"Itadori, when you save people, do you choose who to save?"
"I don't really get it. What do you mean?"
One day during training, Yuji was asked a heavy question by his teacher, Roy.
"For example, if there's a dying person right in front of you, but they're a heinous criminal who's killed countless people—would you save them?"
"Well, I think it depends on the situation!"
Yuji hesitated for a moment, ruffling his messy hair before answering with certainty.
"If the criminal's life is being targeted, I think they should be saved. Even if they're evil, they should face the right kind of death—judged by the law. That's the proper outcome!"
"But what if the person trying to kill the criminal is seeking revenge? What if the criminal murdered their family, and they're heartbroken, hunting them down for vengeance—do you think you should stop them?"
"Uh... but the law would punish the criminal..."
Yuji's voice wavered slightly, losing some of its confidence.
His ideal was to save others. Not long after Roy had prompted him on the day of his enrollment, he had realized it wasn't just about his grandfather's last words—he wanted to save people by his own will.
If he could save someone but didn't act, leading to their death, he knew he would regret it later.
So, building on his grandfather's words, he had formed his own ideal.
But his thinking only went as far as "I want to save people."
How to save them? Did he have the ability to? Who should he save? What if he died in the process? What if saving someone led to the death of those close to him—would he abandon his ideals? Questions like these hadn't yet entered his simple mind.
"Let me ask you differently—do you think curses should be exorcised?"
Seeing Yuji's brain on the verge of overheating, Roy didn't press further. Instead, he smiled slightly and approached the question from another angle.
"Of course curses should be exorcised!"
Yuji answered this one almost instantly, without hesitation.
"Curses only harm people, right? Then they have to be destroyed!"
"Then, what do you think is the difference between a curse and a heinous human?"
"Huh?"
The question caught Yuji off guard. He blinked before responding.
"Well, like... intelligence? Aren't curses just mindless monsters, like beasts? Creatures without intelligence that only hurt people—like pests, right? They have to be exorcised."
"No, there are curses with intelligence too. Like in my debut battle—the three Special Grade curses that attacked me could all communicate with humans. They were intelligent."
Roy looked at Yuji with a meaningful smile, dismissing his assumption.
"But without exception, none of them cared about human lives. When they fought me, a single casual move killed countless humans, ultimately leading to hundreds of deaths. From a criminological perspective, they're no different from heinous criminals, right?"
"If you were in my position, possessing the power to exorcise them, what would you choose now? Would you exorcise them or bring them to justice under the law?"
For Roy, this question was extremely simple.
There was no need for hesitation. He believed in the theory of retribution—if someone committed murder, they should be prepared to be killed in return. If they harmed others, they shouldn't complain when others retaliate in kind.
Whether it was a heinous criminal or a curse spirit that had slaughtered countless people, if he were the one judging, there would only be one outcome.
Kill them and be done with it.
But for Yuji Itadori, this became a problem that completely froze his brain.
If curse spirits possessed intelligence, how were they different from criminals?
Of course, there was a difference—curse spirits weren't human.
But just because curse spirits weren't human, could they be killed without trial? If a curse spirit genuinely sought to do good, should it still be killed simply for not being human?
Was his ideal really that shallow?
What other differences were there?
It seemed there were none.
Whether it was a curse spirit or a criminal, as long as they committed evil, they treated human lives as worthless.
So criminals could be saved and allowed to meet a "proper death," while curse spirits had to be exorcised like pests?
Yuji furrowed his brows, sinking into deep contemplation as if facing a century-old dilemma.
Seeing him like this, Roy understood.
Yuji's thinking was still shackled by the naive belief that "all lives are equal."
"Itadori."
Hearing his teacher call his name again, Yuji snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Roy with slightly bewildered eyes, filled with a desperate hope for answers.
"Your ideal is to allow others to meet a proper death, correct?"
"Yes."
Yuji nodded.
Had even this ideal been wrong?
His face flashed with an expression of disbelief.
"Then, setting aside whether you even have the ability to grant others a proper death, let me ask you one thing—what do you consider a proper death?"
"Well... for example, being judged by the law..."
"There are so many countries in the world, each with its own laws, many of which conflict with one another. Yet there's only one 'proper death.' Which country's laws do you think are correct? Japan's?"
Some countries still retain the death penalty.
Others have abolished it.
Which approach is right?
For a criminal, under two different legal systems, which outcome would be the proper one?
"Don't tell me it's about following the laws of whichever country someone is from—that's just dodging the question. I'm asking you what you think a proper death is."
Roy watched Yuji.
He saw him sink into thought, his expression gradually contorting, until finally, he was drenched in sweat.
And still, he couldn't find an answer.
Though Yuji was Japanese, he didn't believe Japan's laws were necessarily the most correct.
However, expecting him to ponder a philosophical problem that's considered a global challenge all by himself was simply too demanding!
"Indeed, it's impossible."
Seeing Yuji unable to reach a conclusion after a long while, Roy shook his head.
This question inherently had no answer.
For people living in different cultures and worlds, both choices could be correct—no matter which side one chose, it could be right.
Roy never expected Yuji to provide a philosophical answer.
What he hoped for was for Yuji to arrive at a conclusion supporting one side, to make a choice—not to solve the unsolvable. No matter which choice he made, even if it differed from Roy's, he would at least acknowledge the ideal behind it.
But being unable to choose between the two paths meant his ideals were nothing more than rootless driftwood.
If one doesn't even know what a correct death is, how can they make that choice for others?
"It's fine if you can't decide now, but remember—you mustn't stop thinking. There will come a time when you must make a choice. If you still can't decide by then, your ideals will be as good as abandoned."
That day, Roy didn't demand an immediate answer.
He only hoped Yuji wouldn't stop thinking and would reach a conclusion before the moment of decision arrived.
But Yuji Itadori never imagined.
That moment would come so soon.
July 2018. A Special Grade Imaginary Cursed Spirit appeared above the Tokyo Metropolitan Jujutsu Technical High School's juvenile detention facility.
Cursed Spirits are essentially born from humanity's negative emotions like fear and hatred toward certain concrete concepts. For example, a cursed spirit like Mahito originates from human negativity toward other humans, Jogo from negativity toward the earth, and Hanami from negativity toward forests.
But there are also abstract concepts that humans fear—things like the Slit-Mouthed Woman or Hanako of the Toilet.
Humanity's fear and negativity toward monsters from myths, legends, and urban legends give birth to Imaginary Cursed Spirits.
The Ganesha Cursed Spirit Roy previously took from Kenjaku was actually one such Imaginary Cursed Spirit, formed from fear toward the elephant-headed deity prevalent in Indian regions.
"Right now, this Imaginary Cursed Spirit is in its embryonic state, still undergoing metamorphosis. If it completes this process, it will likely become an extremely dangerous Special Grade cursed spirit!"
Outside the juvenile facility, Assistant Supervisor Ijichi Kiyotaka adjusted his glasses, his expression so grim it could summon storm clouds.
"What's the meaning of calling us here to deal with this kind of monster?"
This skeptical question came from Megumi.
Standing before Ijichi were Megumi, Yuji, and Nobara.
Yuji and Nobara stared grimly toward the facility's interior.
Inside, above the sports field, floated an enormous egg.
Smooth and rounded like a goose egg, it gave the impression of an oviparous creature about to hatch—the cursed spirit had perfectly replicated this sensation, making it unnervingly repulsive.
This cursed spirit hadn't fully hatched yet. In this state, it was referred to as a Cursed Womb.
"Once it hatches, it'll be a Special Grade cursed spirit... There's no way we can handle a mission like this, even if they call us in!"
Nobara's eyes narrowed sharply as she glared at the assistant supervisor across from her, her slightly leaning posture putting immense pressure on Ijichi.
"Of course, we're not asking you to deal with the cursed spirit!"
Seeing the doubtful looks from all three of them, Ijichi hastily waved his hands.
"Some of our 'Windows' reported that there are still a few non-sorcerers trapped inside the juvenile detention center. We just need you to go in and rescue them—no need to eliminate the cursed spirit!"
Among ordinary people, some can see cursed spirits. These individuals are referred to as "Windows" in the jujutsu world and are responsible for reporting cursed spirit manifestations. They serve as external allies to the jujutsu society, with one foot already in that world. Someone like Kita Ikuyo has this ability.
"Normally, we'd at least need a Grade 1 sorcerer to handle this situation, but the higher-ups said all available Grade 1 sorcerers are occupied right now. Roy-sensei is also overseas on a mission, so for the time being, you're the only ones we can reach..."
Ijichi forced a bitter smile as he explained the circumstances.
As an assistant supervisor, his own abilities were quite weak—he hadn't even awakened a cursed technique. He was just one of countless office workers, merely relaying orders from above.
The Window had only confirmed the cursed spirit's appearance a few hours ago. Under normal circumstances, they could afford to wait a little longer.
But the problem was that this time, there were ordinary people trapped inside, forcing them to dispatch sorcerers for rescue immediately.
"If it's just a rescue mission, then the danger level isn't too high."