It felt like rain was about to fall.
Even though the sky wasn't cloudy, the air was strangely saturated with a damp, heavy sensation.
The clouds hung high, the sunlight was thin, and the leaves of the trees flipped over intermittently in a non-existent breeze. It was a day that felt sunken and subdued, despite being the middle of summer.
The grounds of Jujutsu High looked no different than usual on the surface.
Students passed by occasionally, the barriers remained stable, and the sound of sporadic impacts echoed from the training grounds.
However, beneath that tranquility, a tension that had been building since the incident at the Tombs of the Star Corridor clearly existed.
It was especially palpable today.
The reason was simple.
Itadori Yuji had been wandering around the campus since morning.
A man with no intention of hiding his presence naturally makes those around him feel exhausted.
To be more precise, he created a stark divide between those who could handle his presence and those who couldn't.
Gojo Satoru watched the scene with amusement, Ieiri Shoko found it a nuisance, and Geto Suguru chose to observe quietly.
And the few others remaining on campus felt deeply uncomfortable.
Under an old plum tree pillar standing at the edge of the training ground, Geto Suguru narrowed his eyes as he watched the scene unfold.
Yuji was just standing there.
Hands in his pockets, projecting no particular aura, just as he always did.
And yet, several other students in the training area had gone strangely rigid. Some glared at him openly, while others went out of their way to avoid his gaze.
After the Tombs of the Star Corridor incident, rumors about what kind of existence Yuji was had already spread far and wide.
An unexplainable Special Grade.
The human being the Higher-Ups were discussing for containment.
The mysterious sorcerer who, after a life-or-death duel with Gojo Satoru, had somehow made Gojo even stronger.
There was no way those rumors would only circulate in a positive light.
Geto watched the atmosphere and thought silently to himself.
'I expected they would come.'
The only question was who would be the first to cross the line.
At that moment, heavy footsteps were heard from the opposite side of the training ground.
Several pairs of eyes turned toward the source at once.
Accompanied by two assistant directors, a mid-level sorcerer who handled errands for the Higher-Ups was walking this way. He looked to be around thirty. He wasn't quite at the level of Grade 1, but he wasn't weak either—the type with an awkwardly inflated ego.
Geto recognized the face. He didn't bother recalling the name, but people of that sort were always the same.
The kind who act tough when they have a pretext, but only break out in a cold sweat far too late when standing before a true powerhouse.
Gojo also watched them from a distance.
He was leaning against the training railing before his lips curled up ever so slightly.
"Oh?"
Shoko frowned immediately upon seeing that reaction.
"Don't find this funny."
"Nothing's even happened yet."
"Your face is already shouting that you're having a blast."
Gojo shrugged.
"I'm seriously staying out of it."
While Shoko sighed, the mid-level sorcerer marched right into the center of the training ground.
His steps were deliberate and forceful.
They were footsteps intended to be seen.
Yuji didn't even turn around.
The sorcerer stopped less than ten paces away from him.
A strange silence fell. All the surrounding students stopped moving.
Geto had a brief thought.
'Ah, that's not good.'
The mid-level sorcerer spoke.
"Itadori Yuji."
Only then did Yuji slowly turn his head.
Their eyes met.
At that exact moment, Geto felt the air shift ever so slightly.
No Cursed Energy had been released yet.
And yet, it felt as if the temperature had dropped by half a beat.
Yuji's face remained expressionless.
"What?"
That single word was short, but it carried the edge of a blade.
The opponent, seemingly failing to sense the danger, continued speaking.
"These are orders from the Higher-Ups. For the time being, your movements are to be recorded. Refrain from acting alone, and do not approach the external barriers without permission."
Yuji didn't give an answer.
As the silence stretched on uncomfortably, the sorcerer raised his voice further.
"Do you hear me?"
It was then that Gojo muttered while leaning against the railing.
"Do those guys really want to die that badly? Is it a suicide mission or something?"
Shoko poked him in the side with her elbow.
"Please, just be quiet."
Geto kept his eyes fixed on the scene.
Yuji still hadn't moved.
However, what Geto was looking at wasn't just Yuji standing there like an idiot.
More precisely, it was the look in Yuji's eyes as he stared down the sorcerers with total indifference.
The sorcerer took another step forward.
"Answer me. Do you not understand what kind of position you're in?"
Suddenly, the air sank. No—calling it 'sinking' was too weak.
It was a pressure that blanketed the entire training ground, as if the ceiling had collapsed entirely and was hanging right above their necks.
It was freezing.
Despite the sunlight, a chill like being submerged in ice-cold water on a winter night swept over their skin.
The dust on the stone floor vibrated minutely before losing all motion entirely.
Yuji's Cursed Energy was leaking out.
It wasn't exaggerated.
It wasn't erupting explosively either.
It was simply—too heavy, too cold, and too overwhelming that the surrounding space felt crushed first.
The low-level barrier devices at the edge of the training ground creaked.
A small pebble lying under the plum tree pillar cracked with a dull snap.
The sorcerer's face went rigid.
The voice that had been acting tough just moments ago trembled minutely.
"…W-What?"
Yuji slowly turned his entire body toward him.
His hands were still in his pockets. And yet, the atmosphere had transformed completely.
The look in his eyes was different.
This wasn't the person who had comforted Riko in front of the Tombs, nor the human who shared playful banter with Gojo.
This was, undeniably, the Strongest Sorcerer sensing hostility.
Yuji's voice was low and frigid.
"Say that one more time."
The surrounding air grew even heavier.
Two students stepped back simultaneously.
One of the assistant directors turned pale. They weren't simply feeling powerful Cursed Energy right now.
They understood instinctively.
They had provoked the wrong person.
Gojo couldn't even laugh as he watched the spectacle.
It was interesting, but more than that, it was terrifying.
'Ah, so that's the real Yuji.'
He usually keeps it suppressed so deeply it rarely shows, but the moment someone shows hostility, he changes like this.
Geto took a very slow breath.
Itadori Yuji.
He wasn't just dangerous during combat.
The reason he was usually quiet wasn't because he was gentle, but because he didn't see a reason to cut anyone down.
The moment someone crossed the line, that very silence transformed into the most terrifying form imaginable.
The sorcerer's lips moved, but the words wouldn't come out.
Yuji hadn't even made a big movement in front of him.
And yet, it felt as though the tip of a blade was pressed directly against his throat.
Yuji took a single step closer.
Crack.
The stone beneath his foot shattered.
He hadn't even applied forced strength; the ground simply couldn't withstand the weight of his resolve in that single step.
Yuji looked him straight in the eye and spoke.
"If you came to deliver a command, then just deliver it."
There was no emotion in those words.
That made it even more frightening.
"It's not your place to judge the situation and babble on about it."
The sorcerer's Adam's apple bobbed heavily.
The momentum had shifted completely.
The man who had been blathering about containment and control just moments ago was now unable to breathe properly.
Gojo muttered in a low voice.
"Wow, he's literally frozen solid."
Shoko was still frowning, but this time she didn't try to stop Gojo.
She also knew.
This was how Yuji expressed anger. It wasn't by shouting or letting emotions pour out, but by making the opponent instinctively realize their place.
Yuji continued.
"Do you think I don't know the Higher-Ups?"
The sorcerer couldn't respond.
"Do you think I don't know what they're all thinking?"
The density of his Cursed Energy rose slightly more.
This time, a wooden marker at the edge of the training field snapped soundlessly.
Riko was watching the scene from a distance.
To be exact, she had been in the corridor outside the training grounds with Kuroi, but she had wandered this far. She hadn't intended to come inside, but after seeing Gojo and Geto move, she had followed after them.
And now, Riko couldn't look away even though she knew what she was seeing.
Yuji was cold.
To a frightening degree.
And yet, strangely, Riko knew better than anyone that this coldness was never directed at her.
That fact made her heart flutter with even more confusion.
Inside the barrier, the sorcerer managed to squeeze out a voice.
"I... am just... conveying the—"
Yuji cut him off.
"Then convey it."
Very low, and very cold.
"And don't try to flex in front of me while you're clearly reeking of fear."
Silence.
Those words were the final blow.
The sorcerer's face completely hardened. The fact that his terror had been seen through stung his pride. But he couldn't push back. The Itadori Yuji before him had already surpassed the level of being treated like a normal human being.
Geto looked down minutely at the scene. He knew very well the fear felt by non-sorcerers or weak sorcerers.
But this scene was different.
This fear wasn't just shrinking before a strong Cursed Energy; it was more akin to the instinctive sense of crisis felt when a species encounters an apex predator.
And Geto realized that, strangely, while it was unpleasant, he was also convinced by it.
Strength was strength.
Undeniably so.
Gojo finally moved then.
He walked over leisurely and stood next to Yuji. He intentionally kept his steps light.
"Now, now, the message was delivered, right?"
His tone was smiling, but his eyes were not.
The sorcerer turned his gaze toward Gojo.
It was obvious how much he relaxed in that short moment.
Gojo smirked when he saw that.
"Wow, aren't you making it a bit too obvious?"
Shoko approached a bit late and added.
"That's enough. If you freeze him any more, he's going to collapse."
The words sounded like a joke, but they weren't entirely so.
Beads of real sweat had formed on the sorcerer's forehead.
He was so overwhelmed by fear and pressure that his complexion had paled by several shades.
Yuji stared at him for a while longer before slowly withdrawing his Cursed Energy.
The heavy air finally cleared up.
Only then did the surrounding people finally breathe.
The two assistant directors let out almost imperceptible sighs of relief.
The sorcerer bit his lip before finally just giving a short nod.
"…The message has been delivered."
Yuji didn't reply.
When he didn't say anything, it was the sorcerer who couldn't stand it and turned around first. The two assistant directors followed in a hurry.
Until they had vanished, no one in the training ground could easily open their mouth.
It was Gojo who broke the silence.
"Yuji."
Yuji glanced at him.
Gojo was smiling, but this time his expression was laced with genuine admiration.
"You're really scary when you're angry."
Shoko spoke with her arms crossed.
"We haven't known each other long, but it's so different from your usual self that it's actually disturbing."
Yuji replied calmly.
"There's usually no reason to act like that."
"That statement itself is scary enough, you know?"
Gojo chuckled. Geto walked over slowly and stood before the two of them.
He looked at Yuji's face for a moment before speaking briefly.
"Good job."
Gojo and Shoko both looked at him at the same time.
Geto didn't pull back his gaze.
"It was necessary to show them the line for once."
Yuji gave only a very slight nod. Hearing that, Gojo's lips curled up.
"Wow. When Suguru says it like that, it really feels like a pivotal moment."
Geto sighed.
"It actually was important."
And he added,
"Now the Higher-Ups won't find it so easy to think of Itadori as just some Special Grade they need to control."
Shoko said in a low voice,
"Instead, they'll just be more terrified of him."
Gojo laughed as if he liked that idea.
"That's fine."
Yuji looked at him.
Gojo said quite naturally,
"They should be afraid. That's the only way they'll leave you alone."
A brief silence.
Yuji heard those words and, this time, did not deny them.
Watching the scene from afar, Riko exhaled without realizing she had been holding it.
It was scary.
But strangely, it was reassuring.
She really didn't understand.
Kuroi asked very quietly beside her,
"Are you alright?"
Riko replied only after a long pause.
"…I don't know."
That was an honest answer.
Kuroi smiled softly.
"Then you are fine."
"What do you mean?"
"If he were truly a dangerous person, you wouldn't have been able to look at him for that long, Lady Riko."
Riko couldn't immediately argue with that.
It sounded like the truth, which made it all the more undeniable.
Inside the training ground, the atmosphere was already starting to relax.
Gojo patted Yuji's shoulder.
"But honestly, you were pretty cool."
"About what."
"That quiet anger just now."
"Not really."
"Wow, you really don't take a compliment, do you?"
Shoko pressed her hand to her forehead as if exhausted.
"You two are really noisy."
Watching them, Geto's expression softened for a fleeting, truly fleeting moment.
At the same time, he also felt an inexplicable chill.
What he saw today wasn't simply the fact that Yuji was strong.
It was his ability to switch his demeanor to that of absolute frost if necessary, to dominate a space with nothing but Cursed Energy, and to completely break an opponent from the ground up.
While it was certainly reassuring, it was also like looking at a being who was already dangerously 'complete'.
Geto didn't voice that feeling right away.
Instead, very quietly, so that only he could hear, he muttered.
"Truly… an nameless Cursed Technique."
Those words were directed toward the Blood Manipulation and Cleave/Dismantle, and perhaps, they were directed toward the man named Itadori Yuji himself.
The summer sky was still clear of clouds.
And yet, for some reason, it seemed as though the cracks of the next stage had already begun.