It was August. While the damage caused by cursed spirits had settled down slightly, the frequency of their appearances remained significant.
In the midst of this, news reached the ears of Naoya and the other Jujutsu High students. It was a troubling report stating that Mei Mei, a Grade 1 sorcerer, and Utahime Iori, a Grade 2 sorcerer, had been missing for two full days while handling a Grade 1 case.
Disturbed by the grim news regarding two people they knew well, Gojo took the lead in forming a rescue team. Along with Geto, Shoko, and Naoya, who were at the school at the time, they assembled a group that was clearly overkill for the situation.
They grabbed an assistant director, made him prepare a car, and held an impromptu briefing on the way to the scene in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture.
"How do you see it, Satoru? Do you think something could actually happen that would prevent someone like Mei from contacting the outside?"
"There's almost no way. Not with Mei's cursed technique. She's likely trapped in an Innate Domain or a barrier where time flows differently between the inside and outside."
"Which means, from Utahime-senpai's perspective, it might have only been a few minutes since they started the investigation. But wait, do Grade 1 spirits even use domains? You and Suguru still can't do it properly, right?"
When Shoko raised that question during the briefing, Gojo and Geto were the first to object.
Having learned barrier techniques through Naoya, Gojo had used his genius while Geto had used his cursed spirit, the Slit-Mouthed Woman, as a reference to develop their respective Domain Expansions. However, they had yet to reveal them to anyone, so in Shoko's mind, they were still 'unable to do it properly.'
"No, I'm just refining the construction of the domain. I could pull it off right now if I wanted to."
"The same goes for me. Once you expand it for the first time, you're inevitably bound by that initial image, so I'm carefully working out the details right now. But Shoko is right; unless it's a Special Grade, cursed spirits that can handle domains are rare. I don't think a mere Grade 1 could use one, but..."
"If it's a Grade 1 spirit doing something like that, it's likely a barrier rather than a domain. If it were a spirit capable of constructing a full domain, it would be a Special Grade. It's probably just using the inner walls of the building as they are."
"Which means we just need to smash that manor or whatever they went into from the outside. Great, let's just break it as soon as we get there. It's settled!"
"Wait, Satoru. At least put up a Veil. We brought the assistant director along for a reason."
"He's right. If you're planning to demolish a house, you need a screen from non-sorcerers. Should I set up my barrier if we're in a hurry?"
"Let's go with that! Naoya, you'd better put it up in 0.1 seconds."
"Suguru? Does Satoru like Iori that much? Are they dating?"
"Not at all. But while Utahime isn't exactly strong, she's very caring. Even when she's yelling at us for being 'not cute at all,' she still looks after us in her own way. That's why Satoru is fairly attached to her, even if he shows it by being annoying."
"It's because these guys are trash. They just enjoy bullying Utahime-senpai. Their nature is like a cat with all the cuteness removed."
"That sounds rough. Poor Iori-senpai."
"Look at that, you pieces of trash. Even your junior is judging you."
"You're the one making him say that, Shoko. Besides, I haven't done anything."
"I don't think I've done anything either. I hate bullying the weak."
"Satoru is definitely doing something. And Suguru, that's exactly the kind of thing... well, whatever."
Though the conversation had derailed slightly, Gojo gave instructions to the assistant director driving down the highway to "pull over at the next rest area." Using his technique, he instantly warped the four sorcerers to the western-style manor. They appeared high in the sky. Having already begun kneading cursed energy the moment he sensed the teleportation, Naoya struck a pose like he was holding a camera and formed a hand seal while chanting his cursed poem: "A silhouette of a single night reflected in a magic lantern."
He constructed the Barrier Technique: The Fourth Wall. Within that barrier, which turned dark as if illuminated by a single spotlight, Gojo's technique exploded.
"Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue. I'm here to save you, Utahime. Are you crying?"
---
"Shoko, Naoya! Thank you so much for coming to save us!"
"Hey, Utahime, what about us? I'm the one who saved you, and Suguru's the one who exorcised the cursed spirit."
"I would have thanked you honestly if you hadn't said 'Are you crying?' or 'Stop bullying the weak, Satoru.' But seriously, why are there two Special Grades here? It hasn't even been thirty minutes since we started investigating, right?"
"Actually, it's been two days, Utahime-senpai. Gojo said it was a barrier or something."
"No way!"
"I'm glad to see you're safe as well, Mei."
"Thank you, Suguru. I see, it seems we've encountered something quite rare. Still, I didn't think the situation warranted two Special Grades, one Grade 1, and Shoko, who possesses Reverse Cursed Technique despite being Grade 4."
"Satoru called us here looking so pale, so this is what happened."
"I see. Is it that, Gojo? Could it be that Utahime—"
"Mei, we already went through that whole conversation."
"Oh. So that's not it. If it were, I was thinking of asking Utahime to help me flip the Gojo family head's seed on the market. I'm sure it would fetch at least a hundred million, wouldn't it?"
"Wait, what? Gojo, do you actually like me!?"
"Hah!? Shoko! Utahime's gone crazy, can you fix this with your Reverse Cursed Technique!?"
"Alright, that's it! Step outside, you idiot!"
"We're already outside! Aren't you the one who's the idiot!?"
"Raaagh!"
"Satoru looks like he's having fun with that lovers' spat."
"Hey, does he really not like her?"
"Probably?"
And so, the group chatted noisily after the successful rescue.
The tension of the moment had vanished completely. Later, they would all return to Tokyo in the car driven by the assistant director, who had pushed his vehicle to its limits to catch up with them on the highway.
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