Hostages?!
Yuji's expression immediately darkened.
He carefully examined the three people lying on the ground, confirming they were still alive, before his face gradually twisted into a grimace.
"This bastard—another curse user!"
Yuji seethed with anger. This old hag was cut from the same cloth as that muscle-bound old man who had ambushed him in the alley half a month ago.
"As sorcerers with cursed techniques, instead of protecting ordinary people, you abuse your power to oppress and kill them at will. Don't you feel any shame?!"
"Brat, you've got no manners."
Granny Ogami dug at her ear in irritation, visibly annoyed by his loud voice.
"Listen, kid. Everyone in this world has the freedom to choose their own path! If you want to protect ordinary people, that's your business. But don't you dare lecture me about my choices—this is my freedom!"
Yuji gritted his teeth, fists clenched so tightly they trembled. He wanted nothing more than to smash that smug look off the old woman's face.
What kind of freedom was it to rob others of their right to live?
"Wake them up!"
"Yes, Grandmother."
The mohawked youth nodded mechanically before crouching down.
With a single motion, he drove a knife through one man's hand, the blade sinking deep enough to create a visible puncture wound.
"AAAH—!!"
A scream tore through the air as the man jolted awake, clutching his bleeding hand in agony.
Satisfied, the mohawked youth repeated the process, "waking" the other two in the same brutal fashion.
"Good. My patience is limited—make your choice!"
As all three hostages writhed in pain, their cries filling the air, Granny Ogami smiled in satisfaction.
"One life for another. If any of you agrees to come with me, I'll spare one of these three. So—who's volunteering?"
Terrified by the knife-wielding youth, the hostages trembled as they scanned their surroundings. The bizarre environment resembled the juvenile detention center's dormitory, but the surreal layout offered no escape routes.
Desperate, they turned pleading eyes toward Yuji and the others.
"P-please... save us!"
"Take me! I was supposed to be released in a few days—I don't want to die here!"
"Save me! My mother has no one else... if I die, she'll be all alone!"
Their voices overlapped in panicked pleas, some even dropping to their knees, tears streaming down their faces.
Granny Ogami watched the scene unfold, her aged face twisting into a delighted grin.
This was how hostages should be used.
These brats were still green—their morals shackled by ordinary ideals, playing at being heroes. They didn't understand the law of the jungle that governed the jujutsu world.
In this world, it was kill or be killed.
"They say humans are no different from beasts!"
Yuji's face showed clear signs of turmoil.
The appearance of the three hostages had thrown his emotions into chaos. He wanted everyone to meet a proper death, which meant he absolutely couldn't abandon those three people to their fate.
Though he still didn't fully understand what constituted a "proper death," one thing was certain—being mercilessly slaughtered by these curse users here definitely wasn't it!
"Fushiguro..."
"I refuse."
Yuji turned to Megumi.
Before he could even speak, Megumi coldly rejected him outright.
"I haven't even said anything yet!"
"Don't need to. I know exactly what you're thinking."
Megumi didn't even glance at Yuji. He'd known exactly what kind of person this guy was since the day they met—could predict his every move.
"Listen up. I absolutely don't agree with any 'life for a life' tactics, and I have zero intention of risking ourselves for these people. Itadori, even if you want to play the hero and trade yourself, as the mission leader, I won't allow it!"
"Wait, since when were you the leader?"
Nobara hadn't been paying attention to the old hag's ranting, but this immediately caught her attention. She glared at Megumi with clear dissatisfaction.
"Roy-sensei appointed me. Take it up with him if you disagree."
"Actually, that works fine for me."
Nobara immediately backed down with a nod.
"Leader, what's our plan?"
"Itadori keeps the mohawk guy busy. You attack the old hag. I'll have my Divine Dogs assist you both, then look for an opening to finish this!"
"Got it! Your call!"
Megumi and Nobara simultaneously took their stances, forming hand signs and drawing weapons.
Granny Ogami immediately frowned, displeased.
This wasn't going how she'd imagined.
Was the brown-haired boy the only one shaken by the hostages?
"Fushiguro, Kugisaki... don't you feel anything at all?"
Yuji gritted his teeth, his rising agitation making his voice louder.
"Even if you won't help, let me do it alone! At least let me save that boy who only has his mother—no, I'll save all of them! I can do this! I'm not planning to die—trust me!"
Yuji wasn't stupid.
His grandfather had told him to save people within his means.
He absolutely wasn't planning to throw his life away—he had a real plan.
Though he hated the idea, he had the King of Curses inside him.
If he stepped forward to rescue the hostages, then once Megumi and the others got them to safety, when he was alone with the enemies, he'd let Sukuna take over.
The rest could be left to Sukuna.
Honestly, he still hadn't figured out whether curse users like Granny Ogami—who had committed countless atrocities—should be executed on the spot or captured for judgment by the higher-ups. If Sukuna came out, he'd probably slaughter them all... but right now, saving the hostages left no room for hesitation!
If rescuing the hostages meant killing Granny Ogami and her group, he believed his choice would still be correct.
"This brat's more useful than expected!"
The look in Granny Ogami's eyes as she gazed at Yuji grew noticeably kinder.
"Just a little more effort, and it'd be best if they turn on each other. Heh heh heh!"
After all, he was still young—his thinking was too naive.
Though Yuji wasn't the best choice, Geto had advised her not to target him. But judging by his attitude, it shouldn't be impossible. As long as she could take down one student, the request would be considered complete.
She had no idea that Yuji had no intention of letting any of them leave alive—otherwise, her face would have turned green by now.
"Even if the person you're trying to save is a criminal?"
Megumi sighed in exasperation. Finally, he tore his gaze away and glared at Yuji with a look of sheer frustration.
"Do you even know what kind of place the Juvenile Detention Center is? It's just a nice-sounding name—in reality, it's a prison for minors! This country is already lenient enough toward juvenile crime, yet even then, there are still offenders with severe cases. That's what the Juvenile Detention Center is for—to lock up those kinds of juvenile criminals. Every single one of them has blood on their hands!"
The Juvenile Detention Center was where the worst of the worst juvenile offenders were imprisoned.
Every single person locked up there had, without exception, taken a life.
And among them, the oldest was no more than sixteen.
"That criminal you mentioned—the one whose mother only has him left—sounds pitiful, doesn't he? I looked over his records before we left. He killed a little girl on her way home from school—while driving without a license. And it was his second time doing it. No remorse whatsoever. Knowing that, do you still think he's pitiable?"
Megumi's expression was ice-cold, devoid of any pity or hesitation.
Was a criminal like that worth risking his life to save?
Unlike Yuji, though Megumi had chosen the path of a jujutsu sorcerer, he had no intention of indiscriminately saving everyone.
The people he wanted to save were only those who deserved to live.
All beings were not equal.
He had understood that truth from a very young age.
Life itself was unequal.
If there was one universal equality among all beings, it was that "inequality" would fairly befall every single person.
So Megumi, too, would save others unequally.
He would only save the good. He would only go all out to save the good. He would ensure that the good enjoyed more equality.
Not waste his life on the criminals rotting in the Juvenile Detention Center.
If it were any other situation, he might have let it slide—rescuing scum like this and letting the detention center continue reforming them wouldn't be the worst thing. But if he had to risk his life for trash like this, the thought alone disgusted him. Even if they were saved, they'd just cause trouble later. And if they ended up killing someone again, Megumi would feel responsible for having saved them in the first place.
"If you understand, then get ready for battle! Kugisaki, let's go!"
Megumi barked in a low voice.
The moment his words fell, he raised a hand, and his two Divine Dogs let out simultaneous roars as they charged—one toward the Mohawk punk, the other scaling the low-rise building. In mere seconds, it leaped onto the rooftop, swiping a claw straight at Granny Ogami.
"Old hag, I'm gonna write 'fossil' on your face with a marker—something you'll never scrub off!"
Nobara wasn't paying any attention to the theoretical discussion between Megumi and Yuji. She'd been itching for action, and the moment the Divine Dogs charged out, she gathered cursed energy at her feet and dashed toward the low-rise building where Granny Ogami sat.
"What a pity. You've wasted your last chance to avoid suffering!"
Facing the assault from both the Divine Dogs and Nobara, Granny Ogami remained seated without moving. She merely offered a cold, pitying smile toward the charging Nobara.
Even her mohawk-haired grandson seemed utterly unconcerned about his grandmother's safety as he brandished his knife and rushed at Megumi.
The instant she moved, Nobara had reinforced her entire body with cursed energy. Against curse users who might employ any underhanded tactics, she couldn't afford to let her guard down for even a moment.
She spread her awareness outward, vigilant against potential attacks from any direction.
Suddenly, the ground beneath her feet vanished.
Though it had been an open tiled area resembling a park plaza, a pitch-black whirlpool appeared beneath her. Nobara blinked in surprise—then fell through before she could react.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
Simultaneously...
A figure materialized before Granny Ogami.
A presence so dense with oppressive force it seemed to solidify the very air around it.
Its humanoid frame bore terrifying claws on all limbs, radiating suffocating cursed energy. Below the neck, it might pass for human—but its head sported multiple grotesque eyes of varying sizes and orientations, all brimming with malice.
In its grasp hung a white dog—soaked in blood, already lifeless.
This was undeniably a cursed spirit.
And not just any spirit—a Special Grade that surpassed even Grade 1 threats!
The pressure radiating from it hit Megumi like a submarine's crushing depths, making every breath a struggle.
"A Special Grade?! Could it be that unhatched cursed womb? Working with curse users?!"
Megumi's heart pounded violently as cold sweat broke across his skin, his extremities turning icy.
This was a trap!
The moment he saw the Special Grade standing protectively before the old woman, connections flashed through Megumi's mind like lightning.
They'd used the Special Grade's cursed womb as bait to lure in jujutsu sorcerers!
And given how the curse user kept insisting on capturing them alive, this trap was clearly designed specifically for their three-student team!
The mohawk youth's blade thrust toward him.
Distracted by the Special Grade's appearance, Megumi reacted too slowly—raising an arm to block without time to channel proper cursed energy.
THUD!
A fist blurred past the knife's path, moving faster than eyes could track, and slammed into the attacker's abdomen.
The impact hit like a speeding car. The mohawk's eyes bulged as he flew backward, face contorted in agony.
"Fushiguro! Find Kugisaki and get out! I'll handle this!"
Yuji's eyes were wide open too, his own back drenched in cold sweat as he faced the emerged Special Grade.
To be honest, after learning about the criminals in this juvenile detention center, he was quite shocked and had so much he wanted to say.
But even so, now was definitely not the right time. At the very least, he had to wait until they escaped this place.
"...No, leave this to me. You go find Kugisaki and get out of here!"
Megumi fell into an indescribable silence for a moment. He glanced at Yuji, then at the curse user and special-grade cursed spirit opposite them, as well as the three hostages on the ground.
He took a deep breath, and a resolute expression gradually appeared on his face.
Meanwhile.
The instant Nobara fell into the underground cavern, she wrapped her legs in cursed energy. After falling for several seconds, she finally landed on the ground.
The surroundings were pitch black, without even a sliver of light.
The stench of cursed spirits permeated the entire space.
Nobara cautiously raised the hammer in her hand, gripping a nail between her fingers. At the slightest sign of trouble, she would strike first with lightning speed!
"Looks like you're the first one to fall, huh?"
Utterly abruptly.
In this pitch-black space, a helpless voice rang out beside Nobara's ear.
For a moment, Nobara felt the voice was incredibly familiar, as if she'd heard it often recently.
A glowing rune materialized stroke by stroke in midair, followed by a flicker of flame that dispelled the surrounding darkness.
The area was splattered with the blood of cursed spirits, the pungent smell of blood assaulting her senses. It seemed a powerful cursed spirit must have been slain here just moments ago.
But Nobara had no time to dwell on that.
A familiar figure sat on a small stool at the center of the bloodstains, a glowing rune floating in his palm, his face adorned with a kindly smile.
"What the hell are you doing here?!"
Nobara pointed at the man, letting out an incredulous exclamation.
"Calling your teacher 'you' is quite rude, you know."
The man sat on the small stool, holding a handful of cream-flavored sunflower seeds, cracking them as he chuckled.
"Given your current state, I'll let it slide this time. Just double your homework later! Your sorcerer rank is higher than Itadori's, yet you were the first one out. Makes me want to train you extra hard."
Nobara shuddered, her face twisting in fear.
She immediately backed down without hesitation.
"Respected Roy-sensei, may I ask why you're here?"
"Hmm, I'll just increase your homework by one fold then."
Roy nodded in satisfaction, his face breaking into a nonchalant smile.
"My mission was done, so I came back. I heard you all were on a mission and decided to check in. Even had time to stop by the supermarket for some sunflower seeds. Any other questions?"