Three years had passed since the world of jujutsu had changed forever.
Tokyo Jujutsu High had changed with it. The school looked almost the same from the outside. The buildings had been repaired, the training grounds rebuilt, and the old halls once again carried the sounds of students running late to class, instructors shouting across the courtyard, and cursed energy being used for things that absolutely did not require cursed energy.
But the people inside were different. The students who had once walked these halls carrying the weight of the previous era were no longer students. They were the ones standing at the front of the classroom now.
And, somehow, Yuji Itadori had become a teacher.
"Again."
Yuji stood in front of a group of students with his arms crossed, staring at them with an expression that was trying very hard to look serious.
It wasn't working.
"Your cursed technique isn't something you can just throw around and hope works," he continued. "You need to understand what you're doing before you try to make it stronger. If you don't understand the foundation, increasing the output won't magically fix it."
A hand went up.
Yuji pointed toward the student.
"Yes?"
"So you're saying we shouldn't use our cursed techniques unless we're completely sure what we're doing?"
"Exactly."
A voice came from the other side of the room.
"That is absolutely not what he said."
Yuji slowly turned his head.
Nobara Kugisaki was sitting near the windows with her arms crossed, looking far too pleased with herself.
Yuji stared at her.
"It is literally what I said."
"No, you said they need to understand their technique. That's different."
"They're beginners."
"Which is exactly why you should explain it properly."
"I am explaining it properly."
"You're explaining it like you're talking to yourself."
"I don't talk to myself."
The entire room went silent.
Yuji looked around.
Nobody believed him.
He sighed.
"Okay. Sometimes."
Several students laughed.
Near the back of the classroom, Yuta Okkotsu covered a smile with his hand.
"This is going well," he said.
Yuji immediately pointed at him.
"Don't encourage her."
"I didn't."
"You smiled."
"I can't control that."
Nobara leaned back in her chair, satisfied.
"See? Even Yuta agrees with me."
"I didn't say that."
"You didn't have to."
Yuji looked at the ceiling.
"I already miss being a student."
"You were a terrible student," Nobara said.
"You're one to talk."
"I was an excellent student."
"You once skipped a lecture because you didn't like the teacher's shoes."
"They were ugly."
"That doesn't make it a valid reason."
"It made it a valid reason to me."
The students laughed again.
This was not what any of them had expected when they were told they would be attending an advanced cursed-technique course. At the front of the classroom, Yuji rubbed his forehead.
"Okay. Let's try this one more time."
He turned toward the board.
"Cursed techniques aren't just about power. Your technique reflects the way you use cursed energy. If you want to become stronger, you need to understand what you already have instead of constantly wishing you had something else."
A girl sitting near the front listened carefully.
Kuroha Tsukishiro had been quiet for most of the lesson. She had dark hair that fell neatly around her shoulders and an expression that rarely gave away what she was thinking. While the other students had been laughing, arguing, or trying to sneak glances at the clock, Kuroha had actually been taking notes.
Beside her, however, was someone doing almost the exact opposite.
Raizen Kagetsu was leaning back in his chair with his arms folded. He looked bored, not because he wasn't listening, but because he simply had the unfortunate habit of looking bored whenever he was interested in something.
Kuroha glanced sideways at him.
"You're not taking notes."
"I don't need notes."
"You said that during the last lesson."
"And I remembered everything."
"You got the lowest score."
Raizen looked offended.
"That was one time."
"It was yesterday."
"It was still one time."
On Kuroha's other side, Shion Arakawa was quietly drawing something in the corner of his notebook.
Kuroha glanced at the page.
"Are you taking notes?"
Shion looked down.
"Technically."
"That is a drawing."
"It's a visual representation of the lesson."
"It has a sword."
"Cursed techniques can involve weapons."
"That is a dragon."
Shion looked at the drawing.
"Some cursed techniques involve dragons."
Kuroha stared at him.
Shion smiled.
"Maybe."
Raizen leaned over to look at the page.
"That's actually pretty good."
"Thank you."
"You drew me."
Shion looked at him.
"Unfortunately."
Raizen frowned.
"You made my head enormous."
"It was difficult to capture your ego at normal scale."
Kuroha covered her mouth, hiding a laugh.
Raizen looked between them.
"You two are annoying."
"Thank you," Shion said.
"That wasn't a compliment."
"I know."
At the front of the room, Yuji turned around.
"Are you three finished?"
All three immediately faced forward.
"Yes, Itadori-sensei," Kuroha answered.
Yuji stared at them for a moment.
Then he smiled.
"Good."
The students relaxed.
Yuji continued explaining the basics of cursed-energy control, occasionally stopping to answer questions. Yuta occasionally added something when the explanation became more complicated, while Nobara interrupted whenever she thought Yuji was explaining something badly.
It was chaotic.
But it worked.
That was the strange thing about Tokyo Jujutsu High now. It wasn't the same school it had been three years ago. It wasn't supposed to be.
The people teaching these students had once been the ones sitting in those exact seats. Now they were responsible for making sure the next generation survived long enough to take their places.
Across the room, Maki Zenin stood against the wall with her arms folded. She had been invited to assist with the practical portion of the lesson.
She looked like she regretted agreeing.
Toge Inumaki stood beside her.
"Salmon."
Maki glanced at him.
"Exactly."
Panda looked between them.
"I have no idea what either of you are talking about."
Maki didn't even look at him.
"That's because you are a panda."
Panda paused.
"...That doesn't explain anything."
"It explains everything."
"It really doesn't."
Toge nodded.
"Salmon."
Panda pointed at him.
"See? He's doing it again."
Maki shrugged.
"You should listen better."
"I am listening."
"You're a panda."
Panda stared at her.
"I feel like that's becoming an excuse for everything."
From across the room, Yuji called out.
"Can we please finish one lesson without arguing?"
"No," Nobara answered.
Yuji sighed.
"Fair."
The students laughed again.
For a while, everything felt ordinary. Almost peaceful.
That was something the older sorcerers had learned not to take for granted. The world of jujutsu had never truly been peaceful. There were still curses. There were still missions. There were still people who died because they had chosen a profession where death was always waiting somewhere nearby.
But the world had stabilized.
Three years without Gojo had forced everyone to adapt. Yuji had grown into his role as a teacher. Yuta had become one of the people others relied on. Nobara had somehow become even more terrifying. Maki had become an elite sorcerer in her own right. Megumi had taken on more responsibility. Toge and Panda continued to support the school and its students. Shoko remained the person everyone hoped they wouldn't need but were always grateful to have.
Kusakabe had somehow survived being surrounded by all of them.
And the students?
They were the future.
Yuji looked at the three students near the front. Kuroha was carefully listening, Raizen was clearly waiting for the practical portion, and Shion was drawing another dragon.
Yuji smiled.
"You three."
They looked up.
"Me?"
"Yes, you."
Yuji pointed at Raizen.
"Especially you."
Raizen straightened.
"What did I do?"
"You've been waiting for the fighting portion since we started."
Raizen grinned.
"Maybe."
Nobara rolled her eyes.
"Definitely."
Yuji looked at all three.
"You're going to be working together more often from now on."
Kuroha raised an eyebrow. Raizen looked excited. Shion looked slightly concerned.
"Together?" Shion asked.
"Yes."
"Like, together together?"
"That's generally what together means."
Shion glanced at Raizen.
Raizen smiled.
"This is going to be fun."
Kuroha sighed.
"I already have a headache."
"You've known him for two weeks," Shion said.
"Exactly."
Raizen stood up.
"So when do we start?"
Maki pushed herself away from the wall.
"Now."
Raizen's eyes lit up.
"Yes."
Yuji pointed toward the training grounds.
"Don't get too excited. We're not sending you into anything dangerous."
Raizen's smile faded slightly.
"That's disappointing."
Maki walked past him.
"Good. You'll learn faster if you're disappointed."
The three students followed her out.
Yuji watched them leave.
Yuta came to stand beside him.
"They remind you of us?"
Yuji thought about it.
"Not really."
Yuta looked surprised.
Yuji smiled.
"They're completely different."
Nobara walked past them.
"Good. We don't need another one of you."
Yuji frowned.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means exactly what it sounds like."
Yuta smiled.
"She's not wrong."
"Whose side are you on?"
"I'm staying out of this."
"You're supposed to be my friend."
"I am."
"Then defend me."
"No."
Yuji stared at him.
Nobara walked away, satisfied.
Yuta followed.
Yuji remained in the classroom for another moment.
He looked at the empty seats.
For just a second, his expression changed.
There had once been another teacher in these halls. Someone who had filled every room with noise. Someone who had never entered quietly, never taught normally, and never seemed capable of taking anything seriously for more than five minutes. Someone whose absence had once felt impossible.
Three years later, the school had learned how to continue.
The students had learned his name from textbooks, old records, stories, and the people who had known him.
To them, Satoru Gojo was history.
The strongest sorcerer of the previous era.
A legend.
Yuji looked toward the doorway.
Then he shook the thought away.
"Okay," he muttered to himself. "Back to work."
Outside, Raizen's voice echoed across the training grounds.
"COME ON! IS THAT ALL YOU'VE GOT?"
Maki's voice immediately followed.
"Stop shouting and focus!"
Shion yelled something that nobody could understand.
Kuroha shouted at both of them.
Yuji closed his eyes.
Yuta stopped beside him.
Nobara sighed.
Panda laughed somewhere in the distance.
Toge called out:
"Salmon."
Yuji opened his eyes again.
He smiled.
Maybe this was what the new era was supposed to sound like.
Not silence.
Not grief.
Not the shadow of the people who had come before them.
Something new.
Something loud.
Something imperfect.
Something alive.
The future of jujutsu had already begun.
And none of them knew what was waiting for it.