[The scene continues.]
[The camera returns once more to Megumi Fushiguro inside the barrier.]
[At this moment, while keeping a wary eye on the newly appeared curse, Megumi's mind was still rapidly turning over the unresolved questions he had about Sukuna's fingers.]
["A presence with an overwhelming aura!"]
["A presence hiding in the shadows!"]
["And one that had already been absorbed by a curse!"]
["This is… resonance!!!"]
["The Sukuna finger absorbed into the curse had been suppressing its power all along!"]
["Then in June, when Itadori became a vessel through incarnation, the cursed energy was released!"]
[Looking at the familiar appearance of the four-eyed curse before him, Megumi once again recalled that curse from the first mission he went on with Yuji and the others—the one that had toyed with them so badly they were nearly killed.]
["It may look the same, but it's probably several grades stronger than the one from the juvenile detention center!"]
[However, while Megumi was focused on his thoughts and momentarily let his guard slip, the curse suddenly spat out a lump of golden mucus into its hand.]
[Then, like drawing a bow, the four-eyed curse stretched that golden slime back—and fired it at Megumi.]
["Whoosh!"]
[Startled awake by the sudden sound tearing through the air, Megumi instinctively raised his saber in front of him to block.]
["BOOM!!!"]
[With a loud explosion, the saber in Megumi's hands instantly snapped into two pieces.]
[Megumi himself was also driven several steps backward by the tremendous force.]
[The ground behind him was gouged into a deep arc-shaped trench as he dispersed the impact.]
["So strong!"]
Outside the screen, Satoru Gojo poked the current Megumi in the cheek and laughed:
"Megumi~ Your analysis is all logical and well-founded…"
"But…"
"Did you forget you were still in the middle of a fight?"
Megumi turned his head away unhappily and ignored him.
But Gojo clearly had no intention of letting him off that easily.
He circled to the other side and continued:
"What, I can't even say it now?"
"This is a battle! A battle!"
"You're not like me—I'm invincible. And even if you were invincible, you should still beat the other guy down first before stopping to think!"
"You let your opponent seize the initiative."
"Even if you win later, you're definitely only going to scrape by after getting beaten up first."
"Wanna bet?"
A mischievous grin appeared on Gojo's face.
Megumi still ignored him.
He simply lifted his head and continued watching the future version of himself playing out in the sky.
Having failed to get a rise out of him, Gojo didn't look the least bit awkward. He only smiled as he glanced at Megumi's profile, then also raised his head to continue watching the scene.
[The scene continues.]
[Megumi, who had only just managed to steady himself after being forced back several steps by the sudden attack, hadn't even had time to react when the four-eyed curse followed right after him—appearing at his back.]
["Heh~ heh~"]
[With a sinister grin, the four-eyed curse clenched its fist, golden cursed energy flaring over it, and swung viciously at the back of Megumi's head.]
["Boom!"]
[But unfortunately for it, just as that fully charged punch was about to land, Megumi's figure disappeared from the spot in an instant.]
[And when he reappeared, he was already behind the four-eyed curse.]
[Carried there by Divine Dog: Totality's teleportation, Megumi swiftly formed the hand sign for Bird Strike and called out the shikigami's name:]
["Nue!"]
[But before the word had even fully left his mouth, the reflection of the four-eyed curse had already reappeared in his pupils.]
["Bang!"]
[As the curse's fist came crashing down once more, the scene abruptly shifted.]
[Inside a dojo drenched in the glow of the setting sun, Megumi—dressed in casual clothes—was slammed to the ground by a heavy punch.]
["Ahhh~ And I win again!"]
[Gojo, also dressed casually and wearing sunglasses, appeared in the scene.]
Outside the screen, Gojo looked delighted.
"Oh? So I actually get screen time too? What a pleasant surprise!"
Megumi, meanwhile, glared resentfully at the version of himself on screen getting punched to the floor by that awful adult again, and clicked his tongue in annoyance.
At Kyoto Jujutsu High, Yoshinobu Gakuganji—who had been calmly drinking tea while watching the show—saw Gojo appear on screen, and instantly crushed the teacup in his hand. His aura flared violently, and even the rings on his lips, nose, and ears trembled.
"So… it was you again, you insolent brat, training this student?"
[The scene continues.]
["Megumi, it's pretty rare for you to come to me asking for training…"]
["Is it because Yuji surpassed you, so now you're panicking?"]
[The Gojo in the scene looked calmly at Megumi lying on the floor.]
["…Yeah."]
[Without getting up, Megumi simply sat on the tatami where he had fallen and nodded.]
["At this point, I can't really afford to care anymore."]
["Do you really dislike asking me for guidance that much…?"]
[Faced with Gojo's question, Megumi didn't answer verbally. He simply gave him a look of pure disgust.]
[But Gojo didn't get angry. Instead, he fulfilled his role as a teacher and continued guiding him:]
["Megumi… in terms of ability and potential, you're not inferior to Yuji at all!"]
["What's left, in my opinion, is an issue with your mindset."]
["Megumi, you don't know how to truly get serious, do you?"]
["Hah?"]
[Megumi was momentarily stunned, then immediately fired back in the tone of a proper delinquent:]
["You saying I've never taken anything seriously?"]
["It's not that you're not serious. It's that you can't become serious."]
[Gojo explained patiently:]
["For example—during that baseball game, why did you go for the sacrifice bunt?"]
["Even if you got out, you still wanted to send Nobara to base?"]
["How noble of you."]
[A faintly mocking smile curved at Gojo's lips as he added sarcastically, then continued:]
["But Yuji—or I—would definitely go for the home run first."]
["I'm not saying bunting is bad. Baseball is a team sport, and everyone has their role."]
["But in the end, jujutsu sorcery is an individual sport."]
[Megumi, however, still objected:]
["Working together with other sorcerers is important too, isn't it?"]
["That's true…"]
[Gojo stepped forward and crouched in front of Megumi until they were at eye level. Then he lowered his sunglasses, revealing those sky-colored irises beneath, and looked straight into Megumi's eyes.]
["But no matter how many companions you have around you…"]
["When you die, you'll still be alone."]
["When you make your judgments, you always underestimate both yourself and others. You can't imagine a future version of yourself becoming stronger."]
["Maybe it's because of that trump card of yours. You're always thinking of the worst-case scenario, always believing that if you just sacrifice yourself, everything will be solved."]
["At that rate, forget catching up to me—you won't even catch Nanami."]
Outside the screen, Kento Nanami—who had been quietly watching the show—nearly exploded on the spot when he heard Gojo use him as some kind of measuring stick.
[The scene continues.]
[Gojo's guidance still went on.]
["Trading your life away…"]
["…and staking your life in battle…"]
["…are two completely different things, Megumi."]
[Gojo raised a finger and lightly flicked Megumi on the forehead.]
["Tap!"]
["Get serious."]
["Be greedier."]