What could Three-Year-Old Satoru possibly have done wrong?

With all three of them sharing the same goal, they began working even harder to improve their strength.

Sometimes, when they pushed too hard and injured themselves, Itadori would secretly switch with Sukuna and let him heal everyone with Reverse Cursed Technique.

So I really am the party healer...

Sukuna thought as he treated Megumi Fushiguro's injuries.

Seeing the black-haired brat with his sea-urchin hair go stiff all over, too afraid to look at him, made him especially eager to play a prank.

...No, no, hold it in. Megumi Fushiguro finally started letting me out. I have to treasure this!

Ever since the birthday party that night, even Megumi Fushiguro had begun tacitly accepting that... as long as no one else noticed, there was nothing wrong with letting Sukuna switch in for a little while.

Now, whenever no one else was around, Sukuna could slip out openly.

For Sukuna, the biggest benefit was-

He could finally eat with everyone from the first and second years!

Of course, they didn't eat in the cafeteria, but in the lounge on the dorm's ground floor.

And so, one afternoon, a group of people furtively brought food packed up from the cafeteria back to the dorm and lined it all up on the table.

Every first- and second-year student was present, crowding together to join the fun.

Itadori quickly switched with Sukuna, who excitedly rubbed his hands together at the prospect of eating with everyone for the first time.

He picked up his chopsticks and was just about to grab some food-

When he suddenly sensed a certain familiar white-haired teacher appearing beside their table.

Gojo, who had teleported in, took one look at the table full of food and immediately protested.

"You're all eating together without inviting me!"

Sukuna: ...This is just our usual cafeteria food, not some feast. What's there to invite you to?

"No missions today? You've got that much free time?"

Sukuna asked with a sidelong glance as he picked up some food-

Everyone else was silently working their chopsticks at lightning speed, practically fighting over the dishes. If he didn't get moving, he'd be left with nothing but plain rice!

"Oh, come on~ Don't sound so unwelcoming~ Here, here, look what I brought you-"

Gojo quickly produced a beautifully wrapped box of chocolates from behind his back and held it out to Sukuna-

Successfully soothing a certain foodie's ruffled feathers.

Sukuna glanced at it, looking pleased.

Hmm, since you're being so sincere, I'll forgive you for interrupting our meal~

He set down his chopsticks, happily took the chocolates, and immediately began unwrapping them.

Pretty much everything Gojo brought was expensive, high-quality stuff. High-end snacks interested him more than a meal did.

Are these... liqueur chocolates?

Looking at the plump, cone-shaped chocolates decorated with assorted patterns inside the box, Sukuna hesitated.

Yuji's too young to drink... No, wait...

...There's no smell of alcohol? They're just regular filled chocolates?

Sukuna relaxed. Luckily, that white-haired bastard still remembered that Yuji was underage.

Without a care in the world, he picked one up and tossed it into his mouth, then held the box toward the middle of the table, inviting everyone to help themselves.

Then-

His outstretched hand suddenly froze-

The next second, tears burst from his eyes!

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!!

Why the hell is this chocolate spicy!!!

Help!! I'm going to die!!!

Sukuna's hand jerked, flinging the chocolates away, and he turned and ran for the kitchen-

Water, water, water, water, water, water, water!!!!

Everyone in the room stared dumbfounded as Sukuna vanished like a whirlwind, then turned in unison, eyes twitching, toward a certain shameless teacher who was shaking with laughter.

...What the hell did you do this time???

Megumi Fushiguro's chopstick-holding hand trembled, then trembled again. Finally, unable to hold back any longer, he began scolding his Three-Year-Old Satoru with a thoroughly exasperated expression-

"Itadori's still too young to drink..."

Gojo immediately raised both hands to clear his name. "There's no alcohol in those. Not a single drop!"

Megumi Fushiguro: "...?"

...Then why did he...?

Gojo quickly added, "They just have a little something else in them. Like... a tiny bit... No... a whole chunk of chili pepper..."

Everyone: "..."

Alcohol would've been better than this!!

You really aren't afraid Sukuna will beat the crap out of you, are you!!?

Gojo: ...What could Three-Year-Old Satoru possibly have done wrong?

He really had only wanted to see what Sukuna looked like when he cried-

On the night of his birthday, Sukuna had nearly cried but hadn't actually done it. Gojo had been curious for days!

Today, he had finally found his chance! Thank goodness for the prank snacks a jujutsu sorcerer overseas had sent him!

And so, that day's lunch finally came to an end only after a red-eyed Sukuna spent the entire afternoon chasing Gojo through the dorm building and ultimately gave him a vicious beating.

Damn it... And he'd said to wait while he figured out how to save me and Yuji... He's trying to send us both straight to the afterlife!

He couldn't handle spicy food at all, okay?

One piece from that bastard had nearly killed him!

Worried that Yuji wouldn't be able to stand it either if he switched back, he had forced himself to endure it with Reverse Cursed Technique...

He was absolutely furious!

No, I'm definitely not letting this slide! I couldn't cut loose in the dorm building. Just you wait. You're getting another beating tonight!!

So that evening, Sukuna rubbed his hands together, ready to settle the score again, but even by dawn the next day, that white-haired bastard still hadn't shown up.

Sukuna: "???!!!"

Very good, Three-Year-Old Satoru. Now we've really got a grudge to settle!

As for how Three-Year-Old Satoru later apologized and made amends, the mountain of snacks piled up in Itadori's room afterward offered some idea.

And that still wasn't the end of it-

Sukuna had developed PTSD over the snacks Gojo brought. The next time Gojo came to deliver some, Sukuna shut the door behind him and "warmly" insisted that he stay-

Then watched him open every single kind of snack and take a bite.

Gojo stared at the mountain of snacks. "..."

Would he even make it out alive after all those "bites"?

As for the inhuman torment Three-Year-Old Satoru suffered that night, the fact that he was thrown horizontally out of Itadori's room, along with the sympathetic looks Itadori gave him every time afterward, offered some indication.

Everyone shared the same opinion on the matter.

Serves you right!!

Finally, someone who can put you in your place!!

Good job, Sukuna! Whatever you do, don't go easy on him!~

After being thrown out, Gojo clutched his aching heart-oh, and his aching stomach-and pitifully disappeared for two days.

Sukuna felt as though even the air had become fresher. With little to do over those two days, he occasionally used his free time to give his Tiger some pointers on his Cursed Technique.

But after barely two days of leisure, he suddenly realized this had its pros and cons.

No Gojo meant no missions, either.

No missions meant no money-which meant he couldn't keep buying his favorite snacks as freely as he liked!

And so, he magnanimously chose to forgive Three-Year-Old Satoru and looked forward to him bringing more Grade 1 missions.

Gojo: ...That settles it. I'm just a brick, moved wherever I'm needed.

Sukuna: No, no, how could an esteemed gentleman like you be a brick?

You're clearly a vault.

An especially big one.

And so, in the gaps between the squabbles of two heavyweights whose combined age was only six, Itadori successfully received a deluxe "one Grade 1 curse outing every night" package.

Fighting a different curse every night made him question his entire existence.

Um... could we maybe dial back the frequency a little?

Give the Grade 1 curses-and me, while you're at it-a chance to survive, okay?