Gasp!
Suguru jolted upright, his body soaked in sweat as though he'd just been pulled from the depths of a lake. Droplets fell from his hair, hitting the floor beneath him, their faint sound masked by his heavy breathing.
Every nerve seemed to carry a ghostly pain—phantom sensations of needles piercing his veins, bone splintering, organs crushed. The memory of that agony made him shiver uncontrollably.
His head throbbed, swirling with pain as if a high-powered blender had been left on inside his skull.
And yet… he couldn't stop his thoughts.
"Where… is this…?"
"Well, look who's finally awake. Bad dream, huh? You look like you've seen a ghost."
It was only then that Suguru noticed he was lying on a cold, metal slab in a morgue, staring up at a girl in black with a cigarette dangling from her lips, her smile casual, almost dismissive.
The girl, who looked barely old enough to be smoking, was their classmate Shoko Ieiri. Suguru, Satoru, and Shoko made up the entirety of the second-year class at Jujutsu High.
Shoko was the only one among them capable of using Reversed Cursed Technique. Given that the nature of cursed energy was negative, the reversal technique converted that negative energy into positive energy, allowing her to heal physical injuries.
As a result, she rarely went on missions, preferring to stay behind and act as the team's medic.
"Shoko…? So, you're the one who healed me?"
"Well…"
Suguru assumed it was Shoko who'd patched him up and didn't notice her slight hesitation as he reached up, rubbing his temples in an effort to relieve his dizzy mind.
Riko… they took her…
All because he was too weak…
His right hand clenched into a fist on his lap, nails biting into his palm, but he couldn't bring himself to let go.
"…Where's Satoru?"
Why hadn't he seen him yet?
Where had he gone?
"If you're looking for Gojo," Shoko said, flicking the ash from her cigarette and nodding toward the door, "he's off talking to that woman who brought you both back."
The woman who brought us back…?
A memory flashed through his mind—a wicked smile that sent chills down his spine. Suguru's eyes widened in shock.
Did Satoru… go to her alone?
Is he insane?!
Bang!
The door slammed open behind him as Suguru bolted from the room, leaving Shoko blinking after him in surprise.
"Well, guess I'll just… keep smoking, then," she muttered, shrugging to herself.
Suguru ran through the hallways.
He felt an unbearable frustration—frustration that he couldn't protect the people he wanted to save, that he was too weak.
He was furious at himself, at how limited his world had been, believing that as long as Satoru was by his side, they could do anything.
But he wasn't letting anger take control. He still had his wits about him, refusing to be consumed by rage.
"Right now… we're powerless."
Because they were powerless, they could only watch helplessly as Riko was taken.
Because they were powerless, they didn't even qualify to make their enemy spare a glance.
Because they were powerless, he had no way of avenging her.
"Satoru… please don't do anything reckless!"
As he burst out of the building, a troubling thought struck him—he didn't actually know where that woman was.
If she was a sorcerer hired by the Star Religious Group, she must have gone there to collect the bounty. If so, then…
With that thought, Suguru rushed off to find someone who could tell him where the Star Religious Group was most active in the city.
As he rounded a corner, he nearly collided with someone.
"Whoa, watch out!"
Instinctively, he reached out, grabbing the person to keep them from falling back. But as he opened his mouth to apologize, his brain short-circuited.
"Huh? It's you! You're awake!"
Her voice alone exuded so much warmth and cheer that it seemed almost overwhelming.
She wore a white headscarf, her black hair braided down one shoulder, and a uniform that looked like a cross between a school sailor suit and a shrine maiden's attire.
"Riko…?"
Seeing her standing before him left Suguru speechless. He even forgot to release her hand, too stunned to process what he was seeing.
"Mr. Geto." Her maid, Misato Kuroi, gently reminded him of her presence, breaking the silence. Only then did Suguru register that someone else was there.
"Ms. Kuroi…? You're here too? You both…"
The scene unfolding before him made Suguru question whether he was dreaming. His mouth opened and closed, struggling to form a coherent sentence.
"Ha-ha-ha! Bet you didn't see this coming! Not only am I not dead, I'm here, alive and well, right before you!"
Riko laughed with such exaggerated gusto that it bordered on theatrical. It was classic Riko—dramatic, a bit eccentric, and fiercely loyal to those she cared about.
So… it wasn't a dream after all.
Suguru rubbed his temples, which were still throbbing, but a small smile formed on his lips as a sense of relief washed over him.
"I… I have no idea what's going on. So… what exactly happened?"
Suguru turned to Riko, who blinked at him, then glanced over at Kuroi.
"Uh…" Kuroi shifted uncomfortably. "Actually, I don't entirely understand it myself. Perhaps it would be best to hear from Gojo and Baobhan directly."
Baobhan…?
The moment he heard the name, Suguru instinctively knew she must be the woman responsible for everything that had happened.
Fine. There were even more questions now, but based on what he could piece together…
"That woman must be the key to everything."
Riko and Kuroi gave Suguru a brief explanation of where he could find Gojo and Baobhan.
And—somewhat unexpectedly, but also somewhat predictably—the two of them were still at Jujutsu High, in the classroom Suguru shared with Satoru.
The classroom building at Jujutsu High had a decidedly old-fashioned look, much of it constructed from wood. The walls, floors, desks, podiums, even the classroom doors—all of it was wooden.
Before he even reached the door, Suguru could hear raised voices coming from within… or rather, the sound of an argument.
Most students at the school had little patience when it came to classroom doors, and Suguru was no different. Now, though, his urgency took precedence.
Thankfully, Japanese classroom doors typically slid open rather than swung, so the door escaped Suguru's impatient hand intact. It probably would've suffered had it been a traditional door—and considering Gojo's recklessness, it was likely for the best.
The door's loud scrape against the floor caused the animated conversation inside to grind to a halt as three pairs of eyes turned toward him.
One pair belonged to a girl in a striking red dress, seated with one leg crossed over the other, her steel-gray eyes watching him with a knowing smile.
Beside her, a girl with shoulder-length gray hair sat quietly, her gaze directed downward. She seemed nervous, her tense posture suggesting she wasn't comfortable around new people.
And finally… there was one last person.
"Satoru…"
Suguru called his friend's name softly, his voice filled with relief for his one and only confidant.
"What's up, Suguru? You look like you're about to cry." Gojo's typical smirk was plastered on his face, but the silver gleam in his eyes spoke volumes of the affection he held.
"Are you crying?"
"Idiot… why would I cry?"
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T/N: OMG JUST MARRY EACHOTHERRRR