Nine years passed in the blink of an eye.
During that time, Akira Zenin became a teacher—at Kyoto Prefectural Jujutsu High School, of all places.
As he liked to say, Jujutsu Sorcerer resources shouldn't all be concentrated in one location. Only by cultivating them more evenly could they one day overthrow those old higher-ups.
Besides, gathering the next generation together from the start was better than letting them split into opposing camps later on.
(Akira Zenin: Homeroom teacher for second-years and school doctor at Kyoto Prefectural Jujutsu High School)
...
As for Megumi Fushiguro, he stayed at Tokyo Jujutsu High, using the excuse that he had to escort Tsumiki to and from school every day.
...
Now very much a teenager, Megumi Fushiguro walked with his hands in his pockets toward a small wooded corner of the campus. There stood a louvered weather box used to house temperature and humidity instruments.
Normally, hardly anyone came here, let alone paid attention to it.
But this particular box was different. There were no instruments inside.
Instead, it stored a powerful cursed object used for "exorcism"—one of Ryomen Sukuna's Fingers.
Megumi Fushiguro opened the box with a helpless expression. Okkotsu-senpai, whom he was fairly close to, had gone off on a Special Grade mission and hadn't returned yet. And just like that, the task of retrieving dangerous cursed objects had quietly fallen onto his shoulders.
To be honest, when Akira Zenin had left, Megumi Fushiguro had actually been happy for a while. He'd genuinely waved him off back then—at least he wouldn't have to push a wheelchair around during missions so someone could nap in it anymore…
But once he truly began living at Jujutsu High without Akira Zenin around, Megumi Fushiguro realized what real hell felt like.
Even Geto-sensei, who seemed the most normal on the surface and was in charge of the third-years, was actually a huge troublemaker at heart.
Kusakabe, who handled the second-years, was completely laid-back to a fault.
And Gojo-sensei, in charge of the first-years?
Tch…
"Even if nobody really comes here, leaving a Special Grade cursed object somewhere like this is way too careless, isn't it?"
Muttering to himself, Megumi Fushiguro pulled the weather box fully open.
However…
There was nothing inside.
Under the moonlight, only the empty, bluish interior walls of the box stared back at him.
"Huh?"
Megumi Fushiguro immediately dialed Satoru Gojo's number.
"There's nothing here!"
"Seriously?
…
Oh, this is great~~ Did Sukuna's Finger get bored and sneak out for a midnight walk?"
...
"I'm seriously going to punch someone…"
"You're not allowed to come back without that thing, you know~ So you can't hit me. Hehe~~"
"Then I'll go find Akira-sensei…"
"Go ahead. But just a reminder—that lazy bum probably put you on his blacklist ages ago! Hiahiahia…"
Megumi Fushiguro hung up without a change in expression.
"Next time I see him, I'm definitely hitting him…"
"Damn it… There are too many Cursed Spirits passing through. The residuals are too complicated. I can't lock onto it…"
"No choice. I'll just have to search slowly…"
…
The next afternoon, after being busy all night and all day, Megumi Fushiguro arrived at an ordinary high school in Miyagi Prefecture.
"Sigh… Just a few more residual trails left. This should be the end…
Damn it. The Cursed Energy reaction is way too strong. I can't pinpoint the exact location… As expected of a Special Grade cursed object. What a headache."
On the field, students were sweating it out in the glow of youth. Around them, quite a few mid-level Cursed Spirits roamed openly, drifting across the surface as if "dancing" alongside the humans.
"Seriously, what's with this rugby field? Did they bury someone who died unjustly under it or something? Or is it because of that cursed object?"
…
After checking the rugby field, Megumi Fushiguro stepped over the railing and moved to the adjacent area.
A voice nearby suddenly rang out in an exaggerated announcer tone.
"Come take a look!! Track Club's Takagi-sensei is going up against the Tiger of West Junior High!"
As soon as the announcement ended, a brown-skinned adult who looked like a gorilla launched the shot put to a distance of fourteen meters. Japan's record was 18.85 meters.
Takagi was clearly satisfied with his performance and began striking a dramatic pose with intense focus.
A pink-haired boy stepped forward, caught the shot put, casually tossed it up and down a few times, then threw it in the relaxed motion of a baseball pitcher.
Bang.
The shot put slammed into the nearby soccer goal, bending the metal frame.
The person measuring the distance stood there in a daze for a moment before walking over to check.
"…Uh, about thirty meters…"
Setsuko Sasaki stepped forward and let out a soft sigh.
"Itadori, you're better suited for a sports club. There's no need to force yourself to stay in the Occult Research Club…"
Yuji Itadori looked confused.
"Huh? You two clearly love horror stories. But if I'm not around, you won't even dare go near places related to supernatural stuff…"
"It's because we like them that we're scared…"
Yuji Itadori shook his head.
"I've got some personal stuff, so I need to be home by five. And the school requires us to join a club. Didn't you say the Occult Research Club doesn't really do anything?"
"I did say that…"
"Besides, I really like the atmosphere in the Occult Research Club. Alright, time's up. See you~~"
Nearby, Megumi Fushiguro was still stunned by what he had just seen.
"He did that without using any Cursed Energy? Just pure physical strength?"
As Yuji Itadori walked past him, Megumi Fushiguro suddenly sensed the presence of a cursed object on him.
But by the time he reacted, Yuji Itadori had already disappeared around a distant corner.
Megumi Fushiguro stood there, shocked.
"What was that?? That's way too fast…"