"Hello..."
Akira Zenin had just stepped out of the house when he received a call from Tokyo Jujutsu High.
"Nanami and Haibara were seriously injured?"
Akira Zenin frowned. In his view, Kento Nanami and Yu Haibara should have been able to handle Mahito at this stage. On top of that, he had arranged for Naoya Zenin to monitor that area during this period.
More importantly, the cinema incident had already been delayed for quite a while.
Fortunately, Shoko had already performed emergency treatment on both of them. The wound on Haibara's abdomen could not be healed with Reverse Cursed Technique.
Shoko first stopped the bleeding, then stretched skin from other parts of Haibara's body to cover the wound and protect it. After that, she planned to wait until the exhaustion caused by Haibara's Binding Vow passed. At that point, she would tear open a larger wound in that area to fully expose the cursed section before treating it.
Nanami's injury was stranger.
He had lost the desire to "attack." Although Nanami insisted that he could continue exorcising Cursed Spirits as long as his objective was simply "completing the mission," Satoru Gojo ordered him over the phone to rest.
...
"You like movies that much, Junpei?"
Junpei Yoshino looked at Yuji Itadori, who was talking to him. That bright smile never seemed to leave his face.
"I mostly like older films. You probably wouldn't know them."
"Come on, tell me~~"
Now that the conversation had moved to something he was familiar with, Junpei straightened up on the sofa.
"For example, Human Earthworm 3."
"That one's super boring!"
"Yeah... it is a weird cult movie after all, so you can't expect too much. But the second one..."
"But the second one is really interesting!"
Junpei looked at Yuji Itadori with the expression of someone who had just found a kindred spirit. Just as he was about to say more, he heard the conversation between the other two nearby.
"Nagi-san, you use this too? Let me tell you..."
Junpei Yoshino stared blankly.
Right in front of him, Kugisaki had already wrapped an arm around his mom's shoulders, the two of them acting like sisters. Their conversation had long moved past affordable cosmetics, stylish clothes, personal taste, and life goals.
They had even started discussing how to choose schools and how to raise children.
[What am I supposed to call her? Aunt Kugisaki? She'd definitely punch me...]
Junpei Yoshino shook his head and looked toward the window.
Outside, the sun had already quietly slipped below the horizon, leaving only the tip of it visible as it slowly sank away. If Kugisaki and his mom hadn't been chatting so enthusiastically, dinner probably would have started already.
"Oh right, it's almost time to eat. I'll go buy groceries..."
Yuji Itadori immediately stood up.
"I'll go..."
"No, no. You're the guest, and I know this neighborhood better..."
...
Enoki mushrooms, cola, chicken wings, soy sauce, and watermelon...
"Hey, isn't that Junpei? Lend me some money."
Junpei Yoshino had been thinking about what to cook for dinner when he looked up and saw a familiar group he often saw at school.
Three boys and one girl.
Ear piercings, smoky makeup, and tattoos visible after they had taken off their school uniforms.
Junpei lowered his head.
It was the end of the month. The only money he had on him was what was left after buying groceries. If his mom, who knew the prices of everything, noticed the money was gone, she would definitely realize it had been taken.
His mom had worked so hard to raise him alone.
He couldn't let her worry.
"I didn't bring any money."
"No money? Then how did you buy those groceries?"
The girl deliberately pinched her voice into a mocking tone as she asked.
Junpei Yoshino looked at her calmly.
"The logic in your question is flawed. The reason I have no money is because I already bought groceries."
"Huh? Are you saying I'm stupid? Waaah..."
The girl with smoky makeup immediately crouched down and started crying.
Anyone could tell it was fake. But the three delinquent boys beside her fell for it instantly and flew into a rage.
The one in the lead walked over and drove a knee straight into Junpei's stomach. Junpei's body instantly doubled over, a dry gagging sound escaping his throat.
Another delinquent took the opportunity to reach into Junpei's pocket.
"Hey, there's still some here! You actually dared to lie!"
[If there were a button that made everyone who hates me die, I'd press it without hesitation...]
Junpei crouched on the ground clutching his stomach, staring through the gap in his bangs at the fist about to swing at him.
Just as the punch was about to land, a sudden sound rang out nearby.
Creak... bang.
All five of them, Junpei included, turned toward the noise.
A man wearing a black trench coat stood nearby. His fist was still hanging in the air, while an innocent iron streetlamp had been bent into a ninety degree angle and collapsed helplessly onto the ground.
The man's dark circles made him look tired, yet the aura around him carried an oppressive weight. His dead fish eyes stared at them calmly.
As if saying:
"I'm in a bad mood today. I might just pick a few random people on the street to beat up. Let me warm up by punching the streetlamp first."
The delinquents immediately scrambled behind Junpei, planning to use him as a shield.
Fight him?
Are you kidding?
On one side were a few school delinquents playing tough. On the other was a gloomy trench coat freak who could bend a streetlamp with one punch.
The only reason they hadn't already run was because their legs had stopped listening to them.
The trench coat man began walking toward them slowly.
His expression never changed, but to them his gaze seemed to grow deeper and darker with every step. Combined with the cold air around him, he looked like a demon walking out of hell.
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!!"
Before Akira Zenin could even reach them, the delinquents completely broke down. Letting out screams that sounded almost like cursed spirits, they ran off in panic.
The only girl even snapped the heel of her shoe while running. Because the others ran so fast, she had no choice but to limp away while forcing down her fear.
Akira Zenin glanced at the delinquents fleeing in all directions.
He had literally just walked over normally.
Akira Zenin stopped in front of Junpei and crouched down so they were at eye level.
"Why didn't you fight back?"
Junpei Yoshino still hadn't processed what had happened. Sitting on the ground, he stared blankly at Akira Zenin.
Fight back?
Against who?
Against you?
"People raised under 'happy education' can't compete with those raised under elite education. So they start giving up on themselves. Some of them even target others just to distract themselves from their confusion or to vent their desires.
That's a pretty common phenomenon in Japan."
"Uh..."
Junpei Yoshino looked at the strange man in front of him, unsure what he wanted.
Still, answering probably meant he wouldn't get beaten up.
"It's useless. Even if I tell the teacher, they'll just say something like, 'You students should get along. Shake hands and apologize to each other.'
Then that same night those guys will say, 'You actually told the teacher? Aren't we friends?' And after that they'll harass me even more."
"Actually, if you use the right method, you can handle it yourself."
Junpei looked at the man in front of him.
There was no way an ordinary person could bend a streetlamp like that.
This man had to be one of the Jujutsu Sorcerers that Mahito mentioned.
Was he trying to warn me...?
"Don't even think about using jujutsu to hurt ordinary people. If you do, you'll become a criminal in the jujutsu world."
Akira Zenin directly exposed Junpei's thoughts.
"Think about it. Pepper spray, chili spray, stun guns. Those things are everywhere.
Set up an emergency call on your phone beforehand. Carry something that can record audio.
Ideally, let them make the first move. That way you can call the police while defending yourself.
As for how to make them attack first... just casually appear in front of them.
Do they ever need a reason when they beat you?"