At Jujutsu High's Tokyo campus, inside the basketball gym.
A white-haired boy bounced a basketball hard against the ground, sending it flying high into the air.
"I'm just saying!" Gojo Satoru complained with an annoyed look.
Compared to his adult self, he looked much younger now. He wasn't constantly wearing his signature blindfold either, revealing his striking blue eyes that shimmered like a Mangekyou, reflecting intricate patterns.
At the same time, a fresh red lump stood out on his forehead, making it obvious he had just been hit.
He caught the falling basketball and held it against his chest, looking wronged.
"Why do we even need a curtain? Even if regular people see us, it doesn't matter. It's not like they can see curses or jujutsu anyway."
He had just been scolded harshly by Yaga Masamichi for forgetting to put up a curtain during a mission.
Gojo casually tossed the basketball toward the hoop, but just as it was about to go in, a hand suddenly reached out and swatted it away.
Ieri Shoko, her hair still short with the ends brushing against her shoulders, twirled Gojo's sunglasses in her fingers before finally placing them back on his face.
"Of course not." A boy with a bun hairstyle, wearing a white short-sleeved shirt, blocked the ball. "The key to suppressing cursed spirits is people's inner peace."
As he dribbled the ball, Suguru Geto spoke seriously, "That's why we have to make sure they don't notice invisible threats as much as possible. Besides that—"
"Alright, alright." Before he could finish, Satoru Gojo snatched the ball from his hands and dashed toward the hoop. With a swift three-step layup, he sent the ball cleanly through the net.
The white-haired boy in sunglasses tilted his head back at a proud angle and said casually, "Looking after the weak is exhausting."
He caught the falling basketball and suddenly threw it backward with force. The ball shot out like a cannonball but was caught steadily by Suguru Geto. "The weak surviving—that's how society should be. That's why the strong must be kept in check."
"Listen carefully, Satoru." He lowered his gaze and spoke in a warning tone. "Jujutsu exists to protect non-sorcerers."
He held up the basketball and, before even crossing half-court, launched it toward the hoop on the other side.
The ball traced a beautiful arc through the air, soaring past the smirking white-haired boy, but it was just a little off from the center. It hit the back of the rim and bounced away.
"Are you giving me a lecture? I hate long-winded lectures," Gojo Satoru said.
"What did you say?" Suguru Geto narrowed his eyes, his sharp gaze immediately locking onto him.
"Adding reasons and responsibilities to power—that's something only the weak do."
The basketball rolled behind Gojo Satoru. He casually scooped it up and tossed it, landing it perfectly in the hoop.
His bright blue eyes behind the sunglasses gleamed with amusement as he grinned. "Stop preaching and making yourself feel all righteous—ugh!"
Watching the white-haired boy dramatically pretend to gag, Suguru Geto's back suddenly surged with a dark mist, burning like raging flames. One by one, cursed spirits emerged from it.
He pointed his thumb toward the door. "Let's take this outside, Satoru."
"So afraid of being alone? Go by yourself." Gojo Satoru shot back.
The atmosphere in the gym grew tense instantly. Off to the side, Shoko Ieiri, who had been slacking off, quickly made her escape. "I'm outta here~"
Just as the two were about to fight, the gym doors suddenly swung open. Masamichi Yaga stepped in, looking at the two whose foreheads were almost touching. He let out an irritated sigh.
"Hey, how long do you two plan on messing around? Where's Shoko?"
"No idea."
"Probably went to the bathroom."
As soon as Yaga arrived, the two immediately put on an act, acting like best buddies.
"Forget it. I have a mission for the both of you."
Before Yaga even finished speaking, the two of them simultaneously made an exaggerated "Ugh, so annoying" expression.
"What's with those faces?"
"Nothing." x2
Yaga led them to an empty classroom and began explaining the mission to his two half-distracted students.
But the moment Yaga mentioned Master Tengen's name, Suguru Geto became serious, leaving only a confused white-haired boy.
"I won't lie, I think this mission might be a bit tough for you two. But Master Tengen specifically requested you both," Yaga explained. "There are two objectives."
"The 'Star Plasma Vessel,' someone whose body is compatible with Master Tengen—you need to protect the girl. And then, you need to eliminate her."
"Protect and eliminate a kid?" Gojo Satoru looked surprised, then instinctively covered his mouth, mumbling under his breath, "Is he getting senile or what?"
"It's spring, after all. And he just became the next principal—probably feeling a little too excited," Suguru Geto said with a smile. "But jokes aside, this is about resetting Master Tengen's technique, right?"
"What's that?" Gojo Satoru asked, completely clueless. Seeing the other two sigh in exasperation, he immediately got annoyed. "What!?"
"Master Tengen has an immortality technique, but that doesn't mean he doesn't age," Yaga explained. "If he were just getting old, that'd be one thing. But when his body ages past a certain point, his technique will try to reconstruct it—basically, it triggers an evolution."
"He turns into something beyond human."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Gojo Satoru waved his hand, looking interested. "Sounds awesome!"
"Master Tengen said that once he reaches that stage, he'll lose his sense of self," Suguru Geto added. "He won't be the Master Tengen we know anymore. The barriers protecting Jujutsu High, the sorcerer society's bases, and most of the support sorcerers' barrier techniques—they all rely on his power."
"Without him, we'd struggle to defend ourselves and complete missions. Worst case, he could become humanity's enemy. That's why, every 500 years, Master Tengen merges with a Star Plasma Vessel to rewrite his body's information."
"Once the body is renewed, the technique resets as well, preventing any further evolution."
As Suguru Geto explained, Gojo Satoru nodded seriously, acting as if he fully understood. "I see. So, evolving into a Machinedramon would be great, but there's also the risk of turning into a SkullGreymon. Better to just start over from Botamon, right?"
"Huh? Well, whatever, that works too." The boy with a bun looked annoyed, as if he couldn't be bothered to argue.
"The whereabouts of the Star Plasma Vessel have been exposed. Those after her can be divided into two groups: Q, a faction of curse users who want Master Tengen to lose control and overthrow the current jujutsu world, and the religious group Star Religious Society, who worship and revere Master Tengen."
"Master Tengen will merge with the Star Plasma Vessel on the full moon in two days. You must protect the girl and escort her to Master Tengen before then. If you fail, the consequences could even impact the normal world, so take this seriously!"
The two people standing before Masamichi Yaga both had confident, almost proud smiles on their faces.
…
"This is the place, right?" Yukinoshita Haruno stood at the street corner, looking at an ordinary-looking house.
With the help of Hiratsuka Shizuka, she managed to take leave without her mother noticing and arrived at the residence of Amanai Riko, the Star Religious Society's key target.
"Oh, there she is!"
Yukinoshita Haruno saw a girl about her age stepping out of the house, wearing a school uniform and a white headband. A maid followed closely behind her.
That maid was Kuroi Misato, the one responsible for taking care of Amanai Riko. Ever since Riko lost both her parents at the age of four, Kuroi had been looking after her.
Hayashizaki's voice echoed in Yukinoshita Haruno's mind.
"I see." The short-haired girl nodded in understanding, then quietly followed them. But after trailing them for a while, she suddenly frowned in confusion. "Huh?"
According to the information from the Star Religious Society, Amanai Riko was a second-year middle school student at Jindai Girls' Academy. Based on that, Yukinoshita Haruno had predicted her usual route to school.
However, judging by the path Riko and Kuroi were taking, they weren't heading to school at all.
If Yukinoshita Haruno had simply miscalculated the route, that would be one thing. But the two of them weren't even walking in the general direction of the school. Instead, they were going the opposite way.
"Is she skipping school? Even the Star Plasma Vessel ditches class?" Yukinoshita Haruno muttered.
"She probably realized her location was compromised and is taking precautions," Hayashizaki speculated. "According to the Star Religious Society's intel, the Star Plasma Vessel is supposed to merge with Master Tengen in two days under the full moon…"
"In theory, Jujutsu High should have sent people to escort her. Maybe she's heading to meet them."
"I wonder who they sent?" Hayashizaki thought with curiosity.
Hearing that professionals were handling the escort, Yukinoshita Haruno suddenly lost interest. "Seriously? So there's already a team protecting her? Then why did I even bother coming all the way here?"
Realizing she had just wasted her time, the short-haired girl felt like giving up and walking away.
She had even made a dramatic speech to Hiratsuka Shizuka, acting all high and mighty. But in the end, it was just childish fantasy—completely one-sided wishful thinking.
"Well, on the bright side, we do have one piece of exclusive intel—the identity of the Star Religious Society's enemies." Seeing Yukinoshita Haruno about to give up, Hayashizaki quickly tried to stop her. "And besides, we're already here, right?"
"You seem really invested in this Star Plasma Vessel," Yukinoshita Haruno said suspiciously, eyeing him.
"You're mistaken. I'm just curious to see who Jujutsu High sent for the escort mission. I might even run into an old acquaintance." Hayashizaki answered sincerely.
"Fine." The short-haired girl pouted but continued trailing the master and servant pair.
Putting aside the fact that she wanted to satisfy Demon-kun's curiosity as a subtle way of thanking him, what Hayashizaki said actually made sense.
Since she was already here, even if she didn't end up being of any use, she might as well stick around and see how things unfold.
To be honest, she'd never been involved in something like this before.
They followed the pair until they left the residential area and got into a black sedan parked by the roadside, which then quickly drove away.
Yukinoshita Haruno initially considered calling for a pilot's assistance, but then she noticed a bright yellow flash in the corner of her eye.
Her eyes lit up, and she quickly waved down a taxi.
As soon as she got in, she pointed at the black sedan that was already speeding away and urged the driver, "Mister, follow that black car!"
The cab driver, an unshaven man who had been lazily resting his arm on the steering wheel, suddenly sharpened his gaze and sat up straight the moment he heard her request.
"I've been waiting for this day for a long time, beautiful lady."
He gripped the steering wheel, stepped on the gas, and Yukinoshita Haruno actually heard the tires screeching.
With the roar of the engine, the tires left two deep black skid marks on the asphalt as the taxi shot forward like an arrow.
It closed in tightly on the black sedan carrying Amanai Riko and Kuroi Miri.
The driver of the black sedan seemed to notice the taxi tailing them and, mistaking it for an attacker, began accelerating as well.
A black car and a yellow taxi weaved through city traffic like agile fish, ignoring red lights and traffic laws entirely.
Even with the windows tightly shut, the sound of air rushing past other vehicles could still be heard.
Yukinoshita Haruno gripped the handle tightly and sneaked a glance at the speedometer, her expression changing instantly.
"Uh… Sir, you really don't have to drive this fast, it's totally fine…"
"Don't worry, miss. I swear on my honor as a former professional racer—I will not lose sight of that car today."
The ride was bumpy, but the taxi driver remained as steady as ever.
Meanwhile, Yukinoshita Haruno's voice trembled with every word, a sharp contrast to his composure.
The driver of the black sedan had no intention of weaving through the city to shake off the taxi.
He knew the safest option for Amanai Riko and Kuroi Miri was to get to the meeting point as quickly as possible.
Finally, after who knows how many traffic violations, the two cars screeched to a halt in front of a hotel.
The taxi even performed a perfect drift stop, leaving two long skid marks on the road as it came to a halt in front of the black sedan.
The moment the taxi stopped, Yukinoshita Haruno flung the door open and bolted out.
"Ugh…"
…
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