One month later.
Because of a vague sense of unease, Satoru began turning down missions that required long-distance travel.
With him staying in Tokyo, Mukuro temporarily returned to Kyoto to hold the fort there. After all, that place was the true holy ground of the jujutsu world, where cursed spirits and outstanding sorcerers were born most often.
Kanagawa Prefecture, Kawasaki City.
A movie theater.
Inside a nearly empty screening room, loud laughter and rough horseplay echoed freely, completely drowning out the sound of the film itself.
"It's those pieces of trash again. If you're high schoolers, can't you just go to class properly…"
Junpei sat alone in the back row. He had skipped school to avoid seeing scum like them and just wanted to quietly watch a new release.
Yet somehow, they had skipped class too, ended up in the same showing, and with the theater almost empty, were making a huge racket.
No one stepped forward to stop them, and Junpei did not want to provoke them either.
After all, he had no idea how long Todo's warning would actually last.
'Should I go check out those two Jujutsu High schools Mr. Fushiguro mentioned?'
That was something Junpei had been thinking about during this past month.
His mother had once said that high school was just a small pond in life. If he hated it, it was fine to leave. There were many bigger waters waiting in the future.
But if he went to the Tokyo campus, he did not know anyone there. He was afraid he might run into more scum.
And Todo was at the Kyoto campus. If he went that far away, would his mom be lonely staying in Tokyo by herself?
As he was thinking, Junpei suddenly saw something shocking.
Behind those annoying guys, a figure had placed a hand on their shoulders. Yet they acted as if they noticed nothing, still shouting and fooling around.
The next moment, all the noise stopped.
Then the figure turned around, hands clasped behind his head, and casually walked toward the exit.
Under the flickering light from the screen, Junpei saw his face. His features were well-shaped, but his entire face was covered with marks that looked like crude stitches.
The so-called "stitched-face man."
After he left, Junpei, driven by curiosity, went over to check.
The disgusting guys had completely changed. They no longer looked human, nor like anything else. Blood flowed from their eyes and noses. Their eyes were bloodshot and bulging, about to pop out. Their chests no longer rose or fell.
All signs that their lives had ended.
"It was that guy… no, was that really a human?"
A sense of something being very wrong passed through Junpei's mind.
Those guys had died just from being touched, and they never resisted at all, as if they could not even perceive the stitched-face man.
Then he remembered what Todo had told him this past month.
"When Fushiguro-sensei speaks up on his own, it means you have abilities beyond normal people. You just haven't discovered them yet."
Jujutsu High was said to be a religious school that studied strange phenomena.
The answer was obvious.
That stitched-face man was a ghost.
And Todo and the others were ghost hunters, which explained their abnormal strength.
No wonder Mr. Fushiguro had said that if he wanted to become strong, he should go to Jujutsu High.
So that was how it was.
He also had talent for hunting ghosts.
Without any hesitation, Junpei dialed Todo's number to confirm his guess.
* * *
One hour later.
Near the movie theater, now sealed off by police tape.
"My name is Kento Nanami. Nice to meet you. You're Junpei Yoshino, correct?"
Driven there by Ijichi, Nanami arrived at the scene with Yuji, who was temporarily recorded as "dead."
(It's close to Tokyo, so naturally Tokyo Jujutsu High is handling it.)
"Yes! I'm Junpei Yoshino. I was the one who told Todo about what happened here!"
Nanami's serious demeanor and polite manner made Junpei respond stiffly.
He had already decided to try applying to Jujutsu High. So in the call with Todo, the latter had explained some basics about the jujutsu world.
He also told Junpei that the person coming to the scene could be considered the most reliable among them.
Still, this guy looked almost too reliable.
The pressure was intense.
And just like Mr. Fushiguro said, he's another very young-looking teacher…
"I've heard the general situation from Todo. You want to enroll at Jujutsu High, and you also have Fushiguro's recommendation, right?"
Nanami adjusted his glasses and met his gaze.
"Yes. Mr. Fushiguro, he—"
"I understand. Then come inside with us. Ijichi, please wait outside."
Before Junpei could finish, Nanami cut him off and headed toward the theater.
Since Mukuro had recommended him, there was no way he would be that bad. As for entrance exams and such, that was Principal Yaga's concern.
"Yes!"
Ijichi stood up straight.
"I'm Yuji Itadori. Nice to meet you."
Following behind Nanami, Yuji quietly talked with Junpei.
"Nanami-sensei might seem strict, but he's definitely a good person."
"Itadori, I can hear you."
Nanami did not turn around. Just that one sentence made Yuji shiver.
* * *
"Can you see it? That is residual cursed energy."
At the scene, Nanami pointed toward the path leading to the exit.
"Huh? I can't see anything…"
Yuji and Junpei looked at each other. They saw nothing of what Nanami described.
"Don't rely on your eyes by default. Calm your mind. Use your heart to see."
"I see it… I really see it!"
Under Nanami's guidance, Yuji and Junpei, one after the other, saw the trail of footprints on the ground, radiating an ominous presence.
They were so excited they looked like kittens tasting ice cream for the first time.
"To become an excellent sorcerer, you must sense its presence before you even see it."
Nanami poured cold water on their excitement, though in truth, even he was surprised.
Yuji already had some foundation, so reacting quickly was normal.
But according to Todo's call, Junpei had never been exposed to jujutsu before.
Yet he was able to keep up so quickly. Just as expected of someone Mukuro had his eye on.
With proper guidance, and if he had a decent innate technique, he might soon stand on his own as a grade 1 sorcerer.
As for special grade…
That was the domain of monsters.
"Nanami-sensei, you could praise us once in a while. A little encouragement would be nice."
Yuji puffed out his cheeks, twirling his index fingers together behind Nanami like a sulking child, craving approval.
"I neither praise nor belittle. I follow facts and remain strict with myself. That is who I am."
Saying that, Nanami put his hands in his pockets and followed the trail of residual cursed energy step by step toward the rooftop.
"Okay…"
Yuji replied weakly.
Then he looked at Junpei beside him and, being very friendly, leaned closer, chatting happily with the boy who might soon become a new companion.
**
**
**
Thank you for reading! If you'd like access to extra chapters and want to support my work, you can visit my P@treon:
P@treon/SilverShark769
Vote with Power Stones for Bonus Chapters!
Your support means a lot, thank you!