Chapter 38: Four First-Year Students

Tokyo, Harajuku Station.

A pair of orange eyes and short orange hair peeked out from beneath the dark blue and black uniform that had been sent in advance from Jujutsu High. The uniform consisted of a dark blue jacket and a pleated skirt.

She was the last first-year student, a female sorcerer from the countryside.

As she stood facing the clueless Yuji Itadori and Fushiguro Megumi, Nobara Kugisaki confidently introduced herself with one hand on her hip, "I'm Nobara Kugisaki. You should be happy, boys. The star has arrived."

Yuji pointed to himself with a wide grin, "Yuji Itadori, from Sendai."

Fushiguro remained stoic, only uttering a name, "Fushiguro Megumi."

...

Tokyo, Roppongi.

An abandoned building beside a sprawling cemetery.

A black sports car was parked along the street, with Ijichi Kiyotaka, the assistant supervisor from Jujutsu High, seated at the driver's seat. His hair was parted neatly, and he wore a gray suit.

In the back seat, White Zetsu, puffing on a cigar, checked his phone with a face full of impatience.

"What the hell is that white-haired idiot doing? How does it take this long to pick up a girl with psychic powers?"

"Zetsu, it's not nice to talk behind the teacher's back," Ijichi pushed up his glasses, his tone stern.

Zetsu waved his hand dismissively, "Relax, Ijichi. That fool is probably busy babysitting students. You think he'd pop up out of nowhere? You're worried for nothing."

Ijichi quickly glanced at the side windows, the windshield, and the rearview mirror. After confirming that Gojo Satoru was nowhere in sight, he let out a sigh of relief. His once-serious tone softened significantly, "Still, you should be careful. When Gojo-sensei gets mad, it's pretty terrifying."

Zetsu exhaled a cloud of smoke, doing his best to adopt the air of a mafia boss despite his clownish appearance.

"Don't worry, you've got me watching your back."

Ijichi forced an awkward laugh. He had spent enough time with Zetsu over the past six months to know exactly what kind of character he was. This cursed spirit was ridiculous enough to cram himself into a car with an assistant supervisor just because his weapons had been confiscated.

A true oddball among sorcerers.

Just as Zetsu continued his boastful rambling, the sounds of a commotion echoed from the street corner.

...

"You liar! You jerk! How could you mock someone from the countryside?!"

Kugisaki yelled in disbelief as she glared at the ominous, dilapidated building before her. "Where's the fancy Roppongi mall you promised?!"

"Damn it! I was looking forward to my Chinese street food feast!"

"You tricked us, you lousy teacher!"

Yuji covered his face with both hands, his disappointment palpable. "I feel so betrayed."

Fushiguro, on the other hand, remained calm. From the moment Gojo had mentioned bringing them to Roppongi, he had a strong suspicion it would turn out like this.

"Pink-haired ape, and... a delinquent."

Suddenly, a car door creaked open, and a thick cloud of smoke billowed out as Zetsu's dramatic voice called from within.

"Gojo, you're late."

Kugisaki frowned at the figure shrouded in smoke, "What the hell is that?"

"You scared me for a second there. I thought no one was inside the car," Yuji remarked, turning his head to look back, startled. "Wait... that voice and that nickname... Is that clown face?!"

Gojo simply chuckled, hands in his pockets, clearly enjoying the spectacle.

As the smoke finally cleared, Kugisaki's expression shifted dramatically.

"Is this... the first-year entrance exam?"

She gripped the hammer in her hand tightly, a few sharp nails clutched between her fingers, her gaze cold and intense.

Standing before her was a humanoid figure clad in a black cloak with red clouds. Even though she couldn't sense any cursed energy from him, Zetsu's ghostly white face and his wide grin, full of sharp teeth like a shark, were enough to set her on edge.

Unlike Yuji, whose nerves were of steel, Kugisaki quickly deduced Zetsu's true nature just by looking at him.

As she took in his appearance, Yuji, too, was left in a daze, blinking in confusion. Half of Zetsu's body was leaning against the car door, a half-burned cigar in his left hand, and the handle of a pink revolver peeked out from his waist.

Forget his true nature—just his whole look...

Did this guy even pass as a student?

He looked more like a delinquent walking down the street than anything.

Yuji's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a sharp sound.

—Clang!

A nail, coated in cursed energy, shot through the air like a bullet, leaving a pale blue trail of light in its wake.

—Clang, clang, clang!

Three cursed energy-infused nails struck Zetsu's seemingly soft uniform, producing sparks as they ricocheted off and clattered to the ground.

"Hey, delinquent girl!"

"A third-grade sorcerer daring to challenge me? Looks like your brain's not working too well," Zetsu sneered, flicking the ash from his cigar casually.

"Tch, damn it!" Kugisaki gritted her teeth in frustration, and in an instant, dozens of nails floated into the air from her pouch.

"As expected, cursed spirits in the city are way sharper—and a hell of a lot more annoying!"

Her eyes gleamed with killing intent, cursed energy surging into the hammer she held tightly.

"Cursed Technique—"

"Kugisaki, wait!"

Yuji quickly grabbed her before she could finish her stance, scattering the floating nails to the ground.

Yanked to the side by Yuji's sudden force, the cursed energy she had gathered dissipated.

"Pink hair, get out of my way!" Kugisaki glared at him, her cursed energy flaring up once again.

"That guy's a cursed spirit, yes, but he's also a Jujutsu High student! Don't do anything reckless!"

Yuji pleaded, inwardly exhausted as he glanced toward Fushiguro, who stood silently off to the side, offering no help.

"Huh?!"

"You're telling me that thing is... a student?!"

Kugisaki froze in her tracks, her face full of disbelief.

"That's right," Zetsu chimed in, blowing a smoke ring as he walked over.

"To protect the peace of the world, and to—"

"Stoooooooop!"

Yuji frantically raised a hand to cut him off, "Zetsu, stop it! You'll get sued for plagiarism if you keep going!"

"Though, I have to admit, the Team Rocket line does kind of suit you."

Zetsu grinned and gave Yuji an approving nod.

"Not bad, pink-haired gorilla. I'm impressed you know about Team Rocket."

Yuji scratched his head, grinning. "Not just Team Rocket. I've seen Worm Man and even Batman vs. The Joker."

"I like your taste!" Zetsu said, nodding in approval as he tossed a fresh cigar at Yuji. "If you ever need anything, I've got your back."

Yuji waved his hands quickly, "Thanks, Zetsu, but I don't smoke."

"Take it, pink-haired gorilla. When someone like me offers you something, you take it, whether you smoke or not!"

Zetsu's tone suddenly took on the swagger of an old-school gangster. "It's not about the cigar; it's about showing respect!"

Once most of the cigar smoke had cleared, Gojo finally waved the air away and approached the car.

"Ijichi, what's that idiot been watching lately?"

Ijichi's face twitched as he answered, "Zetsu's been watching old gangster films from Hong Kong and cowboy movies from the West."

The reason he knew this so well was because Zetsu, after being banned from using weapons, had been hiding in the car outside the barrier, watching downloaded movies under the pretense of protecting the assistant supervisor.

"No wonder his delusions have been getting more mixed up lately..." Gojo chuckled, glancing at Yuji, Fushiguro, and Kugisaki, who were standing around, while Zetsu struck a pose like some kind of mafia boss.

Gojo couldn't help but laugh at the sight. It reminded him of the warm and chaotic days when Toge Inumaki and Yuta Okkotsu were still around.

[Author's Note:

Adding Zetsu into the story is to show the higher-tiered power levels (like Mirai), but also to give a different perspective on the original protagonist group's development and battles.

After all, with someone like Mirai being so overpowered, having him constantly mix with the students would be too jarring.]

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