The idol event was over. The audience had filed out and gone home.
Jogo and the others headed backstage to change, while Mahiko stood outside the venue with Yuji and Todo, exchanging goodbyes.
Yuji grinned and waved. "See ya! That was a blast hanging out with you!"
Mahiko smiled and waved back. "Same here. I had a great time."
Though I do wonder what kind of faces you'd make if you knew who I really was.
Come to think of it — jujutsu sorcerers were a strange bunch, but as people to be around, they weren't half bad. If Mahiko could ever untangle herself from this mess she was wrapped up in and find a way to coexist with them peacefully… that might not be such a terrible path forward.
For now, though, that seemed about as likely as a snowstorm in summer.
She watched until they disappeared into the distance.
Mahiko lowered her gaze.
She was still lost in thought when footsteps echoed from the direction of the backstage area. She turned around.
Jogo, Hanami, and Lil' Dagon emerged, already changed back into their regular clothes.
Jogo caught sight of Mahiko and rolled her eyes. She was clearly still holding a grudge over the hypnosis from earlier — but she didn't say anything about it. She just tossed out two words, flat and indifferent: "Let's go."
Lil' Dagon was bouncing along ahead of them, visibly buzzing with energy. She'd had a full, satisfying day — well and truly played out.
They hadn't taken first place, but they hadn't come in last either. And thanks to their standout performance, they'd even walked away with invitations from several talent agencies — a pleasant surprise on top of everything else.
That said, none of them were likely to set foot in the idol world again after this.
It had all been a bit of fun. And now it was over.
Mahiko stole a glance at her companions.
She knew these three weren't particularly good at hiding their feelings — they wore their emotions openly on their faces. So she could tell, just by looking at them, that they had no idea Kenjaku was quietly scheming behind the scenes.
Actually, that was a good sign.
It meant Kenjaku hadn't moved to force her hand yet. Which meant he was relaxed — he hadn't realized that Mahiko's preparations had already reached a point where she could dismantle his entire plan.
Just like with Jogo and Hanami, Mahiko had placed a small bomb inside Lil' Dagon's body as well. The difference was that Jogo and Hanami could probably survive one detonation — but Lil' Dagon was still in her cursed womb form, and she almost certainly couldn't. One blast would be the end of her.
So Mahiko genuinely, sincerely did not want to end up as an enemy of these three Cursed Spirits.
It was just that kind of hope was a little too idealistic.
No matter how she looked at it — whether it was the question of where they stood, or the weight of what they each believed their lives were for — it was all just too heavy.
And so, when the group reached an intersection, Mahiko came to a stop.
The three ahead of her turned around.
"Actually, I've got a few things I need to take care of on my end." Mahiko gave a small smile. "Let's split up here for now."
The light of dusk was spilling in from the far end of the street, washing the entire road in warm amber. The streetlamps hadn't come on yet. The blue of the sky was fading, degree by degree, into deep violet — a few thin clouds gilded at the edges by the setting sun.
Jogo stood with her hands in her pockets, holding Mahiko's gaze in silence.
For some reason, the moment stretched itself out.
Longer and longer.
Long enough that even Lil' Dagon tilted her head with a puzzled little "Hmm?"
Finally, Jogo let out a quiet laugh and spoke. "Fine. Go on then. See you next time."
Mahiko gave a small nod. "See you next time."
Jogo turned away, and with Hanami and Lil' Dagon in tow, she walked.
Lil' Dagon glanced back and gave Mahiko a wave. Mahiko waved back.
Then, the three of them grew smaller and smaller, until their silhouettes vanished entirely into the amber haze at the end of the street.
Mahiko slowly lowered her hand. With a faint flicker, she shifted into her Cursed Spirit's invisible state.
Ⅱ
Having friends to mess around with was, for Mahiko as she was now, something genuinely precious.
So today had been a good day.
But here in the dusk, with all the noise and laughter behind her, standing alone at a street corner outside the empty venue — it felt like there was no one left but her.
People say that someone at Satoru Gojo's level is strong and solitary in equal measure. Whether the truly powerful feel loneliness is anyone's guess — but she was, without question, walking this road alone.
...Was that too melodramatic?
Ha.
Mahiko let out a soft laugh, shrugged, and turned to leave as well.
Whatever happened, she would keep walking this path.
As it stood, she had already retrieved the remains that Mechamaru had secured for her — not on her person, but held by a distant clone.
Mahiko began directing the clone to examine the remains. The moment she got a proper look, the girl's brow furrowed.
Just as Mechamaru's initial instinct had suggested — these remains were definitively different from the ones found at the fire station.
Both sets showed damage to the soul, but the method of attack was different. The fire station victims had been attacked by being "burst open from the inside." But these remains had been attacked through "compression."
The remains looked like plastic that had been crushed flat.
Definitely not the work of the same Transfigured Human. Which meant Kenjaku had other Transfigured Humans she didn't know about.
Mahiko had the clone keep searching through the remains.
But then, the next moment—
Buzz. Buzz.
Mahiko blinked — her phone had gone off.
The girl glanced down, and the name on the screen caught her off guard.
It was Nobara Kugisaki.
...Nobara? Why is she messaging me?
Hadn't they literally just parted ways?
Mahiko unlocked her phone and tapped the message. Nobara had sent a single line of text paired with a sticker — a little cat holding up a tiny flag that read: "Wanna hang?"
Hang?
Buzz. Buzz.
A follow-up text arrived.
[Wanna come out and do something tomorrow afternoon?]
Huh?
What for?
Mahiko typed back: [Why is Nobara-nee suddenly asking me to hang out? Just the two of us?]
Nobara replied instantly: [That's right! Just us two, no one else (σ≥∇≦σ)]
Good lord, this feels exactly like how a kidnapper lures a child.
Mahiko's first instinct was that Nobara's account had been hacked. But then she thought about it — there was pretty much no one who could steal Nobara's phone — and felt even more confused.
Why was she suddenly asking to hang out?
Wait, that wasn't even the real question. The real question was: why had she waited until after everyone split up before sending this? Why not ask in person?
It was obvious she hadn't wanted anyone else to hear the invitation.
Mahiko typed: [Is tomorrow a special occasion or something?]
Nobara: [Hehe, I've got a really good surprise for you tomorrow — I know you're gonna love it~]
Mahiko hesitated for a moment, then typed back a simple "Alright then."
She'd agreed to Nobara's invitation.
But what on earth was this about?
Mahiko turned it over and over in her head and couldn't make sense of it.
And then, the next day.
"I got it for you!" The moment Nobara spotted Mahiko, she bounded over, practically fizzing with excitement.
Mahiko blinked, bewildered. "Got what, Nobara-nee?"
"A spot as a [Window]!" Nobara beamed. "Right now, if you want it, you can become an official [Window] of Jujutsu High anytime!"
Mahiko's eyebrow twitched.
What was this now?
____
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