Morning light crept onto the spacious room.
Sora slept the moment he hit the futon and stopped thinking.
He was not someone without flaws.
Meeting Gojo.
Going to the highschool.
And then seeing the King of Curses.
All these events were recorded and shown on screen.
But the real life experience hit him different.
"Baby-shark-doo-doo-baby-shark-doo--"
The cellphone that was near him rang with a mind scratching sound.
Fortunately, it was stopped before it began to complete its verses.
Sora was groggy but still pushed himself up.
He was a heavy sleeper but reality forced him to wake up early.
"Ugh. Why did I keep such stupid sound as alarm?"
He asked himself a question which he knew the answer.
He liked things that were personal to him a secret from others. And disliked cringe and melodrama.
So, putting the song was a necessary course of action.
---
Sora was now wide awake.
He washed himself and changed his clothes.
And conveniently a mirror was also there.
So he was getting his hair fixed.
Waking up was a great thing.
But waking up to a messed up hair which looked like it wanted to touch the sky was not great.
Sora washed his hair more and brought them back to their previous shape.
He slicked them back just the way he preferred.
First impressions are important. Today he was going to meet the principal.
Gojo did say that an interview was necessary for admission but he believed it would be just a formality.
Sorcerers were not that many. And especially the strong ones.
Knock!
Knock!
"Sora-kun. Are you awake yet?"
"..."
The voice clearly belonged to Gojo Satoru.
But what does he mean by 'Are you awake yet'.
Sora opened the cell phone and saw the time.
11:05.
Not his early 06:00 alarm.
The alarm that rang off was his reminder for concentration training.
Shit.
Sora quickly slicked the hair back and answered.
"Yeah I am awake. Wait up."
He towards the wooden door and tilted the knob.
The door slid open.
Morning light spilled in like it had been waiting for permission.
Standing outside were-
Satoru Gojo, hands in his pockets, posture lazy as ever, waving.
And beside him—
Yuji Itadori, bright-eyed, very much alive.
---
"Yo," Gojo greeted, like this was a casual meetup and not a school that hid curses and death behind wooden walls. "You look awake and asleep at the same time."
Sora stared at him.
"You woke me up."
"Technically," Gojo raised a finger, "you woke up yourself. I'm just here to remind you to wake up."
"…You're late," Sora replied flatly.
Gojo grinned.
"And you're later."
---
Yuji stepped forward slightly, energy practically spilling out of him.
"Hey! You're Sora, right?"
Sora's gaze shifted to him.
"Yes. Hagane Sora."
A pause.
"Your classmate if we get admission."
Yuji lit up.
"Oh, nice! I'm Yuji Itadori. I am from Sendai. Iike women with-"
"Yeah, I know."
Yuji blinked.
"…Oh."
---
Gojo clapped once, slicing through the moment.
"Great! Bonding achieved. Everybody is friends now."
"…We just met," Sora muttered.
"Details."
Gojo turned, already walking.
"Anyway, let's move."
"Where?" Yuji asked.
"To meet the principal," Gojo said cheerfully. "You know, the terrifying authority figure who decides whether you get to enroll."
Yuji stiffened slightly.
"…Ok let's go then."
"Ok then!"
Gojo glanced back. Grinning like a monkey.
"And we're little late."
A beat.
He pointed at Sora.
"Because of Sora's tardiness."
Sora stopped walking for half a second.
"…You showed up at eleven."
"And yet," Gojo shrugged, "this is your fault."
"…Unbelievable."
Sora could only scratch the back of his head to calm his frustration.
Yuji scratched his head awkwardly.
"Uh… shouldn't we hurry?"
"Yes!" Gojo beamed. "Run along, children."
---
They moved toward the main building.
The campus stretched quietly around them.
Peaceful.
Then—
Yuji's steps faltered.
"…Huh?"
A ripple passed across his face.
Literally.
A mouth formed on his cheek.
Grotesque.
Grinning.
---
"Hierarchy without strength and obeying the weaker…"
The voice was ancient. Mocking Gojo specifically, since he was the strongest.
"…how boring."
Ryomen Sukuna had arrived—if only partially.
Yuji reacted instantly.
Smack.
His palm collided with his own cheek.
The mouth distorted—
Then vanished.
"…Stop doing that!" Yuji snapped.
A second later—
Another mouth appeared.
This time on his left palm.
Grinning wider.
More amused.
"I expected more," Sukuna continued lazily. "From you, Gojo."
His eye flicked upward slightly.
"When I take this body fully…"
"I'll kill you first."
Gojo stopped walking.
Didn't even look bothered.
Instead—
He smiled.
"Wow," he said lightly. "I'm honored to be remembered by the King of Curses."
Sukuna's gaze shifted.
Landing on Sora.
For a fraction of a second—
It sharpened.
"…And what's this?"
A faint, amused hum.
"Modern sorcerers…"
"…have become quite flexible."
Sora stiffened.
Just slightly.
Sukuna was able to find something in sora that was unusual.
Before anything more could happen—
SMACK.
Yuji slapped his own hand.
Harder this time.
The mouth twisted—
Then disappeared again.
"Can you NOT talk whenever you want?!" Yuji snapped.
Silence returned.
Gojo chuckled softly.
"Lively guy, isn't he?"
Sora didn't respond.
But his eyes remained forward.
More focused now.
He was figured out instantly.
Yuji exhaled.
"…Hey, sensei?"
"Hmm?"
"…Was that guy… famous or something?"
Gojo tilted his head slightly.
"Oh, just a little."
A beat.
Then—
"Ryomen Sukuna was the strongest during the golden age of jujutsu—the Heian era."
Yuji blinked.
"…That sounds bad."
"Oh, it gets better," Gojo continued casually. "Hundreds of sorcerers fought him."
"And?"
"They barely managed to seal him."
Yuji's face stiffened.
"…Seriously?"
Gojo nodded.
"His power was split into twenty fingers. Indestructible cursed objects."
A pause.
"Even now, he's just a fragment of what he used to be."
Yuji swallowed slightly.
"…And he's still that strong?"
"Yep."
A few steps passed.
Then—
Yuji asked the question.
"…Is he stronger than you?"
Gojo stopped.
Just for a second.
The air shifted—barely noticeable.
Then—
He smiled.
"If he gets all his power back…"
A small pause.
"…it'd be a bit of a hassle."
Yuji leaned in slightly.
"…Would you lose?"
Gojo's smile widened.
Confident.
"Nah."
A beat later.
"I'd win."
Silence followed.
Not awkward since it was true.
Just that Yuji found it admirable and Sora cringe.
Sora glanced at him briefly.
Then forward again.
"hmm."
But—
He didn't disagree.
---
Ahead—
The main building stood waiting.
Old wood.
Closed doors.
And behind them—
The next step into a world that didn't forgive weakness.
Or hesitation.