Life at Tokyo Metropolitan Jujutsu Technical College gradually returned to its normal rhythm.
Training.
Classes.
Occasional missions.
On the surface—
Everything looked peaceful.
But Yagami Sora knew better.
This calm was nothing more than the silence before a storm.
The Shibuya Incident was less than two months away.
Before that—
The internal threats had to be removed.
Tokyo Jujutsu High — Classroom
"Yagami."
Nobara Kugisaki leaned across the desk with a mischievous grin.
"Why have you been visiting Utahime-sensei so often lately?"
"Don't tell me…"
"You're into older women?"
"PFFT!"
Yuji Itadori sprayed water everywhere.
"Stop talking nonsense."
Sora rolled his eyes.
"I'm handling something important."
"And besides…"
"I'm not interested in a shrine maiden who gets angry every five minutes."
"Important business?"
Megumi Fushiguro looked up immediately.
His instincts were sharp.
"Is it related to the strange activity at Kyoto Jujutsu High?"
Sora smiled.
"As expected of Megumi."
"You're perceptive."
"But don't worry about it."
"I'll handle this one myself."
With that—
He stood up and left the classroom.
Target: Kyoto School.
Kyoto Jujutsu High — Underground
Deep beneath the campus—
Hidden behind layers of barriers—
Lay a secret chamber.
Inside stood a life-support capsule.
Within the capsule—
A boy lay silently.
His body was wrapped in bandages.
Skin pale as paper.
His limbs were severely weakened.
His right arm missing.
His legs barely functional.
Even sunlight could damage his skin.
This was the price of a Heavenly Restriction.
A body crippled—
In exchange for enormous cursed energy and vast remote-control capability.
The boy's name:
Kokichi Muta.
Also known as Mechamaru.
"Who are you waiting for?"
A calm voice echoed in the darkness.
Muta's eyes snapped open.
But before he could react—
His body froze.
An invisible force pressed him firmly against the capsule.
Even the cursed-energy link connecting him to his remote puppets was cut off.
"Vector Manipulation — Neural Block."
Yagami Sora stepped out of the shadows.
A half-empty can of cola in his hand.
"Nice to meet you, Muta."
"Or should I say…"
"Mechamaru."
"You…!"
Muta's voice trembled.
"How did you get here?!"
This chamber was one of the most secret locations in Kyoto.
Even Yoshinobu Gakuganji did not know its exact coordinates.
How did this person bypass every barrier and alarm?
Sora shrugged.
"I go wherever I want."
"No barrier can stop me."
He walked closer to the life-support capsule.
Looking down at the fragile boy.
"…What a cruel restriction."
"Power in exchange for the right to live as a normal human."
"What do you know about it?!"
Muta suddenly shouted.
Emotion flooded his voice.
"You were born healthy!"
"You're a genius sorcerer!"
"How could you possibly understand my suffering?!"
"I just want…"
"…to live normally."
"I want to walk."
"To run under the sun."
"To stand beside everyone else."
"Even if it means selling your soul?"
Sora interrupted calmly.
Muta froze.
"What exactly did they promise you?"
Sora asked quietly.
"Mahito?"
"Or the man controlling Suguru Geto's body?"
Each word struck like a hammer.
"They told you they could reshape your body."
"Using Idle Transfiguration."
"Right?"
"How do you know that?!"
Muta's voice shook.
"I told you."
Sora took another sip of cola.
"I know everything."
Then his gaze softened slightly.
"Do you really think they'll keep their promise?"
"To cursed spirits…"
"Humans are nothing more than toys."
"Once you're no longer useful…"
"You'll be discarded."
"So what?!"
Muta shouted desperately.
"At least it's a chance!"
"If my body could be healed…"
"Even for a single day…"
"I'd accept death afterward!"
Sora sighed.
"…Hopeless romantic."
He understood the reason.
For Kasumi Miwa.
The girl Muta secretly loved.
For her—
He was willing to sacrifice everything.
"What if…"
Sora suddenly said.
"I could heal you?"
Muta froze.
"…What?"
"I said I can fix your body."
"Without selling your soul."
"And without betraying your friends."
"That's impossible!"
Muta shook his head violently.
"Only Idle Transfiguration could—"
"That technique?"
Sora scoffed.
"Don't compare it to mine."
He placed his hand against the glass capsule.
"Vector Manipulation — Bioelectric Recombination."
"Your body's condition is caused by genetic instability."
"I'll rewrite it."
"Cell division."
"Nerve signals."
"Muscle growth."
"If I control the vectors governing each biological process…"
"Reconstructing your body is simple."
He glanced at Muta.
A devilish smile appearing.
"It might hurt a little."
"Probably ten times worse than what you're feeling now."
Then he extended a finger.
"So?"
"Want to make a deal?"
"I heal you."
"And you…"
"…help me perform a show."
"A show designed to expose every rat hiding in the shadows."
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