On the way to the Tombs of the Star Corridor.
Masamichi Yaga led the way, with Wangchuan following behind.
"We're still not at the entrance?"
"Principal?"
Masamichi Yaga was silent for a moment before speaking.
"Almost there."
"By the way, does Tengen look like a thumb, like Gojo said?"
Wangchuan's voice came from behind him.
"I've been at Jujutsu High for so long, but I've never met Tengen."
Masamichi Yaga did not turn around.
"Master Tengen's form... is difficult to describe in simple terms."
"That tells me absolutely nothing."
"Your question was too casual."
Wangchuan let out a soft snort, almost a laugh.
Masamichi Yaga turned his head slightly, glancing at the man behind him out of the corner of his eye.
He noticed the way Wangchuan walked.
Before, his shoulders had always swayed slightly when he walked, with the same sloppy, languid air that Satoru Gojo carried even in his stride.
But now.
Wangchuan's back was perfectly straight, though not stiff in a rigid way.
His steps were unhurried, the rise and fall of his shoulders gentle and rhythmic, each stride almost identical in length.
His hands were tucked into his pockets, his fingers naturally curled, without the slightest unnecessary movement.
There was nothing affected about his posture.
One could even say that elegance was in his bones.
Masamichi Yaga withdrew his gaze, his footsteps maintaining their original rhythm, but his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
He recalled the last time he had seen Wangchuan two years ago.
Back then, Wangchuan had been squatting on the bleachers by the field, gnawing on a popsicle.
His legs had been spread apart as he mumbled some joke to the person beside him, laughing so hard his shoulders shook.
And now?
He did not turn around, but his voice carried a deeper meaning