Curse Returns: Eight Extraordinary Skills? I lack nothing.

Shunping subconsciously followed his gaze and looked over to the streetlights at the school gate, where a person was leaning against the wall. He was dressed in black casual clothes, with his hands in his pockets. He looked young, but his posture exuded an indescribable composure.

The man nodded slightly to Khajiitsu, then turned and walked into the twilight, leaving the two of them alone.

Shunping didn't know who that person was, but he knew that person was doing it on purpose.

He deliberately let Tiger Stick walk over alone.

I deliberately stood under the streetlight so he could see me from a distance.

He deliberately turned away, telling them, "There's no one else here, just the two of you."

“Let’s go,” said Yuzhang. “There’s a quiet place by the sea.”

The two walked out of the school gate side by side.

On the coast of Kanagawa, the steps of the breakwater are covered with moss, and the sea breeze carries a salty smell in gusts.

Huzhang plopped down on the steps, looked up at the sky, and saw only a few stars in the dark sky with no clouds in sight.

Shunping sat not too far from him, placed the stack of notebooks beside him, and looked up at the sky.

"You just said... we can talk about movies, is that true?" Shunping asked.

"Really!" Itadori turned his head, excitedly counting on his fingers, "I've seen Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, and Tsubaki Sanjuro!"

Shunping glanced at him sideways, somewhat incredulous, but still asked, "Which part do you like?"

"The scene where Kanbei cuts off the samurai's head!" Itadori exclaimed without hesitation, "That was so cool!"

Shunping's lips twitched slightly.

Those people did mock him for liking movies.

In their eyes, a weirdo who is bullied and ostracized is not worthy of having hobbies.

If one had to choose, it shouldn't be Akira Kurosawa, nor the samurai with flashing swords in those black and white films—

“However,” Itadori suddenly said, “I think the coolest part is when Kanbei shaves his head.”

Shunping was completely stunned.

Kanbei shaved his head in order to sneak into the castle and disguise himself as a monk.

The scene was very short, with no background music or dialogue; it was just a samurai watching his hair being shaved off piece by piece by a razor.

Most viewers only saw it as a necessary transition in the plot. But...

"You also think that part is good?" Shunping asked.

"Yes, it's good." Itadori nodded. "He was willing to give up his samurai identity to save people. Cool, really cool."

Shunping didn't say anything more.

He simply lay down slowly on the breakwater, his head resting on his arms, gazing at the night sky above, as those black and white images flashed through his mind frame by frame.

He wanted to say that he liked "Seven Samurai" not because he liked the fighting and killing, but because he liked the characters who knew they would die but still went to protect others.

But he didn't say it.

Tiger Stick also lay down.

The two lay side by side on the breakwater, looking up at the sky, where the stars were faintly visible behind the clouds.

After a long silence, Itajimaru turned his head and asked, "Junpei, do you know what a sorcerer is?"

Shunping was taken aback: "People who can see cursed spirits? They've been mentioned on TV news a lot lately."

"Yeah, that's the kind of person. I'll be going to the Jujutsu High School in Tokyo soon."

“Mr. Kasuga, the one you just saw at the school gate—I would also like to invite you to come along.”

Shunping remained silent for a long time.

He did not answer immediately.

He simply turned his head to look at Itari, at the profile illuminated by the moonlight, and at the brown pupils reflecting the starry sky.

He recalled every movie he had ever watched, in which the protagonists always decided, at some point, to embark on a path of no return.

It wasn't because they were prepared, but because they met someone who made them feel that this path was worth taking.

"Let me think about it," Shunping said.

Haddō smiled and said, "No rush, I'll wait for you."

Shunping's home is an old duplex house.

Pushing open the door, there was a pair of women's leather shoes and two pairs of sneakers in the entryway. Above the shoe cabinet was a photo frame with a picture of a young woman holding a little boy and laughing on the beach.

The woman wore a light blue dress, her hair was messed up by the sea breeze, and the curve of her lips was a genuine smile.

"I'm back." Shunping's voice was very soft, as if he was afraid of disturbing something.

A rustling sound came from the living room.

A woman peeked out from the kitchen. She had shoulder-length black hair, wore loungewear and an apron, held a spatula in her hand, and had an unlit cigarette dangling from her mouth. Her features resembled Shunping's, with slightly upturned eyes and a cool, indifferent smile, suggesting she was not someone to be trifled with.

Nagi Yoshino, Junpei's mother.

She is a single mother. Her husband left when Shunping was very young, and she raised her child alone without ever complaining.

She took the cigarette out of her mouth, looked Shunping up and down, and didn't ask him why his clothes were wrinkled or why he was covered in dust. She just asked him one question.

"You're back? Are you hungry?"

I'm not hungry.

Nagi didn't ask any further questions and retreated back into the kitchen, the sound of the spatula stirring the food coming through the wall.

Shunping changed his shoes, walked into the living room, and placed the stack of notebooks on the coffee table.

"Mom," he suddenly said.

The sounds from the kitchen stopped. Nagi came out carrying a spatula and looked at him.

"I'm going to school in Tokyo."

Nagi paused for a moment. She switched the spatula to her other hand, wiped her wet hands on her apron, and then put the cigarette back in her mouth.

"Okay, when are you leaving?"

Shunping didn't expect her to react this way.

He thought she would ask why, how long he would be gone, and if he had enough money, but she didn't.

She simply nodded, then turned and went back to the kitchen.

After a while, the humming of the range hood started again.

Shunping stood in the living room, looking at the thin, busy figure in front of the stove, his throat tightening.

He didn't say anything more, went back to his room, closed the door, and leaned against it.

He opened his phone, found the number that Itadori had given him, and saved it to his contacts. The number wasn't saved as "Itadori," but rather "Haruhi"...

The next morning, Shunping stood at the door of his house, carrying the old schoolbag on his back and a canvas bag in his hand.

Itadori and Yuuto walked over together. Itadori waved to him and shouted, "Junpei, over here!"

Chapter 123 Wild Rose

Traffic on the highway wasn't heavy, and the leisurely car was driving in the middle lane at a moderate speed.

In the back seat, Huzhang and Shunping were sitting side by side, chatting enthusiastically about something.

"Have you ever seen an earthworm man?" Shunping asked happily, tilting his head slightly.

Hadji paused for a moment, then slapped his thigh. "I've seen it! The part with the earthworm in the sewer was so thrilling! The sound effects... for a whole month, every time I washed my hands, I felt like something was going to crawl out of the faucet..."

The two chatted about various horror movies, from the scale of the scenes to the shooting techniques, then from the shooting techniques to the sound design, and finally back to the beginning.

In the original timeline, Torajo only watched a large number of movies after Sukuna pierced his heart, then revived, and supposedly underwent training from Gojo Satoru.

But actually, before this, Torajo already loved movies, watching several movies almost every week, mainly horror movies.

Therefore, Kojo and Shunpei, who loved movies, especially horror movies, got along very well.

However, the types of films that Tiger Zhang likes are not limited to a certain genre; horror films are only a small part of his tastes.

But now, facing a seasoned movie buff like Shunpei, Itajō managed to recall every horror movie he had ever seen, and recounted them in great detail.

“By the way, Itari,” Yuto, who was driving, suddenly spoke up, his tone unhurried, as if he were talking about something quite important, “Next, we need to pick up someone else.”

Itadori, who was grinning and gesturing to a scene from "The Worm Man 2," paused for a moment upon hearing this, his mouth still half-open. Then, half-jokingly, he turned his head and mumbled a complaint, "Huh... there's more?"

Yuuto smiled, his gaze still fixed on the road ahead, and added, drawing out his words, "It's a female classmate."

Itachi's eyes lit up in that instant, and before he could say anything, Shunpei spoke first.

"What's her name?" Shunping asked calmly.

"Kugizaki Rose." Yuuto replied.

There was a moment of silence in the car, then Itsuji muttered something under his breath, his tone carrying a vague intuition: "This name... it sounds very unique."

Yuuto choked for a moment.

He didn't reply, but a thought just crossed his mind.

Did you actually read the script?

Wild roses are indeed... full of personality, and not just a little bit.

Is your mouth blessed?

He went over these thoughts in his mind but didn't say them aloud.

As expected of you, Tiger Zhang.

As Yuuto spoke, he recalled information about wild roses in his mind.

Based on the original work, Yuuto was able to roughly analyze Wild Rose's background.

Kugizaki Wild Rose.

They were among those who naturally awakened after the surge of magical power; they were 17 years old and third-level sorcerers.