Jujutsu Kaisen: I Can Manipulate Time.

"Finally, I'm back!"

After bidding farewell to Aykut and his overly enthusiastic thanks, Kamihara Hajime boarded a ship to Denmark, then flew directly back home from the airport.

Though foreign landscapes were novel and beautiful, for Hajime—who wasn't used to the food even in his own country—staying in places with scarce delicacies was torture. No matter how scenic, it couldn't replace a satisfying meal.

Once off the plane, Hajime took a taxi straight to Shibuya. He indulged in a hearty meal to compensate for the past few rough days, then stopped by the city's most famous dessert shop to buy souvenirs. Since he planned to ask Gojo-sensei for help, bringing gifts was only proper.

Tokyo Jujutsu High.

When Hajime returned, only Panda was around at the school. Panda had just finished a mission and was resting. It was already June, so things were understandably getting busier.

Even Itadori and the others, fresh recruits, were thrown into practical combat alongside their studies. Gojo Satoru had arranged for them to exorcise a Cursed Spirit right after they arrived, though the spirit was weak.

Hajime returned to his dorm for a much-needed rest. The mission report was already submitted; news of its completion had reached Jujutsu High two days earlier. Hajime only needed to add specific details and another perspective.

After spending more than half a day gaming in his room, a knock came at his door. Gojo Satoru pushed it open.

Stretching, Gojo sank into the sofa, his gaze landing on the neatly wrapped desserts on the table. His previously lazy expression brightened instantly.

"Is this for me, Hajime?"

Hajime was focused on shooting down the last enemy in his game. The final victory screen popped up. He took off his headphones and turned around.

"Yeah, I brought it back after the flight."

"How was the mission?" Gojo wasn't wearing his Jujutsu High uniform, instead dressed casually with sunglasses perched on his nose. Hajime recalled the simple shirt wasn't cheap.

Gojo lay back on the sofa, sampling the dessert as he asked. Hajime got up, poured a glass of water, and shrugged.

"Just okay. The Cursed Spirit was interesting though. It heavily relied on its Technique amplified by the climate."

"And it used Domain Expansion too. The domain was specialized for survival. If I hadn't used a new move I've been conceptualizing, it might have drilled into the sea and escaped."

"New move? The one combining the forward and reverse applications of your Technique?" Gojo's interest was clearly piqued.

Hajime smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I pulled it off for the first time in combat. Unlike your Purple, which is pure destruction, this has a different effect. Any thoughts?"

"Haha, you messaged me just for this, huh? Let's go. I'm curious too."

On their way to the dojo, Hajime asked, "Gojo-sensei, Cursed Spirits are said to be born from negative emotions, but why do so many potential Curses not actually form?"

Gojo shielded his eyes from the sun. "Curses need Cursed Energy, which comes from negative emotions, but it's usually focused on specific things—death or some concept—so forming a Curse isn't simple."

"Also, just having Cursed Energy doesn't guarantee a powerful Curse. Special Grade Cursed Spirits don't appear just anywhere."

He explained further: "The clearer the negative emotions are directed, the easier it is for Curses to form. That's why urban legends and ghost stories rarely create Curses. Recorded Cursed Spirits are very few compared to all the legends."

"In hospitals, schools, or similar places, regret, fear, and despair have clear targets. But fears like earthquakes or mudslides are abstract, so Cursed Spirits related to them are rare."

"Plus, most Curses born only embody parts of those things' attributes. The Cursed Spirit you faced was already very rare—likely born after a long gestation."

They entered the empty training ground. Gojo asked, "What about your new move? How do you want to test it?"

Hajime looked at his outstretched right hand. "As you know, my Technique's forward and reverse applications collide. Aside from failures where nothing happens, this collision produces a unique effect I'm calling 'Time Stop.'"

"Time Stop?" Gojo stroked his chin, thinking. "When you use your Technique at full power, the scene around you slows almost to a stop, right? How's this different?"

Hajime's expression shifted. "It's very different. In Time Stop, everything I observe is truly stopped, including Cursed Energy flow. The Cursed Spirit's domain was broken this way."

Gojo's eyes behind the sunglasses gleamed. "If Cursed Energy stops, Techniques temporarily cease too. Domain Expansions lose support and break apart naturally. Enough talk—let's try it. Hajime, cover me with that move so I can feel it."

Gojo removed his sunglasses, Six Eyes ready to witness the phenomenon. Hajime matched his intent, channeling Cursed Energy into his Inherited Technique.

The forward and reverse applications collided again. Strange Cursed Energy waves spread outward but under Hajime's control quickly vanished.

"Uh, it failed, haha!"

Under Gojo's focused gaze, Hajime gave an awkward laugh. "That's the failure case. Let me try again…"

Not everyone had Gojo's Six Eyes and precise Cursed Energy control. For Hajime, successfully combining the forward and reverse applications was already a sign of extraordinary talent. This was just an initial attempt.

With Gojo observing, Hajime tested various fusion methods—timing, speed of Cursed Energy transmission. It was rare to have a day without Gojo running errands, so he seized the moment.

During one attempt, Hajime successfully triggered Time Stop again. Gojo and everything around them became a static image.

"One second…"

Hajime carefully counted time in his mind and approached Gojo. A smile crossed his lips before he lifted Gojo and placed him by the door.

Four seconds passed. Hajime felt his Technique begin to falter. At 4.6 seconds, he could have pushed beyond five seconds, but it was pointless. After throwing Totsuka-no-Tsurugi, he deactivated the Technique.

Time resumed. The sword hung in mid-air, then dropped. Gojo regained movement by the door, looking astonished. Had Hajime touched him during the Time Stop, he might have sensed what followed, but now there was no trace.

"That's very interesting!"

Gojo spotted Totsuka-no-Tsurugi on the floor and realized what happened. "You threw it during Time Stop, and when time resumed, it didn't continue moving?"

Hajime nodded. "Right. Once it left my hand, it stopped mid-air. I discovered this when trying ranged attacks during the effect."

Gojo devised a test. "Activate Time Stop when you throw the swords, change their direction, and try to attack me. Let's see if my Limitless fails."

Hajime laughed awkwardly. "Gojo-sensei, you'll have to wait. After these two Techniques collide, there's a brief disruption preventing me from immediately using the Technique again. The longer I hold it, the longer the recovery."

Gojo's Six Eyes confirmed this. The deeper the fusion's 'depth,' the longer the recovery needed. Unlike Gojo's Purple, which causes instant destruction, Hajime's Technique requires balancing and continuous maintenance.

After recovering, Hajime grabbed five short swords from the dojo rack. He threw them toward the wall, then froze time again.

He nudged the suspended swords, changing their direction. Approaching Gojo, he condensed Cursed Energy on his fingertips and grazed Gojo's right arm. Limitless, which repels all harm, vanished.

Hajime's fingertip pierced the stopped Cursed Energy barrier on Gojo's arm. No blood flowed, then the Technique was released.

"Clang, clang, clang."

The wooden swords hit the wall, corners, and rack. When time resumed, the swords flew in the altered directions.

Gojo noticed the wound. Though instantly healed by Reverse Cursed Technique, it felt like the injury appeared out of nowhere, bypassing Limitless.

"The state is also stopped, Gojo-sensei."

The wooden swords' flight was stopped mid-air during Time Stop. After the Technique ended, the swords retained their thrown state and direction, unlike objects during Time Stop, which dropped immediately.

Further tests followed. Gojo brought a small animal with some Cursed Energy and a cursed tool detecting life via Cursed Energy, even in suspended animation.

Hajime killed the large rat during Time Stop. Not a drop of blood escaped from its sliced body. Using the cursed tool, Hajime found the rat was still alive.

"Life also stops? The consequences only unfold after the Technique ends. Even if you crushed the rat to dust during the stop, it'd still be 'alive'…"

They also confirmed Time Stop's range was about a 200-meter radius circle around Hajime, controllable like duration. The larger the range, the harder to maintain.

Within that range, only Gojo witnessed the frozen world. Reality was a paused image on a screen—a miracle beyond words.

"On this path, I am not alone. Hajime, Yuta Okkotsu… and Megumi. Individual strength is limited. To reach the ideal world, you cannot rely on yourself alone. You must keep rising."

"The things you requested should arrive tomorrow. I likely won't be at Jujutsu High, so remember to receive them. This new move is interesting but unstable. Keep practicing."

After a day of training and testing, Gojo left with those words. Hajime had nearly triggered a dangerous third case earlier, but stopped it before chaos erupted.

Gojo warned that if allowed, the result wouldn't be Time Stop but chaotic distortion. That's why he urged more practice.

The next day, Hajime received a medium-sized box delivered by two men in suits. After checking the Cursed Energy seal, he accepted it.

In the following days, Hajime trained tirelessly and studied the documents. Maki and others had just returned from their mission and barely saw him. His relentless training continued until a new mission was assigned.

"Eliminate the remnants of the Curse Master group formerly known as the Star Religious Group, later taken over by Curse Master Suguru Geto."

Hajime studied the mission details. After the Hyakki Yagyō incident, Suguru Geto was executed by Gojo-sensei, and his subordinates disappeared. No news had come from them for a long time.

Whatever the backers were, as Curse Masters killing innocents indiscriminately, they were marked for elimination. Curse Masters often caused more harm than Cursed Spirits of the same grade.

"I'll take this mission."

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More Powerstones = More Chapters = Everyone's Happy.