A few days later, leaving Hanami and Dagon to watch over Jogo, Mahito once again arrived at the cinema where the "Vs. Mahito" arc had originally begun.
In fact, given the current situation, it was no longer strictly necessary for Mahito to follow the plot progression from the manga. After all, having already seen the entire story unfold, Mahito had made up his mind. He would not place a shred of hope in that pitiful and weak Sukuna; instead, he would rely on the Cursed Spirits themselves to handle the situation.
On one hand, Mahito's reason for being here was that he could kill Kento Nanami, a junior who was particularly important to Satoru Gojo.
Of course, that wasn't all. This time, Mahito also wanted to see if he could directly eliminate Sukuna along with the Itadori he was possessing. Mahito believed that as long as he learned from the lessons in the manga and refrained from using Idle Transfiguration on Itadori, he would surpass the current Itadori in both Cursed Energy and combat ability.
If he could neutralize this hidden threat while Itadori had not absorbed too many of Sukuna's Fingers—and Sukuna's recovery remained limited—it would be ideal. Even if he could not resolve it immediately, Mahito planned to intervene covertly later to prevent Sukuna's Fingers from being given to Itadori—for example, during the Shibuya Incident. By strengthening their own side, manipulating Satoru Gojo and Kenjaku into a battle to weaken both, and finally restricting Sukuna's recovery, Mahito felt confident that the Cursed Spirits' ultimate triumph was within reach.
However, there was another crucial reason: Mahito felt that only by altering the original trajectory of the manga could he prove that everything about him—his actions and thoughts—was not controlled by Gege Akutami or anyone else, but a choice born of his own free will.
Being a Cursed Spirit, Mahito had no need to worry about the perception of ordinary humans, so he confidently passed the ticket inspector and entered the screening room where the movie was playing.
Perhaps because it was a weekday morning, the cinema was nearly empty, with only a few staff members chatting casually. Relying on his memory, Mahito found the screening room where the "Vs. Mahito" arc began.
"Over the years, as a doctor, I have saved a great many lives…" (Movie)
The film playing on the big screen was, naturally, Earthworm Man 3. Mahito's eyes swept across the dim screening room—it was exactly as depicted in the manga. The most important person was Yoshino Junpei, who could become friends with Yuji Itadori, and alongside him were three noisy high school students.
One of the boys, wearing a high school uniform, was boasting excitedly to his two companions.
"Did you guys know? Junior high kids these days are loaded! A whole fifty thousand, hahahaha!""Hahahaha."
For a moment, the voices of the few patrons completely drowned out the movie's audio.
Mahito slowly approached the three teenagers, constantly contemplating how he should deal with them. Unlike in the original manga, where he simply killed them using Idle Transfiguration, Mahito now found that outcome uninteresting.
He was considering creating something akin to a Multiple Soul: Polymorphic Isomer, but he was primarily concerned that if a later sneak attack went too smoothly and he instantly killed Kento Nanami, it would be problematic. A death caused purely by Cursed Energy would prevent him from achieving his goal of turning Nanami into a Cursed Spirit. Moreover, if the scene became too chaotic, Satoru Gojo might appear immediately—a development Mahito wanted to avoid.
"It seems I'll have to exercise a bit more restraint," Mahito muttered to himself as he reached the back row where the three high school boys were seated.
One of the boys appeared to possess a faint sense of awareness. He seemed to hear Mahito's murmur, however soft and indistinct, and turned his head toward the back of the row.
"What's wrong?" his companion asked, noticing his strange behavior.
Scanning the empty back row suspiciously, he replied uncertainly,"I think I just heard someone talking behind me… but there's no one there."
When he turned back to look at his companions, he was horrified to see their skin rapidly collapsing. Blood oozed from their facial orifices and across their skin, and their eyeballs burst out.
"Eh?"
The sudden turn of events left the boy's brain unable to react; fear had not even registered yet. By the time he tried to flee, he was pinned down. Before he could utter a sound, his body underwent the same grotesque transformation as his companions. Within just a few breaths, Mahito had completed his masterpiece, leaving three 'mummies' slumped in their seats.
Unlike in the manga, Mahito did not create two more Transfigured Humans. Instead, he left the screening room, having already prepared a meeting gift for Kento Nanami and Itadori.
In the deserted alleyway, following the manga's original plot, Yoshino Junpei caught up with Mahito.
"Excuse me… was what happened in the cinema just now your doing?" Yoshino Junpei asked, summoning his courage.
Mahito merely smiled faintly. With a burst of speed, he appeared beside Yoshino Junpei and pressed a hand over his mouth.
Seeing the terror in Junpei's eyes, Mahito said with a smile,"You want to do the same thing, don't you? Then don't resist. Open your soul to me, and in return, I will grant your wish."
…About an hour later, from the other perspective, Kento Nanami took Itadori and entered the Assistant Supervisor's car.
However, Itadori noticed that the driver was a stranger, not the familiar Mr. Ijichi.
In fact, since the Jogo incident, Kiyotaka Ijichi had gone missing. To ensure the continued operation of Jujutsu High's missions, an external Assistant Supervisor had been temporarily assigned to fill in.
Tokyo Jujutsu High had many sorcerers, and two groups often needed to carry out missions simultaneously. Even with Akira Nitta present, another Assistant Supervisor was necessary.
Itadori, having remained in indoor training under Satoru Gojo and not yet going on missions, had no prior contact with this temporary supervisor.
"Eh… it's not Mr. Ijichi?" Itadori asked casually.
The driver greeted him through the rearview mirror,"Nice to meet you. I am Izumo Seto, the Assistant Supervisor temporarily filling in for Ijichi."