Ms. Gojo thought she was dating an ordinary person's boyfriend.

The dormitory of Tokyo Metropolitan Jujutsu Higher Vocational School.

Yuji Itadori sat on the edge of the bed, looking down and fiddling with his brand-new black college uniform.

The golden swirling buttons felt slightly cool to the touch beneath my fingertips.

It wasn't until he heard the chirping of cicadas coming from the deep mountains outside his window that he felt a sense of reality.

He truly bid farewell to Sugisawa Third High School and stepped into a bizarre new world filled with curses and death.

"Buzzing—"

The phone, which had been lying next to my pillow, suddenly vibrated.

The name "Junpei Yoshino" flashed on the screen.

Yuuji Itadori took a deep breath and pressed the answer button: "Oh! Junpei!"

"Yujin! Where have you been?!" On the other end of the phone, Junpei's usually gentle and introverted voice was now filled with barely concealed panic and soft panting.

"I went to your house to look for you, and the neighbors said your grandfather... said you've already moved away! Even the school suddenly processed your withdrawal. Did something happen?"

For Junpei, who always habitually hunches his shoulders and keeps to himself at school, Hisahito Itadori is one of the few "lights" he can approach without any reservations.

The light disappeared without warning, causing him immense panic.

"Ah! Sorry, sorry!" Itadori quickly moved the phone away a bit, scratching the back of his head guiltily, but trying his best to sound as energetic as usual.

"It all happened so suddenly, I didn't have time to explain in detail. I transferred schools, and I'm in Tokyo now!"

"Tokyo?" Shunpei was taken aback, the worry in his voice not completely gone. "Why would you suddenly go to Tokyo? Do you have relatives there? Can you take care of yourself by yourself?"

"No problem!" Itadori's mind flashed back to the tall figure wearing a black eye patch, and a genuine smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

"Actually... the school I transferred to happens to be the one where Mr. Gojo is a teacher!"

There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone.

A moment later, Shunping let out a long, relieved breath.

The taut nerve seemed to relax instantly upon hearing the name "Mr. Gojo".

"It's the school where Mr. Gojo works..." Junpei's voice softened again, even carrying a hint of reassurance that he himself didn't realize.

"That's good. If it's Mr. Gojo, he'll definitely take good care of Hisahito. Dr. Kikawa was also very worried about you the other day. Now that you're with Mr. Gojo, I'm relieved."

After hanging up the phone, Yuujin Itadori stared at the darkened phone screen and slowly clenched his fist.

I'm sorry, Shunping.

He silently apologized in his heart.

He must keep the secret about the death sentence and the monster that resides within his body locked deep in his heart.

The next day, Huzhang officially began his life at the vocational college.

On the empty playground, he saw his future classmate, Fushiguro Megumi, again.

Although they had met before at Sugisawa Third High School and even fought side by side, the atmosphere was still subtly awkward as they stood face to face in similar dark uniforms.

Fortunately, Gojo Satoru suddenly appeared to give a lesson and guided their conversation effectively, gradually dispelling their initial awkwardness.

"Polygonum cuspidatum"

At the edge of the empty training ground of the vocational college, Fukuguro Megumi held a can of iced oolong tea that had just rolled out of a vending machine and pressed it against her sweaty cheek to cool it down.

His dark green eyes peered through his damp black hair at the pink-haired boy sitting on the steps, gulping down a sports drink, with a hint of inquiry.

"I've been wanting to ask you this for a while," Fushiguro Megumi said, unscrewing the bottle cap, her tone tinged with barely concealed curiosity, "How exactly do you know Gojo-sensei?"

"Ah...that!" Itadori's eyes flickered for a moment as he recalled Gojo Satoru's request in the dimly lit room. His brain raced, and he decisively cut out all the parts related to "Sumikawa".

He immediately covered it up with his signature, flawless, hearty smile.

"It was really just a coincidence! That day, I was saving a child from being hit by a car on the street, and I accidentally broke my newly bought limited edition drink. Mr. Gojo happened to be passing by, and not only did he buy me a new one, but he also treated me to a super delicious burger steak!"

To increase credibility, Huzhang even gestured wildly:

"We got along really well afterwards, and even went to the amusement park together over the weekend! Gojo-sensei is such a nice person!"

"......"

Fushiguro looked at Itadori as if he were an alien.

To reward a high school student for saving someone's life, Gojo Satoru offered to treat them to a meal.

Buying limited edition drinks?

Even going to an amusement park together?!

He couldn't even imagine the scene, nor did he understand why Gojo Satoru would maintain such an incomprehensible relationship with an "ordinary person".

"Is that all?" Fushiguro Megumi still found it a bit strange.

"Hahaha, yeah, it's such a coincidence! This must be...that...ah, fate! Yes! This is it! I really have a special connection with Gojo-sensei, hahahahahaha." Yuuji Itadori explained with an awkward laugh.

Seeing Fushiguro Megumi's suspicious expression, Itadori guiltily looked away, a bead of cold sweat sliding down his forehead.

Sorry, Fushiguro! Actually, Gojo-sensei just went shopping with her boyfriend and gave me a ride!

Not long after, the third freshman, Nobara Kugizaki, also enrolled.

With Kugizaki joining him, Yuuji Itadori's high school life was finally on track. He also finally saw what Satoru Gojo, as a "jutsuki" and "high school teacher," was really like.

"Oh, my lovely students! Today's mission is to exorcise the cursed spirit of Roppongi! I'll be here cheering you on!"

Gojo Satoru, wearing an eye patch and a jet-black uniform, held up a daifuku (a type of steamed bun) he had bought from who-knows-where, laughing carefree.

"Didn't you say you'd take us to an all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant?! Those damn city folks dare to cheat the locals!!!"

Kugizaki Nobara was so angry that she jumped up and down, and the veins on her forehead bulged.

Fushiguro Megumi sighed expressionlessly, looking as if she had long been used to it and had completely given up struggling, and silently widened the distance between herself and Gojo Satoru.

Yuujin Itadori stood to the side, watching Satoru Gojo, who was being disliked by the two but was still enjoying himself, and a strange feeling flashed in his eyes.