Busujima Saeko -2

Tokyo Metropolitan Jujutsu High School, located on the western side of Tokyo, sits amidst a sparsely urbanized forested area.

Viewed solely from above, it couldn't even be called a "school"—it resembles more of a centuries-old grand temple.

It was 7:25 a.m. The warm spring sunlight bathed the wooden handrail of the second-floor corridor of the Hachiman-style Buddhist temple. A tall, dark purple-haired kendo girl in a school uniform gazed at the distant campus scenery below, set down her phone, and exhaled softly.

Simultaneously, footsteps echoed from behind her.

Though the identity of the approaching person was discernible from the footsteps alone, instinct as a kendo practitioner compelled the girl to glance back.

Emerging from indoors was a black-haired boy with a spiky haircut, also wearing the Jujutsu High uniform, followed by a sports student whose hair appeared dip-dyed—burgundy on top, black below.

Notably, the latter had two faint lines beneath his eyes, giving the uncanny impression of two additional closed eyes.

Their gazes met mid-air. The spiky-haired boy raised his hand first in greeting.

"Good morning, Senpai Busujima."

"Ah, it's Fushiguro… and…?"

Busujima Saeko nodded slightly, her gaze lingering on the dip-dyed sports student behind him.

"Good morning, Senpai! I'm Itadori Yuji, Fushiguro's classmate now."

The sports student scratched his head, introducing himself straightforwardly.

"Hello."

Busujima Saeko offered a polite smile.

She remembered him—after all, he'd been brought back by Gojo Satoru just two days prior. Supposedly, he was the only person to date who'd consumed one of Ryomen Sukuna's fingers, survived, and retained his consciousness.

Though extraordinary, it held no particular significance for her.

Unlike other classes at Jujutsu High, where students formed teams of three, she'd operated solo since enrollment, completing all missions independently without assistance.

Getting to know another junior offered nothing but unnecessary social entanglements. Thus, she saw no need to overstep boundaries.

The conversation halted there. Silence enveloped the corridor.

After two or three seconds, Fushiguro Megumi broke the silence.

"Senpai seemed troubled earlier. Is something wrong?"

"…Sort of."

With her junior initiating the conversation, Busujima Saeko could only shake her head, unlocking her phone to switch to the forum page.

"Remember the post last night about someone night fishing and finding Sukuna's finger?"

"Yeah, didn't you contact them immediately, Senpai? Was it recovered?"

Fushiguro Megumi inquired.

"Unfortunately, no…"

Busujima Saeko shook her head again.

As she reached for her phone to show the chat log, Itadori Yuji leaned in curiously, interjecting.

"Sukuna's finger? Isn't that the one I ate?"

"Correct."

Busujima Saeko glanced at him calmly.

"Teacher Gojo should've mentioned it. There are twenty of Sukuna's fingers, six of which are held by the Jujutsu Association. Yours was just one of those twenty."

"Oh, right…"

Itadori Yuji nodded, only to be abruptly shoved aside by Fushiguro Megumi, whose tone grew urgent.

"So what's the situation now?!"

After all, each of Ryomen Sukuna's fingers was a Special-Grade Cursed Object. Unsealing even one would draw cursed spirits from kilometers around to vie for it.

Just like the day he and Itadori Yuji first met.

Yet, in less than half an hour after unsealing, the entire school had been overrun by cursed spirits.

Now, Senpai Busujima claimed it hadn't been recovered even by now.

The post was from last night, and the photo clearly showed the seal broken. If no jujutsu sorcerer intervened all night…

Fushiguro Megumi dared not imagine further.

Not to mention what those cursed spirits, drawn by the unsealed finger, had become after a night of carnage. At least the poster…

"They replied, just before you came out."

Busujima Saeko's casual remark snapped Fushiguro Megumi back to reality.

Wait, they replied? So the person's alive?

"Look."

The kendo girl opened the private message page, displaying the chat for her juniors.

Fushiguro Megumi leaned in, breath held, and saw seven large characters.

—Hello, I'm Qin Shi Huang.

"…What the hell?" The spiky-haired boy's eyes twitched.

While the reply time suggested the person was alive, it was clear they weren't taking the message seriously!

"This is problematic now." Busujima Saeko sighed softly. "In cases like this, no matter what we send, they won't believe us. I'll report it to the principal later…"

"Hold on, hold on, hold on~ What're you discussing? Reporting to the principal?"

Before she finished, a casual male voice echoed from nearby.

Turning toward the sound, they saw a tall, white-haired young man in sunglasses, waving as he strolled down the corridor toward them.

"Teacher Gojo?"

Itadori Yuji was surprised but quickly pointed to the kendo girl's phone.

"Ah, someone posted on the school forum last night about finding Ryomen Sukuna's finger…"

"Huh?"

Gojo Satoru, previously unhurried, suddenly quickened his pace, covering three steps in two, reaching them in an instant. He glanced at the chat log, let out a soft "Ah," and took the phone.

"So, the person's alive, just not believing our messages. But we built a backdoor into the forum from the start for cases like this."

"Backdoor?"

"Remember the real-name verification during forum registration? Everyone has it, but Jujutsu High staff and students have an extra step. That verification grants admin privileges under reasonable circumstances, letting you view the other party's real-name info."

"Wait, isn't that…"

"Well, objectively, yes. But it's fascinating—someone survived a whole night with Sukuna's finger?"

Gojo Satoru tapped away on the phone, muttering.

Soon, with temporary admin privileges granted, clicking the chat avatar revealed previously hidden details.

Gojo Satoru scanned the information. Upon seeing the real name, he paused.

After a long moment, he clicked his tongue slightly.

"Ah…"

"What? What?"

Itadori Yuji leaned in curiously, only to be blocked by Gojo Satoru's hand.

He returned the phone to Busujima Saeko, resuming his casual smile.

"Alright, I got their info. They're from Kenjaku Academy. Busujima, contact them after school today."

"…Understood."