Zzt!
A flash of blue-purple lightning, and the portal—along with Gaio—vanished completely. The lingering ozone scent was quickly swept away by the wind, leaving only the echo of "going home to hug my girlfriend" drifting in the sunlight.
The ruins fell silent.
Gojo Satoru's hand was still raised, pointing at the now-empty air.
He blinked, his eyes showing a mix of confusion and… exasperation?
He slowly turned, scanning the group around him.
Itadori Yuji was still kneeling beside Fushiguro Megumi, snot and tears streaking his face, clearly not yet recovered from the emotional rollercoaster.
Nanami Kento adjusted his glasses, the lenses glinting coldly, his face expressionless.
Nissha Hiromi wore a pained look, lost in thought.
Kurusu Hana gently touched Fushiguro's chest, checking his heartbeat, seemingly unbothered by the earlier conversation.
Gojo's gaze finally landed on Nanami, his lips twitching as he pointed to where Gaio had disappeared, enunciating each word: "Did he… just say… he's going home… to hug his girlfriend?"
Nanami nodded impassively. "Yup."
"AAAH—!!!" Gojo let out an exaggerated wail, suddenly pulling a pristine white handkerchief from nowhere and shoving it into his mouth, biting down with muffled sobs. "Damn it~~ Why?! I don't even have a girlfriend~~~"
Nanami remained unfazed, clearly used to Gojo's theatrics.
He adjusted his glasses again, his voice calm and steady, steering the conversation back on track. "Gojo, about the jujutsu higher-ups' verdict, you need to know."
"Hm?" Gojo's handkerchief-biting paused abruptly.
The manic, goofy expression vanished from his face.
He stood tall, his lips curling into that cocky smirk.
Tilting his chin, he glanced at Nanami with disdain in his eyes. "Oh, those old tangerine peels stirring up trouble again?"
"No big deal," Gojo said, his gaze shifting to the unconscious Fushiguro on the ground. "First, we deal with Fushiguro's sister."
He stepped toward Fushiguro, sunlight casting a glow on his broad back. His tone was calm but sharp. "Then we deal with them."
Zzt! Blue-purple lightning crackled in a cluttered apartment as Gaio stepped out of a portal. Before he could steady himself, a soft body scented with violets crashed into him.
"Welcome back!"
Kitagawa Marin clung to him, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck.
She wore a loose T-shirt, her hair still damp from a shower. Gaio slid his hands under her knees, lifting her like a koala.
"Sorry for making you wait," he said, nuzzling the top of her head.
"Sooo long!" Kitagawa puffed out her cheeks, then buried her face in his shoulder, taking a deep sniff. "Ugh, you smell awful…"
She snapped her head up, eyes wide. "Did you take care of everything?"
Gaio carried her to the couch. "Yup, all done."
"Ha!" Kitagawa sat on his lap, flailing her arms excitedly. "I knew it! My Tian-kun's the best!"
Gaio watched her bounce around, a smile tugging at his lips. She was like an excited kitten, squirming on his lap, flicking droplets from her damp hair onto his face.
After her antics, Kitagawa suddenly quieted, curling into his chest. "Thanks, boyfriend-kun," she mumbled into his shirt.
Gaio raised an eyebrow. "No need to thank me."
He knew what she meant. He hadn't planned to get involved in this mess, but seeing his little ray of sunshine so worried, her usual vibrant smile dimmed, had changed his mind.
"I'm gonna take a shower," he said, ruffling her hair.
Kitagawa's eyes sparkled mischievously as she hopped off his lap.
She planted her hands on her hips, puffing her cheeks. "Go, go! You stink!"
Gaio chuckled, planting a kiss on her smooth forehead as he stood. Kitagawa's face lit up with her signature sunny grin, her eyes curving into crescents.
The moment the bathroom door closed, Kitagawa darted into the bedroom like a cat with a stolen treat.
She dug out the black bikini she'd prepared, her fingers trembling as she tied the straps.
Her flushed cheeks stared back from the mirror.
The sound of running water filled the air. Kitagawa took a deep breath, tiptoeing to the bathroom door.
In the steamy haze, Gaio's toned back was faintly visible. She peeked in, only to meet his gaze as he turned.
"Eek!" Kitagawa yelped as she was yanked inside.
The door slammed shut, steam enveloping her.
Gaio's wet arms wrapped around her waist, water droplets rolling down her reddened skin.
"Wait, wait! I'm not ready~ Ah~ dummy Gaio-kun, not there!" Kitagawa's protests drowned in the sound of the shower.
(Three million words omitted here. Not even VIPs get to see this part.)
Kyoto, deep within an old mansion.
A red-eyed girl stood barefoot on the cold floor, her black hair tied with a dark red ribbon. She glared at the phone screen, the unanswered call making her frown deepen.
"Gaio-kun," she muttered, her fingers tapping the table irritably, "what are you doing?"
The phone buzzed uselessly in the cluttered apartment's living room.
Buzz—buzz—
The screen stubbornly glowed, the caller ID flashing "Young Lady."
In the steamy bathroom, only the sound of running water and muffled hums and whispers could be heard.
The phone on the coffee table finally went dark.
[No answer.]
The Higashi-Tsu ruins trembled under the night sky.
Uraume's black hair whipped wildly, her blood-red eyes blazing. "You lied! Lord Sukuna is invincible!" Her fingers clawed the air, each swipe unleashing black cursed energy blades that slashed frantically at Gojo Satoru.
Gojo moved like a phantom, weaving through the barrage with ease, his lips curled in a teasing smirk. "Well, facts speak louder than words, Miss Uraume~ By the way, didn't your 'beloved' kill you himself? Why are you still haunting my student's sister?"
He dragged out the word "beloved" mockingly.
"Shut up!" Uraume's face twisted with rage and obsession, her attacks growing fiercer. "My love for Lord Sukuna transcends life and death! A worm like you could never understand!"
Her hands clapped together, a black hairpin wreathed in thick cursed energy materializing, shrieking as it shot toward Gojo's face!
"Whoa, dangerous!" Gojo tilted his head dramatically, the hairpin grazing his cheek and piercing a reinforced concrete pillar behind him, leaving a clean hole. The pillar groaned and collapsed in a cloud of dust.
Gojo reappeared on a broken wall, brushing off nonexistent dust from his clothes, his tone turning cold. "I don't get it, and I don't want to."
He raised a hand, pointing at Uraume in Tsumiki's body, his blue eyes locking on with a commanding tone. "Right now, get out of her body!"
"Dream on!" Uraume screeched, her hands forming seals. Black cursed markings spread from her feet, cold and viscous cursed energy seeping into the air like ink. "Domain Expansion: Triple Agony!"
A black orb materialized beside her.
Gojo snorted, one hand in his pocket, the other forming a gesture—thumb and index finger up, ring and pinky bent, middle finger tucked behind.
"Perfect timing. Domain Expansion—"
"Infinite Void!"
A pure, blinding blue light swallowed the overwhelming darkness.
Uraume's body froze, her eyes staring blankly ahead.
The information flood of Infinite Void overwhelmed her mind, each second like a millennium of junk data.
She couldn't move, her cursed energy frozen.
Gojo strolled up casually, ignoring her rigid form and calling over her shoulder, "Yo, Nobara, your turn!"
Uraume's fractured senses caught a hint of danger, but she couldn't even move her eyes.
"Been waiting for this!" A sharp shout rang out! Kugisaki Nobara appeared behind Uraume, gripping a hammer and a gleaming nail, her eyes fierce enough to tear her prey apart.
"Give Fushiguro's sister back!" Kugisaki roared, twisting her body and channeling all her cursed energy into her arms. "Now!!!"
Buzz!
The hammer swung, striking the nail's end!
Shunk!
The nail pierced Uraume's—rather, Tsumiki's—left shoulder!
Kugisaki's cursed energy surged like thorny vines, burrowing into the soul entanglement between Uraume and the body!
"Argh—!!!" Uraume's soul let out a silent scream!
Tsumiki's body trembled violently, a gush of viscous black blood spewing from her mouth, sizzling as it corroded the concrete.
The soul connection was shaken and torn by Kugisaki's strike!
In that moment of Uraume's faltering control—
Gojo's hand, still in his pocket, whipped out, black lightning crackling around it with a deadly hum! He pulled back his fist!
"Release!"
BOOM—!!!
A compressed Black Flash punched through Uraume's abdomen!
A heart-stopping thud!
Uraume's body bent backward in a horrific arc, a writhing black mass forcibly expelled from Tsumiki's mouth.
"No—!!!" A piercing wail erupted from the squirming black mass! It thrashed desperately, lunging toward Tsumiki's limp body.
"Going somewhere?" Gojo's voice dripped with mockery as he snatched the writhing mass midair. "Not this time."
The mass screeched inhumanly, swelling and contracting, struggling to break free.
Gojo's eyes narrowed, his arm muscles tensing as he gripped the mass. His other fist, wrapped in black lightning, buzzed ominously!
He pulled back, the air around his fist warping with compressed power!
BOOM—!!!
A second Black Flash smashed into the mass!
The pure force pierced through! The mass convulsed like a fish struck by high voltage, its surface cracking with web-like fractures!
"ARGH—!!!" A wretched scream burst out, filled with unrelenting resentment!
The next second, the scream cut off.
Pop!
The writhing black mass crumbled like burnt ash under Gojo's cursed energy, disintegrating into countless tiny particles, torn apart and purified, vanishing into the night wind without a trace.
Silence.
Only Kugisaki Nobara's heavy breathing and the rustle of her clothes as she gently supported Tsumiki's limp body could be heard.
"Phew…" Kugisaki wiped her sweat, looking at Tsumiki's pale but steadily breathing face, grinning. "Done!"
Gojo flicked his hand, as if shaking off dust, his playful smirk returning. "Let's go, take her to Shoko!"