"Have you noticed anything unusual about yourself lately?"
"Oh, definitely! Every time I eat my fill, my stomach feels super bloated."
"…That just means you ate too much!"
"And oh! After lunch, I always feel really sleepy."
"That just means you want a nap!"
"Ara? So that's all it was? Man, that scared me. I looked it up online and thought I was dying or something. Turns out I was just overthinking it."
"…"
Megumi's eyelid twitched violently as he fought the urge to keep arguing.
Zephyr furrowed her brows, then took a deep breath.
"Gojo Satoru, I need to speak with you alone. It's important."
"I understand."
Gojo walked over to Yuji and cracked his knuckles. "I'll take care of any witnesses first."
"MATTE KUDASAI!"
Yuji, who had just recovered from his pain, nearly had a breakdown. How did he suddenly end up on the chopping block!?
"Gojo-sensei, please stop joking around!"
Sigh Fine, fine."
Megumi stood up. "Yuji Itadori, I admire your courage and kindness, but we don't belong to the same world. I'll escort you and your classmates out of here first."
"Wait a second, Megumi-chan."
"STOP CALLING ME THAT!"
Gojo turned to Yuji. "Itadori-kun, right? I saw everything just now. Tell me… are you interested in becoming a Jujutsu Sorcerer?"
—
"…HAAAH!?"
Everyone was stunned.
"Gojo-sensei, are you serious!? Itadori is just an ordinary person!"
Gojo grinned. "Maybe he was an ordinary person before… but now? That's not so certain. Look closely."
Megumi hesitated, then closed his eyes and steadied his breathing.
"Wait… this… Cursed Energy? It's faint, but—how are you doing this?"
Yuji scratched his head. "Cursed Energy? What are you guys talking about? I have no idea what's going on!"
Gojo Satoru asked, "It's fine if you don't understand. Let me ask you something simple, Itadori—do you hate Cursed Spirits?"
"Hate…? I don't know if I'd put it that way."
"Do you have people you want to protect? People you want to help?"
"Of course, I do."
"The person you used to be might've been just an ordinary guy, but after today, you should realize—this world isn't as simple as it seems.
Cursed Spirits—these malevolent beings exist. In fact, most accidental deaths in the world are actually caused by them.
So tell me, Itadori Yuji… do you want to save these people?"
"That… I don't know. If it were someone I knew, I'd probably try to save them. But if it were a stranger…"
His expression wavered.
Maybe…
Maybe he would save them.
Damn that old man. What kind of curse did he leave on his own grandson!?
But Gojo completely misinterpreted his hesitation.
"Perfect! You pass."
"…Huh?"
"If you were one of those hot-blooded idiots who immediately said, 'Of course, I'll save them all!' I would've knocked you out on the spot, sent you and your classmates home, and acted like none of this ever happened."
"Wait, what!? That's so underhanded! Why?"
"Because being a Jujutsu Sorcerer isn't a job you take on impulsively. It requires a calm mind. A reckless, hotheaded fool would only get themselves killed. Luckily, you're not one of those hot-blooded morons—hahaha!"
Megumi pinched the bridge of his nose. Gojo-sensei, I think you're mistaken. Itadori Yuji is absolutely one of those reckless, hot-blooded idiots. You're totally misjudging him…"
"Not listening, not listening, lalalala~"
"…"
"Even if you want him to become a Jujutsu Sorcerer, there's no one to teach him!"
"Are you serious right now?"
"Mhmm~"
"…Even if you plan on bringing him into the school, you still need the principal's approval."
"Don't worry about that. I'll talk to the principal myself."
"But whether or not he passes the entrance test will depend entirely on him. I won't pull any strings for him—so rest assured."
"…"
"Hey, wait a minute! What's this about a school? A Jujutsu Sorcerer? Where's my opinion in all this?"
"Your opinion doesn't matter."
"What about my basic human rights!?"
"Alright then, let me ask you this, Itadori Yuji—if your family or friends were ever in danger again… would you want to save them?"
"That…"
"Of course, I'm not trying to morally coerce you or anything. It's totally fine if you say no. I'll just flip you off, that's all."
"That's literally moral coercion!!"
Itadori took a deep breath and said, "As shameless as you are, you're right. I do want to protect the people who matter to me."
Even if that person is gone…
Their ideals, their beliefs—I'll carry them on!
"Alright then, let's head back to school."
"Wait, Gojo-sensei! Aren't we forgetting something?"
Itadori quickly covered a certain area with both hands. "That violent girl—where is she!?"
She was gone. The group exchanged glances.
Gojo tilted his head. "Huh? Weird. Didn't she say she had something important to tell me?"
Megumi muttered, "I think you just talked too much, so she lost patience and left."
Itadori nodded in agreement.
"Uh, it's fine if she left, but… Sukuna's finger is still with her…"
Silence.
Gojo pulled out a small notebook. "Mission report: Fushiguro Megumi has failed. Sukuna's finger—lost."
"HOW IS THAT MY RESPONSIBILITY!?"
Gojo grinned, laughing like usual. But no one realized the seriousness in his mind at that moment.
Megumi… Megumi… You thought I was joking about feeling drowsy after eating?
You're wrong.
For most people, that's perfectly normal. But for me…? That's very concerning.
Gojo brushed his fingers over his forehead.
Memory loss, huh…? Did I really lose a part of my memories?
—
Meanwhile, descending the stairs, Paimon pouted. "Traveler, why are we leaving? Didn't you have something important to say to that Gojo guy?"
Zephyr replied, "That was my plan at first. But after seeing Gojo… I figured, what's the point? The guy lost his memories. Even if we told him, he probably wouldn't believe us.
Worse, he might even capture us for research. So why bother?"
As for Black Flash… plenty of people can use it.
He'd been eyeing that powerful technique for a while now.
Zephyr wanted to see if Lumine could learn Black Flash without relying on any cheats.
If she could, then that would be a huge win.
If not? Well, there was nothing to lose.
//END
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