Itadori quickly announced the good news to everyone.
Everyone immediately dropped what they were doing, gathered around, and excitedly chattered greetings to the mouth of Sukuna on Itadori's hand.
Nobara: "Sukuna, Sukuna, you're finally back!"
Inumaki: "Mustard leaf! Mustard leaf!" (Are you okay?)
Panda: "If you didn't come back soon, Yuji would have turned into a husband-gazing stone~"
Itadori:...? Gazing at what stone?
Maki: "That's great, Sukuna, it's good you're back... That blindfolded idiot came to check many times over the past two days, looking frighteningly serious, as if he'd lost his soul!"
Itadori:...Huh? Wait a minute... Gojo-sensei was just guarding him because he was worried Sukuna might go on a rampage if he recovered his memories, right?
Even Fushiguro awkwardly walked up and said, "It's good that you're back. Nothing happened to you these past two days, right?"
Sukuna listened to everyone's chattering words of concern and watched them smiling as they said to him, "Welcome back!—"
He was stunned for a while, feeling a little overwhelmed, and unconsciously pinched the corner of his kimono... Why did he feel like he was receiving celebrity treatment? He thought awkwardly, his heart warming as he looked at the sincere smiles radiating from the faces of these young Jujutsu Sorcerers.
His face felt slightly hot.
He was touched, and his voice held an uncontrollable trace of joy.
"Yes, I'm back."
"I'm fine."
"Thank you."
Hearing Sukuna's response, everyone's eyes lit up, and they cheered internally with clenched fists... That's great!
He's still the Sukuna from before!
Still so polite, not changed at all!
We must quickly tell Gojo-sensei this good news! The Sukuna he was waiting for is finally back!!—
...Gojo, who was away on a business trip, sat by the window, staring blankly outside.
His phone suddenly rang repeatedly. He paused, then immediately took it out.
Looking at the rows of new messages on the screen, the azure blue eyes beneath his sunglasses moved slightly.
He quickly finished reading all the messages, slowly sighed in relief, and sent the reply "Got it."
Then he put down his phone and turned to look out the window again.
The window reflected his clear image, and he couldn't help but raise his hand to his lips.
In the reflection, the perfectly sculpted corners of his mouth curved upward in an irrepressible smile~
..."Ta-da!—!!"
Back in the dorm, Itadori couldn't wait to show Sukuna his favorite thing—a table full of snacks!
"Everyone brought these over the last two days, and I saved them all for you!"
Sukuna stared at the snacks on the table, his eyes filled with surprise.
Following that was a warm current that flowed through his heart.
He hadn't expected everyone to do something like this.
Did this mean that everyone was increasingly... treating him as... Sukuna pursed his lips, raised a hand to cover his eyes, and felt his eyes start to warm slightly.
[Mm.]
He replied, trying hard to take a deep breath and calm his emotions.
He was clearly just a Curse... These guys, honestly... His eyes still felt warm, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up—
Forming an arc of joy.
Itadori hadn't received a response after a long wait and was about to ask in confusion, so Sukuna quickly gave a light cough and loudly said in a manner of concealment.
[Open the packages, open the packages! What are you waiting for?]
[I must make up for all the snacks I missed before!]
Itadori immediately burst out laughing: "Alright!"
...After eating his fill, Itadori sat on the bed.
Sukuna's serious, low voice came from his mind.
[Are you ready?]
Itadori took a deep breath, suppressing the nervousness in his heart.
"I'm ready!"
He was about to enter the inner world Sukuna described—a mountain of corpses, a sea of blood, and piles of bones... He had already mentally reviewed all the scenes from *Resident Evil*, *Battle Royale*, *Train to Busan*, and *Midnight Bell*!
"Then I'm coming in?"
Sukuna responded: [Okay.]
Itadori's vision went black, and his entire body collapsed onto the bed... In a cold, desolate, and empty space, Itadori stood in the blood-water, staring blankly at the scene before him—
Sukuna, wearing a white kimono, was sitting on a moderately high mountain of bones constructed from ox skulls, staring back at him with an equally bewildered expression... Huh?
Sukuna took a moment to process... His Yuji had indeed entered here... But why hadn't he been swapped out?
The previous dialogue instantly surfaced in his mind—
—[Then I'm coming in?]
—[Okay.]
He realized... Oh, right, this time he didn't say he wanted to switch out... So this kind of operation was possible!
"Su... Sukuna?!—"
After the initial surprise, Itadori stared wide-eyed at Sukuna—this was the first time he had seen him in this manner.
Although he didn't understand what happened, the feeling of surprise and delight emerged, making him ignore the surroundings and quickly rush up the pile of bones.
"Sukuna?... Is it really you?"
Itadori's eyes shone, filled with both excitement and nervous disbelief.
Seeing Sukuna, who was slightly shorter than him because he was sitting, he couldn't help but cautiously reach out and poke the other's shoulder.
—Then poked him again.
Sukuna: "..."
Am I some kind of dough? Why are you poking me repeatedly?
"That's right, it's me."
He patted the space beside him, saying a single, simple word.
"Sit."
Itadori immediately sat down without a second thought.
This was the first time he had sat side-by-side with Sukuna, and his heart was filled with novelty.
"How are you here? You didn't switch out?"
Sukuna shrugged: "It's probably because the request you made this time was different."
He quickly explained to Itadori the rules regarding the binding vow that Gojo had taught him.
Itadori understood after listening.
"That's really great," he nodded in satisfaction. "Then I can come in and keep you company anytime from now on!~"
He looked at Sukuna beside him, unable to suppress his smiling eyes.
He was a million percent satisfied with this miraculous phenomenon.
"So..."
Sukuna rested one hand on his chin, looking helplessly at the space before him and saying.
"This is my inner world, and also my Innate Domain."
He didn't dare look at Yuji's expression, thinking the other party probably needed some time to recover.
After all, even he was startled when he first saw it. He hoped Yuji wouldn't be too scared.
Only then did Itadori redirect his gaze toward this Innate Domain.
He looked up and down, then stroked his chin and pondered seriously before giving a critique that he felt was quite fair.
"It's quite grand."
Sukuna: "...?"
Huh? What did you say?
"Don't you think this place is... gloomy, terrifying, bloody, and violent?"
Sukuna gestured around him with his hand, asking in disbelief.
"It's alright, isn't it?" Itadori shook his head honestly.
He reached out and lightly tapped the bone beneath his feet.
"There aren't any human bones among these; they're all ox skulls... so, it feels fine."
"And it looks much better than *Resident Evil*, *Train to Busan*, *Midnight Bell*, and *The Grudge*."
—It even has a unique visual aesthetic.
Sukuna: "..."
...You certainly know how to find comparisons... Wait! Hold on! What the heck are *Midnight Bell* and *The Grudge*? Why mention those two?
This is a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, not a supernatural horror, okay?!
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