The chamber was dim and warm, lit by the faint glow of residual cursed energy. Steam drifted from cracks in the stone walls, and the air pulsed like it was breathing.
Mahito sat on a crooked stone, legs swinging like a child's. His fingers tapped an uneven rhythm against his thigh as he traced lines in the dust with his foot.
He wasn't working.
Not on Fly Soldiers, not on bodies, not on anything that mattered. Not while others were watching. He'd learned that part well.
Idle Transfiguration, the real thing, that stayed hidden.
Kenjaku only knew a part of it. And Mahito wanted it to remain like that, at least for now.
He liked it that way.
So, for now, he played. Hummed. Waited. Because he knew that someone, or something, was coming his way.
He had developed a sort of network within those sewers, small transfigured curses that he controlled reported to him whenever seeing something.
They were too similar to regular Fly Heads for anyone to tell the difference, so they could fly under the radar.
He tossed a piece of bone in the air and caught it again. Not a cursed tool. Not useful. Just... something to fidget with.
And then the air changed.
Thick. Heavy. Still.
The roots came first, sliding down the corridor like veins searching for a heartbeat. They twisted around cracks and stone, brushing the old dust away.
Then came Hanami.
A tangle of bark and bloom, of stillness and slow violence. Her presence seeped into the room like shade crawling over the forest floor.
Mahito perked up, hands clapping once.
"Hanami~ You came! I didn't bring tea. Or cake. But I have a shiny rock!"
He held up something vaguely round and definitely not a rock.
Hanami's figure didn't change at all, her face remaining expressionless. Her voice entered his mind, carried like wind through dead trees.
"Your speech has improved... Good. Kenjaku has given instructions. You are to come. Now."
Mahito tilted his head and leaned forward, poking at the floor with his toe.
"Ehh~ Already? But the moon's not even full..."
"We attack during the school event. Disrupt the students. Create confusion. Draw attention."
Mahito blinked slowly, then grinned, sharp and soft all at once.
"Ooooooooh~ The one with all the uniforms and shouting and friendship punching. That one~ I read a few manga like that~"
Hanami didn't respond directly. But her roots began to recede. She turned.
Mahito followed with a skip in his step, arms swinging wide.
"Do I get to pick someone to fight this time? I wanna see the one with the nails again~ She was spicy."
"Stick to the plan. Do not stray. Take a few moments to collect yourself, I'll wait for you at the entrance..."
"Stick stick stick~ Very well~ I will go and get some things, return to you in a bit~"
Hanami nodded, turning away and leaving the sewers, clearly not liking the surrounding areas too much.
The stench was one thing, but being so far away from nature was annoying to the Special Grade Curse.
Mahito's expression changed entirely when Hanami left sight.
It gained a profound coldness, losing all other emotions. All but one... Excitement.
'So it's already time, huh?... Better prepare mentally for this.'
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High above the city, behind soundproof glass and reinforced charm-barriers, Mei Mei poured herself a drink. The amber liquid swirled lazily as she watched it catch the light.
The crow at her window shifted once, tilting its head.
Then the phone on her desk lit up, just once, soft and violet.
She tapped it.
"Mahito."
"Mei-chaan~"
His tone was smooth this time. Almost polite. A practised calm wrapped in lazy charm.
"You're calling early," she said, swirling her drink. "The elders haven't made the latest payment yet, don't worry, you'll get your cut..."
"Mmh. No~ just thought I'd give you a whisper in advance. Things are moving, y'know? Something big is happening soon on your end too, right?"
Her brow arched slightly. "School event?"
"Mhm~ I'm the guest of honour this year. Me and Flowerface are showing up for a little… garden party."
Mei Mei didn't change expressions.
"And you're offering intel ahead of time."
Mahito chuckled.
"Just a teaser. The good stuff comes after. Once the shouting's done. When everything's messy and interesting~"
"You want a new cut?"
"Nope. Just the usual. 25% minus any additional operating costs and assistance you may provide..."
Mei Mei set her drink down. "You don't ask for a lot, thankfully... One of my least troublesome connections."
"True. I do like building trust first~ which is why I am giving you a heads-up. The leader is aiming for something else; this is just a distraction. Don't know the full details yet, will keep you posted."
"You realise Gojo will be present, right? Planning to survive?"
"Very much. Dying's boring. I am not on bad terms with Gojo yet, and I am not stupid enough to attack his students. Don't worry too much about what I'll be doing~"
With that, Mahito ended the call, leaving Mei Mei to squint at the phone with a curious gaze.
'What a predicament... He may lose his role among the curses if he's not careful. That would make him less... Profitable.'
Mei Mei ended the call without another word.
"Ui Ui."
The boy appeared at her side in a blink.
"Yes, sister?"
"Add a note to the Kyoto Exchange file. Potential interference from unregistered Special Grades. Use vague language. No need to alarm the elders, but inform both schools."
"Right away."
She picked up her glass again, gazing out at the skyline.
"Let's see what our new business partner has in store for us..."
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Elsewhere, in the treeline above the Kyoto perimeter, Mahito crouched on a branch.
The event had not yet begun. But the players were gathering.
He watched the students in the far distance. Laughing. Stretching. Plotting against one another.
One side was preparing for battle like it was a school game, while another seemed to be preparing for something more.
Yuji was there.
So was the girl with the nails, Kugisaki. The ten-shadows wielder, Megumi.
Their seniors were also present, faces Mahito already knew.
Panda, Maki, Inumaki...
He was far enough to watch, but not close enough to be sensed. He hadn't entered the barrier of Jujutsu High, as he needed to wait for a signal.
The anti-Gojo barrier needed to be put up too, which would take a few seconds.
Mahito tilted his head and smiled.
He hadn't decided if he would fight this time. Or talk.
Sometimes talking was better.
He pressed a finger to the bark of the tree and let cursed energy flow into it, just enough to leave a scar on the wood.
He didn't need to win anything here.
Just move the game forward. After all, the curtain was rising.
And Mahito?
He always liked to make his entrance just a little late.