Brutality

"I've been itching for a fight these past few days, with nobody to spar with."

"Those little punks from Kyoto Jujutsu High had better bring enough money for their medical bills."

Yagami Jue turned to look at his two disciples, who were sweating buckets.

"Junpei! Yuki!"

"Pack your things. We're heading down the mountain!"

"We're going to a gathering... where you can make a fortune!"

Junpei stopped, looking utterly confused. "A fortune? Mr. Yagami, aren't we going to a competition?"

Yagami Jue grinned, his expression vicious. "As far as I'm concerned, anyone in my way is a walking ATM."

"Let's go! I'll take you downtown for a feast first. Eat your fill, so we can go rob people tomorrow!"

Meanwhile, in Kyoto.

Inside Principal Gakuganji's classroom.

Several students from Kyoto Jujutsu High sat stiffly at attention.

Aoi Todo, Mai Zenin, Momo Nishimiya, and the cold-faced Noritoshi Kamo.

A photograph of Yagami Jue lay between them.

The boy in the photograph had a cold gaze, as though he were mocking the entire world.

"Listen carefully."

Gakuganji plucked the strings of the guitar in his hands, producing a harsh, muffled note.

"This Yagami Jue is an extremely dangerous, unpredictable element."

"The crimes he committed against the Zenin Clan are unforgivable."

"During this Goodwill Event, I'll arrange for you to be sent to the same area as him."

"Kill him, whatever the cost."

An unquestionable resolve to kill filled Gakuganji's aged voice.

Aoi Todo rubbed the stubble on his chin, then suddenly laughed.

"Kill him? What a shame."

"But if it's for my best friend's honor..."

"I'll give it everything I've got and beat him straight into hell!"

That almost perverse fanaticism blazed in Aoi Todo's eyes once again.

Mai Zenin stared fixedly at the photograph, her nails digging deep into her palms.

"For Naoya, and for the humiliation of that slap..."

"Yagami Jue, I'll put this bullet through your heart myself!"

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ocean.

Yagami Jue had already stormed into an upscale buffet restaurant with Junpei and Asakura Yuki.

"Eat! All of you, eat as much as you can!"

Yagami Jue swept his hand toward the rows of premium Kobe beef.

"We're charging this meal to the corporate card that Okubo guy left behind earlier anyway. It's free, so go wild!"

Watching the POS terminal whir, Junpei asked cautiously, "Sir, doesn't this count as illegally taking someone else's property?"

Yagami Jue stuffed a huge piece of wagyu into his mouth and mumbled, "It's called reasonable war reparations!"

"Serves him right for interrupting my sleep!"

"Hurry up and eat. I'll take you out for some 'big business' tonight. We need to scrape together the down payment for opening the Fourth Gate."

Asakura Yuki couldn't help bursting into laughter at Yagami Jue's roguish behavior.

Her teacher had an awful personality, loved money, and had a vicious tongue.

Yet at that moment.

She felt that figure was more dependable than any god.

This is wonderful...

Asakura Yuki nibbled her dessert and silently prayed, I hope those people at tomorrow's Goodwill Event get a quick death.

Meanwhile, Yagami Jue was bargaining with the system inside his head.

"Hey, system, let's talk. Can I pay in installments?"

"Five billion is ridiculous!"

[Ding! This system does not offer credit. Please work hard to earn money and become a tyrant with ambition.]

"Ambition, my ass!"

Yagami Jue rolled his eyes.

"Once I've robbed the Zenin Clan and cleaned out the higher-ups' secret stash..."

"We'll see if you still dare act so cocky!"

He took a huge gulp of cola, an imperious gleam flashing in his eyes.

The Goodwill Event? That's my personal cash-out opportunity!

Sukuna? The higher-ups? The Three Great Families? Every last one of you can turn into digits in my account!

Night gradually fell.

An oppressive atmosphere shrouded all of Tokyo.

Every faction was stirring over that one finger and that one boy.

At the center of the storm, Yagami Jue was burping contentedly.

He gazed at the dazzling lights outside the window.

The smile on his lips grew wider.

"Tomorrow should be a blast, huh?"

Morning, at Tokyo Jujutsu High.

The dorm room's wooden door creaked.

With a dark expression, Yagami Jue stood holding half a broken door handle, lost in thought.

"That's the fifth one this week..."

"Controlling strength over a hundred thousand is a fucking nightmare."

He casually tossed the ruined handle into the trash, which was already filled with snapped spoons, crushed cups, and several wrecked dumbbells.

"System, is this second evolution of yours defective?"

"Now I'm scared just holding a toothbrush. One wrong push and I could punch straight through my front teeth."

Yagami Jue ranted furiously inside his head.

[Ding! A massive increase in the host's strength has been detected, without a corresponding improvement in control. Spending one billion Japanese yen to purchase 'Ultimate Fine Control: Cellular-Level Control' is recommended.]

The system's electronic voice was as heartless and money-grubbing as ever.

"One billion? Why don't you just rob me?"

Yagami Jue rolled his eyes and silently glanced at his eighty-million balance.

"Broke bastards don't get to talk about control. I'll just have to get by on instinct."

He stepped out of his room and ran into Megumi Fushiguro, who was about to head out for morning training.

The instant Megumi Fushiguro saw Yagami Jue, his pupils contracted, and he instinctively stepped back half a pace.

It felt like suddenly encountering an upright Tyrannosaurus in a narrow alley.

Even with Yagami Jue suppressing his killing intent, that terrifying pressure still made the air feel thick.

"Yagami... you're awake?"

Megumi Fushiguro steadied himself, his voice a little strained.

"Mr. Gojo said your evolution was complete. Looks like he was right."

"Your presence now... feels even more unpleasant than before."

Megumi Fushiguro gave his honest assessment.

"Then suck it up. I haven't even complained about how generic your face is."

Yagami Jue strode past Megumi Fushiguro toward the cafeteria.

Every step on the wooden hallway produced a nerve-racking creak.

It sounded as though he might punch through the solid floorboards at any moment.

Inside the cafeteria.

Yuji Itadori and Nobara Kugisaki were locked in a fierce argument over the last piece of fried chicken.

"Kugisaki! That's mine! I saw it first!"

"Bullshit! My chopsticks touched it first, so it's mine!"

While their argument raged, they suddenly felt a shadow fall over the table.

Both stiffly turned their heads.

Yagami Jue stood behind them, expressionless, his eyes fixed on the plate of fried chicken.

"Shut up."

Yagami Jue reached out.

Before their eyes, his fingers stirred a faint swirl of air while still several centimeters from the plate.

Click.

Yagami Jue picked up the last piece of fried chicken, popped it into his mouth, and crunched away.

Nobara Kugisaki looked at Yagami Jue, ready to curse him out, but wisely shut her mouth when she noticed the veins faintly bulging on his neck.

Holy shit... his presence is basically that of a walking special grade cursed spirit.

Kugisaki silently grumbled to herself.

"Hey, where's the white-haired guy?"

Yagami Jue swallowed the chicken and asked offhandedly.

"Mr. Gojo went to meet the people from Kyoto Jujutsu High."

Yuji Itadori pointed toward the main gate.

"I heard they're coming in hot this time. They want revenge on you, too."

"Revenge?"

Yagami Jue sneered, a greedy gleam flashing in his eyes.

"Perfect. My wallet's almost empty."

"I hope they brought enough 'sincerity' this time."

At Jujutsu High's main gate.

Two black stretch limousines slowly came to a stop.

Dressed in a sharp black suit and wearing his blindfold, Satoru Gojo waved at the car doors without the slightest decorum.

"Heeey! Old man Gakuganji, long time no see!"

"You're still looking sturdy. Seems you've got a few more days left in you."

Satoru Gojo sounded so obnoxious it made people want to punch him.

The car door opened.

Clad in an old-fashioned kimono and holding a guitar, Principal Gakuganji stepped out with a grim expression.

A group of students from Kyoto Jujutsu High followed him.

Aoi Todo, Noritoshi Kamo, Momo Nishimiya, Mai Zenin, Kasumi Miwa, and the mechanically bodied Ultimate Mechamaru.

The air instantly crackled with hostility.

"Gojo, cut the wisecracks."

Old man Gakuganji plucked a guitar string, producing an unbearably shrill note.

"Where is Yagami Jue, the one who killed Naoya and humiliated my Zenin Clan?"

"Today, the higher-ups demand an explanation from him."

Gakuganji's gaze was icy, a bottomless killing intent lurking beneath his aged skin.

"An explanation? Old man, are you still half asleep?"

A cold, arrogant voice, dripping with disdain, drifted out from within Jujutsu High.