Lunch break at Kanagawa Prefectural Satozakura High School.
"It's him! He keeps staring at my chest with those creepy eyes!"
In a secluded area behind the school building, a group of students surrounded a frail-looking boy, their faces bearing malicious grins.
A burly boy punched the surrounded victim, knocking him to the ground.
"Tsubasa-chan's boobs are pretty amazing, aren't they? They sway so much when she walks!" one of the boys teased the only girl in the group.
"I understand how you feel, Junpei."
The skinny boy, Junpei Yoshino, was an unremarkable student with black bangs covering his right eye, making him appear even more gloomy.
"...I, I wasn't looking," Junpei mumbled, clutching his slightly swollen cheek.
"Huh? Are you saying Tsubasa-chan is lying?!" The bully raised his foot again, kicking Junpei to the ground.
"He was definitely looking!" A fake, high-pitched voice came from the girl, Tsubasa.
She possessed a voluptuous figure that belied her high school age, captivating the three boys and momentarily distracting from her otherwise plain appearance.
The group surrounded the fallen Junpei, taking pictures with their phones while laughing. A fat, middle-aged teacher passed by in the corridor behind them, paused, and then walked away, pretending not to notice.
Damn it! That woman, using me to test her own status...
Junpei tried to get up, glancing at the smirking Tsubasa from the corner of his eye.
But his gaze didn't go unnoticed.
"See? You were looking!"
Kicked to the ground again, Junpei met the gazes of those towering over him. Their gleeful smiles, hidden in the shadows, seemed like the wicked grins of demons. He took a deep breath.
Say it, say it, say it! I have to say it!
"Tsubasa-san, you're not as cute as you think you are, and the three of you know it. But you still obey her every whim..." A strained, mocking smile touched his lips. "Is it because she lets you..."
The smiles on their faces vanished, replaced by cold fury. Their authority had been challenged.
Fists rained down, cutting him off. Junpei, struggling to stand, was knocked down again.
This time, the other two boys didn't just stand by and watch.
Amidst the kicks and punches, Junpei curled up, enduring the onslaught.
...
With his identification secured, Sukuna's first order of business was to buy a phone and a SIM card. This way, he wouldn't have to worry about being unreachable or unable to contact others.
However, the house situation remained unresolved, and Haruno hadn't contacted him yet. So, for the time being, Sukuna continued to stay at Yukino's apartment, solidifying his "hermit crab" status.
Well, at least a crab is better than a worm.
Thanks to defeating the special grade curse, stopping Sukuna's rampage, and essentially freelancing for Jujutsu High, Sukuna had received a hefty sum of money.
Although this exposed his strength to the higher-ups at Jujutsu High, it didn't affect him much. With Megumi and Gojo deliberately keeping quiet, those people didn't know his cursed technique, only that there was a powerful sorcerer cooperating with them.
With this money and his existing funds, buying an ordinary house wouldn't be a problem.
But living in an ordinary house wasn't his style. If you had the means, why not live in a mansion?
He had already entrusted the task of finding a suitable property to Haruno, trusting her judgment. After all, her family owned a construction company, and she was the eldest daughter, poised to inherit the business.
Days passed. Aside from breakfast, Yukino rarely saw Sukuna at home, even on weekends. She had no idea where he went or what he did all day. Sometimes, she would catch him entering from the balcony, reeking of alcohol.
After a stern scolding, Sukuna was never again caught returning from his… "enjoying life" escapades.
Occasionally, when the mood struck him, Sukuna would also guide Yukino in her physical training.
Through sparring, of course.
A swift, fierce high kick swept past Sukuna's nose, followed by a relentless barrage of varied kicks, all effortlessly dodged.
"What's the most important thing in close combat?" Sukuna asked, calmly evading Yukino's attacks. "It's distance. Control the distance, and your opponent can't hit you, while your attacks can land effectively."
Yukino paused her assault, catching her breath before charging at Sukuna again.
Just then, his phone rang. Sukuna raised a hand, signaling a pause.
Yukino obediently stopped.
Thud!
Caught off guard, Yukino was thrown to the ground. She glared at him. "Sukuna-kun!"
"Do you expect your enemies to fight honorably?"
Sukuna shrugged, offering her a mocking smile as he went to answer his phone.
It was Ijichi Kiyotaka. Sukuna put the call on speakerphone. A serious voice filled the room. "Sukuna-san, we may have found a lead on the Idle Transfiguration cursed technique user."
"Oh?" Sukuna's eyes sharpened, then a smirk touched his lips. "Go on, I'm listening."
"The location is Kanagawa Prefecture. Three high school students were killed in a movie theater. Their deaths were gruesome. From their appearance, it seems they were twisted into something resembling curses. It's very similar to the effects of Idle Transfiguration that you described, but we can't be certain yet."
"I understand. I'll head over there now."
Sukuna hung up, turning to Yukino, who also wore a serious expression. "You heard that?"
"Of course." Yukino nodded resolutely. "This time, we'll finally take down the one who killed Ōoka-san!"
Kanagawa Prefecture.
Sukuna and Yukino Yukinoshita arrived at the location provided by Ijichi Kiyotaka—a four-story office building.
The impeccably dressed Ijichi was already waiting downstairs, accompanied by a pink-haired boy who was looking around curiously.
"Oh! There they are!"
Yuji Itadori quickly spotted the approaching duo and waved. "Over here, over here!"
"Yo, Sukuna-san! And Yukinoshita-san!" He greeted them with a grin.
"Hello, Itadori-kun," Yukino nodded in response.
"Yo." Sukuna clapped Yuji on the shoulder, then pulled out his Jujutsu High teacher's ID, flashing it with a smile. "It's 'sensei' now."
"Whoa!" Yuji's eyes lit up as he stared at the ID. "Sukuna-sensei!"
Sukuna nodded in satisfaction, slinging an arm around Yuji's shoulders. "So, what brings you here today? Ready to let Sukuna out for a beating?"
"Of course not! Although I'm happy to see Sukuna get beaten up, it feels weird knowing it's my body taking the hits." Yuji shook his head vigorously.
"Actually, this was Gojo-sensei's arrangement…" Ijichi pushed up his glasses, recalling his conversation with Gojo Satoru.
"I have other matters to attend to, so I can't take Yuji with me this time," Gojo had said with a smile.
"Then, should we ask Nanami-san? He's currently available," Ijichi had suggested.
"No, isn't there a better candidate?" Gojo's lips curled into a playful smirk. "Let's leave Yuji with Sukuna. He'll be thrilled, and it'll be interesting to watch."
The memory ended. Seeing Sukuna's expression darken, Ijichi regretted sharing those trivial details.
"Well, that's pretty much the situation." Yuji, on the other hand, seemed unfazed. He placed his hands behind his head, grinning. "Please take care of me, Sukuna-sensei~"
Kanagawa Prefecture.
Sukuna, Yukino, and Yuji followed Ijichi into the office building and gathered in a small conference room. Sukuna settled onto the sofa, casually explaining that this building served as an intelligence hub for Jujutsu High, with branches in every prefecture gathering and relaying information about curses and cursed users.
Ijichi then projected a video from the movie theater's security camera. The footage showed four high school boys. Three were laughing and chatting, completely ignoring the movie. Suddenly, their bodies grotesquely warped and swelled, blood gushing from their orifices. They were clearly dead. The remaining boy, the one with the bangs, fled in terror.
"Security cameras can't capture curses, right?" Yuji asked. After Ijichi confirmed, he continued, "So the culprit is a curse?"
"Most likely," Ijichi nodded. "Based on the information Sukuna-san provided, it's probably a special grade."
"Another special grade?!" Yuji exclaimed. It seemed like every mission involved a special grade curse.
"This culprit used a similar method to kill a student at our school," Yukino said grimly, a flicker of sadness in her eyes.
"That's awful..." Yuji clenched his fists.
"So, it ran off to Kanagawa after I searched all over Chiba," Sukuna mused, then jumped up, eager to get moving. "Let's head to the scene then."
The last time he'd snatched a special grade curse kill from Sukuna, the system had rewarded him with 12,000 points. He wondered how many points this one would be worth.
"Please wait, Sukuna-san," Ijichi interrupted Sukuna's eagerness. "There's another piece of information potentially related to the Idle Transfiguration curse."
"Gojo-sensei was recently attacked by a special grade curse that possessed human-like intelligence, capable of fluent conversation and even Domain Expansion. When Gojo-sensei defeated it and tried to question it, another special grade curse appeared and rescued its companion."
"So, the special grade curses are teaming up?" Sukuna waved a dismissive hand. "Just a bunch of rabble. Nothing to worry about."
"Let's go." He beckoned Yuji and Yukino, heading out.
"Then, I wish you good fortune."
Ijichi saw them off, then wiped the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief. Although Sukuna wasn't as troublesome as Gojo Satoru and seemed quite approachable, being in the same room with someone so powerful was still nerve-wracking.
Especially now that Sukuna had his own body; the pressure was even more intense.
As for the other task Gojo had assigned him...
"Sukuna's method of obtaining a body is completely different from the usual cursed object possession. I'm curious."
"Hey, hey, Ijichi, why don't you investigate? After all, Sukuna seems to like you."
Ijichi had only one thought: Me?
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A young officer moved to intercept them, but a single glance from Sukuna froze him in his tracks.
Fortunately, an older officer pulled him back, whispering in his ear, "Don't worry about them. They're the ones who handle those cases beyond human capabilities."
"But..." the young officer stammered.
The older officer glared at him. "No buts. Those are the orders from higher up." His tone turned somber. "If you want to last in this line of work, you need to know which cases are meant for us regular cops. This one is beyond our reach."
He had seen the gruesome scene inside the theater. Even a seasoned veteran like him had nearly lost his lunch.
Unconcerned with the whispering officers, the trio entered the movie theater.
The movie had long since stopped, and the bright lights revealed the untouched crime scene.
"This is awful..." Yuji's eyes widened in horror as he took in the sight of the three corpses slumped in their seats.
He couldn't help but recall the sight of Masaru Ōoka's death at the juvenile detention center. This was far worse.
This was, without a doubt, a wrong way to die.
Even Yukino, who had accompanied Sukuna on numerous curse extermination missions, felt her stomach churn at the sight of the inhuman forms.
"Is it the same culprit?" she asked, fighting back nausea.
"Yes, the residual cursed energy is identical."
Sukuna had only needed a glance to confirm. The souls of these victims had been twisted into something resembling curses, hence their horrifying appearances.
"There's more over here." Yukino detected traces of cursed energy leading towards the staff passage.
"Huh? What are you two talking about? Residual cursed energy? I don't see anything." Yuji was completely lost.
"You can't see it?" Sukuna seemed surprised. "Didn't Gojo teach you?"
"Well, he's...you know..." Yuji scratched his head awkwardly.
"Seems like that guy has no teaching skills whatsoever!"
Sukuna burst out laughing. He still remembered being mocked by Gojo at the orphanage. This was his chance to get back at him.
"Itadori-kun, if you observe carefully, you can find traces of the residue," Yukino explained when it became clear Sukuna wasn't going to elaborate. "The residue is much fainter than that of a curse, so if you don't pay attention, your mind will automatically filter it out."
"Oh, I see. I'll try."
Yuji nodded, then narrowed his eyes, focusing on the floor.
After a few seconds, a faint trail appeared in his vision, meandering towards the staff passage.
"Whoa! I see it, I see it!" he exclaimed excitedly.
"Of course you can see it. Don't get so worked up over something so trivial," Yukino said flatly.
"Yukinoshita-san seems to be used to this kind of thing." Yuji's enthusiasm dampened slightly by her cold tone, he asked curiously, "By the way, I don't think I've ever seen you at Jujutsu High."
"I'm just cooperating with Sukuna-kun and Jujutsu High. It's natural that you haven't seen me." Yukino explained. "I'm a second-year student at Chiba Sōbu High. As for Sukuna-kun... he's technically unemployed, right?"
"I see." Yuji nodded in understanding. "Second-year… So you're a senpai. What grade are you as a sorcerer, Yukinoshita-senpai?"
"According to Ryōichi-kun, I'm a Grade 2."
"Wow! Same as Fushiguro!" Yuji exclaimed in admiration.
"It's not a big deal... Anyway, what should we do now?"
The light in Yukino's eyes dimmed for a moment. She didn't seem eager to dwell on the topic. If she were truly that strong, she wouldn't have been so helpless against Sukuna.
"This trail of residue is way too obvious," Sukuna said, his voice laced with suspicion. It was clearly bait, but he was going to take it and see what they were planning. "Let's follow it."
"Alright! I'm going all out!" Yuji declared, his fighting spirit burning.
"Be careful not to lose your head in the heat of the moment," Yukino cautioned.
"No problem!"
Following the deliberately left trail, they reached the rooftop. Yukino sensed two faint cursed energy signatures. "Sukuna-kun, there are two weak cursed energy reactions. Seems like they're the ene— Wait, what?"
Where did he go?
Yukino's eyes widened in surprise. Yuji turned around, equally bewildered. "Huh? Where's Sukuna-sensei? Wasn't he just behind us?"
"Never mind, I'm used to it..." Yukino sighed, turning to face the rooftop. "Let's deal with the enemies in front of us first."
"Okay!"
"I'll take this one!"
Yuji tossed his umbrella aside and charged towards a curse hiding behind a water tank, its head shaped like a pitcher plant.
Yukino went after the other one, which was crawling along the ground like a gecko.
Just as they were about to attack, Sukuna's voice drifted down from above. "Oh, by the way, those two small fries are humans."
They froze, looking up to see Sukuna perched on a ledge, casually munching on popcorn.
"Humans… You mean…?" Yuji's eyes widened in horror as he stared at the curse charging towards him.
Curses… are humans?!