Near midnight, the car from Sendai finally arrived at Tokyo Jujutsu High.
The vehicle rolled smoothly into the depths of a mountain before coming to a stop in an unusually open clearing. Lush forest surrounded them on all sides, and ahead, a stone staircase ascended the slope, flanked by massive vermillion torii gates.
Through the car window, Yuji spotted a tall figure waiting nearby.
Pitch-black Jujutsu High uniform. Nearly six foot three. A black blindfold over his eyes and white hair spiked straight up like a green onion.
Gojo-sensei!
Yuji's heart swelled.
In his past life, when the higher-ups sentenced him to death, it was Gojo-sensei who'd stood against them to protect him. Whenever crisis struck, it was Gojo-sensei who stepped in to resolve it.
In the end, he couldn't match Sukuna and wound up as... well, two-and-a-half Satoru Gojos. But his character had always been beyond reproach.
Satoru Gojo was the person Yuji Itadori respected most.
He couldn't wait to get out of the car alongside Megumi Fushiguro. Satoru Gojo waved at them.
"Yo. Good evening, you two."
"Good evening! I'm Yuji Itadori. Nice to meet you—please take care of me!"
He did his best to look like an enthusiastic student.
"Megumi, good work on this mission. But why do you look like you just swallowed a fly?"
Satoru Gojo's gaze swept over Megumi with a relaxed tone. The Six Eyes beneath his blindfold had already noticed the injuries on Fushiguro's arm, but this seemingly heartless teacher only teased him.
"And you—" He turned to Yuji. "You're the guy who ate Sukuna's finger?"
The Six Eyes functioned like x-ray vision, allowing him to clearly perceive the flow of cursed energy—even see through other people's innate techniques. He could instantly distinguish the residual energy of the King of Curses within Yuji's body.
"Not bad. Sukuna's consciousness seems to be completely suppressed. Truly impressive."
"Here. This is for you."
Satoru Gojo pulled something from his pocket—another finger, this one entirely purple with blackened nails, looking like it belonged to a corpse. He held it out to Yuji.
"...?"
"Just a little test to see if you can really suppress Sukuna. Eat it."
He tugged Megumi behind him and gave Yuji a slight nod.
"...Uh, alright."
Gojo-sensei, you know exactly what I need! I love you!
Yuji fought back his grin, took the finger, popped it into his mouth, and swallowed it whole.
Gulp.
The instant it hit his stomach, pitch-black cursed marks bloomed across his skin. But the accompanying energy was quickly drawn back by Sukuna inside him, and the marks faded.
To his delight, Yuji noticed his total cursed energy had increased again. This amount was enough to use most of Blood Manipulation's techniques.
Satoru Gojo observed everything. With the Six Eyes, he could easily distinguish Yuji's own cursed energy from Sukuna's.
"You really can suppress him. Seems like you've got serious potential." He grinned. "How about enrolling in Jujutsu High?"
"Oh. Sure."
Yuji nodded.
If he refused, Gojo would definitely use the "Since Sukuna's inside you, you're sentenced to death" excuse to make him stay anyway. Might as well agree upfront.
"Great! Then starting now, I'm your teacher! Grab your luggage—I'll take you to handle the enrollment paperwork!" Satoru Gojo declared.
"That's way too casual!" Megumi protested.
"Relax. Your teacher here is the strongest. With me around, none of those old geezers will dare complain."
"It's just..." Satoru Gojo suddenly leaned down and whispered into Fushiguro's ear. "Megumi, is it just me, or does this kid keep looking at me like he's in love? What do you think?"
Ever since they'd arrived, Yuji had been staring at him with sparkling eyes—practically radiating admiration.
Good thing they weren't heart-shaped. Otherwise, Gojo would seriously start to worry.
"...He's probably just excited. First time being exposed to jujutsu stuff and all." Megumi sweatdropped.
"Hey! I get the feeling you two are saying something rude about me!"
Just as Yuji started to complain, a hideous little mouth and a single eyeball suddenly sprouted on his cheek.
"After all this time, you're not actually the boss here. Ranking by something other than strength is so boring."
Sukuna.
The King of Curses could grow mouth-like organs on Yuji's body to communicate with the outside world.
"Ah—sorry, he pops out sometimes."
Yuji quickly slapped a hand over the mouth on his face.
Come to think of it, sixty-eight years had passed since he'd defeated Sukuna.
Yuji had always believed that Ryomen Sukuna was simply someone who never learned how to love or be loved. Because no one had ever truly accepted Sukuna, Yuji found him... pitiful.
When Yuji finally had enough power to defeat him, he'd only asked if Sukuna was willing to return to his body—rather than attacking outright.
Even after sixty-eight years, Yuji Itadori still held onto that kindness.
After a brief chat with Satoru Gojo and Megumi, he completed the enrollment paperwork. Just like that, he'd successfully re-enrolled in Jujutsu High.
Once he reached the dorm and settled his luggage, the pink-haired boy sat cross-legged on his bed and closed his eyes.
His consciousness sank inward like sand dissolving into water. When Yuji opened his eyes again, he was standing in a pool of scarlet liquid, facing a small hill constructed entirely of cattle and sheep skulls.
He'd entered his Innate Domain.
He looked up. A man who looked exactly like him sat cross-legged at the very peak of the bone pile.
"Who gave you permission to look up at me, brat."
"Lower your head."
Seeing Yuji intrude into his domain, Ryomen Sukuna's expression was pure arrogance.
Yuji didn't respond immediately. He just stared blankly, and the atmosphere fell silent.
"..."
The disdain on Sukuna's face deepened.
He could roughly guess why Yuji had come. At most, the kid would throw out some tough-guy nonsense like "Get out of my body" or "Don't cause me trouble." Or maybe he'd overestimate himself and try to challenge Sukuna, demanding obedience.
But so what? Even if Sukuna couldn't take over the body, within this space, the gap between them was massive. Defeating him? Pure fantasy.
While Sukuna was calculating Yuji's intentions, the pink-haired boy finally spoke:
"Sukuna. Have you eaten?"
"...?"
The arrogant expression on Sukuna's face froze solid.
What?
What is this kid saying?
Sukuna stared for two full seconds, then looked at Yuji in disbelief.
"You held it in all that time just to ask something that stupid? Brat, did that cursed spirit scramble your brain?"
Yuji didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with the question. He scratched his head. "Uh, I just figured—since you're stuck inside my body, you must be bored, right? There's nothing in here. But I saw you can grow a mouth on me, so you should be able to eat. If you're hungry, I can bring you something."
"..."
This brat... is he actually worried about me?
Sukuna's eyes widened.
He'd lived for over a thousand years. He'd experienced countless battles and conspiracies. He'd been revered, feared, and hated. But never—not once—had a human asked him "Have you eaten?" or worried that he might be bored.
Frankly, this was a greater insult than failing to take over the body.
Sukuna was furious.
"Who do you think I am? A pet that needs feeding?! If you're going to bring something, bring something decent! Fresh human flesh! Otherwise, get the hell out!"
For reasons he couldn't quite explain—perhaps because no one had ever shown him concern—Sukuna's arrogant composure shattered instantly, replaced by raw anger.
"Human flesh is a hard no," Yuji shook his head. "I just... wanted to check on you. We might be living together for a long time, after all."
"Check on me? Brat, I don't need anyone's concern—especially not from an ignorant fool who doesn't know his place."
After venting, Sukuna's attitude softened slightly. Some of the arrogance crept back into his tone.
"But I think you're pitiful."
The moment the word "pitiful" left Yuji's mouth, Sukuna met the pink-haired boy's gaze.
Those amber eyes held no fear. No provocation. Only a kind of undisguised, profound kindness.
Pity.
Sukuna's eyes went wide.
It made him realize something.
This pink-haired boy hadn't come here to spout tough-guy nonsense. He hadn't come to pick a fight.
He'd come to pity him.
That gaze was like a red-hot needle, piercing straight through the arrogance and hostility Sukuna had accumulated over a millennium.
Those eyes seemed to say: Look at you. The invincible King of Curses. An existence that made the world tremble a thousand years ago. And now you're reduced to being trapped inside a high school kid's body—completely powerless. Unable to do a single thing.
The expression on Sukuna's face twisted.
"What... did... you... say?"
This brat is actually pitying me?!