We soon arrived back at Jujutsu High.
The familiar stone steps leading up the hill felt strangely comforting after everything that had happened. The sun was beginning to dip lower in the sky, casting long shadows across the courtyard.
Yuji walked quietly beside us as we climbed the stairs.
But the moment we reached the top—
"WELCOME BACK!"
Confetti exploded in the air.
Yuji froze.
Standing in the courtyard was a small crowd of familiar faces.
Gojo had apparently decided to throw a "welcome back party."
There were snacks on a table, some drinks, and decorations that looked like they had been put up in a hurry. Someone had even hung a crooked banner that read WELCOME BACK ITADORI.
Yuji blinked several times.
"W-What…?"
Before he could process anything, Gojo stepped forward with his usual carefree grin.
When Yuji saw him, his face immediately crumpled.
His eyes watered.
He looked like he was about to break down crying again.
I quickly poked him in the side with my finger.
"Oi," I whispered. "Don't start sobbing again in front of everyone."
Yuji sniffed, wiped his face quickly, and then walked forward.
When he reached Gojo—
He hugged him tightly.
"I missed you, Gojo-sensei."
For a brief moment, Gojo froze.
The cocky smile on his face faltered just slightly.
Only for a second.
Then he chuckled and patted Yuji's head.
"You missed me that much, huh?"
His usual playful tone returned.
"Well, lucky for you, you've got me all to yourself again."
Yuji stepped back, rubbing his eyes awkwardly.
Then everyone started greeting him.
"Welcome back, Itadori," Yuta said with a warm smile.
Megumi looked relieved more than anything. "Good to see you."
Hakari waved lazily from the side. "Yo."
Todo slapped Yuji's back proudly.
"My brother has returned!"
Yuji looked at everyone...
"I was only gone for a week. Is this really necessary?"
Then everyone laughed.
The mood slowly lightened as everyone talked.
For a moment… things almost felt normal.
Eventually, the gathering started breaking up.
Yuji finally headed toward his dorm.
He opened the door. Then he stopped.
"…."
Silence.
His dorm room looked like a disaster zone.
Empty food boxes.
Random trash scattered everywhere.
The floor looked sticky in several places.
Yuji slowly turned around.
His eyes landed on me.
Then Mai. Then Choso.
All three of us immediately looked away.
Whistling.
Studying the ceiling.
Inspecting the walls.
Anywhere but Yuji.
We might have thrown a few small parties while using his room…
And maybe… Just maybe…
We forgot to clean up afterward.
Yuji walked slowly toward me.
He leaned down slightly and stared into my eyes.
"...Ikuyo." His voice was calm. Too calm to be comfortable.
"Care to explain what I'm seeing?"
Honestly—
Facing Ryu again felt less terrifying than this moment.
"…Nothing," I muttered quietly.
Yuji kept staring.
Mai saw her chance and quietly slipped away toward the hallway.
Choso looked at me for a second…
Then he slowly followed her.
"Oi! HOLD ON!" I shouted.
They immediately ran.
Traitors. I was about to chase them—
But Yuji grabbed my wrist.
I froze.
He smiled gently.
"We're going to clean this together, right, Ikuyo?"
"Who is we?" I said immediately.
I tried to escape. But Yuji's grip was surprisingly strong.
"…Fine." I accepted my fate.
We spent the next hour cleaning his room.
Most of the trash was easy to throw out, but the floor was a mess.
Turns out, pancakes leave a lot of oil when you cook them badly.
Yuji scrubbed the floor while I helped.
Well… Mostly. I used my technique, I created hands and made them clean the floor. No way I am touching that floor.
Eventually, the room looked normal again.
Yuji collapsed onto his bed with a tired sigh.
Cleaning had apparently taken more out of him than fighting curses.
I sat down on the edge of the bed.
He looked at me. Before he could say anything—
Knock knock.
Yuji stood up and opened the door.
Megumi was standing there.
He looked… troubled.
"Are you free, Itadori?" Yuji nodded.
"Yeah. I'm free."
Megumi glanced inside.
When he saw me sitting on the bed, he paused slightly.
"…Oh."
He looked a little confused for a second, then he looked at Itadori with narrowed eyes. But he stepped inside anyway.
I waved energetically.
"Heyyy Megumi!"
Megumi gave a small smile.
Then he sat down across from us.
"I… actually wanted to talk." He hesitated slightly.
"…It's probably better that you're here too, Ikuyo-san."
My expression grew serious.
Megumi took a breath.
"Ikuyo-san… do you remember when we talked about how to save my sister?"
I nodded slowly.
"Yes." "As you know, she entered one of the colonies."
"But because of the rule you added, and the point transfer system we've been abusing… she technically isn't trapped inside anymore."
"So she's safe."
He hesitated again.
"But… recently she left."
Yuji frowned. "Left?"
Megumi nodded.
"She said avoiding the Culling Game like this wasn't right."
"She wanted us to add a rule allowing players to leave the game properly."
I nodded slowly.
Then suddenly— Something clicked in my mind.
A detail I had overlooked.
My stomach dropped.
"Megumi…"
He looked at me immediately.
"Has your sister been acting strange lately?"
Megumi nodded slowly.
"…Yes."
"Oh boy…" I muttered.
Yuji looked between us, confused.
"When was the last time you saw her?" I asked.
Megumi answered immediately.
"She said she was going to walk around Tokyo."
"Before that… she asked me for a large number of points."
My heart sank.
"This is bad... This is very bad."
"The worst case happened…"
Yuji blinked.
"What are you two talking about?"
I stood up.
"Call everyone."
Megumi looked startled.
"Gojo. Tengen. Yuta. Yuki. Ryu."
My voice was serious now.
"Megumi… your sister is in danger."
Megumi's face turned pale.
"Ikuyo-san…"
His voice trembled.
"What's wrong?"
"Please…"
He grabbed my hand tightly.
"Please tell me."
"I can't… I can't lose her."
His eyes were desperate.
"She's all I have."
I squeezed his hand back.
"We'll talk about it during the meeting."
"But listen carefully."
"I already promised you before."
"We will save her."
Kenjaku POV
"Damn it…"
Kenjaku sighed in frustration.
His original plan had been simple.
Use Sukuna to wipe out all of the powerful sorcerers guarding Tengen all at once.
But now—
Gojo Satoru had been unsealed.
His spy inside Jujutsu High had reported it earlier.
Kenjaku rubbed his temples.
"Angel…"
He muttered the name with annoyance.
"I completely overlooked her."
Sukuna could still kill Gojo.
Kenjaku was confident of that.
But now it would require far more effort.
And time.
Kenjaku hated wasting time.
"I've been preparing for thousands of years…"
He muttered quietly.
He turned his head.
In the corner of the room, Sukuna was sitting comfortably.
Uraume stood beside him, gently giving him a shoulder massage.
Whenever Kenjaku tried to approach with a plan—
He got chased away.
Both Sukuna and Uraume clearly thought Kenjaku was a freak.
So they had simply made themselves comfortable in his hideout.
Sukuna wanted to go fight Gojo immediately.
Kenjaku had barely managed to stall him.
At first, he tried introducing Sukuna to modern cuisine.
That worked surprisingly well.
Sukuna spent three entire days trying different foods.
Steak. Ramen. Pizza. Even desserts.
But now—
Sukuna was bored again.
Kenjaku stared at the floor.
"What should I do…"
He muttered quietly.
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End of chapter