Racing through the dense forest—
White Zetsu clung tightly beside Maki, Panda, and Inumaki, fully displaying his signature mix of being both ruthless and cowardly.
"…Seriously."
Itadori glanced back at White Zetsu and muttered speechlessly:
"He says I've grown, but isn't he still just hiding behind the upperclassmen?"
Kugisaki, who overheard him, nearly tripped.
"Pink-hair, did White Zetsu brainwash you or something?"
"You jealous because he's not sticking next to you anymore?"
Itadori waved his hands frantically.
"No! Of course not! Don't accuse me like that!"
Lowering his voice, he added:
"I just think… Zetsu-senpai is actually a really good guy."
Among the cursed spirits he had encountered who could speak and communicate, there were only three:
The volcano-headed one from the night attack.
The stitched-face one he hated to the core.
And then—White Zetsu.
A cursed spirit that seemed harmless to both humans and animals…
who only "occasionally" liked to show off.
To Itadori—
He genuinely felt White Zetsu wasn't bad at all.
"…Is that so."
Kugisaki's gaze dimmed slightly as she muttered:
"A mama's boy… yeah, I guess he's not the worst."
Itadori nodded, then glanced back at White Zetsu again before quietly asking:
"Kugisaki, Fushiguro…"
"After I came back to life that day, what did Gojo-sensei say to you two?"
"Why do you guys seem like you're avoiding White Zetsu today?"
"Not at all!"
Kugisaki and Fushiguro answered in unison.
"Really?"
Seeing their serious expressions, Itadori chuckled awkwardly.
"Maybe it's just my imagination…"
Back in the operating room that day, after receiving a call, Gojo had spoken privately with Fushiguro and Kugisaki.
Itadori didn't know what was discussed.
But his keen instincts told him—
The two of them seemed to be deliberately avoiding White Zetsu's gaze today.
"First-years, stay sharp!"
Maki's sharp voice rang out from behind.
"The enemy's here!"
No reminder was needed—
The noise was like a bulldozer charging uphill.
BOOM!
Trees snapped violently, and clouds of dust surged into the air!
"Yo!"
"Perfect—you're all here!"
A massive figure burst through the smoke, exuding the overwhelming presence of a tiger descending the mountain!
Bare-chested, Todo grinned widely:
"Come at me—all of you!"
"Let's have a proper fight!"
"Stick to the plan!"
Itadori's eyes sharpened as he lunged forward!
Leaping into the air, he brought down a full-force kick toward Todo's head!
"Now!"
Panda barked—
The group instantly split into three teams.
Two groups moved according to the pre-arranged plan, spreading out in formation.
Maki, Kugisaki, Fushiguro — one team
White Zetsu, Panda, Inumaki — one team
Itadori alone — tasked with holding off Todo
The goal: while Itadori stalled Todo, the other two teams would quickly exorcise cursed spirits and rack up points.
BAM!
Todo raised both arms and easily blocked Itadori's full-force kick.
"Nice strength, freshman!"
With a savage grin, Todo twisted his body and threw a punch!
That massive fist filled Itadori's vision—
BOOM!
Itadori was sent flying, crashing through several trees and tumbling over a dozen meters!
His forearms throbbed—he could almost feel the bones cracking.
"Freshman."
Todo clenched his fists and slowly approached.
"Before I beat you unconscious…"
"Let me ask you one question."
He lowered his stance, preparing to strike again.
"What kind of woman is your type?"
Meanwhile—
Taking a cursed tool handed to her from Fushiguro's shadow, Maki glanced sideways at Kugisaki.
"Nobara… are you hiding something from me?"
It wasn't just Itadori who noticed something off—
Maki had too.
Fushiguro could be explained—he always had a gloomy face.
But Kugisaki? Her fiery temper seemed completely muted today.
"Maki-sis, I…"
Kugisaki took a deep breath, then suddenly snapped at Fushiguro:
"We can say it now, right?!"
"Didn't that bastard say today was the last day?!"
"The match has already started—we don't need to keep hiding it anymore!"
Fushiguro froze for a moment under her outburst.
"…Why are you yelling at me? It wasn't my idea."
After a pause, he looked at Maki seriously.
"It's about White Zetsu."
"No matter what happens, our assignment ends today… so there's no need to hide it anymore."
He exhaled slowly.
"After Itadori was revived, Gojo-sensei gave Kugisaki and me a secret mission."
"We were to test White Zetsu's innate technique… and…"
"Place a monitoring device on him."
Maki's expression darkened as she stopped walking.
"…What do you mean?"
Fushiguro continued:
"That day in the operating room, Gojo-sensei received some kind of intelligence."
"After that, he told us to verify White Zetsu's technique first."
"The six purple diamond-shaped marks on his face…"
"They're part of a technique called 'Miracle.'"
"When he encounters a fatal danger, the marks are consumed to reduce or nullify the damage."
Maki's grip tightened on her weapon, her gaze turning cold.
"So during training, when you kept asking him about the Ten Shadows Technique…"
"You were deliberately making him fall into shadows."
Fushiguro lowered his head.
"We were testing the limits of the 'Miracle' technique…"
"And verifying whether the intel Gojo-sensei received was accurate."
"It turned out… the information was completely correct."
Maki frowned.
"…And then?"
Kugisaki stepped forward, irritation evident in her voice:
"Then that white-haired, blindfolded idiot lost it again!"
"A few days after confirming White Zetsu's technique—he told us to plant a miniature listening device on him!"
A bad feeling surged in Maki's chest.
"Even if White Zetsu is weak, there's no way he wouldn't notice something like that on his body."
Fushiguro replied quietly:
"The intel we received was very detailed…"
"Each time the 'Miracle' technique nullifies a fatal danger, one of the marks disappears depending on the severity."
"And the way to accumulate marks…"
"Is through small accidental injuries sustained daily."
He hesitated, then added:
"…And during the process of accumulating those marks…"
"White Zetsu loses memory of that period."
Maki's face turned completely dark.
"So in the beginning… you were experimenting on his body."
"Testing how much damage he could endure… whether it increased or decreased the marks."
"What kind of injuries cause memory loss—and how long that memory loss lasts."
"Right?"
"Maki-sis, it's not like that!"
Kugisaki hurriedly explained:
"We never intended to actually hurt him!"
"It was Gojo—he was absolutely certain that this body isn't even Baijue's real one!"
"Fushiguro and I both saw it ourselves—White Zetsu died at the juvenile detention center… and then came back to life!"
Maki didn't look surprised.
Back when Shoko dissected White Zetsu, she had already suspected as much.
But—
If Baijue really had a listening device on him…
Then what Jujutsu High—or rather, Gojo Satoru—
Was trying to investigate…
Was it White Zetsu?
Or Mirai?
At this moment, Maki could no longer focus on the match.
Her heart sank deeper and deeper.
Why had Mirai suddenly come to Jujutsu High?
Why had his personality changed so abruptly?
That ominous feeling in her chest grew heavier.
BOOM!!!
Just as the three fell into silence—
The sky above twisted—
A vast, writhing mass of trees surged like a tidal wave!
A terrifying pressure swept across the entire area!
"…A Special Grade cursed spirit?!"
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