The training session left Okarun drained, but it also served as a "dinner bell" for the rest of the students.
News of the "dimension-hoppers" spread through Jujutsu High faster than a low-grade curse.
Later that evening, the school's lounge was filled with an awkward, heavy tension.
Okarun, now back in his human form, sat hunched over a cup of tea, his hands still trembling slightly from the violet "after-shocks" of the Phase Devil's power.
Momo sat protectively beside him, her eyes scanning the room.
"So,"
A girl with orange hair and a sharp gaze—Nobara Kugisaki—broke the silence.
She was leaning against a doorway, filing her nails with a hammer-and-nail-themed file.
"You're from a world with no Cursed Energy, but you've got psychokinesis and a guy who turns into a motorized grandma? Honestly, I've heard weirder, but the fashion in your world looks suspiciously like ours."
"It's... it's mostly the same,"
Okarun stammered, adjusting his cracked glasses.
"Except for the aliens. And the spirits that try to steal your... uh... reproductive organs."
Megumi Fushiguro, who had been sitting quietly in the corner petting one of his Divine Dogs, looked up sharply.
"Aliens? You mean like cursed spirits from space?"
"No, actual aliens,"
Momo corrected, crossing her arms.
"With spaceships and everything. They're a real pain. But at least they don't feel as... gross as the things in this forest."
Megumi nodded slowly, his eyes shifting to Okarun.
"Gojo-sensei says your 'Phase' ability is different from a Cursed Technique. He said you aren't using energy; you're rewriting the rules. Is that true?"
Okarun looked down at his palms.
He could still see the faint, translucent shimmer beneath his skin.
"I think so. It's like... I can see the seams where the world is sewn together. If I pull on them, I can step through. But the more I do it, the more I feel like I'm losing my 'weight' in this reality."
Yuji Itadori walked over, handing Okarun a plate of steaming yakisoba.
"Eat up! You used a ton of energy today. You're like me, man—carrying something inside you that doesn't belong."
Okarun looked at Yuji's hand and remembered what he knew from the "story."
Inside this friendly boy sat Ryomen Sukuna, a King of Curses who wanted nothing but slaughter.
"Itadori-kun,"
Okarun said softly, his voice serious.
"In our world, stories are powerful. And in the story of this world... things get very hard for you. I'm going to do my best to use this power to change that. I don't want to see anyone else get 'deleted' from their own life."
Yuji blinked, then gave a bright, slightly confused grin.
"I don't really get the 'story' talk, but thanks! If you've got our backs, then we're invincible, right?"
The atmosphere shifted as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long, jagged shadows over the temple grounds.
Satoru Gojo appeared in the doorway, his usual playful demeanor replaced by a sharp, focused edge.
"Alright, kids. Field trip time,"
Gojo announced.
"The 'Curtain' has been spotted over Shibuya. It's a 400-meter radius barrier that only traps civilians. The management is already on-site."
He turned his gaze specifically to Okarun and Momo.
"Okarun-kun, Momo-chan. This is it. There are 'Vails' in Shibuya that normal sorcerers can't break without killing the people inside. But your Phase power? It's a bypass. You're going to be our 'Ghost Team.' You go where the doors are locked, and you pull out whoever you can find."
Momo stood up, her pink aura flaring to life, her earrings jingling.
"We're ready. Okarun, don't forget—I've got your back. If you start to fade away into those 'layers,' I'll pull you back with everything I've got."
Okarun stood up, his face hardening.
He didn't look like the stuttering nerd from Kamigoe anymore.
He looked like the Turbo Devil.
"Ayase-san... let's save everyone."