Plan

"Hey, you went to Junpei Yoshino's house?!" Ijichi asked urgently from the car.

"Yes, Shiratori -senpai and Mr. Nanami are here too." Itadori's voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Huh?!" Ijichi was even more bewildered.

He spent the entire afternoon catching another Fly Head that had escaped, completely unaware of what had happened.

"Junpei's suspicion has been basically ruled out. Mr. Ijichi, please come over as well," Itadori said.

"... Okay, I'll be right there."

After hanging up the phone, he sighed deeply and muttered to himself, "As an assistant supervisor... I've been such a failure...!"

"Even if I accomplish nothing like this, Senior Shiratori certainly won't say anything..."

"But if I were to get scolded by Mr. Nanami, a grown-up among adults... I'd probably... burst into tears!"

Ijichi couldn't help but imagine herself being scolded...

"No!" He immediately buckled his seatbelt and slammed the accelerator to the floor. "Go as fast as you can!"

"At your age, you wouldn't want to cry in front of others, Ijichi?"

The car suddenly lurched forward, leaving a passerby, splattered with mud, standing bewildered.

Yoshino.

Nagi Yoshino was cooking intensely in the kitchen, while Junpei was helping her.

Meanwhile, the three men who had been invited as guests were crammed into the toilet.

Itadori put the phone back in his pocket. "Mr. Ijichi said he'll be here soon."

"Let's get back to the main topic," Nanami adjusted her glasses, "Shiratori- Shiratori and I encountered the real culprit in the sewers."

"It's a blue-haired, humanoid Cursed Spirit with a stitched-together face."

"His Cursed Technique is called [Idle Transfiguration], and just as Senior Shiratori predicted, it's Cursed Technique that mutates the physical body by distorting the soul."

"So, that guy has been exorcised?" Itadori asked.

"Unfortunately, no." Nanami's tone was tinged with self-reproach. "Shiratori -senpai encountered him first and launched an attack."

"It was my unauthorized intervention in the battlefield that disrupted his rhythm, giving the opponent a chance to cut off their tail and escape."

I'm so sorry to have caused you trouble.

With that, Nanami bowed deeply to Shiratori Gotsu.

Shiratori Gotsu was sweating profusely and quickly reached out to help him up.

"It's alright, it's alright. I've already found a way to turn him into a bomb; he can still be tracked."

He truly couldn't accept Nanami's apology.

After Mahito, he deliberately left the real person unattended and let him escape. If he really wanted to kill him, he could have just deployed his domain from the beginning.

Now that Nanami is making such a serious self-examination, Shiratori Gotsu suddenly feels that his behavior was a bit bad.

He couldn't help but raise his hand, touch his conscience, and take a deep breath: 'Hmm... I'll treat Nanami to a meal sometime to make it up to her.'

"I see..." Itadori stroked his chin. "But it's alright, there will be other opportunities in the future!"

"That's right, that's right, his running away is nothing to worry about, just forget about it!" Shiratori Gotsu waved her hand:

"Well, if there's nothing else to say, I'll go help Mrs. Nagi now."

After saying that, he dashed out in a flash.

"... Senpai's reaction is quite strange." Itadori looked puzzled.

A dozen minutes later.

Laughter erupted from Yoshino.

"... Then, he suddenly laughed so hard that he sprayed the yam puree mixed with rice out of his nose!"

Shiratori Gotsu gesticulated wildly as she recounted the events that had occurred during her time with Hajime Kashimo.

"Pfft, hahahahaha!" Nagi Yoshino crushed the beer can in her hand and burst into a series of unrestrained laughs.

"It sprayed out of my nose... hahaha...!"

"Mom... you've had too much to drink." Junpei said helplessly.

"Oh my, Shiratori- kun is so funny!" Nagi Yoshino laughed until tears streamed down her face. "Come on, give us more performances! More!"

'That awful drunkard...' Junpei thought to himself.

Shiratori Gotsu and Itadori exchanged a glance, instantly connecting on a telepathic level.

The next moment, the two jumped onto the coffee table, and Itadori wrapped his arms around Shiratori Gotsu's waist from behind.

Shiratori Gotsu stretched its arms out to the sides, its voice filled with joy and excitement. "I'm flying! Jack, I'm flying!"

Itadori then said affectionately, "Come, Josephine, board my spaceship~"

"Pfft...!" Junpei had just taken a sip of cola when he immediately spat it out.

Nanami turned her head away and covered her face.

"This is Titanic, isn't it!" Junpei looked at the two people "taking off" on the coffee table.

"Correct!" said Itadori and Shiratori Gotsu unison.

"Eh... is this a movie reference? I don't really understand..." Nagi Yoshino looked puzzled.

Shiratori Gotsu: "Jack!"

Itadori: "Ruth!"

"Pfft... Hahahaha..." Junpei was successfully amused by the two's exaggerated acting.

A dozen minutes later, Nagi Yoshino, who had drunk too much, fell asleep on the dining table.

Junpei took a thin blanket and covered her with it, his face full of relief and joy.

"Junpei's mother is a very good person," Itadori said with a smile.

"Hmm..." Junpei nodded with a smile as well.

He couldn't help but recall what his mother had said to him two days earlier:

"School... it's not so bad if I don't go, is it?"

At your age, you tend to overthink things.

"School is just a small tank; beyond that, there's the ocean and other tanks. Choose whichever you like."

"Oh!" she exclaimed suddenly, then began to boast, "I really explained it well!"

"I've uttered a famous quote! That's so me!"

Recalling this, Junpei looked up at Itadori: "What kind of person is Itadori's mother?"

"Ah... I've never even seen her before," Itadori scratched his head, "But Dad has a vague recollection of her."

"After all, I've lived with my grandfather since I was little..."

As he spoke, he looked at Shiratori Gotsu and Nanami sitting on the sofa, his face full of smiles. "Now, it's my seniors and companions keeping me company."

"I see..." Junpei nodded.

Just then, Itadori's phone rang.

After apologizing, he went to the entryway and answered the phone, "Hello, Mr. Ijichi, where are you now?"

What? Stuck in traffic during rush hour?

"Okay... then take care of yourself."

As Itadori hung up the phone, Nanami also got up from the sofa.

He walked to the entrance and patted Itadori on the shoulder. "Itadori -kun, if you and Shiratori- senpai want to stay here, I'll head back now. See you at the usual spot tomorrow."

"Okay, Nanamin, take care." He watched Nanami leave through the door, then turned and went back to the living room.

"Itadori -kun... Mr. Shiratori, you're Jujutsu Sorcerer, aren't you?" Junpei asked while flipping through the movie DVDs.

Upon hearing this, Itadori cast an inquiring glance at Shiratori Gotsu.

Shiratori Gotsu nodded, and Itadori replied, "Yes, that's right."

"So, have you ever killed anyone?"

"No," Shiratori Gotsu replied, "But I've killed giant cockroaches before, the kind that's as big as a person!"

"I've never killed anyone either," Itadori added.

"But you'll have to fight the evil Jujutsu Sorcerer eventually, right? What will you do then?" Junpei inserted the disc into the disc reader.

"Then we have no choice but to kill them." Shiratori Gotsu said casually, "The good must be happy, and the wicked must be judged."

"In my view, once other Jujutsu Sorcerer commit evil deeds that harm others, they cease to be human."

Simply put, human nature is inherently good. Those who are not good are not human.

"I usually categorize them as [cursed], so killing them won't be a burden."

Upon hearing these shocking remarks, Itadori's lips twitched involuntarily.

He hesitated for a few seconds before speaking:

"I don't quite agree with Shiratori- senpai's ideas... although I can't really refute them."

"But if it were me, I probably still wouldn't want to kill anyone. At most, I'd just beat the other person up and then hand it over to the higher-ups for judgment..."

"After all, once you've killed someone, the option of 'killing' will invade your life, and the value of life will become ambiguous."

"Perhaps I won't even understand the value of those who are important to me... I'm afraid I'll become like that."

After listening to their different accounts, Junpei didn't say much, but simply took out the remote and turned on the TV.

At that moment, Shiratori Gotsu stepped forward and patted his head. "Junpei, could you please come out for a moment? I have something to tell you."

"... Ah, okay!" Junpei felt the warmth coming from above his head, his tone slightly flustered.

"Hey, what are you two whispering about?" Itadori leaned in with a gossipy look on his face. "Is there anything I can't hear?"

"Just watch your movie, we'll be done soon." Shiratori Gotsu pushed Itadori back down, then led Junpei outside.

Closing the door, Junpei took a deep breath and asked the question he had been wanting to ask all along:

"Mr. Shiratori... why did you pretend not to know me in front of your companions in the first place?"

"It's hard to say..." Shiratori Gotsu rubbed his chin, organizing his thoughts, "In short, you can understand it as part of a larger plan I'm involved in."

"Uh... like one of those mastermind villains behind the scenes..." Junpei muttered.

"How is it similar..." Shiratori Gotsu glanced to the side and scratched his head.

He then cleared his throat and said seriously, "Junpei, listen to me, there's a conspiracy against you and your mother underway."

"And the mastermind is Mahito."

"Huh?" Junpei looked suspicious. "But... Mr. Mahito is very kind to me..."

"He is Cursed Spirit born from humanity's fear and resentment towards other humans. He told you about it, didn't he?"

Shiratori Gotsu said, "Do you really think someone like that would have any good intentions?"

"... I'm not sure." Junpei couldn't help but recall how the Mahito had wantonly manipulated those Transfigured Human.

"It's okay if you don't believe me for now; he should take action tonight."

As she spoke, Shiratori Gotsu patted him on the shoulder. "Then you'll see his true colors."

In the middle of the night, the Mahito arrived as scheduled.

He climbed into the house and placed one of Sukuna's Finger on the table.

Looking at the sleeping Nagi Yoshino in front of him, a sinister smile appeared on his face before he quickly retreated.

Junpei, who witnessed everything from a nearby cabinet, was instantly filled with rage.

He immediately took out his phone and called Shiratori Gotsu.

When Shiratori Gotsu arrived at the scene, he witnessed Junpei trying to protect Nagi Yoshino but being thrown away by the Cursed Spirit.

"Wow, so arrogant?"

He punched the Cursed Spirit in the face, unleashing a Special Grade Cursed Energy that instantly shattered its entire head.

"District." Shiratori Gotsu shook his hand.

Immediately afterwards, he formed a hand seal to summon the Divine Dogs Hun, commanding it to chew and devour the remaining body of the Cursed Spirit in a matter of seconds.

After doing all this, he looked at Junpei, who was struggling to get up while holding onto the TV cabinet, and asked, "Are you alright, Junpei?"

"... Mr. Shiratori, I'm alright, but my mother..." Junpei clutched his back, looking anxious.

Shiratori Gotsu checked Nagi Yoshino's breath and touched her forehead. "Your mother is not in mortal danger, she just fainted from the curse."

"Phew..." Upon hearing this, Junpei finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sukuna's Finger, Special Grade Cursed Object, attracts curses." Shiratori Gotsu picked up the Mahito's finger from the table, examined it for a moment, and then casually tossed it back onto the table:

"Now you believe me, right?"

"But... why?" Junpei asked, his face gloomy, after a long pause.

"Because he is a curse," Shiratori Gotsu, "A curse born from the negative emotions humans have towards each other."

"I was born to enjoy manipulating others."

As he spoke, he lifted his clothes and made a heart-to-heart gesture towards himself.

After scattering the torn internal organs on the ground, he activated Reverse Cursed Technique to rapidly heal his wounds.

He then picked up Nagi Yoshino and looked at Junpei: "I will take Ms. Nagi back to the Jujutsu High for treatment."

"Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Mahito will definitely be back first thing tomorrow morning."

"Junpei, you stay here and pretend you won't find out about this until tomorrow morning."

"You must tell the Mahito that your mother is missing, and guide him to see these pieces of internal organs."

"Then, feign extreme terror and ignorance of what has happened."

"With all the experience you've seen in so many movies, you're sure to act very well."

Shiratori Gotsu paused, looked into Junpei's eyes burning with anger, and continued:

"Mahito will definitely put on a sympathetic face to comfort you and guide you to do something."

"When the time comes, just pretend to believe whatever he says and cooperate with him step by step."

"But remember, do not kill anyone."

"I will make my move when the time is right, so you don't need to worry about your safety."

"... Okay!" Junpei didn't ask any more questions and immediately agreed.

He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, saying, "I'll make that guy pay!"

Seeing this, Shiratori Gotsu smiled slightly, "I have high hopes for you."

"Once this is over, you can come to the Jujutsu High college with us and become a Jujutsu Sorcerer."