Chapter 133 – A High-Stakes Gamble Before the Final Battle
The sound of combat echoed through the training hall at Jujutsu High.
Yuji Itadori was sparring with Kusakabe.
With a clean over-the-shoulder throw, Kusakabe flipped Yuji onto the mat, then calmly slipped his hands into his pockets and looked down at him with a puzzled stare.
"The upcoming fight… we're not even going to be the main force. So why are you still training like your life depends on it?"
Lately, Yuji had been showing up every day to spar with him, pushing himself nonstop.
Yuji rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling.
After a long silence, he finally spoke.
"Being stronger is never a bad thing, right?
What if… I end up being able to help somehow?"
They had so many powerful allies—but Sukuna still dared to accept the challenge.
That alone felt wrong.
Yuji couldn't explain it.
Something just… didn't sit right.
Since he couldn't see the problem, he chose the only thing he could control.
Train.
If he became strong enough, no unexpected turn would matter.
"Yuji… don't overdo it."
Choso spoke gently.
"Your brothers will worry."
In truth, it was Choso who was worried most of all.
"Don't worry." Yuji smiled faintly.
"I'm not the only one training. Megumi, Nobara… everyone's giving it their all."
They were all preparing.
Building strength.
Raising the odds of survival—even if only by a little.
---
Of course…
Not everyone dealt with pressure the same way.
---
"Miss Mei Mei… can I place a bet?"
Zen'in Shinsuke and Yuki Tsukumo found Mei Mei staring excitedly at her computer, her eyes practically glowing.
She looked up and brushed back her hair elegantly.
"Of course, Zen'in-sensei.
How much are you betting?"
Now that the existence of curses was public knowledge, the underground jujutsu gambling industry had exploded overnight into a gold rush.
And Mei Mei… just from collecting online entry fees alone, she'd already made five billion yen.
"I'll go all in with one card."
Shinsuke tossed down a credit card.
"Jujutsu sorcerers win."
The money itself wasn't much—mostly looted from the higher-ups.
Might as well gamble a little and make some side cash.
"Ah—but you'll need to pick a specific winner."
Mei Mei reminded him.
"Right now, everyone is already betting on the sorcerer side."
Online, not only had curse information gone public…
Profiles of major sorcerers had been released as well.
Mei Mei had even posted Sukuna's battle record, along with brief bios of everyone fighting for Jujutsu High.
For example:
Gojo Satoru — Special Grade Sorcerer, Strongest of the Modern Era
Along with:
Okkotsu Yuta
Tsukumo Yuki
Kashimo
Yorozu
Yuji
Megumi… and more.
The entire nation was watching.
And betting.
Beneath each name was the total amount of money bet on that person in the gambling pool.
Because the sorcerer side had such overwhelming numbers, almost no one bet on Sukuna.
Almost.
There were still a few high-risk gamblers hoping to strike it rich by betting against the crowd.
Some even created multiple accounts to spread their bets among different candidates.
"Then I'll bet on myself."
Shinsuke glanced at his profile and laughed.
His title still read: Special Grade (Special).
The number of people who believed Sukuna would die by his hands could be counted on one hand—
Which meant the total bet under his name was pitifully low… only a few hundred thousand.
At the very top was Gojo Satoru.
The amount bet on Sukuna dying by Gojo's hands had already surpassed ten billion yen.
And there were still two weeks left before the deadline.
Aside from Gojo, the combined betting totals for Yuta, Yuki, Kashimo, Yorozu and others had also exceeded ten billion.
After all, the words "Special Grade" and "Ancient Sorcerer" carried a legendary aura.
But Grade 1 sorcerers?
Their odds were barely worth mentioning.
A few hundred thousand here…
A couple million there…
Even the highest barely scraped ten million yen.
Not a single one broke into the hundred-million range.
"Zen'in-sensei, are you sure you want to put everything on yourself?"
Mei Mei paused while entering his card number.
"I know you're strong, but who lands the killing blow in a group fight is impossible to predict."
With so many monsters on the field, one mistake and the jackpot would vanish.
"After stealing kill credits for years, I'm pretty experienced."
Shinsuke waved her off casually.
"And Sukuna isn't weak. There's even a chance we can't kill him at all."
"If that happens… this money probably won't matter anyway."
"…Alright."
When Shinsuke finally entered the amount—
10 billion.
Shinsuke's betting total skyrocketed.
Across the network, countless bettors rubbed their eyes in disbelief.
Who in the world just dumped ten billion on a Special Grade (Special)?
Did they think "special" really meant special?
Those who knew the jujutsu world even a little immediately labeled the mystery gambler a sucker burning money.
Someone getting scammed in real time.
---
"I'll bet ten billion too."
A familiar voice spoke.
Gojo Satoru casually tossed down a card.
"Put it all on me."
Then he glanced at Zen'in Shinsuke.
"…Thanks. For what you did with Suguru."
Hearing that from Gojo felt unsettling.
Shinsuke gave him a sideways look.
"You're thanking people now? Did the Prison Realm sand down your edges?"
Gojo's lips twitched.
Just hearing that cursed thing made his skin crawl.
Sure enough, this guy hadn't changed at all.
"Maybe," Gojo muttered.
"Too bad the Prison Realm's destroyed. Otherwise, you could've gone inside and tried it yourself."
He already knew everything that had happened while he'd been sealed.
If not for this irritating man…
Jujutsu High probably wouldn't look this alive right now.
Annoying as he was—
Having him around made things easier.
"I'm not that bored."
Shinsuke shook his head as he walked off with Yuki Tsukumo.
"Though I'll admit… betting ten billion is classic Gojo family arrogance.
Too bad—you're about to lose it all."
Gojo smiled faintly behind him.
"Whose money goes down the drain… we'll see."
With that, he turned and left Mei Mei.
Watching both men throw down ten billion on themselves, Mei Mei sighed.
"Two filthy rich lunatics…"
After a moment of thought, she slid her own money across the screen.
Five billion on Zen'in Shinsuke.
Five billion on Gojo Satoru.
If they were that confident, she'd happy to profit off either one.
In this pool, once Sukuna died, every losing bet would be wiped clean.
All funds from incorrect guesses would be redistributed to the people who picked the right killer—
According to proportion.
In simpler terms:
Guess correctly, and you walk away rich.
Very rich.
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