Chapter 2: Tokisaki Kurumi Technique (Combined Parts)

The next day, in Tokyo.

At noon, the hustle and bustle of Tokyo was in full swing. Neon lights flickered, and the pulse of the city seemed to reach its peak.

Between towering skyscrapers, traffic flowed incessantly, and pedestrians came and went, forming a scene of busy vitality.

On a commercial street, people weaved through one another continuously. The shop windows displayed the latest fashion items, attracting passing customers to stop and look.

Amidst the crowded streets, three individuals—two males and one female—wearing similarly styled uniforms stood or sat as if waiting for someone.

"Yo, sorry to keep you waiting."

Just as they were starting to grow impatient, a clear male voice rang out.

The trio turned toward the voice and saw a tall man with striking white hair, his eyes covered with a black cloth.

At that moment, the man held a delicately wrapped crepe in his hand and greeted them casually.

"Sorry, sorry. The line at this trendy crepe shop was insanely long. I went there early in the morning, but it still took way longer than expected."

With the famous dessert among high school girls in his hand, Satoru Gojo spoke as he chewed, "I hope you've had breakfast, because I didn't get any for you."

"Tch, not only do you skip class as a teacher, but you didn't even think to get food for your students?"

Nobara Kugisaki, who had long since grown impatient, glared angrily at the man not far away. "If you were going to get crepes, you should've said so! We don't have these kinds of trendy sweets back in my hometown. I've been wanting to try them!"

"I didn't eat breakfast either. The school doesn't even have a cafeteria."

Yuji Itadori rubbed his stomach, which had started to protest, and pointed to a nearby ramen shop. "Can I grab something from there real quick? I swear I'll be done in three minutes."

"It's already been nearly three days since school started, and we haven't had a single theory class. And now even the practical class is starting late?"

Megumi Fushiguro sighed lightly, clearly exasperated. "Gojo-sensei, if Principal Yaga finds out, he might dock your pay, you know."

"Doesn't matter to me. I'm the head of the Gojo family. You think I care about that little money?"

Despite being late due to personal reasons, Satoru Gojo showed no hint of shame. He looked completely carefree and unbothered.

As he reached the three students, his gaze—seemingly able to pierce through the black cloth—swept over them. Then his expression turned slightly puzzled.

"Huh? Why are there only three of you?"

"What do you mean only three? Aren't we the only ones in the first year?" Megumi asked, noticing Gojo seemed to be looking for someone.

"Nope, there are four of you," Gojo nodded. "Did I not mention that?"

Though they were somewhat familiar with their teacher's irresponsibility, the three students still showed signs of headaches forming.

Wasn't Tokyo Jujutsu High supposed to be an elite institution, with top-tier instructors in the Jujutsu world?

So why couldn't they feel that at all?

Especially Nobara Kugisaki—if not for her obsession with coming to a big city like Tokyo, she might have regretted choosing the Tokyo Jujutsu school over the Kyoto branch by now.

"By the way, is the last new student a guy or a girl?"

Quickly, her frustration with Gojo turned into curiosity about the new student. Nobara asked the question on everyone's mind.

"A girl."

"Yes!"

Nobara's eyes lit up as she clenched her fists in excitement.

Though she had a tomboyish nature and could get along with both boys and girls, in a new environment, she naturally hoped for a female friend she could talk about everything with.

"Strange, she didn't seem like the type to be late. Why isn't she here yet when even I've already arrived?"

Gojo pulled out his phone and opened a GPS tracking app.

On the map, besides the red dots representing Yuji, Megumi, and Nobara, there was another red dot located several kilometers away.

And that red dot hadn't moved—it remained in place.

"Did something happen?"

Gojo swallowed the last bite of his crepe, tossed the wrapper into a nearby trash can, and gestured for the others to follow.

Though as Jujutsu sorcerers they could reach the spot in moments—Gojo even had abilities akin to teleportation—they couldn't use supernatural powers in front of ordinary people. As such, they had to walk step by step.

Fortunately, the destination wasn't far. After walking for about ten minutes, Gojo stopped at the entrance of an alley.

"Hey, are you really late on your first day as a freshman?"

In the alley, a girl was squatting down, surrounded by four or five kittens. She was feeding them as Gojo addressed her.

"It's already half an hour past our meeting time. Have you even thought about how the people waiting for you feel?"

The alley wasn't very wide, and with Gojo blocking the entrance, most of the view was obscured.

Still, the three students behind him stretched their necks or stood on tiptoe, curious to catch a glimpse of their final classmate.

"Ah, I'm terribly sorry."

Hearing voices behind her, the girl turned around and sincerely apologized.

At last, the three could see the girl's face clearly.

She wore the same Tokyo Jujutsu High uniform as the others. Despite the plainness of the uniform, it did nothing to diminish her beauty. Even without elegant clothing, her looks and aura stood out remarkably.

Her sleek black hair was tied into two strands draped over her shoulders, giving off a mature and gentle vibe. A bang covered her left eye, while her exposed right eye was a deep crimson red, adding a mysterious charm.

As she turned her head, her bangs shifted, revealing a white eyepatch covering her left eye.

"I was planning to arrive early, but while passing by this alley, I heard these little darlings crying. So I bought some food for them at the convenience store."

She gently placed a kitten back on the ground. The kittens, startled by the new scents, quickly scurried deeper into the alley.

Brushing off the cat fur from her uniform with practiced ease, Tokisaki Kurumi gave a polite and elegant smile. "You must be from Jujutsu High. It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Tokisaki Kurumi—just call me Kurumi."

With just a few words, she left a warm impression.

She was like a well-bred young lady—graceful, gentle, kindhearted—someone people instinctively wanted to befriend.

A complete contrast to the rough and blunt Nobara Kugisaki.

Seeing how approachable the new student seemed, the other three quickly introduced themselves as well.

"Alright, alright. Today's lesson is a practical one. If you want to chat, save it for when you get back to school."

Seeing the four students dive into a conversation that showed no signs of ending, Gojo had to clap his hands to get their attention.

"The place we're heading to next has quite a few cursed spirits. Be prepared."

Japan, a densely populated island nation, sees over ten thousand cases of unnatural disappearances each year.

However, what the general public doesn't know is that nearly seventy percent of these disappearances are caused by Cursed Spirits.

Cursed Spirits are grotesque lifeforms born from the negative emotions of humans. They possess a certain level of intelligence and mostly appear in densely populated areas or places thick with negative emotions.

Fortunately, under normal circumstances, ordinary people are unable to see these Cursed Spirits.

If they can't see them and can't interact with them, then they're also not easily affected by them — which greatly reduces the number of incidents where Cursed Spirits attack humans.

However, if Cursed Spirits are allowed to grow unchecked, their strength will increase, making it easier for them to influence humans, causing more casualties and disappearances.

So, humans with special abilities have stepped forward to combat them.

They are called Jujutsu Sorcerers.

Compared to ordinary people, they possess a much larger amount of Cursed Energy, and techniques engraved into their bodies — these give them the ability to confront Cursed Spirits.

"That's basically the gist of Cursed Spirits and Jujutsu Sorcerers."

While walking toward their destination, Megumi Fushiguro gave this brief explanation.

"I see…"

Tokisaki Kurumi responded at the right moment, playing the role of a total newcomer who had just entered the world of Jujutsu.

"Wow, Kurumi, you really don't know anything, huh."

Kugisaki Nobara glanced at her in mild surprise and asked,

"Are you the first Jujutsu Sorcerer in your family?"

"Mm, my parents are ordinary people. It wasn't until my generation that someone could see Cursed Spirits."

Recalling the fragmented memories within her, Kurumi answered,

"I just happened to meet a Jujutsu Sorcerer by chance, and it was through them that I first came into contact with the Jujutsu world. That's how I was introduced to Tokyo Jujutsu High."

Upon hearing this, both Megumi Fushiguro and Kugisaki Nobara showed understanding expressions.

There are very few Jujutsu Sorcerers.

As a result, most of the active individuals in the Jujutsu world come from ancient families with histories spanning hundreds or even thousands of years.

Those born into ordinary families who happen to become Jujutsu Sorcerers — since information about the Jujutsu world is strictly hidden — may be able to see Cursed Spirits, but wouldn't understand what they truly are.

However...

"Gojo-sensei, since Tokyo Jujutsu High already accepted Kurumi, shouldn't you have taught her basic stuff like this beforehand?"

Megumi Fushiguro, already exhausted by the day, let out yet another sigh and looked at Satoru Gojo, who was walking while scrolling through his social feed. He gave him a dead-fish stare.

"Didn't you already teach Itadori before? I figured you could just teach Kurumi at the same time, so I didn't bother."

"Are you kidding me? Who's the real teacher here?"

"I just don't want to waste my time on boring stuff like this."

"Teaching boring stuff is part of your job, damn it!"

"Ehehe~"

As they bantered, the group arrived at their destination.

It was a hospital.

However, despite it being a weekday and the middle of the day, there wasn't a single patient in sight — not a nurse, not a doctor.

Even the security guard who was supposed to be on duty at the entrance was missing.

"Two days ago, we received word that there were three bizarre deaths in this hospital," said Satoru Gojo.

"The police didn't find anything and passed the case over to us. According to the auxiliary supervisors' investigation, multiple spots in the hospital show signs of Cursed Energy, with levels around Grade 3 to Grade 2. I thought this would make a good group mission, so I accepted it."

"Grade 3 to Grade 2, huh…"

Among the four of them, Megumi Fushiguro, the most experienced, pondered for a moment and nodded in agreement with Gojo assessment.

Both Cursed Spirits and Jujutsu Sorcerers follow the same grading system:

Grade 4, Grade 3, Semi-Grade 2, Grade 2, Semi-Grade 1, Grade 1, and the strongest — Special Grade.

Megumi Fushiguro is currently a Grade 2 Sorcerer.

Although Yuji Itadori is a newcomer with no inherited technique, his raw physical strength likely places him in the Grade 2 category as well.

As for Kugisaki Nobara, Megumi hadn't seen her in action, but conservatively estimated she was at least Grade 3.

The three of them entering this hospital — as long as they proceed cautiously — shouldn't be a problem at all.

After all, Sorcerers of the same level can overwhelmingly defeat Cursed Spirits of the same grade.

At least, that's true for everything below Special Grade.

Right now, the only unknown factor for Megumi Fushiguro was Tokisaki Kurumi.

Although being accepted into any branch of Jujutsu High already proved a Sorcerer had some outstanding abilities, Megumi still had concerns.

"Kurumi, would you mind demonstrating your technique?" Megumi asked.

"I don't expect anything too dangerous to happen, but just in case, it's better if we all get familiar with each other's techniques first."

"Of course, I don't mind."

Tokisaki Kurumi raised a finger, and a dark red energy gathered at her fingertip, forming into a violently swirling sphere.

Then, with a slight flick, she sent it toward the hospital wall.

BOOM——!

The moment the energy sphere touched the wall, an explosion erupted. Bricks and debris scattered everywhere.

"That's my technique," Kurumi said.

"A compression-type technique — it compresses Cursed Energy into a single point and then releases it."

"That's pretty powerful,"

Satoru Gojo looked with interest at the destroyed wall. Under the blindfold, his blue eyes analyzed the entire sequence from energy buildup to release.

"That was only about twenty percent of your power, right?

If you went all out, I'd say in terms of raw destructive ability, you'd easily be in the top two at Tokyo Jujutsu High."

"Thank you for the compliment."

Tokisaki Kurumi smiled in response.

This was the ability she had carefully chosen to demonstrate in front of others.

Though she called it a "compression technique," in reality, it was simply focusing her spirit energy into a single point.

The nature of Cursed Energy is the embodiment of human negative emotions.

Meanwhile, spirit crystals were created from Mio Takamiya dividing her own power and infusing it with certain emotions.

Therefore, Cursed Energy and Spirit Energy share a high degree of similarity.

Kurumi wasn't at all worried that Satoru Gojo would see through the truth.

As for why she chose not to display any of her other abilities in front of them?

Because…

those belong to the Nightmare.