Three days later.
A black luxury car emerged from the winding mountain road and slowly entered a small town at the foot of the mountain.
On the outskirts of Tokyo, the rural scenery presented a unique harmonious beauty. Far from the city's noise, the view here was peaceful and calm.
Endless fields stretched out, with rice and wheat swaying gently in the breeze. The farmland was separated by carefully trimmed green lawns, and occasionally, scarecrows wearing straw hats stood tall, adding a touch of life to the fields.
Looking ahead along the winding path, one could see farmhouses and rural homes—some were traditional Japanese wooden houses, others were modern farm-style buildings—giving off a cozy feeling.
"This is the destination for this mission," said Kiyotaka Ijichi, the assistant supervisor from Tokyo Jujutsu High, as he stepped down from the driver's seat. "According to our field investigation, we've confirmed that—"
"Sitting in the car for two hours really gave me a backache," Nobara Kugisaki interrupted impatiently as she rushed out from the front passenger seat and stretched her body.
"Huh? Has it been that long?" said Yuji Itadori, yawning as he just woke up and rubbed his sleepy eyes.
"What time did you sleep last night? You look like you're still half-asleep," Megumi Fushiguro glanced at him, somewhat skeptical about his ability to carry out the mission properly.
"Everyone, Mr. Ijichi is talking to us," said Kurumi Tokisaki as she clapped her hands lightly, drawing the attention of the other three.
Upon hearing that, the three noisy students paused their chatter and focused their attention back on their assistant supervisor.
Ijichi gave a grateful glance to Kurumi and continued the briefing that had been cut short: "Based on our investigation, several Grade 1 semi-grade to Grade 2 level curses have been confirmed in this area. All large livestock in this town have been slaughtered, and several farmers and herders have gone missing. Please stay alert."
"Don't worry, Mr. Ijichi. Leave those curses to us!" said Yuji energetically. Though he was just half-asleep a moment ago, hearing the mention of semi-grade 1 curses immediately got his blood pumping.
"Why are you suddenly so excited?" Fushiguro muttered. "We're not elementary school kids going on a field trip."
"Well, I didn't get to join the previous exchange event, so I missed out on so many activities," Yuji said with a pitiful look. "Now that I finally get to go on a mission with you guys, can't I be a little excited?"
"Gross. Don't be like that."
"Say something like that too bluntly and I'll actually feel hurt."
Three days ago, Yuji had been forcibly excluded from the exchange event by Satoru Gojo and replaced by Tokisaki Kurumi. Despite having prepared for the event for so long, he was left disappointed and envious.
It was like watching your classmates play outside during a school sports day while you were forced to stay in the classroom.
So yesterday, when he learned that they were being sent on an exorcism mission to a rural town outside Tokyo, he was too excited to sleep.
Although it was a mission, it was his first time ever going to the countryside.
Because his mother had died early and his father disappeared, leaving only his grandfather to raise him, Yuji had lived in the city all his life. He had never experienced the countryside before, making it feel completely new.
Let alone the fact that he was going with his friends.
"Let's finish this quickly and get out of here," said Nobara, who clearly wasn't thrilled.
That was understandable.
Unlike Yuji, who had never been to the countryside, Nobara had lived in a dull little town not much different from this rural area before she came to Tokyo.
"Okay, let's start investigating," Kurumi said, but her mind was clearly elsewhere.
She didn't recognize this place at all.
More precisely, she couldn't recall any scene in the original story where the main group came here.
"So the reason Yuji and the others appeared here must be because my presence disrupted the original plot?" Kurumi narrowed her eyes, a hint of vigilance rising in her heart.
For someone like her—relying only on physical strength and compressed spirit energy as a clone—if she wasn't cautious, it would be all too easy to get eliminated.
"What's wrong, Tokisaki?"
As they walked along the country road, Yuji seemed to notice her guarded demeanor and asked, "You seem distracted."
"It's nothing. Just thinking about how difficult this mission might be."
"But didn't Mr. Ijichi say the curses are between semi-grade 1 and grade 2?" Yuji responded casually. "That kind of curse isn't much of a threat to us now."
Back when school just started, Gojo had taken the four of them to a hospital to assess their combat strength.
Even as rookies, the four had managed to take down semi-grade 1 curses through teamwork.
Now, they had all grown significantly stronger.
Especially Yuji—after receiving personal training from Gojo and learning to control cursed energy, his combat power had skyrocketed.
Not to mention the classmate standing before him, whose physical strength was no less than his, as seen during the exchange event. She clearly wasn't some delicate flower in need of protection.
Yuji was confident that they could handle not just semi-grade 1 curses, but even slightly weaker special-grade ones.
"But we still shouldn't let our guard down," Kurumi said seriously. "What if the curse outbreak this time is actually another assassination attempt on you by the Top Brass in the Jujutsu world?"
"Hmm..."
Yuji expression turned serious.
Though after the Juvenile Detention Center incident, Gojo had supposedly dealt with the conservative Top Brass diplomatically, and they shouldn't be pulling dirty tricks anymore...
Still, it's always wise to be wary. The world isn't short of people who say one thing to your face and do another behind your back.
Yuji excitement calmed a little.
"Y'know, you and Fushiguro kind of give off the same vibe," he said to Kurumi. "You both seem really mature."
"Mature?"
"Yeah. Even though we're the same age, you both feel more like adults," Yuji said with admiration. "Fushiguro I can understand—he's been in the Jujutsu world longer. But you and I are both newcomers. It doesn't feel fair."
"Well, once you've been through a bit more, you'll be mature too," Kurumi replied.
"So that means you've been through a lot?"
Yuji looked at her with curiosity.
In the beginning, Kurumi had briefly mentioned her background, so he assumed she was just another person who stumbled into the Jujutsu world by coincidence like himself.
But the more he got to know her, the more uncertain he became.
Just who was this girl, really?
In fact, Yuji had asked both Nobara and Fushiguro the same question.
Nobara, who spent the most time with Kurumi as the only two girls in their year, described her as a strange girl.
She gave off the air of a wealthy city girl, yet showed no interest in makeup, fashion, or other trendy topics girls liked to talk about.
Even Maki Zenin, who was the least "girly" of them all, had more to say on such topics than Kurumi.
When Yuji asked Fushiguro, who wasn't even that close to Kurumi, Fushiguro became visibly tense and warned him not to dig too deep.
That only made Yuji more curious.
"It's nothing much," Kurumi said with a smile. "Just... boring things."
She glanced at Yuji. "Why the sudden curiosity about me?"
"Because you're pretty mysterious. You're nothing like I originally imagined," he said bluntly. "You hid your true self at first, then showed off crazy physical strength at the exchange event. It's like you're full of secrets."
"Everyone has secrets, don't they?" Kurumi asked. "Don't you, Yuji?"
"Me?"
Yuji thought for a moment and shook his head. "Not really."
"Really?" Kurumi blinked. "Then... why can your body restrain Sukuna?"
Yuji was speechless.
Yuji Itadori froze for a moment, then said a bit awkwardly, "I really don't know."
Kurumi Tokisaki smiled but didn't continue speaking.
Yuji scratched his head, clearly feeling at a loss.
In Kurumi Tokisaki eyes, he must have seemed like he was deliberately hiding some secret.
But he genuinely didn't know why his body could serve as a vessel for Sukuna.
Still, since Kurumi wasn't willing to reveal her own secrets, he wasn't about to press her for answers either.
While he could be naive at times, his emotional intelligence wasn't so low that he'd go around interrogating others about their personal secrets.
And so, silence fell between the two of them.
"Hey, hey, you punk, are you really the kind of guy who tries to pry into a girl's secrets?"
Though their conversation hadn't been particularly loud, it wasn't exactly quiet either. Nobara Kugisaki, who was walking ahead of them, heard every word.
Sensing the awkward and strange atmosphere between them, she grabbed Yuji Itadori by the neck and tried to lighten the mood, saying, "What sneaky business are you up to? Even I don't know what secrets Kurumi might have. So why should she tell you if she does?"
"I wasn't trying to dig for anything! I was just a little curious, so I asked," Yuji protested with a pout, not daring to resist her grip. "Besides, Megumi clearly knows something—he's just not telling me."
"Huh?" Nobara glanced suspiciously at Megumi Fushiguro. "Why would you know Kurumi secret?"
"I don't know anything. Don't listen to Yuji nonsense," Megumi replied, shooting a glare at Yuji for dragging him into this. He quickly turned his head away, pretending to admire the scenery like he had nothing to do with it.
Truthfully, he didn't know anything specific about Kurumi Tokisaki.
But after the events of the exchange event, he had developed some suspicions.
Still, those were only guesses. He had no intention of investigating further, nor did he want to share them.
It wasn't that he didn't care.
He just felt that if his suspicions were correct, then it was something far beyond his ability to get involved in.
That sort of matter... was better left to Satoru Gojo.
"Oh? Trying to drag Fushiguro down with you now, huh?" Nobara gave Yuji a noogie to the temple, acting like a teacher scolding a misbehaving kid. "Wow, Yuji. I didn't know you were that kind of guy."
"I—!"
Yuji looked miserable, unable to defend himself. "Fine, I was wrong."
"I'll let it go this time," Nobara said with a huff.
Seeing that the mood had lightened, she finally released Yuji.
Then, she slowed her pace and walked beside Kurumi Tokisaki, speaking casually, "Yuji the kind of guy who blurts out whatever he's thinking. He's a simple-minded guy, so don't take it personally."
"Not at all. That's exactly how I imagined Yuji to be—honest and straightforward," Kurumi said with a soft nod and smile.
But Nobara noticed something—a flicker of complexity in Kurumi eyes that quickly vanished.
"But... what if…"
After a brief silence, Kurumi suddenly spoke again, her tone subdued and low.
"What if one day... you discover that the real me isn't who you thought I was? Would you hate me?"
The moment she said that, all three of them halted mid-step.
But just as quickly, they resumed walking as if nothing had happened.
"No way. You're still you, Tokisaki," Yuji said without hesitation. "As long as you still see me as a friend, I'll never hate you."
"I agree," Megumi added calmly. "Everyone has their own secrets. I'm no exception. If someone were to lay everything bare right from the beginning, that would be even more suspicious."
"Ugh, all the cool lines were taken by the guys. Unfair," Nobara scratched her cheek, frustrated. "Well, accepting everything about someone is what being friends is all about, right?"
"Is that so…" Kurumi face lit up with a sincere smile, as if a heavy stone in her heart had finally been lifted. "Thank you… all of you."
Seeing Kurumi return to her usual self, the three of them breathed a collective sigh of relief.
They didn't know what inner turmoil she had been wrestling with, but it seemed things had turned out well.
"Anyway, back to the topic at hand," Megumi coughed twice and shifted the conversation.
"What are your thoughts on this exorcism mission?"