"Where are you?"
Kamihara Hajime, moving swiftly under the cover of night, called Megumi Fushiguro as he approached the 88 Bridge. After a delay, it was Yuji Itadori who answered.
"Hajime-san? We're by the roadside. When we fought the Cursed Spirit, Fushiguro used Domain Expansion. He collapsed after that…"
With their location confirmed, Hajime rushed over and found the trio—Fushiguro, Itadori, and Nobara Kugisaki—waiting nearby.
By the time he arrived, Megumi had just regained consciousness. Answering Itadori's call, Hajime walked over.
"Looks like you dealt with the Curse," Hajime noted.
Megumi silently handed him something he'd been gripping even in unconsciousness. Hajime took it and frowned—it was one of Sukuna's fingers, radiating malignant Cursed Energy.
Hajime crouched, healed Megumi with a touch of Reverse Cursed Technique, and muttered, "So exhausted you can't even summon Round Deer?"
He also restored Itadori and Kugisaki, who had obediently gathered near.
Megumi stretched and let out a breath. "It was like the one from the Juvenile Detention Center—just stronger. It should've been a mission for higher-ups, but… Tsumiki went to that bridge. I had to do something. In the end, I managed to exorcise it with an incomplete Domain Expansion."
Hajime nodded. He understood. Rationally, Megumi should've waited, but emotionally? Of course, he wouldn't.
While waiting for Akari Nitta to arrive, Hajime took the chance to debrief Megumi on the Domain Expansion.
Megumi took a moment before responding. "It's hard to explain. I didn't think—I just acted. It felt like I merged with the environment. Even though it was incomplete, using my Shikigami became way easier inside it."
Hajime sighed thoughtfully. His own domain, Time Rain, had never fully taken form despite nearing completion. Megumi achieving it first gave him pause.
Perhaps he needed to form a prototype and then refine it? But even that path might just yield a slightly improved Time Rain—not worth it.
Domain Expansion was the pinnacle of Jujutsu combat. It wasn't just about technique—it had to reflect a sorcerer's innermost essence.
Each domain was unique, even when based on similar abilities. Gojo-sensei's Unlimited Void didn't empower his Blue or Red techniques directly—it instead overloaded the opponent with infinite information, crashing their minds.
In contrast, Megumi's Chimera Shadow Garden made his techniques nearly effortless inside its shadow-drenched terrain. He'd even fused Great Serpent, Nue, and Max Elephant—not a mere stacking of effects, but genuine Technique Amplification.
It wasn't just about strength—it was about understanding oneself.
"Do I need that kind of pressure to push through…? But even if I spar with Gojo-sensei, it's not real. There's no intent to kill."
Before Hajime could spiral further into thought, Akari Nitta arrived—visibly flustered.
She had been left behind when the trio went off-mission. When she realized they weren't at the hotel and didn't answer her calls, she searched everywhere—only to find them after they had already exorcised the Curse.
She stormed over, her voice sharp. "Hajime-san?! What are you doing here? Did you handle the Curse?"
"No," Hajime replied calmly. "They did. I only just arrived."
Nitta froze in surprise as Hajime handed her something. The moment her hand touched the object, her expression twisted. Sukuna's finger.
The Curse at 88 Bridge had been a Special Grade.
She didn't know whether to reprimand them for recklessly confronting such a threat—or praise them for surviving it.
After Hajime sealed the finger, the team returned to Jujutsu High.
---
Back at Jujutsu High
"Come in."
Hajime pushed open the door. The room was sterile, filled with machines, medical beds, and a wall of glass jars housing strange objects.
"Gojo-sensei, Ieiri Shoko-san."
Gojo Satoru and Ieiri Shoko stood beside two restrained creatures—one captured by Hajime, the other by Gojo. Both appeared humanoid, though warped and monstrous.
Gojo grinned. "You're back, Hajime. Looks like we caught twin freaks. Mine was nearly brain-dead thanks to Unlimited Void, though."
Ieiri Shoko nodded. "They're from the same source, but yours is more useful. His consciousness is still intact, thanks to your Technique."
She glanced at the one Hajime captured—its expression blank, hollow from whatever research she'd conducted. Apparently, she'd been using the effects of Amber to experiment on him—restoring him repeatedly as she tested his limits.
Hajime didn't feel the slightest bit of pity. He even offered, "Need me to reactivate the Technique again?"
Ieiri waved it off. "No need. You've got more important things to handle. Let me brief you."
The two entities were partially human but far from normal. Their physical enhancements were evident, but even more bizarre was the fusion of Cursed Techniques.
Number One—Gojo's sample—had no usable intel. He'd been a regular criminal before transforming. Number Two—Hajime's—had fragments of memory about a mysterious figure and something he described as a "medicine," which wasn't medicine at all but a processed Cursed Object.
"Headquarters' fusion process only works on non-sorcerers," Hajime said. "And even then, it's unstable. But this guy had two Techniques—though he couldn't use them together. That shouldn't be possible."
Gojo leaned forward. "So whoever developed this went beyond anything we've seen…"
Ieiri interrupted, frowning. "Maybe so, but there's a flaw. They won't live long."
Number Two's gaze sharpened. "What did you say...? I'm going to die?"
Ieiri didn't react. "Your extended life is thanks to Hajime's Technique. Number One will probably die first."
As if on cue, Number One began convulsing. In seconds, his body shriveled into a husk.
Number Two stared blankly. "You lied to me…"
Hajime looked to Ieiri. "Anything else you need to study?"
Ieiri shrugged. "Not unless I want to reinvent a whole branch of Jujutsu. This is way outside my expertise."
Gojo, smirking, added, "Why not ask me? I'm amazing at this stuff."
She didn't even glance his way. "Gojo, don't you have a mission to get to?"
He chuckled. "I've got a talented student. Won't take long. Besides, we need to get ahead of this while we can."
Hajime sighed inwardly. With more of these modified Curses appearing, it was only a matter of time before things escalated.
"Oh, right," he added, "Megumi touched on Domain Expansion."
Gojo blinked. "Wait—he used an incomplete domain? Against a Special Grade?"
When Hajime confirmed it, Gojo grinned wide. "Nice. Looks like that kid's making real progress."
---
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