September 7, 2018, Tokyo Jujutsu High.
Hiroshi and Shoko enjoyed a quiet Morning together, sharing a glass of fine whisky. Shoko examined the diamond and gold-plated bottle with a curious smile.
"Six million dollars for one bottle? That's extravagant," Shoko remarked, taking a delicate sip from her glass.
"Nothing's too extravagant if it's for you, love," Hiroshi replied, planting a tender kiss on her forehead.
"You know you don't need to do all this," Shoko said earnestly, looking into his eyes. "I love you with or without these luxuries."
Hiroshi tightened his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. "You're the woman I love. You deserve nothing but the best," he asserted with a gentle smile.
They both gazed out at the serene view of nature, the evening light casting a warm glow over the landscape.
"Shouldn't you be somewhere?" Shoko teased, breaking the silence.
"The Old Man and Utahime can handle it," Hiroshi replied nonchalantly. "Besides, you're skipping out on your duties too."
Shoko chuckled. "The Head Nurse is managing things. It's not every day that sorcerers come in heavily injured, especially with your SBI organization helping out. Fewer casualties, but more injuries."
"Isn't that a good thing? The more sorcerers alive, the easier life is," Hiroshi pointed out, his gaze softening as he looked at her.
Shoko fell silent for a moment, then asked quietly, "Tell me, Hiroshi, after we deal with Kenjaku, what's next?"
Hiroshi placed his cheek against hers, his voice a soft whisper. "Marriage, children?" he suggested.
"I see. I thought that had slipped your mind," she pouted playfully.
"Hehe, never. The moment things calm down, I'll throw you the biggest wedding," Hiroshi promised, his eyes shining with sincerity.
"I'd rather have a private ceremony, with just our friends," she said, her voice tender.
"By your will, milady," Hiroshi replied, his tone full of love and affection.
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Kyoto Meeting Room, Utahime and Principal Gakuganji were briefing the Kyoto Jujutsu students.
"Where is he at a time like this?" Utahime asked, visibly annoyed.
"Hehe, young love," Gakuganji said with a chuckle.
"Principal, have you seen Hiroshi?" Utahime asked, trying to mask her irritation.
"Probably with this school's doctor," Gakuganji replied, reaching into his sleeve and pulling out a scroll.
"Gather around, everyone," Gakuganji called out as he handed out earpieces to the students and a flash drive to Mechamaru.
"Senju left instructions for you all," Gakuganji said. "Mechamaru, you will be responsible for command. Use your analytical skills. Nishimiya, you'll scout the surroundings for cursed spirits and Tokyo students. Kamo, you'll provide support fire. Todo, you can deal with Itadori Yuji specifically. Senju mentioned you'll find your brother that way."
"Brother?" Todo echoed, confused but shrugging it off.
"Miwa, you are to deal with that woman Kugisaki. As for Senju's final instructions, deal with Megumi last so you can focus on handling him and his Shikigami, Mai, you can handle Maki as you see fit," Gakuganji concluded.
"I will delay Panda and Inumaki," Mechamaru declared. A contingent of his puppets began marching forward, their mechanical limbs moving with precision.
"Everyone got it?" Utahime asked for confirmation.
"YES!" the Kyoto students responded in unison.
"One more thing," Gakuganji added, almost forgetting Hiroshi's last words. "If you lose, Spartan training again, he said..."
The mention of this earned a collective shudder from the sorcerers.
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Hiroshi opened the door to the Faculty Room and saw Utahime, Satoru, Suguru, and the two principals already gathered.
"Yo, everyone! Good morning!" Hiroshi greeted cheerfully.
"Yo! Mornin'!" Satoru replied.
"Good morning," Suguru said.
Both principals nodded in acknowledgment.
"Tea, anyone?" Hiroshi offered as he wheeled in a cart full of beverages.
"Iced tea, please," Gakuganji requested.
"Hot tea over here," Utahime said.
Hiroshi used his clones to serve the beverages while the real Hiroshi took a seat.
"Must be nice to clone yourself," Masamichi Yaga observed, watching Hiroshi's clones serve the drinks.
"So, is it starting?" Hiroshi asked Suguru, who was seated beside him.
"In a bit," Suguru replied.
"Your daughters, what grade of sorcerers are they?" Hiroshi inquired.
"More or less Grade 2. Sadly, my daughters aren't that talented," Suguru said with a hint of regret.
"That's fine. They have a strong dad, right?" Hiroshi reassured him.
"That's right," Suguru nodded, smiling.
"T-minus one minute before we start. Words of encouragement from Ms. Utahime!" Gojo announced over the microphone.
"Huh? Wait, what?" Utahime was flabbergasted as Satoru handed her the microphone with a mischievous look on his face.
"Uh... some injuries are unavoidable, but, uh... let's help each other and—" She was cut off as Satoru took back the mic, saying, "Time's up!"
"GOJO, YOU LITTLE—!" Utahime yelled, her voice dripping with annoyance.
"It's time for the Goodwill Event to... START!!!" Gojo shouted over the mic as Utahime and Gojo continued to argue, the mic cutting off mid-sentence.
Watching this, Hiroshi nudged Suguru. "Hmm?" Suguru responded.
"They should date already," Hiroshi smirked, gesturing to Utahime and Satoru.
Simultaneously, at the Tokyo meeting area, the Tokyo Jujutsu High sorcerers were on standby, listening to the argument between Satoru and Utahime.
"Why do they always argue like that?" Megumi wondered aloud, his arms crossed as he leaned against a wall.
"It's their way of showing affection," Panda said, grinning.
"It's more like a comedy routine," Maki added, shaking her head.
Nobara laughed. "Honestly, it's kind of entertaining. It takes the edge off."
Yuji, still new to the dynamics of the Jujutsu world, looked puzzled. "So, is this normal?"
"Very," Megumi replied with a sigh. "You'll get used to it."
Nanako and Mimiko stood nearby, with Mimiko perched on Panda's shoulders while Nanako drummed on Panda's stomach like a drum.
"Panda, why are you so soft?" Mimiko asked as she hugged Panda.
"Because I am Panda," Panda said with a playful tone.
As Gojo announced the start of the event, the two groups immediately began moving towards where they believed the stationed curses were. The goal of the event was to exorcise all the cursed spirits around the island and find the hidden Grade 2 curse.
"I've got sight on the Tokyo team, way north. We'll be meeting them in a few minutes of walking," Nishimiya called out over the communications.
"There are a few curses around us to the east, north, and east again. I'll give you visuals," Nishimiya said as she took out a camera and started scanning the area.
Noritoshi Kamo coated his arrows with his blood, watching the visuals on Mechamaru's back, which displayed an open monitor.
"I still can't believe Sensei would make us use technology as sorcerers," Miwa said, still in disbelief that sorcery and technology could actually work quite well together.
"I'm quite surprised that we haven't thought about it before," Mai said as she produced a Barrett M82 sniper rifle.
Mechamaru saw this and commented, "That's too high of a caliber."
"Is it?" Mai asked, then disassembled it into twin pistols. "Better?" she asked Mechamaru.
"Better," Mechamaru replied, nodding.
Noritoshi Kamo launched his blood-coated arrows with precision, targeting each of the identified cursed spirit locations. The arrows flew swiftly through the air, hitting their marks with deadly accuracy. As the arrows pierced the cursed spirits, the potent blend of cursed energy and Noritoshi's blood manipulation technique caused the spirits to dissolve instantly. In quick succession, he successfully exorcised three of the eight Grade 3 cursed spirits.
"Three down," Noritoshi reported, his voice steady through the communication device. "Five more to go. Let's keep up the pace."
The Kyoto team continued to move strategically, aware that their efforts were being mirrored by their counterparts from Tokyo. Nishimiya maintained her aerial surveillance, providing crucial information to her teammates.
"Yuji Itadori, Megumi Fushiguro, Nobara Kugisaki, contact in 30 seconds," Nishimiya reported, her eyes scanning the terrain below. However, she soon noticed flying rabbits approaching her. "Shikigami? Wind Scythe!" She sent blades of wind towards the shikigami, swiftly exorcising them.
On the ground, Megumi felt the connection to Raiju sever. "Raiju is gone..." he muttered, surveying the surroundings.
Clap Clap Clap
The sound of clapping resonated through the air before the trio was suddenly separated.
"Megumi Fushiguro has been separated," Aoi Todo announced, looking at Yuji standing in front of him.
"Fushiguro! Kugisaki!" Yuji exclaimed, realizing that both his friends were gone.
"Good work, Todo. You do you now," Mechamaru's voice said over the comms.
Meanwhile, Nobara found herself teleported to an unfamiliar location. "What? Where am I?" she muttered, hammer and nails at the ready.
"Ah! Mechamaru, the girl is here. Should I fight?" Miwa asked, eager for confirmation.
"Your target is the girl with nails. Good luck, Miwa," Mechamaru responded over the comms.
Nobara tightened her grip on her hammer as Miwa faced her, adopting a Batto Sword Drawing stance. "Nobara Kugisaki, you are my target," Miwa declared.
"1v1? I haven't lost a 1v1 ever," Nobara replied, smirking confidently.
Meanwhile, Megumi found himself teleported to a remote part of the island. Surveying his surroundings, he quickly identified and exorcised a Grade 3 curse. "What a weird ability, Aoi Todo," Megumi thought. He clasped his hands together, summoning his shikigami. "Totality-Merged Beast: Dragon," he commanded, hopping onto the dragon and soaring into the sky.
As he flew, blood arrows suddenly rained down on him. Noritoshi Kamo was strategically positioned, firing arrow after arrow at the airborne Megumi. "How long am I supposed to delay Fushiguro Megumi?" Kamo asked, moving stealthily to avoid being pinpointed.
"Just 10 minutes, Kamo," Mechamaru replied through the comms.
"Roger that," Noritoshi Kamo responded, continuing his barrage.
Back with Yuji and Aoi Todo, the battle intensified as Yuji was smacked in the face, his nose bleeding from Todo's powerful hits. Yuji swung a left hook and followed up with a knee to Todo's face, but Todo grabbed Yuji and hurled him backward.
"Good speed, First Year," Todo remarked, seemingly unfazed by Yuji's attacks.
Yuji, shocked that Todo had taken his hits without flinching, thought, "No way! I thought I had him."
"Here's one back. Defend with your life on the line!" Todo shouted. With blinding speed, he struck Yuji right in the middle of his cross-arm block, sending him flying through trees and debris.
"Agh!" Yuji exclaimed. As he looked towards Todo, a foot came crashing down on his face.
Bam Bam Bam Bam
Todo repeatedly stomped on Yuji's face. Just as he was about to finish the job with a right hand, he stopped, noticing Yuji wasn't moving. "Done already?" he said.
But then Yuji stood up, defiant. "Hehehe," Todo snickered.
"Why'd you pound my face like that? You could make me dumber!" Yuji exclaimed, wiping the blood from his face.
"Don't worry. Takada says dumb guys are perfect," Todo replied.
"Who's that? I don't care about idols," Yuji retorted.
"But how do you know she's an idol?" Todo fired back.
"Because you mentioned her," Yuji replied.
"First Year, what's your name?" Todo asked, even though he already knew.
"Yuji Itadori," Yuji said.
"Yuji Itadori, I have one question for you. What type of girl do you like?" Todo said as he squared up, his gaze intense.
In the strange and turbulent world of Jujutsu Kaisen, battles often intertwine with personal revelations, and Yuji's encounter with Todo was no different. As Yuji squared up, "My type? What does that have to do with anything?" Yuji questioned, bewildered by Todo's sudden interest in his preferences, Todo explained with a fighting stance, "Stop fussing. All I'm doing is getting a sense of who I'm fighting with."
Still puzzled, Yuji tried to cooperate, thinking aloud awkwardly, "I guess I like... big girls with big butts like Jennifer Lawrence." This comment sparked something profound in Todo, triggering an imagined memory—a vivid fantasy of a camaraderie that never actually existed. This bizarre phenomenon was unique to Todo's peculiar ability to form deep bonds based on such trivial connections.
Tears welled up in Todo's eyes as he declared with emotional intensity, "It seems like we're best friends..."
Yuji, completely taken aback, protested, "BUT WE JUST MET!"
Meanwhile, Maki's journey through the forest epitomized the stark contrasts in the lives of the Zenin siblings. As she effortlessly sliced a curse in half, her lack of cursed energy offset by her mastery of cursed tools and her physically enhanced body, a bullet whizzed past her, snapping her back to the dangers at hand. She turned sharply, her instincts honed for combat.
Her sister, Mai, stood there in a strange uniform, an ensemble that seemed to blend tactical utility with a personal style—a black leather coat over a green inner shirt, paired with slim-fitted black jeans and topped with goggles.
"Mai," Maki said, her voice carrying a mix of surprise and resignation.
"Maki," Mai responded coolly, her pistols aimed directly at her sister, signaling the onset of another deeply personal and potentially devastating confrontation.
Meanwhile, in the faculty room, the senior sorcerers were intently watching their students perform through the array of screens set up to monitor the event. The atmosphere was a mix of anticipation and pride as they observed the results of their training and strategies.
"A masterful stroke, honestly," Suguru remarked, gesturing towards the screens displaying the integration of sorcery and technology that Hiroshi had equipped his students with. His tone was one of genuine admiration, acknowledging the innovative approach.
"Hehe, of course," Hiroshi responded, a comical look of pride spreading across his face. His eyes sparkled with satisfaction as he took in the fruits of his labor.
Masamichi Yaga, observing the Kyoto Jujutsu students, found himself deep in thought. The seamless blend of technology and sorcery was impressive, and he began to consider applying similar strategies to the Tokyo Jujutsu students. The idea of enhancing their capabilities with advanced tools and techniques was intriguing, and Yaga knew it could provide them with a significant edge in their battles against cursed spirits and curse users.
As they continued to watch, the scenes unfolding on the screens showcased the fierce determination and skill of their students. Each fight was a testament to their training, and the faculty couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and responsibility for the young sorcerers they were guiding.
"Maybe we should start integrating more technology into our curriculum," Yaga mused aloud, his gaze still fixed on the screens. "It's clear that it offers a significant advantage."
"Well done, Hiroshi," Masamichi Yaga praised, his tone carrying a note of genuine admiration.
Hiroshi responded with a grin, gesturing to his head. "Progressive mindset, Sensei."