Mahito exhaled as he reformed himself underneath the streets, back in a place more familiar to him… the sewers.
His body rippled back into shape without effort, each muscle and fibre slotting together like clay finding form. The chill of the underground air settled over him, thick with damp rot and silence.
It was unpleasant. But it was also his.
He had spent more time here than anywhere else. Who could blame him?
Being above felt strange.
Too open. Too clean.
The world of humans buzzed with noise and motion, but it was a world he couldn't be part of.
Not really.
The negative energy that rolled off others gave him momentary warmth. A hit of something familiar. Resentment. Bitterness. Fear.
It made his skin hum.
But no one looked at him. No one saw him. No one knew he existed.
Only sorcerers or those with potential could see him, and their eyes told him everything.
They looked at him the same way people in his last life used to. With suspicion. With calculation.
Like he was something to be contained.
Mahito scoffed as he walked, his footfalls quiet on the wet concrete.
Even now, it was the same. A different world, a different body, but the same feeling.
Out of place.
In his past life, it had been different. He could lie. Smile. Pretend. And it worked. He could blend in with society as long as he wore the right suit and said the right things.
But here, in this world of curses and sorcerers, there was no pretending. His body screamed what he was. A monster.
A thing born of fear.
And maybe that was fitting.
He was never meant to be part of their world anyway.
Mahito sighed as he leaned against the curved wall of the sewer, his fingers idly tracing the damp stone beside him.
'That could've gone better.'
He had met Itadori Yuji. The vessel. The boy with two souls.
And somehow, he had failed to leave a proper impression.
He hadn't expected to be welcomed. But he had hoped for something different. Some kind of reaction from the boy.
Instead, all he got was caution.
Even that dull annoyance from Sukuna didn't mean much. The King of Curses wasn't easily impressed.
Still, it was useful. The first interaction always was. The seed was planted.
Mahito closed his eyes.
He didn't need acceptance. Just curiosity.
Curiosity could grow into doubt. Doubt could be twisted.
That's all he needed.
'Next time… it'll be different.'
Far above the sewers, beneath the fading light of early evening, two figures stood on a rooftop overlooking the city.
The sky had taken on that strange grayish-orange hue unique to Tokyo dusk, where the light clung to the haze for a few final moments before being swallowed by neon and shadows.
The quiet hum of traffic below blended with the rustle of wind through electric cables. The air was calm, but the tension wasn't.
Nanami stood near the edge, arms crossed, posture rigid. His expression stayed even, but the weight behind his silence told more than any words could.
Gojo stood a few steps back, hands in his pockets, blindfold drawn across his eyes, a faint smirk on his lips that didn't quite reach the rest of his face.
"So," Gojo said, voice casual. "You're saying there's another one."
"Yes."
"Special Grade?"
"Without a doubt. That amount of Cursed Energy is unmistakable; it wasn't making any efforts to hide it."
Gojo tilted his head. "Like the others?"
"No. Not like the one with the volcano-shaped head from your reports."
Gojo hummed, lips twitching.
"He didn't attack?"
"Only defended. Reshaped his own body. Absorbed damage. Avoided blows."
Gojo paused for a second, head tilting slightly. "Did he seem... aware of Sukuna's vessel?"
Nanami nodded once.
"He knew Yuji's name. Spoke to him directly. Observed him. Like he was testing something."
Gojo's expression didn't change, but the space around him seemed to grow quieter.
"And what's your read?"
"He's not like the others. He wasn't sent in to cause destruction. He's feeling things out. I don't trust anything he said about not meaning harm."
Gojo gave a faint chuckle. "That makes two of us."
Nanami adjusted his glasses, the light briefly catching on the lens.
"We still don't know what his technique is, or even his name. But his cursed energy felt... Familiar in the worst way."
Gojo turned his head back toward the skyline, eyes hidden beneath cloth and a lighthearted expression.
"So that makes three now," he said, voice quieter than usual. "All undocumented. All Special Grades. And all circling the Sukuna's vessel in one way or another."
Nanami nodded. "It's not a coincidence."
"You still want Yuji on patrol?"
"He needs experience. And if this one's watching him, better we know than don't."
Gojo cracked his neck, a small, idle motion, but one that betrayed something lingering underneath.
The wind shifted slightly, tugging at the hem of his long black coat. He didn't react. His posture remained loose, relaxed. But Nanami could see it.
The tightness in his jaw. The slight adjustment in how his foot angled on the rooftop. Small things. Easy to miss.
"I thought you were supposed to be away on a mission around this time..." Nanami said, eyes narrowed.
"That's true... The higher-ups were quite adamant about this one." Gojo stretched a bit as he spoke, urgency completely lacking in his tone.
Nanami glanced toward him.
"Then why are you still in the city?"
Gojo smiled.
The kind of smile that meant trouble for someone.
"You're not the only one who got a bad feeling, Nanamin."
Nanami said nothing.
Gojo's presence was always requested in many places, yet he hadn't left the region. It wasn't like this was the first time he was disregarding orders, but this one felt different.
"Something about this feels off, too much action with special grades popping up out of nowhere." Gojo continued. "This one's also not causing trouble like the others, or seeking me out foolishly... He's patient."
He was normally the most carefree person in the world, yet even he could show worry. Not for himself, of course, but for Yuji's safety.
He had already taken it upon himself to shelter the boy, and he took that task seriously.
The strongest sorcerer wanted Yuji to grow, but not to face impossible odds from the get-go.
"Patience is dangerous," Nanami said, tone low.
"Exactly!" Gojo smiled widely, still carefree despite the situation.
For a few seconds, the rooftop was silent again.
Then Gojo turned his head slightly, just enough for Nanami to hear.
"That curse will come back. Friendly or not, it's bound to show up again."
"Then we'll be ready."
Gojo grinned. That slow, easy grin that always came right before something important happened.
"I look forward to meeting him."