Chapter 10: The Three Brats vs. Twin Special Grade Cursed Wombs!?
This was a test lesson.
A test to see whether Nobara Kugisaki had the courage to face cursed spirits head-on, or rather, how crazy she could get when facing a curse.
The crazier, the bolder.
"After all, a lot of jujutsu sorcerers can't overcome the disgust and fear brought by curses."
"They get crushed midway, lose all hope, and never recover."
Satoru Gojo and Megumi Fushiguro sat on the curb by the roadside, watching young Yuji Itadori and Nobara go upstairs.
As for young Itadori—
Gojo was quite satisfied. He'd been a high schooler just yesterday, yet he adapted this fast. That was rare.
"Plenty of other sorcerers have been exposed to curses since childhood and still can't get past the mental barrier."
As time passed,
Nobara and young Yuji began the mission, but it went roughly.
They rescued a child, but Nobara and young Yuji were also blasted out by cursed spirits, covered in injuries.
"Cursed spirits… suddenly increased…" Gojo raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah."
Yuji pressed a hand to Nobara and young Yuji's backs. A soft glow flashed, and their injuries instantly healed.
The next second,
Gojo smiled, then patted the two of them again, adding a bit of force—and sent them flying back into the building.
And so,
like that,
with Yuji and Gojo helping,
Nobara and young Yuji's strength began to rise rapidly.
As long as they had enough stamina and willpower, they could keep fighting without worrying about getting hurt.
Of course, in the days that followed, Megumi Fushiguro was no exception.
...
During a rare bit of downtime, Yuji treated the three of them to pachinko.
"I know cities have more cursed spirits, more resentment and negative emotions, but not this many, not this busy, right?"
Nobara was exhausted these past few days.
"There weren't this many before," Fushiguro said.
"Ah, I thought it was always like this," young Yuji said.
Recently, curses had multiplied.
Even Gojo got sent out on a business trip in the middle of it, dealing with outbreaks of surging cursed spirits in some area.
The three were tired.
And the three had completely gotten used to it, treating Yuji as the medic. Especially Nobara—she was completely natural about it.
"By the way."
"These are the healing talismans I made for you. Keep them on you. If I'm not around, they can help you heal non-lethal injuries."
Yuji pulled out three talisman papers.
"These days are still easy. It's going to get harsher later."
These talismans were similar to the kind used to seal Sukuna's finger, but with a different effect.
That one was sealing.
This one was healing.
He learned it from an old technique relic manuscript.
Yuji even optimized it.
He made them reusable in a loop: three uses per day. After use, they would recharge on their own.
"Hah, who knew you were a craftsman, Yuanzhi! No wonder you're the best support!"
Nobara called him Yuanzhi directly and snatched one.
She waved it while studying the patterns on it. "But I can't feel any cursed energy. Does this really work?"
What a fast mood swing.
Young Yuji muttered quietly, "Cough… this isn't like those fake talismans temples sell for money, is it…"
Fushiguro put his into his pocket without a word.
"Who knows. If you don't want them, you can toss them," Yuji chuckled.
Complaining, huh?
"No!" Nobara immediately stored it away and hugged it tight.
She wasn't stupid.
If it really worked, it was unbelievably valuable.
She'd never even heard of something like this.
Not just her—Megumi Fushiguro, who'd been silent, hadn't heard of it either, so he couldn't help doubting whether it was real.
Beep, beep—
A call came in from Tokyo Jujutsu High.
...
Nishitokyo City, Eishu Juvenile Detention Center.
Above the athletic field.
Three hours ago, something had started to change.
"Hey, what is that!?"
"What's that thing!?"
"It looks like an egg!"
Several men in modified uniforms and prison attire lifted their heads to stare at the sky.
Up there…
something seemed to be hanging.
...
Three hours later, at the detention center.
The sky was dim. A light rain drizzled down, and there were many unfamiliar faces here now.
"This is the situation."
"Our Window confirmed a cursed womb about three hours ago. Evacuation guidance reached about ninety percent. Based on the scene, we sealed the facility."
"Residents within a 500-meter radius have completed evacuation."
"Worth noting: our Window misjudged it. It isn't one cursed womb. It's two…"
Assistant Supervisor Kiyotaka Ijichi explained the situation.
On the nearby streets, police were cooperating to clear people out. Several patrol cars were parked, so the area was empty.
Aside from the sound of rain, it was very quiet.
"Ijichi-san, I have a question. What is a Window?" young Yuji raised his hand like a student.
Ijichi patiently answered, "A Window is a Jujutsu High-affiliated person who can visually observe curses, but isn't a sorcerer."
"I see."
"Continuing. Five detainees are in the second dormitory, together with the two cursed wombs."
"If the cursed wombs fully hatch, they are predicted to become Special Grade cursed spirits."
At the mention of Special Grade,
young Yuji asked again, "I don't have a sense for it. What is Special Grade?"
Yuji explained for Ijichi:
"Simply put, assuming normal weapons worked on cursed spirits."
"A Grade 4 cursed spirit can be handled easily with a wooden baseball bat."
"A Grade 3 cursed spirit, you'd feel barely safe with a handgun."
"A Grade 2 cursed spirit, a shotgun can barely do it."
"For Grade 1 and Semi-Grade 1, even bringing in a tank would still be hard."
"And for Special Grade, even carpet-bombing with cluster munitions wouldn't work…"
"And the gap between Special Grades is also huge. Some are even farther apart than the gap from Grade 4 to Special Grade."
Hearing that,
young Yuji broke into a cold sweat. "That strong? We don't have cluster bombs, and we definitely don't have fighter jets."
Fushiguro glanced at him. "A Special Grade sorcerer should be dispatched, like Gojo-sensei, but he's away on assignment."
Ijichi nodded.
"Yes. Being understaffed is normal in this line of work. We often get missions we can't handle, especially with curses being abnormally active lately."
"But."
"This is an emergency abnormal incident. You must not fight. When you encounter a Special Grade, you only have two options: death or escape."
He understood the stakes and had seen far too many tragedies.
"This time, listen to your fear."
"Your mission is only to confirm and rescue survivors. Don't get involved in anything else."
He looked at the hooded Yuji and, very seriously, held up two fingers.
"These are two Special Grade cursed wombs! Even with you accompanying them… Doctor Yuanzhi, don't act recklessly!"
He had heard about it.
This specially hired Doctor Yuanzhi seemed very capable, but this situation was different. It wasn't something a normal Grade 1 sorcerer could deal with.
No matter how fast the healing, could it be faster than Special Grade slaughter?
If it became a life-or-death battle, there were too many variables. No one knew what the outcome would be…
"Anyway, please be extremely careful!"
At the same time,
near the gate, a mother ran over, but was quickly stopped by four or five men in suits.
"Excuse me, excuse me, Azumi, he…"
"Don't come closer!"
"Please calm down. It's dangerous here. Step back!"
"Azumi—my son Azumi is inside. Is he okay? Why did you seal this place?"
The mother was frantic.
Young Yuji watched from afar, feeling it deeply, unable to bear it.
If this mother knew the truth—her son inside with dangerous cursed spirits—she would be…
Nobara and Fushiguro's eyes were also drawn to the scene.
"It's a guardian here for a visit," Ijichi explained, then turned to the mother.
"Please go home. We suspect someone has poisoned the facility, so we can't disclose more information for now."
A kind lie.
"What… how could that be… why is this happening…"
The mother swayed, squatted on the ground, covered her face, and cried.
"Fushiguro, Nobara, Yuanzhi, let's go save people!"
Young Yuji couldn't take it anymore. He clenched his fists and slapped them together hard.
"Of course," Nobara answered immediately.
Fushiguro said nothing.
They moved forward quickly.
As Nobara walked, she bumped the person beside her with her elbow and said quietly,
"Yuanzhi."
"Why are you always so quiet."
"It's fine. If there's danger, I've got it covered."
She hooked a thumb toward her own chin.