"Hey, Rihito! Could you tell me about you and Junpei?" Seeing how downcast Rihito looked beside him, Itadori scratched his head and asked cautiously.
"Junpei..."
Rihito raised his head. The sunlight stung his eyes a little. He stared at the fallen leaves on the ground without answering right away.
He lowered his gaze to his hands.
Dried blood still clung to his palms. That punch earlier had almost killed Mahito. Almost!
Just a little more!
Rihito clenched his fists.
I'm still too weak!
If I'd been a little stronger, Junpei wouldn't have died. If I'd been a little stronger, I might have already exorcised Mahito.
Jujutsu High, Satoru Gojo, jujutsu sorcerers-anything will do, as long as I can get stronger...
"Yeah. He was a good friend." Rihito unclenched his fists.
"If you considered him a friend, he must have been a really good person," Itadori said with absolute certainty.
Rihito nodded and said nothing more.
"Oh, right!" Itadori seemed to remember something. "Nanami, did you let them know about Rihito?"
Last night, Nanami had arrived late, after Mahito escaped.
After Rihito briefly explained what had happened, Itadori and Nanami felt sympathy for the delicate-featured boy.
Itadori understood how deeply he valued his friend. Knowing how determined Rihito was to exorcise Mahito, he immediately decided to help him enroll at Jujutsu High.
"Don't worry, Rihito. Once you join Jujutsu High, we'll help you get stronger together. Then we'll exorcise that cursed spirit!"
Itadori's words lifted Rihito's spirits considerably.
"Thank you, Itadori."
"Haha, there's nothing to thank me for."
At Rihito's words, Itadori turned his head away, looking a little embarrassed.
While the two talked, Nanami occasionally stole glances at the boy behind him.
A strange boy targeted by a special grade cursed spirit. His cursed technique only awakened recently, yet he can already fight a cursed spirit of that caliber. Could something be wrong with him?
And the cursed energy fluctuations last night clearly exceeded grade one. There was even a lingering trace of a "domain." This probably isn't as simple as it seems.
Nanami adjusted his glasses, his expression growing grave.
He took out his phone. Satoru Gojo's contact photo appeared on the screen.
Until I've fully investigated this boy's background, I should probably keep Mr. Gojo out of this.
Nanami's thumb hovered over the screen for a moment, but in the end, he did not press it.
Each lost in his own thoughts, the three eventually boarded a train bound for Jujutsu High.
"Fushiguro, Kugisaki! Look who I brought back!"
Even from far away, Itadori kept waving, calling out to the two figures in the distance.
They were a boy and a girl, both wearing the same style of Jujutsu High uniform.
The boy had medium-length hair and a look that warned strangers to keep their distance.
The girl stood with her arms crossed. Seeing Itadori approach, she said impatiently, "Hey, hey, hey. What's with all the yelling from way over there?"
Only when they drew closer did Kugisaki notice that, besides Nanami, an unfamiliar boy was standing beside Itadori.
Fushiguro noticed Rihito then as well and gave Itadori a questioning look.
"Fushiguro, Kugisaki, let me introduce you. This is Rihito. He's going to be our new teammate."
Rihito stepped forward to stand before them and said politely, "Hello. My name is Rihito Sato. You can just call me Rihito."
"Nobara Kugisaki. Just call me Kugisaki." As she spoke, Kugisaki shot Fushiguro a disdainful look. "As for this guy, just call him Fushiguro."
Fushiguro nodded without adding anything.
Even without being told, Rihito knew their personalities inside out.
Megumi Fushiguro was a man of few words, but his cursed technique-the Ten Shadows Technique-was incredibly powerful. Its strongest shikigami, Mahoraga, was the ultimate proof of that.
Unfortunately, the only time he used it was in a suicidal attempt to take down some small fry. Back when Rihito was following the manga, that had pissed him off to no end.
As for Kugisaki, she was one of the rare people whose cursed technique could target the soul.
Together with Itadori, these three would probably become Rihito's most important companions in the future.
"Come on, Rihito. Let's go see Mr. Gojo. I'm sure he'll really like you." Grinning cheerfully, Itadori grabbed Rihito and ran into Jujutsu High.
He made a perfect pair with the perpetually glum Fushiguro: one clueless, the other cranky.
As for Nanami, once they met up with the others, he gave them a few brief instructions, cast a long look at Rihito, and turned to leave.
Along the way, Itadori chattered nonstop, his noisy voice making Fushiguro frown repeatedly.
Eventually, Kugisaki couldn't take it either. She snapped at Itadori a couple of times, and only then did he quiet down.
Before long, they arrived at the courtyard where Satoru Gojo was staying.
"Mr. Gojo~ Mr. Gojo~ Huh? Where is he?"
After entering the courtyard, Itadori found no sign of Satoru Gojo, so he shouted at the top of his lungs.
He kept shouting until Kugisaki's expression darkened and she was about to swear at him. Just then, a slightly apologetic yet thoroughly casual voice came from the distance.
"Sorry, sorry. Got here a little late by accident. Haha." As the words fell, Satoru Gojo came into view.
A tall figure, unmistakable silver hair, and beneath his blindfold, the Six Eyes-a terrifying innate gift.
"Hmm? Who's this...?" Almost instantly, Satoru Gojo's attention was drawn to Rihito beside Itadori.
He slowly approached, studying him with curiosity.
This pressure, this strength... he really is Satoru Gojo! Under Satoru Gojo's gaze, Rihito felt as though he could hide nothing.
Even through the blindfold, he could feel how frightening those Six Eyes were.
"Hello. My name is Rihito Sato," Rihito said politely, keeping his manner impeccably respectful.
"What do you think, Mr. Gojo?" Itadori looked expectant.
On the way to Jujutsu High, Itadori had already sent Gojo a message briefly introducing Rihito.
"Hmm~ Not bad, not bad. Just what I'd expect from a boy Yuji thinks so highly of." Satoru Gojo nodded, his tone surprisingly earnest.
Itadori wanted to say more, but Satoru Gojo cut him off with a wave.
"All right, Yuji. You should all head back and rest. I need to take care of Rihito's enrollment paperwork."
Fushiguro and Kugisaki both nodded, then turned to leave.
Seeing them leave, Itadori quickly told Rihito, "Don't be scared, Rihito. Mr. Gojo's a really good person. He won't do anything to you, so relax. Remember to come find us once you're done with the paperwork!"
After saying that, Itadori turned around and saw that Fushiguro and Kugisaki had already gone quite a distance. He hurried after them.
"Hey, you two! Wait for me!"
Once they left, only Satoru Gojo and Rihito remained in the courtyard.
"Rihito, it looks like Itadori really likes you," Satoru Gojo said, turning around with a hint of feeling in his voice.
"Yes. Itadori is a friend worth keeping." Rihito nodded lightly. Though he did not understand Satoru Gojo's intentions, that did nothing to diminish his opinion of Itadori.
"Yes, that's just the kind of person Itadori is. He'll do almost anything for a friend. Do you think you'll become his friend?"
Suddenly, Satoru Gojo stopped in his tracks, his tone turning serious.
"Yes... of course!" Rihito's heart jolted, but he forced himself to stay calm.
At present, he had only two secrets. One was his soul as a transmigrator, but powerful as the Six Eyes were, they could not reach the level of the soul.
The second was that Mahito had altered him with Idle Transfiguration. On that point, however, he had little confidence.
The silence lasted a full five seconds.
Then Satoru Gojo smiled.
"Well, never mind."
He turned around, slipped both hands into his pockets, and spoke as casually as if he were discussing the weather:
"Everyone has their little secrets, right? Actually, I have some too."
"For example, I don't really like sweets... just kidding. I love them! Haha!"
Rihito froze.
"We can deal with the paperwork tomorrow." Without looking back, Satoru Gojo waved a hand. "Get some rest tonight, Rihito. Oh, right..."
He stopped and turned his head slightly. In the setting sun, the silhouette of his blindfold cast a long shadow.
"Welcome to Jujutsu High."
Only after that tall figure disappeared completely at the end of the corridor did Rihito realize he had been holding his breath.
He slowly exhaled. The back of his uniform shirt was already soaked with cold sweat.
What exactly did he see?
Probably only Satoru Gojo himself knew the answer.
Before you continue