"Hey! I can't just pretend I didn't hear that! That's racial discrimination! My physical traits are just my own! Not every black person is good at sports!"
Miguel's expression darkened as he raised the Black Rope in his hand and pointed it at Satoru above, shouting angrily.
From the way he looked, it seemed like he was ready to drop Mukuro and rush over to switch opponents.
"Satoru. What Miguel hates most is when people bring up his skin color or race and say things that sound like they're 'obvious truths.'"
While Satoru still looked confused, Suguru wrapped an arm around his shoulder and reminded him that what he just said had hurt his friend.
"Oh. Is that so? Sorry about that."
"Hmph."
Seeing the apology, Miguel snorted and shifted his gaze back to Mukuro.
Then, he put the Black Rope away.
"What? Not using that weapon?"
"I only pulled it out earlier out of habit so I could escape. What I want now is to settle this with you in pure physical combat."
Miguel rolled his shoulders. His joints cracked loudly, as if the beating he took earlier had only been a warm-up.
In truth, only he knew how heavy those punches had been, each one stronger than the last. If he had not used the Black Rope to break away in time, he might already be seeing stars.
"Come on. You attack first."
Mukuro beckoned with his hand. His casual stance looked like it was full of openings.
But in Miguel's eyes, it was flawless.
A hundred attack paths flashed through his mind. Yet when he thought of that speed and strength, none of them felt like they would work.
"I'm coming."
Dropping all hesitation, Miguel chose to trust his technique and instinct.
He kicked off the ground hard. The force blasted a deep crater beneath his feet.
His massive body shot forward in an instant. His iron fists fell like a storm.
This time, Mukuro did not dodge.
Bang!
Fists and limbs collided, producing a dull sound like solid objects crashing together.
Miguel's Prayer Song pushed his movements to their limit, barely allowing him to keep up.
To the younger sorcerers watching, their exchange looked several times faster than normal. Blink once and you could not even tell who was throwing punches.
"No matter how many times you try, the result won't change."
A technique like Miguel's was, to Mukuro, nothing more than a boost to physical combat. And against him, competing in pure hand-to-hand combat was a joke.
Facing Miguel's relentless assault, he finally became serious.
The tide turned instantly.
Somewhere along the way, the one attacking became the one defending.
And the speed of those strikes was so fast that even with technique support, Miguel had already taken several more hits.
This time, a punch landed cleanly on his face, leaving him dizzy.
'Stay calm…'
Even so, he held on. He waited. He waited for the same kind of opening as before.
'Now.'
At last, within the near airtight afterimages of Mukuro's punches, he found a trace of hope.
Miguel tilted his head. He did not dodge the punch, only let it graze past his cheek.
Then his body twisted. His right fist surged upward from below, slamming toward Mukuro's abdomen with tremendous force.
"Black Flash!"
When the time gap between physical impact and cursed energy release drops below one-millionth of a second, the power of the attack rises to 2.5 times its usual strength.
That was Black Flash.
Normally, no one could use it at will. But in this moment, Miguel trusted his judgment.
Black and red cursed energy wrapped around his fist. Even space itself began to warp slightly.
It was the sign of success.
This punch would decide everything.
Sadly, reality was cruel.
"Your intent is too obvious."
The moment that dense cursed energy burst out from Miguel's right fist, Mukuro understood his plan.
Just before the punch landed, he shifted his body to the side. His hand grabbed Miguel's face and slammed him straight down, embedding him into the ground.
"Wait! I give up!"
As Mukuro raised his fists to continue, Miguel raised a hand and shouted surrender, his face full of frustration.
"That's it already?"
Aside from his older brother, it was rare for anyone to push Mukuro this far in pure physical combat. He actually had been enjoying himself.
"I only wanted to see the man Geto calls the strongest in physical combat. I didn't come here to be used as a punching bag."
Miguel adjusted his sunglasses, his tone clearly annoyed.
Mukuro must have held back. His face was covered in bruises, but the glasses were still intact.
Still, missing that final strike left him disappointed.
If it had landed, maybe the result would have been different.
"I told you. Fighting Mukuro will make you doubt your life."
With the winner decided, the others walked down the stairs.
The track and field were already in ruins.
"Don't look at me. Repair costs are obviously on the challenger. Or the loser. Either works."
Noticing Nanami about to speak, Mukuro cut him off first.
"By the way, it feels like Yuta needs a teacher like Miguel right now. Someone who can teach both physical combat and cursed energy control."
Satoru's gaze moved across the group and finally stopped on Yuta.
Someone who could land a Black Flash had deep understanding of cursed energy. His physical skill was top-tier too. As a teacher, he would be excellent.
"I knew you'd think that. That's one of the reasons I came back."
Suguru smiled.
* * *
In the blink of an eye, another year passed.
Following his teachers' advice, Yuta went overseas to train under Miguel.
Meanwhile, Megumi, carrying the Fushiguro family name, enrolled directly into Tokyo Jujutsu High as a genius grade 2 sorcerer, becoming the first new first-year student.
Currently, at Kyoto Jujutsu High.
Principal Gakuganji's private reception room.
"Fushiguro-sensei, long time no see."
When Mukuro reached the door, Miwa, standing guard outside, immediately straightened up and greeted him.
"Miwa. Thanks for your hard work."
He waved casually and pushed the door open.
"Just doing my duty!"
She said that out loud, but inside she was cheering.
'Yay! Fushiguro-sensei actually remembers my name!'
Inside the room.
"You know why I asked you here this time, don't you?"
The principal, leaning on his cane and looking too old to walk properly anymore, stared at the young man sitting across from him.
"About Sukuna's vessel. Right?"
**
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