At Tokyo Jujutsu High, Itadori Yuji stood beside the training field, demonstrating one of the basic techniques Gojo had been teaching him.
Cursed energy gathered around his fist before he drove it into the ground with a powerful punch, making the earth tremble as dirt and stones scattered around him.
“How was that?” Yuji wiped the sweat from his forehead, grinning brightly. “It took me a whole week to get the hang of it!”
“Not bad.” Natsuki nodded. “Your control has definitely improved.”
Yuji really was cut from the same cloth as Kurosaki Ichigo from Bleach and Uzumaki Naruto from Naruto—another protagonist who had won the genetic lottery in every possible way.
His grandfather carried the reincarnated soul of Sukuna’s twin brother, while Yuji’s own mother had been Kenjaku.
The events of Jujutsu Kaisen also unfolded at a frightening pace.
For the first half of his life, Yuji had been known as the ‘Tiger of West Junior High’, possessing physical abilities that made him practically superhuman compared to an ordinary person.
Had he lived in a peaceful slice-of-life world, he would have been the sort of naturally gifted anime protagonist everyone envied.
After another sixty-eight years of growth and experience, he would become even more terrifying, eventually surpassing both Gojo Satoru and Ryomen Sukuna to stand at the very top of the jujutsu world.
The original story had merely shown the few most miserable months of his life.
“Right? Right?” Yuji eagerly moved closer.
“Then how about a spar? No techniques, just hand-to-hand combat!”
Megumi pressed a hand to his forehead.
“Itadori, you’re doing it again. Amamiya is our guest.”
Natsuki did not mind.
“Sure.”
The two took their positions in the center of the training field.
Yuji lowered himself into a fighting stance, his expression sharpening before he burst forward.
“Here I come!”
He crossed the distance before the last word had even left his mouth.
‘That acceleration is impressive.’
Natsuki slipped to the side and raised his right hand to block.
Bang!
Fist struck palm, sending a wave of air rolling across the field.
Surprise flashed through Yuji’s eyes.
He had thrown that punch with all his strength, yet Natsuki had stopped it effortlessly.
Natsuki immediately caught his wrist and used the momentum to throw him over his shoulder, but Yuji reacted quickly, twisting in midair and catching himself with one hand before springing backward.
“That was awesome!” Yuji grinned. “Again!”
They rushed at each other once more, and the rapid clash of fists and feet echoed across the training field like heavy rain.
Megumi watched from the side, growing more astonished with every exchange.
Yuji’s fighting style had been refined through Gojo’s guidance, but much of it had still been developed through instinct and experimentation.
Combined with his naturally monstrous physique, it made him almost unbeatable among students of the same level.
Natsuki, however, remained completely at ease.
He anticipated every movement Yuji made, avoiding or blocking each attack with the smallest possible motion, while every counter came from an awkward angle and aimed directly at an opening in Yuji’s guard.
After ten exchanges, Natsuki swept Yuji’s legs out from under him.
His fist stopped above Yuji’s chest, wrapped in such dense cursed energy that the pressure alone was overwhelming.
“I lose!”
Yuji remained sprawled on the ground, breathing slightly harder than before.
“You’re ridiculously strong, Natsuki…”
“You weren’t bad either.”
Natsuki offered him a hand and pulled him upright.
“Your instincts are excellent. You’re just lacking experience.”
“Gojo-sensei said the same thing…” Yuji scratched his head.
“That’s because you only started learning jujutsu recently,” Megumi said as he approached them.
“Once you become more comfortable controlling cursed energy, your strength will improve quickly.”
Yuji nodded enthusiastically.
“Right! I’ll keep working at it!”
A familiar voice drifted toward them from across the field.
“Megumi~ Yuji~ Mr. Helpful Citizen~”
Gojo approached carrying a paper bag printed with the logo of a dessert shop.
“Come on, I brought cake for everyone~”
He opened the bag to reveal several beautifully decorated slices of strawberry cream cake.
“I just bought them. They’re amazing!”
The four sat on a bench beside the training field and began eating.
“So, Natsuki-kun,” Gojo asked between bites, “what do you think of Jujutsu High?”
“The surroundings are nice.”
“Exactly~” Gojo smiled brightly. “So are you sure you don’t want to transfer?”
“I’m not planning to.”
“What a shame…” Gojo sighed dramatically, though he recovered almost immediately. “What about working part-time, then? Jujutsu High often hires outside sorcerers for missions, and the pay is excellent.”
Natsuki remembered Mei Mei’s offer.
“Speaking of that, Mei Mei-senpai approached me recently.”
“Oh?”
Gojo looked genuinely surprised.
“That money-hungry woman came to you?”
“Yeah. She invited me to join an investigation and offered fifty million yen.”
“The Hokkaido mission?”
Natsuki paused.
“You know about it?”
Gojo licked a trace of cream from his fork.
“I was originally assigned to that mission, but I’ve been too busy lately, so it was passed to Mei Mei.”
He glanced at Natsuki.
“Are you thinking of going?”
“I’m considering it.”
“I’d recommend accepting it.” Gojo’s expression became unusually serious. “The Time Vessel Association’s base in Hokkaido is highly suspicious. We’ve heard they may be conducting large-scale experiments involving Cursed Spirits.”
He paused briefly.
“And there may be clues about ‘him’ there.”
Natsuki understood that Gojo meant the person currently controlling the Time Vessel Association.
“I’ll give it serious thought.”
Once they finished the cake, Gojo clapped his hands and stood.
“All right, I have somewhere else to be, so I’ll leave first~ Megumi, Yuji, show Natsuki-kun around a little more.”
With that, he vanished through teleportation.
Megumi looked at Natsuki.
“Want to see the cafeteria? Dinner service should be starting soon.”
A small slice of cake was hardly more than an appetizer, especially for jujutsu sorcerers, whose bodies consumed a great deal of energy whenever they used cursed energy.
“Sure.”
The three headed toward the cafeteria.
On the way, Yuji asked, “Natsuki, are you really going on a mission with Mei Mei-senpai?”
“Probably.”
“That’s incredible…” Yuji looked at him with open admiration. “I’ve only just started learning, but you’re already qualified to take high-level missions.”
“You’ll get there too,” Natsuki assured him.
The cafeteria at Jujutsu High was spacious, though there were not many people inside.
Even counting all three year groups, the teachers, and the assistant managers, the school’s population was tiny compared to Toyogasaki Academy, which had thousands of students.
“Fushiguro! Itadori! Over here!”
A girl with short orange hair and matching eyes waved from one of the tables.
“That’s Kugisaki Nobara,” Megumi explained. “She’s in the same year as Itadori and me.”
The three joined her at the table.
Nobara looked Natsuki up and down.
“So you’re the Amamiya Fushiguro mentioned?”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Amamiya Natsuki.”
“Kugisaki Nobara.”
She introduced herself without hesitation.
“I heard you’re strong enough to fight Sukuna?”
“It was only a brief spar.”
“That’s still impressive!” Nobara grinned. “Teach me a few tricks sometime.”
“When there’s an opportunity.”
A cafeteria worker brought over their trays.
The meal was generous: tonkatsu, miso soup, salad, rice, and pudding for dessert.
Yuji’s eyes lit up.
“Thanks for the food!”
He immediately began eating at an alarming speed.
Nobara grimaced.
“Have some manners, idiot.”
“Mmph… It’s delicious…”
Natsuki picked up his chopsticks and tried the food. It was indeed excellent, far better than anything served in an ordinary school cafeteria.
During the meal, Nobara asked about his technique.
“I heard you can project weapons. How does that work?”
“It’s a variation of Construction.”
“Construction…” Nobara considered that. “Can you reproduce cursed tools too?”
“Yes, but I need to understand their structure first.”
“That sounds incredibly convenient…” she muttered. “Meanwhile, I’m stuck using a hammer and nails.”
“Your Straw Doll Technique is extremely powerful too,” Natsuki replied.
That was not empty praise.
Nobara’s technique was vicious enough to make even seasoned sorcerers wary.
…
After dinner, Megumi took Natsuki around the rest of the school, showing him the library, infirmary, dormitories, and several other facilities before they eventually reached the rooftop of the main building.
From there, they could see the entire campus surrounded by distant mountain ranges.
“The view is nice,” Natsuki said.
“Yeah.”
Megumi leaned against the railing.
“Gojo-sensei said you might become an important asset.”
Natsuki raised an eyebrow.
“He thinks that highly of me?”
“You’re strong, and more importantly… you’re neutral.”
Megumi gazed toward the mountains.
“The jujutsu world is complicated. The higher-ups are corrupt, curse users are becoming bolder, and Gojo-sensei has been searching for an opportunity to change the system.”
“So he wants to recruit me?”
“He wants to cooperate with you,” Megumi corrected him. “He’ll respect whatever choice you make.”
Natsuki smiled faintly.
“Thank him for me.”
“I will.”
They talked for a while longer before Natsuki checked the time. It was already four in the afternoon.
“I should head home.”
“I’ll walk you to the entrance.”
“Sounds good.”