The air felt different outside the school.
Heavier.
Takeru adjusted his sunglasses as he stood beside Yuji at the edge of an abandoned building. The yellow caution tape fluttered in the wind, barely holding onto rusted poles. The place looked like it had been forgotten years ago—but something inside it was very much alive.
Or… not alive.
"Alright," Gojo said casually, hands in his pockets. "Your first real mission. A low-grade cursed spirit. Nothing crazy… unless you mess up."
Yuji cracked his knuckles. "We won't."
Takeru stayed quiet, eyes fixed on the dark entrance. His chest felt tight—not from fear alone, but from something deeper. The cursed energy in the area was thick, suffocating, like it was watching them.
"Remember," Gojo added, "don't rely on Sukuna. If you do, you're already dead."
That… didn't help.
The two stepped inside.
The building creaked with every step.
Broken glass crunched under their shoes, and the air smelled like rot and something worse—something unnatural. The deeper they went, the quieter it became, until even their breathing sounded too loud.
"You feel that?" Yuji whispered.
Takeru nodded. "Yeah… it's close."
A sudden crack echoed above them.
Then—
It dropped.
A twisted, grotesque figure slammed into the floor between them, limbs bent at impossible angles, its face stretched into something that resembled a grin but wasn't human. Its body pulsed with cursed energy, thick and unstable.
Yuji jumped back. "That's 'low-grade'?!"
Takeru didn't answer. He moved.
The cursed spirit lunged, faster than it looked. Takeru barely dodged, feeling its claws graze past his shoulder. He countered instinctively, releasing a small burst of cursed energy into his strike.
The impact sent the spirit skidding—but it didn't stop.
"Yuji!"
"I got it!"
Yuji charged in, landing a clean hit that echoed through the room. The spirit reeled, its body distorting as it absorbed the damage.
But then… it laughed.
A horrible, broken sound.
And suddenly, its energy spiked.
Takeru froze for half a second.
Too long.
The cursed spirit twisted unnaturally and struck—
—and in that moment, something split across Takeru's cheek.
"Pathetic."
The mouth appeared.
Sukuna.
"You'll die at this rate. How boring."
"Not now—!" Takeru snapped under his breath, barely dodging another attack.
"You want to win?" Sukuna's voice purred. "Then let me show you how."
Takeru gritted his teeth. "No."
The cursed spirit lunged again. Yuji intercepted it, but even he was starting to struggle.
"Takeru, we need to finish this!"
Takeru's mind raced. Sukuna's presence pressed against him, tempting, overwhelming. Power was right there—he could feel it.
"You hesitate," Sukuna whispered. "That's why you're weak."
"Shut up…"
He took a breath.
Wasuke's words echoed in his mind:
Save the people you can.
Takeru's grip tightened. His cursed energy flared—not wild, not uncontrolled, but focused.
"I don't need you."
For a brief moment—
Silence.
Then Sukuna laughed.
"Interesting…"
Takeru moved.
This time, it was different. His steps were sharper, his timing precise. He slipped past the spirit's attack, channeling cursed energy into his hand.
"Yuji—now!"
Yuji didn't hesitate. He surged forward, matching Takeru's movement perfectly.
Two strikes.
One moment.
The cursed spirit shattered.
Its form collapsed into nothing, the oppressive energy fading instantly.
Silence filled the building.
Yuji exhaled hard. "Man… that was way worse than I expected."
Takeru stood still, breathing steady but heavy. His cheek burned faintly—but the mouth was gone again.
For now.
"You okay?" Yuji asked.
Takeru nodded slowly. "Yeah… I just…"
He trailed off.
He had felt it.
That power. That presence. That temptation.
And it scared him more than the curse did.
Outside, Gojo leaned against a wall, smiling faintly.
"Not bad," he said. "You didn't let Sukuna take over. That's rare."
Takeru frowned slightly. "He tried."
Gojo chuckled. "Oh, he'll always try."
Yuji stretched his arms. "Well, we won, right?"
Gojo's smile didn't fade—but his tone shifted slightly.
"Yeah," he said. "You won… this time."
Takeru looked back at the building.
The shadows inside were gone.
But the one inside him…
Was just getting started.