DISCLAIMER:

I do NOT own the Oregairu and Jujutsu Kaisen series as they are respectfully owned by the creators and studios.


Next Day September 18

He woke up with a massive headache that lasted for ten seconds. His body felt heavy, but could still move his arms and legs. The pain made him flinch, but he ignored it to try moving around. He moved his head while opening his eyes to see he was in a familiar room that caused him to sigh and not look any further.

"Same result, different day." Hachiman mumbled with a sigh.

"You like getting wrapped in bandages now?" The voice of a man caught his attention, and so he turned to see Satoru sitting beside him with the usual annoying smile. "It's easier to get used to it by treating like it's a new fashion trend."

"I doubt anyone would wrap themselves like mummies, thinking they'd look cool."

"I mean, it could be worse. There are guys wearing lacy shirts."

"There's no way guys would wear something like that."

"Well, you'd be surprised. Though, I think those guys would use it for a make-out session with their partners in bed."

"The last thing I want is to get laughed at by Yukino when we're about to do it."

"Heeeeeeeehhh~?" Satoru leaned closer to his student's face in curiosity from that statement. Realizing too late what he just said, Hachiman averted his gaze with red cheeks. "Is that your imagination wilding for your girl, ooooooor..."

"No comment..."

"DAAAAAAMN! You actually did it? Hahahahaha!" The blindfolded teacher laughed proudly while slapping Hachiman's chest repeatedly. "Oi, oi. Don't be embarrassed about that. You should wear it like a badge."

"I'm not going left and right telling people about how I lost my virginity!"

"You can brag about it with your friends."

"Definitely not. We'd like to keep it to ourselves unless we're found out." Hachiman sat up with his cheeks still red. "Well, Haruno-san found out... and then told Komachi. I wonder if everyone else at Sobu knows."

"You look better than I thought." Satoru spoke in a genuinely curious tone.

"What's that supposed to mean?" The young sorcerer looked at him with narrowed eyes while leaning away from him.

"Do you know how long you were out?"

"Weeks?"

"A whole day and that's it."

"... Huh..." That revelation made Hachiman checked his own body, touching it through the bandages until realizing the pain was like itches. "I... guess Ieri-san did well?"

"Even she expected the earliest time for you to wake is eight days."

"Then how?"

"I wonder..."

"You know something, don't you?" Hachiman continued to stare at him with a serious expression. "I know something is off and I can easily guess you have something to do with it. Kusakabe-sensei's arrival was too much of a coincidence, and what that curse user told me... that I'm a threat to humanity. What do you know?"

"... Yeah, you... deserve to know." After that, Satoru told him everything about his trip to India, his encounter with the organization, Samsara's Helm, and the things he discovered. Meanwhile, his student just sat still, looking down at his own hands, as he listened to the entire story. Hachiman was expressionless throughout, almost difficult for Satoru to understand his emotions. He knew the boy was thinking while taking in all the information he had gathered from the Helm. After the explanation ended, Hachiman looked up to the ceiling, contemplating for a moment at what he learned.

"I'm... some incarnation of a god?"

"Something like that."

"Well... on one hand, it's kind of amazing." Hachiman closed his own eyes while massaging the bridge of his nose and then traced the figure of his face with his index and thumb from the cheeks to the chin. All that to process what he just heard. "Do I look different now?"

"No changes." Satoru answered while shaking his own head. "Hmm... maybe it's your strength?"

"What do you- oh, wait. Yeah, that would make sense."

"Your growth is kinda unnatural. It only took two months for you to reach the level of a Grade 1. It's getting really hard for me to brush it off as just some talent of a prodigy."

"I see... Does that mean my efforts are mostly just from what I inherited?"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you didn't put any effort at all, if that's what you're thinking." Satoru's words made the young sorcerer look at him face-to-face. "You struggled a lot to get to this point. So what if you have god powers in you? Did it make it any easier for all the problems you have in life? In the end, it's you who climbed up here, nothing else."

"Heh... Thank you." Hachiman thought back on the challenges he endured. Those were difficult to overcome, even if he inherited the power of a "god". "Still... I'm really the cause of all this..."

"There's no sugarcoating on that." Satoru agreed without hesitation. Even if his student was the center of a massive conflict, he wouldn't treat him as not human. All he saw was a boy searching for the meaning of his existence, the purpose of his outrageous gift that he never wanted at all.

-0-

"I need to know why I have this, what it really means to me, and know where I truly belong in the world. It felt like destiny is telling me something. So I grabbed the rope... because I can't stand just wandering around in the dark anymore."

-0-

"Even though you knew all that, you still kept me around as your student. Why?" Hachiman's question made Satoru smile while appearing to be looking down with a slouch.

"Same thing why I helped Yuji: to make a better future for Jujutsu sorcerers."

"Hah, so you never planned on helping me get my life back to normal from the start. I knew something was up." Hachiman sighed, but not that he felt frustrated or sad. "So, what's the next step?"

"Raiding the troupe's hideout. Meanwhile, you stay here until the operation is over." Satoru tried explaining further about their plan, but a phone call interrupted him. He pulled it out of his pocket and answered. "Hello?... What do they want now?... Can't we do it tomorrow?... Alright, alright, I'm coming."

"Something tells me it's not a pleasant call." Hachiman commented.

"It's those old geezers. They wanna talk to me about something."

"... I have a bad feeling about this."

"You and me both." Satoru sighed and stood up. "Welp, time to go. You get some rest."

"Yeah... thanks again for everything."


The Shell And The Slug: Part 7

The Truth Of Cessation I

It was a bright day, not like any other. Despite that, the weather didn't feel too hot for him to be bothered. He was just staring at the blue sky, but he didn't know why or how. It didn't matter because there were things far more important to do than anything else. With other people entering and leaving, he went inside the building to see windows showing the sky with two sightseeing binoculars near them. There was no one else besides him in this empty room.

Him... and a woman standing in the middle, staring at him.

She had long black curly hair and wore a plain yellow V-neck T-shirt, white pants, and kitten heels.

"You sure took a while to get here." The woman spoke.

"Well..." He spoke while entering further into the room and approaching her. "Let's just say I need one hell of a wake up call to get out of my bed."

"You do look like the heavy sleeper type." The woman walked towards one of the binoculars and touched it. "Come on, you got to see this."

"Alright." He responded as he went close to the binoculars and looked through them." So what am I supposed to look at?"

"A little to the left... then down.. you see them?" After giving instructions, she asked him with a whisper in his left ear. For him, it sounded static, but he didn't mind. What he saw through the binoculars was an elderly couple walking together on a sidewalk. Their faces were black... as in they didn't have faces. It was as if they were scratched by a pencil.

"I see two old people."

"Those are my parents."

"Is... there a funeral?" He asked after noticing their attire, and looked back at the woman, whose attire suddenly changed into a black kimono before he realized it.

"Nothing's ever easy." She spoke while looking through the window, perhaps at her parents from up here. "Doing what others are expecting to do... doing what we expect ourselves to do. Once we screw up, there's nothing left for us."

"Except the screw-ups we have to carry until we die." He said while looking through the binoculars again to see another person walking. That person was a man with black hair wearing a black jacket with a matching tie and pants, giving the appearance of someone attending the funeral as well. The most noticeable traits were the strand of hair standing on top of his head and a pair of eyes that looked like a dead fish.

"It feels like we're just meant to carry those. All on our own."

"Everyone is meant to carry suffering."

"But ours... people like us... suffer because it's meant to be. Not because of our choices, or because of how we act. We're just born to have it. No matter what we do, misery always ruins everything."

"Is that how you define your destiny? A lifetime of despair? How are you so sure of that?" He just stared at the woman while still holding the binoculars with one hand. The room changed into something horrific. The view outside the window became nothing but darkness with thousands of different sized eyes watching the two of them. Leaning on the windows were corpses standing like scarecrows that stood two meters apart from each other and held each other's hands with their long arms that appeared to be stretched till the flesh became thin. But it did not bother the two living people at all. "You're not someone with the power to see the future."

"Isn't it easy to find out about our future?" The woman argued. "It's when we notice the routine."

"Routine?"

"Let's say a student fails a test. She studied hard, but still fails no matter what. And that keeps repeating over and over. Simple, right?"

"Ah, I see. So by seeing a cycle, you identify it as 'destiny'. It's too simplistic."

"Then what is my destiny?"

"That depends on your interpretation, but not on such a one-sided thinking. You only based your assumption of destiny on the painful moments that outweigh your happy ones. Your claim doesn't work because of the impermanence of all things. It is impossible to determine one's life when nothing is constant unless you can see the future. The ability to see the line of time that is the past, present, and future. But even with that, the meaning of life depends on our interpretation. Asking questions such as how, why, who, and what every occurrence we encountered would benefit anyone or anything. I saw my destiny after assessing all the encounters I had. The knowledge and experience I used to reach a conclusion. You interpret yours solely on one aspect of human life and nothing more."

"Is that so?..." After that, there was silence. The only sound they could hear was a machine that made a dinging sound. He turned to see an elevator sliding open, showing how empty it was and normal compared to the horrific environment of this room. "It's your ride."

"Then it's goodbye." He walked towards the elevator without a shred of emotion in his face.

"One last thing..." The woman said, and he just stopped walking without any intention of turning around. "Knowing our destiny won't matter anyway. We always struggle. But it's worse when we don't have the right to choose how."


.

.

-0-

Ieri Shoko

29 years old

A doctor of Jujutsu Tech

She was well known for her natural talent in a healing technique that only a few had learned, reversed cursed technique.

By turning negative energy into positive energy, one could heal the injuries of living creatures. Although it sounded simple, it was incredibly difficult to understand the process. The records of Jujutsu history didn't have any information or even a single hint about the steps. Not even the rare users of this technique could help in sharing, as either the sorcerers couldn't grasp the theories one made, or the explanations were incomprehensible from the other. And so, those who learned reversed cursed technique were seen as ones who understood the core of cursed energy.

Shoko wasn't really keen on such praises. For as long as she could remember, it was mostly just a feeling for her when she used reversed cursed technique. There was a process, but it was hard for her to put it in words. Unlike others, she was seen as a valuable asset due to her healing ability. In fact, not even Gojo Satoru could heal others when he could heal himself, and being the one who revealed the supposed process. Her one-of-a-kind talent made her the doctor of Jujutsu Tech.

As for her personality, she was a serious and gloomy person, wishing for her job to just be over with and do something else. Of course, she chose the job, but she rarely worked with enthusiasm on her face when she became the doctor.

Shoko still behaved the same when she first met Hikigaya Hachiman. To her, he was nothing more than a sorcerer/patient getting hurt because of his missions or whatever unfortunate situations he encountered. She did see him as special after learning about Shani Dev, but anything beyond that, there wasn't anything to take note. That didn't mean Shoko saw nothing of his skills. She respected him for the effort he gave to training and learning, and the talent he had. In fact, she was almost as optimistic as others who acknowledged his capabilities that he would climb further. It was just that she didn't want to give special treatment to anyone, not even the strongest sorcerer (though in Satoru's case, there were other obvious reasons). Shoko thought it would be a waste of energy to do so, and everyone should be treated equally, as long as they came to her as patients... but mostly the former.

Right now, she was approaching the door to Hachiman's room to check on his condition. She was surprised at how he recovered so quickly. One obvious theory in her mind was that Hachiman had the ability to use reversed cursed technique, but there was nothing to prove unless he gave one. Though, there was one thing about his "transformation."

Second stage: Remodeling

According to what she learned from the Helm, his body and brain may undergo changes after having enough cursed energy. However, that remained as a theory, since there were no previous records or evidence of that happening to the bearer. Even so, that possibility would still be likely since Hachiman was one of a kind. As she knocked on the door, she wondered if it would be the appropriate time to ask him. After all, such a revelation would be too much for a young boy to handle, especially during his weakest mental state.

"You can come in." Hachiman's voice responded behind the door, and the doctor entered. What she saw bewildered her. The patient in front of her was taking off the bandages on his head and face. There were only scars left from the injuries. "You're better now?"

"I... think so." He responded with uncertainty while tracing the scars on his face with an index finger. "From your expression, it seems you're not the one who did it?"

"No... it could be your own body."

"My so-called 'transformation', was it? I really don't feel any different."

"So Gojo told you everything, huh?"

"Yes... it's... interesting, to say the least." Hachiman said before leaning on the headboard of the bed. "Again, I don't feel any different. I keep thinking maybe I'm not even transforming at all."

"Perhaps it's supposed to be subtle." Shoko suggested while sitting on a chair next to him. "I think it's more like a transformation under the guise of convincing growth. Like whenever you train or get more experience in missions, it gave you twice the payoff."

"I see... like grinding in video games." He held his own chin. "Farming to get XP. It felt fast, but still natural for the character because he lives in a system."

"And in your case, it's more like you tried farming at the hardest places at your lowest level. Though it did pay off with the XP you got after beating the monsters."

"True. I doubt this could work for anyone."

"That's why you're a special case."

"Yeah... I am."

"... Hey, if you're worried about that, then don't-"

"It's okay. I got all the pep talk I needed." Hachiman started touching his own body where the injuries once were. "My body and brain changes, which is why all the wounds healed itself?"

"Probably." Shoko tapped his forehead with an index finger. "You see, while cursed energy comes from the gut, reversed cursed technique needs the brain to operate correctly."

"And somehow I'm using it subconsciously?"

"Right, and while you were unconscious, your body is still reinforced with cursed energy when they brought you to me. It seems as a fight-or-flight response, your developing brain subconsciously worked your cursed energy to perform the reversed cursed technique."

"Could that even be possible, even for a special case like me?"

"Well... It's like the same thing when we fall asleep. While sleeping, our pituitary gland releases growth hormone which help our bodies to grow and repair itself. Think of cursed energy as blood in the analogy. As blood travels to our brain, the massive organ will do its work properly, including the pituitary gland. It's actually a little more complicated than that, but that's the gist of it. Of course, there's the hypothalamus that keeps our body in homeostasis, so it does have an important role connected with the gland."

"I... think I'm starting to get it... I think, but does reverse cursed technique really that simple as it sounds?"

"Don't ask me. It's hard to explain."

"At least give me the gist of it."

"Let's see... First off, to achieve reversed cursed technique, you need to turn negative energy into positive energy."

"How?"

"DIdn't you learn math back in your previous high school?"

"Like what, integers? Am I supposed to go negative times negative equals positive just like that?" At his question, Shoko nodded. "That's still confusing, you know that?"

"Basically, just multiply two sources of cursed energy into a reversed one." She further explained with folded arms.

"I get that. What I don't get is how to multiply it. It's not like pressing the formula in a calculator."

"You go... whoosh, then it makes a swish, so you need to make 'hnn' with all you got-" The more she explained, the more it sounded like she was just letting out strange noises. What made Hachiman just stare at her with a dumbfounded, yet still quite deadpanned expression was the blank tone she had when she talked like a soundboard."

"Okay, I think I heard enough." The young sorcerer stopped her.

"I warned you." The doctor shrugged her shoulders. "I just said what Gojo said about this, so even I have no clue. It's just... a feeling to me, mostly."

"And how do you feel when you use it?"

"I feel like I need to puff a cigarette after a tiring job."

"Aaaahh... so this is what Hiratsuka-sensei might look like if she doesn't quit smoking and still worried about being single. Shit, it's kinda depressing. I pray that you find happiness in other ways, sensei." He thought before going back to the conversation. "I guess I need to ask Gojo-san for this."

"He's busy dealing with important matters, so I doubt he has the time talking to you." Shoko responded. "Now, let me check your condition to see if there isn't anything weird in you."

"Okay." After checking his condition, Shoko confirmed he was in full health again. But that didn't mean he should go on missions, not after that incident. The right decision was to stay put until things seemed to calm down. "Whatever that important matter Gojo was doing, it has to be about the Dhamini Troupe and the Shoal Of Ropeholders. So for now, I have to trust him."

"By the way." The doctor called out to him. "How is your head? Are the voices still annoying?"

"Oh, they... haven't talked for a while now."

"I see... Well, keep taking the medicine. It doesn't go away that easily, so if something happens, let me know."

"Thank you." After that, the doctor left. Hachiman looked at his hand and just bit the tip of his thumb. Then, he started concentrating his cursed energy into that thumb while narrowing his eyes and inhaled. He poured more cursed energy into it until he stopped with a huge exhale. "Yeah, I'll never get it anytime soon."


.

.

.

-0-

"So, this is what you're going on about now?" A different woman spoke to him as they rode in the elevator. The strange thing was the elevator became spacious once he entered, and the woman talking to him now appeared out of nowhere. "This 'destiny' you're on about isn't something you should waste time on."

She had short white hair that reached her neck and wore a beige cardigan over a green, short-sleeved V-neck dress. As for the inside of the elevator, the walls appeared to be rotten and filled with moss, and it moved slower than a normal elevator. However, he wasn't bothered by all of it, as always. It was as if everything was natural for him to be in such surroundings. He only stared at the wall as the elevator descended slowly.

"Why not? Am I rejecting it? Is there something for me to complain about?" He questioned. "I held on to the string and let it pull me."

"Complain? Not really, but you are questioning it." The woman argued. "Where will my destiny lead me? When is the time to pull back? How am I going to behave? Those are some of your questions every time you get tired. If this keeps going, you'll actually ask yourself if this is destiny or not, and then you go back to having a crisis on what your value is as a human."

"I.. can't deny."

"The reason you think about things like fate and all that is because you think too much about the things outside of your control. Coincidences, good and bad luck, convenient moments, first encounters. A lot of those gave you hell, and in trying to understand why, you cling on to the idea of fate."

"It's not like I believe in that idea for years. I know we have free will, but it is conditioned... or worse, it is an illusion. For centuries, millennials- no, ever since the birth of humanity, we questioned ourselves if a transcendental entity exists. Whether it governs all life and even the motion of the universe. Right now, so many sages explored to seek answers to our purpose. Even a sage like you."

"Should we to blame this transcendental entity for our actions? Why would someone such as that being make us suffer in the first place? Is that being the doer of things and not us?" The woman rebutted. "You ask such questions, but the true origin of your conflict is your distaste for not having things your way. Suffering is caused by clinging into the delusion that we are limited, that we want things to be in a certain way. It's because we can't learn to see the true nature of what we truly are. And so, in exchange for such an addiction to our egos, we suffer."

"Hm?" He finally looked at the woman because of what she said until the elevator stopped a second later. The doors slid open to reveal convenient stores and stands in the floor and a games corner. He looked back at the woman, who just gave him a nod. Without hesitation, he left the elevator and walked into the room. Compared to the last two floors, this one felt the most normal. Or rather, it was the only normal floor so far. He noticed there was a kids' corner for children to play.

In that corner was one child just sitting on the mat while staring at the ceiling. It was a boy with black hair and wore a blue T-shirt, brown shorts, and white sneakers.

"You have quite the Avidya." The boy spoke.

"Avidya?" He asked, wondering what that meant.

"It is a word that I, and others, created. Vidya means 'to know, perceive, and understand', so if we put 'a' in the beginning, it means 'not vidya'. Not know, not perceive, and not understand. In other words, you have a very ignorant mind, Shani Dev..."

"Are you-?" Before he could ask a question, he noticed the reflection in a facial mirror on one shelf in a convenient store. Despite being too far to see, he somehow felt something wasn't right with the reflection. He slowly approached it and finally saw the face in the mirror. The reflection followed every movement of his face perfectly and in sync.

However, that face in the reflection didn't belong to him.

It was a man with black hair, but it wasn't him. The eyes of that reflection were that of a dead fish. He raised his pure black skin forward, and the reflection did the same with its light-skinned hand.

"Who are you?"

.

.

.

-0-

10:00 AM

Hachiman walked in a hallway, approaching his classroom while thinking about something. Instead of the usual suit he wore, his attire was the standard jujutsu sorcerer uniform. With his hand caressing his own chin in thought, he slid open the door only to see no one inside.

"I guess they're on a mission? No, didn't Itadori say something about a 'Goodwill event'?" He mumbled before leaving the building to just wander around the campus. He was too focus on missions and training Itadori that almost everything else besides calling his friends and sister were ignored, so he wanted to look around and get used to the place. After a moment, he stopped walking, basking in the sunlight. In front of him was an entrance to a field that had a running track. The sound of wood clashing and voices reached his ears. He went to the field and saw four students training. They wore tracksuits and only two people wielded wooden staffs.

One was a girl with dark green hair tied to a ponytail with her attire consisted of a purple sweat jacket, white sweat shorts over black leggings, and white running shoes. Her sparring partner was a spiky black-haired boy wearing a dark blue tracksuit with its chest area and neck being light blue. Hachiman recognized him as Fushiguro Megumi, the first-year student. From the looks of it, the sparring ended in the girl's victory as Megumi kneeled while breathing heavily, probably due to exhaustion.

The third student acted as a referee, declaring who the winner of the match was by raising a sign that had the said winner's face drawn. He had platinum blonde hair and wore a white short-sleeved shirt that hid his mouth area, athletic pants, and shoes.

Then, there was the last one that made Hachiman raise an eyebrow from the... bizarre sight. It was Nobara wearing a tracksuit that consisted of a white-and-blue hoodie accented with a flower pattern, black leggings, and white shoes. What he found strange was she was training with someone... or something.

"A... panda? Oh, right. Fushiguro told me about a panda being a student here. Then that makes it five." He mumbled as he watched an actual panda whirling her around as if she was a metal ball meant to be for a hammer throw event. The panda spun faster until its foot slipped because of how it shred the soil. This caused the conscious animal to let go of Nobara as she flew towards Hachiman.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" She screamed while Hachiman prepared himself to catch her as both of his arms spread wide open. When the girl crashed into him, he caught her while sliding back from the momentum she carried. Still, his feet remained firm as he stood tall. "Aw, aw, aw..."

"You alright?" Hachiman asked her.

"Hmm...? Ah.. uh, Hikikomori-senpai!" Nobara spoke with a grin.

"It's Hikigaya." He corrected her.

"Oh... Well, Hikikomori-senpai. Could you please let go?" She spoke in a manner unusual to him. When they first met, he knew she had quite a rough attitude, so seeing her like this brought shivers in his spine. Just from the first sentence and the unusual tone were enough signs for him to realize he made a mistake. And he found out by feeling a certain soft texture that should never be touched. "Or else we might have the biggest tragedy since Antonio knocked down Ippo with the full-blown reality check and retirement!" (1)

In other words, her chest.

"Oh, sorry." Hachiman quickly let go and took a few steps away from her, while Nobara just stood still and tidied her clothes without a shred of emotions.

"Ooooiii~! Are you okay, Kugisaki?" The panda asked while waving its hand.

"I'm good!" Nobara responded.

"Ah, Hikigaya-senpai." Megumi walked towards Hachiman while still carrying the staff. "Are you feeling better? I heard you were severely injured from a mission yesterday."

"I'm fine, surprisingly." He answered while scratching a scar on his own cheek. "Either Ieri-sensei is that good, or my body is too abnormal."

"Either way, it's great that you recovered." The spiky-haired boy said.

"So you're the new third-year, huh?" The dark green-haired girl spoke as she approached him. "Your name?"

"Hikigaya Hachiman, and you're Zenin Maki, right?"

"Just call me Maki. My last name sucks, anyway." Maki said with an uncaring attitude.

"They really are sisters... How is Mai doing?" Hachiman wanted to ask her, but she went first.

" So, how good are you?"

"I'd say decent."

"What grade are you?" Panda asked him.

"Grade 2... Are you seriously a talking panda?"

"What else am I to you?"

"I don't know, some kind of mutated monster."

"Are you calling me a freak?!" The talking animal said with a growl in anger.

"Relax, you were born a freak." Maki said in an attempt to calm him.

"We're all a bunch of weirdos with abnormal gimmicks, anyway." Hachiman shrugged his own shoulders.

"Well, you're right about that. Humans are really weirdos, huh?" Panda said with a chuckle.

"You're included as a weirdo too, you know." The third year responded with a drop of sweat on his head.

"Enough about that. How are you liking Jujutsu Tech so far?" Panda asked.

"It's not bad. Food is decent, the bed is comfortable, and the green scenery is nice."

"Salmon, kelp." The boy with platinum blonde hair spoke.

"Uuhhh..." In which Hachiman was confused by that strange response.

"He said he agrees with you and said hello." Megumi helped him understand. "That's just how he talks because of his cursed technique."

"I see. Nice to meet you, then." Hachiman bowed as a greeting.

"Tuna mayo."

".. Hey, aren't you...?" The third year realized something about Toge. "You're the one who saved me back then, aren't you?"

"Salmon." Toge responded with a nod.

"I remember you now. Thanks for saving me."

"Welp, now that's out of the way." Maki then tossed a shinai, a sword made of baboo at him, which he caught it. "Time to see what you got."

"This is a sudden invitation." He stared at the shinai and swung it around in the air to test it. "You guys are training for the Goodwill Event, right? I don't think you should waste time with me when there's only four days left."

"I'll be the judge of that." The dark green-haired girl grinned while walking towards the center of the field that had grass on. With a sigh, he followed her while resting his shinai on his shoulder.

"You think Maki-senpai's trying to see if he's good enough to take part?" Nobara asked the others.

"Probably. We do need the help we can get." Panda answered. "The more people we have, the better chance of winning."

"True... in terms of strength, we're at a disadvantage." Megumi thought. "The main problem is Todo. Panda-senpai might hold him off for us to win points. Having an extra hand in getting those points would change things up for the better. The best possible thing we could have is another guy matching that monster."

"Salmon... Mustard leaf." Toge spoke.

"He did say he's already recovered. Let's just see what happens, Inumaki-senpai." Megumi responded to his senior's worries.

"Good luck, Hikki-senpai..." Nobara cheered in a deadpan tone. "KICK HIS ASS, MAKI-SENPAI!"

"The bias couldn't be anymore obvious..." Hachiman mumbled while staring at the first-year girl with a straight face. "Let's just get this over with."

"So this is the guy who killed that stupid old man of mine?" Maki thought as she analyzed her opponent from his fighting stance to his facial expression and gave him a smirk. "And he's just Grade 2? I call bullshit."

"Readyyyy~!" Panda shouted. "START!"

Both Maki and Hachiman charged at the same time and struck their own attack. The former went for a thrust attack to take advantage of her weapon's long reach, and the latter parried it to take a few more steps closer. However, she stepped back while spinning her staff to intimidate and make him more cautious about what move she'd make. Hachiman raised his shinai and swung it downward diagonally to the left, aiming for her head, which caused her to see an opening on his liver. Maki went for the opportunity and thrust the staff to it while taking a step backward to be out of his weapon's reach.

But that was exactly what he anticipated.

He caught the staff with his right elbow and knee, and jumped forward to swing the shinai at her left face while holding the staff with his right hand to prevent her from swinging it. She was about to dodge, but then realized that was a feint, and so she used her right knee to block the real strike, which was a left roundhouse kick to her right side. Milliseconds after, she let go of the staff and grabbed the left leg to do a shoulder throw. Hachiman crossed both of his arms at his face to protect himself from getting slammed to the ground. After that, he twisted his left leg to break free from her grasp and spun to do a sweeping kick while crouching. Maki fell, but used only her hands to land and swung a right kick at his left face. He responded by blocking it with an arm and swung the shinai to her. The upside-down girl used her left knee to parry and pinned the weapon to the ground by kneeling. With his weapon pinned with just one knee, she grabbed the staff that was close to her and threw a barrage of thrusts at him. He let go of the bamboo sword and parried it three times until Maki swung the staff onto his head, which the former just stood slightly while blocking an attack. Because of that, her swing was only half the force, and then he stepped forward while using the staff to pull her and ruin her stance. She blocked a right knee to the face with an arm, but because of losing her balance slightly from the pull and the power of the knee, she was sent tumbling on the grass.

However, Hachiman took the offensive and pursued her. The moment Maki stood up, he swung to her left, which she blocked it with the staff on time and then went for a down strike to his head. He removed one hand from the shinai's handle and used that handle to parry for minimal movement and to quickly follow through with a downward swing to her own head. Because of how swift between the parry and the attack was, Maki raised the staff by instinct in time to block, but then received a push kick to her abdomen and slid back from that, leaving a track of soil from her feet. As Hachiman charged at her, she timed her strike with his so they would be in sync while taking a step back to escape his weapon's reach and take advantage of her weapon's own.

Her aim was his hands holding the shinai.

Combining her timely strike with the momentum of his own sword swing, it gave the third year excruciating pain with a horrible bruise on his right hand, which caused him to recoil. Maki took that opening and thrust her weapon to his stomach, followed by a simple and quick strike to his chin and tried hitting his right neck with a cross strike. Hachiman managed to guard against it with the shinai one-handed and did a down swing to her head. However, that was a fake, and she fell for it. He kicked the outer side of her right shin, and then performed the real down swing, but at her left temple successfully before striking her liver. Surprising to him, Maki hit his own liver with the staff and struck his right jaw with a cross strike.

Despite that, Hachiman stood firmly, and hit her hand with the bamboo sword and thrust it at her face, which she just weaved to the right to dodge. While she evaded, Maki received a side kick on the left side of her body, and Hachiman struck her left jaw with a swing of his weapon. After that, they circled around each other slowly, analyzing their current state while maintaining their fighting stances. Hachiman raised his bamboo sword above his head, leaving himself wide open for attacks. However, Maki wasn't foolish enough to be tricked.

After 20 seconds, the third year made the first move.

He faked a left swing and did an upper swing to her chin. Maki blocked it by holding the staff horizontally to her chest and swung it to his right face, which he blocked it by pulling his shinai close to him into a reverse grip. He thrust a kick to her stomach, and she guarded against it in time with the staff that caused them to push each other and gain distance. But they quickly closed the distance and clashed their weapons. Their movements became faster and kept increasing with each strike. None of them successfully hit, as they kept being parried, blocked, or evaded. It was almost as if they finally understood each other, and it became a contest of who had more steps than the other.

Meanwhile, the other students watched the sparring match with impressed looks.

"They're pretty much even, huh?" Panda commented.

"Spicy cod roe, nori, soy sauce." Toge responded.

"He's tricky, but Maki's slowly getting used to his moves."

"But he's still good, right?" Nobara asked, with arms folded together. "Him being as strong as Maki-senpai would help us a lot."

"He probably has other skills he hasn't shown yet." Megumi spoke in agreement.

"Then it's settled. Ah, who do you think is gonna win in this sparring?" Panda asked.

"Obviously, Maki-senpai." Nobara answered without hesitation. "It's not that I don't like Hikki-senpai, it's just that his face is kinda creepy and I want her to fix that."

"That sounds like you hate him." Megumi said in a deadpan tone. "Hikigaya-senpai worked as a sorcerer since July, right?"

"That's what I heard." The talking animal answered. "He was partnered with Nanami Kento in curse exorcisms in Chiba city. While two other sorcerers are taking care of other places in Chiba prefecture, that city is the hotspot."

"Caviar, tuna mayo, rice." Toge said with his eyes appeared to be heavy-lidded. It was as if he was complaining.

"Aaahh, there were a lot of missions over there in one day. Imagine if those two did that as a routine for a month." Panda agreed with the cursed speaker and sighed. "You could say Hikigaya-kun had the most intense training as a newbie just from dealing with that city."

"You don't think Gojo-sensei did something, do you?" Nobara whispered to Megumi.

"Who knows? He's as unpredictable as a natural disaster." The spiky-haired boy said with a shrug. "But if Gojo-sensei trained Hikigaya-senpai, then that would explain why he became that strong in such a short amount of time."

"It has to be cheat codes. That dead fish-senpai has more cheat codes than Smash Bros." The brown-haired girl complained. "Hell, he probably has more that he didn't show yet! It's probably more than GTA!" (2)

"Tuna tuna, spicy cod roe."

"He's right. Regardless, his talent is noteworthy." Panda agreed with Toge.

A second after the end of the conversation, they heard the sound of wood breaking. The spectators saw Hachiman's shinai and Maki's staff snapped in half from the final clash. They thought the fight would end in the draw and call it a day, but the two combatants had other plans. Or rather, the two seemed to not have any thoughts other than the sparring match, which was probably why they resorted to hand-to-hand combat. They threw a right punch at each other when the pieces of wood fell on the ground, almost as if that was the signal of the new clash.

The one who landed the hit...

... were both of them.

"Ggh!" The two combatants grunted, but they didn't end there. Hachiman followed it up with a left punch to the liver while Maki hit his stomach with a left knee. From that one exchange, one would think Hachiman took the worse hit, but both of their taken damages were equal. While the punch wasn't a full power one because the longer reach of her knee made him flinch that disrupted the momentum, Maki still took a hit to the liver that already received a solid hit from a bamboo sword.

And so, they both backed away from each other for a moment in pain until they continued the fight once again.

Hachiman raised his left foot for an axe kick to her head, but it was obvious for Maki that was a fake. As she expected, he just stomped the ground with that foot, and saw him pulling his right fist back, making her think he was going for a right straight.

But she was wrong.

His real attack was a double leg takedown as he grabbed her legs from behind the knees to her inner thighs and slammed her to the ground. By reflex, she put a hand behind her head to lessen the hit she would receive, but the mistake she made was using the right hand. The same hand that Hachiman hit with the shinai. The pain in her hand doubled from that, but she didn't have time to writhe as the third year was on top of her. Maki lifted her knee to push him up, which got him to be on all fours with his hands on the ground next to both sides of her face. He tried to sit up, but when he did that, the dark green-haired girl grabbed his right hand and pushed it low onto his abdomen while trapping his right leg with her left ankle. Maki arched her hips and turned her body to be on top of him. She threw a left punch while pinning him to the ground, and he responded by parrying it to the ground, next to his face. He grabbed that left wrist in a gable grip, forcefully moved it to her abdomen, and trapped her left foot with a right ankle to do the same move she did to return to being on top.

Of course, Maki wouldn't let him do that.

She saw the intent of which side he'd flip her, and she lowered herself on the other side to put all her weight to prevent him from doing so. Hachiman pulled his own hips, moved his left knee through the space between her legs, put his right foot to the left side of her body, and wrapped his right arm around her left foot to perform an ankle lock. But Maki was quick enough to counter by pushing his right foot down, sat on the other side of that foot, and grabbed his right leg to pull along with her. As both fell on their side, she also wrapped her back leg onto that right leg, adjusted herself to be closer to him, and pushed him off with a right kick in the stomach. Both stood up, but the first person to hit first was Hachiman with a left uppercut to the cheek and followed up with a right hook to the left side of her body, which she guarded that one in time, and did a right punch in the face.

They continued to trade blows for a while until...

"Stop."

One word forced them to stop and just stood frozen when their fists were inches close to their faces. Despite this, Maki grew a smile on her face while Hachiman remained a calm expression, both breathing heavily. Toge shook his own head while zipping up his jacket.

"That's enough." Panda spoke. "If this keeps up, you guys will seriously hurt each other and you won't be in top shape for the competition."

"So it's a draw." Megumi said.

"Incorrect, Maki-senpai won by fixing his face." Nobara argued in a low and robotic voice.

"Hikigaya-senpai beat her face, too."

"Be silent. I refuse to let a hacker have a sliver of victory."

"Just accept it's a draw already."

"Well, I do feel like I have cheat codes on to get to this point." Hachiman spoke while sitting on the grass.

"Are you bragging? You're bragging, aren't you?" Nobara asked with a vein popped on her head.

"So... what's the verdict?" Hachiman asked Maki, who sat several feet in front of him.

"Overqualified." She answered with a chuckle.

"Salmon." Toge said with a nod.

"Yeah, I guess that much." Panda shook his head. "You've been fighting before you went exorcising curses?"

"No... I was just trained two months ago." Hachiman responded.

"Cheeeeaat~! BOOOOOOOO~!" Nobara booed.

"Are you a kid?" The man with dead fish eyes asked while a sweat dropped on his cheek.

"Welcome to the team." Maki said with a grin.

"Hold on, I didn't say anything about participating and I just recovered."

"Oh, please. You're already a mess and it'll be boring as hell if you just spend your life on missions. Think of the event as a way to get away from stress."

"It feels more like escaping that stress in exchange for a different kind." Hachiman scratched his head and then sighed. "Fine, I'm in."

"It's a pleasure working with you." Megumi bowed.

"Alright! With the power of cheats on our side, we're unstoppable!" Nobara raised her fist into the air.

"Just because I might have a cheat code, it doesn't mean I know how." Hachiman argued.

"Hah? So you're born with cheats on? That's unfair! Share with us some!"

"I'm telling you, I don't know."

"Give me one that gives me invincibility."

"And I'll have one that my punches would reach every zebra in the world." Panda said while raising his hand.

"Why the zebras?"

"Look at me, Hikigaya-kun." Panda put a paw on Hachiman's shoulder with a serious expression. "This fur is black and white. I represent the yin and yang. The balance of the universe. That brand is for me and no one else."

"There are other animals with black and white fur."

"But it's the zebras that are popular!"

"And you act a lot more on the Yang side though..."

"Salmon roe, mustard leaf." The cursed speaker pointed at both Hachiman and Maki."

"Yeah, yeah. I get it." Maki stood up and faced the third year. "Let's go to the infirmary."

"Alright..." Hachiman followed suit.

"You guys keep training while we're gone." She said while waving without looking at them. However, the group felt both worried and awkward at the sight of two people walking away in a flimsy manner, but still acting like nothing happened.

"Should we, uh... help you?" Megumi offered.

"Shut up and train." Maki answered, rejecting any help.


10:40 AM

"... Hikigaya." Shoko looked at Hachiman with a tired look. One would argue that was just typical of her, but the dead fish-eyed sorcerer somehow knew there was that feeling of disappointment in her. The sparring partners lied on their beds that were next to each other, with bruises and blood on their faces while the doctor stood between them. "... Are you a masochist?"

"Ieri-sensei, I know you're disappointed in me right now from how I became a beaten-up mess this early, and I just recovered, too." Hachiman tried his best to explain.

"I'm not disappointed." Shoko said with a sigh. "I just give up on you."

"That sounds like what a disappointed parent would say." He said, as the doctor started healing their faces with reversed cursed technique. Then, Shoko undressed their top to heal the upper bodies and arms. "Or rather, that's what being disappointed really is."

"And this is from a sparring match? How did it escalate into beating each other to death?"

"I just got too into it." Maki answered without looking at her.

"Got into it, huh? Not really an uncommon way to be friends... in here, at least." Shoko mumbled the last part, but they still heard it. "The event is in four days and you're getting yourself in awful shape."

"We can still win."

"That's what the stubborn people would say." The doctor sighed and looked at Hachiman. "And you? What got you too immersed in the so-called sparring match?"

"Uuuhhm... I... guess I just went with her flow and now we're here." He answered with awkwardness.

"Mhm, and here I thought you're just like me a little. Being work slaves, getting through the day from a tiring work. I guess I was wrong."

"Oi, that's-"

"No, I was most likely right until you were surrounded by enthusiastic people like Itadori and Gojo. What a shame."

"Will you lis-"

"Well... you are young, so I guess being a little lively isn't a bad thing. Time flies too fast, you know? Gotta make the most of it."

"Ieri-sensei, I take offense to everything you've said." Hachiman argued. "I'm still the same work-hating student you recognize. The authorities who approved this work environment and the people who just nonchalantly accept it can go to hell."

"Wait, that's what you're offended about?" Maki was bewildered at his argument.

"And those who went through it enthusiastically are the type who have some brain damage or some sort of psychological issues. I envy them to have such a disorder to feel bliss even when they have oppressed labor treatment."

"I see... I see..." Shoko's voice trembled. They couldn't tell what her expression was because of the bangs covering her eyes, but they knew it was relief.

"And why do you look so relieved?" Maki asked, both confused and bewildered at this conversation. After healing them enough, Shoko covered their injuries in ointment and bandages, and wrote in the papers on her desk about today's patients.

"Well, you'll recover in two days as long as you two stay. In. Bed." The doctor explained and scolded the sparring partners. "Now get some rest, understood?"

"Yes." Hachiman responded.

"I know." Maki as well.

"Do you really understand, Hikigaya?" Shoko narrowed her gaze at him.

"Yes, sensei."

"Good, now if you excuse me. I need to smoke." And with that, she left her two patients to take cigarettes outdoors. Meanwhile, Hachiman and Maki remained on their respective beds with the only thing blocking between them were the green curtains. Once they heard the door sliding shut and the footsteps faded, one of them spoke.

"Oi..." Maki called out to him.

"Hm?" Hachiman responded.

"That was a nice fight."

"... Thanks, I guess..."

"You said you never fought before being a sorcerer, right?"

"Yeah."

"Honestly, I call bullshit on that."

"Oh, come on. The people here are born with broken powers and insane talent. By this kind of standards, I should be as normal as everyone."

"We wouldn't be treating that blindfolded idiot as special if we really follow a standard like that."

"Eh, fair point." Hachiman turned his head to look at where she was, but of course, he couldn't really see her behind the curtains. "Well... I just didn't know I had it in me. I'm a quick learner, sure. But for fighting to survive? I never in my life had a single thought."

"Never? Then what was that talk with the doctor about?" Maki argued.

"This and that are different." Hachiman responded while looking up at the ceiling.

"What's your relationship with her, anyway? Is this some forbidden student-teacher romance?" Maki sounded as if she was teasing him.

"No, we're just comrades who share the same beliefs. Soldiers that are constantly at war against social norms and work culture." His answer was as stoic as ever. "And that she reminds me a little of Hiratsuka-sensei, but without the frequent use of violence against me and all the wisdom in life."

"Sounds like being a loner. I can see you being like that." She commented.

"Wow, do you have a cursed technique that sees people's past?" He asked sarcastically.

"You just kinda remind me of someone: messy black hair, tired-looking eyes, a little awkward sometimes."

"Sounds like another comrade. Where can I meet this gentleman?"

"He's studying overseas. I think he'll be back soon. Just don't know when."

"Oh."

"And he combs his hair, and he's a little more social than the past."

"Did you add those to put salt on my wound?"

"Pretty much." She responded with a chuckle. "Why don't you fix yours? That'll definitely help in a fight."

"I've grown too attached to my hair. I'd rather not change it." Hachiman said while twirling the bangs of his hair. "This is my trademark hairstyle. Also, for your information, I'm also more social than I was in the past."

"You look like a middle-aged depressed moron who just woke up late from a hangover." Maki placed both hands behind her head and rest on them. "Everyone will think of you like that if you keep up with that look."

"I don't care what others think. That trial is already done." Hachiman sighed. "Are you the type to worry about appearances?"

"Not really. I don't care about makeup, pretty dresses, and all that. Well, looking a little badass is fine, I guess. It's just the only thing on my mind right now is to get stronger..." After Maki's response, the dead fish-eyed sorcerer became silent.

He remembered what Gojo told him a while ago when he was recovering from the Chiba Port Tower Incident. After knowing that Zenin Ogi replaced Nanami in taking care of the curses in Chiba, he asked the blindfolded sorcerer about Mai and Maki. He also remembered at the Naha Airport before leaving Okinawa how Mai wanted him to address her with her first name, saying she disliked the last name "Zenin".

"You want to take over the clan, right?" Hachiman asked with seriousness in his tone.

"Gojo told you, didn't he?" She asked after reading the atmosphere.

"I asked him about it." His response caused her to click her tongue.

"Well... I'm doing it to piss them off. Becoming the clan leader sounds kinda impossible for me, but being a better sorcerer than them isn't." Maki smiled with determined eyes. "One day, everyone in this shit hole will shout my name out loud whenever they think of greatness."

"Heh, that's a dream alright."

"And it'll happen. Just you wait."

"Right... speaking about your clan... you know... your father."

"What about that old loser?"

"I'm sorry... for killing him."

"Pfft, don't bother. That stupid father of mine wouldn't care less if I lost an arm or not, so why would I care he died?"

"Is... there really nothing in that household that has a single common sense about family? Don't you love your mother and father and vice versa? Do... do any of you understand it?"

"They don't." Her answer was as sharp as any blade. "I don't give a single fuck about them. Hell, I wish I was there when you killed that son of a bitch. You'd see me cheering you on the sidelines. He beat me whenever I made the smallest mistake, like putting the cups in the wrong way, or cleaning the garden too slow. There was one time I just held a staff in a dojo, then he and my cousins took it from my hand and kicked me down while spitting at me. Him and mother, my cousins, the other uncles and aunts. They're pieces of shit piling up in a fancy household... You and Ieri-sensei are right about one thing: This place doesn't treat all of us right. Sorry that my cursed energy is too low to satisfy you pricks. How about I learn to use some cursed tools to shove them in your asses, huh?!"

"Maki-san." Hachiman tried to interrupt, but she kept going.

"That's how my thoughts went. Obviously, there are more practical reasons for using tools, but... come on. And, you know what? I could probably beat half of that clan with what I am now. By the way, can you believe the standards for women here? They act like we're not in the 21st century. I wear my glasses to see curses, not to look cute. They're wasting their breaths talking shit about my look."

"Maki-san."

"What?"

"... I just wanna ask: Do you not care about your sister, too?" That question brought silence that stretched for who knows how long. Hachiman just waited patiently with slight worry he might've offended her, but there was no anxiety in him. He wanted to know more about Mai because he felt responsible for whatever was happening to her at this moment. Both Megumi and Maki displayed their lack of concern towards a family member's death, but that didn't erase the fact that the incident caused whatever misfortune Mai would suffer. In reality, such contempt within the clan and the traditionalist mindset was enough to prove that.

"Let me ask you a question, too." Maki finally spoke, but the tone of her voice was lower than normal. "What are you to Mai?"

"What am I to her?..." He contemplated, remembering his past interactions with the Zenin girl. Although it was short, it wasn't unpleasant. "I'm more of a... acquaintance? We haven't talked that much ever since we left Okinawa. We don't have any means of contacting each other. The only few times we talked weren't that long either. Still, from what I could gather... she's like Miura. And it's precisely because she's like her... that I think Mai isn't a bad person."

"I'm probably nothing to her... but she helped me save a precious friend from being killed." Hachiman answered. "I want to return the favor by saving her."

"... My little sister is one snarky brat." She removed her glasses to massage her eyes and the bridge of her nose. "She loves to brag a lot and talk shit to people she doesn't like. Even though she sucks more than me, she thinks she's at the top. That's what Mai is... and I thought she hates me just from that personality. Right now.. I don't know. When I heard that she was forced to go back to the household, I keep expecting the worse, and that makes my stomach twisting every time. I left my sister to get away from that while Mai keeps getting played around by those shitheads."

"Mai is a grade 3. Too weak to be respected by the Zenins. That, along with her gender... it's obvious enough how cruel they'll get." He thought, with his hands curled into fists.

"You think you can do it? Save my sister from them?" Maki's question was full of both curiosity and a desire to hear something positive from him.

"I will."

"... I can't say that's reassuring. But thank you... Sorry, by the way."

"For what?"

"For beating your ass."

"Uh, yeah..."

"I mean, I was actually a little mad at you. When I heard Mai being forced to come home, I... don't know what to do." Her voice became quieter, but he could still hear what she was saying. "I cut ties with the clan, and they already hate me before I did that... I don't have anything to save her. When I saw you for the first time, I felt like something came out of me, like a bomb finally made its last tick. The sparring match wasn't just to test you, but to vent all of my frustration on you... since you're the one who caused all of it."

"..."

"But, that doesn't mean I hate you. You're a cool guy, though those eyes are a little freaky to look at. I just want to get a small part of my stress out of me."

"Those hits I took sure felt 'small', alright." Hachiman made a sarcastic comment before chuckling.

"Shut up." Maki chuckled as well for a moment. "You hit as hard as I did. And do you have to beat my liver like that? It hurts like hell."

"You hit mine, too."

"Only because you hit mine first. And you did it twice."

"Stop being a wuss. Greatness doesn't complain like a bitch."

"You call me a bitch, hah?!" Maki's voice grew louder and with anger.

"Hey, I'm just saying if you want your name to be associated with greatness, then you shouldn't cry about a liver blow when other sorcerers went through worse."

"I just complained, and you took that as me being a whiny bitch."

"Alright, sorry. I was just teasing."

"Oh, no, no, no. Once we fully recovered and win the event, I'll beat your ass until-"


Next Day. September 19.

Three days until the Kyoto Goodwill Event

8:00 AM

Hachiman and Maki slept in their own bedrooms after that. There were three things in his mind when he woke up in the morning:

One, those two dreams came back again, but in one sleep.

It was the same place, same people, and the same dialogue. He was close to understanding that dream, but it ended the same way after what the child said to him. When he woke up, the injuries were healed once again, and he doubt it was because of Shoko. It solidified the fact he somehow used reversed cursed technique on his own unconsciously.

"Wait, what exactily is the 'pituitary gland' in me? No, we used that analogy to make sense of how I healed myself while sleeping. It doesn't necessarily need to be a gland or a body part, but something metaphysical or maybe a certain other biological component that triggers the secretion of reversed cursed energy." Hachiman thought while brushing his teeth and gargled. Then he sat on the bed to look at his phone for messages he needed to reply. There were several messages from Yui, Iroha, Yukino, Komachi, and the others as well.

Also, a message from his parents asking him how was school.

"I... think I messed up with Mom and Dad. Once I get to roam freely, I'll make up with them." After replying to all of them, albeit with short responses, he continued his previous train of thought. "Could it be the dream? But what did it do, exactly? Did the 'transformation' process messed with my brain and when cursed energy went into it, it created reversed cursed technique? That sounds plausible, too... I'll ask Gojo more about it today if he's available."

Two, although he said to Maki he wanted to save the little sister of the Zenin, he didn't have any plans on how to do it.

"Just barging into their house is a no-go, and sneaking in is just impossible. There are a lot of high-grade sorcerers living in there, after all. What should I do? I guess I should negotiate with them? But the chance of that working is slim. Will they even agree to talk to me, someone who ruined the clan's reputation? Even though they ruined themselves..." He tried his best to find an idea, but it was all pointless... until... "Wait a minute, they won't be willing to talk to me, but they might think about talking to a person who has strong ties to them. But who...? And after that, how should the negotiation go down? Should we rely on Gojo-san? No, saving Mai wouldn't be that much of an issue if he's the solution, but here we are. Why couldn't he save her in the first place? Because it's none of his business? That's not a good reason when his goal is about making a future for the younger generation."

"Let's look at it from a political standpoint. The Gojo and Zenin clan don't really get along, so Gojo-san should have every reason to do as he please to them. So the most probable scenario is that something forced him to not interfere. A binding vow, maybe?" Hachiman stood from his bed and went outside to get MAXX coffee in a vending machine. His attire was still the standard jujutsu sorcerer uniform. While walking in the hallway, he continued contemplating. "Regardless, I should ask him about it."

"Good morning, young fish!" And speak of the devil, the blindfolded sorcerer himself showed up just as when Hachiman was about to press the button of the vending machine. "I heard you got your ass kicked! That must've sucked bad!"

"Gojo-san, there's something I need to ask you." The dead fish-eyed sorcerer spoke without hesitation.

"Uh, sure." Satoru accepted, a little surprised at his student's demeanor. "Ask away."

"Can you save Mai-san?"

"Hmmm, I could, but no."

"What? Why?"

"I told you before: One problem at a time." Satoru answered in a serious tone. "Our full attention should be at the Dhamini Troupe and the Ropeholders. Then there are those unregistered curses. Those three have one thing in common: they want to cause you a lot of trouble."

"So I've heard." Hachiman responded sarcastically. "And you don't want to antagonize the Zenin Clan any further so that we wouldn't deal with more enemies at my throat. Though they were the ones who gave the info of where I was a few days ago."

"So you do get it. Why are you so hung up on this again?"

"I made a promise to Maki-san that I will save her."

"Well... we can do that AFTER we deal with our main problem."

"And how long will that take?"

"Hmmm~... Who knows. We'll have to see if this solves everything or not."

"Have to see?" Hachiman repeated with a feeling of bewilderment. "How are you so sure?"

"That's a secret." Satoru answered while raising an index finger close to his own lips. "Now get going. I'm actually on my way to do something, so I have no free time. Too bad."

"Wai-"

"See ya!" Before his student could form a word, Satoru just ran in a blink of an eye. Meanwhile, the former just stared at the direction he ran to, and just scratched his head.

"Damn it. He's right, though." Hachiman mumbled before pressing a button on the vending machine. Once he took the Maxx coffee can and took a sip, he contemplated further. "It's not like he's omnipresent. He can't always be here to protect me while doing other stuff at the same time. There's also the problem with the higher-ups helping out the Zenin clan in killing me. They succeeded in killing Itadori, though he was lucky enough to be resurrected by Sukuna. So what now? He told me we'd do it once he takes care of those two groups, but do I have to wait to save someone in trouble just for my own safety?... No, the longer I wait, the longer Mai would suffer. I need to find someone... That's it!"


"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The scream of a certain brown-haired, female first-year echoed throughout the field. While the cicadas were chirping and the sun was shining with sweltering heat, the second-year students were training the first years. Panda, of course, was spinning Nobara, and Toge had to spar with Megumi since Maki was still recovering. Toge wasn't really the best in close combat, but his agility and endurance were still worth praising. He just thought he needed to be more versatile and limit his use of cursed speech. After throwing Nobara for the umpteenth time, Panda wiped the sweat off his own forehead.

"Alright, that's enough falling practice. Now do 5 laps on the track." Panda instructed her.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" And Nobara complied and ran on the track while shouting. "FUKUSHIMAAAAA CHISATOOOOOOO!" (3)

"Good work, Inumaki-senpai." Megumi said as he and his sparring partner ended the match. Both were breathing heavily, but the one who was more tired was Toge as he fell onto the grass.

"Fish flakes, caviar." The cursed speaker responded while shaking his own head.

"True, but you might get better with enough practice." Megumi argued, trying to reassure his senior.

"Fushiguro?" Someone called out to him and the pair saw Hachiman approaching them.

"Hikigaya-senpai? Are you okay to move now?"

"Yeah. Hey, listen. I need you to come with me for a sec."

"Ah, Hikigaya." Panda called out to the dead fish-eyed sorcerer after noticing him. "That was a good fight yesterday. How come you're healed already? Is Maki good to go, too?"

"Ah, no. She's still recovering." Hachiman then pointed his thumb at the spiky-haired junior. "Is it alright if I borrow Fushiguro for a moment? There's something important I need to talk about."

"Sure, just don't take too long." The talking animal accepted, and so the two walked away from the field...

"TANAKA NOZOMIIIIIIIIIIII!" While the shout of Nobara faded as they walked further. (3)


The two chose to converse under a roof that had the vending machines. There were no people other than them, and the shelter from the sun made it a perfect place to have a private conversation while being cooled from the shade and the cold beverages in the machine. As Megumi pressed a button, he became quite surprised at the favor his senior asked of him.

"Could you please repeat that?" Megumi asked with a confused look.

"I want you to contact the head of the Zenin and ask him to negotiate." Hachiman said with folded arms.

"I don't necessarily have any means of contacting any of them aside from Maki-san." Megumi responded while picking up the can in the vending machine. "And she won't be of help either, since she cut all ties with the clan."

"Damn..." His dead fish-eyed senior appeared to be frustrated.

"Why do you want me to talk to the head, anyway? What kind of negotiation is it?"

"It's to get Mai-san out of there."

"You two met before?"

"Yeah... Back at Okinawa."

"Ah, is it the one with the curse users trying to kill a civilian?"

"How did you know?"

"When word got out about your identity, your missions and contributions were talked a lot as well. Plus, two of those curse users were the same ones you killed, along with Zenin Ogi."

"Oh, right. I'm infamous. I forgot about that." Hachiman sighed. "Well, the second-year Kyoto students had a mission to thwart that assassination attempt while I was just trying to have a relaxing summer vacation there. This and that happened, and I got involved, so I helped them."

"I see, so you and Maki-san's sister are acquainted." Megumi leaned his own back against the wall with a hand in his pocket and taking a sip of the can.

"We're not really acquainted... but..."

"But?"

"She bought me a birthday present." At that response, the spiky-haired junior stared at him. The dead fish-eyed sorcerer had a determined look while a hint of guilt weighed in his eyes. Megumi shook the can around slightly until he spoke.

"... We could ask the principal if he has any contact info or anyone to call them." He suggested while drinking more of the can.

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Hachiman agreed while holding his own chin in thought.

"However senpai, you'll be the one doing the negotiating."

"Hmmm... Okay, that's fair. I don't want you to get too involved."

"Then let's head to the principal." After throwing the can into the trash bin, they went their way to the principal's office. The path they took had two rows of trees paralleled on both sides of that path with the heat of the sunlight becoming quite intense, but not so much that would make a concern for them. While walking beside him under the sun, Megumi asked. "By the way, does Maki-san know about this?"

"I promised her I'd save her sister, but she doesn't know the plan." Hachiman answered while covering his own eyes slightly to look up at the trees while protecting his sight from the sun.

"Why'd you keep it from her?"

"Well, one, I just came up with that plan an hour ago, and second, the thought didn't come to mind."

"Should we go tell her first?"

"We're already close to the principal, so let's do that after getting the contact info."

"I see..." After walking for a few minutes, they reached the building and entered the hallway.

"I just remembered. You know Itadori, right? Since you two are... were classmates." The dead fish-eyed sorcerer asked without looking at him.

"... Yes." The spiky-haired junior's answer had a slight hesitation that didn't go unnoticed.

"Was he a great guy?" He asked as Megumi noticed how his senior scratched his own cheek.

"Why do you want to know?" Megumi responded in a polite manner, but his voice had a hint of suspicion.

"I heard about him from Gojo-san, and I realized how similar we were in terms of circumstances." Hachiman answered. unbeknownst to the junior, that was a lie... Well, a half lie and half truth. Half lie because Yuji told him himself. "I want to learn more about him from other's perspective. How he lived and behaved. Did he... have fun here?"

"... He died while smiling." Megumi stopped walking and started giving him details. "Itadori is an annoying idiot who gets real stubborn. He's a cheerful idiot who likes to hang out with others and help them, even if they were strangers to him. And he's a strong idiot who can only fight with his fists."

"How many times are you gonna call him an idiot?" Hachiman thought with a sweat dropping on his own cheek. "I might think you're a tsundere at this rate."

"At the very end, he smiled with his last words, telling me to live a long life. That's why I'll get stronger, and do whatever it takes..."

"If Itadori hears this, he'd either burst out laughing, or just come out of hiding and hug this guy... My bet is the latter." Hachiman expressed a tired look after thinking that, then suddenly realized. "Ah, I remember Gojo-san and Itadori telling me about revealing himself to everyone that he's alive at the event... I can see two ways to see how Fushiguro and Kugisaki would react..."


"So your brilliant idea is to just have a chat with that damn geezer and beg him to get my sister back?" Maki repeated the plan with her own interpretation of it. She appeared to be not pleased with what she just heard from the two boys sitting in chairs beside her while she lied in her bed. "What, are you gonna buy him a wristwatch or a hat as some stupid birthday present? You gonna bring some prostitutes to satisfy him?"

"None of those things." Hachiman responded without being affected by her glare. "Don't worry, I have the perfect bargaining chip that he can't resist."

"Can't you just tell him yourself on the phone?" Megumi asked with a confused look. "Why do you need to call him here?"

"Do you think he's the type to keep promises?" The dead fish-eyed sorcerer asked him.

"As long as your bargaining chip is that appealing to him, then possibly." Megumi's answer was based on the fact his father sold him to the Zenin in exchange for freedom.

"Oh, I get it." Maki spoke. "You're trying to put him in a binding vow."

"Exactly." Hachiman confirmed her answer. "If we play our cards right, we can bait him. We can't just storm our way into rescuing Mai-san, and for some stupid reason, Gojo-san won't help us either. This is our only shot and we have to make it work. Compared to us, those idiots are as backward as a rewinded video. If we win, then it's the biggest shame they have to carry and we'll laugh at them. If we don't, we'll spit on their faces. That's how we rejects kept going for so long and that's how we live, because that pisses off everybody who calls us that."

"... Heh! Not gonna lie, that's not a bad speech." Maki smirked, impressed by his words.

"Then let's start." Megumi said and dialed the number on his own phone. They waited as it rang for a few seconds until the call was answered.

"This is the Zenin Household. Who is this?" The voice of a woman spoke on the phone. The moment they heard it, Megumi, Maki, and Hachiman froze with widened eyes.

They immediately recognized that voice.

Despite sounding low and exhausted, Maki could never mistake that person for another. Hachiman had doubts, but seeing the dark green-haired girl's reaction as they stared at each other, it cleared any second thoughts that surfaced in his mind. Megumi already felt unsettled by the situation from the fact his two senior had such reactions. Even so, he pressed on after a few seconds.

"This... is Zenin Megumi." The spiky-haired sorcerer spoke that made Hachiman and Maki snap back to reality. "I want to speak with Grandfather Naobito."

"Please wait a moment." The woman responded and silence remained.

"She's there... she's on the phone." Maki thought with a hint of frustration.

"But we can't." Hachiman bit his own lower lip. "There could be someone eavesdropping on the call, and that could ruin everything."

"What?" The voice of an old man reached the phone. He sounded both annoyed and in disbelief. After a moment, he spoke. "Is it really you?"

"Yes, grandfather. I called for an important matter we need to discuss." Megumi responded in a calm manner.

"Hooo~? And what would that be?"

"It's about me inheriting the household."

"... Hah... Hahahaha!" Naobito laughed so hard, it actually spread throughout the entire room. "After all these years, you want to join the family now?! What makes you think you have the right to inherit?"

"You know why. I'm the one who has the Ten Shadows Technique. My potential is larger than any successor you have right now."

"That's right." Hachiman regained his composure and thought calmly. "The Ten Shadows Technique is the innate technique the Zenin Clan is known for. With such limitless potential and the shining glory that stood out in history, they would do anything to get it back. That's why you're our best bet, Fushiguro."

"Hmph, you're maybe right on that one, but what changed your mind all this time?" The old man asked with the voice of suspicion. Megumi looked at Hachiman for help and the latter was texting on his phone. The dead fish-eyed senior showed him the screen with a text that read:

"Tell him about your encounter with Sukuna as the motivation."

With a nod, Megumi spoke.

"Two months ago, in July... I was the first one to see the resurrection of a powerful curse named Ryomen Sukuna. The vessel was compatible enough to hold him back, but that didn't last long. In one of our missions, I fought him when he devoured three fingers... and the gap between us was huge... too large to comprehend. If that's how strong he is from eating three fingers, how could the world stood up against him in his complete form? It made me curious about how far I can go."

"You can just ask that Gojo to train you. I'm sure that annoying brat would be more than happy."

"True... but, when I think about it, what better way to hone my skills and cursed technique than to go back to my roots? And besides, as someone who will rival the Limitless, it would be best to be separated from him."

"Hmmm... I see... Let's talk about this in person. Come to the household immediately." From Naobito's words, the three expressed relief, albeit silently.

However, not yet.

The spiky-haired junior needed to convince him to come to Jujutsu Tech instead so he could lure him to Hachiman. Doing the negotiations at the main base would be too dangerous, as the possibility of the clan killing the dead fish-eyed senior on sight was very likely.

"No, I want to discuss this here in Jujutsu Tech, grandfather."

"Hah!? You want me to go into that backwater place? I'd rather not."

"I'd rather not have our conversation eavesdropped by my competitors. Please understand." Megumi's request earned a click from Naobito's tongue as a response. After a few seconds of silence, the head of the clan spoke.

"Fine. What time and place?" The question made Megumi look at Hachiman for an answer and the latter already made the text on his phone that said:

"Two days. In the afternoon."

"In two days in the afternoon. Will that be fine with you?"

"Alright. You better not waste my time." And that was when the call ended.

There was no sound in the bedroom besides the beeping of an ended call on Megumi's phone. The only emotion they could express was relief, except for one person. Maki didn't feel relief or joy from the accomplishment. There was one thing in her mind.

"She was there." She spoke while clenching the blanket.

"I know." Hachiman responded while remembering the woman's voice on the phone. It sounded so lifeless, he thought a machine answered the call. Just from that was enough for him to reach a dark realization. "I don't want to think what they did to her. Let's just focus on what's next."

"Damn it." Maki gritted her own teeth before calming herself. "The next time I see those assholes, they're as good as dead."

"For now, can we see what you'll use to negotiate?" Megumi asked Hachiman.

"Ah, right. You never showed us." The dark green-haired girl stared at him. "Is it money or some valuable item?"

"That... is a secret." Hachiman's answer earned scrutinizing gazes from the two.

"Oi, why the secret? Just show us already." Maki persisted.

"It's not something I can show to anyone so carelessly."

"Is it a cursed object?" Megumi followed.

"A special grade?" Maki added.

"Let's just get ready for the day, alright?" And the dead fish-eyed sorcerer ended the topic abruptly. "Look, there are at least three or four possible scenarios that could happen on the coming day: One, the head makes it here, and the negotiation is a success; Two, he makes it here, and the negotiation is a failure; Three, He didn't come at all. The third scenario will be the worst outcome since we can't do anything about it, but if the second one happens, I'll force him to cooperate."

"'Force him'. That geezer is a shithead, but he's no joke when it comes to jujutsu." Maki said with doubts in her mind. "There's no way you can beat him in a fight."

"Does he have a cursed technique? What can he do in combat?"

"I don't know, but he's no Special Grade 1 for nothing."

"Special Grade 1? I've never heard of a rank like that."

"Oh, right. By their definition, it refers to sorcerers who don't go through the technical school system and have the power of a Grade 1."

"Meaning they don't learn or operate within Jujutsu Tech, but they still cooperate with the organization to exorcise curses. Is that it?" Megumi spoke to understand what she meant.

"Oh, so it just means they're Grade 1s that are delinquents. How nice." Hachiman said sarcastically. "Well, I think I can still manage in a fight against him."

"You're going up against the head of the Zenin Clan." The spiky-haired junior was quite worried at his senior's bold claim. "Do you have an ace in the hole?"

"I do, trust me." Hachiman felt confident of his own capabilities and the two noticed that. They still didn't know the true extent of the dead fish-eyed sorcerer's power, so all they could do was have faith in him with a sigh.

"Well, fighting Zenin Naobito is just a scenario. Let's hope the negotiation goes smoothly." Megumi said with folded arms.

"In the meantime, just focus on doing your daily routines." Hachiman stretched his own neck and stood. "I'll be hitting the dojo and train."

"... Oi, I just realized something." Maki glared at him. "How come you're fully healed already? Did Ieri-sensei heal you more than me? I smell some bias going on."

"Well... It's hard to explain." He scratched his own cheek, as he was just as confused as she was. Although he had some theories, there wasn't any confirmation.

"That response tells me you really have an affair with her. You really are going out with our doctor, aren't you?" She accused while pointing at him.

"Eh, is that true?" Megumi seemed to be a little shocked. "I never thought you'd be into older women, senpai."

"I already have a girlfriend and it's not Ieri-sensei."

"Heeeeeeh..." The two Zenins shared the same response while staring at him.

"Oi, I know that look. I get it, it's hard to believe that someone who looks like this managed to have a girlfriend, but I'm telling the truth."

"Show me some proof, then." Maki demanded, while giving her hand to him. "If it isn't true, it's alright. It's not like we're gonna judge you as a loser or delusional."

"You better regret those words." Hachiman fiddled with his phone angrily and showed them the picture of him and Yukino.

"... How much did you bribe her to take a selfie with you?" The dark green-haired girl held her chin.

"I will break your nose."

"Well, it is hard to believe." Megumi took a closer look at the picture. "Your girlfriend is quite beautiful, after all."

"Thank you, Fushiguro. I'll make sure to tell her that." Hachiman said with a thumbs up.


2:15 PM

In an empty training room that looked like a dojo, the dead fish-eyed sorcerer stood alone wearing a long-sleeved shirt with green jogging pants. He was holding a wooden staff while gathering his thoughts on what he should improve and learn.

"Two days of training won't be enough to get me stronger, but the least I could do is improve my domain expansion. I've already come up with more rules and the structure. There's one thing I made a mistake when making the domain expansion, and it's that I made it fair. I structured it as a game for players to play when it should've been more of a boss battle. In other words, I should make my domain expansion to be more favorable to me than to equally give advantages to both players."

He then looked at the wooden staff.

"I thought about using other weapons besides a katana, but it's wishful thinking to expect myself to master a pole weapon in just two days... It's odd... From the moment I touched the staff, it felt just right... I read a lot about Shani Dev and what I knew is that he held a trident... Maybe there's a connection to this feeling I'm having now? Regardless, it's a stupid move to switch weapons so suddenly."

After twirling the staff for a while, he dropped it on the floor while thinking about other things he needed...

"Oh, that's right. Gojo-san told me about something that's bothering me when he trained me for my domain expansion..."

-0-

A few days ago

"Maleficent Wind's Rhythm, huh?" Gojo mumbled and then spoke loudly while holding his own chin. "There's actually a secret technique that looks similar to that."

"Really?" Hachiman listened with interest. "Ah, I remember Zenin Ogi used that same technique against me..."

"That's because it's passed down to the Three Major Clans: The Gojo Clan, the Kamo Clan, and last but not the least, the Zenin Clan. It's a technique called Falling Blossom Emotion, and it's meant to be used as an anti-domain measure. I never heard about using it offensively, though. Can you tell me more about how you do it?"

"Okay." He explained to his blindfolded teacher about how he learned the technique and the process of performing it. After listening to the full story, Satoru nodded while thinking about the information he heard from his student.

"Hmmm... Hey, when you fought Ogi, did he have the same technique as yours?" Satoru asked.

"I... don't understand what you mean?" Hachiman responded with a confused look.

"Was there a difference between your Falling Blossom Emotion and his?"

"Well... Whenever he tried attacking and defending with his bare hands, I didn't... feel the reaction from his side. Like, I couldn't feel his Falling Blossom Emotion reacting through mine."

"I suspect as much. So that's how it is." Satoru grinned. "Zenin Ogi could only use that technique with his sword, despite coating his body with it."

"Why?"

"Hmmm... Let's use that electricity analogy. The standard use of Falling Blossom Emotion as an anti-domain is when it counter-attacks a domain's guaranteed hit the moment it comes into contact. The cursed energy defends the user automatically, countering any attack with equal force to nullify it.

It's like it follows the principles of magnetism in electricity.

And that idea can be applied when using the technique in swordplay, too. The technique that 'magnetizes' the sword because that weapon is electrically conductive. In other words, Ogi fought you with a 'magnetized' sword while blocking your hits with his own reflexes when using bare hands."

"So he kept up with me with his own speed? That's... really impressive... So how did I do it?"

"Your Falling Blossom Emotion has two layers: The outer layer being the technique itself, and the other is a layer of cursed energy. It's like wearing a metallic armor and made it magnetic with electricity. Although that inner layer is thin, it does the job done of turning your whole body conductive to 'electrically charge' yourself so you could be 'magnetic'."

"Then how come I can use Falling Blossom Emotion to evade attacks instead of being attracted to them?" Hachiman asked while tilting his own head.

"Yours is a little bit more complicated, so buckle up." Satoru declared, which made his student even more focused. "Electricity can either be positively or negatively charged. You know how attraction and repulsion works, right?"

"Uh... different charges attract and same charges repel?" Hachiman responded with uncertainty.

"That's right. Think of your two layers as two electrical charges. The technique is the proton, and the cursed energy is the electron. When you want to go on the offensive or block an attack, the 'proton layer' grows thicker while the 'electron layer' remains thin, and when you want to dodge and get away, the 'electron layer' becomes thicker instead while the 'proton layer' shrinks. Simply put, your 'Falling Blossom Emotion' can make yourself attract to things with cursed energy and repel from them."

"Uuuhhh... okay... uhm, what? No... uh." Hachiman stuttered as he tried to process what Satoru explained to him. After scratching his head with a hint of frustration, he finally comprehended. "Oh, so when I attack or defend, I attract myself to my opponent because of the 'positive charge' it has that is the opposite charge of my opponent. Meanwhile, I repel myself away from the attack as evasion because my charge becomes more similar to his."

"Mhm! Mhm!"

"Wait, that doesn't mean I use reversed cursed technique to change my Falling Blossom Emotion, does it?"

"No, we're just using an electric charge as an analogy." The blindfolded teacher shook his own head. "While others' Falling Blossom Emotion attracts to other sources of cursed energy, yours can both attract and repel. You know what that means?"

"That there are more things I can do with it?" Hachiman guessed with a shrug.

"That's right. You literally upgraded the secret art into the most versatile technique that anyone can possibly learn. The Three Major Clans are gonna lose it if they know about this, along with the fact that YOU, of all people, achieved it."

-0-

"Now that I remembered it, I really wanna explore on the technique. But how..." He held his chin in thought and sat on the floor. After a minute of thinking, he finally made an idea, but then he had second thoughts because it wasn't a guaranteed method to begin with. "Better to try than never..."


In the track and field...

"So, uh... What's the purpose of this bondage play?" Nobara asked while looking at the sight in front of her blankly. In her defense, what she was seeing could be easily misinterpreted by bystanders. One might think it was a form of bullying, and others would see it as a strange game cleverly crafted to disguise the actual intent (a. k. a bullying).

Hachiman stood at the center of the field with a blindfold. His limbs were restrained by Megumi's toad shikigamis, Gama, using their long tongues to ensnare them.

"Hikigaya said something about learning his new technique, but I'm not so sure either." Panda answered as he just stared at the strange sight. "You sure this isn't just fulfilling your lewd fantasies, Hikigaya?"

"For the last time, no..." Hachiman answered in a low tone.

"If you say so. What am I supposed to do again?" The talking animal asked while approaching him.

"Punch me as hard as you can."

"He's totally a masochist." Nobara whispered.

"Salmon Roe, tuna mayo." Toge whispered back.

"What any other explanation do you need, Inumaki-senpai?" She responded while glaring at the dead fish-eyed sorcerer. "I knew he's weird from the get-go."

"I can hear you..." Hachiman told them with a vein popped in his head. "Anyway, Panda-san, don't warn me. Just hit me anywhere and with everything you got."

"Are you... sure?" Panda doubted his idea. "What are we trying to accomplish here, anyway?"

"Endurance and muscle reflex." Hachiman answered. "And to figure out if this technique can actually do what I think it can do."

"Well, if you're that confide-" The talking animal stopped his own sentence abruptly and punched the restrained sorcerer's stomach, which made the latter gasp and cough. "Did it work?"

"No... again." Hachiman requested.

"He's pretty sturdy. I can see why Maki had a blast fighting him yesterday." Panda thought. "By the way, how come you're healed while Maki is still in bed?"

"It's because-" Before Hachiman could finish his answer, Panda threw a right hook at his face.

"How about now?"

"Again."

"Alright then..." Panda accepted and started throwing a flurry of punches at him. None of them could still understand what Hachiman was trying to achieve, but the talking animal was having a little fun.

"As I expected, the Falling Blossom Emotion kept compelling me to move, but thanks to Megumi's shikigami, I can stand still. The problem is..." Hachiman remained calm and analyzed in his mind while still taking more punches. "I don't think these frogs will last long. They're already struggling to keep their tongues holding onto my limbs. How can I consciously control the inner layer to repel the opponent instead of myself?

First off, how did I 'improve' the technique unintentionally?

Remember, I did it by learning Simple Domain and used that as a reference point to achieve Falling Blossom Emotion. I theorized that if I coat that barrier on my body by starting from the feet and it worked.

And I achieved that ... by pouring cursed energy on my lower limb and spread it upwards. So, if I do the same thing but this time emitting cursed energy while using the technique, and use the things I learned in inserting conditions in a veil, I could..."

"Just tell me when to stop. I can do this all day!" Panda said while continuing to pummel him.

"You're having way too much fun, Panda-senpai..." Megumi stared at him deadpanned. Panda threw the 100th punch onto Hachiman's face, but when his fist was inches close, it was repelled. It was a powerful force that made him recoil. The others noticed it and became confused.

"Panda-senpai?" Megumi called out to him.

"What was that?" The talking animal wondered as he stared dumbfounded at the dead fish-eyed sorcerer. "It's like my fist bounced back on its own. Is this what he's trying to accomplish?"

"Okay... I need to do it a few more times." Hachiman mumbled. "Can you do more?"

"Haha, if you say so." Panda complied and threw a flurry of punches once again, but this time, they were faster than before. Hachiman used the technique to bounce all of them back while standing still.

"Megumi, can you let go of me?" The dead fish-eyed sorcerer asked.

"Okay." The spiky-haired junior complied as the Gamas became a substance of black liquid and disappeared. Panda stopped and just watched Hachiman stretching his arms and removing the blindfold before taking a fighting stance.

"What now?" Panda asked.

"This time, I want to test it for offensive moves." Hachiman explained. "So let's have a little sparring match."

"So the goal of this is to train your cursed technique, huh?"

"Well... This isn't exactly my cursed technique."

"Heeeh~, you really are something, Hikigaya. Well, then..." Panda raised his fist for a fighting stance, ready to spar. The two combatants stared at each other as Hachiman coated himself in a white aura. Then, that aura changed its color to black, starting from the foot to the head. The white color shrank so thin, it just became an outline of the new black aura he was engulfed in. Panda felt both intrigued and intimidated by the change in appearance. From what he understood so far, Hachiman had some sort of barrier technique that bounced back any attack. But he wasn't sure if it could, so there was one thing he needed to do to confirm it.

Panda pulled back his right fist and lowered it as if he was going for an uppercut. That didn't go unnoticed. Hachiman knew there was something more at play than just an uppercut, so he kept his guard up.

The one who made the first move was Panda, as he stomped once forward and swung the right fist upward, but it wasn't that he was going for an uppercut at the opponent. Rather, he opened his right hand and scraped the ground off, scattering the soil at Hachiman. The dead fish-eyed sorcerer was caught off-guard that made him crossed both arms in front of his face to protect himself. What he wasn't aware of was the Falling Blossom Emotion disappeared.

That was Panda's chance.

He charged at him and threw a left hook to his liver. Hachiman, fortunately, reacted in time to block it, but was sent flying and tumbling on the grass. The latter stood before the talking animal rushed towards him. Hachiman immediately used Falling Blossom Emotion to repel the attack. Panda recoiled after throwing a right straight to his face, and the dead fish-eyed sorcerer took advantage of that. The latter threw his own right straight punch at the giant animal's stomach, but it was not within reach. Panda wasn't naïve, but he wouldn't be able to block, so his only choice was to gather cursed energy and tighten the muscles in his stomach and take the hit. When Hachiman's fist was one foot close, a force pushed Panda back. The latter slid with his feet while clenching his stomach.

"Damn!... That really... hurts!" Panda said between grunts while kneeling.

"You alright?" Hachiman asked with a worried expression. "I was sure I held back that punch."

"It's alright... Your technique probably doubled the power..."

"Gojo did say as an anti-domain, it nullifies attacks with equal force. It kinda did the same when I bounced off Panda's attacks except for that soil scattering. That means I can't protect myself against things that had no cursed energy, and I could repel any cursed energy attacks with equal force..." Hachiman analyzed while staring at his own right hand.

None of them realized there was a person standing behind the entrance, watching them train. It appeared to be a boy wearing the Jujutsu Tech uniform, but the shadow along with the long bangs obscured his face.


"As we expected, no trace or even clues that would lead us to the Dhamini Troupe." The old woman spoke. She sat on a couch next to Atsuya and with Carl just standing from behind. They and other members of the Helm were all in one room with chairs, couches and tables. "The other issue is the Shoal Of Ropeholders. They've been quiet for a while ever since the Chiba Port Tower Incident."

"We don't know how, when, and where would that troupe plan to kill for their 'saviour'." Atsuya scoffed. "Using cursed spirits for that reason... I wonder if those ropeholders have more than one special grade."

"We can assume that is the case." Across the small table, Satoru sat on a white club chair with his legs crossed. "Whatever their ritual is in speeding up Shani Dev's awakening, it probably has a lot of steps besides sending cursed spirits on a rampage. We'll think about that when it happens. Right now, it's about the Dhamini Troupe. One obvious guess of their hideout is the Zenin household. But I'm not sure if the Zenin Clan is that willing to risk their reputation and, most of all, their lives to help a group of curse users."

"Well... I have an idea." Atsuya spoke while raising his hand. Everyone in the room stared at the swordsman as he pulled out his phone out from his pocket. "Before we made our escape from the sewers. I took the tracking device from Hikigaya and hid it inside an enemy's clothes when he went unconscious."

It was before Atsuya carried Hachiman away. He took the device and planted it in the clothes of the sniper.

"So where's it at now?" Satoru asked, and Atsuya opened the phone to reveal to them the location on the screen.

"Minamiboso, Chiba."

"Well, that's pretty far. Let's get the full picture of their base, its structure, and possible escape routes. It's time we raid."


TRIVIA

1) Hajime no Ippo reference

2) GTA and Smash bros has a lot of cheat codes

3) Some Japanese female track-and-field athletes

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HACHIMAN'S FALLING BLOSSOM EMOTION:

It gives the user the ability to attract others that has cursed energy to attack them at a faster speed or repel from them to evade. By changing the sizes of the two layers that coat his body, he can switch between those two functions at will.

- Reflexive Mechanism

The FBE identifies cursed energy approaching the user and compels him to do certain actions depending on the situation. It does this by emitting tiny waves from the outer layer and alerts itself when outside cursed energy interacts with it. Then, it automatically does the best course of action between attraction and repulsion and act upon it to save the user. It doesn't have an interval between those steps, so it's fast enough to react. However, there are weaknesses such as forcing the user to move beyond his body's limit, and the amount of cursed energy needed.

- Defensive Repulsion

By expanding the cursed energy layer (inner layer) and shrinking the technique layer (outer layer), it turns into an aura that repels anything with the force equal to their cursed energy. Those without cursed energy can bypass the defense.

- Offensive Repulsion

Using the function of repulsion offensively will give the user's attacks more devastating damage to the enemy because it increases based on the cursed energy output of that target. The user can also attack without even gaining physical contact with the target.

- Attraction

By expanding the technique layer and shrinking the cursed energy layer, it turns into an aura that forces the user to attract to other cursed energy. Using it offensively doubles the speed of his attacks.

- Defensive Attraction

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- Offensive Attraction (against others instead of himself)

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Yeah, that took way too long. No excuses on this issue except getting too absorbed in writing the Maki vs 8man fight in this chapter. That and some idea changes for the direction of the story.

But yeah, 18k+ words... That's more than enough to fill 40 pages or less.

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