Megumi Fushiguro's dorm was on the first floor. Yuji lived next door to him, and to make communication easier, Junpei Yoshino moved into the room beside them.
At 10 PM, Megumi and Yuji had just returned from off-campus. The three met in the corridor.
"Yoshino, don't learn from Itadori and play games in the middle of the night. He alone is annoying enough." Megumi sighed.
"Ah, okay. I won't."
Junpei scratched his cheek.
"Playing games in the middle of the night means...?"
"This guy and Sukuna stay up gaming instead of sleeping. The worst part is the soundproofing is terrible. I got woken up multiple times last night."
Megumi glared at Yuji, who returned an apologetic look.
"Is that so?"
Yuji clasped his hands together. "Sorry, sorry. Sukuna was making a fuss yesterday. I'll be more careful this time."
"Anyway, I'm going back to wash up and sleep. Tomorrow's the exchange event. You guys should rest early too."
"Okay."
Click—
Yuji closed his door and eagerly walked to his computer desk, pressing the power button.
The pink-haired boy rubbed his hands in anticipation. It wasn't that he was being frivolous—he just wanted to show Sukuna the joys of life. Earlier that evening, although Sukuna had looked disgusted, he'd accepted the dessert cake Yuji fed him and admitted it "wasn't bad."
It seemed Sukuna was gradually accepting his existence.
Sukuna was good at games. The day before yesterday they'd cleared Sekiro together, so Yuji decided to try something completely new this time.
Let's experience a modern setting, he thought, and clicked on a game called Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
"Purple, purple! Don't fucking hold that angle! They've been hitting mid from the second floor!"
"No, bro, don't block me."
"Fuck! Who threw that flash! I'm blind!"
"Nice shot, bro, nice shot."
It was Yuji's first time playing an FPS. After the match ended, he found he'd only killed one person the entire game.
A glaring score of 1-18.
Although his reaction time was fast, he didn't know how to control recoil. Whenever he saw an enemy, he just held down left-click, and the bullets flew into the sky before he got dropped.
"One kill, eighteen deaths?" Sukuna appeared, voice dripping with mockery. "Hard to imagine a human is sitting at this screen."
"You don't understand! This game is too complicated! There's so much to remember!"
"Excuses." Sukuna snorted. "You're just trash."
"Then you play."
"Not interested."
Meanwhile, in the room next door.
Megumi had just laid down.
He pulled the blanket up to his chin, closed his eyes, and adjusted his breathing. He'd been on missions all day. His body was exhausted. His spirit was exhausted—mainly from being tormented by Satoru Gojo and Yuji alternately. Tomorrow was the exchange event. He needed plenty of sleep.
Just as he lay quietly on his bed, about to drift into peaceful slumber, a voice came from the next room—
"Are you playing with your feet?"
"That's enough, Sukuna! It's my first time playing!"
"Dying eighteen times your first game? Are you rolling your face on the keyboard?"
"You—!"
Veins popped on Megumi's forehead. His eyes snapped open.
BANG!
A loud slam from next door. Followed by Yuji's roar: "Then you play! You play! Let's see how well the King of Curses does!"
"I'm not interested."
"You don't dare!"
"Reverse psychology doesn't work on me."
"Then don't watch! Go back inside!"
"I want to watch. What's it to you?"
Itadori, you fucking...
Megumi sat up.
More sounds came from next door.
"Look. You died again."
"Shut up! That guy was camping in the corner!"
"Camping? He stood there for three seconds. You ran right past him without seeing him."
"I was looking somewhere else!"
"Looking where? At the floor?"
"Sukuna!"
"Itadori!"
"Naruto!"
"Sasuke!"
The argument grew louder and louder, accompanied by clattering keyboard and frantic mouse clicks. Megumi could imagine the scene—Yuji staring at the screen red-faced, Sukuna's mouth on his cheek, the two of them fighting over the keyboard with the same pair of hands.
"Hoo—hoo—hoo—"
Megumi's heart hurt a little right now.
He clutched his chest.
Deep breath.
Slow exhale.
Another deep breath.
Slow exhale.
"Shoot him! What are you looking at him for?!"
"I'm aiming!"
"How long are you going to aim? His teammates are here!"
"Why didn't you say so earlier!"
"Why should I help you?"
"Aren't you watching me play?"
"So what?"
Megumi gripped the blanket tightly.
He closed his eyes and began silently reciting the Jujutsu High student rules. Rule 1: respect teachers. Rule 2: unite with classmates. Rule 3: no private fighting on campus. Rule 4...
He forgot Rule 4.
But he remembered Rule 5: no making noise at night that disturbs others' rest.
Yuji Itadori clearly hadn't read this rule.
"I died again!"
"One kill, twenty-three deaths? Are you human?"
"I was just careless!"
"You're trash."
"SUKUNA!!!"
BANG!
Megumi was completely enraged.
"YOU FUCKING!!!!!"
Although Yuji was intentionally playing poorly to force Sukuna to take over like last time, it genuinely was his first FPS experience.
Seeing Sukuna had no interest, Yuji moved the mouse and started the next match.
Fifteen minutes later.
His score was 9-7 this time. A slight improvement—but after the opposing team won the seventh round, the top-fragging foreigner typed a mocking message in all chat.
"You guys see me? Hello hello."
"You guys fucking noob bro, uninstall this game."
Yuji glanced at the guy's 17-3 scoreline. He didn't look like a newbie. More like a smurf.
"Brat."
"?"
"Give me the body. Let me play."
"Weren't you not interested?"
"I am now."
Sukuna took over. Having seen parts of Yuji's memories, he understood some English. He typed in all chat:
"Shut the fuck up."
Sukuna put on the headset. While watching Yuji play from inside the body, he'd realized that recoil control required practice—but there was a way to bypass it entirely.
Sniper rifles.
Sukuna spent his money on an AWP. At round start, the five terrorists rushed A site together. His teammates dropped one by one. Only Sukuna remained.
"Bomb has been planted."
Sukuna crouched near CT spawn. Hearing approaching footsteps—the enemy letting their guard down, actively hunting the last survivor.
Sukuna calmly peeked from cover. Aimed. Fired.
BANG!
First kill secured. The terrorists behind tried to trade, but Sukuna retreated into cover.
"What?!"
The remaining terrorists tried to swarm him. But Sukuna peeked again—
BANG!
The terrorists were lined up. Collateral kill with one shot. The survivors tried to trade, but Sukuna's flick speed was too fast. Before they even saw him, he'd already retreated.
"How?!"
The last two terrorists rushed his cover. Just as they were about to finish him, Sukuna threw a flashbang at the ground and calmly peeked the instant it popped.
The blinded terrorists lost all ability to fight back. Sukuna unhurriedly switched to his pistol.
BANG! BANG!
Two headshots. Then he walked to the bomb site and successfully defused.
The score became 1-7. Sukuna typed in all chat:
"Get good."
The game continued. Despite the massive deficit, under Sukuna's lead, it ended in a 13-7 victory. Final scoreline: 42-7.
"Guys who are clearly incompetent but love to run their mouths are really annoying."
Sukuna stretched, then faded his consciousness, voluntarily returning control to Yuji.
"Hey, brat."
"Hm?"
"I helped you once tonight. In exchange, you have to teach that brat named Naoya Zenin a proper lesson tomorrow. His tone is just like that guy in the game. Both are extremely annoying."
"Do you even need to ask? Whether it's for Maki-senpai or to vent your frustration—I'll do it."
Yuji leaned back in his chair, looking at the "Victory" on screen. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
"Also, brat."
"What?"
"Next time someone insults you, let me take over. You really don't know how to trash talk... But remember—I'm not doing it to help you. I just can't stand arrogant guys like that."
"...Thank you, Sukuna."
Yuji rubbed his nose. A smile spread across his face.
"Hmph."
He didn't know when it started, but Sukuna seemed to be gradually accepting Yuji Itadori's existence.
In truth, Yuji had annoyed Ryomen Sukuna at first. Through Yuji's memories, Sukuna had concluded he was just a weak, ignorant brat. Those arrogant words upon their first meeting had made Sukuna deeply dissatisfied.
Sukuna's first change of heart came at the juvenile detention center. Even though it was only Yuji's second day, he'd landed eight consecutive Black Flashes and exorcised a Special Grade curse. That made Sukuna see him in a new light.
Sukuna only acknowledged those with the demeanor of the strong—or those whose talent astonished him. At first, Yuji made Sukuna feel the latter. But as time passed, during the decisive battle with Mahito, Sukuna felt the former.
Sukuna realized his initial dissatisfaction stemmed from not understanding Yuji Itadori enough.
He'd thought Yuji was a brat driven by a messiah complex. He wasn't. Yuji Itadori, like Sukuna himself, chose to live for himself.
If Sukuna lived to "only do what he wants to do," then in that regard, Yuji Itadori was exactly the same.
The only difference was that Sukuna neither would nor wanted to care about anyone around him. Yuji would care about everyone and empathize with anyone.
It wasn't because Yuji had a messiah complex.
It was because doing so made Yuji Itadori happy.
Just as Sukuna believed "Throughout Heaven and Earth, I alone am the honored one"—and felt happy putting no one in his eyes and toying with others.
Yuji genuinely believed saving others made him happy. So even if it was purely for himself, his actions were exactly the same as in his past life.
At first, Sukuna couldn't understand this. Now, he was beginning to.
That was why he'd reluctantly accepted Yuji Itadori's existence. The talent Yuji displayed indeed qualified him to stand alongside Sukuna.
"I'm going to rest. Gotta prepare for the exchange event tomorrow."
Yuji stood, stretched, and smiled brightly.
"I had fun playing today, Sukuna."
Early the next morning.
Tokyo Jujutsu High. A Japanese-style tatami meeting room.
Sunlight filtered through gaps in the shoji doors, casting long, slender shadows across the mats. The entire Kyoto school student body had gathered for a strategy meeting to prepare for the upcoming exchange event.
Kyoto school second-year: Mai Zenin. Grade 2 sorcerer. Technique: Construction.
Kyoto school third-year: Momo Nishimiya. Grade 2 sorcerer. Technique: Tool Manipulation.
Kyoto school third-year: Mechamaru. Semi-Grade 1 sorcerer. Technique: Puppet Manipulation.
Kyoto school third-year: Noritoshi Kamo. Semi-Grade 1 sorcerer. Technique: Blood Manipulation.
Kyoto school third-year: Aoi Todo. Grade 1 sorcerer. Technique: Boogie Woogie.
Kyoto school second-year: Kasumi Miwa. Grade 3 sorcerer. Technique... None.
The above was the participant list, excluding Naoya Zenin.
Their abilities each had their own merits. Everyone had their strengths. Everyone had their unique skills. Their fighting spirit and patience were impressive. Their secret weapons could bring unexpected surprises...
The group sat around the long table in the center of the room. At the head of the table sat a bald old man leaning on a cane—the principal of the Kyoto school.
"You will go and kill Sukuna's vessel, Yuji Itadori."
The old man spoke slowly.
"That thing cannot be called human. His death will not be investigated—it will be treated as an accident. Do not show mercy. Do not hesitate."
"..."
The topic of killing cast a heavy pall over the room. Everyone present remained silent.
Then a blue-haired girl raised her hand.
"Um... Sukuna's vessel... is he the guy rumored to have soloed a Special Grade curse on his second day of enrollment?"
"Yes."
"Eh?"
Kasumi Miwa sweatdropped.
"And... you want us to go kill Yuji Itadori?"
"That's right."
"Eh? Us?"
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