Was that a little too vicious?

[S-Sukuna...?]

Yuji's tentative voice suddenly sounded in his mind, and Sukuna went rigid.

The red glow in his eyes slowly faded. He froze for a moment, then instinctively unclenched his fist, which was burning with cursed energy.

...Something had seemed a little off about me just now. I wasn't supposed to be this bloodthirsty, murderous sort of character... was I?

I knew I shouldn't have used my fists! Fighting like a barbarian had dragged me off course!

[Sukuna... I think you might be... a tiny bit too vicious...?] Itadori's voice came again.

Sukuna: "???"

"Hey, weren't you the one who told me to beat the hell out of it?"

[But I feel like my 'beat the hell out of it' and your 'beat the hell out of it' aren't quite the same thing?]

Sukuna: "..."

Fine, you're the boss.

He stepped forward, landing in the shallow pool below the hole he had smashed open.

Looking at the special grade cursed spirit before him, beaten to a bloody pulp and struggling to heal itself in the water, he quietly took a step back.

...Oh, crap... That did seem a little too vicious.

"Then... should I just finish it off...?"

He tried asking Itadori for his opinion.

Itadori couldn't help giving a light cough. For some reason, he felt a little like laughing.

[...Ahem. Okay.]

Dismantle flashed out, severing the special grade cursed spirit's neck. Its body twitched a few times before finally collapsing into the water and lying still.

Sukuna stared silently at the corpse, not moving for a long while, his expression conflicted.

[Sukuna, what's wrong?]

Itadori asked, puzzled.

Sukuna coughed awkwardly.

"Actually, something's felt a little off for a while now..."

"It... seems to have one of my fingers."

[...Huh?]

Itadori froze.

A finger-as in one of those 'fingers'?

Sukuna walked a few steps forward and crouched beside the corpse. Reaching out, he pinched a finger out of the hole in its chest with a look of disgust.

-Yep. Judging by how hideously ugly it was, that was definitely his finger.

Both of them stared at the finger in silence.

Neither had expected the surprise to come so soon, or so suddenly.

Itadori said quietly, [So, should we eat it now? I think Teacher Gojo said he wanted us to eat all of them?]

Sukuna frowned at the misshapen finger in his hand. "Can I refuse?"

Itadori: [*...*]

[Uh, well... how about I take over and eat it?]

Sukuna kept frowning, looking for all the world as though he wanted to throw the finger away.

"Something this filthy... won't eating it make us sick?"

Itadori: [*...*]

My dear Sukuna, you really don't have to be this disgusted, okay?

It's your own finger!

Besides, it's not like I haven't eaten one before...

...Worst case, I'll wash it before eating it this time?

He quickly took over.

Then he immediately switched back out.

[Sukuna, it looks kind of high up there. How about you jump up first, then I take over?]

Sukuna: "..."

Seriously, am I your personal transport? Is it really okay for you to be this lazy?

He grumbled as he dutifully climbed up.

"All right, we're here. Now you can come out... Wait, hang on. Aren't we forgetting something?"

Both of them fell silent for three seconds.

[Kugisaki and Megumi Fushiguro!-]

Itadori's voice was filled with shock at having forgotten his teammates.

They'd actually forgotten Megumi Fushiguro and Kugisaki!-

[Quick, quick, go help them! Do you know where they are?]

Sukuna grew anxious too. "Okay, I'll find them right now!"

He quickly spread out his mental power-with the special grade cursed spirit dead, its innate domain had unraveled, and the building had returned to its former appearance. His rapidly expanding mental power enveloped the entire Juvenile Detention Center.

Sukuna soon sensed Megumi Fushiguro's and Kugisaki's cursed energy, along with a densely packed swarm of... what seemed to be cursed spirits around Grade 2 or Grade 3, and the presence of a Grade 1 curse.

Grade 1, huh... That was still a little tough for Megumi Fushiguro and Kugisaki.

Without further hesitation, he unleashed Dismantle, blasting a passage straight from where he stood to his destination.

With a flicker, he vanished from the spot.