Jujutsu Kaisen: I Can Manipulate Time.

Yuta Okkotsu lay motionless in the middle of a battlefield littered with debris and torn earth. For a moment, everyone who saw him feared the worst. But upon closer inspection, it was clear—he wasn't injured, just deeply exhausted.

When he finally opened his eyes, blinking through the haze, he saw several familiar faces hovering above him. His first words were for them.

"Everyone… are you okay? And Hajime, you're back too…"

Kamihara Hajime helped him sit up. "We're all fine. Gojo and I returned together. We were just held up dealing with a few things."

Panda grinned beside him. "Yuta, you were amazing! You fought off that Special Grade Curse Master all on your own."

Yuta looked down at Panda's arm—half of it missing, fluffy cotton sticking out from the severed edge.

"Panda… your arm—"

Panda casually waved his cotton-stuffed limb. His chest bore similar damage, but he smiled calmly. "Don't worry about me. I'm built differently from everyone else. This can be fixed."

"Thank you… for saving us."

"Salmon," Inumaki Toge added, nodding firmly.

The sincerity of their gratitude nearly overwhelmed Yuta. Maki, her hair loose and slightly tousled, looked softer than usual. She gave him a rare smile. "Congratulations, Yuta. Looks like your wish is starting to come true."

Yuta smiled from deep within his heart, surrounded by his friends. But a voice called out from behind them, halting the moment.

He turned and saw her—Rika. Her form had changed. The grotesque mouth full of fangs was gone, replaced by a calm figure with a single vertical eye. Though serene, her aura was even more powerful than before.

Yuta stood slowly, eyes wide. He took a few steps toward her, then hesitated. "I… I asked her to lend me her strength. In return, Rika and I agreed to leave this world together…"

"What?! Are you trying to die, you idiot?!"

Maki, regaining some of her usual fire, snapped at him. Yuta shrank under her glare, fumbling for words. But Hajime waved his hand, and with a subtle signal, the others fell silent.

The twisted form of Rika began to disperse, the monstrous energy fading into black mist. In its place stood a small, delicate girl.

"Rika…"

Clap, clap, clap.

The sound of applause echoed across the field. Gojo Satoru, unmasked and walking toward them, smiled. The group turned, puzzled.

"…Who are you?" they asked in unison.

Gojo blinked, expression stiffening. "Hey! I'm Gojo Satoru. Your incredibly handsome teacher."

Clearing his throat, he continued, "Earlier, Yuta said something interesting. So I had someone look into your backgrounds. Rika's came back normal. But Yuta's… took a bit longer."

He paused for effect, grinning childishly.

"Turns out you're a descendant of Sugawara no Michizane. That means you're technically my relative!"

Yuta blinked. "Who's… Suga?"

Maki and Panda quickly filled him in—Sugawara no Michizane was one of the Three Great Vengeful Spirits and a legendary Jujutsu Sorcerer. An ancestor of the Gojo family.

Gojo nodded. "So, it was never Rika who cursed you. You cursed her."

Yuta's mind replayed that memory: blood on the road… Rika's twisted, dying body… his desperate, broken voice…

"Don't die!"

Gojo looked at Rika, now just a calm little girl. "When the one who cast the Curse willingly lifts it, and the one who was cursed has no resentment… the Curse dissolves. Just look at her now."

Yuta fell to his knees, overcome with emotion. Tears streamed down his face, landing on the dirt.

"It was all my fault… Rika became that because of me. Everyone got hurt. Suguru Geto came after us because of me… They almost died—because of me."

His voice cracked as guilt poured out. Even his closest friends—Maki, Panda, Inumaki—had nearly died.

But most of all… he felt sorry for Rika.

To be trapped beside him in that form… it must've been agony.

"Yuta… thank you."

Small hands rested gently on his head. Rika, in her young girl form, leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him.

"Thank you for letting me stay by your side. These six years… I was happier than I ever was when I was alive."

Yuta's eyes widened. Then, more tears fell, though no longer from guilt alone.

Rika let him go and stepped back, smiling sweetly. Her form shimmered with soft light.

She touched his cheek, brushing away a tear. "Take care of yourself, Yuta. Don't come looking for me too soon."

"…Goodbye."

Her body became light—sparkling, weightless particles rising into the sky. Everyone watched in silence as her form dissolved into a gentle rainbow.

Yuta stood quietly, tear-streaked but smiling—his truest smile yet.

Beside him, Kamihara Hajime turned to Gojo. "Sensei… is love really a Curse? Yuta accidentally cursed Rika because of love. But in the end… it was love that freed her. Does that mean love itself must be… understood differently?"

Then he paused, tone shifting. "Oh, right. You wouldn't understand. You don't have a girlfriend."

Gojo's smile froze. "Huh?! You little brat—!"

The war had ended, but the aftermath was far from over.

In Shinjuku, Kyoto, and even Jujutsu High, reconstruction had already begun. Though damage was extensive, human casualties were low. Suguru Geto had been eliminated. His followers had retreated. Most of the losses were Cursed Spirits.

After the exorcism of Shuten-dōji, Naine's body was recovered by Jujutsu High. Though healed and physically restored, she hadn't yet returned to it.

Logically, it shouldn't have been difficult. She had left and re-entered her body before. But now, something had changed. According to her, in her soul state, the body felt… different. Resistant.

This caught Ieiri Shoko's attention. She and Gojo Satoru arranged further research. Various cursed tools and barriers were used to stabilize Naine's soul. Whether they were effective or not was unclear—but it was necessary.

Her return seemed like a matter of time. Shoko would handle it.

Meanwhile, Maki and the others recovered quickly thanks to Yuta's healing. Panda went to Principal Yaga for repairs.

When word spread that Kamihara Hajime had exorcised a Special Grade Cursed Spirit—Shuten-dōji—within a Domain Expansion, jaws dropped. Meanwhile, Yuta had singlehandedly driven back Suguru Geto.

The pressure on their classmates intensified.

"…We can't let them leave us behind," Maki declared. "Panda, Toge—come train."

She dragged the two off without waiting for an answer.

Hajime, watching her go, turned to Gojo after he finished speaking with Yuta.

Gojo handed Yuta his lost student ID. "I didn't pick it up. My best friend did… My only best friend."

His expression, partially hidden by fresh bandages, was unreadable.

Yuta didn't grasp the full meaning. But Hajime did.

He understood Gojo's pain. But he also knew: Gojo Satoru didn't need comforting. Some grief is private—meant to be endured alone.

People say that pain can be shared. But that's rarely true. Even if you've experienced the same thing, the depth is different. Most empathy is shallow.

And what time cannot erase… will simply be buried.

As long as no wind uncovers the wound again.

"…By the way," Gojo added, "Hajime, your Grade 1 approval has gone through. You're officially a Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer."

Hajime showed no reaction. "Also, Sensei. Have those old men interfered with Shoko's care of Naine?"

Gojo's tone cooled. "No. I sent people personally. Nanami's there too."

His gaze followed Hajime's to the three swords at his waist—Onikiri, Spider Cutter, and Totsuka-no-Tsurugi. Now freed of their Curses, they shone like autumn water. Ancient and pure.

"They lost the blade, so it's mine now," Hajime said flatly.

He remembered their failure. Their negligence had cost them dearly. It had let Totsuka-no-Tsurugi fall into Shuten-dōji's hands. It had endangered Naine.

Gojo said nothing. He agreed.

The rest could wait until Naine awoke. But the higher-ups had much to answer for. And there was still Hakari's group to consider.

It looked like it was time to… "repair" the elders.

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