Kyoto Sister-School Goodwill Event (Part One)

The air still held a trace of coolness from yesterday's rain.

But on the day of the Kyoto Sister-School Goodwill Event, the students of both schools stood in formation on Jujutsu High's Stone-Paved Road, and the atmosphere was anything but friendly.

Hajime Kashimo leaned against the trunk of a large tree, taking shelter from the sun. His gaze remained fixed on Megumi Fushiguro's still-bruised face, his long lashes trembling slightly with displeasure.

Fushiguro was already far stronger than he had been before, and was even beginning to approach the level he would reach during the Culling Game.

Yet in his fight against Todo, the wielder of the Ten Shadows Technique had still been utterly thrashed...

He's so quick at learning to control cursed energy, so why does Fushiguro turn into such a mother hen whenever it comes to hand-to-hand combat, worrying about every little thing?

Kashimo sighed. He could see why this guy would end up becoming Sukuna's incarnated vessel...

"Ah-sorry for the wait, everyone."

The tension between Tokyo Jujutsu High and Kyoto Jujutsu High was broken by a cheerful shout-

Satoru Gojo leisurely approached the group, pushing a large box tied with a ribbon.

His silver hair took on an almost unreal sheen in the sunlight, and a black blindfold covered his eyes. Gone were the gloom and solemnity he had worn at the grave a few days ago, replaced by an inscrutable smile.

"Come on, come on! These are souvenirs from my business trip~ There's one for everyone at Kyoto Jujutsu High~"

Smiling, Satoru Gojo handed each of the Kyoto Jujutsu High students a little plush figure knitted from pink yarn, its design bizarre yet endearingly goofy.

After handing out the last one, he pulled an obnoxious face at Utahime, making it clear that he had brought no gift for the Kyoto Jujutsu High teacher.

"I wouldn't want something that ugly anyway!"

Ignoring the beautiful Kyoto Jujutsu High teacher's furious shout, Satoru Gojo turned and wheeled the enormous performance box-which he must have stolen from some magic troupe-over to the Tokyo Jujutsu High students, addressing Fushiguro and the others with an air of mystery:

"Everyone from Tokyo, look over here~"

Satoru Gojo reached up and lifted the lid.

The box opened with a clack, and a boy rose to his feet inside-

Yuji Itadori.

He wore that familiar hooded sweatshirt, his short pink hair stirring in an ill-timed breeze.

For an instant, the air seemed to freeze.

The Kyoto Jujutsu High students all took a step back. Kasumi Miwa and Mai, who carried weapons, had already reached for them and assumed fighting stances.

"Wasn't this guy dead?!"

Someone forced the words out in a low voice, genuine fear audible in their tone.

With the recent sharp increase in cursed spirits, information about "Sukuna's vessel" had also been distributed to the students at each Jujutsu High.

Thus, when Itadori appeared, everyone from Kyoto thought the King of Curses had returned to life and warily readied themselves for battle.

Behind them, Kyoto Jujutsu High's principal, Yoshinobu Gakuganji, had a wrinkled face as rigid as stone. His clouded eyes were filled with shock and hostility, his withered hands trembled slightly inside his sleeves, and Satoru Gojo's name escaped through his lips in a barely audible whisper...

Clearly, Satoru Gojo had pulled another fast one on him...

But the reactions of Tokyo Jujutsu High's two first-years were even more intriguing.

The expressions on Megumi Fushiguro's and Kugisaki's faces were beyond anything simple words could describe-in a single, fleeting second, they went through at least three shifts: fear, shock, confusion, disbelief, anger at being made fools of, and joy at Itadori's return...

Yet what finally settled on both their faces was a stillness like stagnant water...

Then their hands began to move-

Expressionless, Megumi Fushiguro reached for his waist and drew his cursed tool.

Kugisaki silently raised her hammer and nails as well.

Seeing the anger on their faces and the cursed energy surging around them, while the Kyoto students seemingly realized what was going on and turned to examining their souvenirs as though none of this concerned them,

Itadori's smile froze.

He instinctively retreated half a step and looked to Satoru Gojo for help.

But when he turned his head, he found that Satoru Gojo had somehow already backed away three steps and was watching with his arms folded, acting as though this had nothing to do with him.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait-"

Itadori waved his hands frantically, but he could no longer stop Megumi Fushiguro and Kugisaki from approaching:

"I didn't mean to keep it from you! Gojo-sensei said it would be more fun this way!!!"

The two struck almost simultaneously, bringing their fists down hard on Itadori's head.

"Ow-!"

The bumps on Itadori's head still had not subsided by the time they reached the school building.

Holding up the hollowed-out picture frame from his memorial altar and posing as his own memorial portrait, Itadori knelt on the floor to repent for his wrongdoing. During this time, he also met the second-years and the "new student" who had taken his place, Hajime Kashimo.

Looking at Yuji Itadori, whose eyes now held something called resolve, Kashimo did not tell him that Junpei was still alive and that Satoru Gojo had placed him under a Grade 2 Sorcerer's tutelage.

After all, he knew that negative emotions were the very foundation of cursed energy...

"So I'm counting on you to handle things on Kyoto's side-"

In a small attic room, Satoru Gojo's conversation with Utahime came to an end as he picked up his teacup.

While Itadori was reuniting with everyone, Satoru Gojo had asked Utahime to investigate whether anyone among Kyoto's higher-ups was colluding with cursed spirits or curse users. He had also asked her to look into the whereabouts of the members of Suguru Geto's organization before his death.

To Satoru Gojo, if Suguru Geto had returned from the dead, those curse users would undoubtedly be his best allies in realizing his cause...

As for Yuji Itadori...

He was not worried at all.

"Hmph, all that yammering is driving me nuts!"

"I don't care about your plan, old man! Anyone who tries ordering me around again is dead!!"

Todo kicked open the door of the closed room, utterly unconcerned by his companions' attempts to stop him.

He had always acted openly and aboveboard. Never mind an underhanded scheme like "assassinating" a jujutsu sorcerer-he would not even stoop to using a tactic as commonplace as ganging up on a human opponent.

Especially when these people did not even understand his taste in women...

As far as he was concerned, aside from getting to fight a few cursed spirits, this Goodwill Event really could not compare to attending Takada-chan's autograph signing...

But unlike his silence in another timeline, Yoshinobu Gakuganji spoke up this time, making the rare move of stopping Todo from leaving.

He allowed Todo to act as he pleased.

On the condition that he completed one task...

"The new student. Take him out."

For both Tokyo Jujutsu High and Kyoto Jujutsu High, this Goodwill Event now had an additional wild card-

Hajime Kashimo.

Kyoto knew very little about this newcomer. All they knew about the student who had replaced Itadori was that he could use electric arc cursed energy to enhance his body.

But according to rumors, Kashimo's hand-to-hand skills could overwhelm every student at Tokyo Jujutsu High, and he could even hold the upper hand against the second-years when they used their cursed techniques.

Gakuganji therefore conservatively estimated Kashimo's combat strength to be on par with Tokyo Jujutsu High's second-years. To avoid disrupting the existing assassination plan, someone whose strength stood head and shoulders above the rest would have to deal with Kashimo and render him incapable of fighting...

Todo could stay out of Yuji Itadori's execution.

But he had to complete the task of stripping Kashimo of his ability to fight in this Goodwill Event!