Investigation

The summer heat had lessened after the heavy rain, leaving the air fresh and clean. Small puddles on the streets reflected the clear sky like mirrors.

"Such beautiful weather calls for beautiful deeds. So, I'll leave the interrogation of Junpei Yoshino to you two. The three victims were acquainted with him, and he's a suspect in their deaths."

"I'm going to explore the Kanagawa area and see if I can find any clues. Judging by the culprit's previous actions, they might try to escape. It would be ideal to apprehend them on the spot."

With that, Sukuna shooed them out onto the street.

"Is interrogation really a 'beautiful deed'? Generally speaking..." Yuji trailed off.

"Don't take him seriously," Yukino said with a sigh.

She recalled all the absurd things Sukuna had done since they met: putting a mouth on his face and threatening her with his tongue; putting a mouth on his hand and demanding to be fed...

Never mind, it's just frustrating to think about.

"The information Sukuna-kun gave me includes Yoshino Junpei's home address. It seems he hasn't been to school since the incident at the movie theater. If we stake out his house, we should be able to find him."

Yukino consulted the information Sukuna had sent her.

They arrived at Junpei's neighborhood and turned a corner, spotting a black-haired boy with bangs emerging from a convenience store, a plastic bag in hand.

"Yukinoshita-senpai, isn't that Yoshino Junpei?" Yuji asked, pointing.

"Yes, that's him." Yukino checked the photo, confirming his identity. "Let's go."

"Eh? Just approach him directly?" Yuji hesitated. "Isn't that a bit... abrupt?"

"Why?" Yukino looked at him, puzzled.

"It feels kinda awkward," he mumbled, scratching his cheek.

"Itadori-kun." Yukino's expression turned serious. "Do you understand what we're doing?"

"Uh... investigating Yoshino Junpei?"

"Ugh." Yukino let out an exasperated sigh. The last person she had to struggle this much with to communicate was Yui Yuigahama.

"We're investigating a triple homicide. Yoshino Junpei is the first witness at the crime scene. Are you suggesting we should prioritize your awkwardness over the investigation?"

"Uh, I understand! I'm very sorry!" Yuji quickly apologized, hands clasped together.

"Good."

Yukino and Yuji caught up to Junpei, stopping him in front of his house. "Yoshino Junpei-kun."

Hearing his name, the black-haired boy with bangs turned around, confused to see two strangers – a boy and a girl – approaching him.

"Who are you?"

"Oh, I'm Yuji Itadori, and this is Yukinoshita Yukino-senpai," Yuji introduced them with a friendly grin.

"We have some questions for you," Yukino stated bluntly. "You skipped school on June 23rd to watch a movie. Three students from your school were also there. You witnessed their deaths."

"Am I correct?"

"...Who are you? I already gave my statement to the police." Yukino's directness made Junpei wary.

"You can think of us as the same," Yukino nodded. "Just answer truthfully."

"...I refuse." Junpei stepped back. "If there's nothing else, I'm going home. Please leave."

"While you may have been cleared by the police, you haven't been cleared by us. In other words, you're still a suspect." Yukino's expression hardened. "You saw how those victims died, right? I'll be blunt: What did you see back then?"

The atmosphere grew tense.

Junpei's eyes widened. These two were after Mahito!

"Hold on, hold on! Why are things escalating like this?!" Yuji quickly stepped between them. "Yukinoshita-senpai, calm down!"

"Itadori-kun, please step aside."

Yukino saw the shift in Junpei's expression, confirming her suspicions. Even if he wasn't directly involved, he clearly knew something.

Perhaps he was even connected to the curse that killed Ōoka!

"That's why I'm saying, calm down, senpai!"

Seeing Yukino's fighting stance, Yuji hurriedly held her back, worried she might "knock Junpei out and drag him off for interrogation," something Sukuna would totally do.

After restraining Yukino, he turned to Junpei, urging him, "Just tell us what happened! We won't make things difficult for you!"

"I have nothing to say..."

"Oh, Yoshino, there you are! I've been looking all over for you."

Just as Junpei was about to speak, a voice he loathed interrupted him.

A middle-aged man with greasy, center-parted hair approached, wiping sweat from his face. His white shirt strained against his protruding belly, the buttons threatening to pop off.

"Guidance counselor..." Junpei's disgust was evident.

"You haven't been to school for days. Are you planning to drop out?" the counselor grumbled. "Not only are you skipping school, but you didn't even attend your friend's funeral. That's just wrong."

"You're always alone at school, and those three were the only ones who talked to you, who were willing to be your friends..."

Friends?

This guy must be crazy.

You saw what they did to me, yet you call them friends...?

Junpei glared at him, his fists clenched so tightly his nails dug into his palms.

"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that? Did staying home too long mess with your head? Just kidding, haha!"

The man laughed, his flabby face shaking, his eyes nearly disappearing into the folds of flesh.

He noticed Yukino and Yuji behind Junpei. "Oh, I saw you chatting earlier. Are you Yoshino's friends? You don't seem to be from our school. I didn't know Yoshino had friends outside of school. You should try to convince him to come back. He can't skip school forever."

"Excuse me." Yukino's cold voice cut him off. "We have important matters to discuss with Yoshino-kun. We'll be going now."

"Itadori-kun, take Yoshino-kun and let's go."

With that, she turned and left.

It was clear the teacher wasn't being entirely truthful, or at least, the situation was more complicated than he portrayed. Otherwise, Junpei wouldn't have that look of disbelief and anger on his face.

But the man was just an ordinary person, unlikely to be involved with special grade curses. There was no need to waste time on him.

So, Yukino didn't even bother engaging with the teacher, simply instructing Yuji to take Junpei and leave.

"Oh, okay." Yuji nodded, giving Junpei a look, and pulled him away.

Junpei, initially hesitant, readily followed Yuji after seeing the obnoxious guidance counselor. Anything was better than listening to that man's inane chatter and raising his blood pressure.

These two must be the good guys.

After a moment's hesitation, Junpei nodded. "Alright."

He slowly lifted his bangs, revealing an ugly scar on his forehead.

"What the—?!"

Yuji's eyes widened, and Yukino's expression turned grim.

Junpei lowered his bangs, hiding the burn mark. His eyes darkened. "That's what those guys at school did..."

The beatings, the forced occupation of the club room, the cigarette burns, the forced ingestion of cockroaches...

Junpei suppressed his emotions as he recounted the bullying he endured.

"Those bastards!" Yuji's anger was palpable.

Yukino remained calm. "So those three Satozakura High students who died at the movie theater... were they among your bullies?"

"Yes," Junpei nodded.

"Well, now you have a motive."

"Yukinoshita-senpai!" Yuji looked at her in disbelief.

"I'm just stating the facts."

"But still..."

Before Yuji could protest further, Junpei interrupted. "It's okay, I understand what Yukinoshita-senpai means."

"But..."

"So, let's make a deal, Yoshino-kun," Yukino said, ignoring Yuji's indignation.

"A deal?"

"Do you want revenge on those who bullied you? I can help." Yukino's voice was serious. "I'll make sure they all go to jail. In exchange, tell us honestly what you saw at the movie theater."

"What do you say?"

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"Nothing."

Sukuna had scoured the areas surrounding Kanagawa, but found no trace of the Idle Transfiguration user.

If they hadn't fled, then the target was still within Kanagawa Prefecture.

But he couldn't keep running around aimlessly, searching every nook and cranny. There was no point in constantly guarding against a thief.

Assuming the special grade curse was still in Kanagawa, there was only one thing Sukuna could do to prevent its escape:

He had to set up a barrier encompassing the entire prefecture. Ordinary humans wouldn't be affected, but curses and sorcerers would be able to enter but not leave.

"Barrier techniques aren't my specialty, but this should do."

...

Meanwhile, at the family restaurant...

"What do you think of the deal, Yoshino-kun?" Yukino asked. "You said there were four bullies. Three are dead, and one remains, correct?"

"Yes..." Junpei gripped his drink tightly. "His name is Shota Ito. He's from a wealthy family, popular at school. But those who haven't been bullied by him don't know his true nature. He's bullied many students, not just me."

"I understand. So, is it settled then? We'll send Ito Shota to jail, where he'll face legal consequences. And you'll tell us what you saw at the movie theater. No problem, right?"

"Or..." Yukino's eyes locked with Junpei's. "Do you think simply sending Ito Shota to jail isn't enough, Yoshino-kun? Do you want to kill him yourself?"

"Eh? No, I..." Junpei was startled, a flicker of panic in his eyes.

He hadn't considered killing Ito Shota himself, but after hearing Yukino's words, for a fleeting moment, the idea seemed appealing.

He fell silent. Yukino didn't press for an answer, just calmly sipped her juice. Yuji, meanwhile, fidgeted, glancing between Junpei and Yukino.

He wanted to accept the deal on Junpei's behalf so he could teach those bullies a lesson. He was itching for a fight.

After a long silence, Junpei finally spoke. "I accept."

"Alright! Let's go then!" Yuji jumped up excitedly.

With Junpei leading the way, they headed to his school, Kanagawa Prefectural Satozakura High.

On the way, Yuji scratched his head, apologizing to Yukino. "Sorry, Yukinoshita-senpai. I almost misunderstood you earlier."

"It's okay, I don't mind," she replied.

"That's good." Yuji put his hands behind his head, curiosity getting the better of him. "By the way, Yukinoshita-senpai, how are you planning to send that Ito guy to jail?"

Junpei also looked at her, curious about her plan.

"All we need is evidence. What those people did to Yoshino-kun clearly goes beyond bullying," Yukino explained, listing the cruel acts Junpei had endured. "And according to Yoshino-kun, they recorded everything to use it to mock him repeatedly, right?"

"I see!" Yuji exclaimed, understanding dawning on him. "If we find those videos, we can use them as evidence to send that Ito bastard to jail!"

"Those videos are probably on Ito's phone. But how are we going to get it?" Junpei asked.

"That's even easier."

A dazzling smile spread across Yukino's beautiful face. "We'll just repay him in kind."

Looking at that captivating smile, both Yuji and Junpei had the same thought:

Yukinoshita-senpai is scary!

They arrived at the school gates. It was Monday, and except for those who were skipping class like Junpei or had excused absences like Yukino, all the other students were in class.

To catch the Idle Transfiguration curse user, Yukino had asked her sister to get her a week off from school, making Shizuka Hiratsuka worry if something had happened to the Yukinoshita family.

"Ah." Yuji suddenly cried out.

"Ah!" The guidance counselor, his pants retrieved, glared at Yuji with his beady eyes. "It's you! You rude brat!"

"Yukinoshita-senpai, we have a problem. What should we do? Want me to take his pants off again?" Yuji whispered to Yukino.

Seemingly sensing his intentions, the counselor instinctively clutched his trousers.

"No need."

Yukino shook her head and walked straight towards the man. After a moment of surprise, Yuji and Junpei followed.

"W-what are you doing?!" The counselor backed away, alarmed. "Stop! Don't come any closer! I'll call security!"

This was Satozakura High, and he was the guidance counselor. The thought of being on his home turf seemed to embolden him.

He pointed at them accusingly. "You two, what school are you from? Especially you, pink-haired brat! How dare you steal a teacher's pants?! And Yoshino-kun, how can you be friends with such people? They'll only lead you astray and ruin your future!"

Before he could continue his tirade, Yukino cut him off. "You're a teacher at this school, correct?"

"I'm the guidance counselor!" the man corrected, emphasizing his authority.

"You were aware of the bullying against Yoshino Junpei, weren't you?" Yukino pressed.

"Bullying? What bullying?" The counselor frowned. "Don't go spreading false rumors! Our Satozakura High is..."

"Still denying it? Or do you need Yoshino-kun to personally identify you before you give up?" Yukino's gaze turned cold. "You're a teacher, yet you're protecting criminals?"

Although she knew that dedicated teachers like Shizuka Hiratsuka were rare, she still believed that teachers should have a basic level of professional ethics.

It seemed she was too naive.

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I will upload more chapters at night in about 10 hours