“Hey, Fushiguro.”
Natsuki raised a hand in greeting.
Megumi had finally changed out of the same Jujutsu High uniform he always wore, though with his spiky black hair and permanently aloof expression, he still looked every bit like a delinquent.
Megumi turned toward the familiar voice and gave him a brief nod.
“Amamiya.”
“What are you doing here?”
Schools naturally attracted Cursed Spirits.
The resentment produced by stressed students alone could probably sustain several Sukuna, but sorcerers regularly cleared out the curses that gathered on school grounds.
Without a Special Grade cursed object nearby, there was little risk of one developing into a Special Grade.
Still, Megumi was already a student at Jujutsu High. Natsuki had to wonder whether he could really turn around and attend a normal high school as well.
“I just finished the transfer procedure,” Megumi replied. “Gojo-sensei arranged it.”
“A transfer?”
“Yeah. I’ll be attending Toyogasaki Academy.”
Natsuki raised an eyebrow.
“To keep an eye on me?”
“Gojo-sensei is interested in you,” Megumi corrected him. “He asked me to act as an intermediary.”
And to study like an ordinary student while he was at it, though Megumi kept that part to himself.
“Why didn’t he come himself?”
“He said that would be too obvious.”
“…”
Natsuki stared at him for a moment before dismissively waving one hand.
“Whatever. As long as you don’t interfere with my life.”
“I won’t,” Megumi promised. “I’m only here as a normal student.”
‘Normal students don’t carry cursed tools around with them dumbass.’
Natsuki kept the thought to himself.
“What about Itadori?”
“He’s at Jujutsu High. Gojo-sensei is training him.”
“That guy was pretty interesting.”
Megumi glanced at him.
“You held back that day.”
“You noticed?”
“Yeah. Sukuna with only one finger’s worth of power wasn’t a match for you.”
Natsuki smiled faintly.
“It was still someone else’s body.”
Megumi nodded and did not say anything more.
The bell rang, and the two returned to their respective classrooms.
…
At lunchtime, Natsuki ate with Utaha on the rooftop.
“You seem distracted today, Kouhai-kun.”
Utaha rested her cheek against one hand, her legs crossed in a way that was far too alluring for a school rooftop.
“Are you thinking about another girl?”
“I’m thinking about something important.”
“And what would that be?”
“Cursed Spirits, jujutsu sorcerers, and why this world insists on being so troublesome.”
Utaha blinked before a smile spread across her face.
“Kouhai-kun really isn’t an ordinary person.”
“Neither are you, Senpai.”
“I’m merely an ordinary high school girl who writes novels.”
“An ordinary high school girl wouldn’t have stayed so calm when a monster attacked her.”
Utaha’s eyes curved with amusement.
“That was because you were there, Kouhai-kun.”
She picked up a piece of tamagoyaki with her chopsticks and held it toward his mouth.
“Here. Say ah~”
Natsuki opened his mouth and ate it.
“How is it?”
“It’s good.”
“I made it myself.”
“Thank you, Senpai.”
The two continued eating and chatting in a relaxed atmosphere.
From a window in the distant school building, Eriri watched them through a pair of binoculars, grinding her teeth.
“That top-heavy woman in black stockings… She’s feeding him!”
Snap.
The pencil in her hand broke in half.
…
The afternoon classes passed quickly.
As soon as the final bell rang, Natsuki began packing his schoolbag, and Eriri immediately came over.
“Natsuki-kun, you promised to tutor me…”
“Right. Shall we go to the library?”
“Okay!”
They had barely stepped out of the classroom when they found Miko waiting in the hallway.
“Senpai…”
She paused when she noticed Eriri.
“Oh, this is Sawamura Eriri, a second-year,” Natsuki introduced them. “Eriri, this is Yotsuya Miko from the first year.”
“N-Nice to meet you…”
Miko hurriedly bowed.
Eriri looked her over briefly before nodding.
“Nice to meet you.”
Inside, however, a very different thought was running through her head.
‘Another one… Just how many girls does Natsuki-kun have around him?!’
In the end, Miko joined Natsuki and Eriri on their trip to the library.
In a quiet corner, Eriri spread her English workbook across the table and stared at the grammar exercises with a deep frown.
Natsuki sat opposite her and patiently walked her through each question, while Miko sat nearby pretending to read even though her gaze kept drifting toward them.
The atmosphere became subtly awkward.
“So this sentence needs the present perfect…” Natsuki explained, making a note on the page with his pencil.
Eriri nodded as though she mostly understood.
“Um…”
Miko suddenly spoke in a small voice.
“Senpai, may I ask you something?”
Natsuki looked up.
“What is it?”
“It’s about… those things.”
She hesitated before continuing.
“What should I do if I encounter one that’s really strong?”
Eriri immediately pricked up her ears.
“Run,” Natsuki answered simply. “Or call me.”
“Wouldn’t that cause you trouble?”
“No.”
Natsuki smiled.
“Protecting a kouhai is part of a senpai’s responsibility.”
Miko’s cheeks turned faintly pink.
“Thank you, Senpai…”
Eriri puffed out her cheeks.
“Natsuki-kun is too kind to everyone.”
“Am I?”
“You are!”
She huffed and lowered her head to continue working, though after writing only a few words, she looked up again.
“Um… are you free this weekend, Natsuki-kun?”
“Why?”
“I want to go out and gather references for my art…” Eriri said, her gaze wandering away. “I’m a little nervous about going alone.”
“Sure.”
Natsuki agreed immediately.
“Really?”
Eriri’s eyes lit up.
“Mm.”
“Then it’s a promise!”
She happily swayed her twin-tails.
Miko pressed her lips together before quietly asking, “Senpai… may I come too?”
“Eh?”
Eriri froze.
“I’d like to learn how to draw as well…” Miko’s face reddened even further. “And if there are more people around, those things probably won’t come too close…”
Natsuki looked at her.
It was an incredibly flimsy excuse.
“Sure.”
“Thank you, Senpai!”
Miko visibly relaxed.
Eriri’s expression became complicated.
‘A trip for three, then…’
‘Still, it was better than letting Natsuki go out alone with that top-heavy woman in black stockings.’
She comforted herself with that thought.
The tutoring session continued for more than an hour, by which point the sky outside had begun to darken.
“That’s enough for today.”
Natsuki closed the book.
“Okay!”
Eriri gathered her things, and the three left the library together beneath the evening sky, their shadows stretching long across the pavement.
Before long, they arrived outside the Sawamura residence.
“Natsuki-kun, would you like to come inside for tea?” Eriri asked.
Natsuki shook his head.
“I should walk Miko home first.”
“Oh…”
Eriri was clearly disappointed, though she did not say anything more.
She waved goodbye and started toward her house, only to glance back after a few steps.
Natsuki and Miko were already walking away side by side.
Eriri bit her lip.
‘I need to try harder too…’
…
The road to Miko’s home was quiet.
She kept her head lowered as they walked, seemingly lost in thought.
“Miko.”
Natsuki suddenly spoke.
“Eh?”
She looked up.
“You still haven’t been sleeping well, have you?”
“How did you know, Senpai?”
“The dark circles under your eyes are pretty noticeable.”
Natsuki stopped and looked at her.
“Are you afraid to sleep at night?”
Miko’s body stiffened before she slowly nodded.
“Whenever I close my eyes, it feels like something is watching me…”
“You can’t keep going like that.”
Natsuki reached into his schoolbag and took out a small protective charm.
“Here. Take this.”
“What is it?”
“A cursed tool I made. It can drive away weaker Cursed Spirits.”
He handed it to her.
“Keep it with you, and you should be able to sleep better at night.”
Naturally, Natsuki had asked Megumi for the method used to create protective charms. Once he understood the principles behind it, he reproduced one through Projection Magecraft.
Miko accepted the charm.
It felt warm in her hand, and an immediate sense of safety settled over her.
“Senpai… thank you!”
She bowed deeply.
“You’re welcome.”
They soon arrived outside the Yotsuya residence.
“This is my home…”
Miko stood near the entrance.
“Would you like to come upstairs for a while, Senpai?”
“Maybe next time.”
“Okay…”
She looked disappointed for a moment but quickly recovered.
“Then please be careful on your way home.”
“I will.”
Natsuki turned and walked away.
After putting some distance between himself and the building, he suddenly stopped.
Something was writhing in the shadows at the corner of the street.
“Come out.”
His voice turned cold.
The darkness twisted as a cockroach-like Cursed Spirit slowly crawled into view.
It was only Grade 3, though its presence was noticeably stronger than most curses of the same rank.
“Hiss…”
The creature stared at Natsuki with naked malice.
He frowned.
This was already the third Cursed Spirit he had encountered that day.
Their activity was clearly increasing!
Natsuki raised one fist, Hamon surging around it, and struck before the creature could move.
The Cursed Spirit dissolved into black smoke beneath the blow.