In the blink of an eye, ten days had passed. The day of the Tokyo-Kyoto Sister School Goodwill Event had finally arrived.
In front of the main gate of Tokyo Jujutsu High, three second-year students and two first-year students stood waiting for the arrival of the Kyoto delegation.
"So the Goodwill Event is being held in Tokyo after all? Man, I was looking forward to this for so long," Nobara Kugisaki grumbled as she dragged a massive suitcase toward the group. Upon being told the venue was right here in Tokyo, her dreams of a Kyoto sightseeing trip were utterly crushed.
"Whose fault is it for not asking for details?" Maki Zenin shot her a dry look.
Looking at the heroic and dashing Maki, Nobara clung to her arm and acted spoiled. "Maki-san, let's go play in Kyoto together when we have time! Since you've made up with your sister, you'll be visiting her every now and then anyway, right? Just take me with you!"
"I want to go too," Panda added, raising both hands.
"Salmon," Toge Inumaki agreed, raising a small hand as well.
"Fine, fine, we'll all go together." Maki felt like she wasn't just a sister to one person anymore; she was practically the designated "Big Sister" for the whole group.
"Count me out," Megumi Fushiguro said with a wave of his hand. "Unless it's for a mission, I don't want to travel that far."
It was a waste of time. Kyoto and Tokyo were basically the same, anyway.
"I only need Maki-san; I don't care about some 'Stone-Faced Guy' anyway."
"Since when am I 'stone-faced'?"
"To be honest, Megumi-chan, you do lack expression usually. You're always acting all cool and silent."
"Salmon."
"Even Panda-senpai and Inumaki-senpai? I just don't want to be flippant like Gojo-sensei. That vibe is disgusting."
"Eh, I guess that makes sense."
"Too much of anything is bad. Stone-faced is stone-faced."
"What?!"
"Alright, stop bickering," Maki cut them off, tilting her head toward the path. "They're here."
Leading the way was Mai. She wore the high-collared Jujutsu High uniform with loose, gathered-bottom trousers. Her face was flushed with health; the moment she saw Maki, her eyes lit up. With a sweet smile, she lunged into Maki's arms like a fledgling bird returning to its nest.
"Onee-chan, it's been so long!"
"Long time no see, Mai." Maki stroked her hair, a doting smile on her face.
"What gives? You literally saw her a few days ago," Nobara muttered, feeling a mix of envy and a strange twinge of jealousy at their intimacy.
"Haven't you heard that 'one day apart feels like three autumns'? Oh, I forgot, maybe a country bumpkin like you never learned that," Mai said, looking up from her sister's embrace to needle Nobara.
"You... we really don't get along, do we? Sorry, Maki-san, but I'm going to beat her senseless during the exchange," Nobara growled, her anger gauge nearly reaching its limit.
"In your dreams," Mai teased, sticking out her tongue.
"You two, give it a rest." Maki pressed a hand to her forehead. She felt like she had accidentally walked into the middle of a messy soap opera.
By now, the rest of the Kyoto Jujutsu High group had arrived.
Six students were attending from their side: third-years Aoi Todo, Momo Nishimiya, and Noritoshi Kamo; and second-years Mai Zen'in, Kasumi Miwa, and Ultimate Mechamaru.
The faculty lead was Utahime Iori. She was Satoru Gojo's senior, but she harbored a deep loathing for the man.
Aoi Todo showed no lingering signs of injury; he appeared fully recovered. He scanned the Tokyo students with a look of disappointment. "What's the deal? Yuta Okkotsu didn't come back? Facing just you first and second-years is going to be a total bore."
"A Jujutsu sorcerer isn't necessarily stronger just because they're in a higher grade," Megumi replied. "I was actually worried Todo-senpai might miss the event because his injuries hadn't healed. Seeing you're unharmed is quite a relief."
"Hahaha! Those scratches were healed ages ago. I've been lying around for ten days. I was starting to get restless. I can't wait to start fighting. You better make this fun for me, Megumi Fushiguro!"
"The feeling is mutual."
After the two sides exchanged "pleasantries," Utahime looked around. Noticing the absence of a certain someone, she snapped irritably, "Is that idiot late again?"
"Yeah, Satoru is late."
"Is there ever a time when that idiot isn't late?"
"No one actually said the 'idiot' was Gojo-sensei, you know..."
Just as everyone was joining in on the roasting, Satoru Gojo finally made his grand, belated entrance. He came jogging in, waving to everyone while pushing a large, upright box on wheels.
"Everyone! Sorry for the wait! Looks like everyone is here, how wonderful!" Gojo stopped in the center of the gathering, beaming. "I was away on a business trip overseas, so I brought back some souvenirs for all of you!"
"So sudden," Panda deadpanned.
"Maybe he's still jet-lagged," Nobara said, eyeing Gojo skeptically.
"Here, these are protective charms from a certain tribe. One for each of the Kyoto students." Gojo pulled a stack of pink paper dolls (or perhaps yarn?) from his pocket and handed them out, adding as an afterthought, "None for Utahime, though."
"I don't want one anyway!" Utahime barked.
Aside from Kasumi Miwa, who was secretly a Gojo fangirl and looked thrilled, everyone else reacted with either disgust or indifference.
"And now, for the Tokyo students!" Gojo pirouetted like a ballet dancer and flamboyantly pushed the large box forward.
"High-energy adults are so gross," Nobara muttered.
The box popped open, and our protagonist, Yuji Itadori, made his flashy debut!
"The true identity of the gift is revealed! It's our dear, departed classmate, Yuji Itadori!" Gojo announced right on cue.
The simple-minded Yuji had followed Gojo's suggestion to the letter, wanting to give his long-lost friends and his new upperclassmen a surprise. He committed to the performance with full enthusiasm.
However, Megumi and Nobara's expressions remained frozen, looking as though they had just swallowed something foul. Maki and the others were simply speechless. The scene was a far cry from the emotional reunion Yuji had imagined.
"Uh... did I... did I mess up?" Yuji felt the awkwardness sinking in. "They don't look happy at all."
The unscrupulous Gojo then wheeled the cart toward the Kyoto students, introducing him like a circus act. "Kyoto students, have a look! This is Sukuna's Vessel, Yuji Itadori-kun."
Unfortunately, everyone was too preoccupied with their "gifts" to pay him any mind.
Luckily, the two Principals appeared at that moment. Gojo immediately found a new target for his sales pitch. "Principals, look! A fresh-out-of-the-box Sukuna's Vessel, Yuji Itadori-kun!"
"Sukuna's Vessel? What is the meaning of this?" Yoshinobu Gakuganji's face darkened. He had received official reports stating that Yuji Itadori was dead.
"Principal Gakuganji! I'm so glad to see you. I was worried the shock might be too much and you'd drop dead on the spot," Gojo chirped, leaning in close with a grin that showed absolutely zero concern.
"You brat!" Gakuganji hissed, clearly fuming.
On the other side, after two long months, the first-year trio was finally reunited.
"Hey, don't you have something to say to us?" Nobara asked, her eyes welling with tears as she glared at Yuji.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry for not telling you I was alive," Yuji answered guiltily.
"What exactly happened? Tell us everything," Megumi demanded.
"Well, it goes like this..."
Yuji recounted the story of his revival and shared what he had been doing over the past two months.
"I see. With Gojo-sensei and Nanami-san mentoring you, you must be pretty strong now," Megumi said, turning his face away.
"Mhm! I won't lose again," Yuji replied earnestly, completely missing the hint of bitterness in Megumi's voice.
"We've grown a lot too. We aren't going to let you fight alone ever again," Nobara said loudly, throwing her arms around both of their necks. "We're going to win this Goodwill Event! Let's give them a hell of a beating!"
"Yeah!"
…
The Sister School Goodwill Event would span two days. The first day featured a group battle titled "The Wacky Cursed Spirit Extermination Race."
As the name implied, the rules were simple: the first team to exorcise the Grade 2 Cursed Spirit placed in the target zone would be the winner. The area was also filled with numerous spirits of Grade 3 and below. If no team exorcised the Grade 2 spirit by sunset, the victory would go to the team with the highest total count of exorcised spirits.
The match would be broadcast via crows controlled by a sorcerer named Mei Mei.
Other than that, there were no rules.
A Grade 2 spirit was something Yuji could handle on his own; therefore, the key to victory lay in effectively stalling the opposing team.
After finalizing their respective strategies at noon, the match officially began.
The Tokyo and Kyoto teams entered from separate gates, sprinting toward each other.
"Where will the boss spirit be?" Yuji asked while running.
"Usually, they place it right in the middle of the two teams. But spirits don't just sit still, so we'll have to hunt for it," Panda replied.
Megumi's technique, the "Ten Shadows Technique," used shadows as a medium to summon ten different shikigami. He had already summoned a black Divine Dog, utilizing its keen sense of smell to track the enemy.
Suddenly, the dog barked twice toward the front. Megumi understood immediately. "There's a fodder spirit ahead, and..."
Before he could finish, a shirtless powerhouse burst out from the side—Aoi Todo.
Seeing Yuji and the others dodge his entrance, he chuckled. "Perfect, all six of you are here. Come at me together! I'll take on all six of you at once!"
His answer was a sudden, flying knee-strike from Yuji right to the face, slamming him back into a tree.
Taking the opening, the other five sprinted past Todo and continued forward.
Their strategy was to use Yuji to tie down the opposing team's strongest fighter, Todo, while the rest prioritized the Grade 2 spirit, the key to winning.
Having taken a direct hit to the face, Todo stood up and cracked his neck as if he hadn't felt a thing. "Your attack is soft and weak. Compared to him, you're far too pathetic!"
Cursed energy exploded as Todo focused his strength. Like a human tank, he closed the distance to Yuji in an instant. His ferocious fist tore through a low-level spirit that had wandered into the fray, whistling straight toward Yuji.
"Your speed is like a vintage car. Compared to him, you're far too slow!" Yuji calmly tracked the trajectory of Todo's fist. He leaned aside at the very last second, grabbed Todo's arm with both hands, and used the momentum to try and flip him to the ground.
Todo's reflexes were just as sharp; his other hand clamped onto Yuji's shoulder. The two locked together in a test of raw strength, neither yielding an inch.
Locking eyes, both grinned simultaneously. One high, one low, they delivered a dual headbutt.
BANG!
With a resounding thud, stars danced before Todo's eyes, and the strength in his grip wavered.
Yuji, having taken the heavy blow as well, felt his vision swim. He let go of Todo and staggered back, sliding down against a tree until he sat on the ground.
At that moment, a prickle of danger at the back of his neck made Yuji shiver. Instinctively, he jerked his head to the side.
Whiz!
A sharp arrow whistled out from the forest, thudding into the tree exactly where Yuji's head had been a second ago, sinking deep into the wood.
Yuji stared at the vibrating fletching of the arrow and felt a cold sweat break out. If he hadn't moved, that arrow would have pierced his skull. He would have died all over again.
An indescribable fury rose in his chest. He roared, "Who's there?! You actually tried to kill me?!"
Four figures emerged from the woods. They were the rest of the Kyoto team, everyone except Mai had gathered.
Seeing their murderous intent, Yuji said in a low voice, "You're all trying to kill me?"
"Yuji Itadori, Sukuna's Vessel," said Noritoshi Kamo, who stood at the front. "We are acting on the Principal's orders to exorcise you. You know what kind of terrifying existence resides within your body. If you have any conscience left, you should end your own life. Such a monster should never have been allowed back into this world."
As the future head of the Kamo Clan, one of the Big Three Families, he was well-versed in the art of manipulation.
"I know... I know how vile Sukuna is," Yuji said loudly. "But I'm not ready to just die like this. I still have so many things to do. I have to fulfill my grandfather's wish. I want to make sure people can have a 'proper death'."
"Trust me, I really can control my body!"
"Even if you can control it now, it doesn't mean you can forever. For the safety of humanity, it's better that you die."
"I refuse!"
"In that case, let us release you from your burden!"
At Kamo's command, the four began their coordinated assault.
However…
Clap!
The sound of a single handclap echoed. The Yuji they were surrounding was suddenly replaced by a cold-faced Aoi Todo.
"Itadori's technique? No, it's Todo's," Kamo deduced, his eyes narrowing into slits.
"I don't care what you think you're doing. Get out of here. Now!" Todo barked, looking ready to flatten them if they didn't comply.
"..." Kamo conceded. It wasn't just cowardice; the simple fact was that they couldn't beat him.
Ever since Todo had lost to a Special Grade Cursed Spirit, he had become even more irritable and terrifying than before.
"Todo, kill him then!"
"That depends on Itadori's performance," Todo replied with a villainous grin. "And don't you dare give me orders."
The Kyoto team's group assassination attempt ended in failure.
"I knew this would happen."
"Let's go. we've fallen too far behind."
Thank goodness! The only "normal" person, Kasumi Miwa, followed the group away happily.
The woods were once again left to just Yuji and Todo.
"Uh... thanks for the help."
"Don't mention it. I want to ask you a question. Answer me: What kind of woman is your type?!" Todo asked with deadly seriousness.
"Huh?" Yuji was baffled.
How did a life-and-death battle suddenly turn into a question about his preferences?
"Don't overthink it. I just need to evaluate you."
Yuji thought for a moment and said, "Well, I don't really get it, but if I had to say... probably a girl who's tall and has a big ass... like Jennifer Lawrence."
Ding!
As if a bell had rung, a "memory" that never existed suddenly flooded Todo's mind.
His eyes filled with tears of deep emotion. "Itadori... it turns out you are my best friend!"
Yuji: "???"