The walk ended peacefully.
Mostly.
Ignoring the fact that Takeru had nearly erased a section of the sky because somebody insulted his hair.
By the time the group returned—
Jujutsu High stood quietly beneath the evening sky.
Lights glowed softly from the windows.
Trees shifted in the cold night breeze.
Everyone stepped inside.
Tired.
The gym.
The sauna.
The walking.
The accidental near-death Hollow Purple event.
It had been… a day.
Takeru stretched his arms overhead.
"…Aight."
Yuji yawned.
"…I'm going straight to bed."
Hakari pointed toward Takeru.
"Can you promise not to almost delete anybody tomorrow?"
Takeru thought about it.
Actually thought about it.
"…No."
Hakari sighed.
"…Expected."
Nanami adjusted his tie.
"I am sleeping immediately."
Megumi had already turned around and was halfway down the hallway.
Not a word spoken.
Just leaving.
Ryu walked past Takeru.
"…Tomorrow better be fun."
Kashimo cracked his neck.
"If there are strong opponents, I'm satisfied."
Aika crossed her arms.
"…I'm still questioning how any of this became normal."
Raiden shrugged.
"…I stopped questioning five volumes ago."
Even Sukuna leaned against the wall.
Smirking.
"…This should be entertaining."
Takeru looked around one last time.
At everyone.
All the younger versions.
The older versions.
The Heian versions.
The copies.
The absolute chaos that somehow counted as a team.
Then he smiled.
"…Big day tomorrow."
Later that night.
Silence covered Jujutsu High.
Moonlight poured through the windows.
No talking.
No movement.
Everyone asleep.
Then—
Morning.
Sunlight broke over the mountains.
Cold air moved through the trees.
Birds chirped.
The world felt strangely calm.
Too calm.
Inside—
everyone gathered.
Dressed.
Prepared.
Serious.
For once.
Takeru stood in front of everyone.
Hands in pockets.
Blue eyes sharp.
No jokes.
No smiling.
Silence filled the room.
Yuji tightened his fists.
Megumi stood ready.
Hakari rolled his shoulders.
Nanami adjusted his tie.
Hana stood quietly.
Higaruma watched carefully.
Maki leaned against the wall.
Kashimo looked impatient.
Ryu grinned.
Uro floated slightly above the floor.
Both Sukuna's smirked.
Aika stood ready.
Akari stretched.
Raiden cracked his knuckles.
Everyone else waited.
Then Takeru finally spoke.
Quietly.
"…Alright."
A pause.
"…Time for the Culling Games."
The room went still.
Outside—
wind moved through the trees.
Like the world itself knew what came next.
And somewhere far away—
colonies waited.
New enemies.
New battles.
New chaos.
Takeru smiled slightly.
That dangerous smile.
The one that meant things were about to get stupid.
"…This is gonna be fun."