Uniforms and companions

The uniforms were handed out in a converted storage room.

After Rihito received his uniform, the female teacher in charge asked him to try it on.

He was reluctant, but eventually agreed.

Before long, the boy stood before Nanami in his Jujutsu High uniform.

The dark blue, high-collared jacket, the dark blue wide-legged trousers, and his youthful face made the teacher nod repeatedly in approval.

"I didn't expect it to fit so well."

Rihito moved his still-aching limbs, an unfamiliar feeling filling his chest.

Now I'm a student at Jujutsu High too.

"Let's go. We still have things to do."

Nanami's tone was no different from before. He glanced at Rihito, then turned and walked out.

"Right!"

Rihito nodded and followed him.

The corridor was brighter than the principal's office. The sunlight felt warm against Rihito's face.

Perhaps it was his imagination, but after putting on the uniform, Rihito felt much less exhausted.

The two walked on, their soft footsteps echoing around them.

At the end of the corridor was a junction. The left led to the dormitories, and the right to the training grounds.

Nanami stopped at the junction and turned slightly, seemingly about to say something.

"Rihito!"

Itadori's voice came from the other end of the corridor.

Rihito turned and saw that unmistakable pink head racing toward him, with two others following behind.

Kugisaki had her hands in her pockets and walked at an unhurried pace.

Fushiguro brought up the rear, wearing his usual expression.

"I knew you'd pass!"

Itadori ran up and slapped Rihito on the back, hard enough to send him stumbling half a step forward.

"I just told Kugisaki you'd be fine, but she didn't believe me."

"I never said that." Kugisaki walked over and rolled her eyes at Itadori. "I said, 'Don't get your hopes up too high, so you won't be too disappointed if he doesn't pass.' How is that the same thing?"

"That's exactly what not believing means!"

Kugisaki ignored him.

She glanced at Rihito's uniform, then at the bruises on his face and the dried streak of blood at the corner of his mouth.

"Why do you end up looking like this every time you take a test?"

Kugisaki's tone was casual, as though she were commenting on the nice weather.

Yet to Rihito, it seemed to carry something else.

"...I'm used to it," Rihito replied.

Fushiguro stood behind Kugisaki without saying anything.

His gaze swept over the injuries on Rihito's face, then settled on his uniform for a second.

"Does it fit?"

Rihito paused before realizing what Fushiguro meant.

"Yeah... pretty well."

Fushiguro nodded and said nothing more.

He looked sour, as though someone owed him money.

Nanami had remained silent the whole time.

He leaned against a pillar in the corridor, the coffee in his hand now completely cold.

Only when their voices quieted a little did he straighten up.

He looked at Itadori and gave a slight nod. "I'll leave him with you."

Then he turned to Rihito, his gaze lingering on the bruises on his face for half a second.

"Don't die during training."

With that, he tossed the empty coffee cup into the nearby bin, turned, and took two steps.

Then he stopped.

"One more thing."

He didn't look back, and his tone remained unchanged.

"Mr. Gojo asked me to pass along a message. There have been several recent incidents involving transfigured humans, connected to the cursed spirit you encountered before."

"He'll explain it to you himself before the mission is officially assigned."

"That's all."

The sound of his dress shoes resumed, and his straight-backed figure disappeared around the corner.

The corridor fell silent for a few seconds.

At some point, the smile Itadori had been wearing vanished.

He turned to Rihito.

"It's that guy, isn't it? The one who escaped into the sewers."

Rihito said nothing. Without realizing it, he had clenched his right hand into a fist.

His nails dug into his palm, leaving pale marks.

The special grade cursed spirit, Mahito!

At the last moment, he had still managed to escape into the sewers.

And unlike before, Mahito could now expand his domain. Killing him would be far harder than it had been.

With his current strength alone, Rihito had no chance.

Rihito, calm down. You can't let hatred blind you, he told himself.

For me, killing Mahito is almost impossible, whether then or now.

I only managed to corner Mahito before because I got lucky. Besides, he has accomplices.

Kenjaku, Hanami, Jogo-any one of those three could pose a fatal threat to me, so... I can't rush this!

Rihito took a deep breath, then slowly let it out.

In the original story, the next major plot point was the Kyoto Goodwill Event arc.

That was still more than two months away. Around this point, Satoru Gojo would take Itadori away for special training.

Publicly, they would claim that Itadori had been secretly executed.

Satoru Gojo would only let him return in the final days before the Goodwill Event began.

During that arc, Hanami would appear to draw everyone's attention while Mahito infiltrated Jujutsu High's storehouse and stole three of the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings and six Sukuna's Fingers.

At that thought, Rihito's gaze sharpened.

If I can use my foreknowledge of the original plot, perhaps I won't even have to act myself. I could use this opportunity to eliminate Mahito for good inside Jujutsu High!

But how would I explain something like that?

Knowing what Jujutsu High's higher-ups are like, if I expose this secret, I'll be in serious danger even with Satoru Gojo protecting me.

"Rihito, I'll help you. We'll take him down together!" Itadori spoke up.

The corridor went silent for a beat.

Rihito was still thinking about the Goodwill Event.

Hanami, the storehouse, the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings... those words kept circling through his mind, like pieces of an unfinished puzzle.

Then Kugisaki took half a step forward, leaving her spot beside Itadori

and coming to stand beside him.

Fushiguro followed. He said only, "Count me in."

Rihito looked at them.

Itadori stood directly in front of him, Kugisaki to his left, and Fushiguro behind him.

The three of them surrounded him.

He suddenly remembered the can of melon soda from last night, and the four of them standing in front of the vending machine.

His clenched right fist slowly relaxed.

The pale nail marks in his palm gradually regained their color.

"...Yeah." Rihito nodded.

"Come on, let's go!" Itadori slapped Rihito on the back, his smile returning. "Cafeteria first! The matcha daifuku's going to get cold!"

He grabbed Rihito and pulled him along, with Kugisaki and Fushiguro following behind.

The vending machine at the end of the corridor glowed with warm yellow light.

Soon, the four of them walked through that glow.