A companion worth trusting

"Static Universe!"

The instant the words left his mouth, gray mist spread outward from beneath Rihito's feet.

In a flash, a complete sphere covering roughly fifteen square meters enveloped the four of them.

Time came to an absolute standstill.

Every suspended speck of dust stopped exactly where it belonged, and the boundaries between light and shadow were cut into perfectly precise geometric patterns.

Rihito stood at the very center of this Static Universe, everything within the domain reflected deep in his pupils.

Nishimiya's wind blade hung in midair, its downward strike frozen exactly three feet above the fallen leaves.

Kamo's droplets of blood stopped two feet in front of Rihito, their dark red surfaces reflecting his torn uniform collar.

Miwa's blade hovered near his forehead, barely an inch from his temple, unable to move any farther.

The orange-red glow deep inside Mechamaru's Wrist Cannon went still, like a spark welded into its barrel.

The instant the domain took shape, Rihito also felt as though something had been drawn out of his body.

His total cursed energy dropped by ten percent at that same moment.

"To gain something, you must pay an equal price." Satoru Gojo had told Rihito that a month ago, before the test.

He knew Satoru Gojo had been referring to the concept of a binding vow from the original story.

Knowing about it was one thing; knowing how to use it was another.

During the test, Rihito had been driven into a corner, wanting to save his companions and pass the test at the same time.

To win, Rihito had willingly made a binding vow for the first time.

He had traded away ten percent of his maximum cursed energy for the next month in exchange for three seconds of a complete Domain Expansion.

That first time, he had won.

Now came the second.

"When all heat is concentrated at a single point, the entire space comes to a complete standstill."

Even seeing this effect for the second time, Rihito still felt a little exhilarated.

Ever since learning this move, he had only been able to deploy an incomplete domain.

Although it still performed admirably in combat, it was leagues below a complete domain.

I have to master a complete Domain Expansion, instead of paying a price for it like this!

The thought flashed through his mind. Rihito gathered his cursed energy, raised his fist, and drove it forward.

Bam!

His fist slammed into the stomach of Miwa, who was closest to him.

Caught completely off guard, Miwa went flying backward.

One second!

Next came Mechamaru.

Boom!

Rihito turned sideways and raised his leg, shattering Mechamaru's torso with a kick packed with cursed energy.

Continuing the turn, he grabbed Nishimiya from above and slammed her hard into the ground.

Two seconds!

Last came Kamo.

The disbelief from before the Domain Expansion still lingered in Kamo's eyes.

How could a newcomer who enrolled less than six months ago know Domain Expansion...?

No one explained it to him.

The next instant, Rihito's fist appeared in front of him too.

Three seconds-over!

From Kamo's perspective, Rihito had still been surrounded and attacked by all four of them just moments ago.

Yet the moment he shouted "Domain Expansion," everyone had fallen in the blink of an eye.

And a fist blazing with azure cursed energy was steadily growing larger in his vision.

"No..."

Bam!

Rihito's fist slammed into Kamo's face.

He had no intention of showing mercy to someone who had specifically targeted him.

The punch sent Kamo flying backward like a torn burlap sack.

Droplets of blood spilled from his mouth and nose, spattering the ground around him.

The world fell quiet.

"Itadori, your best friend... is strong!" The fire of battle lit Todo's eyes, but a second later, he suddenly grinned. "I wonder what kind of women he likes."

Itadori seemed stunned. Only when he heard Todo's voice did he snap out of it and nod slowly.

"Yeah, Rihito's really strong."

With that, he ran straight past Todo, calling to Rihito as he approached, "What was that move just now? That was insane!"

Todo did not follow. He simply folded his arms, his gaze passing over the devastated clearing and fixing on Rihito.

Elsewhere, at the edge of the woods.

Fushiguro's unclenched fingers trembled slightly at his side, the red marks his nails had dug into his palm yet to fade.

Then he smiled in relief and spoke so softly that even he could not hear it. "Rihito, you really are a companion worth trusting."

"Rihito's as dependable as ever." Kugisaki stretched and let out a long breath, unable to suppress the curve of her lips.

Maki stood half a step behind them, her gaze fixed on Rihito through her glasses, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly.

It was not surprise. Her expression looked more like confirmation of something she had suspected all along.

Just then, heavy footsteps sounded behind Fushiguro, mixed with the sharp cracks of cedar branches snapping.

Panda pushed through the trees from the other side, his round body brushing off a swath of cedar branches and foliage, sending needles raining onto the ground.

"We just finished up over here. What's happening over there?"

As he spoke, his footsteps abruptly stopped.

His black eyes flicked twice between the fallen Kyoto Jujutsu High members and Rihito in the center of the clearing. He went silent for a full two seconds.

Before Panda could express his surprise, Inumaki poked his head out from behind him, his dark eyes sweeping across the entire clearing before settling on Rihito.

"Spicy cod roe."

Inumaki raised his thumb and kept it up.

Panda glanced down at him, then raised his own paw.

"Yeah, Panda thinks so too."

Meanwhile, at the edge of the woods on the other side of the clearing.

Mai leaned against a cedar tree, her revolver hanging at her side.

She should have gone to meet up with Kamo after Kugisaki turned and left, but she had never taken a step.

Her gaze passed over the piles of fallen leaves and landed on Rihito in the center of the clearing.

Then it moved past Rihito to the figure carrying a Naginata farther away.

Maki stood at the edge of the woods, the butt of her Naginata resting on the ground, her lips curved slightly upward.

Mai watched her for a second, then looked away.

"A first-year took down Kamo and all the others... Maki, does your Tokyo Jujutsu High only turn out ridiculous people like him?"

With that, she slipped her revolver back into its holster, turned, and walked deeper into the woods.

In the center of the clearing.

The domain's lingering gray mist had yet to disperse completely.

Miwa knelt on one knee, clutching her stomach, her sword lying in a pile of fallen leaves two steps away.

She lifted her head, her gaze passing over the scattered metal fragments. When it reached Rihito, her lips moved.

"You've got to be kidding..."

A first-year who had enrolled less than six months ago.

She wanted to say more, but it felt as though something had blocked her throat.

Mechamaru's torso lay scattered across the ground, a few metal joints still making faint clicking sounds.

Nishimiya lay on her side atop the fallen leaves, her broom having rolled three steps away.

Kamo lay faceup, the fist mark on his face already badly swollen, his breathing slightly rapid.

Almost simultaneously, the words Kamo had spoken in the Kyoto Jujutsu High Preparation Room echoed through all four of their minds.

"A newcomer with no actual combat experience will struggle to contribute in a team battle, even with a special Cursed Technique."

Sunlight filtered through gaps in the canopy, falling on Rihito's torn uniform.

Blood still seeped from his left shoulder, and his chest heaved, but his back had never once bent.

Kugisaki cupped both hands around her mouth and called to him.

"Hey, Rihito!"

Rihito turned toward her voice.

Itadori was running toward him from the edge of the clearing. Kugisaki waved from beside the woods, Fushiguro nodded beside her, and Maki tilted her head with her Naginata resting on her shoulder.

Panda held up a thick paw, while Inumaki stood quietly beside him with the same thumb raised.

Rihito slowly breathed out a plume of white vapor, and the corners of his mouth lifted.

Then, just as he was about to take a step-

Boom!

Deep in the forest, a surge of cursed energy erupted without warning.

Its density and purity instantly reduced the fallen leaves at their feet to powder, despite the absence of wind.

In that instant, Rihito stopped in his tracks, and Itadori forced himself to a halt halfway across the clearing.

Todo's eyes narrowed, and his broad grin vanished in an instant.

A second later, under everyone's gaze, a figure slowly emerged from deep within the dense woods.

It did not walk quickly, but the ground trembled slightly with every step it took.

Sunlight fell upon it, yet revealed no warmth.

It had no eyes on its face, but everyone felt it at that same instant.

Something was watching them.