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Scene: Tokyo Jujutsu High – Late Afternoon, Courtyard
The courtyard glowed with soft amber light as the sun began its descent. Yuji, Megumi, and Nobara waited near the training grounds, the buzz of a rumored transfer student lingering in the air.
“Think she’s weird?” Yuji asked, chewing a protein bar.
“She’s a sorcerer,” Nobara said. “We’re all weird.”
Megumi simply narrowed his eyes toward the school gates.
And then—
“Hellooooo~!”
A flash of color burst into view.
Striding through the gates was a tall, striking girl with multicolored hair—bright streaks of pink, green, and blueflowing from thick white roots, the strands catching light like candy wrappers in the wind. Her uniform was stylishly tweaked: loose at the sleeves, cinched at the waist, with shimmering safety pins and patches. Piercings glittered on both ears, and a tiny gem sparkled below one eye, accenting her vibrant, swirling irises—like galaxies trapped in her stare, constantly shifting hue with her mood.
Today, they shimmered in warm tones of gold and coral.
She waved enthusiastically, practically skipping up the path. “I’m Yume Miran! First-year, spiritual support, unofficial snack queen, and now your new favorite person!”
Yuji’s jaw slightly dropped. “...Whoa.”
Nobara perked up, grinning. “Oh, I like her.”
Yume offered a radiant smile and held out a bag of pastel-colored dango. “Bribery is the sincerest form of friendship. Want one?”
Yuji took one immediately. “You're cool.”
Nobara took two. “You’re great.”
Yume giggled, twirling a strand of her cotton-candy hair around a finger. “You must be Nobara! You’re so much prettier in person—I’ve totally been stalking your mission logs. Let’s be besties, mmkay?”
Nobara beamed. “Duh. Finally someone with taste.”
Megumi, however, said nothing. His eyes were locked on Yume—quietly scanning her posture, her cursed energy, her too-perfect smile.
She turned to him with a warm, slow grin.
“And you must be the moody one. That’s okay. I’m really good at winning over emotionally constipated guys.”
Yuji laughed. “She’s not wrong.”
Megumi frowned. “You don’t feel like a first-year.”
Yume blinked, feigning surprise. Her eyes shifted color—cooler now, with hints of lavender. “Wow, spooky insight. Are you psychic?”
“I’m cautious,” he muttered.
She winked. “Good. You’ll need to be.”
Inside Her Mind…
They’re eating it up, Yamika murmured smugly from beneath the mask. Ayumu’s voice stirred faintly. Don’t hurt them. Hurt them? Yamika chuckled. Please. I like them. Especially the boy.
Her eyes flicked toward Yuji again.
He’s…interesting.
Scene: Tokyo Jujutsu High – Evening, Rooftop
The sun had dipped beyond the horizon, casting long shadows over the courtyard. Down below, laughter echoed—Nobara teasing Yuji, Megumi walking ahead, ever suspicious.
But above, on the rooftop, the air was different. Heavy.
Ayumu stood still, breathing slowly, her hands gripping the edge of the railing. The last remnants of her illusion faded—hair losing its candy-streaked color, piercings vanishing, makeup dissolving like dust. The youthful glow of Yume Miran melted away.
Only Akatsuki Kiko Ayumu remained—poised, powerful, and coldly beautiful. Her crimson eyes burned with silent thought.
Footsteps.
“Didn’t expect you to drop the mask this early,” Gojo’s voice drifted in, casual as ever. “Something wrong, Ayumu?”
She turned slowly, jaw tense.
“…Yuji.”
Gojo raised a brow. “What about him?”
Ayumu’s voice was quieter than usual. “He’s Sukuna’s vessel.”
Gojo's smile faded just slightly. “Ah. So… she told you.”
Ayumu nodded once. “Yamika recognized his cursed signature. She didn’t tell me right away. Not until she got too close.” Her expression darkened. “She said it was familiar. Like home.”
Gojo leaned against the railing beside her, the mood settling into a rare quiet. “I didn’t tell you because I wanted you both to meet him first. As Yuji. Not as Sukuna’s cage.”
Ayumu’s fists clenched. “You trusted her to hold back?”
“I trust you to hold her back.”
She looked away, voice almost a whisper. “She likes him.”
That made Gojo pause.
“…Yamika?”
“No,” she said after a moment. “Yume. Her. Me. All of us. I don’t know.” She pressed a hand to her chest. “It’s strange. When she’s around him, she doesn’t feel violent. She feels… drawn.”
Gojo watched her carefully.
“Is that dangerous?” she asked.
He smiled faintly. “Everything about you two is dangerous.”
A silence passed between them. Then Ayumu glanced toward the courtyard below, watching Yuji’s bright laugh echo under the night sky.
“Do you think… she’d hurt him?”
Gojo shrugged. “Depends. Would you?”
Ayumu didn’t answer.
Scene: Rooftop – Minutes After Sunset
The air had gone still. The tension from moments before lingered like smoke in Ayumu’s lungs.
Gojo stood beside her, unusually quiet. No teasing. No grin. Just him—watchful, waiting.
Ayumu’s fingers twitched slightly at her side. She could already feel Yamika stirring again, impatient to return to the “stage.”
“She’s coming back,” Ayumu murmured. “I can feel her pressing forward. I won’t be myself much longer.”
Gojo looked over, his face unreadable behind his blindfold, but his stance shifted—just slightly—closer to her.
“I don’t know when I’ll get another moment like this,” Ayumu said, her voice trembling despite herself.
He didn’t say anything.
So she turned to him.
Looked him straight in the face. Her voice cracked.
“I love you.”
A beat.
Gojo blinked. His usual mask cracked—just a fraction—but enough. His smile softened, more real than it had been all day. “Took you long enough to say it out loud.”
Her breath hitched in her throat.
“You knew?” she whispered.
“I’m the strongest,” he said softly. “But I’ve always been weak to you.”
She stepped forward, rested her forehead gently against his chest. “Please don’t forget me… if she wins.”
Gojo’s arms wrapped around her without hesitation. “She won’t. Not as long as I know who I’m fighting to protect.”
Then—
A flicker.
Ayumu's body jerked slightly.
The color in her eyes rippled. Pink streaks reformed in her white hair. Piercings shimmered back into place.
A smile tugged at her lips.
“Ugh, finally. I was getting bored,” Yamika’s voice purred out of the same mouth, eyes now radiant and shifting like oil in sunlight.
Gojo didn’t let go.
Yamika smirked lazily up at him. “Aww. Did I interrupt a moment?”
He just smiled. “Nope. You're just in time, Yume-chan.”