Yuji sat to the side as Gojo explained where they were and why to Yuta and the others while also answering Yuta's questions about aspects of sorcery. Yuji's head was racing—he had no idea what to do to make things better at this point in time. Maybe train Yuta with me and Yuko? I think I can push her far faster than the first years and even Gojo can. Yuji looked back as the conversation picked up again with the others.
"Where are we?" Yuta asked as she stared at the odd building in front of her.
"It's just an elementary school," Gojo said casually.
"Huh?" Yuta was confused. Why were they at a school?
"Just an elementary school where some children have gone missing," Gojo explained as he read the mission report on his phone.
"Missing?!" Yuta gasped.
"It happens in places like this," Gojo said before being interrupted by Yuji, who still sat away from everyone.
"It's probably the work of a naturally occurring curse," Yuji said and then continued to think of ways to improve the timeline.
"You're saying the kids were kidnapped by a curse?" Yuta asked, clearly alarmed.
"Yup. Two so far," Gojo said as he walked up to the building, raising his hand. "Curses tend to settle in spots that many people have memories of—schools, hospitals... Places often remembered with negative emotions are a receptacle for them. As those emotions build up, they cause a curse to be born, like it was here. We're here to exorcise the curse and save the children, or, if they're dead, retrieve them."
"Huh? Dead?" Yuta was shocked but got no answer from anyone.
"Emerge from darkness, blacker than darkness. Purify that which is impure." Suddenly the sky turned dark as a dome of blackness surrounded the area.
"It's turning into night?" Yuta asked, confused.
"It's a veil. It's a barrier that will smoke out the curse and keep you all from being seen by those outside. It's easy to undo from inside. Now, do be careful... not to die." Gojo's final words echoed as the first years plus Yuji and Yuko were cut off from the outside world.
"D-Die? Sensei?!" Yuta said nervously as their teacher disappeared.
"Don't worry, Yuta. You're okay." Yuta felt a hand on her back and turned to see Yuji giving her a smile. She blushed.
"O-Okay!" she stammered.
Suddenly, a distorted voice interrupted. "Put... me... on..."
"Put me on?" Yuta repeated as she turned around and saw a gigantic green, distorted curse charging at them.
"W-What do we do?!" Yuta said, subconsciously backing behind Yuji.
"Don't worry, Yuta. These guys aren't that much trouble. It's your first day, so I don't expect you to be comfortable fighting these just yet. Watch and learn from me." Yuji formed a barely tight Crimson Binding around Yuta.
"W-What?!" she said, scared out of her mind.
"Don't worry. It's part of my blood manipulation. Lesson one: The weaker curses are, the more they group together." Yuji jumped up and kicked the curse where he guessed its face was, causing it to explode from the force of the blow.
As Yuji landed, he muttered to himself, "I barely even put cursed energy into that. What a joke."
Yuta didn't hear him, mesmerized by his strength. In just one blow... incredible.
"C'mon, let's go inside," Yuji said, deactivating the Crimson Binding around her.
"A-Alright!" Yuta said, chasing after him.
The rest of the first years and Yuko watched them interact as they prepared to search for the kids.
"Damn Yuta, getting the attention of Yuji," Yuko grumbled.
"Someone's jealous~," Panda teased before he and Inumaki ran off to search the other side of the courtyard.
"DAMN PANDA!" Yuko yelled.
Yuji and Yuta walked through the school hallways, occasionally searching rooms for the children.
"Itadori, aren't you scared?" Yuta suddenly asked.
"Call me Yuji. We're classmates and allies, so no need to be formal," Yuji said, walking beside her with his arms behind his head.
"A-Alright," Yuta said sheepishly but continued.
"But it really seems like ghosts would be here. Though we've already seen some, there aren't many curses here, even though the veil's been drawn."
"Nah, they're just not attacking because of you and me. Our cursed energy is scaring the little weak curses," Yuji explained.
"M-Me and you?" she asked, confused.
"Well, you have so much cursed energy—even without counting Rika. You have the second most amount of cursed energy in the world right now—right behind me, of course!" Yuji teased before suddenly turning and picking up Yuta to dodge a large snake-like cursed spirit.
"W-Whoa! What the hell?!" Yuta shouted as Yuji quickly put her down at a safe distance.
"The kids—they're alive inside that curse but just barely," Yuji said sternly. "Gojo's a real idiot for letting you out here, but he paired us together so I can protect you."
Yuta looked at the curse, trembling with fear. "How do we get them out?"
Yuji grinned. "Well, we might be able to drag them out, but the easy way is to get eaten."
"EATEN?!" Yuta shouted, horrified.
"I need a meal!" the curse screamed as it slithered at high speeds toward them.
"Yuji, behind you!" Yuta screamed as they were both swallowed by the curse.
Inside the curse, darkness pressed around them like a suffocating blanket. Yuta's breaths came in quick gasps as she realized what had happened.
"We really got eaten?" she whispered, panic rising in her voice.
"Yep," Yuji responded nonchalantly as he dusted himself off. His calm demeanor only made Yuta more flustered.
"How can you be so calm?! We're inside a curse!" she yelled, her voice echoing in the cursed space.
Yuji smiled reassuringly. "Relax, Yuta. I've been through worse. Trust me, we'll be out of here soon." He crouched near two unconscious children lying on the warped, fleshy ground. Their faces were pale, and their breathing was shallow.
"Are they okay?" Yuta asked, rushing to his side.
"They're alive, but the curse's influence is draining their life force. If we don't act fast, they'll die," Yuji said grimly.
Yuta clenched her fists. "I can't believe this... Even now, I'm useless," she muttered, tears welling up in her eyes.
Yuji's gaze softened. She's still blaming herself. He knew this was the moment to push her toward growth.
"Well, time to put my acting skills to the test," Yuji muttered under his breath. Suddenly, without warning, he collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain.
"Y-Yuji!" Yuta cried, dropping to her knees beside him. "What's wrong?!"
Yuji didn't respond. His body shook violently, and his face contorted in agony.
"Please, save us, miss!" one of the children pleaded weakly. "Please!"
"I... I can't," Yuta stammered, her voice trembling.
Yuji, through gritted teeth, forced himself to speak. "Yuta... seriously... why did you come to Jujutsu High? What do you want to do?! What do you want to have?! What do you want to achieve?!"
His words hit her like a bolt of lightning. Memories flooded her mind—lonely days, painful regrets, and the crushing weight of guilt. But then, there were also memories of warmth and connection, fleeting but precious.
"I... I don't want anyone to get hurt anymore," she began timidly, her voice gaining strength with each word. "I tried to lock myself away and disappear. But I was told it's lonely being all by myself, and I couldn't argue. I want to interact with someone! I want to be needed by someone! I want the confidence to say it's okay that I'm alive!" Tears streamed down her face as the weight of her emotions poured out.
Yuji, still trembling, smiled through the pain. "Then exorcise them. Exorcise curses. Exorcise them over and over! Confidence and friends will come after that! That's the kind of place Jujutsu High is!"
Yuta's eyes widened as she felt something stir deep within her—a fierce, unyielding power she had long suppressed.
"Rika-chan," she called deep within herself.
A familiar voice echoed back. "What?"
Yuta gripped the ring hanging around her neck, her determination solidifying. She ripped it off the chain and slid it onto her finger.
"Lend me your strength."
In an instant, the cursed space trembled as Rika fully manifested, her terrifying presence shaking the very foundations of the curse's body. With a deafening roar, Rika tore a massive hole through the curse, her claws ripping through its flesh.
"Rika... is amazing," Yuta whispered in awe.
"Go!" Yuji shouted, now fully standing and grinning like nothing had happened. "I'll carry the kids. You lead the way."
Yuta, still in shock, nodded. "O-Okay."
With one kid slung over each of his shoulders, Yuji sprinted toward the exit Rika had created.
The curse shrieked in rage, thrashing wildly.
"Who are you?!" it roared.
"Be quiet," Rika snapped, slamming it to the ground and ripping out a massive chunk of its body.
Outside the veil, Gojo and the other students watched in stunned silence.
"So this is the full manifestation of Orimoto Rika, the special-grade cursed apparition," Gojo muttered. "No wonder the higher-ups were scared of her."
He chuckled. "So scary."
"Wow! So pretty! I'm so pretty! I love it!" Rika said gleefully as she admired herself before continuing to tear the curse apart.
Yuji and Yuta burst through the veil, Yuta swaying from exhaustion.
"Can you unsummon Rika right now?" Yuji asked as he ran with the kids in his arms.
"N-No, I don't think so," Yuta admitted, barely able to stand.
Yuji chuckled. "Don't worry—it's okay. We're almost at the end of this."
Yuta smiled weakly before finally passing out.
Yuji carried her and the kids back to the veil's entrance.
He gently placed all three on the ground.
"Good job," Gojo said as he walked over to check on Yuta.
Yuko ran up to Yuji and hugged him tightly.
"Whoa, what's up, Yuko? You should know I'd be alright in there," Yuji said, surprised.
"I know, but it still scares me when I don't know what's happening to you," she admitted, blushing as she looked away.
"Total lovebirds," Panda teased from the side.
"Salmon!" Inumaki agreed.
Gojo clapped his hands. "Alright, let's get this all cleaned up and head back to home base!"
As they prepared to leave, Yuta remained unconscious but safe in the car. Yuji sat beside her, smiling to himself. She really did it. She's stronger than she thinks.
Yuta woke up in the school's infirmary, blinking as she adjusted to the dim lighting. She spotted Gojo sitting beside her, sipping tea.
"Welcome back. You did well. The kids will be fine," he said warmly.
"Thank goodness," Yuta said, sitting up.
"You don't look very satisfied," Gojo noted.
"I managed to call Rika-chan out myself for the first time," Yuta admitted, chewing her lip.
"Really? That's a step forward," Gojo encouraged.
Yuta hesitated before speaking. "I don't think Rika-chan cursed me. I think... I might have cursed Rika-chan."
Gojo's expression softened. "This is just my personal theory, but there's no curse more twisted than love."
Yuta clenched her fists. "Sensei, while I'm at Jujutsu High, I'll break Rika-chan's curse."
Gojo smiled. "I'm sure you can. Don't worry."
In a dimly lit room surrounded by hidden doors, voices of the higher-ups echoed ominously.
"The special-grade cursed apparition, Orimoto Rika, was fully manifested. We entrusted you with Okkotsu precisely to prevent this sort of thing. There's no room for excuses, Gojo Satoru."
Gojo crossed his arms. "Well, I never planned on making any excuses."
"How can you joke about this?! If Orimoto Rika had remained out of control, she could have wiped out an entire town!" another voice bellowed.
"I would have risked my life to stop her," Gojo said seriously. "Listen, there's only one thing we can say about that curse: 'I don't understand.' Why did a little girl who wasn't from any line of jujutsu sorcerers become such an immense curse? We can't control something we don't understand. So it'll take trial and error. Just leave it alone for a while." Gojo said as he started to walk away.
One of the higher-ups spoke again. "Not to mention how you recklessly brought two children into jujutsu high and one of them is sukuna's vessel. And don't forget that both Okkotsu and Itadori's secret executions were only suspended."
Gojo's gaze turned steely. "And don't you forget—if it comes to that, I'll side with Okkotsu and Itadori."