Yukino's Dedication

"Honestly, you're really getting into it with the students, huh?"

Gojo Satoru watched Sukuna surrounded by the students, a playful pout on his lips.

Beside him, Komachi was glued to the scene, her eyes wide with amazement. "Are all jujutsu sorcerer battles this scary?" she murmured.

"Scary?" Gojo chuckled. "This is just playing around."

"Really…?" Komachi looked bewildered. If this was just playing around, how terrifying would a real battle be?

"Don't worry, Sukuna knows what he's doing," Gojo reassured her.

"Ah! Onii-chan is slacking off!"

Komachi, ever vigilant of her brother, had spotted Hachiman trying to hide. She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, "Onii-chan! Stop slacking off!!!"

So she wasn't worried at all...

Gojo's smile faltered.

Hachiman's face turned pale as he heard his sister's call. Noticing the others looking at him strangely, he couldn't pretend to be dead anymore. He reluctantly got up, facing his inevitable doom.

"That guy… his name is Hikigaya, right?" Maki's lips twitched. "Seriously, what's he even doing here?"

"He seems scared of Sukuna," Panda commented, scratching his head.

"Like that new first-year?" she recalled the black-haired boy with bangs. "Newbies should be training with Nanami, not here. The spots for the Goodwill Event are already full."

"Okay, now's not the time for that," Panda reminded her.

"You're right. Let's focus on the fight."

Maki turned her attention back to Sukuna, gripping her staff tightly.

"Ready? Here I come!"

Sukuna grinned. Without waiting for Yukino and Yuji to catch up, he launched himself at Maki and Panda, leaving a deep imprint in the ground.

He's faster!

Maki and Panda's eyes widened. Sukuna's sudden burst of speed caught them off guard.

Sukuna's arms, like blunt weapons, slammed into their necks. Maki managed to partially block with her staff, but Panda had no defense besides his thick fur.

They were dragged along, plowing through the grass towards Nobara.

Megumi, standing beside Maki, didn't even have time to react. He only snapped out of his daze after they were already gone.

"Tch, I can't guarantee I won't hit Maki-senpai and Panda-senpai!"

Nobara gritted her teeth, dodging Sukuna's charge with a roll. She landed in the grass, covered in dirt.

Sukuna brought his arms together, flinging Maki and Panda away. They tumbled across the grass before coming to a stop, clutching their throats and coughing.

Sukuna had already turned towards Nobara, catching the nails she threw with his bare hands before flinging them back at her. The nails pierced her shoulder, disrupting her movements.

He abruptly stopped his charge towards her.

The next moment, a large snake crashed past him like a runaway train.

Megumi, who had anticipated Sukuna's trajectory and commanded the snake to attack, was startled to see Sukuna suddenly change direction and charge towards him.

Attacking Nobara was a feint. His real target was me?!

Megumi quickly had Nue carry him into the air, trying to create distance.

Below him, Yuji and Yukino were closing in on Sukuna.

"Ora!"

Yuji reached Sukuna first, throwing a punch. But before his fist could connect, Sukuna vanished.

"Huh?"

Yuji felt a heavy weight on his head, throwing him off balance.

Sukuna used his head as a springboard, leaping into the air. He instinctively dodged an invisible slash, then reached for Megumi in the sky.

"No way!"

Megumi's eyes widened in alarm as he urged Nue to ascend, but Sukuna was faster.

He grabbed Megumi's ankle, swinging from it like a vine. He then twisted his body mid-air, his legs wrapping around Megumi's arm, forcing him to release the shikigami.

Megumi plummeted to the ground, completely immobilized as Sukuna spun him around before slamming him into the earth, creating a cloud of dust.

When the dust settled, Megumi lay unconscious, and Sukuna casually walked towards Yuji, stretching his limbs.

"That's insane…"

"Megumi got wrecked…"

The remaining students stared in disbelief. They were all stunned by Sukuna's aerial takedown.

"Is Fushiguro-senpai going to be okay? Did he kill him?" Komachi asked worriedly.

"He'll be fine. Megumi is tough," Gojo reassured her. "Sorcerers are generally tough, and he also has Reverse Cursed Technique. He could probably regrow his heart if it got ripped out."

"..."

Komachi was speechless.

Seeing the approaching Sukuna, the remaining students instinctively backed away.

Sukuna's display of power was overwhelming.

While Gojo's strength was evident in his overwhelming cursed energy and technique, Sukuna's was in his sheer, raw power and skill.

Even though Sukuna had suppressed his abilities to their level, and his speed wasn't completely unmanageable, they were still no match for his experience and combat instincts.

Losing to Gojo wouldn't have been a big deal.

But losing to Sukuna like this filled them with a sense of defeat.

Even Gojo-sensei, without using cursed energy or techniques, couldn't have completely crushed us like this with just physical strength, right?

"We... haven't lost yet."

Just as their morale wavered, Yukino's clear voice cut through the air. Everyone turned to look at her.

She stared intently at Sukuna, calculating how to get close to him.

If she expressed her intention to engage in close combat, he wouldn't refuse, but she wasn't confident she could land Cleave on him in a direct confrontation.

That's why she needed cover.

"Everyone, please help me get close to Sukuna-kun. If I can touch him, I can inflict real damage," she said seriously.

"Are you serious...? Fine, let's do it! I'm not going to lose pathetically and get mocked by that blindfolded idiot." Maki shook her head, pushing away her doubts. "I'll leave it to you!"

"Alright!" Yuji exclaimed, his fighting spirit rekindled.

"Yuji, what are you getting excited for?!" Maki lightly kicked him.

"I was talking to Yukinoshita-senpai!"

"Huh?!"

"Nothing..."

Yuji sulked.

"Haha, Itadori is such an idiot."

Nobara grinned and launched several nails towards Sukuna, the sound of her hammer hitting the nails like a battle cry.

The nails landed around Sukuna's feet.

Sukuna glanced at the nails, then smirked and charged towards the group.

More nails flew, landing in his path.

"Straw Doll Technique: Hairpin!"

With Nobara's shout, the cursed energy in the nails detonated, creating a chain reaction of explosions that tore up the ground and sent a gust of wind towards Sukuna.

Although the explosions couldn't harm him, they disrupted his balance.

As he rolled out of the blast radius, a shadow suddenly loomed over him.

Without looking up, he dodged to the side as Panda landed with a thud, throwing a punch.

The cursed-energy-infused fist struck Sukuna, who was still off-balance, sending him skidding across the grass.

Maki, wielding her staff, ran towards Panda, using his back as a springboard to launch herself into the air. She swung her staff down at Sukuna, but he caught it with one hand.

With a light tug, he pulled Maki towards him. She had no choice but to release her weapon.

"What monstrous strength," Maki muttered, quickly closing in.

As a three-section staff, Playful Cloud was difficult to wield effectively at close range. She thought she could gain the upper hand by attacking first.

But to her surprise, Sukuna tossed the staff into the air and effortlessly blocked her attacks with his bare hands.

After exchanging a few blows with Maki, Sukuna suddenly leaped, dodging Yuji's sliding kick. He blocked a high kick aimed at his neck with one hand, while his other hand reached behind him, grabbing Yukino's wrist.

Like an elegant dancer, he pulled Yukino's fist, making it collide with Panda's incoming punch, then slipped away from their combined attack.

Panda was forced to change his trajectory to avoid hitting Yukino, his fist slamming into the ground and sending dirt flying.

Their coordinated assault was broken.

When they recovered, they saw Sukuna grinning as he held a pouting Nobara with both hands raised in mock surrender.

"I give up," Nobara grumbled.

"If we keep fighting like this, won't Yukinoshita-senpai be the only one left standing in the end?" Even Yuji's smile wavered.

"Watch out, he's coming again!" Maki, having just retrieved Playful Cloud, saw Sukuna charging towards them.

The moment she spoke, a figure flashed past her.

It was Yukino!

"Hey, weren't we supposed to be covering for you?" Maki's eyes widened in surprise, but she joined the attack.

"Oh?"

Sukuna raised an eyebrow, surprised but not entirely unexpected, as he saw Yukino charging towards him.

Compared to the cursed technique he had imprinted on her, Yukino's close-combat skills were undeniably weaker, but she was actively seeking to improve them.

And for close combat, the only way to improve was through actual battles.

Recognizing her own weakness and seeking ways to improve was a very Yukino-like approach.

She raised her hand, and an invisible slash flew towards Sukuna. It left a faint red mark on his arm, momentarily halting his advance.

Not just blindly rushing into close combat, but using her technique strategically to create an opening. She's learning fast.

A hint of pride flickered in Sukuna's eyes.

Adaptability and resourcefulness were things he had taught Yukino, and she was now applying them perfectly in battle.

Yukino swiftly closed in on Sukuna. However, when she was just a few meters away, she suddenly stopped and dodged to the side.

Maki dashed past her, her three-section staff whipping towards Sukuna.

He was about to disarm her as he had before, but he sensed the incoming Cleave attack and jumped back, narrowly avoiding both the staff and the invisible slashes.

The slashes carved deep grooves into the ground.

"Well then, I guess I'll get a bit more serious. It's about time we ended this."

Sukuna said, then, as if he had eyes on the back of his head, he reached behind him and caught Panda's fist without even looking.

He spun around, his fist slamming into Panda's head. Panda felt like he had been hit by a wrecking ball and went flying with a yelp.

After knocking Panda away, Sukuna continued his spin, his arms shooting out to block both Yuji and Maki's attacks simultaneously.

And judging by the calm smile on his face, he was still holding back.

The pressure on Yuji and Maki intensified, and with pressure came mistakes.

Sukuna exploited a gap in their coordination, swatting Maki's staff aside with one hand while grabbing Yuji's wrist with the other, pulling him closer and driving his knee into Yuji's stomach.

"Ugh!"

The impact forced the air from Yuji's lungs, doubling him over.

Sukuna followed up with an elbow to Yuji's back, sending him crashing to the ground. He then ducked under Maki's staff and swept her legs out from under her.

He got up and dodged Yukino's grasping hand, a smirk playing on his lips.

Yukino's eyes widened as her fingers barely missed his shirt.

So close, yet so far.

Sukuna raised his hand, his fingers poised to flick Yukino's forehead.

She clenched her lips, frustration and resignation battling within her, and closed her eyes, bracing for the impact.

"Yukinoshita!"

A determined shout echoed from the distance, filled with a desperate resolve. The familiar voice sounded almost foreign.

Yukino's eyes flew open.

Half of Sukuna's body was trapped within a mirror, seemingly transported to another dimension.

"Forgot about you, dead fish-eyes," he said, looking at his trapped reflection with curiosity.

A second later, the mirror shattered.

Without needing any further prompting, Yukino's hand slammed against Sukuna's chest. A Cleave attack, infused with cursed energy, tore through him, painting him with crimson.

At the same time, Sukuna's finger flicked out, leaving a red mark on Yukino's forehead.

She stumbled back, clutching her forehead.

Hachiman, drained of cursed energy, collapsed to the ground. Mustering his remaining strength, he rasped, "That was my last bit of cursed energy… take it, Yukinoshita..."

Then, like a true salted fish, he stuck out his tongue and passed out.

"We… won...?"

Maki stared in disbelief.

The key to their victory had been the guy who had been slacking off the entire time.

Well, it was partly Sukuna's fault too.

If he hadn't insisted on using such a childish attack, even with Hachiman immobilizing him for a second, it wouldn't have mattered.

"They actually won. How hilarious." Gojo burst out laughing. "And he lost in such a ridiculous way. This is too funny!"

"Wow, Onii-chan actually contributed! It must have been my encouragement that worked!" Komachi looked at the unconscious Hachiman, her praise dying in her throat.

"Ugh, my useless brother is useless no matter where he goes."

On the field, Yuji, rubbing his stomach, sat up with a grumble. "Sukuna-sensei, that was blatant discrimination!"

"Why did you go so hard on us, but only flick Yukinoshita-senpai's forehead?"

Sukuna grinned and shook his fist playfully. "You got a problem with that?"

"No, sir!" Yuji saluted, his energy quickly returning.

Yukino looked at the numerous small cuts on Sukuna's body, her voice gentle with concern. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Sukuna waved his hand dismissively, and his wounds began to heal, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Panda, having recovered from being launched, ran back. Seeing that everyone had stopped fighting, he tilted his head in confusion. "Huh? Is it over?"

"It's over, it's over," Nobara grumbled, walking over with slumped shoulders. "Even if we won, there's no sense of accomplishment. And no reward."

"A reward, huh?" Sukuna stroked his chin thoughtfully. "You're right, a reward would be nice. What do you guys want?"

"That's obvious."

Nobara and Yuji exchanged a knowing glance.

"Kaiseki cuisine in Ginza!"

"Saito Sushi in Akasaka!"

They shouted their answers simultaneously.

"Huh? Are you stupid? Kaiseki is way more expensive!"

"But I want sushi! Saito is a legend! Don't you want to try it?"

The two of them started bickering like children.

After Sukuna woke up Megumi and Toge, they held a vote and decided to go to the famous Saito Sushi in Akasaka.

Panda, unfortunately, had to stay behind at Jujutsu High to avoid being seen by ordinary people. They would have to bring him back takeout.

"Waaah, does everyone hate me?"

The poor panda sulked, drawing circles on the ground with a twig.

...

They arrived at their destination. The group of young people entering the elegant sushi restaurant drew the attention of the other patrons.

Saito was renowned as the pinnacle of sushi in Japan, consistently ranked first on food websites and notoriously difficult to get reservations for. But somehow, Gojo had managed to secure a table.

"So, why are you here?"

Sukuna glared at the white-haired man sitting across from him.

"Now, now, don't be like that. You wouldn't have been able to get a reservation without my help, would you?" Gojo chuckled.

"Wrong. Yukinoshita's father is a prefectural assemblyman. Getting a reservation at a restaurant is nothing to him," Sukuna retorted. "You're paying."

"Eh?"

Gojo's smile instantly vanished.