"Wakey, wakey." Gojo tapped Shidou awake in the clinic after Shoko had healed him.
Shidou stirred, confused, still trying to recall what had happened hours earlier.
"I lost." Shidou looked down in anger and clenched his fist.
"Yes, you did, but you should be happy. At least you didn't die." Gojo reached for Shidou's shoulder, trying to comfort him, but Shidou slapped his hand away.
"I don't need your pity. Just wait till our rematch."
"I'll be looking forward to it, but moving on, you're now enrolled in Tokyo Jujutsu High. Welcome to your first year. We should get going, though. You and Yuji have to meet the principal."
On their way to meet Yuji, Shidou was deep in thought.
'I need to learn cursed energy manipulation as soon as possible so I can create a binding vow to permanently take my opponent's stats. The finger bearer is an opportunity I can't let pass; just robbing its stats should put me around Grade 1 level.'
"What are you thinking about over there?" Gojo asked, glancing at Shidou.
"Cursed energy manipulation."
"Thinking like a Jujutsu sorcerer already, huh? Do you want tips from your sensei?" Gojo asked, his voice teasing.
'I never realized how annoying he was.'
"Yes," Shidou said reluctantly.
"The difficulty of manipulating cursed energy depends on your innate talent, but it still requires vigorous training, and it's going to be even harder for you because of your overabundance of cursed energy. You already showed a grasp of it when you were overwhelmed with anger during our fight, so what I'd recommend to lessen the difficulty is imbuing your cursed energy into a weapon of your choice."
"I'm picking brass knuckles, then."
"You always struck me as the boxer type. Your hand-to-hand combat is pretty decent."
"Decent? I think you meant perfect."
"Nah, it's decent compared to me."
"Then 1v1 me in strictly hand-to-hand combat without using cursed energy reinforcement or your curse technique, and turn off your Infinity right now. Let's run the ones."
"Right now? No, we have stuff to do."
"Just admit you're ducking the fade. You're too scared to get beaten by a fifteen-year-old, aren't you?"
Gojo smirked and stopped walking.
"Haha, Shidou, you always make me laugh with how comically arrogant you are. You remind me of my past self, but fine, I guess it's time to teach you another lesson about the gap between you and your sensei. After we meet with the principal, we'll fight under your conditions."
"Okay, but I'm telling you right now, nobody in this world is fucking with me in hand-to-hand combat."
"I hope you can back up your words, Shidou."
❁•❁•❁
Shidou and Gojo finally arrived at the bench where Yuji was sitting, chatting it up with Megumi, who was wrapped in bandages. Yuji had eaten another one of Sukuna's fingers, given to him by Gojo earlier.
"Yo! Look who I brought." Gojo waved.
"Shidou, it's you," Yuji said.
"Shidou? You're that cursed user. What is he doing here, Gojo-sensei?" Megumi asked.
"Oops, I forgot to tell you, Megumi, but Shidou has become a first-year student like Yuji."
"Why? We don't even know who he really is; he could be a spy for a cursed spirit or another cursed user."
"Don't stress, kid. If I'm here, nothing bad can happen."
"Do you still have no clue what you were doing at the school?" Megumi asked Shidou skeptically, narrowing his eyes.
"Bingo."
Megumi stared at Gojo, trying to figure out if he had some kind of plan or if Gojo-sensei was really this careless. He had a hard time believing that, but he also noticed something about Shidou.
'His cursed energy feels so foreign and suffocating.'
The only reason he hadn't broken out in sweat earlier when he sensed it was that it had been right next to Gojo-sensei's own, which eased his worries.
"Now that makes four first-years, including Shidou," Gojo said.
"Only four?!" Yuji sweatdropped.
"I'm going to bed, Gojo-sensei. I still feel tired after my treatment."
"Okay, bye. Get some good rest." Gojo smiled and waved Megumi off. Yuji did the same.
❁•❁•❁
"Where are we even headed?" Yuji asked as the group walked together.
"You and Shidou have an interview with the principal. If you mess up, you might not become students, so both of you stay sharp," Gojo said casually.
"What?! You're kidding. Are you saying I might get executed if I fail?" Yuji blurted, panic creeping into his voice.
Suddenly, a mouth split open on the side of Yuji's face.
"Silver-haired brat… once I make this kid's body mine, you'll be the first one I kill," Sukuna sneered.
"Bring it on, old hag." Shidou grinned.
Yuji slapped his cheek.
"Sorry, Shidou, he comes out sometimes."
Gojo chuckled. "Hahaha, what a target you got on your back, Shidou."
"I'm not bothered. I'm looking forward to fighting him anyway."
Gojo glanced at him, amused. "You seem very confident, wanting to fight the great Sukuna."
"The great Sukuna? Is he really that special?" Yuji asked.
"Ryomen Sukuna, with four arms and two faces, is a demon of legend. He was once human a thousand years ago, but during the golden age of Jujutsu, countless sorcerers fought him and died. Even after his death, we couldn't destroy him completely. Without a doubt, he is the King of Curses."
A mouth formed again, this time on Yuji's hand.
"You speak such high praise…" Sukuna chuckled, voice dripping with amusement. "Perhaps I should spare you so you can stroke my ego even more. Heheh."
Gojo smiled, unfazed. "Spare me? Since when did you earn the right to spare someone stronger than you?"
"Amusing… you have more arrogance than the silve-"
Yuji smacked his hand mid-sentence.
"You're stronger than the King of Curses, sensei?"
Gojo hummed, tilting his head slightly. "That's a good question. If he regained all of his fingers, it might be a little tough."
"So would you lose?"
"Nah. I'd win."
"Satoru! You're late!" Principal Yaga's voice boomed the moment they stepped inside.
"Not just late - eight minutes late!" Yaga snapped, not even looking up as he worked on a cursed doll. "You're lucky it's not too late for me to get angry!"
Gojo waved a hand dismissively. "Calm down, I'm not even that late. And I knew you'd be busy making those dolls, so cut me some slack."
"Hmm, so these are the kids?" Principal Yaga glanced between Yuji and Shidou.
Yuji bowed immediately. "My name is Yuji Itadori! I'm into girls like Jennifer Lawrence! It's nice to meet you!"
"Name's Shidou Yagami." Shidou stood relaxed, "I like fighting."
Yaga observed them for a moment. "Why are you here for an interview at Jujutsu High?"
Yuji opened his mouth, but Shidou cut in first.
"To surpass Satoru Gojo."
The conviction in his voice made Yaga pause.
Then he stood, a grin spreading across his face as he pointed at Shidou. "You pass. Welcome to Jujutsu High."
"Now for you." His gaze shifted to Yuji. "Why do you want this interview?"
'He passed him with that?' Yuji thought, stunned.
"To collect all of Sukuna's fingers."
"Why?"
"Because it's dangerous as it is, and I want to help people."
"Why do you want to help people?"
"It was the last request someone made to me."
Yaga's expression hardened. He raised his fist. "So let me get this straight. You're going to help people because someone made a request?"
He paused.
"Disqualified."
A cursed doll sprang to life at his side and lunged at Yuji. Yuji barely got his bag up in time, the impact thudding against it.
"Until I get a worthy answer, that cursed doll will keep attacking."
"Listen! This is my grandpa's request!" Yuji shot back.
He smacked the doll away, sending it ricocheting off a pillar, but it rebounded instantly, slamming headfirst into his face and launching him into the wall.
"A family member is still just a person, right?" Yaga said coldly. "We sorcerers live on the brink of death. This is a job for people who are a little insane."
"And you're telling me that just because your grandpa asked you to save people, you're going to do it? Don't make me laugh." He said harshly.
"Shut up! I-"
"Or is the real reason that you're scared of being executed?" Yaga cut in, pointing down at him. "Are you going to blame your grandfather when you get killed by a curse just because he told you to save someone?"
Yuji froze. A flicker of realization crossed his face just as the cursed doll rushed him again. This time, he caught it - gripping it tightly instead of striking back.
"I only know how to do one thing," Yuji said, "And that's eating Sukuna."
He tightened his grip.
"I can't let him come back. I hate knowing people could die because of him. Even if all this Jujutsu stuff has nothing to do with me… even if I die because of it… I'm not sure what I'll think then. But right now - I'm not going to regret how I live."
Gojo smiled slightly, and across from him, Shidou smirked.
'He has a good backbone.'
Yaga gave a small nod to Yuji.
"Congratulations. You pass. Welcome to Jujutsu High."
He turned toward Gojo. "Satoru, show them their dorms."
❁•❁•❁
Gojo and Shidou were staring each other down on the track field while Yuji watched farther away. Gojo had told Yuiji about the deal, and he was interested in seeing the fight.
"I went easy on you back then, Shidou. Now is not the time to die on me." Gojo smiled as he got into his fighting pose.
Shidou pulled back his arms, stretching them. "Big talk for someone who gets carried by one ability."
'I'll have to try to conceal my curse energy so he can't predict me using his six eyes, but that might be a problem considering how precise it is.'
"Haha, we'll see." Gojo laughed. He hadn't had this much fun with a person since he fought Toji after he awakened.
"Alright," Yuji shouted, counting down.
"3."
"2."
"1."
"GO!"
They closed the distance in an instant. Gojo snapped out a fast jab, gauging Shidou's skills. Shidou slipped it like it was nothing, but Gojo was already moving. His fist shot toward where Shidou should've been, cutting off the escape.
Shidou smirked a little bit, already expecting this outcome. He twisted his hips mid-step, forcing his body in an unnatural way, which broke Gojo's prediction just enough for the punch to graze past his cheek instead of landing clean.
'At this rate, I'll lose the battle of attrition; I have to overwhelm him.' Shidou thought.
Shidou retaliated, striking with a jab. Then Again. And Again. And Again. And Again And Again. And Again. And Again. And Again. And Again. And Again. And Again. And Again. And Again. And Again. And Again. And Again. And Again. And Again. And Again.
Muhammad Ali, once hailed as the greatest boxer alive, famously, in a fight against Brian London, hit a 12-punch combo in just 2.8 seconds. A feat that was revered as the greatest feat of a human - striking speed that would never be surpassed, that was...until Shidou Yagami was born.
Shidou Yagami, in just 1 second, attacked Satoru Gojo with 20 jabs, a feat that was beyond human. He was the embodiment of a fighting genius; comparing the average boxer to him was like comparing an ant to an Argentinosaurus.
Gojo's vision filled with fists, each jab snapped out on a different rhythm with faints layered over feints, and his tempo changing every second, it was too irregular for even something as advanced as the six eyes could predict.
CRACK.
Shidou fist drove straight into Gojo's face - snapping his head back as blood flicked from his nose.
For the first time since Satoru Gojo's fight with the one who left it all behind, the honoured one bled.