"Hey, Gumo. What's your dream?"
"Ehh? Where did that come from?"
"Just tell me."
"I guess... to reach the ultimate pinnacle of martial arts, and then live a quiet, happy life."
"Not to become the strongest?"
"Nope."
"Really?"
"Really."
"Sho—ko—!" Satoru Gojo yelled at the top of his lungs. "Help! Help! I'm dying over here!"
"Copy that," Shoko Ieiri replied, her voice droll as she played along with the 'Doctor Shoko' bit. "It's just a scratch. No big deal."
As Reverse Cursed Technique energy was channeled into him, Satoru's wounds vanished. He sat up, glaring playfully at his friend. "And you still have the nerve to say you didn't develop that move specifically to mess with me?"
Some time had passed since the Goodwill Event, but this summer felt exceptionally long. Usually, by this time of year, the heat would be beginning to break, but the sun remained relentless. Even the cicadas seemed too exhausted to chirp.
Suguru Geto and Hasegumo had been taking turns leading the first-years on missions. This time, it was Geto's turn in the field. Consequently, only Hasegumo, Satoru, and Shoko were left at the school.
"Gumo, let's spar," Satoru suggested suddenly from his lounge chair. He was clearly looking for an outlet for his boundless energy, likely hoping to use his Limitless technique to get a few hits in on Hasegumo.
"In this heat? Let's just stay put," Hasegumo muttered, stretching lazily. He nudged Hachi—who was sprawled across him like a living space heater—off his lap and onto the floor.
"Whimper..." Hachi let out a heartbroken sound at being rejected by his master.
"Come on, come on! Lying around here is boring," Satoru insisted.
"I can't hit you through your technique, and if you don't use your technique, you aren't much of a challenge," Hasegumo countered, flatly declining the offer.
"You jerk..." Satoru grumbled, searching for an excuse to start a fight. "Oh, wait! That move of yours—the Defensive Black Flash. Even with my technique active, that would still hit me!"
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Hasegumo hadn't even considered that. "Doesn't your Infinity keep all attacks and objects away?"
"Use your brain," Satoru said, already standing up to stretch. "When I attack you, I have to make contact. My Infinity doesn't block my own strikes, otherwise, I could never hurt you. In that split second of contact, your counter would land."
"Oh? You're right." Hasegumo's eyes lit up as the realization hit. He stood up, his expression turning serious. "Then let's test it. Let me see what the so-called 'Strongest' is made of."
Under the blazing sun, a clash between monsters was imminent.
...
The exchange turned out to be far easier for Hasegumo than he had anticipated.
To put it simply, Satoru had assumed that after his recent training, he'd be able to hold his own in a melee against Hasegumo. He relied on the advantage of his Limitless to launch his attacks; although he had to briefly 'deactivate' the barrier at the point of contact to strike Hasegumo, he didn't think Hasegumo could possibly react and land a Black Flash in such a microscopic window.
However, the benefit of Shindigunken in close-quarters combat far exceeded Satoru's estimates.
Since Infinity wasn't yet an automated, passive process, Satoru had to manually manage the gaps to land his hits. Hasegumo, sensing the intent and the flow of energy, caught those fleeting moments every single time, landing a Defensive Black Flash that bypassed Satoru's invincibility.
Satoru hadn't mastered the ability to land Black Flashes at will yet. In their exchange of blows, Satoru was the one consistently taking damage. Combined with Hasegumo's monstrous physical specs, the result was predictable.
"That's it?" Hasegumo asked, holding his hand out in a 'shrug' gesture. "I'm starting to doubt the 'gold standard' of the Strongest."
"You bastard! Tell me again you didn't develop this just for me!" Satoru snapped, his ego bruised. "What kind of freak invents such a disgusting counter-move?"
"Nobody develops techniques just to bully their teammates," Hasegumo argued, refusing to take the blame. "Besides, if you hadn't pointed it out, I wouldn't have realized it countered your Limitless so well."
Neither of them had used lethal force—Satoru hadn't unleashed a full-power 'Blue,' and Hasegumo hadn't condensed his total energy into a single point. Regardless, it was the first time Satoru had tasted defeat while using his Innate Technique.
Is this what losing feels like? This guy's melee prowess is like a natural disaster. Satoru reflected on the sensation. Was it bitter?
Not really. Satoru Gojo was the type of person who, even after a loss, never doubted himself. He believed he would become the strongest, and that conviction remained unshakable.
"Without using Blue, Satoru, it looks like you really aren't Gumo's match anymore," Shoko added, twisting the knife.
"Shut up," Satoru grumbled. He could lose the fight, but he wouldn't lose the argument. "If I used a Blue strong enough to beat him, I'd level the whole school. Yaga-sensei would kill me."
Even though he had defeated the future 'Strongest' today, Hasegumo didn't feel smug. Satoru's growth rate was visible to the naked eye. In the very near future, Satoru would inevitably become far more powerful than he was now.
Meanwhile, Hasegumo felt like his own growth had hit a ceiling. In terms of jujutsu, he was limited by his physical durability and stagnant energy reserves. In terms of martial arts, he hadn't made any breakthroughs since mastering Shindigunken.
Aside from Barrier Techniques, he had no clear path forward. He could only continue to study, hoping to one day complete a Domain Expansion of his own.
The brief skirmish did nothing to cool the summer heat. After Shoko finished healing Satoru, they all retreated to their chairs in the shade. It was during this lull that a phone began to ring.
Ring... Ring... Satoru pushed his sunglasses up and pulled out a classic flip-phone. "Moshi moshi?"
"Seriously, why did we have to wait for Suguru to get back before leaving?" Satoru grumbled, leading the way up a mountain path.
The call had been from Masamichi Yaga. He informed them that Utahime Iori and Mei Mei had been missing for two days while investigating a mountain shrine. He wanted the trio to go and see what had happened.
"Probably because Sensei thinks your teamwork can handle any situation," Hasegumo said, eating a bunch of grapes with his one good hand. He glanced at Suguru Geto, who was walking beside him. "By the way, Suguru, you actually had time to buy souvenirs while on a mission?"
"It was just a Grade 3 curse. I didn't even need to use Cursed Spirit Manipulation," Geto explained. Nanami and Haibara were already capable sorcerers; they didn't need his help. "I saw they had everything under control, so I picked up a few things."
"Where's my Kikufuku then?" Satoru looked back, teasing. "Did you only remember Gumo and Shoko? No gift for your best friend? Our bond is flickering like a candle in the wind, Suguru. I'm hurt."
"I mainly bought fruit for Gumo. I noticed he never buys anything for himself to eat. We have to look out for our disabled friend," Geto said, hands in his pockets, his single bang fluttering in the breeze. "And besides, the thing you wanted isn't a local specialty. Who takes a detour to Sendai just for souvenirs?"
Hasegumo popped the remaining grapes into his mouth, savoring the sweet juice. "Thanks for the concern, but people usually eat fruit for vitamins. My body is... different. It doesn't really matter what I eat."
"What are you, some kind of ascetic monk?" Satoru asked, baffled. "Food that isn't a meal is supposed to make you feel happy and satisfied. Like delicious Kikufuku."
"Happy? I guess so." Hasegumo hid the fact that he was actually just too broke to afford expensive fruit and tried to change the subject. "Hey, look. That shrine up there. It's huge. Is that the place?"
"Should be. The building looks ominous, and the cursed energy is already leaking out," Shoko noted. "I wonder how Utahime-senpai and Mei Mei-senpai are doing in there."
Satoru looked at the massive structure and decided that searching it would be a pain. He didn't know what was inside, and frankly, he didn't care. If it was enough to trap a Grade 1 like Mei Mei, he'd just level the place.
"Blue!"
He unleashed a high-output Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue. The building immediately began to buckle and collapse, the debris being sucked toward the center of the technique.
"Aaahhh!" A terrified female scream erupted as a flash of red leapt from a window. Utahime dove toward the ground, a falling wall narrowly missing her with a deafening thud.
"I'm here to save you, Utahime~!" Satoru chirped, leaping onto a treetop and striking a pose. "Aww, are you crying?"
Utahime, still sprawled on the ground, glared up at him. Even through his sunglasses, she could feel his disrespectful gaze. "I'm not crying! And show some respect to your senior!"
"If she was crying, would you actually comfort her?" Mei Mei's voice drifted out from the wreckage, calm as ever. "That would be a lot of work for you."
"Mei-san wouldn't cry," Satoru said, standing tall with his hands in his pockets. "You're strong, after all."
Utahime scrambled to her feet, her rage boiling over. She shook her fist at him. "Gojo! I didn't need your help—"
She stopped mid-sentence as a massive surge of cursed energy erupted behind her. She spun around to see a giant, yellowish, tuber-like head with a second face on its neck and tiny, stubby arms. The curse burst from the ground like an overgrown potato.
Before Utahime could react, another curse surged from the earth, its massive jaws clamping shut around the tuber-demon. It was the Sandworm Curse under Suguru Geto's control.
"Don't swallow it yet; I want to absorb it later," Geto said, walking up the path with the others. "Satoru, bullying the weak is bad form."
"Who's stupid enough to try and bully the strong?" Satoru waved him off.
"Suguru-kun, your ability to irritate people is truly a natural talent," Mei Mei said, stroking her chin.
"I guess I'm the 'stupid' one then, because I prefer bullying the strong," Hasegumo said, pulling two peaches from his pocket. He bit into one and tossed the other to Satoru. "Here."
"Thank you. But you aren't implying I'm the strong one you're bullying, are you?" Satoru asked, biting into the peach but refusing to be bought.
"Don't take it so seriously, haha." Hasegumo caught the peach with his hand and began the awkward struggle of trying to peel it with his teeth.
"Utahime-senpai," Shoko said, waving to her from the path. "Are you okay? I was worried. We haven't heard from you in two days."
"Shoko~!" Utahime's anger vanished instantly. She ran over and squeezed Shoko in a tight hug. "Shoko, you can't end up like those guys!"
"As if," Shoko replied with a look of fond resignation. "Who'd want to be scum like them?"
"Does just standing near them automatically make me 'scum' too?" Hasegumo wondered. He felt he was at least a tier above the other two.
"Utahime is so slow, she didn't realize the building was falling~" Satoru whispered loudly to Geto as they walked up the stairs.
"You're so annoying," Geto replied.
"Two days?" Utahime, still hugging Shoko, suddenly froze.
Satoru's brain immediately picked up on the discrepancy. "Oh? I guess the curse's barrier affected the flow of time? Rare, but it happens. I was wondering how even Mei-san got stuck."
"It seems so." Mei Mei appeared to be deep in thought. "Hmm..."
"What is it?" Satoru asked.
"Nothing. I was just thinking that since I've technically been working for two days, I should charge a significantly higher appearance fee."
"You're still thinking about extortion?" Utahime asked, baffled. This mission's payout was already huge.
"By the way," Mei Mei said, her eyes narrowing with a playful smile. "Where's the Curtain?"
"Huh?"
The Tokyo Jujutsu High group shared a look of sudden, collective dread.