A mouldy miasma contaminated the squalid room. Blood-stained streaks of previously light blue paint peeled from the walls, overlooking the splintered syringes paving the ground. Slivers of moonlight crept through a shattered window; a man wearing a dark grey beanie knelt on his hands and feet, pressing his forehead against the floor.
"I did as I was told!" grovelled the man — his voice strained with desperation. "I injected ten people with the syringes you gave me!" Tears formed a tiny puddle beneath his face. "Please give me the stuff I asked for!"
A humanoid figure loomed over the man. One of its three mouths contorted into a sick smile. "Very well."
The man raised his head. He gasped as a cadaverous hand seized his throat, its grip tightening within milliseconds. A snapping sound echoed throughout the building. The man choked on his saliva, his limp body striking the ground.
I... can't move!
Three gangly fingers forced the man's right eye open. His pupils tracked the needle of a medical syringe — its point steadily approaching his cornea.
Wait, what is he...?!
A chorus of crazed chuckles emanated from the silhouette's mouths. "Here's the dose you requested!"
No... stop!
The man's eyeballs rolled into the back of his skull, the right sclera dyed by crimson droplets. He spasmed, foaming at the mouth.
Eventually, the man's vision darkened.
"You and Kana are extremely lucky to have survived last night's encounter," declared Mrs Yokiuji. "Based on your description of Yukou Tsugomorii, Japan's population may be in danger."
Yukari and the principal stood inside the building where they first met; it was approximately midday.
"However," continued the woman, "there exists a special-grade Jujutsu Sorcerer by the name of Itsuka Shinidare. She is a teacher at the Kyoto Institution, and is known as the Death Sentence Sorcerer."
The teenager felt a shiver crawl down his spine.
"I vehemently believe Itsuka is capable of eliminating Yukou Tsugomorii — even at the cost of her own life."
A candle went out.
The boy flinched. He turned his head and glanced at the extinguished candle, its former flame's faint fumes vanishing into thin air. Mrs Yokiuji sighed.
"That reminds me," stated the principal. She retrieved a wooden splint from one of the candle holders before holding it over a nearby flame. "Kana recommended you for promotion earlier today." The woman brought the burning splint to the smouldering candle wick — reigniting it. "As such, you have been promoted to second-grade. Well done!"
Yukari blinked. "Thank you."
Mrs Yokiuji nodded and slid the partially-charred splint back into the candle holder. "Do you have any questions or concerns?"
The teenager stared at the floor. After several seconds, he looked up.
"Is Yukou Tsugomorii's goal... actually possible?"
"No," responded the principal. "The law of conservation of energy applies to Jujutsu Sorcery as well. Cursed energy cannot be created nor destroyed — only transferred or transformed."
The boy frowned. Is that science? I never learned it.
"In practice, the death of a sorcerer would result in the birth of a person possessing that same level of cursed energy. On the other hand, multiple sorcerer deaths could instead lead to the birth of a person possessing their collective level of cursed energy," elaborated the woman. "The exact amount of cursed energy present in our universe is unknown. Nevertheless, it is evident that the Jujutsu world relies on balance."
"I think I get it," replied Yukari, "but then... why would Yukou Tsugomorii continue to kill sorcerers?"
Mrs Yokiuji wrapped her left hand around her chin. "It is possible he is simply not aware of this universal truth — yet that sounds absurd," she explained. "Therefore, the most probable explanation would be Yukou Tsugomorii believing he can alter the laws of our world."
The teenager nodded. "That makes sense."
He seemed completely insane. I hope I never run into him again.
The woman smiled before checking her watch. "Unless you have any other questions, you may leave."
Yukari bowed. He thanked Mrs Yokiuji and stepped back outside. The bitter cold introduced itself, as did the melancholically monochromatic palette of winter. Two distinct figures stood out against the monotonous background: one red, one blue.
"I don't know if we should ask him," whispered Mizuki, maintaining his gaze on the purple-haired teenager. "Is it really a good idea...?"
Hinotori's expression lacked its usual exhilaration. He clenched his fists. "I'm... not sure."
The newly-promoted sorcerer waved at the two teammates; slowly, they waved back and walked away — leaving Yukari standing in solitude.
What's up with them...?
Specks of starlight glimmered throughout the vibrant veil known as the midnight sky. Mizuki and Hinotori stood before a set of descending stone stairs built beneath repeating vermillion torii gates, murmuring to one another. A snowy crunch caused the teenagers to jolt. They turned around, meeting a familiar pair of light grey eyes.
"Y-yukari..." stuttered Mizuki. He shifted his sight to Hinotori, who shared the same quandary.
"What's going on?" asked the purple-haired teenager. "You guys have been acting weird all day."
A biting breeze swept past the two sorcerers. For a few moments, everything went quiet.
"I'm guessing you've heard about the recent disappearances," muttered Hinotori. "The ones that started three weeks ago."
Yukari's eyes widened. "Huh?"
"Sixteen people living in Toyko have gone missing," added Mizuki with an unsettled tone. "Many others were hospitalised due to drug-related incidents, too."
Hinotori scowled. "Thanks to the presence of residuals, Jujutsu High has traced these events back to a single cursed spirit... but the bad part is that it's most likely a special-grade."
The purple-haired teenager gave a puzzled look. "Why hasn't this curse been exorcised yet?"
"There are never any sorcerers available," answered Mizuki. "Especially after last night; Shinji fought a special-grade as well."
"Due to personal reasons, Mizuki and I want to exorcise this bastard before any more people suffer. Mrs Yokiuji instructed us to wait until a high-grade sorcerer could get involved, claiming we wouldn't survive otherwise."
"Even so," mumbled Mizuki, a teardrop forming underneath his right eye. "We don't want any more lives to be ruined."
"Shinji's busy hunting down the other special-grade, so we couldn't ask him for help."
Yukari crossed his arms, shivering. "What about Kana...?"
"She refused to join this mission," informed Mizuki. "I don't blame her, though. You two were nearly killed by a special-grade last night."
Hinotori scratched the back of his head. "To be honest, Kana scares me."
The purple-haired teenager tilted his head. "Why?"
"Well... Last year, I heard she went berserk and tried to murder her parents. She was a second-grade sorcerer at the time, and apparently it took three first-grade sorcerers to stop her."
"They say Kana almost maimed one of them, too, and didn't calm down until the next morning."
Hinotori exhaled anxiously. "We're all crazy in this occupation, but that woman is something else."
Yukari thought back to his fight with Utsuro and shuddered.
"Back then, Hinotori and I were planning on asking for your help."
"Still... we couldn't bring ourselves to risk putting you in danger, so we intended on going alone, but..."
"There's no way the two of us can exorcise this special-grade, which is why..."
"...We need your help, Yukari."
Fleeting flakes of snow delicately descended from the sky, their ethereal patterns illuminated by the moon's mournful glimmer. Quietude.
If I go, there's a chance I'll run into that guy again.
The purple-haired teenager closed his eyes.
But... they wouldn't be willing to risk their lives over something that didn't matter.
"I'll do it," announced Yukari, adopting a determined glare. "What's the plan?"
Mizuki's eyes lit up; Hinotori's sharp teeth formed an elated grin.
"Alright!"
Hinotori reached into his backpack and retrieved an amalgamation of what appeared to be pyrotechnical equipment: four firework rockets, a bundle of firecrackers and numerous wires matching the overall colour scheme — all bound together with electrical tape. A vivid, crimson radiance pervaded the explosive.
"I've been imbuing this bad boy with my cursed energy for the last couple of weeks," exclaimed Hinotori. "We're gonna blow that drug-dealing bastard to smithereens!"
Mizuki's eyes glistened with tears. "Your technique is perfect for this plan, Yukari." A heart-warming smile spread across the sorcerer's face. "Sincerely, thank you."
The purple-haired teenager smiled softly. "It's okay, guys."
For the first time since joining Jujutsu High, Yukari's smile reached his jaded eyes. "Let's do our best!"
Mizuki and Hinotori raised their voices. "Yeah!"
The wailing of ambulance sirens disappeared into the distance as the three sorcerers approached a colossal, decrepit building. Hinotori held a red mobile phone to his ear.
"Thank you for your help, Ms Yamakado. We're aware of the fact you could be fired for this."
"Don't worry about it. I'm Jujutsu High's best auxiliary manager, after all. Now, then..."
Somewhere far away, a stray dog howled at the starlit sky. The snowfall had already ceased, yet the frigid winter air refused to depart.
"The cursed spirit's Innate Domain is located within an abandoned hospital infamous for being a major drug-dealing spot in Tokyo."
The Jujutsu High students neared the decaying facility. Yukari spotted a weathered wooden chair resting against one of the hospital's outer walls — a shattered window residing above it.
"Since this is an Incomplete Domain, there will be no external barrier, nor any guaranteed-hit effect. This means that a curtain will not be required. However, certain conditions must be met to enter the curse's territory..."
A shadow hand removed the remaining glass shards from the frame, multiple of which had been stained with a revolting red substance. One after another, the three sorcerers climbed onto the cracked chair before vaulting through the vacant window.
"The Domain is only accessible at night and employs a specific entry method. Lastly..."
Upon infiltrating the hospital, the Jujutsu High students nodded in synchronicity. They raised their right fists and pressed them against their left forearms.
"Symbolic gestures — such as pretending to inject oneself with a syringe — have tangible consequences in the world of Jujutsu."
The ground began to tremble. A crimson luminescence flooded the entire hospital as medical needles protruded from the walls and ceiling. Graffiti materialised on various surfaces, their artwork depicting human carnage. Despite the paranormal phenomena, the disturbing Domain mimicked the building's natural layout.
Yukari, Mizuki and Hinotori glanced at each other; there was no turning back.
"Let's do this!"
Prepared to face whatever atrocities lurked ahead, the three sorcerers stepped into the unknown.