"Why... me..."
In a corner of a high school in Kanagawa Prefecture, a black-haired boy named Junpei Yoshino hugged his head and curled up against the fence.
Junpei had always had a weak presence. No friends in class. No one who cared.
That made him the perfect target for the school's delinquents. Nobody would bat an eye if someone like him got beaten. Nobody would stand up for him.
Just like now.
Even though the teaching building was right next to them, students passing by remained indifferent to the scene.
A group of bleach-blonde delinquents surrounded him, punching and kicking. Outnumbered and overpowered, Junpei could only curl up against the wire fence to protect his vitals.
"Stop... stop hitting me!"
A high school girl nearby smirked and pulled out her phone to record. A scene like today's was considered light. At his worst, Junpei had been held down while they burned his skin with cigarette butts or forced him to eat cockroaches.
"Huh? You want me to hit harder? Yoshino, you some kind of masochist?"
"Look at his face. So pathetic."
"Running that sad little movie club of his. What a joke."
Three hours earlier.
"Allow me to introduce—the Grade 1 sorcerer who quit being a salaryman: Kento Nanami!"
In a training ground at Jujutsu High, Satoru Gojo rested his hand on a blonde man's shoulder. He raised his voice with his usual grinning expression.
It was early morning. Yuji had been woken by Satoru Gojo's phone call—they'd agreed to train today.
Yuji examined the man before him. Glasses. White suit. Meticulously tied tie. Prominent cheekbones.
He'd expected this, but seeing the familiar face still made him smile. He bowed forward.
"Please take care of me, Nanami-san."
"Please take care of me, Itadori-kun."
Kento Nanami returned the bow, then adjusted his glasses.
"Nanami is a junior I trust completely, and he has good compatibility with you. So you'll be doing this afternoon's mission together."
Satoru Gojo stepped back and patted Nanami's shoulder again.
"Well then, Nanami—I'll leave the rest to you."
Kento Nanami nodded. "Itadori-kun. I've heard you're an incredible genius, so Gojo-san asked me to teach you a skill."
"A skill?"
Yuji was curious.
"Black Flash." Kento Nanami spoke the words deliberately. "Gojo-san believes you have the potential to unleash it. He specifically asked me to instruct you."
"...?"
"When the delay between a physical strike and the impact of cursed energy falls within 0.000001 seconds, the cursed energy causes a spatial distortion, resulting in a special—"
While Nanami was explaining, Yuji walked over to a training dummy.
"Like this?"
He mobilized all his cursed energy, concentrated it in his right hand, and threw a punch.
The cyan cursed energy flame instantly transformed into pitch-black lightning wrapping around his arm. The violent force blasted the dummy into smithereens.
BANG—!!!
Kento Nanami and Satoru Gojo witnessed the entire process of the boy casually using Black Flash.
"Um, I noticed it when I was fighting that Special Grade curse. So that's what it's called—Black Flash."
Kento Nanami: "..."
Satoru Gojo: "..."
No sorcerer could use Black Flash at will.
Right...?
Nanami had barely managed it since his four consecutive Black Flashes during the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons. And Satoru Gojo simply had no opponent who could withstand a single punch from him.
At the very least, the Black Flash talent Yuji was displaying was far beyond their reach.
It hurts... it hurts, it hurts, it hurts...
"Hey, Yoshino. Want another scar on your forehead?"
Don't touch me...
"Hold him down."
Don't touch me!
Two delinquents pinned Junpei's arms. A third held a lit cigarette in one hand and lifted the bangs covering half of Junpei's face with the other—
Beneath the hair, his forehead was covered in scars from cigarette burns.
Why don't these people just die... why does it have to be me...
What kind of mindset do guys like this live with? What right does trash like this have to exist?
Junpei was just a frail high school student. He couldn't fight back.
He hated them from the bottom of his heart.
But he never dared voice that hatred.
The delinquent pressed the lit end of the cigarette against his forehead.
"Hiss—!"
Beyond the pain, the humiliation was unbearable.
"Hey. What do you think you're doing?"
A low voice came from behind. The delinquents turned. Junpei barely opened his smoke-irritated, tear-blurred eyes and saw a pink-haired boy in a school uniform standing nearby.
But the sunny smile that should have been on that face was completely absent.
Replaced by chilling indifference.
"Huh?"
The one holding the cigarette looked the newcomer up and down and scoffed.
"Who are you? Mind your own business. Get lost."
"Did you hear me? Scram if you don't want to get hurt."
Yuji said flatly: "I said let him go. Your minds are clearly unhealthy—I hope your brains haven't rotted too."
There was almost no emotion in the boy's voice. That terrifying calm made the delinquents instinctively uneasy.
The leader raised an eyebrow, flicked the cigarette to the ground, crushed it under his toe, and swaggered toward Yuji.
"You tired of living? Do you know who we are?"
"No."
"Do you know what school this is?"
"No."
"Then what the hell are you—" The delinquent raised a finger, intending to jab Yuji's forehead. "Get the f—"
Before he could finish, that impolite finger was caught in an iron grip.
"Hiss—!"
Yuji held the finger and gently bent it upward. He barely applied pressure, but the delinquent's face went pale instantly.
"Ah! It hurts—hurts hurts hurts—!"
"Listen." Yuji's tone was calm. "Swearing doesn't make you look cool. Neither does bullying people."
"You—"
The delinquent grimaced and swung his other fist at Yuji's face.
Yuji tilted his head. The fist brushed past his ear without touching a hair.
He released the finger. The delinquent stumbled back, clutching his reddened hand, expression caught between shock and rage.
"What are you standing around for?! Get him!"
The other two exchanged glances, released Junpei, rolled up their sleeves, and charged.
"You asked for it, kid!"
One sprinted forward and swung at Yuji's face.
To Yuji, the movement looked like slow motion. The weak punch posed no threat. He didn't even bother dodging. Just before it landed, he struck first—a single punch to the face.
The force was controlled, but the delinquent's face caved in from the impact. His nose broke with a crack.
BANG—!
His back slammed into a metal trash can five meters away. His eyes rolled back, and he went limp.
"..."
The air seemed to freeze. The remaining delinquents stood paralyzed, mouths hanging open.
The girl recording nearby nearly dropped her phone. Her mocking expression had shifted to terror.
"You... you..."
The one who'd held the cigarette earlier stumbled backward, lips trembling. His foot caught on something, and he fell flat on his rear.
Yuji looked down at him expressionlessly.
"Want to continue?"
"No, no..."
"No?"
Yuji repeated the word. His tone remained flat.
"When you were hitting him just now, did you say 'no'?"
"What do you want? I'm warning you—my dad is—"
"I don't care who your dad is."
Yuji cut him off. He crouched down in front of the delinquent, looking down at him.
"You bullied someone. So you receive the corresponding punishment. A simple apology doesn't cut it."
"I'm sorry! We're sorry! We know we were wrong—we won't do it again!" The words tumbled out desperately.
Yuji shook his head. "Your apology isn't sincere. You're only saying it because I'm stronger than you. The moment I'm gone, you'll go right back to bullying him. Probably worse."
"Right?"
"No, we won't—"
"You will." Yuji's tone was certain. "Back in Sendai, I dealt with too many people like you. So I'm going to make sure you remember."
"Remember?"
The delinquent's voice trembled.
Yuji didn't answer. He reached down, grabbed the guy's collar, and lifted him off the ground like a chick.
"Remember today."
"Let me go! Let me—"
"You burned him with a cigarette earlier, right?"
The delinquent's pupils contracted violently. He instinctively covered his forehead.
"No—please—"
"Which hand? Hold still."
"I..."
He didn't dare resist. Trembling, he extended his right hand.
Yuji grabbed the wrist and bent it gently.
Crack—
A crisp snap echoed through the air.
"AHHH—!"
The scream rang across the entire campus, startling crows from the distant trees.
Yuji released him, then turned to the others.
"What about you? Who else hit him?"
The remaining delinquents looked at each other, faces pale, unable to speak.
"Not talking?"
"I—I hit him!" One quickly raised his hand. "But I only kicked him twice!"
"I hit him too!"
"Me too!"
They scrambled to confess, terrified that hesitation would earn them something worse.
Yuji nodded.
"Good. Everyone slaps themselves twenty times. Make it loud. If it's too light, you start over."
"T-twenty?"
"Then fifty."
"Sorry! We'll do it—we'll do it!"
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
The crisp sounds of self-inflicted slaps echoed through the corner, accompanied by pained grimaces.
Yuji stood to the side, arms crossed, watching expressionlessly.
By the time they finished, their faces were swollen like balloons.
"Remember the pain. If I find out you're bullying anyone again—" Yuji paused. "Next time won't be this simple."
"Yes! Yes!"
"We won't! We'll never do it again!"
They scrambled to their feet, dragged their unconscious friend, and fled without looking back.
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