Jujutsu Kaisen: I have everything I need now!

Tokyo Vocational High School, cafeteria.

The cafeteria was bustling with activity, not only because everyone was gathered there, but also because on a long table that had been pushed together, there was a huge hot pot with two broths, one side bubbling with chili peppers and the other side filled with mushrooms, filling the entire cafeteria with a rich aroma.

"Meat! Meat! Meat!"

Yuji Itadori held chopsticks in his hand, his eyes fixed on the beef rolls bobbing in the pot, muttering incantations as if performing some kind of mysterious ritual.

"Let go of my hand! That piece was mine!"

Without any hesitation, Kugisaki Nobara tapped Itsuji's hand with her chopsticks, precisely snatched the piece of beef that had just changed color, stuffed it into her mouth, and gasped from the heat.

"Phew... It's so hot! This is a battlefield too; only what you grab is truly yours!"

"Is this even considered a battlefield?!" Itadori protested, clutching the back of his hand. "And I was the one who cut the meat just now!"

"A butcher should act like a butcher. Go wash those cabbages over there." Maki sat in the main seat with an air of authority, holding a can of beer in her hand and her feet on the crossbar of the chair next to her, looking every bit the boss.

"Salmon." Dog-Roll Thorn sat beside him, silently picking up a piece of fish tofu from the red soup and putting it in his mouth.

"Thorn, don't force yourself if you can't eat spicy food." Panda helplessly handed him a glass of milk. "Besides, with your constitution, it'll be a real problem if you ruin your throat."

"Tuna mayonnaise..." Dog Roll drank milk with tears in his eyes, his voice hoarse.

"Bang."

The cafeteria door was pushed open.

A cool breeze blew in, lowering the indoor temperature slightly. Everyone paused for a moment, turning to look at the doorway.

That was Mai, who had just been examined by Kamo Glass.

"Everyone, I'm late."

She casually unbuttoned her trench coat and hung it on the coat rack by the door.

As Zhenyi spoke, the atmosphere in the cafeteria froze eerily.

"Mai." Maki put down her beer can, hesitating to speak.

"What? Not welcome?" Zhenyi raised an eyebrow and walked straight to the table.

"How could that be!" The panda immediately shifted its position, making room for the other panda, and grabbed a brand new set of chopsticks and a bowl. "Here, here, freshly made shrimp paste, it's still very tender."

"Thanks."

Maki sat down in the empty seat that Panda had made and picked up the barley tea that Maki had just poured for her.

"Mai, aren't you going to eat?" Maki sat down and looked at Mai, who was only holding a water glass.

"I'm not hungry." Zhenyi blew on the steam rising from her tea. "Besides, watching some people eat like they're starving makes me full."

"Hey! Who are you talking to!" Itachi protested incoherently, his mouth full of meat.

"Whoever answers, that's who they are," Zhenyi replied calmly.

A soft laugh drifted through the air, audible only to Maya.

"It seems their spirits have recovered quite well." December floated beside Zhenyi, watching this scene full of life.

"After all, the person has been rescued. The danger is temporarily over." She said, looking towards the end of the long table.

Following her gaze, December 1st saw a clean set of bowls and chopsticks laid out there.

That was reserved for Fushiguro Megumi.

Although no one mentioned it, everyone's eyes would intentionally or unintentionally sweep over that empty seat.

"Miss Shoko said he'll probably wake up tonight." Yuta Otsuko seemed to see through everyone's thoughts. He picked up a piece of tofu and said gently, "His vital signs have stabilized, but the shock to his soul still needs time to recover."

"That's good." Itajima swallowed the food in his mouth, his expression becoming slightly serious. "When that urchin-headed guy wakes up, I'm going to make him laugh at me. To be controlled by that kind of mask is so lame."

"Yeah," Kugizaki chimed in, his eyes darting around. "So lame... they almost wiped us all out."

As soon as she spoke, the atmosphere in the cafeteria froze for a moment in an eerie way.

"cough."

Zhenyi put down her teacup, the porcelain cup making a crisp sound as it struck the table.

"Stop discussing this. In that situation, no one could have withstood it. Now that everyone has been rescued, let's think about how to deal with the escape rope."

"Mai is right." Maki put down her beer can, her eyes sharpening. "The battle isn't over yet. Now that Fushiguro has been rescued, we should give the center to Ryosaku."

"Alright, alright, let's finish eating before we discuss this further," the panda said, easing the sudden awkwardness.

......

In the ward.

Fukuro Megumi sat on the bed. He didn't turn on the light; only a reading lamp on the bedside table was lit.

He held a small mirror in his hand, and as he looked at his reflection, his hands began to tremble uncontrollably.

His once handsome and refined face had vanished, replaced by dark red cracks that started between his eyebrows and spread to his cheeks, even penetrating his hairline.

What terrified him even more was that the cracks seemed to be flowing slowly as if they were alive.

"What's this...?"

Fukuhei's voice was hoarse.

He reached out, his fingertips trembling as he touched the cracks. There was no pain, only a cold, slippery sensation, like touching the stripes of a snake.

Memories flooded back like a tide.

The power plant in Yokohama, the underground of the Imperial Palace.

The suffocating feeling of being forcibly covered by a mask, the despair of having one's consciousness locked in a dark cage.

and also……

The pleasure of that power filling your whole body.

When he recklessly squandered his magical power in the dragon's lair, when his shadow transformed into a sharp blade and pierced through Tiger Staff, when he almost killed his companions who came to his rescue... at that moment, besides guilt, there was also a trace of indescribable "excitement" deep in his heart.

That was the instinct of a shadow, a destructive desire.

"monster……"

Fushiguro Megumi looked at herself in the mirror, her eyes filled with self-loathing.

"I've become...a monster."

He abruptly pulled the mirror away, not wanting to look at that face anymore.

He looked down at his hands. His once slender fingers now seemed to have black grime lingering under his nails. He tried to clench his fist.

"Buzz".

The shadow responded to his call instantly.

It wasn't the ten shadow spells he used to summon, but rather, like a shadow legion, the surrounding shadows began to boil. Shadows from under the bed, in the corners, and behind the cabinets surged out like living things, rushing toward him.

"Go back!"

Fukuro Megumi let out a low growl, attempting to suppress the surging curse power.

But the shadows didn't obey. They climbed up the sheets, wrapping around his legs and waist, their coldness biting.

"I said... go back!!"

Fushiguro Megumi lost control of his emotions. The cursed power within him began to run rampant, and the dark red cracks suddenly glowed red.

"boom!"

A black shockwave erupted from him, shattering the glass in the ward, overturning the medicine cabinet, and scattering various medicine bottles all over the floor.

Just as this out-of-control force was about to break through the door.

"Buzz".

The shadows suddenly fell silent, and an invisible barrier of psychic power instantly opened, forcefully suppressing the raging black surges.