It had been about a week since Yuji Itadori, also known as the Lord of Sendai, had been taken into protection.
After a long and winding series of events, Yuji had begun living in the Jujutsu High dorms, and these past few days had been a whirlwind of activity.
The first major shock was the silver-haired man in sunglasses who, upon their first meeting, suddenly declared, "Oh, Yuji's grandpa probably has lung cancer, doesn't he? Shoko! Emergency patient!" Following that shout, a female student in a striking outfit had released a Reversed Cursed Technique from her hands, completely curing the early-stage cancer in his grandfather's lungs.
The next shock was, naturally, the panda. He had been introduced with the incredibly uninformative self-introduction of, "Let me introduce you, this is Panda," and "Hey, Yuji! Panda is a Panda! Nice to meet you!" Even after several days, Yuji still didn't quite understand what the creature actually was.
Finally, there was the presence of Principal Masamichi Yaga, who was currently sparking a new wave of the undercut techno-cut hairstyle in this Heisei era.
Apparently, while searching for Yuji, he had yielded his luck to Nanamin and was subsequently plagued by misfortune, leading to him accidentally shaving off his sideburns. Yuji couldn't be blamed for coming to the mistaken conclusion that Tokyo was truly a terrifying place.
And now, in the present. Having grown accustomed to dorm life, Yuji had been invited by four others his age—Megumi Fushiguro, Hana Kurusu, and the sisters Nanako and Mimiko Geto—to join in the children's training group.
"Ossu! Please look after me!"
Yuji, dressed in a tracksuit, offered a spirited greeting. The first to speak to him were the Zen'in sisters, the central figures of the first-year elementary jujutsu class and the leaders of the children staying at the school.
"Oh, so Yuji is joining us starting today? Is that okay? I won't go easy on you just because you're younger, you know."
"What a liar. Forget being younger, Sister, you've never even punched a human being for real."
"Well, obviously. I don't exactly want to become a murderer."
The sisters were dressed in cute, frilly dresses as they bickered, but Yuji immediately saw through their casual movements and core control. He realized Maki's statement was 'the real deal.' He braced himself, once again feeling the high level of the jujutsu world that he had sensed ever since arriving at the school.
In reality, it was just that the level at Jujutsu High was abnormally high, but Yuji, who was unfamiliar with the wider jujutsu world, had no way of knowing that.
Perhaps sensing Yuji's tension, Panda patted him on the shoulder. Toge Inumaki—also known as Togepi—and the cyborg boy Kokichi Muta were there as well.
"Hey! Don't be so nervous, Yuji! You're Special Grade, so you'll be fine!"
"Salmon."
"Panda is right. I was nervous at first, too. You'll get used to it soon."
"Wait, you said he was right, but he only said an ingredient..."
"You'll get used to that, too."
"Seriously?"
After the atmosphere lightened through their exchange, the training finally began. Yuji was to learn basic martial arts from Megumi Fushiguro's older sister, Tsumiki Fushiguro.
"Nice to meet you, Yuji! This is the first time Megumi has had a friend around his age, so please be good to him!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
The conversation started pleasantly, but the training itself was as serious as it gets. Tsumiki had been thoroughly drilled in the basics by her father, Toji, and her cousin-uncle, Naoya. Despite being a non-sorcerer girl, her skill in martial arts without the use of jujutsu was second only to Maki's. Even for Yuji, who possessed the physical strength of an adult despite being only five years old, she was a formidable opponent that he couldn't touch without knowing the fundamentals of combat.
Of course, it would be a different story if he used jujutsu, but that would defeat the purpose of the training. Thus, Yuji spent the session receiving Tsumiki's discipline using only his raw physical abilities.
---
Meanwhile, around that same time. The man who had suddenly become a person of interest in the jujutsu world—the leader of 'Q' known as 'Wessen,' or rather, Noritoshi Kamo—was pitching a proposal to two women in a hidden hideout.
"So, because of the wanted posters, it's become quite difficult for me to move around openly. Man, I'm in a real bind."
"What 'bind'? This is your own fault. ...Now, what is the reason for incarnating me, Kenjaku?"
"Oh my, Uraume, you're so impatient. Since it's just me and you here, shouldn't it obviously be something related to Sukuna?"
"Yorozu, don't act like you're close to Lord Sukuna when you're someone of your caliber."
"A lover is as close as it gets!"
"Keep the jokes to your face."
"Now, now, let's all get along. You two are going to be 'mommy friends' from here on out, after all."
" "Huh?" "
Wessen was met with gazes as cold as absolute zero from the two female curse users, Uraume and Yorozu. However, he didn't flinch. He casually stated the reason he had brought them back from the underworld.
"Well, I'm thinking of creating about ten 'Vessels of Sukuna' that have been thoroughly upgraded. I thought about just using any old surrogate mothers... but I figured you two might be angry if I didn't reach out."
"I see. Rest easy, Kenjaku. I will make sure to give birth to all ten."
"Don't talk nonsense, Yorozu. We are raising Lord Sukuna's vessels. I am clearly the better fit. There is no use for someone like you who can't even make baby food. I will be the one to give birth to the ten."
"No, five each. If we want to ensure safety during simultaneous pregnancies, quintuplets are the limit. Since I'm the one adjusting the vessels, I won't budge on this. This time, I have to modify your eggs based on information extracted from Sukuna's fingers to prepare a 'body worthy of Sukuna.' I've made prototypes, of course, but the adjustments are quite difficult."
Saying this, Kenjaku brought out a fetal specimen preserved in formalin.
Equipped with two pairs of arms—four in total—and possessing four eyes and a large mouth opened on its abdomen, the figure was unmistakably the 'fetal form' of the being they knew so well. It suggested that the plan Wessen spoke of was no mere fantasy.
"And like I said before, if you two don't get along, it might affect the development of the children in your wombs. Besides, there are only so many breasts per person, so if there's only one mother, some of the Sukunas would have to drink formula—"
"Then it's fine, right, Uraume? We're best friends."
"Indeed, Yorozu. Let us get along and give birth to Lord Sukuna's vessels and raise them together."
"—Wow, this level of craziness... I guess those born in the Heian period really are different. Well, it helps that we've come to an understanding quickly. I think I can finalize the method for creating the 'New Model Vessels,' adjusted to the final stage, by the end of this year. Until then, I'd appreciate it if you could help me out. Lately, I've been working hard to make the Culling Game more exciting, and I'm so busy I'd even take a cat's help."
"Kenjaku, I suspect that was your main objective. Don't forget that you and I are merely cooperating for the sake of Lord Sukuna's revival."
"He's always been a smooth talker. ...Fine. It's not like refusing would do any good anyway. I'll give you a hand."
And so, the Heian-era curse users settled into their uneasy alliance. Deep within the shadows of the jujutsu world, their plans continued to receive repeated version updates into something grand, anticipating glamorous participants as their sins and curses deepened.
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