Adrenaline surged wildly, trying to keep the broken body alive. Consciousness briefly sharpened—what people call the "final burst of clarity" before death.
But as blood continued to drain away, body temperature dropped. Limbs grew numb. Thoughts became hazy, as if the soul were slowly drifting away from the flesh.
This was the feeling of death approaching.
Fushiguro Toji realized he was dying.
For someone like him—despised by the Jujutsu world—being able to fight such a strong opponent in his final moments wasn't the worst way to go.
With no regrets left, he closed his eyes, a faint smile on his lips.
Then, a gentle light bloomed on his body, and his peacefully shut eyes snapped open.
His entire body surged with strength. His heartbeat rang loud and steady in his ears. The lost blood seemed to reverse course, flowing back through his veins.
Before such an unbelievably efficient Reverse Cursed Technique, death itself felt like a joke.
"Why?" Fushiguro Toji stared at the short-haired girl in confusion.
"Thank your son," Hayashizaki said with a small smile.
My son? Megumi? What does this have to do with Megumi?
Toji had no idea that Hayashizaki had crossed over from a different timeline. Instead of clearing up his doubts, the answer only left him more confused.
He frowned at first, then took a closer look at the girl's delicate features.
A strange, out-of-place thought slowly crept into his mind.
That guy… is he trying to be like Hikaru Genji?
A sudden sense of unease crept up. Hayashizaki stared at Fushiguro Toji for a moment before asking suspiciously, "You're thinking about something bad, aren't you?"
Did he notice?
The black-haired man's heart skipped a beat, but his expression didn't change as he replied, "What are you talking about?"
However, the sudden shift in his heart rate didn't escape Hayashizaki's sharp eyes. And so, after taking a punch to the head, Fushiguro Toji's face immediately twisted into an annoyed expression—one that looked almost exactly like Fushiguro Megumi's a few years later.
"Go back and take good care of your son. In a few years, he'll be my student." Hayashizaki reached out and ruffled his hair again.
Fushiguro Toji swatted the hand away, let out a short chuckle, and smirked provocatively. "Too bad. That kid's getting sold to the Zenin clan in a few years."
"Hm?" Hayashizaki tilted his head slightly, his crimson eyes carrying an undeniable pressure. "Don't forget, your life belongs to me."
"The Zenin clan? That has nothing to do with me." Hayashizaki turned away and waved a hand casually. "Anyway, just handle it. Just make sure Fushiguro Megumi enters Jujutsu High in a few years."
"Ugh, fine…" Fushiguro Toji scratched his head, about to respond, but before he could, the short-haired girl in front of him had already vanished, leaving behind only a fading white blur.
He stood there in a daze for a long time before shaking his head with a bitter smile. "I fought with everything I had for so long… and it was just a clone? What a monster."
Shaking off his emotions, Fushiguro Toji slowly got up, his figure flickering as he disappeared into the forest.
…
"Since Geto is fine now, let's hurry and catch up! We should still have time!"
Gojo Satoru was about to rush in the direction Fushiguro Toji had escaped, but Hayashizaki reached out and stopped him.
"Forget it. You might not be able to beat him," Hayashizaki said calmly.
"Hah!?" The white-haired boy immediately tilted his head up in defiance, his sunglasses slipping slightly to reveal his dazzling Six Eyes.
"Don't bother. I already went." The short-haired girl said, "Well, my clone did."
She waved to Amanai Riko. "No need to worry about that anymore. Come on, I'll take you guys back. Just go on with your lives."
Riko hesitated, glancing at Geto and Gojo before carefully stepping toward the short-haired girl.
Geto let out a helpless sigh, making Riko instantly straighten up in fear.
"So in the end… it's still not possible?"
She let out a small, bitter laugh and started walking back, looking completely dejected.
"Riko, don't get the wrong idea." Geto watched her disappointed expression and couldn't help but chuckle. "Even without Miss Yukinoshita, Gojo and I had already decided to let you choose your own future. We made that decision the moment we met you."
"What if the little Star Plasma Vessel refuses to merge?"
Walking along the tree-lined path of Jujutsu High, Gojo Satoru tossed a coin up and down—the change he got from a vending machine.
Hearing his friend's question, he thought for a moment before answering decisively, "Then… she just won't merge!"
Geto, who had already expected this response, couldn't help but laugh. "Are you sure about that?"
"Huh?"
Gojo Satoru smirked, a cocky and slightly mocking grin spreading across his handsome face. "What, are you scared?"
"Don't worry, don't worry. We'll figure something out when the time comes."
"No matter if you plan to continue merging with Master Tengen or choose to embrace your own life again, we will… we can guarantee your future." He placed one hand on his hip and smiled.
"Huh?"
Amanai Riko turned her head in surprise, looking at the white-haired boy standing nearby with his arms crossed, awkwardly turning his head away.
She lowered her head slightly and whispered, "I… have been special since birth. Everyone around me says I'm different. But to me, being special is just normal."
"I've tried my best to avoid danger and live for today. I don't even remember how my parents died anymore. I don't feel sadness or loneliness."
"So I always thought it didn't matter if I fused and separated from everyone… I always believed that no matter how painful it was, no matter how sad or lonely, those feelings would disappear one day…"
Her vision blurred with tears. Memories of ordinary yet joyful days at school, of time spent with Kuroi Misato, always by her side, played like a movie in her mind. When she reached out to grasp them, they shattered like fragile bubbles.
"But… but… I still want to stay with everyone!"
"I still want to go to more places with them, see more things, and experience more…"
Tears finally spilled from her eyes, streaming down her cheeks. No matter how much she wiped them away, she couldn't stop them.
"Miss…" Kuroi Misato stepped forward and firmly held Riko's hands. Her reddened eyes filled with tears she couldn't hold back.
A beautiful scene, isn't it? Hayashizaki had already returned the body to Yukinoshita Haruno, and his voice echoed in her mind.
Ah, thanks to you. As if unwilling to break the moment, Yukinoshita Haruno didn't speak aloud, only communicating with Hayashizaki in her mind.
No, this was your choice. Hayashizaki smiled.
Sharing one body, the two simply watched in silence, smiling as they observed the young mistress and her servant embracing in tears.
…
In a completely ordinary house in a residential area of Sendai City,
A graceful short-haired woman seemed to sense something unusual. With a calm expression, she walked into a room and pulled open a drawer on the bedside cabinet.
After feeling around inside for a moment, she opened a hidden compartment and took out an old, heavy wooden box.
With a soft click, the box opened, revealing a severed finger wrapped tightly in a charm covered with strange symbols.
"The sealing spell is weakening?"
The woman frowned. "No… it was broken by Sukuna's cursed energy… Resonance?"
The sound of a door opening came from the entrance, followed by a cheerful voice.
"Mom! I'm home!"
The woman quickly composed herself, put the finger back in the box, hid it away, and then stood up and walked out of the room.
"Welcome back."
She smiled and stretched out her arms, embracing the pink-haired little boy who had run into her arms. As her bangs shifted slightly, they revealed a stitched scar on her forehead.
…
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