Time moved forward to the spring of 2017.
Cherry blossoms bloomed with exceptional brilliance this season, but inside an underground isolation cell deep within Tokyo Jujutsu High, not a hint of spring could be felt.
This was a prison cell constructed entirely from high-strength talismans and specialized materials.
Bright yellow sealing talismans used to suppress cursed energy covered the four walls in dense clusters.
Under the dim lighting.
A teenage boy wearing a white short-sleeved shirt, with heavy dark circles under his eyes and a dazed expression, sat huddled in a corner, trembling like a frightened cub while hugging his knees.
Yuta Okkotsu.
A sixteen-year-old boy who should have been enjoying an ordinary youth in a regular high school.
Now, because he was possessed by a Special Grade Vengeful Cursed Spirit named Rika Orimoto, the entire jujutsu world viewed him as a time bomb capable of destroying the world.
"Don't... don't hurt anyone else anymore..."
Yuta Okkotsu buried his head deep between his knees, murmuring in agony.
Bloody images flashed repeatedly in his mind of those several classmates who had bullied him months ago, whom Rika had instantly stuffed into lockers, their bodies shattered with broken bones.
He didn't want to kill, let alone hurt anyone.
If his mere existence only brought disaster to those around him, then it would be better... just to be executed.
Just as Yuta Okkotsu was falling into a state of extreme despair and self-loathing.
*Click.*
The heavy iron door of the isolation cell was suddenly pushed open from the outside.
Piercing sunlight poured in through the crack in the door, making Yuta squint instinctively.
"Yo, we finally meet, Yuta."
A tall man over 190 centimeters with white hair and a black blindfold strode in, a flippant smile playing on his lips.
It was the strongest sorcerer of the modern era, who had just rushed back from overseas to intervene forcefully in this matter.
Satoru Gojo.
"Who are you...?"
Yuta Okkotsu looked up timidly at the strange man.
"I'm a teacher at Tokyo Jujutsu High, Satoru Gojo."
Gojo squatted down, looking levelly into Yuta's eyes, which were filled with despair.
"I put in a lot of effort to get those old fossils in the higher-ups to agree to change your execution to a suspended sentence."
"Execution... suspended?"
Yuta gave a miserable laugh and lowered his head again.
"There's no need, Gojo-sensei."
"Please tell them to just hurry up and execute me."
"I don't want to see anyone else get hurt because of me anymore... Rika, she's out of control."
Watching the boy before him lost in self-destructive tendencies, the smile on Gojo's face slowly faded.
He stood up, his tone suddenly becoming incredibly serious.
"Running away blindly won't solve anything."
"Since Rika's power is so immense, why don't you try to control her and unravel the curse upon her?"
"Come to Jujutsu High, Yuta."
Gojo extended his hand toward Yuta.
"By my side, there's a group of very interesting people."
"Maybe they can teach you what it truly means to live."
The scene shifted.
Tokyo Jujutsu High, first-year classroom.
The classroom door was thrown open, and Gojo strode in with a still-unsettled Yuta trailing behind him.
"Listen up, class! We have a very special new transfer student today!"
Gojo clapped his hands and pointed to Yuta behind him.
"Come on, Yuta, introduce yourself to everyone."
Inside the classroom.
Maki Zenin, who now wore short hair and a sharper aura; Toge Inumaki, with the unique snake-and-fang seals of a cursed speech user at the corners of his mouth; and Panda, the massive cursed corpse.
The three of them simultaneously fixed their gazes on Yuta standing at the podium.
"I... I'm Yuta Okkotsu. It's nice to meet you..."
Yuta nervously fidgeted with the hem of his shirt, his voice as quiet as a mosquito's buzz.
Yet the moment he spoke, Maki Zenin's eyes changed!
As a holder of Heavenly Restriction with no cursed energy, her perception of dangerous auras was even more acute than that of average sorcerers!
In her perception.
Within this boy who appeared weak and cowardly lurked an immense pool of cursed energy filled with ultimate malice!
"Gojo-sensei, are you joking?"
Maki stood up abruptly and drew the long blade from her back, pointing the tip directly at Yuta.
"This guy reeks of a curse so disgusting it makes me want to puke!"
"Are you trying to get us killed by bringing someone this dangerous into the classroom?!"
Toge Inumaki also pulled down his collar, taking a defensive stance.
"Bonito flakes!" (Danger!)
Trembling as Maki pointed her blade at him, Yuta took an instinctive step back.
"No... that's not it... I didn't mean to hurt you..."
However, his inner fear and violent emotional fluctuations instantly triggered the terrifying entity possessing him!
*Voom!*
The air in the classroom turned as heavy as lead in an instant!
A cursed energy, terrifying to the extreme and laden with destructive intent, surged wildly from behind Yuta!
A massive, pale monstrous hand with sharp claws suddenly emerged from the void behind Yuta, lunging fiercely at the armed Maki Zenin!
"Don't... bully... Yuta!!!"
Accompanied by the piercing shriek of a female ghost, the Special Grade Vengeful Cursed Spirit, Rika Orimoto, went berserk!
"Oh no!"
Maki's expression changed drastically; she could clearly feel that if that hand caught her, she would be instantly torn to shreds!
Gojo stood to the side, his trademark smile still on his face, seemingly having no intention of stopping it immediately.
He wanted to see what kind of potential these kids could unleash when backed into a corner.
At the very last second, just as Rika's hand was about to touch Maki's neck!
*Creak.*
The somewhat weathered wooden classroom door was gently pushed open from the outside.
A voice, gentle yet carrying an absolute pressure capable of freezing the very soul, rang out leisurely from the doorway.
"Oh my."
"I just got back, and it's already this lively on the first day of school?"
"This isn't a very nice way to welcome a new classmate."
As the voice faded, a black afterimage streaked across the classroom like a bolt of lightning!
*Voom!!!*
The once-violent ocean of Special Grade cursed energy seemed to be sliced open by a red-hot blade!
In that instant, the dark red marks on Yoru's forehead bloomed, and his Transparent World immediately locked onto Rika's malicious core.
He didn't draw his sword. Instead, he simply extended his right hand with speed and force unimaginable to an ordinary person, using his fingers like a blade to strike precisely at the wrist of Rika's pale hand!
*Bang!!!*
A dull thud echoed in the classroom, and a gust of wind sent scrap paper flying everywhere.
The murderous hand shuddered violently, forced off course by pure physical power combined with ultimate sword intent.
"Rika, quiet down for a bit."
Yoru's gentle yet undeniably commanding voice finally reached everyone's ears.
Rika let out a roar of anger and wariness, staring intently at the black-haired teenager who had suddenly appeared.
It could feel a terrifying sword intent lurking deep within the boy's soul, one strong enough to burn even a Special Grade Vengeful Cursed Spirit like itself.
Although it didn't think it would lose, its intuition told it that if it continued to head-butt this opponent, it would suffer a serious blow!
"Yuta... dangerous..."
Rika snarled in a low voice, but eventually, met with Yuta's almost pleading gaze, she slowly withdrew into the shadows with a hint of reluctance.
The suffocating pressure in the classroom eased considerably.
Complete silence filled the room.
Every pair of eyes turned toward the handsome teenager who had appeared in front of Maki.
Black Jujutsu High uniform, black hair, and red eyes.
Gojo leaned against the window, a meaningful curve appearing on his lips beneath the blindfold.
"It seems you haven't been slacking off these past ten years."
While Yoru's previous move was stunning, Gojo could tell at a glance that to suppress Rika's casual strike, Yoru had already utilized the Slayer Mark and the Transparent World.
Yoru's current combat strength was already enough to rival or even surpass an average Special Grade.
Meanwhile, Yuta Okkotsu stared blankly at Yoru, who stood before Maki; he still couldn't sense any cursed energy from the boy.
Yet Rika, who didn't even care about Special Grade sorcerers.
At this moment, she was letting out a low, unprecedentedly wary growl at this teenager.
Yoru turned around as the marks faded. That scorching, sun-like aura vanished instantly, and he returned to being a gentle and casual youth.
He walked up to Yuta and patted him gently on the shoulder.
"Nice to meet you, Yuta Okkotsu."
"From now on, I'll be your physical combat instructor."
"I look forward to working with you."