Jujutsu Kaisen: I Can Manipulate Time.

Kamihara Hajime picked up the shriveled finger. It was strange… and seemingly indestructible. Some Special Grade Cursed Tools shared this kind of resilience, protected by the binding vow of "not harming others" in exchange for durability.

But Sukuna's finger was a different case altogether. Split into twenty pieces, each one could still attract Curses over long periods of time—it was a monster of its own.

That's why Jujutsu High had to recover it. If left unattended, it wouldn't just attract Curses—it could bring back the King of Curses himself if it found a suitable vessel.

Hajime took out a talisman and wrapped the finger tightly. With the Cursed Spirit exorcised, the West District of the prison gradually returned to normal.

Outside the barrier, Ijichi watched it fade and then saw Hajime's silhouette approaching from the corridor.

"You've worked hard. Did Hajime-kun recover the target?"

Hajime held up the wrapped finger with visible distaste. "Is there a box I can store this thing in? It's giving off an awful feeling."

"There are some wooden containers in the car," Ijichi replied. "Originally meant for cursed tools."

"Then let's go."

With a suspiciously timed reappearance, Yamaguchi Takurou sent them off with over-the-top enthusiasm as Hajime and Ijichi left the scene.

Snow began to fall as they drove. Hajime watched the flakes dissolve on the window, muttering, "The New Year's almost here."

"Today's already the 30th," Ijichi said from the driver's seat. "Most people will be lining up at shrines tomorrow."

Japan, despite its deep cultural roots, had long since aligned with the Gregorian calendar. While Lunar New Year customs lingered, New Year's Day had become the focus. Many old traditions still thrived, like temples ringing their bells 108 times—each chime purging one of Buddhism's 108 earthly desires. After that, people would visit shrines in a custom called "Hatsumode."

Back when he was a student, Hajime used to spend New Year's with Megumi and Tsumiki. Tsumiki's soba noodles were always devoured by both Hajime and Megumi without fail.

"Are you heading home for New Year's, Ijichi-san? Wait… are you even married?"

Ijichi chuckled. "Not yet. Most sorcerers marry late, you know. Too many uncertainties in our line of work. As a Supervisor, I'm lucky to even have time to go home. But yeah, my family nags me about it too."

Realizing Hajime's situation was a little more complicated, Ijichi quickly changed the topic. After returning to Jujutsu High, Hajime handed over Sukuna's finger and gave a brief report to Principal Yaga. His job was done—he just needed to wait for his reward.

On the way to the dorms, he saw Yuta Okkotsu and Inumaki Toge carrying heavy bags, They waved at him cheerfully.

After helping them with the load, Hajime asked, "What's all this?"

"Everyone's planning to celebrate New Year here," Yuta explained. "Inumaki-senpai and I went out to buy stuff. Gojo-sensei even said he's going to make handmade noodles."

"Salmon," Inumaki added with a nod.

Hajime blinked, imagining Gojo Satoru rolling out dough. It was… hard to picture. But then again, Gojo did say he was omnipotent.

"What about Maki and the others?"

"When we left, she was still sparring with Megumi," Yuta said. "Panda said he was cleaning one of the classrooms for the party."

After dropping off the groceries, the trio joined Panda, who was wearing an apron and sweeping diligently. With their help, the room was cleaned in no time. Then they headed to the training ground.

Maki and Megumi were mid-fight. Maki knocked him down again shortly after they arrived.

"You should take some time to reflect," she told Megumi, then walked over to the group. "Are you guys done already? I was going to come help after this."

"Kamihara cleaned up the room with his Technique," Panda said. "We're good to go."

"Tuna mayonnaise!"

"Oh, right," Hajime said, turning to Toge. "You're staying here too?"

"Salmon."

Panda added, "He's going home on the first. Already told his family."

Most of the others were staying as well. Hajime and Megumi had no reason to go home. Yuta, though better now, still had a rocky relationship with his family. Maki refused to return to hers altogether. And for Panda, this was home.

"Since we're all free today," Hajime suggested, "want to go out for dinner? Ijichi-san mentioned a good place."

Panda scratched his head. "Your sukiyaki last time was really good too…"

Everyone's faces twitched in unison. Delicious, yes—but the spice level was lethal.

"We can make that tomorrow," Hajime said. "Let's just enjoy a relaxing night out today."

They got the restaurant info from Ijichi and booked a room. The only issue—they had no licensed driver. Eventually, they convinced Ijichi and Nitta Akari to join and drive.

"It's nice to see everyone relaxed," Nitta sighed happily after the meal. "Feels like the world's taken a breath."

Maki nodded. "Cursed Spirit activity has dropped off a lot. I've only had one mission in the last two days."

Hajime, on the other hand, looked dark. "I've had several. Even ran into two Special Grades."

Panda raised a brow. "No wonder I haven't seen you lately."

Maki scowled. "Let me guess. Gojo assigned those?"

Hajime didn't deny it. He just shrugged and changed the topic, recounting the cursed encounter from his last mission.

"A humanoid Cursed Spirit with speech… that's rare," Yuta noted. They discussed the dangers of Mahito's Technique and how hard it was to counter without Reverse Cursed Technique or soul-harming cursed tools.

"Tactical retreat," Panda declared.

Maki wanted to object but had to admit it was sometimes the only option.

"By the way," Hajime asked, "Yuta, are you going abroad?"

Yuta smiled. "Gojo-sensei assigned me a long-term mission overseas. I'll bring back souvenirs. Any requests?"

"It should be a local specialty," Hajime said. "Otherwise, what's the point?"

"But it should also match the person's taste," Maki argued.

The two locked eyes, debating again. Yuta nervously interrupted, "Um, how about something both local and likable?"

The table fell quiet. Hajime coughed. "Do you know where you're going yet?"

Yuta shook his head. "Gojo-sensei hasn't told me. I'll ask later."

That night, they returned to Jujutsu High and finished their preparations—hanging shimenawa ropes, tidying up, and relaxing.

The next day, the 31st, Gojo Satoru arrived with a grin and handed out fat red envelopes.

"Happy New Year! Here's your otoshidama!"

Everyone cheered at the generous gift.

"What's for lunch?" he asked.

"Hotpot," Panda replied. "We're doing noodles for dinner. Everything's ready."

"I'll make soba myself tonight," Gojo announced proudly.

Hajime raised an eyebrow. "You cook?"

"I'm omnipotent."

"Well, the kitchen smells good already. You sure you want to compete with that?"

"Oh?" Gojo grinned. "Before I cook, I'll taste yours first."

They called the rest of the staff—Yaga, Nanami, Ieiri—to join the meal. Everyone gathered for a warm, cheerful hotpot. Laughter echoed as drinks were poured and food was shared.

Later, Gojo's soba surprisingly turned out quite tasty. Then they prepared for Hatsumode at Senso-ji.

Not everyone went, but the students did. The temple was packed, but the festive mood kept things light.

Hajime, Megumi, Inumaki, and Yuta attracted attention—especially from girls. If not for Maki and Panda's intimidating presence, even more might've approached.

"Huh? What did you say?"

Panda caught Maki before she threw hands.

As midnight approached, they rang the bell themselves. With every toll, they sent their wishes into the New Year.

Though Hajime didn't believe in gods, he followed the traditions with a respectful bow. It was symbolic—a moment to start anew.

Finally, as the soft snow fell, Panda sparked a snowball fight. Hajime and Toge joined immediately, dragging everyone else in.

Maki, with dead-on accuracy, never missed. Her throws were surgical.

Watching them, Ieiri Shoko whispered with a smile, "This is what youth and companionship look like."

---

Become a patron to get access to chapters in advance on all my works (9 Fanfictions & 1 Novel)

Patreon.com/Zphyr_