kento Nanami felt his skin burn and sting. A flicker of bewilderment and doubt crossed his eyes.

With an attack this terrifying, how had Mr. Gojo looked so calm and composed while describing it?

What a monster...

He no longer knew how to fight. All he could do was sprint across the ground, dodging attacks that could engulf him at any moment and leave nothing behind.

Tears filled Ino's eyes. Clutching the watch that still held Kento Nanami's warmth, he turned and ran.

But a tall, burly figure blocked his path, its left arm wrapped in a white cloth bag.

Ino tried to fight, only to take a punch to the abdomen that folded him over like a shrimp.

The pain nearly knocked him unconscious. He had no chance to resist.

Hanami grabbed Ino by his right foot, slung his helpless body over one shoulder, and walked toward Jogo.

"€＃¥&!"

Jogo shook his head irritably. "Stop rushing me! This guy's too good at running!"

"&＃€¥!"

Terrifying flames surged over Jogo's palm as he threatened viciously, "Stop moving and behave. We won't hurt you."

"Otherwise!"

Jogo brought the flames in his hand close to the utterly weakened Ino.

"You can watch your companion burn to death!"

Kento Nanami's expression darkened.

"Damn it!"

Faced with such a difficult situation, he instinctively recalled when he had left the ranks of jujutsu sorcerers.

Jujutsu sorcerers are shit. Sometimes you even have to expect your companions to be ready to die for someone else!

So I gave up. No, I ran away.

Afraid people would mistake me for some strange medium, I even hesitated to deal with fly heads I could exorcise with a flick of my hand.

As someone who had nothing to do with contributing to society or finding meaning in life, my goal was to make some money through my thirties and forties, then go somewhere with a lower cost of living and enjoy life without a care.

As long as I had money, curses would have nothing to do with me.

Money, money, money, money, money, money, money, money!

But now that I've returned to being a jujutsu sorcerer, could I really accept a companion sacrificing himself for me?

Looking at the terribly weakened Ino, Kento Nanami stopped.

Jogo grinned smugly. "That's more like it. As long as you cooperate, we won't hurt you."

Hearing Jogo speak, Kento Nanami felt a strange sense of dissonance. An intelligent cursed spirit was talking to him. Everything about it felt bizarre.

He thought of Mahito.

Sure enough, these creatures were highly intelligent, and they were connected to one another.

Jogo searched out Kento Nanami's phone and called Yuji Itadori under Nanami's bewildered gaze.

What are these cursed spirits planning?!

Brrr...

As the phone rang, Jogo waited anxiously. His volcano head occasionally spat out flames, raising the temperature around them.

Meanwhile, Kento Nanami looked worriedly at Ino, who was slung over Hanami's shoulder.

"¥＃#¥!"

"He's fine. We only want our companion back."

A gentle female voice slipped into Kento Nanami's mind, leaving him astonished.

Those had clearly been meaningless syllables, yet he could understand what the speaker meant.

"Back? What do you mean?"

Just then, the call finally connected. Jogo immediately bellowed into the phone in a frantic rush:

"You little bastard, let Mahito go right now!"

"We've got those two jujutsu sorcerers!"

Kento Nanami's pupils contracted. Only then did he understand what had happened, and gain a clearer understanding of Araki Itsuki's strength.

Two special grade cursed spirits who had mastered Domain Expansion actually dared not confront him directly. Instead, they had captured Nanami as a hostage to exchange.

Yuji Itadori's worried voice came from the phone, followed by Araki Itsuki's amused one.

"I want to see you at the school in ten minutes."

"Oh, right. Want to hear Mahito scream, just to prove he's still alive?"

"Thud! Thud! Thud!"

Hearing the sounds of kicks and blows from the other end, Jogo's face flushed with rage, and his volcano head released bursts of hot air.

Crack!

He crushed the phone in his hand, melting it into liquid that dripped down.

"Bastard!"