Chapter 49 — Fourty-Nine Punch
"Genos, I just realized I've overlooked something important."
In the small dorm room, Saitama sat across from Genos, who had just completed his body modifications and moved into the room opposite.
At this moment, Saitama's hands were clasped together on the table, his expression unusually serious. It was a rare sight on his face, one that even when facing special-grade curses never appeared—a look of someone confronting a life-or-death threat.
"Sensei…" Genos blinked in surprise, his expression turning serious as well. "What happened?"
"I was thinking recently… It's already been a month since I entered Jujutsu High, but in all that time, nothing particularly special seems to have happened."
As he spoke, Saitama's eyes flickered, and he tightened his clasped fingers. Beads of sweat formed on his bald head. "But while thinking about this, I realized I forgot something important."
Genos instinctively placed his hands on the table and leaned a little closer. "What is it, Sensei? Could it be some enemy…?"
"I forgot the monthly test." Saitama said in anguish.
As if struck by a flash of lightning, Genos froze in place. "…"
"On the first day of classes, Gojo told me that every month there would be a test to help students and teachers understand each student's strengths and weaknesses. He also said that if I could average 60 points across the three tests, he might make an exception and let me skip ahead to second year."
Saitama lowered his head even further, hands pressing on his bald scalp. "Speaking of which… the test is tomorrow."
"But I completely forgot about it and haven't prepared at all."
"Last time, my scores were 120, 100 points for the physical test, 0 for the cursed energy test, and 20 for the written exam."
"My cursed energy test will probably still be impossible, and my physical score can't go any higher, but maybe… maybe I can improve my written exam score. Although… thinking carefully, I don't remember anything from the lessons…"
Saitama's pupils began to tremble violently, his panic comparable to realizing he had the wrong date for a major supermarket sale.
"Ahhh… No, I can't… This way, I'll never pass this test…"
"Sensei."
"If it doesn't work out, I guess I'll have to wait until next month…"
"SENSEI!!"
Under Genos' amplified voice, Saitama finally snapped back to reality, sweating profusely as he lifted his head. "Huh?"
"Sensei, let's start reviewing now!" Genos said loudly. "The test is tomorrow. There's still time!"
"But there's only one night left to review. Are you sure it'll be enough?" Saitama asked nervously.
"Yes. If it's you, Sensei, you can definitely do it!" Genos replied earnestly.
"W-well, since you say so…" Saitama began frantically searching through his things. "Last time Fushiguro gave me these notes… Ah, found them!"
He placed a thick stack of notebooks on the table and started flipping through them.
After a few pages, he looked up and saw Genos still sitting across from him, observing him with his usual notebook. Saitama couldn't help but ask, "By the way, Genos, why are you still sitting there so calmly? Tomorrow's test is for all first-year students. Weren't you also busy taking notes instead of paying attention during class?"
"That's fine, Sensei. I remember everything after seeing it just once." Genos answered.
"Oh… right." Saitama's expression grew grim. "Almost forgot, you can scan things…"
If it weren't for Gojo giving him the chance to skip ahead, Genos probably would already be a second-year senior after the last test, Saitama thought.
---
The next day.
After finishing all three tests, Saitama waited nervously for the results.
Finally, Gojo entered the room, carrying a stack of envelopes, his steps light.
"The results for the second test are out." He handed the envelopes to the students one by one. "Here are your test results~"
When it was Saitama's turn, Gojo noticed the sweat on his bald head and smiled at him.
"Saitama-kun, you've improved this time."
"Oh—" Saitama blinked in surprise, then his face showed a hint of anticipation as he took the envelope.
Hoping for a chance to skip ahead to second year, he opened it and removed the score sheet.
His eyes skimmed past the still-perfect physical score and the still-zero cursed energy score, finally resting on the written exam results. Genos leaned over, still watching him.
They both saw the big number on the sheet.
21 points.
One point higher than last time.
"…"
"Although it's an improvement, it's still far from enough to skip to second year. So Saitama remains a first-year student. Class teacher remains me… Please continue to take care of me for the next month."
Gojo, having enjoyed enough of Saitama's blank expression, pressed his lips into a small smile and waved at him. "I've got some things to do, so I'll head out first. Saitama, remember to review well before the next exam and aim for second year. Bye~"
Saitama kept his deadpan stare fixed on Gojo as he hummed a tune and left, his figure disappearing outside the classroom door.
...
In a dimly lit apartment somewhere in Tokyo.
Suguru Geto sat by the window, silently running his fingers along the beads on his wrist.
The day before, after leaving Mahito and Uraume, he had gone to the Ghost City and released hundreds of curses under his "Cursed Spirit Manipulation" technique, wreaking havoc.
The result was… nothing.
—Not a single Cursed Spirit King had been cultivated there. After completely destroying the area known as the Ghost City, he could now confirm with 100% certainty that this supposedly terrifying place didn't even have one curse. It was cleaner than any random area in Tokyo.
What's going on? Could the memories inherited with my body be wrong?
Even if the memories were wrong, the legends of the Ghost City were enough to stir negative emotions in humans, allowing powerful curses to manifest. And the numerous online eyewitness reports of high-speed figures or flesh-colored reflective monsters couldn't all be lies.
If the "monsters of the Ghost City" weren't the curses cultivated over the past four years, then what were they?
Geto had a vague feeling that his plan was being manipulated by some terrifying, invisible hand. That kind of power made him feel as if an insurmountable wall stood in front of him, no matter what he chose to do.
Yet he was one of the four special-grade sorcerers of the era, with special-grade curses as allies. What kind of force could be capable of this?
Suguru Geto's gaze sank slightly as he loosened the beads on his wrist, his fingers tracing along the edge of a small jar beside him.
It was the sealed container of the "Nine Phases Diagram," stolen from the high school warehouse during the exchange event. The container shimmered faintly with cursed inscriptions, and inside floated a motionless fetus.
Next, I'll start with the Nine Phases Diagram.
From the room across the hall came a man's terrified screams and Mahito's laughter. It seemed the man abducted to serve as a vessel for a special-grade curse had finally awakened.
Geto's long fingers gripped three small jars as he made his way toward the room.
---
Two days later.
"The one communicating with the curses was Kyoto High's Mechamaru…" Nobara Kugisaki let out a sigh. "Really didn't see that coming."
The mission to find the insider had concluded. Gakuganji Yoshinobu seemed intent on keeping this information under wraps, but as students who had participated in the exchange event, they were still made aware of the truth.
"I heard that the second- and third-years at Kyoto High also know about this," Yuji Itadori said, fiddling with his phone. "Everyone's shocked, and Mechamaru has temporarily applied for long-term leave. But they said they'll wait for him to return and go to classes together with him."
"Ohhh…"
Nobara Kugisaki let out a soft murmur of amazement. Fushiguro Megumi frowned slightly and asked, "Yuji, how do you know what's happening over at Kyoto High?"
"Oh, Todo sent it to me." Yuji scratched his head and flipped his phone screen toward the others.
Ever since the individual match at the exchange event, Aoi Todo had started addressing Yuji as a brother. On Yuji's screen were long, dense chat logs from Todo, all messages starting with "brother," covering everything from trivial daily matters to comments on idol chasing. Interspersed were a few selfies, probably taken after working out.
In the photos, Todo was clearly flexing his chest, squinting at the camera with a peace sign, and even asked Yuji how his own muscles looked.
Yuji simply left the messages on read.
"Ugh…" Nobara Kugisaki's expression showed disgust. "Kind of gross. If I didn't know this guy's life goal is to marry that tall idol, I'd think he had a thing for you, Yuji."
"No way…" Yuji wiped his sweat and awkwardly changed the subject. "Anyway, speaking of movies, during training recently, Junpei and I watched a few. I could recommend some…"
Mentioning movies, Yoshino Junpei, who had been silent until now while holding the otter-like Cursed Corpse asleep in his arms, suddenly remembered something. He looked down and asked, "Saitama-sensei, do you have a favorite type of movie? I can recommend some good ones."
At his words, everyone turned their gaze toward him. For the first time, the bald-headed, egg-shaped figure at the center, surrounded by these energetic teenagers, shifted.
"Wait a moment." The bald head dipped slightly, hand raised to stop others from speaking. "Before answering that, I have something else to say."
Genos, sitting nearby and recording, quickly asked, "Sensei, what is it?"
Saitama scratched his head as he spoke. "I've wanted to ask this for a while."
He lifted his head and surveyed the circle of teenagers standing around him, faces like an impenetrable wall. His expression darkened slightly. "By the way, why do you all have to gather around my seat when chatting? I remember your seats aren't even near me."
"Genos is one thing. I already agreed to let him be my disciple, so it's unavoidable he follows me around. But why do the rest of you have to crowd over too?"
Saitama's blank eyes exuded a subtle aura of displeasure. "Honestly, hearing your chatter constantly above my head makes my head feel… cold."
"…"
In the ensuing silence, Genos observed Saitama, whose face was lined with tension.
Doesn't he understand yet?
Although Saitama-sensei doesn't form cliques, doesn't overly focus on anyone, and hardly cares about rankings, he possesses a force that naturally draws everyone near.
Because of Sensei, they recognize true strength.
The silence lingered.
At that moment, the first-year classroom door suddenly swung open.
"Emergency mission." Kiyotaka Ijichi entered briskly, holding a tablet. His voice silenced all the chatting first-year students.
In the quiet, he announced, "All classes for the next two days will be replaced with a field mission. All first-year students will participate. The location: Saitama Prefecture."
"Oh, so we'll be staying overnight there." Nobara Kugisaki muttered to herself.
"Correct." Ijichi nodded. "Also, since I have other matters to attend to, the assistant supervisor accompanying you this time will be Miss Akira Nitta."
Following him into the classroom was a woman with slightly wavy, golden short hair. Cheerfully, she greeted the students, "I'm the assistant supervisor, Akira Nitta. I haven't been responsible for first-years before, but I hope we can cooperate well in this mission and succeed together!"
"Understood! We'll rely on you, Supervisor Nitta!" Yuji Itadori was the first to respond enthusiastically. "Shall we depart immediately?"
"Yes. Since we'll be staying overnight in Saitama Prefecture, you can all return to your dorms to pack your personal items." Akira Nitta replied with a smile. "We'll meet at the high school entrance in half an hour."
Genos turned to Saitama. "Sensei, shall we go?"
"Mm." Saitama instantly wore a serious expression. "Finally, something to do."
...
One hour later.
On the highway from Tokyo to Saitama Prefecture, a black SUV belonging to Jujutsu High sped along.
Akira Nitta drove, explaining the details of the mission as she drove.
"This case involves four victims. All were killed in the same way—by a curse in front of their apartment doors. Before being killed, they all mentioned something unusual to those around them—the automatic door, which should have been locked, wasn't. But residents and property managers confirmed no such phenomenon occurred, and inspections found no malfunction in the doors."
"Based on our judgment, the curse responsible for killing these four triggered the issue with the automatic doors."
"Additionally, according to Jujutsu High personnel investigations, the remaining commonality is that all four attended the same high school at the same time—Urami Higashi High in Saitama Prefecture."
Hearing the name, Megumi Fushiguro raised an eyebrow. A subtle movement that Nitta observed clearly through the rearview mirror.
"Correct. It is indeed Fushiguro's alma mater," she said. "Furthermore, they all participated in the supernatural courage-testing event at Koi-no-Kuchi Gorge's Yasohachi Bridge. The Yasohachi Bridge is a well-known local bridge-jumping spot, but according to our observations, no abnormal events have occurred there recently. Specific information is included in the printed materials I've handed each of you."
"Assistant supervisors exist, in the end, to support sorcerers. The ones who make decisions during a mission are the sorcerers themselves. So what should we do next?"
While driving the SUV, Akari Nitta asked, "Should we investigate the location where the victim died, check out Urami Higashi High School, or head straight to Yasohachi Bridge?"
After a moment of silence, Megumi Fushiguro suggested, "There are six of us in total, so we don't have to limit ourselves to just one option. Splitting up would save more time."
"I suggest dividing into three teams. Since I graduated from Urami Higashi High School, Nitta and I will go there to look for clues. Itadori, Kugisaki, and Yoshino can investigate Morishita's apartment in Saitama Prefecture. Saitama and Genos can head to Yasohachi Bridge and observe the situation."
No one objected to the arrangement. Nitta then replotted the route according to the plan: she would first drop off Yuji Itadori's group at one of the victim's apartment buildings, then take Saitama and Genos near Yasohachi Bridge, and finally drive with Megumi to Urami Higashi High School.
After dropping Saitama and Genos off, Nitta leaned her head out the window and waved. "Contact us if anything happens. Whether you find something or not, we'll meet at the entrance of the reserved inn at six this afternoon."
With that, she stepped on the gas, and the black vehicle quickly disappeared down the road.
Saitama watched the car drive away. By then, Genos had already opened the instruction booklet Nitta had given them and began checking the mission details.
"Six p.m., meeting point at the entrance of the reserved inn, 'Aomori Inn'…" Genos paused slightly. " 'Aomori Inn' is a hot spring inn, Sensei!"
"Really? Let me see!" Saitama perked up immediately and leaned over to read the booklet in Genos's hands.
"…Oh! It even has a hot spring that unclogs hair follicles and promotes hair growth!"
Saitama stared blankly at the hot spring description before suddenly looking up.
"Genos, let's finish the mission quickly and go soak in the hot spring!" he said excitedly.
"Yes, Sensei!" Genos replied firmly, then put away the materials.
Just thinking about the hot spring filled Saitama with motivation. He turned to face Yasohachi Bridge and began examining it seriously.
"Hmm, so this is the haunted bridge," Saitama muttered confidently. "There's nobody on it, and it doesn't look unusual. But maybe that's just the enemy's disguise. If we walk across, maybe we'll trigger some kind of trap—like in that game I played the other day. You have to defeat all the little monsters step by step before meeting the boss…"
Before he could finish, Genos suddenly bent down into a wide stance, his boots carving deep grooves into the damp soil.
The blond cyborg's hair lifted slightly with the motion. Golden energy surged through his arms, wrapped in arcs of silver-blue electricity.
In the blink of an eye, Genos thrust both palms toward Yasohachi Bridge. From the cannons in his palms erupted a massive burst of golden flame, instantly striking the bridge.
Flames and black smoke roared upward, instantly engulfing an area more than two hundred meters in diameter. Within the pitch-black smoke, the sounds of cracking and collapsing structures echoed from the direction of the bridge.
"…"
As the smoke gradually cleared, Yasohachi Bridge had been reduced to rubble. Two faint points of light flickered in the haze—one from the still-glowing cannons in Genos's palms, the other from the sunlight reflecting off Saitama's bald head.
"Not to mention, Genos…" Saitama asked in astonishment, "what are you doing?"
"Because you wanted to finish the mission early and return to the inn for a hot spring, Sensei," Genos replied calmly. "Also, while you couldn't detect anything unusual, I detected abnormal energy fluctuations around Yasohachi Bridge. Therefore, I concluded that destroying the bridge directly was the fastest way to complete the mission."
"The abnormal energy fluctuations have now disappeared. Let us go, Sensei. We shall return to the inn and enjoy the hot spring you wanted."
The cyborg sounded completely unapologetic.
Saitama: "…"
Just then, the sharp screech of tires suddenly rang out nearby. A Saitama Prefecture police officer on a bicycle stopped abruptly, kicked down the stand, and jumped off in shock.
"What happened here!?" he shouted, staring at the collapsed Yasohachi Bridge before turning toward Saitama and Genos. "Did you two do this!?"
"Uh…" Saitama froze, sweat pouring down his face. "Sorry…"
"It really was you!?" The officer's eyes widened. Without another word, he rushed over, pulled a pair of handcuffs from his belt, and snapped one cuff onto Saitama's right wrist and the other onto Genos's left with a loud click.
"Wait a second, you— huh?"
Saitama stared blankly at the shiny handcuffs on his wrist as the officer fumed with rage.
"You can explain yourselves at the station!"
Furious, the officer dragged the blond cyborg and the bald man in a cape and bodysuit toward the police station.
That day, the Yasohachi Bridge—famous for its paranormal incidents—disappeared from the map forever.
…
The ruins around Yasohachi Bridge were silent. Yet the still air suddenly began to ripple slightly.
Within the air itself, two strange figures gradually appeared from afar.
One was a burly man wearing a small bow tie and suspenders connected to a chest guard and briefs, with long stockings stretched over his muscular legs. The other had already shed any human form—his head swollen like a hammer, hollow eye sockets sunk deep into his face, and a massive mouth splitting open from his left shoulder to his right, his entire body transformed into a blue monster.
They were Eso and Kechizu—two of the three brothers resurrected from the Death Painting Wombs.
Unlike Sukuna's fingers, the Death Paintings did not choose their vessels. However, to maximize their power, after stealing them from the technical college warehouse, Mahito had chosen thoroughly wicked criminals as their hosts—ranging from murderers to fraudsters. That was why their cursed energy was so abundant.
"They said Sukuna's finger was here and told us brothers to retrieve it, but there's clearly nothing here," Eso sighed.
"The bridge collapsed, Eso-nii. What do we do now?" the blue Kechizu asked, scratching his oversized head with a normal-sized hand that looked oddly small in comparison.
"Of course we follow them, Kechizu," Eso replied matter-of-factly. "The bridge may be gone, but a cursed spirit that absorbed Sukuna's finger wouldn't be taken down so easily. Judging by the residuals, it hid its presence inside a barrier and left with someone."
"Let's go. Mahito went through the trouble of resurrecting the three of us brothers—we should at least show some sincerity in cooperating with him."
As his words fell, Eso and Kechizu concealed their presence once more and vanished from the ruins of Yasohachi Bridge.
***
Full version available at Pàtrèøn/Zynos