The night wasn't over yet.
A light rain fell outside, cold drops striking the banana leaves—splashing not water, but a long-absent chill. Darkness had swallowed the sky whole. Not a single star. The moon hid behind clouds. Only the rain hung there, drip by drip, draping a gauze veil over the glittering city below.
Outside, freezing. But the hot spring was warm—steam curling from the water, heat seeping through the pores, soaking into the skin, warming you down to your very core.
Mahito lounged against the edge of the pool and stretched lazily.
"Geto, why'd you waste a whole finger like that?"
His tone was idle. Suture lines crisscrossed his face.
"Geto, give us an explanation."
Jogo—short, with a plume of heat rising from his head, shaped like a miniature Mount Fuji.
He fixed them with his single enormous eye, glaring.
"You'd better have a good reason."
Hanami nodded in agreement but said nothing—he was enjoying the soak. It made him feel like he was becoming one with nature.
"Relax, relax."
A man draped in a white haori over a loose Japanese kimono smiled as he spoke. He stood on the bank, crouched down, and tilted his head:
"I had two objectives."
"Sukuna's Finger was consumed by a human named Yuji Itadori. He's become Sukuna's 'vessel.'"
He paused, his voice dropping lower:
"Meaning we may be able to resurrect the most powerful curse in history—Ryomen Sukuna. Using one finger to probe Sukuna's strength. That was my first objective."
"But it failed, Geto~ That guy... uh, what's his name—Nanami Kira—he showed up instead."
"Doesn't matter. Probing Nanami Kira was my second objective. Either way, one of my goals would succeed."
The man called Suguru Geto narrowed his eyes, gazing at his own reflection on the water's surface.
"What do you all think of Nanami Kira?"
"Just some run-of-the-mill sorcerer. I could flick him out of existence."
Jogo's contempt was palpable.
Geto smiled faintly and glanced up at Hanami.
"Hanami, what's your take? You've fought him."
"Man that's weird very a."
"Don't talk! Nobody can understand you!" Jogo roared.
"Nanami Kira is no simple man."
Geto watched the surface of the water, warm steam curling around his face.
"Ever since we were students, I always had this feeling. He's definitely hiding something—always has been. But by the time I left the academy, I still hadn't figured out what."
Geto rose to his feet and dusted off his knees—though there was nothing there to dust.
"That's why I used Sukuna's Finger to test him this time. Unfortunately, I still didn't find my answer."
"What if we recruited him? Guy doesn't exactly seem like a saint."
"Impossible."
Geto laughed despite himself, pressing a hand to his forehead. "I know him."
Or rather, the real Suguru Geto had known Nanami Kira.
"That man has no concept of good or evil. No joy, no sorrow. He just wants a quiet life."
Geto paused, then continued: "Life among Cursed Spirits is anything but quiet."
"And our goal is the extermination of all ordinary humans. That's a fundamental conflict with his ideal. If human civilization is destroyed, how could he ever live in peace?"
"That's the real reason he chose to become a jujutsu sorcerer."
"He's a monster who'll kill anything—just to keep things quiet."
Kira got home very late that night. Regardless, eight hours of sleep per day was non-negotiable.
That's what it took for the doctor to call him normal.
And so. The next day.
Yuji Itadori, Hoshino Ei, Nobara Kugisaki, and Megumi Fushiguro sat in the classroom, staring blankly at the empty podium. Blink. Blink.
The hour hand met the minute hand.
Only the bell rang, its lonely echo drifting through the empty campus.
Silence.
They looked at each other.
Confused.
"So... Nanamin-sensei is... late?"
Yuji ventured cautiously.
"Make him stand in the hall! Make him stand in the hall!" Nobara's eyes lit up, practically bouncing with excitement.
Ei nodded in enthusiastic agreement.
Megumi pressed a hand to his forehead.
Finally, the door slid open. Everyone craned their necks—
Kiyotaka Ijichi walked in.
"Tch—"
The room erupted in boos.
Ijichi cleared his throat, visibly flustered, and rapped the blackboard:
"Everyone, due to certain circumstances, Nanami Kira-sensei is on leave today. Three days off."
"Aww—"
The booing intensified.
Ijichi looked at their disappointed faces and tried to lighten the mood:
"But I do have some good news..."
"What good news? Is the school taking us out for dinner?"
"Gojo-sensei is coming back tomorrow! He'll be covering your class—"
"Tch—"
The booing reached its peak.
Ijichi's embarrassment deepened.
Gojo-sensei would cry if he saw this!
He ranked below a free meal in his own students' hearts...
Kira opened his eyes. Checked his watch. 7:30.
He'd gone to bed around 11:30 the night before. Not a minute more, not a minute less—exactly eight hours.
Deeply satisfying.
He'd turned in Sukuna's Finger last night, along with the six he'd brought back from Kyoto Jujutsu High—the Inbutsu Pavilion Barrier still hadn't been repaired, so they'd been transferred to Tokyo Jujutsu High for safekeeping.
Seven fingers now in the school's possession.
Feed them to Itadori, seal them away—none of that was his problem. Kira only cared about himself.
He got up. Brushed his teeth. Trimmed his nails first—making sure every single one was neat and even—before he could relax. He sealed the clippings in a glass jar and labeled it with the date.
Upstairs, he fed Stray Cat. Its leaves had been curling lately, so Kira applied some natural, non-industrial fertilizer. Stray Cat found the taste delightful.
He retrieved the Arrow from its hidden compartment, and headed out.
He had three days off, and he intended to use them to settle some unfinished business.
Team up with Gojo. Give the jujutsu higher-ups a little surprise.