Was this school really okay...

Itadori looked stunned and bewildered, nearly shouting out the question in his head.

As though Sukuna could see his expression, he began to explain.

[The curse that tried to kill Nagi Yoshino that night... was drawn there by "Ryomen Sukuna's" finger... right?]

[In other words, as far as Junpei is concerned... "Ryomen Sukuna" was one of the reasons his mother nearly died...]

[If you reveal that I'm inside your body now, what is Junpei supposed to think?]

Sukuna sounded a little awkward.

He hadn't expected Junpei to come to the school. He'd thought they would never meet again.

Now, faced with someone his own finger had nearly gotten killed, he wasn't quite sure how to deal with him.

Itadori immediately calmed down.

"But..."

[No buts! Just don't let him know I'm inside your body!]

Sukuna cut him off quickly, then immediately retreated without another word.

He left Itadori clutching his head in anxious, helpless frustration.

Junpei looked at Itadori, puzzled.

...Sukuna?

Hadn't he heard that name somewhere before?

...Wasn't that the guy Itadori had cosplayed as?

-So he was actually a real person? I thought Itadori had just made him up!

Megumi Fushiguro watched in confusion as Itadori grew increasingly frustrated, trying several times to speak without finishing a sentence.

...What was going on between him and Sukuna this time?

"Itadori?" he asked.

Itadori froze, then heaved a heavy sigh.

Forget it. I'll go along with Sukuna for now... We can talk about this later.

He rallied his spirits, happily pulling Junpei over to Megumi Fushiguro and Nobara to introduce him.

"This is Junpei Yoshino, the guy I told you about! Junpei, these are Megumi Fushiguro and Nobara Kugisaki. We're all classmates now!"

Junpei held his hands awkwardly in front of him and gave Megumi Fushiguro and Nobara a slightly nervous bow in greeting.

"Fushiguro, Kugisaki, it's nice to meet you. I look forward to getting along with you."

To him, they were his seniors in the Jujutsu Society, and he didn't want to get into any conflicts with Itadori's friends.

At his previous school, being constantly bullied had made him accustomed to avoiding crowds. But he couldn't do that here. He needed to get along with everyone-with the people around Itadori-as best he could.

His cautious gestures gave Nobara immense satisfaction at having been promoted to senior.

She happily stepped forward and patted Junpei on the shoulder with the air of a big sister.

"Don't worry. We know all about what happened to you. If anything comes up, just say the word. Your big sis has your back!~"

Megumi Fushiguro: "..."

Could you not make our school sound like some lawless place?

He cleared his throat, then nodded to Junpei in greeting.

"We're classmates now. Welcome to Jujutsu High."

-After all, Satoru Gojo had brought him back, so he had a duty to look after him.

Junpei nodded, relieved.

Itadori's classmates looked a little... like gang members, but they seemed pretty nice.

He glanced around the empty classroom and asked in confusion.

"Then where are the other students in our class?"

"...Ahem."

Itadori coughed and answered.

"This is everyone... There aren't that many jujutsu sorcerers..."

Junpei: "...?"

That few?!

He was astonished, but quickly accepted it.

...That's good. I probably won't have to worry about bullying anymore!

Now that Junpei was his classmate, Itadori became much chattier, asking one question after another.

"Junpei, where did you go to school before?"

Junpei: "Satozakura High School, over in Kanagawa."

Itadori: "High school? Were you a first-year too?"

...First-year?

Junpei was confused.

He hesitated before saying, "Second-year..."

"...Huh? Then how old are you, Junpei?"

"Seventeen..."

"Seventeen?" Itadori exclaimed in shock. "Junpei, you're two years older than me!"

Junpei: "..."

...T-two years older?!

Junpei stumbled over his words.

"Itadori... you're only fifteen?"

He hadn't expected Itadori to be so young!

He instinctively looked at Megumi Fushiguro and Nobara again, finding stiff, awkward expressions on both their faces.

Megumi Fushiguro: "I'm fifteen."

Nobara: "Sixteen..."

Junpei: "..."

Okay, so I'm actually the oldest...

But why didn't anyone tell me this was a first-year class?!

(Gojo: So that's my fault?)

Nobara coughed awkwardly and discreetly hid the hand she'd just used to pat Junpei's shoulder behind her back.

Inside, she was shouting too-Why would a seventeen-year-old be put in the first year?!

-Acting like that toward someone older than me was so embarrassing!

It's not like we don't have a second-year class! Put him there!

Megumi Fushiguro sighed.

...Because jujutsu sorcerers don't really go by age. You start in the first year when you enroll...

He thought this ruefully, then glanced at Itadori again.

But it's more likely because of Itadori...

From what Teacher Gojo said, he thought putting Junpei with him would be more suitable... right?

They exchanged looks, bringing their first meeting to an end in an awkward but still polite atmosphere.

"Ahem. Let's start class, then."

Teacher Fushiguro cleared his throat, remembering his substitute teaching duties, and hurried to break the awkward atmosphere.

Just thinking about having to explain everything he'd already covered all over again gave him a headache.

Itadori snapped out of it too, quickly bringing a new desk and chair from the back of the classroom and placing them beside his own. He even wiped them clean with particular care and practiced ease.

-Thanks to his clean-freak Sukuna, he now carried a cloth or something similar around with him too, and both his efficiency and results were first-rate.

Watching the desk and chair get cleaned and arranged in under ten seconds gave Yoshino a whole new appreciation for human dexterity. He stiffly withdrew the hand he'd extended to clean them himself, thanked Itadori, and sat down.

-Then he watched in confusion as Megumi Fushiguro walked up to the lectern.

When Megumi Fushiguro picked up the chalk and began teaching, his understanding of this school was upended once again-

Was this school really okay...

Why was a student teaching the class?

Where were the teachers...?

Had I come to some strange place by mistake?

Fortunately, Megumi Fushiguro's teaching skills were up to par.

Junpei felt that he explained things even more clearly than the teachers at his old school.

Since he'd often skipped school before and hadn't attended many lessons, he unconsciously settled into listening attentively, occasionally asking one or two very pertinent questions.

This surprised Megumi Fushiguro. He hadn't expected the newcomer, Junpei Yoshino, to have such a good head on his shoulders. He was far better than those two oddballs, Itadori and Kugisaki.

Now here's a promising student... Megumi Fushiguro was pleased to finally have someone who brought his brain to class, and his favorable impression of Yoshino automatically increased by 50.

(Megumi Fushiguro: Relieved.JPG. Finally, there's another one of my kind!