December 24 soon arrived.
Leaden clouds hung low, and the north wind battered the walls of Jujutsu High.
A dense crowd stood below the steps, yet it was so quiet that only the wind could be heard.
Yuji Itadori stood in the front row, with Nobara Kugisaki beside him, her arms folded.
Yuta Okkotsu stood off to the side, holding his sword, while Hajime Kashimo stood in a corner with the Iron Staff over his shoulder.
Shoko leaned alone against a gatepost. Her gaze had rested on the person at the top of the steps for a while now, never moving away.
Qingxiao and Satoru Gojo stood side by side at the top of the steps, both looking unusually serious today.
Qingxiao's black coat hung open as he unconsciously rubbed Xiqu in his pocket.
His back was ramrod straight, his profile hard and cold as he looked toward Shinjuku.
Satoru Gojo had his coat draped over his shoulders. He wore no sunglasses, and his expression was just as serious.
They were like two blades waiting to be drawn, their edges concealed within their sheaths yet impossible to hide.
Footsteps came from a side alley, neither hurried nor slow.
Suguru Geto approached in a black, high-collared coat, looking travel-worn. He had clearly just finished dealing with cursed spirits.
This battle would pit Sukuna, the strongest jujutsu sorcerer in history from a thousand years ago, against Qingxiao, who had fought his way to becoming the modern era's strongest sorcerer in physical prowess, and Satoru Gojo, whose cursed technique was the strongest.
The eyes of the entire Jujutsu Society were on Shinjuku, and those standing here were all the sorcerers capable of holding their own.
"Teacher-!"
Itadori leaned half a step forward, his bright voice cutting through the silence of the wind. "Your