Ten minutes later, in the Principal's Office.
The three students of Itadori Yuji's group stood before the desk, each with a different expression.
Fushiguro Megumi's brow was slightly furrowed, as if he were lost in thought.
Kugisaki Nobara crossed her arms and curled her lip.
"A Juvenile Detention Center? The last place we went to nearly choked me with its stench."
Masamichi Yaga looked at them and spoke in a deep voice.
"A Cursed Womb has appeared at the Tokyo Juvenile Detention Center. It must be purified immediately."
"The Higher-ups' assessment is Grade 1, but there are uncertainties."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the three of them.
"The three of you will go together."
Kugisaki Nobara asked, "Three of us? For one Cursed Womb?"
"Just in case," Masamichi Yaga said. "The Cursed Womb's incubation time and specific abilities are uncertain. One more person means one more layer of security."
Fushiguro Megumi spoke up. "What about Gojo-sensei?"
"He's on a business trip."
"When will he be back?"
"I'm not sure."
The air went quiet for a moment.
Itadori Yuji scratched his head. "What about Kama? Aren't we calling her along?"
Masamichi Yaga fell silent for two seconds.
"She... isn't here."
In truth, even he didn't know if Kama was around.
The girl's whereabouts were always a mystery, and even if called, she wouldn't necessarily come.
Though deep down, Masamichi Yaga actually wished she could have gone with them.
"In any case," Masamichi Yaga stood up, "the mission details have been sent to your phones."
"An Assistant Director will be waiting for you at the school gate."
"Stay safe."
The three exchanged glances and replied in unison, "Yes, sir."
At the school gate, an Assistant Director was already waiting by the car.
She was a young woman with glasses who looked somewhat nervous, constantly pushing up her frames.
"E-everyone, please get in."
Her voice was a bit shaky.
Kugisaki Nobara pulled open the car door and climbed in first. "It's just an unhatched Cursed Womb. We'll wrap this up fast; we might even make it back for dinner!"
Fushiguro Megumi sat in the passenger seat.
The car started and drove away from Jujutsu High.
The interior was quiet for a while, save for the hum of the engine and the whistle of the wind rushing past the windows.
Kugisaki Nobara pulled out her phone and scrolled through the mission details, her finger absentmindedly tapping the edge of the car window.
"Speaking of which, Gojo-sensei isn't here today either."
"There's an emergency mission out of town," Fushiguro Megumi said, looking at a message he had just received on his phone. "It says he won't be back until tomorrow at the earliest."
"Honestly, every single one of them is so busy," Kugisaki Nobara grumbled. "Kama too, she's so elusive..."
Itadori Yuji, however, was optimistic. "It's fine! It's just a Cursed Womb anyway; the three of us can definitely handle it!"
Fushiguro Megumi glanced at him but said nothing.
Three Jujutsu Sorcerers at the Grade 2 level dealing with one Cursed Womb should, in theory, be more than enough.
Yet for some reason, there was a faint, nagging unease in his heart.
It felt as though something was quietly writhing in his blind spot.
The car pulled up in front of a drab, dusty building.
Tokyo Juvenile Detention Center.
The place was even gloomier than imagined.
The iron-barred gates were tightly shut, withered vines crawled across the walls, and most of the windows were shattered.
The entire building was shrouded in an ominous silence; even the sound of birds was absent.
The Assistant Director got out of the car, her fingers trembling slightly as she performed the Hand signs.
"Emerge from darkness, blacker than black. Purify that which is impure."
The Curtain fell.
A black film descended from the sky, enveloping the entire building.
"U-um..." The Assistant Director pushed up her glasses. "I'll wait out here for you all. If anything happens, please contact me immediately..."
"Also... although all the inmates have been evacuated in advance, please be sure to check every corner carefully just in case. If you find anyone left behind, prioritize their protection and evacuation."
Kugisaki Nobara waved her hand. "Got it, got it. Stay back so you don't get caught in the crossfire."
The iron gate wasn't locked and opened with a single push.
The three stepped into the courtyard.
The air was thick with the smell of mold, mixed with a certain unidentifiable stench.
The ground was covered in withered leaves that crunched under their feet.
Kugisaki Nobara frowned. "This place... something feels off."
Fushiguro Megumi had already summoned his Divine Dogs.
The black and white Shikigami lowered their bodies, noses to the ground, sniffing carefully.
"How is it?" Itadori Yuji asked.
The Divine Dogs looked up and let out a low bark toward Fushiguro Megumi.
Fushiguro's frown deepened.
"The Divine Dogs say... there are no Cursed Energy residues."
"Huh?" Kugisaki Nobara was stunned. "None? Then where is the Cursed Womb?"
"I don't know." Fushiguro Megumi looked around. "But the Higher-ups couldn't have misjudged it that badly."
"Then we look." Kugisaki Nobara gripped her hammer. "Search floor by floor. We'll find it eventually."
The three began their search.
First floor: empty corridors with tightly shut doors on both sides.
Kugisaki Nobara kicked a door open; there was nothing inside.
"Nothing."
Second floor: the same.
Third floor: still empty.
Itadori Yuji scratched his head. "Could the Higher-ups have gotten it wrong?"
Fushiguro Megumi didn't answer.
He walked to a window at the end of the corridor and looked out.
"During the incubation process, a Cursed Womb constantly absorbs the Negative Emotions around it and releases Cursed Energy."
Fushiguro Megumi turned around, his expression grave. "By all accounts, the closer we get to the Cursed Womb, the thicker the Cursed Energy residue should be, and the Divine Dogs' sense should be stronger."
"But right now..." He looked at the Shikigami at his feet. "The Divine Dogs can't feel anything."
"It's as if..."
"It's being shielded."
Kugisaki Nobara's pupils shrank.
"You mean..."
"The Cursed Womb might have already finished hatching," Fushiguro Megumi said, "and it has the ability to shield Cursed Energy perception."
"Or," Itadori Yuji cut in, "it's not here at all?"
Just as he finished speaking, all three felt a slight tremor beneath their feet.
It was very light, like a heartbeat.
Thump.
Once.
Thump.
Again.
The source of the vibration... was above!
The three exchanged glances and simultaneously rushed toward the stairs.
They ran up floor by floor, that heartbeat growing clearer and clearer.
Thump, thump, thump.
The rhythm was steady and heavy.
They burst onto the roof.
The door was kicked open.
The rooftop was empty, save for a few clumps of withered grass swaying in the wind.
But right in the center of the rooftop—
Hovered a massive, pitch-black "cocoon."
It was about two meters high, its surface covered in vein-like markings that pulsed slightly with the rhythm.
Thump, thump, thump.
With every pulse, the cocoon expanded slightly, and the markings on its surface grew clearer.
"The Cursed Womb..." Kugisaki Nobara gasped for air, gripping her hammer. "Found it."
Fushiguro Megumi stared at the cocoon, his face growing paler.
"No."
"What's wrong?"
"This size... this amount of Cursed Energy..." Fushiguro's voice was a bit dry. "This isn't a Grade 1 Cursed Womb at all."
"It's at least a Special Grade."
Itadori Yuji and Kugisaki Nobara gasped in unison.
But before they could react—
The space directly above the Cursed Womb suddenly tore open.
A hole-like crack with constantly writhing edges.
Kugisaki Nobara's pupils snapped shut.
"That hole...!"
She had seen it.
Two months ago, at the hospital, the same thing had appeared above that Cursed Spirit's head!
And then that Grade 1 Cursed Spirit had turned into a Special Grade.
Fushiguro Megumi recognized it too.
"Attack!" he barked. "Before it fully hatches!"
The Divine Dogs were the first to pounce, their claws enveloped in Cursed Energy as they tore at the Cursed Womb!
Kugisaki Nobara threw her nails and swung her hammer!
"Resonance!"
Itadori Yuji followed closely behind, his fist whistling through the air as he slammed it straight toward the core of the Cursed Womb!