Tomorrow

Once they left the steelworks, the heavy smell of rust vanished, and the air around them instantly felt fresh.

The rain had stopped, leaving the air full of the scent of earth and grass.

As the car's engine roared to life, they set off toward Jujutsu High.

Unlike on the way there, Rihito sat by the window this time.

He watched the scenery stream past outside, recalling what Kugisaki had said at the steelworks.

"...The Goodwill Event?" Rihito murmured.

"Yeah. The Kyoto and Tokyo schools hold it every year. You didn't know?" Fushiguro turned toward him and explained.

"I knew, but..."

"But you never thought you'd be taking part yourself?" Kugisaki leaned over from beside him, rubbing the bruises on her neck and sucking in a breath through gritted teeth.

"I only heard about it a few days ago myself. Normally, the Goodwill Event doesn't have much to do with us first-years. It's mostly for the second- and third-years, but this year's different."

"How so?" Rihito asked, even though he knew the plot.

Nanami sat in the front passenger seat and answered without turning around. "Because this year's first-years include Satoru Gojo's students."

At that, Kugisaki began counting on her fingers. "You, me, Fushiguro, and Itadori. Four of us in all. Apparently, Mr. Gojo wants every first-year to take part in this year's Goodwill Event."

Every first-year... Rihito repeated silently.

Of course he knew about the Goodwill Event.

Hanami's invasion, Mahito sneaking into the storehouse, the theft of the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings-he remembered all those events from the original story perfectly.

But the words "every first-year" still left him with a subtle sense that things were out of place.

In the original story, Satoru Gojo had only brought the "resurrected" Itadori back on the eve of the Goodwill Event.

Now, however, his own involvement had changed a great deal.

"What, scared?" Kugisaki tilted her head, a teasing grin tugging at her lips.

Rihito shook his head. "I was wondering who Kyoto Jujutsu High would send."

"Who else would they send? I heard they've got a second-year whose Cursed Technique has something to do with machines. What was his name again...?"

"Mechamaru," Fushiguro supplied.

"Right, Mechamaru. And there's a Grade 1 Sorcerer, too. I think he's called... Todo?"

"Aoi Todo." Fushiguro's voice took on a gravity Rihito had never heard from him before.

"He's a Grade 1 Sorcerer, and his Cursed Technique is Boogie Woogie. If you run into him at the Goodwill Event, don't try to fight him head-on. Just surrender. There's no shame in it."

Kugisaki froze for a moment. "Is he really that bad?"

"That's no exaggeration," Nanami's voice came from the driver's seat. "Aoi Todo ranks among the strongest Grade 1 Sorcerers. At your current level, you have no chance of beating him head-on."

Silence fell over the car for a moment.

Rihito said nothing more and turned back to the window.

The outline of Jujutsu High had emerged in the twilight, like a gray castle crouching among the mountains.

The Goodwill Event. Hanami. Mahito. Two months.

He saw his own eyes reflected in the glass.

I need to make every moment count!

Before long, the engine's roar gradually died away.

The doors opened, and the familiar scent of Jujutsu High's trees and grass wafted inside.

Kugisaki was the first to jump out. She took a deep breath. "Finally, I feel alive again."

Fushiguro said nothing, but his shoulders visibly relaxed.

Rihito got out last and glanced back the way they had come. The road leading to the steelworks had already disappeared into the night.

"Let's go." Nanami shut the car door.

The group headed toward the entrance to Jujutsu High.

Behind them, the car sat silently in the twilight, its engine off, as though nothing had happened.

Kugisaki went to the infirmary, saying she needed to get the wounds on her neck treated before the swelling interfered with her movements.

Without a word, Fushiguro headed toward the underground training ground. Perhaps seeing Rihito's strength had left him feeling a little pressed for time.

Rihito returned to the dorm alone.

By then, it was completely dark. Rihito glanced to one side.

Itadori's bed was empty, with his blanket and pillow tossed carelessly aside, no attempt made to straighten them.

"Maybe he left in too much of a hurry."

Rihito stood looking at the messy bed for a while, then quietly began tidying it.

Only after putting Itadori's side in perfect order did he wash up and lie down on his own bed.

Now that the steelworks mission is over, there shouldn't be much else to deal with for a while!

As Rihito thought that, an image of his upperclassman Maki immediately sprang to mind.

The trip to the steelworks had yielded plenty, but the price he had paid was equally clear.

The spot where the bone spike had pierced his arm still ached faintly, and a thin scab had formed over the wound on his neck.

Still, it had been worth it.

There's bound to be more training with Maki tomorrow. The past few days have helped me improve, but I'm still a long way from being truly strong. And besides...

Rihito couldn't help thinking again about the Cursed Technique Tanaka had displayed that day.

Sorcerers have all kinds of bizarre Cursed Techniques, with an endless variety of tricks. Tanaka's was relatively easy to deal with. What if I ran into the Zenin Clan's Projection Sorcery?

Rihito knew his own shortcomings all too well.

He understood that, as a newcomer who had only recently awakened his Cursed Technique, making it this far was already quite an achievement.

But he knew even better what kinds of monsters he would have to face in the future.

Not just terrifyingly powerful special grade cursed spirits like Mahito, but humans as well-the Zenin Clan and those curse users.

And even the most terrifying being of all-Ryomen Sukuna!

"Ugh, I'm still too weak."

Rihito sighed, then rolled over into a more comfortable sleeping position.

Black Flash, Reverse Cursed Technique, a complete Domain... If I could master even one of those, I wouldn't feel so unsure of myself.

In the end, it was only wishful thinking.

Rihito knew better than anyone that he had no cheat, no system, and no old master guiding him.

Mastering those things in such a short time would take a miracle.

Heh. To other people, I'm probably already a miracle-getting Mahito to awaken my Cursed Technique, then mastering an incomplete Domain in such a short time.

Rihito shook his head and pushed all those unrealistic fantasies aside.

He closed his eyes.

He quieted his mind, sensing the cursed energy within his body as it slowly

flowed, like a tranquil river.

If I can't master Black Flash or Reverse Cursed Technique in the short term, then I'll start with my own Cursed Technique.

I have to master a finishing move within two months, something like Itadori's Divergent Fist.

And I have to find Mr. Gojo. Whatever it takes, I have to get him to teach me. That settles it!

If anyone at Jujutsu High had the best teaching skills, it was undoubtedly Satoru Gojo.

Only with his personal instruction would Rihito have any hope of improving his combat strength in such a short time.

As his thoughts gradually drifted, Rihito's breathing slowly grew steady.

The dull ache in his arm remained, but he no longer paid it any mind.

Outside the window, the night over Jujutsu High was thick as ink. In the distance, the lights at the underground training ground were still on.

Tomorrow, training begins!