Jujutsu Kaisen: I Can Manipulate Time.

Hospital, patient room.

Sasaki and Iguchi had recovered significantly thanks to Kamihara Hajime's Reverse Cursed Technique. They were still in the hospital due to some psychological aftereffects. After speaking with them, Yuji Itadori bowed deeply and said, "I have an important matter to attend to. Well... goodbye, seniors."

Afterward, Yuji Itadori went to the crematorium. Accompanied by Gojo Satoru, he placed his grandfather's ashes into an urn. Holding the urn, he sat on a bench outside, lost in thought.

Gojo, sitting cross-legged beside him, said quietly, "The deceased was..."

Itadori looked down at the pure white urn, his eyes distant. "He was my grandfather. As for my parents... I was raised by him, so he was like my parents."

"I see. I'm sorry you had to deal with all this at such a difficult time. Have you made a decision about the suggestion I made?"

Yuji exhaled deeply. "Are Curse incidents like this common?"

Gojo rested his chin on his hand. "Not really. This case is unusual. The number of victims is typical, but thanks to you all, there were almost no casualties, which is very rare."

"Most times, ordinary people encountering Curses don't survive. If their bodies are left intact at all, that's already lucky. Often, nothing remains. Death is the final release."

Gojo leaned back, gazing at the sky. "In the search for Sukuna, you'll witness such tragedies repeatedly. I can't promise you won't suffer the same fate. Choose the path you prefer on your way through hell."

Yuji asked calmly, "If Sukuna disappears completely, will deaths caused by Curses decrease?"

Gojo tilted his head, smiling slightly. "Absolutely. Sukuna, the King of Curses, is unbelievably destructive. The sooner we exorcise him, the fewer people will suffer."

"Is that finger still here?"

Yuji's words prompted Gojo to take out the finger he'd used earlier and hand it to him. Yuji examined it closely. That night, he had swallowed it without much thought. Now seeing it clearly, he grimaced. "This thing is really disgusting."

Without hesitation, Yuji put Sukuna's finger in his mouth. After a difficult swallow, black patterns reappeared on his face, and a powerful aura surged from him.

Gojo remained relaxed. This was the second finger; he was already one-tenth of the way there. "Let's see if you really have that talent."

"Ugh, it tastes awful!"

Sukuna did not awaken. It was as if everything just now had been an illusion. Yuji still controlled his body, and Gojo, prepared to intervene, had no opportunity.

Yuji, never picky about food, described Sukuna's finger as utterly disgusting. Maybe leather with sauce would be easier to swallow. Then again, who would willingly eat a dried-up finger?

Gojo's smile deepened. This guy doesn't just have outstanding physical resilience; he easily maintains control against Sukuna. He's a prodigy, once in a century — no, once in a millennium.

"You're ready, I assume?"

Yuji rubbed his head. "Not really. I still don't understand why I was sentenced to death. But these Curses can't just be ignored. I'll eat all of Sukuna. After that... I don't know."

"What a troublesome last wish. I've already decided how I'll die."

'You'll die surrounded by others.'

Gojo laughed, stood, and patted Yuji's shoulder. "Not bad. You're not someone people dislike. Pack your bags today."

"Where to?"

"Tokyo."

It wasn't Gojo who answered, but Kamihara Hajime, appearing from the side. Megumi Fushiguro and White Wolf were with him.

"Huh? Kamihara! And Fushiguro!"

Hajime handed a bag of Sendai's specialty Kikufuku to Gojo, who beamed. "Thanks, Hajime! I've wanted this for a while but never had the chance."

Besides what he brought for Gojo, Hajime bought extra with different flavors so everyone could have some.

"You're coming with us to Tokyo to enroll in Tokyo Metropolitan Jujutsu Technical High School. You and Megumi will be in the same year."

Yuji smiled simply. "Oh, that's good. What about you?"

Hajime stuffed a small bag of Kikufuku into his arms, putting an arm around Megumi's shoulder. "I'm a year older, so you should call me senior, Megumi."

"Tch."

Megumi looked displeased, but Yuji immediately bowed politely. "Hajime-senpai."

"Oh, right..."

Gojo suddenly remembered. "You're the third first-year student."

Hajime glanced at the mention, thinking, 'Is that Nobara Kugisaki? Three first-years, huh?'

"When did you recruit a new student, Gojo? You never mentioned it."

Gojo smiled innocently, carrying the Kikufuku. "Haha, really? Never mind, it's not important. You know now, right?"

Yuji returned to pack his bags. Honestly, he didn't have much to bring besides taking care of his grandfather's funeral arrangements.

The next day, the four took the Shinkansen back to Tokyo. On the way, they tried the Sendai specialty Kikufuku. It was delicious but very sweet. Hajime's sencha flavor balanced the sweetness well.

The edamame paste and fresh cream flavor, recommended by Gojo, was cloyingly sweet after a few bites, but Gojo's loyal sweet tooth loved it.

Back at Tokyo Jujutsu High, Gojo took Yuji to meet Yaga Masamichi. Hajime and Megumi returned to their dorms.

Hajime had wanted to give souvenirs to Panda and Maki but learned they were on missions. He stored the treats in the refrigerator for now.

The next time Yuji saw Hajime was when Gojo led him to his assigned dorm, next to Megumi's and just a few steps from Hajime's. The dorms were spacious and unassigned by specific zones due to the student population.

After settling in, Megumi and Yuji got a message from Gojo: "Tomorrow, we'll pick up another first-year student!"

"Why was I called too?"

The four stood on a bustling Harajuku street. Hajime looked unimpressed by the crowd. Gojo drank a sweet drink. "Hajime, it's boring staying alone at Jujutsu High. Come out and explore. Also, I have a mission for you later."

"What a hassle. Fine. I'll buy ice cream. What flavors?"

Gojo answered immediately: "Strawberry, vanilla, chocolate — three scoops!"

Yuji and Megumi weren't picky. The three waited in the shade while Hajime bought the ice cream.

"Where's the new student? Why meet here instead of Jujutsu High?"

Hajime complained. Gojo, happily eating, explained, "She requested it herself. It just happens..."

Yuji looked toward the direction Hajime pointed at. "Is that her?"

They saw a short-haired woman arguing with a man who looked like a talent scout. The girl wore a modified Jujutsu High uniform — a waist belt and knee-length skirt.

"That's her. Let's say hello."

Gojo cupped his hands and shouted, "Over here!"

Nobara Kugisaki's attention was caught; she let go of the scout and approached.

"Hello, nice to meet you. I'm Nobara Kugisaki. The token girl of the group!"

The brown-haired woman, one hand on her hip, showed little expression as if this was routine. She reminded them of Maki but was still different.

"Yuji Itadori, from Sendai."

"Megumi Fushiguro."

From Nobara's view, Yuji seemed like a naive kid, Megumi was cool and capable, and the black-haired boy looked handsome but exhausted. She wondered if he was also a first-year.

Gojo clapped. "Alright, all first-years are here. Let's explore Tokyo!"

"Oh, and this is your senior, a second-year..."

Hajime perked up and took over with a professional smile: "Kamihara Hajime, second-year. I was dragged here by this blindfolded doofus to make up the numbers."

After Hajime became a second-year, their homeroom teacher was Atsuya Kusakabe. But Kusakabe's missions were mostly assigned by Gojo, the first-year homeroom teacher.

There were few teachers and students, so divisions were loose. Kusakabe disliked managing things, but Jujutsu High students were easy to manage, requiring little effort... probably.

Gojo's suggestion to explore Tokyo made Yuji and Nobara, newcomers from the countryside, very happy. They quickly bonded and started discussing where to go. Hajime sighed, watching them think too much.

"Roppongi?"

Their plans for Disneyland and Chinatown evaporated. Ahead stood an abandoned building emitting a Cursed aura.

"The entrance exam officially begins!"

Gojo clapped happily and explained the situation: Nobara would exorcise the Curse inside. Yuji was forbidden from unleashing Sukuna, or else the Curse would be instantly destroyed, but greater harm could follow.

Gojo, Hajime, and Megumi waited outside. Gojo looked at the weak Cursed aura with anticipation. "This test is mainly for Nobara. Yuji has been confirmed. He can swallow Sukuna's finger without hesitation and fight Curses immediately. He passed."

"He's different from you two who started young. Yuji was a regular student before. You've seen many talented sorcerers quit because they couldn't overcome fear and disgust."

"Today, we mainly want to see if Nobara is crazy enough."

Hajime sighed. "Only madmen do well as Jujutsu Sorcerers, right? By the way, what about the mission you mentioned earlier? Are we leaving immediately? Even a mule wouldn't be worked this hard."

Gojo chuckled. "You two aren't much better. Going too crazy can turn you into Curse Masters..."

He changed the subject. "About the mission... Remember how I said there are fewer Sorcerers and Cursed Spirits abroad? This mission is an exception. There's a rare Special Grade Cursed Spirit observed overseas. After negotiations, the mission came to us. Besides the base payment, Hajime, you can make some requests if you complete it."

"Why extra pay? Because the target is strong?"

Gojo pinched his chin. "Not entirely. It's a commissioned mission, so part of the reward comes from the client."

"Huh, like a side hustle."

Hajime understood: domestic exorcisms come with a salary and benefits from established channels. Foreign missions were additional side hustles, with extra pay, especially for Special Grade targets few dared face.

His eyes lit up. "Then I can get valuable info, right?" He meant the precious knowledge controlled by the Big Three Families, some earned by achievements in exorcising Special Grades, and thanks to Gojo.

Thinking of the secret techniques and research of the Kamo and Zen'in families made Hajime's heart race. The Kamo's Red Blood Manipulation Technique and their research on the human body and Jujutsu was exceptional. He definitely wanted this mission.

"When do we leave? Where is the location?"

"Next week, five days from now. The location is the Arctic."

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