The sky in Tokyo was always as blue as a pure gemstone, with the air thick with the unending hum of cicadas and a sticky summer heat.
Tokyo Prefectural Jujutsu High School.
On the open ground behind the school, which was supposed to be used for student combat training, there wasn't the slightest hint of a serious or solemn atmosphere.
Instead, it looked like a lazy afternoon hangout where three high school boys with too much energy were collectively slacking off after a major cleaning session.
"It's so hot, so hot, so hot—"
Satoru Gojo lay splayed out on the wooden floor of the corridor like a salted fish that had lost all its dreams.
His silver-white hair, which usually stood up defiantly, was now plastered limply against his forehead.
His signature small round sunglasses were tossed aside, revealing those pale blue eyes that seemed capable of holding the entire sky.
However, those Six Eyes, which could see through the flow of all cursed energy in the world, were currently staring blankly at the ceiling.
"Suguru, go buy some cold drinks."
Satoru Gojo listlessly kicked Suguru Geto, who was also lying on the floor, with his toes, his tone full of entitlement.
"Why me?"
A rare trace of fatigue and helplessness appeared on Suguru Geto's face, which usually wore a gentle smile.
He didn't even bother to open his eyes, simply covering his face with his large palm in an attempt to block out the stinging sunlight.
"I was the one who exorcised that Grade 1 cursed spirit just now. To swallow it, my mouth is now full of that disgusting taste, like a rag used to wipe up vomit."
Speaking of which, Suguru Geto couldn't help but gag.
"If you make me move again, I might actually throw up right here."
"Tsk, you're way too delicate."
Satoru Gojo curled his lip in dissatisfaction and sat up with a sudden burst of energy.
He sat cross-legged, resting his chin in his hands like a child complaining about not getting candy.
"But I'm so hot right now, I feel like even Limitless is about to melt under this sun."
"Besides, we're the strongest duo who just saved the world!"
"Saving the world? Do you have some kind of misunderstanding about what that means?"
At that moment, a cool and somewhat helpless voice came from the other end of the corridor.
"Earlier, we just handled a low-level fire-type cursed spirit that went on a rampage because of the heat."
Along with the voice, a tall youth with a frame as straight as a sword, wearing the black Jujutsu High uniform, slowly walked into their view.
Yoru.
He wore his signature hanafuda earring on his left ear, and the black tachi at his waist radiated a faint chill even under the sun.
However, unlike Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto, who looked like they might die of heatstroke at any moment, Yoru didn't have a single drop of sweat on him.
The extreme body control brought about by the Transparent World and Total Concentration Breathing: Constant made him look like a walking, mobile air conditioner.
"Yo, our Sword Saint is back."
Satoru Gojo's eyes lit up instantly upon seeing Yoru, as if he were looking at a life-saving popsicle.
"Quick, quick, quick, Yoru! Use that breathing technique of yours to send some cool air my way."
As Satoru Gojo spoke, he shamelessly scooted his butt toward Yoru, trying to leach some of the coolness radiating from him.
"It's a breathing technique, not a refrigerator."
Yoru gave him a flat look.
Walking over to the two, he casually tossed a paper bag marked 'Sendai Specialty' onto the wooden floor.
*Thud.*
The moment the paper bag landed, an incredibly enticing sweet aroma diffused through the muggy air.
'What's this?!'
Satoru Gojo's pale blue eyes widened as if he had some special radar installed, instantly locking onto the paper bag.
Suguru Geto, who had been playing dead, also jerked his hand away from his face and sat bolt upright the moment he smelled the fragrance.
"Kikufuku?!"
Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto shouted almost in unison.
"And it's edamame cream flavor!"
Satoru Gojo was quick, snatching the paper bag into his arms like a cat guarding its food.
He couldn't wait to open the bag, and as he looked at the plump, white mochi balls emitting that tempting sweet scent, he was practically drooling.
"Principal Yaga brought them back from a meeting in Sendai earlier."
Yoru sighed helplessly as he watched these two 'strongest' pounce like hungry wolves.
"He knew you two worked hard dealing with that cursed spirit and specifically asked me to bring them to you."
"Oh ho! Long live Principal Yaga!"
Satoru Gojo cheered and unceremoniously grabbed a Kikufuku, stuffing it directly into his mouth.
"Mmm... delicious! This edamame cream sweetness and the soft, chewy texture are the perfect salvation for this scorching summer day!"
Satoru Gojo praised exaggeratedly while chewing incoherently.
Suguru Geto didn't hold back either; he took a Kikufuku and bit into it gently.
The sweet edamame cream flavor instantly washed away the nauseating taste of the cursed spirit in his mouth.
"Indeed, I feel like I've come back to life."
Suguru Geto's furrowed brows finally relaxed, and that gentle smile returned to his face.
"Thanks, Yoru."
"Don't thank me, thank the principal."
Yoru sat down at the edge of the corridor, leaning against a wooden pillar as he watched the two, their mouths covered in cream.
A flicker of softness, hard to detect, flashed in his dark red eyes.
This was the everyday life he had fought so hard to protect after transmigrating to this hellish world.
No conspiracies, no slaughter.
Only this boring yet incredibly real youth.
"Wait..."
At that moment, Yoru's gaze suddenly fell on the last remaining Kikufuku in the paper bag.
"Why are there only three in the bag?"
"Eh?"
Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto stopped chewing at the same time, their eyes snapping toward the lonely Kikufuku.
The air suddenly fell silent.
Only the cicadas in the trees continued their reckless chirping.
"Well..."
Satoru Gojo swallowed the Kikufuku in his mouth, a mischievous glint in his pale blue eyes.
"Since there are only three, and I've already eaten one, and Suguru has eaten one..."
He slowly reached out his hand, his fingertips less than five centimeters from the final Kikufuku.
"Then as the strongest, I'll reluctantly take this last one!"
"Don't even think about it!"
Before Satoru Gojo's finger could touch the Kikufuku, it was heartlessly slapped away with a sharp smack by another large palm.
Suguru Geto's gentle face was now filled with absolute seriousness and determination.
"Satoru, you already ate one, and you swallowed it in one go."
Suguru Geto looked at Satoru Gojo, his tone carrying an indisputable authority.
"As a penalty, this last one rightfully belongs to me."
"Hah? What kind of twisted logic is that?"
Satoru Gojo glared back without backing down, hands on his hips, looking like the arrogant 'I'm number one under the heavens' type.
"I ate it fast because I know how to appreciate it! And sweets have always been my personal domain!"
"Your personal domain? Then I'll just have to break your domain today!"
Suguru Geto sneered and instantly formed a hand seal.
"Cursed Spirit Manipulation—"
"Hey, hey, hey! You're actually summoning a cursed spirit for a single Kikufuku?!"
Satoru Gojo didn't show any weakness either, holding up his index and middle fingers as a heart-palpitating surge of cursed energy gathered at his fingertips.
"Limitless—"
"Stop!"
Seeing that these two 'strongest' were about to tear down the school over a disagreement, Yoru finally couldn't help but speak up.
A helplessness flashed in his dark red eyes, and a tangible sword intent suddenly erupted from him!
"You two idiots, if you dare tear this school down here, Principal Yaga will definitely kill us."
Yoru's voice wasn't loud, but the terrifying pressure that instantly enveloped the entire corridor made both Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto shiver.
The two sulkily withdrew their cursed energy and techniques, but their eyes remained fixed on the last Kikufuku in the paper bag.
"Then you tell us, who does this last one belong to?"
Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto asked in unison, their gazes locking onto Yoru.
Yoru looked at his two companions, who were like dogs guarding their food, and then at the Kikufuku lying quietly in the paper bag.
He suddenly smiled.
It was a rare, brilliant smile, as bright as sunlight.
"Since you both want it..."
Yoru's hand suddenly gripped the hilt of Shiranui at his waist.
"Then let's settle it by skill!"
*Clang!*
A crisp sword ring instantly pierced the afternoon silence!
The pitch-black blade of Shiranui flashed with a brilliant, cold light under the sun!
"Hey, hey, hey! Yoru, you're serious?!"
"Dammit! You're even using Sun Breathing! You're even more shameless than Satoru!"
"Enough talk! Take this!"
*Boom!*
Accompanied by a loud explosion, the originally peaceful mountain behind Jujutsu High was instantly transformed into a joyous yet chaotic battlefield.
Sword light, cursed energy, cursed spirits...
On that hot late summer afternoon, they wove together into an incredibly absurd yet vividly alive scene.
It was the precious bond they wanted to hold onto tightly, no matter how many times or spaces they crossed.
It also belonged to the strongest trio...
The youth they could never return to!
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