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On the rooftop of a luxurious building, Megumi silently observed the colony's landscape. The wind brushed against his face, and as much as a sense of peace tried to settle within him, he knew better than to think things were truly over.
A few hours ago, Maki had found them and informed everyone that Kenjaku had been killed by Itadori, with the help of Yuki, Nanami, Choso, and Tanshoku.
It was genuinely surprising news. A truly pleasant surprise.
It seemed that even without Gojo there to help, they were still managing to solve this entire mess. Kenjaku was dead, they had gathered enough points, and soon, Tsumiki would finally be free from the Culling Game.
But... who the hell was Tanshoku? Megumi wondered, though he quickly decided he could figure that out later.
Nobara demanded a celebration, and even though Megumi felt they still could not celebrate for sure, especially after learning that Sukuna had somehow escaped from Itadori's control, he was unable to stop her momentum, getting dragged along by her with help from Hana and Takaba.
Maki reluctantly joined in, and all of them were finally able to sit down and talk about everything that had happened.
And Megumi only grew more and more surprised.
When Maki told him that Itadori had annihilated the Zenin Clan, he was stunned, but once he learned the reason behind it, he did not feel sad or discouraged. Honestly, Megumi doubted he would have cared even if Itadori had done it for no reason at all.
To him, the clan had always been nothing more than a tool, so even if it had been destroyed, he could not bring himself to care much. After all, he never even wanted to become the clan head in the first place.
And besides Maki and Mai, he had no real connection with anyone in the clan.
So he had no complaints.
But realizing that Itadori had reached a level where he could do something like that alone, and on top of that, be the one responsible for finishing off Kenjaku...
Megumi could see the backs of Gojo and Itadori growing more and more distant.
He was falling behind. He knew that.
But... it did not torment him the way it would have in the past.
Knowing that Itadori had already become so strong, and that he was fighting to protect all of them, brought him comfort. He knew he should not stand still, that he needed to struggle to walk beside him, but...
Was it really so wrong to enjoy that protection for just a little longer?
With a sigh, he stepped away from the balcony, his gaze landing on Nobara and Hana peacefully sleeping on the couch.
"No, it isn't."
He could almost hear Itadori whispering that in his mind, a small smile forming on his lips.
Maybe not everything had been resolved. There was still a threat looming over them, but...
At the very least, he could enjoy this victory.
. . .
Rule Number 1 — Participants in the Culling Game may transfer any amount of points to one another.
Rule Number 2 — Players may freely enter and leave the barriers.
Those were the rules added by the group of sorcerers, meaning only one final rule remained.
Allowing players to leave the Culling Game itself.
That way, Tsumiki could finally be free, and Megumi would finally be able to sleep peacefully again.
Fortunately, they had the points necessary for it, and asked Maki and Ijichi to go retrieve Tsumiki. With Sukuna now free, they could not afford to waste time. They needed to resolve this as quickly as possible, free Gojo, and prepare themselves for the inevitable conflict ahead.
At the very least, with Kenjaku dead, the burden on everyone's shoulders had become lighter.
"Itadori still hasn't arrived?"
Standing atop a building, Nobara approached Megumi as she asked the question, clearly bored.
Megumi, who had been quietly observing the scenery until then, turned toward her with a thoughtful expression.
"Maki said Yuki forced him to rest. He'll probably be here soon."
Hana, who slowly floated closer, looked uncertain about what she should say.
The truth was that after they learned Angel's target was Sukuna, and consequently Itadori, Megumi had immediately attacked Hana, barely stopped by Nobara.
Flashback
"So Sukuna's vessel is this Itadori?"
Angel's voice echoed from one of the mouths on Hana's cheek, filled with cold indifference that immediately made the atmosphere inside the room tense.
Megumi's eyes narrowed, his fist tightening at his side. Nobara instantly noticed the seriousness of the situation, all exhaustion and boredom vanishing from her face as she rose almost instinctively.
But Angel, completely unconcerned by those subtle changes, continued speaking.
"Then hand over Sukuna's vessel..." He paused, the temperature in the room sharply dropping. "And Hana and I will undo the seal—"
!
Before he could even finish, a shadow erupted between them and spat out a sword, Megumi instantly grabbing it mid-motion.
And in the very next second, he swung.
His target?
Hana's neck.
Clank!
But just as the blade was about to strike, Nobara stepped protectively in front of Hana, her hammer blocking the attack despite her trembling hands.
"Wait!" she shouted, spreading her arms protectively in front of Hana. "Let's talk this through! Megumi, please!"
She was practically begging.
Megumi frowned, his gaze landing on Hana behind Nobara. She had shrunk back, fear visible in her eyes... along with something else.
He pressed his lips together at the sight before slowly stepping back, still cautious, but willing to listen.
Present
In the end, Sukuna had found a way to separate himself from Itadori, so the situation resolved itself naturally. Before that happened, Megumi had decided with Angel that the matter would only be discussed with Itadori present. He would not speak on behalf of his friend.
Still, the tension whenever Megumi met Hana's eyes remained palpable.
Megumi felt slightly guilty, though he did not dwell on it too much. Honestly, he did not feel like he had acted wrongly. Gojo would never want to be freed at the cost of Itadori's life, and Megumi had no intention of trading one life for another.
If Angel had insisted on that idea, Megumi would not have hesitated to start a fight.
"That idiot..." Nobara sighed, her voice carrying more concern than disappointment. "He always pushes himself too hard."
Megumi nodded.
Without question, Itadori was the hardest-working out of the three of them. And yet, he still smiled whenever he could, joked around whenever possible, and even after training himself like a madman every single day, he would still call the two of them out to hang out afterward.
A faint light flickered in Megumi's eyes, and for a brief moment, he imagined Tsumiki walking beside Itadori.
In Megumi's eyes, his sister deserved someone like Itadori.
But the thought quickly faded away.
Unfortunately, Itadori already seemed interested in Maki.
...Still, it was not like Megumi could not introduce them. He could even talk him up a little to Tsumiki.
"Megumi..."
Hana's voice pulled him out of his thoughts, and he turned toward her. Her posture was clearly downcast, hesitation obvious in the way her hands nervously clasped together.
"What is it?"
Megumi did not seem affected at all by the girl's condition, asking firmly enough to make her flinch.
But immediately, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Looking behind Hana, he found Nobara glaring at him with murderous intent, a nail glinting in her hand like an unmistakable threat.
Megumi closed his eyes and swallowed dryly, slightly frustrated.
"What is it, Hana?" he asked again, this time much more gently.
He was not stupid. He knew Nobara did not want Hana being treated with hostility, especially when the real culprit was Angel residing inside her body. To Nobara, that was no different from treating Itadori badly for once being Sukuna's vessel.
And of course, Megumi recognized his own hypocrisy as well. Now that Sukuna was no longer inside Itadori, he no longer had anything against Hana or Angel, but before that, he could not deny the suspicion he had held toward them.
Still, it was awkward.
What exactly was he supposed to do?
Apologize for nearly cutting her head off?
...
Maybe that was not such an absurd place to start.
"I—"
"Hana—"
The two spoke at the same time, cutting each other off. Their eyes met for a brief moment, silence falling between them.
Then Megumi took the initiative.
"You first."
Hana froze for a second before giving a small nod. Her fingers nervously played with each other as her gaze lingered on him briefly before falling to the floor.
"I... just wanted to say that I would never let Angel do anything to your friend," she said quietly, though the sincerity in her words was unmistakable. "I would never let her hurt someone important to you."
Megumi remained silent, absorbing her words while watching her with that same distant, neutral expression.
"So..." Hana suddenly bowed deeply, small tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. "Please forgive me for what happened before... and please... don't hate me."
The atmosphere became silent once again, tension thick in the air as Hana waited for an answer. Even Nobara, watching from nearby, pressed her lips together anxiously.
...
Then, to Nobara's surprise, a soft smile appeared on Megumi's face, completely breaking apart the tense atmosphere.
"Hana, lift your head."
His voice carried a gentleness he rarely used.
Slowly, Hana obeyed, lifting her head until she met his eyes, her lips trembling the moment she saw such a soft smile on his face for the first time.
"I lost my head and acted impulsively. I completely ignored the fact that Angel is a different person from you..." Then he rested a hand on her shoulder. "So forgive me too, alright?"
Hana's small tears became full streams, her trembling hands rapidly shaking her head.
"Y-You d-don't need to apologize!"
"Yes, I do—"
"N-No you don't!"
"Yes, I—"
Nobara watched the interaction. At first she found it touching, but quickly became irritated by just how cliché it was starting to sound. A vein bulged on her forehead before she threw a nail between the two of them.
"Just accept each other's apologies already," she huffed.
Then she turned away, cheeks puffed out as she muttered under her breath.
"Damn it, why am I the only one without someone..."
A resigned sigh escaped her lips.
"How annoying..."
Her eyes drifted toward the sky, the image of a pink-haired hairstylist briefly surfacing in her memories, only for her to forcefully shove the thought away almost immediately, a shiver running through her body.
"Nope. I don't want to get brutalized."
...
Tsumiki's arrival at the colony went smoothly. Maki and Ijichi, responsible for escorting her, encountered no problems along the way, nor did they feel even the slightest suspicion toward Megumi's sister.
So when she appeared inside the building where Megumi and the others were waiting, teleported there by the barrier, nobody noticed anything unusual.
Tsumiki acted perfectly normal, without even the slightest trace of difference from the sister Megumi knew.
"Tsumiki, use the hundred points I just gave you to leave the Culling Game."
The rule allowing players to leave the Culling Game was simple. A player only needed to spend one hundred points and switch places with someone outside the game. With the enormous number of points they had gathered, they no longer needed to worry about saving points for future rules.
Megumi did not hesitate to transfer his points to her.
As he watched his sister seemingly process his words, his gaze softened with relief at the thought that she would finally be safe, far away from all of this.
"Kogane..."
But then, when her previously uneasy face abruptly shifted into something cold, completely unlike any expression he had ever seen from his sister, Megumi froze in confusion.
"Add a rule," Tsumiki said calmly, slowly raising her head as a malicious smile spread across her lips. "Allow communication between Culling Game players."
Confusion immediately became shock.
And shock, upon seeing that twisted smile on his sister's face, quickly became fear.
Megumi instantly went on full alert, his mind desperately searching for explanations.
"Who are you?"
As much as he did not want to admit it, his mind kept returning to only one answer.
"Who am I?" Her smile widened. "Why, I'm your beloved older sister, Fushiguro Megumi!"
That was not his sister.
Cold ran through his body with the realization, his teeth clenching as he stared at his siste— no, the thing that had stolen her body as a vessel.
Nobara, who had remained nearby the entire time, stepped beside Megumi in alarm.
"What the hell is going on?!"
But Megumi did not answer.
"I am Yorozu. The older generation probably remembers me," Yorozu replied with a playful smile.
"Why?" was the only thing Megumi managed to ask.
But Yorozu paid no attention to the question. Instead, her grin stretched from ear to ear as a floating list of players appeared before her eyes.
Until one specific name was selected.
Sukuna.
Yorozu's face twisted into a malicious expression, her cheeks flushing as she practically drooled at the mere sight of his name.
"Sukuna, my love, you can hear me, can't you?"
...
"What is this?"
Then Sukuna's distinct voice echoed from Kogane.
"It's me, Yorozu! Remember me? What am I saying? Of course you remember!"
Megumi, Nobara, and Hana could only watch the bizarre scene in stunned silence.
"I'm here for you! I only had to pretend to be some naïve little boy's sister! I want you to be my first opponent in this era, so..."
Cursed energy flared around Yorozu as a pair of wasp-like wings emerged from her back.
"Come find me, Sukuna!"
And without another word, she shot into the sky.
Megumi snapped out of his shock almost instantly, rushing toward the edge of the building while bringing his hands together.
"We're going after her!"
Hana and Nobara did not need to be told twice as they rushed after him.
"Nue!"
The massive shikigami emerged from the enormous shadow beneath his feet, carrying Nobara and Megumi on its back while Hana soared into the sky after Yorozu.
Megumi would do anything to save his sister.
. . .
Itadori let out a satisfied sigh after taking a sip of hot chocolate, the tension in his shoulders finally melting away.
"Thanks. I really needed this."
Beside him, Mai smiled proudly.
"No need to thank me. I think you've already done enough to avoid needing to thank anyone for the next few decades."
Itadori shook his head with amusement.
"Still, thank you."
Mai nodded, her gaze softening for a moment before she wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him into a hug, her nose brushing against his jaw affectionately.
Itadori could only chuckle softly. Ever since he woke up, Mai had become considerably clingier around him.
"I still haven't thanked you for what you did for our mother, have I?"
He fell silent for a moment before resting a hand against her back.
"Maki told you?"
"Briefly."
He nodded.
"I just spared her. It wasn't anything special."
Mai sighed, shaking her head with a small smile.
"I get the feeling you'd say most of the things you've done weren't a big deal just to avoid being thanked."
Itadori paused, thinking of an answer, but his silence completely gave him away.
That earned a soft laugh from her as she pulled back enough to look at his face.
Then, without warning, she grabbed his face and pulled him into a kiss.
He was not surprised at all. Honestly, he had been looking forward to it, so he immediately kissed her back.
A small struggle began between them, though it quickly ended when Mai willingly gave in, their lips parting while still connected by a thin strand of saliva that snapped when she licked her lips.
"I'd drag you to bed right now, but unfortunately you still need to save the world or something." She smiled, her eyes gleaming in a way that made Itadori's heart skip a beat.
Then, with a disappointed sigh at not being able to continue, she stepped back and crossed her arms. Itadori rubbed the back of his neck, though there was really nothing he could do about it.
"Maki already left?" he asked.
"A few hours ago. You were still asleep, and she didn't want to bother you after hearing how exhausted you were... She was really worried after learning you fought Kenjaku."
Itadori nodded.
"I wanted to talk to her... I'm glad she's alright."
He quietly observed the training grounds.
Then a weak punch hit his bicep, making him raise an eyebrow toward Mai.
"So, you and my sister..." A teasing smile spread across her lips. "You two really didn't waste any time, huh?"
Heat rose to Itadori's face.
"She told you?"
Mai's grin widened.
"No. But I figured it out, and now I'm certain."
He covered his face with one hand, sighing after being caught so easily.
"Hey, I'm not mad." She smiled, leaning against his arm. "...Okay, maybe just a little, but only because she beat me to it."
She huffed, and Itadori could only laugh softly.
"Is this some kind of competition?"
"Everything between sisters is a competition." She shrugged.
Itadori burst out laughing.
Step
The sound of footsteps interrupted their conversation, making him turn toward Yuki, Choso, and Tanshoku as they approached the two of them.
"Itadori, feeling better?" Yuki smiled as she stopped in front of him.
"One hundred percent recovered," he nodded.
Choso and Tanshoku immediately approached, circling around him while seemingly checking for any traces of injuries. He did not mind it much. Honestly, he found it kind of adorable.
"Maki just left with Jinichi. They're already taking her to the barrier."
Itadori nodded in understanding, his shoulders relaxing as he took a long sip of his hot chocolate before placing the mug on the railing.
"Well then... I should get going soon."
.