[ One Year Later, Summer ]
Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture
BOOM—!!
With a thunderous roar, an old and elegant Western-style mansion collapsed miserably, as if it had been hit by an aerial bombardment.
Through the thick, rising clouds of dust, a white-haired man walked out with his hands shoved in his pockets, wearing a smug, irritating grin.
"I'm here to save you~ Utahime."
Satoru Gojo looked down and taunted the woman dressed in miko robes, who was sitting amidst the rubble.
"Are you crying?"
"I'm not crying! And use honorifics with me!"
Utahime Iori's face crumpled into a fierce scowl as she adjusted her traditional shrine maiden outfit.
"Gojo! I! Never! Asked you to help—!"
At that very moment, right behind her.
A grotesque Cursed Spirit with a sausage-like cylindrical body embedded with multiple human faces suddenly burst through the debris.
"Huh?"
CRUNCH—!
Before Utahime could even react, another massive Cursed Spirit shaped like a giant moray eel lunged from the air, its gaping maw swallowing the cylindrical curse whole.
"Don't swallow it. I'm going to absorb it later."
The man with the signature bangs, Suguru Geto, walked over casually while controlling the moray eel curse, offering Utahime a gentle smile.
"Satoru. You shouldn't pick on the weak."
"Hah? Who's stupid enough to pick on someone strong?"
As Gojo snorted in disbelief, a silver-haired woman named Mei Mei landed gracefully on the rubble and chuckled.
"You're the one being more naturally provocative, Geto-kun."
"Iori-san~"
"Utahime-senpai!"
Just then, Shoko and Kanao walked up from behind, waving happily.
Utahime, with tears welling in her eyes, pulled the two of them into a tight hug.
"Shoko! Kanaooo!"
"We were so worried since we couldn't get a hold of you for two days."
As Shoko patted Utahime's back, Utahime pointed an accusing finger at Gojo and Geto and shouted.
"You two must never grow up to be like those two jerks! Understood?!"
"Ahaha. There's no way we'd end up like that trash."
Shoko replied with a bright, innocent smile. Suddenly, Utahime tilted her head in confusion.
"Wait, two days? It only felt like thirty minutes since we got trapped inside the mansion."
"Ah~ So the time axis really was distorted inside the barrier. I thought it was weird that contact was cut off for so long when Mei-san was with you."
Gojo adjusted his sunglasses, finally understanding the situation.
Mei Mei, who had been quietly observing the scene, suddenly asked as if something was missing.
"By the way, you guys... what about the Veil?"
"""Ah."""
A simultaneous, idiotic gasp escaped the mouths of Satoru Gojo, Suguru Geto, and Shoko Ieiri.
In the midst of the suffocating silence...
I, walking leisurely over the rubble with my baseball bag slung over my shoulder, raised my hand and settled the matter cleanly.
"Oh. As for the Veil, I already cast it."
"Hachiro-kun's Veil is quite unique. I didn't even realize it was up."
Mei Mei said, looking around the ruins of the mansion with interest. I shrugged and replied nonchalantly.
"A Veil is just a type of barrier, after all. I set it up as a way to practice the feeling of Domain Expansion."
"Touching upon the realm of Domains just for practice... that's a level of skill beyond a Grade 1 Sorcerer."
Mei Mei smiled sweetly, making an 'OK' sign with her thumb and index finger.
"Let me know whenever you need it. For a mere ten million yen, I'd be more than happy to recommend you for a Grade 1 promotion."
"No thanks. I'm not exactly the type to care about sorcerer ranks."
At my firm refusal, Mei Mei looked genuinely disappointed.
"What a shame, truly~. I worked with a sorcerer from the Zenin clan once, and they were very generous with their compensation. They were quite a lucrative client."
I let out a dry laugh of disbelief.
"Didn't those old fogeys say anything to you? Like, 'How dare a female sorcerer!' or 'Walk three steps behind the men!'"
"Well, if you consider that such mental distress compensation is all included in the fee, it's not a problem at all."
"I guess that makes sense. That's a great mindset."
'I need to keep this hardcore money-grubber sister as an ally later on...'
Thinking back to the original plot, she's the type who flees overseas without a moment's hesitation the second the Shibuya Incident breaks out and the Japanese economy looks like it's going to hell.
Of course, she rejoins at the very end, but to use her formidable combat power and information network more effectively...
I'd need a solid leash or an astronomical amount of money. It won't be easy.
I shook off those thoughts and turned toward Gojo's group.
I clapped my hands twice to get everyone's attention.
"Alright, alright! Anyway, the rescue is done and the situation is over, so let's all disperse! Contact the Assistant Directors on standby and let them handle the cleanup."
**
[ Tokyo Jujutsu High ]
"That was a very nice resolution to the mission. Later, it will be reported as an accidental gas leak in a poorly maintained mansion. It's just about lunchtime, so everyone enjoy your meal!"
"Yes~!"
"Osu!"
The homeroom teacher, Masamichi Yaga, left the classroom with a satisfied smile. It was a rare sight—praise instead of the usual nagging.
However, as soon as Yaga left, Satoru Gojo propped his legs up on the desk and began to complain.
"No, but seriously~. Non-sorcerers can't see jujutsu anyway, right? So why do we even need things like Veils?"
"Of course we do, Satoru. What suppresses the birth of Cursed Spirits is the peace of mind of the people. Invisible threats must be kept hidden. Not only that..."
CRUNCH! CRACKLE!
"Yeah, I get it. I get it."
SNAP!
"Caring about every single weakling is just such a pain."
"Survival of the weak. That is the proper form of society. Helping the weak and controlling the strong.