Under the gloomy May sky, summer had arrived quietly amidst the drizzling rain.
The humid air was thick with moisture, raindrops tracing lines down the black umbrellas, creating tiny splashes.
Inside the solemn funeral hall, a grayscale photo displayed Ooka's bright smile.
Ooka's mother, slumped before the coffin, gazed at her son's pale, peaceful face, carefully made up by the funeral director. She was inconsolable, her red, swollen eyes overflowing with tears.
Ooka's father stood beside his wife, his weathered face etched with grief.
The funeral hall was filled with relatives and friends, all dressed in black, their expressions somber and downcast.
Hayama Hayato, Tobe, and Yamato stood together in a row. Yumiko Miura, also in a long black dress, had shed her usual arrogance. Instead, she clung to Hayama's arm like a fragile bird, tears glistening in her eyes.
Yui Yuigahama and Hina Ebina stood beside her, offering comfort.
Shizuka Hiratsuka, unusually without her beloved white coat, looked sharp in a well-tailored black suit. She leaned against a pillar, an unlit cigarette dangling from her lips.
Yukino Yukinoshita and Hachiman Hikigaya also attended Ooka's funeral, each holding a black umbrella, standing outside the hall.
The rain continued to drizzle, the dark clouds seemingly thickening.
Will I be attending many funerals like this in the future? Yukino wondered silently.
Death is something no one can avoid, Sukuna replied, a rare instance where he didn't directly answer her question.
Yukino remained silent, watching as the coffin was carried out to be transported to the cemetery for burial.
The Ooka family had moved to Chiba from the countryside. There weren't many relatives present, and Ooka's mother, weakened from days of mourning, was in no condition to help. Aside from Ooka's father, they were short of pallbearers, so Hayama, Tobe, and Yamato volunteered.
"Thank you. It was a blessing for that boy to have friends like you," Ooka's father said, forcing a light tone, not wanting to burden his son's friends with excessive grief.
Hayama remained silent, his expression grim. Tobe and Yamato's faces crumpled, tears welling up. They bit their lips, trying to hold back their sobs.
Regret and sorrow gnawed at them, leaving a deep wound in their hearts.
After the coffin was loaded into the hearse, only a dozen people followed the procession to the Chiba cemetery. Ironically, most of them were students and teachers from Sobu High.
Ooka's father, Hayama, Tobe, and Yamato carried the coffin, following the cemetery staff's guidance, and placed it in the pre-dug grave. They each took a shovel and filled the grave, burying Ooka's coffin.
Ooka's father rested his hand on the tombstone, remaining silent for a long time, letting the rain soak his clothes.
The man, seemingly aged by a decade in an instant, didn't offer any eulogy. He simply spoke in a weary voice to those who had accompanied them. "Thank you, thank you all. Please go back now, don't catch a cold."
"Hey, Hayato, where are you going?"
After they finished burying the coffin, Yumiko Miura rushed over with an umbrella, wanting to shield Hayama from the rain, but his face was dark. He glanced around, then walked straight towards Yukinoshita Yukino.
"You guys... are no longer worthy of being my friends."
Ooka's parting words echoed in his mind.
His time of death coincided with that day. The cause of death was listed as sudden cardiac arrest.
It was a plausible cause. Many had seen Ooka's condition when he came to school that day, as if he had been forcing himself to stay awake for days.
Why did he come to school in that state? If he had come because he had finally come to terms with things, why not wait until he was well-rested? He had already been absent for so many days, did that one day really matter?
Unless... there was an urgent reason for him to come.
Hayama couldn't think of any other reason for Ooka to force himself to come to school in such a terrible condition.
And after their conversation, Ooka had headed towards the special building.
If he wanted to leave school from the courtyard, why would he take the long detour through the special building?
Hayama Hayato stood before Yukinoshita Yukino and Hachiman Hikigaya.
His blond hair was plastered to his forehead by the rain, his usual sunny disposition replaced with a gloomy expression.
"Yukinoshita, I have a question for you," he choked out, then forced his voice steady.
"What is it?" Yukino's expression remained calm.
"Ooka, the day Ooka died, did he go to the Service Club?" Hayama's eyes, bloodshot, stared intently at Yukino.
"Hey, you..." Hachiman started to say something, but Yukino stopped him with a gesture. He swallowed his words.
"Yes," Yukino said.
"Did he... did he say anything in the end?" Hayama asked, his voice wavering this time.
The image of Ooka's last words, urging her to run, flashed through Yukino's mind. She took a deep breath and said, "No, he seemed like he wanted to say something, but before he could, he collapsed."
"He died... right in front of me."
"What?" Hayama's eyes widened in shock. He hadn't expected this. "I'm sorry..."
"There's no need to apologize. Do you have any other questions?" Yukino's expression remained unchanged, her thoughts unreadable.
"...No."
Hayama left, looking devastated. Yumiko Miura hurried over and offered him an umbrella. This time, he didn't refuse, offering her a weak smile.
The crowd at the cemetery gradually dispersed.
Finally, Shizuka Hiratsuka walked over and patted Yukino's shoulder, asking softly, "Do you need a ride home?"
"No, thank you," Yukino declined with a shake of her head.
"How about you?" She turned to Hachiman Hikigaya.
After glancing at Yukino, Hachiman nodded. "I'll take you up on that offer, Hiratsuka-sensei."
"Don't mention it. Come with me." The reliable adult jingled her car keys.
Seeing Yukino's expression, Hiratsuka-sensei suddenly understood what Haruno had meant about Yukino's growth.
Perhaps, unbeknownst to her, Yukino had already endured a lot, allowing her to suppress her sadness.
I just hope she doesn't become another Haruno.
With a silent sigh, Hiratsuka-sensei slung an arm around Hachiman's shoulders and asked if he wanted to grab some ramen.
After watching them leave, Yukino spoke softly, "Let's go find him, Sukuna."
"Find the real killer."
"Okay."
Sukuna readily agreed.
With Sobu High closed for a week to repair the battle-damaged hallway, the students were overjoyed at their extended Golden Week vacation.
Ultimately, only a small group truly mourned Ooka's death.
Taking advantage of the break, Sukuna and Yukino Yukinoshita searched for traces of the killer within Chiba Prefecture.
Ooka's parents had decided to return to their hometown. Seizing this opportunity, Sukuna and Yukino visited their house and found traces of the culprit's cursed energy residue in Ooka's room.
However, even after searching all of Chiba, they couldn't find any matching residue. They did, however, manage to exorcise a few weaker cursed spirits along the way.
"It seems that twisted bastard has already left Chiba," Sukuna said with a sigh.
Even he couldn't pinpoint the culprit's location without any clues.
"But that guy seems to be just as arrogant as that damn Gojo Satoru. There are countless ways to erase cursed energy residue, but he didn't bother hiding his tracks. If he shows up again, we'll definitely find him."
Sukuna wasn't worried about the culprit disappearing completely. Cursed spirits and curse users were, by nature, unable to resist causing trouble.
"You're right. We've also asked our contacts throughout Tokyo to gather information on missing person cases and any discovered cursed energy residue," Kiyotaka Ijichi said in agreement. "If this person appears again, we'll find a lead."
He then took out a thick envelope from his briefcase. "This is the payment for the recent commissions you assisted Jujutsu High with."
"There's payment?" Yukino was surprised as she accepted the envelope, its weight substantial in her hands, filled with the unmistakable feel of Japanese yen.
"Of course. Jujutsu sorcerers have a high mortality rate. It's a life-threatening job, so the salary and commission are naturally high," Ijichi explained with a smile.
Yukino thought about it and agreed. She pocketed the money without hesitation.
After bidding farewell to Ijichi, Yukino took the train back to Chiba from Tokyo.
Although the students of Sobu High had enjoyed an extra week of vacation, unfortunately, the week after that was midterm exam week.
As everyone knew, vacations before exams were often spent with a mixture of anxiety and fun. Yui Yuigahama was no exception.
However, after joining the Service Club and being around Yukinoshita Yukino, who consistently topped the year, the usually carefree Yui felt a sense of motivation. She didn't want to fall too far behind her friend academically.
Even Hachiman Hikigaya had ranked third in Japanese, and while his other grades were average, and his math scores abysmal, he at least had one subject he excelled in.
Therefore, Yui Yuigahama proposed a study session, inviting Yukinoshita Yukino and Hachiman Hikigaya.
Hachiman initially intended to refuse, but upon hearing that Saika Totsuka would be there, he immediately changed his mind.
Whenever Hachiman was asked to participate in a group activity, he would usually decline, but if Saika was involved, he would always agree.
The study session was scheduled for that Friday at a family restaurant near the school.
While it was called a study session, it was essentially Yukinoshita Yukino tutoring the other three. She didn't need to worry about her own grades, but the others weren't as academically gifted.
Out of the three, Saika Totsuka had the highest deviation score, followed by Hachiman, and lastly, Yui.
However, Sukuna had absolutely no interest in the content of Japanese high school exams. Although he had a bachelor's degree, his university was nothing special, and his university life had been unremarkable, aside from being able to eat four meals a day.
Besides, he had already graduated two years ago before transmigrating. If he had come during the period right after the college entrance exams, he might have been able to offer some guidance.
Might as well browse the system shop.
Through completing commissions for Jujutsu High and hunting down cursed spirits with Yukino, not even sparing the weakest ones, he had accumulated over sixty thousand points.
Sukuna sat on a chair made of bones, his chin resting on his hand, scrolling through the system interface floating in mid-air with boredom. He felt like someone endlessly flipping through pages on a certain website, unable to find anything worthwhile.
He kind of wanted to exchange for the Limitless technique and use it in front of that damn Gojo to see his reaction, but he didn't have enough points.
Moreover, to perfectly utilize the Limitless technique, he would also need to exchange for the Six Eyes, which cost a whopping four hundred thousand points. It felt like a rip-off.
"Hey, system, why do other systems have lotteries, but you don't?" Sukuna complained.
[This system was just born, so various functions are still incomplete...]
"It's fine, I'm used to it. After all, you're a directionally challenged system who can get lost even when teleporting. I don't blame you."
[I'm very sorry...]
Although it was a mechanical voice, Sukuna could somehow sense a hint of sadness and shame in the system's words.
The system couldn't help it. It was trying its best.
"Eh?"
Sukuna, browsing the exchange shop, suddenly noticed a discount symbol on the top left corner of each item.
"Things are on sale?"