Kyojuro grit his teeth and got back on his feet with some difficulty. His ribs were screaming at him in protest but his flame still burned bright. He couldn't falter— not here, not against a demon this dangerous.
His eyes shot towards the the stranger, the so-called civilian who had intervened just a moment ago.
"MOVE!" Kyojuro shouted.
His grip on his nichirin blade tightened. The demon raised his strange weapon, finger tightening on the trigger. The weapon thundered and a glint shot through the air straight at the stranger's face.
For a moment Kyojuro's heart seized. He wouldn't make it in time. The last blow the demon had landed on him had made using his breathing style difficult.
But then—
The bullet… stopped.
Frozen in mid-air, suspended inches from the white haired man's head. Kyojuro stared in shock.
"What… in the world?"
The civilian tilted his head to look at the bullet, lips curling into a grin. "Very shiny… ne,
demon-san, can I keep this as a souvenir?"
The demon snarled and fired the weapon several more times. Each time the bullet stopped short of the 'civilian', Kyojuro's mouth opened in a mix of awe and surprise.
The demon snarled, abandoning the rifle to leap forward with his claws bared. Yet the man didn't even raise his arms. The frozen bullets plinked to the ground as he simply swayed, hands still in his pockets as the demons strikes missed him by mere inches.
"Hey hey hey, easy there! Personal space buddy. Didn't your mother ever teach you not to touch strangers?" The man quipped, leaning slightly to one side as the demon's claws sliced harmlessly past his face.
Kyojuro's jaws clenched. His flame coloured eyes following every motion, but the truth was undeniable. This wasn't an ordinary 'civilian' just caught up in the fight.
"Remarkable…" Kyojuro whispered, torn between awe and bafflement.
His grip never loosened on his katana. The 'civilian' continued to dance around the demon's attacks. Not in the elegance of an extraordinary warrior, but with the casual swagger of a man out for a stroll.
"Stay still pest!" The demon roared.
The man hummed, "Well, since you asked… I guess I'll show off a little."
Before Kyojuro could process the words, the stranger blurred— no, slid— to one side, a hand finally emerging from his pocket. He raised his finger and a red orb radiating malicious intent formed at the tip of the digit.
With an almost lazy flick, the red orb blasted towards the demon and erased a chunk of its flesh before crashing into the ruined building with an explosive blast. The demon screeched in pain, but it was slowly healing.
Kyojuro blinked, that hadn't been a breathing style, not any technique he had ever seen before, it was something else entirely.
The man landed an axe kick on the demon's shoulder before it recovered, slamming the demon into the ground with a loud bang. The man crouched over the downed demon wagging a finger.
"Tch, violence doesn't solve your problems y'know. Except when I'm the one using it at least."
The demon roared and swiped at the man again faster than Kyojuro could track yet the demon's claws halted centimeters from the man's face, as though an invisible wall separated them.
"Oh don't pout, you're still the star of the show and we've got an audience so don't disappoint me 'kay?"
Kyojuro continued to watch in shock as the seemingly normal man toyed with the demon. The demon he had recently been struggling with. Kyojuro felt something dangerously close to admiration growing inside him.
'I can still fight…' Kyojuro steadied his resolve as he stepped forward, his blade rising.
"FLAME BREATHING—" Kyojuro roared, as he dashed back into the fray.
The white haired man wearing circular sunglasses glanced at him and grinned widely. Instead of interfering he tilted his head and stepped back as if yielding a stage.
"Oh finally, I was worried you were just gonna stand there and gawk the whole time. Don't mind me, I'll let you take the spotlight."
Kyojuro didn't understand half of what the man said, the demon snarled trying to split its attention between them. He didn't let the opportunity go to waste as he saw the demon hesitate. His blade carved across its chest in an arc.
"Impressive!" The man clapped as he blurred behind the staggering demon. "Now now, demon-chan, don't forget about me. You're about to experience something special."
The demon blinked, confused for a split second before it's head snapped to the side from a punch. The man had a manic grin on his face as he proclaimed;
"You're about to get the Jujutsu Kaisen Jumping special!"
Kyojuro flattered mid-strike. "Ju-jujutsu what?"
Before he could ask the man blurred again and planted a vicious knee to the demon's gut. The demon screeched again and swung wildly until its wrist was caught by the stranger.
"Tsk tsk tsk, bad demon."
With a kick the demon was launched towards Kyojuro. Snapping out of his confusion, Kyojuro swung his blade and severed one of the demon's arms. The stranger slid in beside him, throwing a rapid barrage of strikes.
Punches, kicks, elbows— every blow timed perfectly with Kyojuro's own swings. For a moment it wasn't strangers fighting, it was a rhythm like they'd trained together for years.
The demon roared as it was absolutely shredded from both sides. Demonic ichor splattered the ruined street.
"Not bad eh?" The man said between strikes, still grinning like a fool. "We're like peanut butter and jelly."
Kyojuro had no idea what that meant. "What strange metaphors you use." He shouted back.
The man laughed and snapped a kick into the demon's ribs that echoed like breaking wood. "Don't worry about it, Rengoku-san! Just enjoy the Jujutsu Kaisen Jumping were giving this demon."
"What's a Jujutsu Kaisen Jumping?" Kyojuro asked again.
He didn't get an answer— because the stranger was already dragging the demon down by the throat as if presenting a target.
"Your turn, Flame Boy."
Kyojuro's eyes blazed. "FLAME BREATHING THIRD FORM: BLAZING UNIVERSE!"
His blade came down in a screaming arc, separating the demon's head from its shoulders in one clean strike. The demon was already turning to ash that scattered in the wind before its head finished rolling.
The stranger made a show of dusting off his hands. "Aaand that's how we do it. Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe."
Kyojuro blinked. "To… what?"
Kyojuro held his nichirin blade loosely as he caught his breath. He remained alert despite the demon threat having been dealt with. His mind swirled with the absurdity that had just occurred.
"Jujutsu… Kaisen… jumped…" he muttered under his breath, utterly baffled. And yet… despite the nonsense, there was no denying the truth. Their coordination had been seamless, he hadn't fought like that even with his father when they trained.
Before he could dwell further a very familiar voice rang out.
"Rengoku-san!"
He turned, eyes widening as Mitsuri Kanroji came rushing down the street. Her green-and-pink hair swayed behind her, her light green eyes wide and wet with tears of relief.
"Rengoku-san!" She called again while waving at him, breathless with her smile trembling. "I-I'm so glad you're alright. We… we managed to find and disable all the bombs. Me and the others managed to find them all on time. The Kakushi are already on their way to handle the remains."
Her hands clenched tightly against her chest, as if she was holding back a sob.
His features softened into a small smile, "You did well, Mitsuri! Truly splendid work! You helped save countless lives tonight."
Her cheeks flushed at the praise, eyes shimmering.
But before she could respond further—
"Yo."
Kyojuro blinked. He turned just in time to realise that the white-haired stranger had somehow changed outfits. Earlier he had been wearing some sort of western styled casual suit. Now the suit jacket was slung over his shoulder revealing a pristine white button up shirt. His dark circular sunglasses had been swapped out for a pair of rectangular sunglasses with a light blue tint.
The glasses hung low on his face revealing dazzlingly light blue eyes that seemed to glow. His white hair looked like it had been styled in a messy sort of way.
"Mitsuri-chan, right? I've gotta say… Tokyo's lanterns have nothing on you tonight."
Mitsuri froze mid-step, face heating up so fast she may as well have burst into flames. "E-eh?! Wh-what…?!"
Kyojuro's jaw nearly unhinged. "Wh—?!"
The stranger struck a pose, one Kyojuro found strange but was clearly very effective in flustering Mitsuri some more. "Mmm, pink and green hair… unique and adorable. And those eyes— damn, they're like sugar candy. Sweet enough to give me cavities just from a glance."
Mitsuri fumbled, covering her cheeks with her hands. "Wha- s-s-stop, what are you saying so suddenly?!"
"Say, can I visit you sometime? I can teach you to play twinkle twinkle little star on the violin?"
Kyojuro finally had enough when it seemed like Mitsuri was seconds away from having steam burst from her ears.
"Oi!" Kyojuro barked, eyes glaring at the stranger. His posture screaming 'Big Brother Indignation'.
But the man just laughed, "Relax Flame Boy. I was just appreciating beauty when I see it." Then he leaned forward and lowered his voice so just Mitsuri heard him. "Think about my offer 'kay?"
Her face went crimson, heart pounding so loud that she thought it might burst. She stammered helplessly, torn between embarrassment and something else.
Kyojuro, meanwhile, was utterly confused. From the fight with the demon to this strangers odd word.
'Who is this man!?'
Mitsuri on the other hand was desperately trying to breathe without combusting. She looked like she was cycling between awe, embarrassment, and utter confusion. Her fingers fidgeting with her sleeve as Kyojuro stood in front of her defensively.
"I-I don't know why to say." Mitsuri muttered.
The man tilted his head, grin widening. "That's fine. No need to say anything. Just… let me be a little extra. Consider it, uh… post-battle stress relief?"
Kyojuro's brain short-circuited. 'Post battle stress relief? What does that even mean?!'
Mitsuri's blush deepened, her mind seemingly wandering. She glanced at Kyojuro, unsure whether to protest, faint, or scream internally.
Kyojuro felt his unfathomable sense of self control falter.
'This man… is completely insane.'