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Flying straight back would've been the easiest mode of travel, but Bokue didn't mind the idea of occasionally enjoying a "Private transport" courtesy of the Jujutsu Association.
A couple of minutes later, in front of the juvenile detention facility, four figures gathered—three of them sitting on the front steps, one lying down.
Bokue and Saeko Busujima sat next to each other, while Megumi Fushiguro tended to the unconscious Yuji Itadori, who had apparently passed out from extreme exhaustion after surrendering his body to Sukuna.
The sun had dipped below the horizon, and the sky gradually darkened.
Amid a pleasant evening breeze, Bokue glanced at Itadori, whose eyes remained tightly shut.
"I was gonna let him stew in that black coffin a bit longer, but since those markings on his face are gone, I take it that Sukuna's possession ended, right?"
"Yeah, that's correct."
Fushiguro responded quietly.
Originally, he'd intended to drop off the severely wounded Nobara Kugisaki with Ijichi, then immediately return to help Itadori. But by the time he'd signaled Yuji and raced back inside, the domain had already vanished—and there stood Busujima-senpai and this total stranger, lugging out a giant black coffin. They came out with an unconscious Itadori and yet another Sukuna's Finger.
He still had no clue who this guy was, but judging by how effortlessly he'd subdued Sukuna—who had two fingers at that point—he had to be at least Special-Grade… if not stronger.
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"You don't need to worry too much," Saeko chimed in, noticing Fushiguro's concern. "From what we've seen, Itadori-kun has the ability to suppress Sukuna completely."
Then she lowered her voice as though wary of being overheard.
"So… the higher-ups in the Jujutsu Association plan to use Itadori's unique constitution as a way to gather all twenty of Sukuna's fingers inside him. And once he's ingested all of them, they'll… execute Itadori, theoretically killing Sukuna with him."
"Huh? Why?"
Bokue's brow twitched.
"What exactly's their logic here—some brain-dead guess? A coin toss?"
"…What do you mean?"
Saeko hesitated, puzzled.
"It's simple."
Bokue thumbed over his shoulder toward the facility behind them.
"The bald Special-Grade we just took out? It had a Sukuna's Finger inside it. It also 'suppressed' Sukuna's consciousness, right? Heck, it used the finger's power just fine. Now, it's dead—but the finger's still intact, isn't it?"
"…"
"…"
It was a cunning angle, yet painfully obvious once you heard it.
Sure, Itadori could suppress Sukuna's mind.
But that Special-Grade Curse could do it too, and it even harnessed Sukuna's power. Which meant it was arguably Better suited to be Sukuna's vessel.
In other words, the only reason the Jujutsu Association was going with Yuji Itadori was precisely because he couldn't wield the finger's strength. Even if he swallowed all twenty, at most he'd just be a physically gifted jock.
Executing him afterward would be a piece of cake.
But who was to say Sukuna wouldn't survive the killing blow, or at least slip away to another host? The higher-ups had basically pinned all their hopes on a plan that might not work—and if it failed, well, no one in particular would be held accountable. Collective responsibility means nobody's truly responsible.
That was Democracy for you.
Saeko and Fushiguro were both silent, clearly having reached the same conclusion.
Bokue cleared his throat, changing the subject. "Speaking of which—when Ijichi called you earlier, he mentioned it was a Special-Grade Curse. Since they knew that, why didn't they dispatch a Special-Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer? Where's that 'Strongest' guy from the Gojo Family?"
"Gojo-sensei's out of town."
Fushiguro spoke from Bokue's other side.
"Normally, the Association assigns a sorcerer of the same grade to match the target Curse. But around noon, Gojo-sensei got an urgent mission: apparently, a Grade 1 sorcerer went missing on a job, and the Association sent him to investigate."
A Grade 1 sorcerer disappears, so they send a Special-Grade to look for them—then let a group of students handle a Special-Grade Curse by themselves?
Bokue felt a faint buzzing in his head, like jigsaw pieces sliding into place.
"So basically… we're dealing with a clown show."
It was obvious.
There are only a handful of Special-Grades in existence, especially ones specialized in combat like Satoru Gojo.
Sure, searching for a missing Grade 1 sorcerer was critical—but what about the group of kids thrown into a Special-Grade death trap?
If Bokue hadn't been here, that "Strongest" Gojo might've come back just in time to search this facility for the three missing students next. They were plugging holes with the best resources they had, only to create new holes that also needed plugging—leading to an endless cycle of patchwork solutions.
And the worst part was, everyone just accepted it.
Might as well install Gojo in a morgue to become a "Special-Grade Corpse Mover"—hauling the bodies of his own students, not strangers.
Asking amateurs to command folks who'd awakened powers by accident, forcing them into lethal tasks… It was no different than strapping a bomb vest on child soldiers and sending them into heavy artillery.
Absolutely ridiculous.
"…And that's why I can't stand Jujutsu Sorcerers."
Bokue muttered to himself, quietly enough that only he could hear it.
Just then, headlights flickered through the large iron gates, shining onto the front courtyard of the detention center. A black sedan pulled up, its driver a tired, gaunt man wearing the Association's uniform.
"Looks like your ride's here. Alright—" Bokue stood and dusted himself off. "Oh, one more thing: after you wrap up your report, you might consider Jumping ship. Stay here long enough, and eventually… the Higher-ups will get you killed."
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Update Schedule: 21 Chapter/week.
Every 100 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter