CHAPTER 15: YUTA AND MAKI

The sky over Jujutsu High darkened slowly, painted in the dimming hues of dusk. Clouds gathered, thick and gray—reflecting the pressure in the air, as if the heavens themselves braced for war.

Inside one of the open corridors, Satoru Gojo leaned silently against a pillar.

His hands were clenched inside his pockets, and his usually aloof expression was gone—replaced with a rare stillness.

He stared ahead, but saw nothing.

And then he muttered, barely audible, colder than ice:

"Suguru Geto… is already dead."

His cursed energy rippled around him, faint but sharp like a blade's edge. The world around Gojo didn't dare move. Not yet.

Elsewhere in the training yard, beneath the shadow of a watchtower, Maki Zen'in was sitting on the stone ledge sharpening her spear. The sound of metal on stone echoed in rhythmic, calculated strokes.

Yuta Okkotsu stood nearby, holding a wooden sword—training had just ended, and sweat still dripped from his forehead. But his eyes were on Maki.

"Hey… Maki?"

She grunted in acknowledgment, not looking up.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Tch. You're asking anyway."

He smiled faintly. "You mentioned before… about your family. The Zen'in clan."

She paused. The whetstone stopped mid-stroke.

"…Yeah. What about it?"

"You said you couldn't use cursed energy. That… you're not even recognized by them."

Maki's eyes narrowed slightly. "You gonna mock me now too?"

"No," Yuta said firmly. "I just don't get it. How can someone with no cursed energy fight like you do? I mean… you're incredible."

Maki blinked.

He continued, quietly but with conviction.

"I want to be like that. Not just strong because of Rika… but strong because of me. Like you."

There was a long silence.

Maki didn't respond right away. She stood, dusted her palms off, and looked at him—expression unreadable.

"You're a weirdo," she muttered.

Yuta tilted his head. "Eh?"

Maki stepped past him and jabbed the butt of her spear into his gut—not hard enough to injure, but enough to knock him back a step.

"Don't go saying embarrassing things so casually."

He laughed softly, rubbing his stomach. "Sorry."

She turned her back, adjusting her glasses, but her ears were a faint shade of red.

"…Thanks," she mumbled.

Yuta blinked. "Did you say something?"

"I SAID TRAIN HARDER, LOSER!" Maki barked over her shoulder, walking off at a faster pace than usual.

Yuta stood there for a moment, stunned—then smiled.

Above them, the clouds continued to gather.

The night of war was drawing near.