It wasn't long after Leo Vance stepped through the terminal gates that his eyes widened in genuine alarm. Ahead of him, the airport lobby wasn't just crowded, it was a battlefield.
A massive wave of people came rushing forward like a zombie horde besieging a city. The clamor was so loud it echoed against the vaulted ceilings of the Imperial Capital Airport, drowning out the flight announcements.
"Leo Vance, my husband! I love you! I've waited six hours for this!"
"Gojo-sensei! Please, just look at me! I want to be your pet!"
"Leo! Give me a chance to audition! I'll do anything!"
"Father Leo! The King has arrived!"
Leo had expected some attention, but he hadn't anticipated that his flight details would leak so thoroughly. He looked at the surging crowd, roughly 70% young women, 30% intense-looking fanboys numbering nearly two hundred. They were all holding up neon signs, tablet screens, and hand-painted posters featuring the character "V" or his Gojo portraits.
For the first time, Leo truly understood the "pained happiness" of top-tier idols.
"Oh my god! Someone just stepped on my glasses and snapped them!"
"Wait! My shoulder strap broke! Stop pushing! You're crushing my designer bag!"
"Hey! Who just pinched my arm?! Cut it out!"
The chaos was real. Curses and shrieks erupted from the crush as the airport's emergency security detail, nearly twenty guards struggled to form a perimeter. Police officers were already moving in to "suppress" the crowd before a stampede occurred.
Leveraging his agility and physical stats, Leo managed to weave through the gaps, carving a path through the madness with the precision of a professional athlete. He ducked under a velvet rope, sprinted through a side exit, and threw himself into a waiting Uber.
"Go, go, go!" Leo shouted to the startled driver.
As the car peeled away, Leo wiped sweat from his brow. It was only when they were two miles away that he slapped his forehead in realization.
"Wait... where's Riley?"
Inside the airport, the storm had finally subsided as the crowd realized their target had vanished.
Riley Evans was currently sitting on a plastic chair in the corner of the baggage claim area. Her hair was a bird's nest, her glasses were crooked, and her eyes were glazed over with a dazed, haunted expression. She looked like a survivor of a natural disaster.
At that moment, she was seriously contemplating whether any amount of "career growth" was worth her literal life.
Vibrate, vibrate, vibrate!
Her phone rang. It was Leo.
"Riley! Where did you run off to, little rabbit? Listen, you did a great job back there. Real veteran move, staying behind to draw the heat. I'm so impressed, I'm giving you a raise. A thousand-dollar bonus for the trauma!"
Riley stared at the phone, her voice flat. "Leo... it's too much. I can't do this. I almost lost a shoe. I'm quitting."
"Five thousand dollars!"
Riley's eyes flickered. "Leo, money isn't everything. My dignity-"
"Ten thousand dollars!"
Riley's vacant eyes instantly regained their sparkle. Her posture straightened. She smoothed her hair with one hand and checked her reflection in the phone screen. "Thank you, Leo! I'll be at the hotel in twenty minutes with your coffee!"
5:00 PM. Imperial Capital Film Academy (ICFA).
The campus was buzzing. Classes had just ended, and the golden hour light was hitting the historic brick buildings.
Maya Lane had returned to campus earlier that afternoon to handle some graduation paperwork. Unexpectedly, she ran into Robert Sterling, who was on campus accompanying his wife, a famous actress, for a guest lecture.
As a distinguished alumnus of UCLA, Robert had decided to take a stroll down memory lane, visiting his old professors. But the moment he and Maya stepped onto the main quad, they were swarmed.
Robert Sterling was already a household name due to his hit series Empire of Fate, but his recent turn as the mysterious villain in Jujutsu Kaisen had pushed his fame into the stratosphere. Even though his character had only appeared in brief glimpses, the fans knew he was the "Final Boss."
"Classmates, please! I'm sorry, but we have a meeting!" Robert shouted, laughing as he signed a flurry of notebooks.
Outside Teaching Building No. 8.
Chloe Vance, Ava and their friend Gwen were walking toward the cafeteria.
"Chloe, just look at him! How can you say he's not the most handsome man on earth?" Ava was holding her phone an inch from Chloe's face, showing a still of Gojo Satoru with his blindfold off.
Chloe sighed, rubbing her temples. "Ava, I'm telling you for the tenth time today, don't be fooled by the pixels. That guy's character is absolute trash. He's arrogant, he's lazy, and he's probably a nightmare to be around in real life!"
As Chloe was mid-sentence, passionately slandering her own brother to her best friends, she felt a sudden tug on her backpack.
"Hey! Little brat," a voice called out from behind her. "Who are you talking about? Since when did you become such a pro at backstabbing your betters?"
Chloe turned around, her eyes flaring with irritation. She wanted to see which student was brave enough to be this rude.
Standing before her was a tall, dashingly cool young man. He was wearing a black baseball cap pulled low, a mask, a leather motorcycle jacket, and dark jeans. Even with his face covered, he exuded an aura of effortless, high-class confidence.
Chloe froze. That voice... it's familiar. But it can't be.
Behind her, Lucas Miller had turned a deep shade of crimson. He pointed a trembling finger at the stranger. "Le-!"
Leo made a sharp "shushing" gesture, his eyes crinkling behind his sunglasses.
Leo hadn't seen Chloe in person for over three years, ever since the "Vance Family Fallout." Seeing her now, grown up and surrounded by friends, he felt a strange pang of brotherly nostalgia.
"Who are you?" Chloe snapped, glaring at the boy. "What I say about a public figure is my business. Buzz off!"
"Hey! Chloe, look!" Ava suddenly shrieked, pointing toward the quad. "It's Senior Robert Sterling and Maya Lane! They're coming this way!"
"Forget this rude guy, let's go!" Gwen added, grabbing Chloe's arm. "Even if we can't see the 'Strongest' today, seeing the 'Boss' is just as good!"
The girls, including Chloe, were too distracted by the approaching A-listers to notice the boy in the leather jacket. They assumed Robert Sterling was coming over to greet Lucas Miller, the fellow JJK cast member.
The surrounding hundreds of students all slowed down, holding their breath as Robert Sterling, the "King of Prime Time" marched toward the group.
But Robert didn't stop at Lucas. He didn't even look at Chloe.
Instead, Robert rushed forward and threw a massive, heavy arm around the shoulders of the boy in the baseball cap. He reached out, playfully flipped Leo's hat off, and let out a booming, boisterous laugh.
"HAHAHA! Leo! You absolute dog! Why are you sneaking around the quad like a common thief? I thought you weren't arriving until tomorrow!"
The silence that followed was absolute.
Chloe Vance's jaw dropped. Ava's phone literally slipped from her hand, clattering onto the pavement. The hundreds of students in the quad stood like statues as the "Hellraiser" stood revealed in the center of the Academy.