"Don't move!"
Arriving a step later, Inumaki yanked down his collar, revealing the cursed speech markings at the corners of his mouth.
His cursed words activated instantly.
Todo, who had been charging forward at high speed, froze in place!
"BOOM!"
A massive fist descended from above—Panda's iron punch slammed hard into Todo's cheek!
"The exchange event is only a few days away. Are you really that impatient?"
Standing in front of White Zetsu and the injured Fushiguro, Panda spoke with helpless exasperation.
"Ptui!"
Regaining control of his body, Todo spat out a mouthful of blood.
"I was just testing the freshman replacing Okkotsu. No need to get so worked up."
"Go on, go on~"
Panda wiggled his hips and waved his hand shyly.
"If you don't leave now, I'll call it harassment."
"If the higher-ups show up, you might get disqualified from the event~"
"I was already planning to leave."
After that brief test, Todo had a rough idea of the newcomer's strength.
"Hey, muscle-brained baboon!"
Watching Todo's retreating back, White Zetsu's voice turned cold.
"You think you can just walk away after offending Zetsu-san?"
If Inumaki and Panda hadn't arrived in time, that guy really would've gone all out.
Todo smirked and turned back—
Only to freeze.
White Zetsu was hiding behind Panda, only half his white head peeking out.
That mix of cowardice and aggression left Todo speechless.
"…Forget it."
"White Zetsu, just deal with him during the exchange event," Panda whispered.
"If things escalate here, we might all get disqualified."
"Todo, White Zetsu!"
A girl with a similar face to Maki, short dark green hair, and a tall figure approached.
"Todo, aren't you supposed to go to Takada-chan's handshake event?"
Mai, her hair slightly messy, handed him the uniform he'd dropped.
"If you don't hurry, you'll be late."
At that—
Todo jolted, grabbed his uniform, and sprinted off campus without another word.
Takada-chan—the wildly popular idol with a sweet, cute appearance!
180 cm tall, black twin-tails, long legs, big chest, big hips—
Todo was her die-hard fan.
Only after Todo disappeared did Panda finally relax, removing the hand covering White Zetsu's mouth.
If they hadn't stopped him, this guy would definitely have caused trouble.
"If you hadn't held me back, I'd have blasted that baboon to death with one shot!"
Glaring viciously at Panda, White Zetsu instantly switched expressions and lunged toward Mai.
"Mai, my dear niece!"
"It's been two years—come let your uncle take a good look at you!"
Seeing White Zetsu acting like a creep, Mai pressed her palm against his forehead to stop him.
"Don't call me your niece. The only one you tricked back then was that idiot Maki."
White Zetsu stepped back and grinned.
"You two are twins. If I'm her uncle, I'm your uncle too."
"Still trying to take advantage, huh?"
Mai raised an eyebrow, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
"If I hadn't reacted just now, Todo would've beaten you to death."
"That muscle baboon?"
White Zetsu looked completely disdainful.
Mai glanced at the pink revolver in his hand.
"This cursed tool is pretty strong, sure—but Todo is a Grade 1 sorcerer."
"If he really went all out, you wouldn't last a few seconds."
"Heh."
"Even without cursed tools, one of my hidden trump cards would take that baboon out in a second!"
White Zetsu scoffed, then tossed the pink revolver—Crimson Lotus—to Mai.
Mai caught it, eyeing him suspiciously.
"That 'trump card' you mentioned…"
White Zetsu lit a cigarette, turned his back to everyone, and left them with a lonely silhouette.
Smoke drifted from his lips as he gazed into the distance.
"Summon… the future."
…Of course.
Mai showed an "as expected" expression and lowered her head to examine the pink revolver.
In the two years since leaving the Zenin estate, she hadn't contacted Maki at all—but she still occasionally spoke with White Zetsu.
This Crimson Lotus had been a gift from "Mirai-nii." She just hadn't had time to pick it up until now.
White Zetsu glanced back quietly, a trace of gloom in his expression.
Not just Mai—even Panda and the others were focused on the injured "hedgehog boy" (Fushiguro), completely ignoring him.
"Alright, alright."
Mai fiddled with Honglian and sighed.
"You've been putting on this act for years. That's enough."
"When I get back, I'll talk to Todo. During the exchange event, try to stay away from him."
"Oh?"
A mocking voice rang out.
"I didn't expect someone so sarcastic to be such a hypocrite."
Kugisaki approached, wearing a white tracksuit riddled with bullet-like holes, looking slightly battered.
"You despise Itadori for being Sukuna's vessel, yet you care so much about White Zetsu."
"You really are crazy."
"Ha—"
Holding a silver revolver in one hand and the pink Crimson Lotus in the other, Mai raised both guns and aimed at Kugisaki.
"Freshman, here's a piece of advice."
"If you want to remain a sorcerer, don't casually provoke someone stronger than you."
Kugisaki frowned, staring at the cursed tool in Mai's hand.
Something felt off.
Sensing the tension, Panda and the others quickly gathered around.
Inumaki pulled down his collar, ready to intervene.
"Don't point something dangerous like that at my errand girl."
Maki walked up from behind, staff in hand.
"Put Crimson Lotus away, Mai."
"Oh?"
Seeing her sister standing protectively in front of Kugisaki, anger flashed in Mai's eyes.
"Move aside, you failure of the Zenin clan."
Maki's gaze remained calm.
"If we're talking about failures… you're one too."
The twin sisters who used to be inseparable as children—
Now felt like complete strangers.
The standoff grew heavier by the second.
"Stop fighting~!"
White Zetsu suddenly crushed his cigarette and waved his arms dramatically.
"Please don't fight anymore~!"
Everyone's expressions twitched, fists tightening.
This guy was unbearably annoying.
"Mai, put the guns down."
A familiar—yet unfamiliar—voice rang out.
Mai instinctively lowered her hands.
Black hair resting just past the shoulders. A spotless white robe.
A familiar face, yet wearing a strangely gentle smile—just like that voice.
"Mirai…-nii?"
Mai stared blankly at the figure behind White Zetsu, disbelief in her voice.
After living so long in the Zenin clan, she could describe him in one sentence:
Submit to me, and you prosper. Oppose me, and you die.
From cold, absolute arrogance…
To this calm, refined gentleness.
For some reason—
That smile made her feel an uncontrollable chill.
"Round Deer."
Mirai formed hand signs slowly. Shadows spread beneath his feet.
Moments later—
A warm sensation enveloped Fushiguro and Kugisaki, easing their injuries.
Looking at the massive shikigami before him, Fushiguro's desire to grow stronger intensified.
They had only met twice—
Once, when Mirai saved them from that terrifying volcano curse.
And now, healing them with reversed cursed technique.
Kugisaki and Fushiguro lowered their heads.
"…Thank you, Mirai-sensei."
(Unlike in the original canon, where they often call Gojo an idiot, here they rarely use "teacher.")
Mirai simply assumed they were shy and didn't notice the faint guilt in their eyes.
"It's nothing. Don't worry about it."
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