Yuji had been trapped under the rubble.
Not because he couldn't escape.
The debris covering him was light—broken concrete, twisted metal beams, Nothing for a sorcerer like him. He could just push them aside easily.
But Yuji didn't move.
He just lay there, staring blankly at the gray sky visible through the collapsed airport ceiling.
His body was capable of moving. His mind simply refused.
For a long time, he didn't think about anything at all.
Then slowly… thoughts began creeping back in.
Faces appeared in his mind.
Megumi. Nobara. Nanami. Gojo. Choso. Ikuyo. Junpei.
Everyone he had met since becoming a sorcerer.
Yuji closed his eyes.
"This life…"
His voice trembled.
"This life of a sorcerer…"
He clenched his fists.
"…is terrible."
Tears rolled down the side of his face.
"I failed again."
His voice cracked.
"I caused mass death… again."
Images of the airport flashed in his mind—people screaming, buildings collapsing, Sukuna laughing.
"It's all my fault…" Yuji finally pushed himself upward.
The rubble shifted and slid off him easily.
He stood up slowly.
Then he looked around.
The entire airport had been annihilated.
Smoke drifted through the air.
Concrete slabs were sliced cleanly apart.
Steel support beams had been cut like paper.
Everything—walls, floors, vehicles, airplanes—had been carved into pieces.
Some rubble looked as if it had been ground into dust.
Ambulance sirens screamed in the distance.
Police vehicles rushed into the area.
Firefighters worked desperately, digging through debris in search of survivors.
But there were none.
There were no bodies. All left were meat paste and blood.
Every victim had been cut. Some were split apart.
Others had clean, impossible slices running through them.
The firefighters were confused.
"What the hell could do this?"
"Look at these cuts…"
"This isn't an explosion…"
"How does metal get sliced like this?"
They stared at the shattered steel beams with disbelief.
No one could explain it.
Eventually, a group arrived who understood immediately.
Italian sorcerers.
The Italian Sorcery Department had mobilized the moment the attack ended.
Italy had one of the strongest sorcery traditions in Europe.
Their history dates back to the Roman Empire.
Ancient records, old bloodlines, inherited techniques—Italian sorcery had deep roots.
But despite that legacy…
They only had one Grade 1 sorcerer.
Every sorcerer available in the country had been summoned here.
When they saw the destruction, their faces turned pale.
"…Impossible." "How could someone do this?"
The cuts across the airport structures were too precise.
Too powerful. Someone whispered what they were all thinking.
"No curse is this powerful..." They all thought
"Was this… a Japanese sorcerer?"
But when they tried contacting Japan—
There was no response. The news had just spread.
The Japanese higher-ups had been wiped out.
Gojo Satoru had killed them all.
Japanese jujutsu society was in chaos.
While the Italian sorcerers debated what had happened, one of them noticed a figure sitting quietly nearby.
Yuji. He looked hollow. Completely broken.
He didn't resist when they approached him.
Didn't fight. Didn't run.
He simply allowed himself to be taken into custody.
That was when the truth came out.
The boy they captured…
Was the vessel of Sukuna.
The room fell silent when the Italian sorcerers realized that.
Immediately, they contacted the strongest Japanese sorcerer they could reach.
Yuki Tsukumo.
When Yuki received the call and heard what had happened, her expression darkened instantly.
"…You're serious?"
She listened carefully.
Then she ended the call and immediately informed everyone at Jujutsu High.
Gojo, Yuta, Megumi, Hakari, Ikuyo, Tengen
Everyone heard the news.
Yuji had been found alive. But he refused to speak.
No matter who tried talking to him, he stayed silent.
Eventually, arrangements were made.
Italy allowed Yuji to be transported back to Japan under heavy secrecy.
When Yuji arrived in Japan, he still looked empty.
Like someone who had already given up.
I went to pick him up alongside Choso.
We had to be extremely careful.
Security was tight everywhere.
There was a spy among us—we just didn't know who.
Everyone was watching everyone. Even meeting Yuji had to be done secretly.
Technically, I shouldn't have gone out at all.
If the enemy knew I was leaving the school, they could have attacked me.
But honestly… I didn't care.
I'm not the scared girl I used to be. Right now—
I just wanted Yuji to smile again.
Besides… I felt guilty too.
Sending Yuji to Italy had been part of my plan.
And now tens of thousands of people were dead.
The official numbers were hidden.
Italy suppressed the death toll to prevent mass panic and the birth of new cursed spirits.
But sorcerers knew the truth.
The real number was already in the tens of thousands.
Choso and I arrived at the airport quietly.
Yuji was escorted out.
When he saw us, he forced a small smile.
But it was fake. Completely fake.
His eyes were empty.
I suddenly grabbed his hand and looked straight into his eyes.
"ITADORI!"
I shouted loudly.
He flinched in surprise.
"It… was… not… your… fault."
I knocked lightly on his head.
"Do you understand?"
My tone was rough.
Choso stepped forward beside me.
His voice was calm, gentle.
"I am your elder brother."
He placed a hand on Yuji's shoulder.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there when you were at your lowest."
He looked straight into Yuji's eyes.
"Itadori… please let me see you smile again."
Yuji stared at both of us.
His lips trembled.
Then suddenly he started crying again.
Choso and I immediately hugged him.
Yuji kept mumbling through tears.
"It's my fault… if I wasn't Sukuna's vessel—"
I immediately cut him off.
"Itadori, listen."
"If someone should be blamed, it's me."
"I was the one who came up with the plan."
"I'm the one who sent you there."
He tried to protest.
"B—but—"
"No buts!"
I grabbed his hand and placed it against my cheek.
"Slap me."
Yuji froze.
"What?"
Even Choso looked shocked.
"I'm serious," I said.
"I'm at fault too."
"I feel terrible about it."
Yuji shook his head immediately.
"No… Ikuyo… I can't—"
"Then stop being depressed!"
I pointed at Choso.
"Look. Your brother is here."
"And your best friend is coming."
Right on cue—
A massive figure walked toward us.
A literal gorilla of a man.
"Besto Friendo."
Todo Aoi stopped in front of Yuji.
Then he smacked Yuji on the head.
"Have you forgotten everything we went through?"
His voice was rough. Yuji stared at him in shock.
Todo leaned closer.
"Have you forgotten everything that happened after Nobara?"
Yuji tried to speak.
"I—"
Both of us cut him off at the same time.
"No 'I'!"
I pointed at him.
"Just say you'll stop sulking and take revenge on the ones actually responsible!"
Yuji stared at me. Then at Todo, Then at Choso.
Something slowly returned to his eyes.
Determination.
"…Yes."
His posture straightened.
He was finally standing properly.
The four of us began heading back toward Jujutsu High.
Todo was technically still recovering.
After Shibuya, he had been working to repair his technique.
The moment he heard what happened to Yuji, he ran out immediately and found me.
At first, I was shocked to see him.
But then we came up with a plan to snap Yuji out of it.
I also told Todo about the vibraslap idea.
He had been debating between several options to replace his missing hand.
When I suggested the vibraslap, his eyes lit up.
He loved it immediately.
Apparently, he had already made a binding vow to restore his technique the moment I suggested the idea.
Now we were all in the car heading back.
Ijichi was driving. Yuji sat beside me, and Choso sat on his other side.
I opened a small box I brought with me.
"Yuji," I said softly.
"You must be hungry."
The moment I mentioned food—
His stomach growled loudly.
I giggled.
"I made pancakes."
I cut off a piece with a fork and held it up to his mouth.
"Say aaah…"
"The airplane is coming in for landing."
Yuji's face turned red with embarrassment.
But he opened his mouth anyway.
Meanwhile—
Todo, sitting in the front seat, was thinking something completely different.
Brother…
He glanced at Yuji.
We cannot always have everything we want in life.
Nothing is perfect.
Then he glanced at me in the mirror.
Even if she is the opposite of your type…
Todo nodded slightly to himself.
As your best friend, I support whatever decision you make.
Next to Yuji, Choso stared quietly at the pancakes.
His eyes clearly showed hunger.
But he said nothing.
Right now…
Seeing his little brother slowly recover…
Seeing him being happy and getting embarrassed by a girl
Felt far better than any pancakes could do.
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End of Chapter.