The shattered outskirts.
"Just keep holding me down, Mahito!"
"Otherwise, I won't be able to stop myself from killing Rhaast!"
Staring at Dagon's mangled remains and Rhaast's retreating back, Jogo shouted at Mahito in agitation.
Soon, Rhaast was gone for good, while Jogo and the other two gathered where Dagon had died, unable to collect themselves for a long time.
An unknown amount of time passed.
Suguru Geto arrived, dressed entirely in black.
"How unfortunate."
Mahito said coldly, "As long as Araki Itsuki lives, this kind of misfortune will keep repeating among cursed spirits forever."
"Geto, we need somewhere quiet, far from humans, to replenish our cursed energy and recover from our injuries."
Suguru Geto beckoned to the three of them. "Come with me. I've already prepared a place for you."
Mahito recalled touching Ryomen Sukuna's soul. He was on an entirely different level from them.
"Jogo, Hanami, from now on, we need to center our actions around Geto's plan. That Ryomen Sukuna is valuable-or rather, terrifying."
Jogo suddenly turned toward Suguru Geto, hatred showing in his eyes. "How high does Ryomen Sukuna's strength reach?"
Suguru Geto thought for a moment. "About three or four stories high!"
"In that case, we'll gather all his fingers and offer them to Ryomen Sukuna. Once he returns to this world, he's bound to clash with Araki Itsuki."
"Besides, as long as we can unleash Ryomen Sukuna, it won't matter even if we're all wiped out in the end."
"After all, the one laughing freely in the wilderness a hundred years from now doesn't have to be me. As long as cursed spirits can stand in this world just like humans, that's enough."
Suguru Geto nodded in agreement.
"So the plan has three steps: seal Satoru Gojo, release Ryomen Sukuna, and kill Araki Itsuki."
Hearing this, Mahito asked in confusion, "Aren't there two other Special Grades, Yuki Tsukumo and Yuta Okkotsu?"
Suguru Geto smiled confidently. "Doesn't matter. I'll handle them!"
"Next, we need to retrieve the six fingers held by Jujutsu High."
"Is that necessary? Isn't Jujutsu High keeping Yuji Itadori around so he can collect the fingers? Won't they feed them to him themselves afterward?"
Suguru Geto shook his head. He knew how those higher-ups operated.
"Jujutsu High's higher-ups can't gauge Yuji Itadori's limits as a vessel. They don't know which finger will make him go berserk."
"So to eliminate every possible complication, they'll gather all the fingers first, then make Yuji Itadori swallow them all at once."
"Then they'll execute him immediately!"
Jogo understood at once. "We can't wait that long. Besides, the worst-case scenario is that the higher-ups execute Yuji Itadori outright."
After experiencing their companion's death and coming to hate Araki Itsuki, these cursed spirits had grown even more frenzied and extreme.
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained..."
This was exactly what Suguru Geto wanted. "I've already made the arrangements. That's also why I had Jujutsu High retrieve the fingers."
"Once you've recovered, we'll put the plan into action!"
Before long, the Goodwill Event arrived.
Kyoto Jujutsu High held a meeting.
Yoshinobu Gakuganji sat on the sofa with a grim expression.
"Kill Yuji Itadori, Ryomen Sukuna's vessel."
"That thing isn't human, so you won't be held responsible. It'll be treated as an accident. Don't hold back, and don't hesitate."
Their perspectives were different. To Momo Nishimiya, Noritoshi Kamo, and the others, killing Yuji Itadori was no different from exorcising a cursed spirit.
Unlike Fushiguro and Kugisaki, they didn't spend every day with Yuji Itadori.
Nor had they met and gotten to know Itadori like Panda and Maki had, learning that he was a good person with a cheerful disposition rarely found among jujutsu sorcerers.
To them, Yuji Itadori was simply Ryomen Sukuna's vessel-a dangerous object that could explode at any moment.
Besides, jujutsu sorcerers already struggled to decide where to draw the line on matters like this.
But now there was an even more serious problem.
Yuji Itadori's teacher, Satoru Gojo, was a Special Grade. His upperclassman, Yuta Okkotsu, was a Special Grade. His classmate, Araki Itsuki, was a Special Grade.
So...
How the hell were they supposed to kill him?
One stab, and they'd offend three of the four Special Grades!
The moment Miwa heard the principal say that, her mind rebelled.
Mai resisted the idea inwardly as well:
"Araki Itsuki will be participating in this Goodwill Event too, right? We won't stand a chance."
Yoshinobu Gakuganji continued without paying any attention. "Kamo, what should you keep in mind when killing an enemy sorcerer?"
"To prevent them from becoming a curse after death, you must kill them thoroughly with cursed energy."
"Correct. Deliver a decisive, fatal blow to Yuji Itadori with someone else's cursed energy, and there won't be any problems."
As an heir to one of the Three Great Families, Noritoshi Kamo could not accept someone like Yuji Itadori, who carried a curse within him and had entered Jujutsu Society from outside.
From his family's standpoint, he wanted to kill Yuji Itadori.
But Kyoto had the Special Grade Araki Itsuki joining the Goodwill Event, and Todo on their side...
Noritoshi Kamo glanced at the old principal, who was still droning on. Has nobody told him that Todo and Yuji Itadori have already become best friends?
Sure enough.
Bang!
The table in front of Yoshinobu Gakuganji was kicked over.
Todo glared viciously at Yoshinobu Gakuganji, his burly face marked by a scar. "Takada-chan is the guest on the walking show that starts at eleven.
"I'm watching both the live broadcast and the recording. I barely have enough time as it is, and I didn't want to attend this meeting."
"Yet I unexpectedly heard a plan to kill my best friend here."
Veins bulged on Todo's face, which was filled with fury. "Listen up, all of you, and that old man too. I've long since lost all hope in you losers with your awful taste in women."
"If you dare interfere with my fight with my best friend and Araki Itsuki..."
"I'll kill you!"
Yoshinobu Gakuganji stared at Todo with an icy expression, and Todo met his gaze without a trace of fear:
"I heard someone made a complete fool of himself in front of Araki Itsuki. Want to embarrass yourself again here?"
Noritoshi Kamo immediately rebuked him. "Todo, show the principal some respect!"
Todo said nothing. He kicked the door down and left.
Yoshinobu Gakuganji waved a hand. "All of you may leave. Kamo, stay."
Once everyone else had left, he gave Kamo his instructions. "I'll release a Semi-Grade 1 Cursed Spirit into the competition area."
Noritoshi Kamo asked in confusion, "Isn't the strongest one supposed to be Grade 2?"
Yoshinobu Gakuganji shook his head and held out a small vial containing liquid:
"Since we aren't all on the same page, here are a scent and a whistle that can control its movements."
"Look for an opportunity to kill Yuji Itadori."
"Don't worry. The Semi-Grade 1 Cursed Spirit I release will behave itself until the whistle sounds."
Noritoshi Kamo fell silent. He did not take what the principal offered, instead turning and walking out.
He might think in terms of his family's interests and value tradition, but there was nothing wrong with his brain.
A mere Semi-Grade 1 Cursed Spirit, and the principal actually claimed it could kill Yuji Itadori with Araki Itsuki present.
"Principal, why don't you capture a few special grade cursed spirits and put them in there?"
"That way, you might even kill Araki Itsuki too."
Over in Tokyo.
Araki Itsuki and the others had already assembled, but everyone fell silent at the sight of the suitcase Kugisaki was pulling.
"Kugisaki, why did you bring a suitcase?"
Nobara Kugisaki looked baffled. "I was about to ask why you're all empty-handed. Aren't we going to Kyoto?"
Everyone stared at one another. Araki Itsuki looked at Panda. "Didn't you explain it properly to Kugisaki?"
Panda immediately stepped up to Nobara Kugisaki and explained, "The Goodwill Event is held at whichever school won the previous year."
"And last year, Yuta participated because we needed enough people."
Maki added, "That was Yuta before Rika's curse was lifted. Apparently, he won by a landslide."
Nobara Kugisaki was instantly devastated. She had been planning to take a good look around Kyoto:
"Yuta Okkotsu, this is unforgivable!"
Seeing that everyone was there, Yuji Itadori asked curiously, "Don't we need to plan our tactics or anything?"
Fushiguro rolled his eyes at him helplessly. "With Araki Itsuki here, they're the ones who should be racking their brains."
Maki nodded with heartfelt agreement. "Looks like next year's Goodwill Event will still be held at our school."
At that point, though, Maki smiled and asked Araki Itsuki, "Leave Mai to me."
Panda immediately moved over to Araki Itsuki as well. "I heard they have someone called Mechamaru who's a cursed corpse like me. I'm really interested in him."
Araki Itsuki waved a hand gently:
"Relax, relax. Just have fun. I've got some honored guests coming to visit."
Before you continue