It was Yuji Itadori's second day at Jujutsu High.
"Hello, Ijichi-san?"
Yuji tilted his head in front of the mirror, phone wedged between his ear and shoulder.
Kiyotaka Ijichi was an auxiliary manager—one of the support staff who handled logistics. In Yuji's past life, Ijichi had been largely responsible for coordinating his mission deployments.
"Special Grade Cursed Womb?"
Yuji held a comb in his hand.
"My only partner is Fushiguro? Gojo-sensei's on a business trip? Got it. I'll be there shortly."
He hung up and finished styling his hair.
With a more mature look, the boy in the mirror appeared noticeably more composed. Gone was the usual tousled style—Yuji had slicked his hair back the way he'd worn it in his past life, leaving only a small lock hanging over his forehead.
If he'd decided to change things, he might as well start with the small stuff. Appearance. Image.
Yuji searched his memories and vaguely recalled Ijichi mentioning a "Special Grade Cursed Womb" before.
The location was a juvenile detention center. He remembered that the cursed spirit had evolved to Special Grade by absorbing one of Sukuna's fingers.
Which meant after this mission, he'd be able to retrieve the third finger.
After swallowing the third, his strength would increase again.
What puzzled him, though, was that in his past life, he'd met his new classmate Nobara Kugisaki first—then the detention center incident happened.
Perhaps this was a butterfly effect caused by his rebirth?
"Hoo—"
He let out a long breath, then left the dormitory without looking back.
Ijichi and Megumi Fushiguro were already waiting at Jujutsu High's entrance. The car started, and the three of them headed toward their destination: the West Tokyo Juvenile Detention Center.
Rain fell today. The sky hung low and gray, drizzling steadily. Yuji leaned back in his seat, watching the scenery blur past the window.
"Itadori. I heard you beat Zenin-senpai during training yesterday."
While Yuji was contemplating how to handle the upcoming Special Grade, Megumi suddenly spoke from beside him.
"You really are a genius."
"Huh? Uh... thanks?"
"But I won't be standing still either." Megumi's eyes narrowed. "I will surpass you. Sooner or later."
"...What?"
"Our auxiliary team confirmed the Cursed Womb approximately three hours ago. The area has been sealed off. All residents within a 500-meter radius have been evacuated."
"However, five juveniles remain trapped inside along with the Cursed Womb. Their status is currently unknown."
"..."
The rain intensified. The detention center sat surrounded by woods, its entrance a dilapidated iron gate. Ijichi had established a perimeter nearby. Megumi Fushiguro and Yuji Itadori stood at the entrance, listening to the briefing.
"...If the Cursed Womb fully matures, it could become a Special Grade cursed spirit? And this dangerous mission is assigned to just two first-years?"
Megumi clenched his fists. A bead of cold sweat rolled down his face.
Exorcising a Special Grade typically required at least one or two Grade 1 sorcerers. But jujutsu society was chronically understaffed—even students got assigned tasks beyond their capabilities.
"Your mission is to extract the five survivors. For your own safety, if you encounter the Cursed Womb—do not engage. Under any circumstances."
Ijichi adjusted his glasses and delivered the warning solemnly.
"Understood, Ijichi-san."
Yuji caught the worry in Ijichi's eyes and nodded.
Not really, though.
He was here for the third Sukuna finger.
Besides, this was his first real battle since being reborn.
Watch me take down this Special Grade.
Unlike Yuji's eagerness, Megumi beside him felt the weight of dread settling in his stomach.
He'd barely handled a Grade 2 cursed spirit. How was he supposed to fight a Special Grade?
None of the three noticed, however, that in the bushes beside the gate, a rat-like cursed spirit lay pressed to the ground—dark eyes recording their every move.
About five hundred meters from the detention center, a man in a kasaya sat on a rooftop, a ring of stitches circling his forehead. He rested his chin on one hand, murmuring with interest.
"...'Do not engage,' hm?"
To test Yuji Itadori's strength, he'd specifically collected a Sukuna finger and fed it to the Cursed Womb growing in the detention center.
He expected Yuji would most likely suffer a devastating defeat. But his real goal was to force Sukuna to emerge and sign a Binding Vow with his vessel.
"Let's see how far you can go, Yuji Itadori."
Kenjaku's lips curved into a playful smile. He was about to let out a low, sinister laugh when—
At the detention center entrance, Yuji Itadori's brow suddenly furrowed. He turned his head sharply. Amber eyes locked onto the rain-soaked bushes behind them.
"Huh?"
In Kenjaku's field of vision, Yuji was staring directly at the surveillance rat.
"What the—?!"
Kenjaku nearly jumped out of his skin.
Discovered? Impossible. A low-level surveillance curse like that should have its presence completely masked...
But as the tempest raged in Kenjaku's mind, he noticed Yuji's gaze only briefly swept over the bushes before moving on.
"My child is inside! Please—let me go in!"
A middle-aged woman was being held back by several staff members outside the cordon, her anguished cries cutting through the rain. Yuji's eyes settled on the scene.
"Hoo—"
That scared me.
Kenjaku sat back down.
The woman's position happened to fall directly between the rat and Yuji's line of sight. Was that glance just coincidence?
"..."
Yuji narrowed his eyes.
Years of honed instincts told him someone was watching.
Kenjaku, maybe?
He made the guess calmly. Kenjaku was his "mother," so appearing here wasn't surprising. Yuji suspected Kenjaku had been secretly observing when he first swallowed Sukuna's finger too. As for that Grade 2 cursed spirit at his school—it had definitely been enhanced by Kenjaku's cursed energy. Otherwise, Megumi wouldn't have struggled so badly against it.
With Gojo-sensei around, that old fox wouldn't show himself easily. He posed no immediate threat to the three of them.
For now, Yuji let it go.
His attention shifted back to the mother crying in the rain.
"...That's the mother of one of the trapped juveniles. She couldn't bear to leave without her child, so she's been waiting. Over three hours now."
Ijichi sighed and explained.
Cold rain splattered against Yuji's face. His gaze crossed the cordon and fell on the helpless, sobbing woman.
"The people trapped inside probably aren't good people. They might have done terrible things."
"But at least one of them... at least one has a mother who loves them this much."
Yuji suddenly recalled his grandfather's dying words.
"Yuji, you are powerful. So you must save others. Save as many as you can."
He remembered what had happened in the detention center in his past life.
Back then, he couldn't save those juveniles. He'd gotten beaten half to death by the Special Grade. In the end, Sukuna had emerged to clean up the mess, and Megumi had desperately restrained the rampaging King of Curses afterward.
But now, things were different.
Having been reborn, Yuji Itadori refused to accept any more regrets.
"Wuwuwu... Why... why did it turn out like this?"
Realizing her pleas were useless, the woman collapsed onto the muddy ground, hands covering her tear-streaked face.
The sight only hardened Yuji's resolve.
"At the very least, I don't want to see such a loving mother lose her child. That would be too cruel."
Yuji's low voice cut through the rain. Beside him, Megumi Fushiguro started. Looking at the determination burning in those amber eyes, the black-haired boy felt something shift inside him.
The fear that had gripped him since hearing "Special Grade" was swept away by the pink-haired boy's conviction.
"We're saving everyone. Right, Fushiguro?"
Yuji tugged at his collar and strode toward the building's entrance.
"...Did you really need to ask?"
Megumi stopped hesitating. He nodded firmly.
"Let's go, Fushiguro!"