"I'm here to collect the rest of Sukuna's fingers," Itadori said, his voice steady. "Leaving them out there is too risky."
Yaga raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Because it will kill people."
"People you don't know die every day," Yaga went on, waving a hand. "That's just life."
"Here we go," Gojo muttered, but Yaga ignored him.
"So you're saying," Yaga continued, staring Itadori down, "that if a curse kills someone, suddenly it's a big deal?"
"That's…" Itadori faltered, but then he straightened up. "That was my grandpa's last request. I don't need to overthink it. I just want to help people."
Yaga shot to his feet, his face darkening. "Last request?" he snapped. "So you're gonna fight curses because someone told you to?" He held out his hand, and one of the dolls on the floor sprang to life, bouncing around like it was in a boxing ring.
My eyes nearly bugged out of my head. "Hold up, those aren't dolls?"
"They're dolls infused with my cursed energy," Yaga explained.
The little green monster moved pretty fast but it would be easy to dodge. It flew at Itadori, its tiny fist aimed right at his face. All Itadori would need to do is lean slightly left and let the doll overshoot, grab its fist and slam it to the ground. Unfortunately, Itadori barely got his backpack up in time to block the punch. The force of it sent him slamming into a pillar, shaking the whole room.
"Itadori! You good?" I called out.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Itadori grunted, getting to his feet. "That doll hits like a truck!"
The creature bounced around, flexing its muscles like it was hot shit.
"A person's true colors show when they're backed into a corner," Yaga said. "I'll keep attacking until I get an answer I like."
Itadori's face twisted. "Look, man. It wasn't just 'someone else', it was my grandpa's dying wish!" He charged at the green doll, his fist connecting with a solid thwack.
The punch sent the doll flying into the wall. It bounced off, ricocheting between the pillars so fast it was just a blur. The wind from its movement blew out the candles, leaving us in shadow.
"Where'd it go?!" Itadori spun around, his eyes darting.
"Watch your back!" I yelled.
Itadori turned just in time to get headbutted in the gut. He went tumbling, crashing into the wall.
Yaga walked over to a big candle, acting like there wasn't a brawl going on right behind him. "Family is still just 'someone else,'" he said, lighting the wick with a match.
"A jujutsu sorcerer is always one step away from death," he went on, his voice echoing in the dark room. "Sometimes you have to let people die to take down a curse. It's a shit job. You have to be a little crazy to handle it. And you're saying you're doing this because someone told you to? Gimme a break. At least if you said you were doing it to avoid getting executed, I might believe you."
"Screw yo-"
"Are you gonna blame your grandpa if you get killed by a curse too?!" Yaga roared, shutting Itadori up.
"Damn, old man. That's harsh," I said.
Yaga stroked his goatee, his face unreadable. "Teaching is about making people face the truth," he said finally.
Itadori hesitated, turning Yaga's question over in his head. But before he could answer, the cursed doll came out of nowhere, its tiny fist uppercutting Itadori right in the chin. Itadori did a full backflip, smacking into a pillar.
"DAMN!"
Yaga didn't even blink. "It's hard to imagine how you'll feel when you're about to die," he said. "But at this rate, you might end up hating your grandpa for his last request. Jujutsu sorcerers rarely die happy. So I'll ask you one more time – why are you here?"
Something in Itadori's face changed, like a switch got flipped. He jumped forward, tackling the doll and putting it in a chokehold. "I'm the only one who can eat Sukuna's fingers!" he yelled. "So even if I could get out of being executed, even if I could run away... someday I'll be chilling, and the second I relax, someone's gonna die because of Sukuna."
His voice got all mocking. "'But that's not my problem. It's not my fault.'" Then his tone turned dead serious. "I won't do that! I don't know how I'll feel when I die, but I won't regret how I lived!"
I felt a flash of respect, and gave a small nod.
The room went quiet, the only sound Itadori's heavy breathing and a clock ticking somewhere. Then Yaga moved, the corner of his mouth twitching up in what might have been a smile.
"Satoru, take these two to their rooms. Make sure you tell them about the rules and curfew."
Itadori blinked. "Huh?"
Yaga's tiny smile got a little bigger. "You both pass. Welcome to Jujutsu Tech."
At first, the words didn't really sink in. We were in? Just like that? Before I could wrap my head around it, Itadori let out a whoop, punching the air and accidentally letting go of the doll.
The cursed little creep, probably pissed about being choked out, took the chance to sucker punch Itadori right in the jaw. Yaga sighed.
"Oops, forgot to release the curse."
(5 minutes later)
"All the second and third years are out right now," Gojo said as we walked. "But you'll meet 'em soon. We're a small group."
As we made our way down the quiet stone paths, it really hit me how big this place was. Old buildings, new buildings, all spread out and tucked between trees and gardens.
"Hey, Gojo Sensei, we got a training room or what?" I asked.
"Yeah, gym and dojo are three buildings that way," he said, pointing. "And down those steps is the track."
Gojo kept walking, his footsteps echoing a bit in the empty hall. He didn't seem to care that I wasn't talking. Fine by me. Gave me a chance to scope things out. The dorm building was... nice. Clean, and way more modern than I expected for a school full of sorcerers.
"So... gym, dojo, track..." I mumbled, staying just behind Gojo's long strides. "Anything else cool around here?"
He stopped in front of a door. "Rec room's downstairs. Got a setup for movies or gaming." He shrugged. "You'll figure it out. Anyway, this is you," he said, nodding at the door. "And Itadori, you're two doors down."
From the outside, the room was nothing special. Plain door, old brass number. But when I opened it up, I couldn't help but whistle. The place was massive. My whole apartment could've fit in the bedroom alone, twice.
There was a desk in the corner with a laptop on it. A walk-in closet, totally empty but still impressive. And best of all, a door that looked like it went to my own bathroom.
"Damn, they don't skimp on anything here, huh?"
My duffel bag was plopped in the middle of the floor, looking tiny in the big room. Next to it was a cardboard box with my name on it. Probably gear or something.
"No wonder people stick around after they graduate," I said under my breath. "If the dorms are this nice, I bet the apartments are insane."
Unpacking my clothes didn't take long. Even with everything hung up, my side of the closet looked sad and empty. Guess I needed to add "shopping" to my mental checklist.
I started pulling stuff out of the box next. School uniform, some kind of tracksuit, a stack of textbooks that looked like they'd been around since the Edo period. At the bottom was a note:
'Akuma, here's your starter kit. The bags inside have talismans and seals. There's an intro guide included, but we'll go over the basics in class. Don't go nuts with these, they're just for practice. And don't let Gojo talk you into anything stupid with them. Welcome to Jujutsu Tech. - Yaga'
I turned the guide over in my hands, flipping through a few pages. The diagrams and weird symbols made my head spin. Closing it with a snap, I tossed it onto the desk. I'd deal with that later.
For now, I just wanted to enjoy having a space to myself for once. No noisy neighbors, no worrying about rent, no scrounging for my next meal.
I flopped down on the bed, marveling at how soft the mattress was. It was like lying on a cloud. I closed my eyes, letting myself sink into it.
This was really happening. I was a jujutsu sorcerer now, or at least a sorcerer-in-training. I had a room, gear, a whole new life ahead of me.
Part of me still couldn't believe it. The other part was just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Nothing this good ever came without a catch.
But for now, I let myself enjoy it. I let myself hope that maybe, just maybe, things were finally looking up.
Wanting to see how Itadori was settling in, I grabbed the blue slippers from my closet and headed down the hall to his room.
"—Fushiguro, Kantaro, and I can get Sukuna's fingers while you just chill here," Gojo's voice carried from Itadori's doorway.
Itadori's reply was immediate. "Yeah, no way. I said I'd do it, and I will."
Smirking, I turned the corner into Itadori's room. "I knew you wouldn't go for tha—" The words died on my lips.
Itadori's room was a mirror image of mine, except for one thing. The walls were plastered with posters. Bright, in-your-face posters of chicks in bikinis.
"Itadori," I said, trying not to laugh, "what's gonna happen when you bring a girl over and the first thing she sees is a pinup model?"
Itadori nearly hit the ceiling, spinning around to face me. His face went beet red as his eyes bounced between me and the posters, like he was just realizing what was on his walls.
"Kantaro! Knock first, man!" he yelped, jamming his hands in his pockets and staring holes into the floor.
Gojo leaned against the doorframe beside me. "I don't know," he said, smirking. "Might be a good way to figure out what someone's into."
Itadori's blush was so intense, I thought he might pass out. "Dude, shut up," he mumbled. Then, remembering I was there, he stammered, "A-and these aren't even mine!" He pointed to a box in the corner. "Never even opened it!"
I raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, those definitely scream 'unopened.'"
"Well, maybe..." Itadori trailed off. "Maybe I peeked. Just to see what was inside..." He looked like he wanted to sink through the floor.
"Hey, it's your space," I said, grinning. "Put up whatever you want. Just don't scare off any potential girlfriends, yeah?"
"Yeah, yeah..." Itadori muttered. But then he straightened up, that serious look back in his eyes. "So, about Sukuna's fingers..."
Gojo leaned back, lacing his fingers behind his head. "If the fingers were easy to find, we'd have 'em all by now. Some have crazy strong energy, some are super quiet, and some have already been eaten by curses. That's why they're so hard to track down. But now we've got you."
"Me?" Itadori looked confused.
Gojo nodded. "The Sukuna inside you is gonna try to get his power back. That'll lead us right to the fingers."
I nodded slowly. "So Itadori's like a magnet... and a radar for Sukuna's fingers."
"Bingo, Kantaro! Gold star!" Gojo crowed.
We all stepped out of Itadori's room, and Gojo kept talking. "I'm sure we can work out a deal that benefits everyone."
Right then, the door across from us opened. Fushiguro walked out, yawning. "So, you're next door." He sounded thrilled.
"Yep," I said, "looks like your room's right between ours."
Fushiguro's scowl was instant. "There's plenty of other rooms, you know."
"Sure, but isn't it more fun with neighbors?" Gojo piped up. "I thought that–"
"Class and missions are plenty," Megumi cut him off. "This is not okay."
Itadori, of course, chose that exact moment to peek into Fushiguro's room. "Whoa, it's so neat in here!"
I leaned over Itadori's shoulder to look. "You're right, it's like a fancy hotel room," I said.
Fushiguro's face twisted in anger. "Back off, I said you're not welcome!" he shouted, trying to slam the door.
My hand shot out to stop it before it could hit us. "Watch it, asshole," I growled.
"What did you say?" Fushiguro's voice was ice cold as he turned to me, having to tilt his head up a bit.
Just when it seemed like things might turn into an all-out slugfest, Gojo's obnoxious laughter filled the hall.
"Okay, okay!" he said, throwing an arm around Fushiguro and me, which we both immediately shrugged off. "That's enough excitement for one day. This is a dorm, guys, you gotta learn to get along! Or at least not kill each other," he added under his breath.
With that, Gojo headed for the stairs. "Alright, time to hit the hay. Tomorrow's gonna be a doozy. We've gotta pick up your classmate. Oh, and Itadori," he called back, "don't stay up all night with those posters, yeah?"
Itadori's face went red again as he gave an awkward little wave. I bit back a laugh and turned to Fushiguro.
"Hey, man, listen—" I started, but he cut me off with a raised hand.
"No. I don't want to be buddies." Fushiguro's voice was flat as a pancake. And with that, he shut the door in my face, leaving me standing there like an idiot.
"Well, that went great," I grumbled, turning back to my own room.
As I walked, I couldn't help but wonder about the new classmate Gojo mentioned. First years, which meant they were probably around my age. Maybe even had powers like mine.
I'd never met anyone else with cursed energy before, not until Gojo and the others. The idea of having more people around who got it, who understood what it was like... it was kind of exciting.
But I tried not to get my hopes up too much. If Fushiguro was any indication, not everyone here was gonna be super friendly. And even if they were, I had to remember why I was really here.
To get stronger. To help the orphanage. Everything else was just a bonus.