At Harajuku Station, Yuji Itadori was busy twisting and turning, inspecting his new outfit from every possible angle.
"Eh? So this is the Jujutsu High uniform? It feels... different from Fushiguro's."
Megumi Fushiguro sighed, looking slightly exhausted. "The uniforms can be customized to suit the student's personal preference."
"But I didn't ask for any changes!" Yuji protested, tugging at the red hood protruding from his collar.
Nearby, Satoru Gojo took a long sip of his yogurt drink and offered a mischievous grin. "I took the liberty of updating it for you. What do you think? Fits like a glove, doesn't it?"
"Uh... I guess it's fine," Yuji muttered, rubbing his forehead. He couldn't shake the feeling that this teacher was a bit of a flake. In contrast, Satoru's older brother, Souma Gojo, seemed infinitely more grounded and reliable.
Just then, the group's attention was drawn to a girl standing a short distance away. She wore a navy blue uniform with a matching pleated skirt, black tights, and brown loafers. Her short, light-orange hair caught the sunlight, making her stand out in the crowded station.
A talent scout in a cheap suit was hovering around her. "Excuse me, miss! Have you ever considered a career in modeling? You have the look!"
"Sorry, I'm in a hurry," she replied dismissively.
"Oh, come on! Just a few minutes of your time..."
Grab!
Nobara Kugisaki appeared behind him with terrifying speed, her hand clamping onto his shoulder with bruising force. "Hey! What about me? Why aren't you asking me?"
"Asking you... what?" the scout stammered.
"About modeling! Is it not obvious?"
The scout broke into a cold sweat, his face twitching. "I... I just remembered I have an appointment! Very urgent! Goodbye!" He turned and bolted into the crowd.
Nobara's eye twitched as she watched him flee. "Hmph! A man with zero vision."
"Hey! Over here!"
Nobara turned toward the voice and spotted three people in familiar uniforms. She marched over, hands on her hips, and began the introductions. "Nobara Kugisaki. Cheer up, boys! The lone flower of the group has arrived."
Yuji raised a hand enthusiastically. "I'm Yuji Itadori, from Sendai!"
Megumi offered a lukewarm nod. "Megumi Fushiguro."
In Nobara's mind, the two boys were immediately assigned mental caricatures. Yuji Itadori: Total country bumpkin. Definitely ate his own boogers as a kid. Megumi Fushiguro: Stoic and broody. I don't like arrogant men. He looks like the type who would set fire to a seagull covered in oil.
She let out a long, dramatic sigh. "Great. No matter where I go, I'm surrounded by disasters."
"Hey! What's with the sighing while looking at our faces?" Yuji complained.
"Now, now," Satoru interrupted, clapping his hands. "Since everyone is here, and two of you are new to the big city, let's go on a tour of Tokyo!"
"Tokyo! Tokyo!" Yuji and Nobara shouted in unison, their eyes sparkling.
Nobara: "In that case, we're going to Disneyland!"
Yuji: "Disneyland is in Chiba! We have to go to Chinatown!"
"Please, Chinatown is in Yokohama!"
"Isn't Yokohama part of Tokyo?"
Satoru cut through the bickering with a flourish. "I'll decide the destination then!"
Yuji and Nobara immediately dropped to one knee in a theatrical display of submission. "We await your command, Sensei!"
"Then... let's head to Roppongi!"
"Wooohooo! Roppongi! Roppongi!"
Half an hour later, the group stood before a dilapidated, abandoned building. Dark, miasmic energy—invisible to ordinary people—was oozing from the shattered windows like thick smoke.
"There's... a curse in there, isn't there?" Nobara's voice was flat.
"Darn it!" she exploded, pointing a finger at Satoru. "You and your stupid blindfold! This is a total scam! Who brings students straight from the train to an exorcism?"
Yuji looked equally betrayed. "You lied to us!"
Satoru remained shamelessly cheerful. "Think of it as a field test for your abilities. Yuji, Nobara... I choose you! Go and clear the building of cursed spirits."
Back at Jujutsu High.
"Souma, is it just me, or have you become incredibly lazy lately?"
Suguru Geto watched with an expression of pure disbelief as Souma Gojo lay sprawled in a lounge chair, contentedly snacking on roasted chestnuts.
Souma blinked, mid-chew. "Is there something I'm supposed to be doing?"
"You're a teacher. Teaching students is generally part of the job description," Suguru said, gesturing vaguely at the campus. "I've been training Nanako, Mimiko, and Toshihisa. Satoru is out with Megumi, Yuji, and the new girl, Nobara."
"Even Shoko is busy mentoring Manami; they're deep into a medical experiment involving cursed spirits. And Yuki Tsukumo? She's been taking Riko and Aoi Todo out on missions. Word is both of them are already Grade 1 sorcerers." Suguru leaned forward. "In the entire school, you're the only one doing absolutely nothing."
Souma sat up, adopting a mock-serious expression. "Let me think. My students are Yuta, Maki, Panda, and Toge. Maki is under Toji's brutal tutelage. Yuta is already Special Grade and can hold his own. Panda is a Cursed Corpse; only Principal Yaga really understands how his plumbing works. Toge is a Cursed Speech user, which isn't my specialty, so I sent him every scroll in the Gojo archives. He's doing independent research."
He settled back into the chair with a satisfied smirk. "Conclusion: I can go back to sleep with a clear conscience."
Suguru's mouth twitched. After a moment, he sighed and waved his hand. A massive, swirling black vortex manifested behind him, humming with concentrated power.
Sensing the surge in cursed energy, Souma's eyes snapped open and he stood up. "Hm? Is that... a Maximum Technique?"
Suguru nodded. "Exactly. The ultimate height of Cursed Spirit Manipulation: Maximum Uzumaki. I can condense all my subdued curses into a single point, creating an ultra-high-density burst of cursed energy."
"So it's just a cursed energy beam? Boring," Souma teased.
"It can take your 'Red' head-on."
"Still nothing special."
"You don't have a Maximum Technique."
"..."
"Neither does Satoru."
"..."
Souma's face darkened as he lunged forward, catching Suguru in a playful headlock. "You're getting cocky, aren't you?"
Suguru, despite having his airway restricted, managed to choke out: "I'm the only one who has it!"
Souma's eye twitched. "Fine. Show me what it can really do."
Suguru raised his hand, and more curses were sucked into the vortex, making the black spiral grow deeper and more terrifying. The sheer compression of energy was enough to make even Souma feel a prickle of alarm. If Suguru fired this, half the school would be leveled.
"Stop, stop!" Souma called out.
Suguru waved his hand, and the vortex vanished. He brushed off his sleeves, looking calm and collected, though the smug glint in his eyes was impossible to hide.
Souma offered a thin, knowing smile. "Simply merging them for raw power is one thing. But have you ever considered extracting a specific Semi-Grade 1 or higher spirit during the process?"
"What?" Suguru frowned. He knew Souma never spoke without a reason.
Following Souma's cryptic hint, Suguru manifested Uzumaki again, but this time he focused on a specific spirit: a Grade 1 curse known as 'Echo Yaksha' that possessed lightning-manipulation abilities. As the curse was absorbed into the vortex, Suguru froze.
He felt a spark of electricity dance across his fingertips. He had just acquired the Echo Yaksha's innate technique.
He spent the next hour feverishly experimenting with other high-level curses. Finally, he came to a staggering conclusion: Maximum Uzumaki allowed him to extract and keep the innate techniques of Semi-Grade 1 or higher spirits. While these stolen techniques wouldn't grow in power, the sheer versatility was game-breaking.
The ability to possess an unlimited arsenal of techniques left Suguru momentarily breathless.
"Souma... how did you guess?" He didn't believe it was a lucky guess, especially with the specific "Semi-Grade 1" threshold.
Souma offered a casual, dismissive wave. "Just a logical deduction of your technique's potential. The moment you activated the Maximum, my Six Eyes analyzed the fundamental flow of your energy. I just saw the path you hadn't taken yet."
Suguru stared at his friend in a mix of awe and mild irritation. This guy... he understands Cursed Spirit Manipulation better than I do.
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