Kyoto Prefectural Jujutsu High School.
Gakuganji took one last look out the window. The wind and rain were relentless, fine droplets weaving into a thick fog that clung to the glass. If not for the occasional gust stirring that curtain of water, one wouldn't even realize it was rain—it looked like a heavy, black shroud.
I hope everything goes well... he prayed silently. Almost every sorcerer had been deployed, leaving him as the sole guardian of the school. The sprawling campus suddenly felt hollow, as silent as a tomb.
He closed the window, but a sudden intuition struck him. It felt like someone had returned.
He couldn't imagine who it was. The site of the curse was at least an hour's drive from the academy. According to the intelligence he had just received, Kira Nanami's team had only just finished dealing with Hanami. It was impossible for them to be back so soon.
The newcomer paused before his door. The footsteps stopped, as if drawn to something.
Through the window lattice, Gakuganji watched a young man dressed like an office worker crouch down in front of a small shrine. The man stared with great interest at the offering box.
It was Kira Nanami.
"Brother... whew... I'm done for. I don't have a single drop of Cursed Energy left..."
Aoi Todo was deathly pale. His wounds had scabbed over, and he leaned against the ground in exhaustion, his chest heaving as if he were trying to cough up his very lungs. Just moments ago, he had pushed his Cursed Energy past its absolute limits. He was on the verge of losing consciousness.
Kira Nanami ignored the weakened Todo. He was focused on the offering box, sensing a familiar—and nearly imperceptible—fluctuation of Cursed Energy within.
A pale pink, translucent cat-like figure darted out from beneath his feet. Its semi-transparent hand reached into the box and pulled out a stack of yen notes featuring Yukichi Fukuzawa.
A total of 180,000 yen. It was the "Cursed Money" he had dropped in.
It hadn't been touched. Not once in ten days.
But according to Miwa Kasumi, Principal Gakuganji had been short on cash lately because he wanted to buy a limited-edition guitar. She claimed he would "steal" the money from the offering box every night. Miwa had said it was a secret—very few people knew the Principal did such things.
A secret, huh? Kira Nanami wore a calm smile as he put the money back.
He stood up, brushed the dust from his slightly wrinkled trousers, and pulled out a handkerchief. He wiped away the non-existent sweat from his forehead, folded the handkerchief into a perfect square, and tucked it back into his inner pocket.
Ensuring his appearance was flawless, he nodded to Todo.
"Let's go. We need to report the mission status to the Principal."
"So... why..."
Todo didn't even have the strength to ask. Even as a Grade 1 sorcerer, his Cursed Energy was currently a flickering candle in the wind. His consciousness was fading, and he wobbled as he walked, liable to collapse at any moment. Like a walking corpse, he followed Kira Nanami into the building.
They crossed the rain-swept central courtyard, bypassed the long corridors, passed through the torii gates, and finally reached the door to the living chambers.
Kira Nanami knocked. Upon receiving permission, he slid the door open and entered. Todo followed, trembling, right behind him.
"Kira-kun? Why so soon—and what happened to Todo?"
Gakuganji stood up. He first helped the collapsing Todo, settling him onto a tatami mat, before looking up.
"Is the Cursed Spirit dealt with?"
"Yes. Thanks to you, the mission was successfully completed."
Kira Nanami tossed a dark object toward him. Gakuganji caught it instinctively. He opened his palm to reveal a blackened, hideous finger covered in corpse spots—a finger of Sukuna.
"How did you get back so quickly?"
"You seem very well-informed about our movements, despite staying at the school."
"...I heard it from the reports by Zenin and the others, of course."
"But we acted alone. It was just me, Todo, and Mechamaru."
Kira Nanami stared calmly into Gakuganji's eyes. He smiled slightly and sat down on the tatami, his tone casual.
"We returned using Todo's Innate Technique. He can swap the positions of people or objects possessing Cursed Energy. On the way there, I dropped two prayer beads every kilometer. It's no wonder Todo is exhausted."
"...Why would you do that?"
"To get this thing into your hands as quickly as possible. To avoid any further complications." Kira tilted his chin toward the finger in Gakuganji's hand.
"You've worked hard."
Gakuganji seemed somewhat helpless. After a moment of thought, he took the teapot from the table and poured a cup of tea for Kira.
The hot water surged over the tea leaves. Dark green leaves rose and fell on the shimmering surface, slowly unfurling as the aroma began to spread—a light, slightly bitter scent, like a clear pool hidden among blue stones. That poetic fragrance seemed to paint the wind and rain outside with the elegant strokes of an ink wash painting.
"No, thank you. I'm not thirsty."
Kira Nanami waved his hand, setting the tea aside.
"If you'll excuse me, I must go and seal this item within the Temple Annex."
The Temple Annex—a place similar to the one at Tokyo Jujutsu High. It was a storehouse specifically designed to seal Cursed Tools and objects. It held Special Grade curses that couldn't be killed, only sealed—like Sukuna's fingers—or extremely dangerous tools. Under the protection of barrier techniques, thousands of doors shifted their positions every second. Without being a Special Grade sorcerer or higher, it was impossible to crack.
Gakuganji stood up, walked around the coffee table, and headed for the door.
Just as his hand touched the handle, Kira Nanami's voice rang out from behind him.
"Oh? Are you leaving already, Principal?"
The hand froze.
"I must hurry to seal this—"
"Why don't you sit for a while longer."
Kira Nanami propped his chin on his left hand. His right index finger tapped rhythmically on the table's edge. Tap. Tap. Tap.
"Sit a while longer. I still have the rest of the mission to report."
"Sit down, Gakuganji Yoshinobu."
Gakuganji turned back to look at Kira. A kind, grandfatherly smile was on his face; with his white hair and eyebrows, he looked almost sage-like. He sat back down on the tatami, poured himself a cup of tea, took a sip, and looked into Kira's eyes.
"Is there something else?"
"I just have a few doubts I'd like the Principal to clarify."
Kira Nanami adjusted himself into a comfortable sitting position. The tapping of his finger stopped. He tilted his head.
"What was the true goal of the Curse Users who incited such massive panic in Kyoto with the Cursed Plague?"
"You were right at the beginning—there is no monster in this world that can swallow the emotions of an entire city. We only inferred what the Curse Users wanted us to infer based on their actions."
"The so-called Cursed Plague was merely a cover. A decoy."
Kira looked into Gakuganji's eyes, his expression placid.
"In international politics, a nation will often throw out a massive development goal to distract other countries while hiding their true plan."
"They never intended to cultivate a 'King of Curses,' nor do they have the ability to do so. The only explanation I can think of is that they simply wanted to create a crisis severe enough to draw the attention of every sorcerer, allowing them to quietly achieve their real objective."
"A diversion."
"A scam. A deception that fooled both friend and foe alike."
Kira paused, then spoke softly.
"You aren't actually Principal Gakuganji, are you? Or rather, not entirely."
"Your real name is... let me think... ah, right. Hasegawa Kaede. The one I met at the mall."
"The Curse User who 'died' at my hands."