Jujutsu Kaisen: Nozomi no Sora

Suddenly, a violent roar came from the distant mountains and forests, and dust rose for miles around, accompanied by a violent tremor of the earth.

Xuan Yi sensed a fluctuation of energy from that direction that was very similar to the curse power of "Cang".

That is undoubtedly Gojo Satoru's unlimited "Zi".

So, Hua Yu has been exorcised, right?

The real person in front of me had a frozen expression, whether from panic, anger, or simply incomprehension, I couldn't tell.

He stared in disbelief at Xuan Yi, who was approaching step by step, and his stitched face finally twitched uncontrollably.

Why...?

Xuan Yi didn't answer, but silently shortened the distance between them. The black scythe dragged on the ground, scraping with a harsh sound.

"Who are you?!" the real person screamed hysterically, their voice trembling uncontrollably. "Why are you staring at me like that! Why is it always you?!"

Xuan Yi stopped and looked down at him, his eyes as cold as if he were looking at an inanimate object.

"The reason why a cursed spirit is a cursed spirit," his voice was calm and cold, "is because people like you ignore ethics and ideals, and only live by following the instinct to 'want to kill'."

Since that's the case—

What else do you expect from a human being like me?

Xuan Yi leaned forward slightly, his voice low, yet each word was like a knife.

"Real person, you're just a fake."

It was as if something had shattered inside his chest. His face contorted suddenly, the stitched corners of his mouth stretching to his ears, revealing his gleaming white teeth.

"Are you getting too cocky just because you gained a little advantage?"

"Is there another way to remove the 'mark'?"

"That is—to kill you!"

Before the words were finished, the real person suddenly opened their mouth, and the small hand hidden deep inside their mouth had already completed all the hand seals to open the barrier.

"Domain Expansion"

"Autistic and eccentric!"

The enormous hand suddenly closed from the surrounding void, causing the ground to bulge and deform, and a completely sealed barrier instantly swallowed Xuan Yi whole.

Within the pitch-black realm, the real person's figure hovered in mid-air, their eyes so cold it was as if they were a completely different person.

"Is there anything else you'd like to say?"

Xuan Yi remained silent, simply standing still, his dark pupils reflecting the distorted figure of the real person.

"I see." The real man grinned maliciously, raising his hand. "Die."

"Transformation through non-action!"

However, nothing happened.

The boy in front of me didn't move at all.

There was no flying blood and flesh, no dislocated bones, and not even a trace of pain on his face.

He just stared intently at the real person, and then continued walking towards him step by step.

"How is this possible...!"

The real person began to roar hysterically, frantically casting spells and waving his hands wildly in the air: "Die! Die! Die!"

Then...

"The Transformation of Non-Action!" Xuan Yi's cold voice suddenly rang in his ears.

puff--

The real man's hands suddenly burst open, turning into two lumps of mud.

"Ah...ah..."

An inaudible sound came from his throat, and Zhenren's lifeless face stared blankly at Xuan Yi, with the emotion "fear" appearing in his eyes for the first time.

"Huh?"

Why did I get hurt?

Why is "non-action transformation" ineffective for him?

Why is he able to move freely in this field?

Why...?

Xuan Yi's curse power began to spread like a tide, gradually engulfing the entire area.

"I told you, Master," Xuan Yi said, raising two fingers in a hand seal. "You're the imposter."

The moment the words left his mouth, the real person let out a heart-wrenching scream.

His body began to crack inch by inch—his skin melted like wax, his bones turned to dust under immense pressure, and his muscles were crushed and pulled away by an invisible force.

The cruelest thing was that he could clearly feel his soul being torn apart by that "harvesting" mark.

The pain transcended the limits of the body; it was the despair of having his "self," as a curse, forcibly stripped away.

"No...don't..."

The pleas abruptly ceased.

Amidst endless pain and fear, the real person's body rapidly shrank and collapsed, eventually coalescing into a ball of flesh the size of a basketball.

The surface of the fleshy mass was covered with stitched lines, and only an eyeball remained in the center, staring at Xuan Yi in fear and with tears streaming down its face.

Because the "Harvest" mark continuously draws out magical power like a seal, unless Xuan Yi actively breaks the spell, the real person will forever remain in this form.

A living, eternal prisoner.

Xuan Yi picked up the lump of flesh and tossed it around, as if weighing a trophy.

"Let's leave it to Gojo Satoru-sensei to handle."

He turned to leave, but suddenly a series of intermittent electronic sounds came from behind him.

"It's you..."

Xuan Yi stopped in his tracks.

Amidst the charred ruins, sparks still crackled from the remaining upper half of the mechanical maru. From the speaker in its head came Kokichi's hoarse and weak voice.

"It was you... who asked the songstress to arrange for me to come here, wasn't it?"

Xuan Yi turned his head, somewhat surprised, then seemed to realize something, and revealed a knowing smile: "You installed a miniature communicator in the observation room?"

"...You even know something like that?"

"No, I really didn't know before." Xuan Yi scratched his head and said with a wry smile, "But I know now."

Mechanical Maru fell silent.

After a long silence, he spoke again, his voice carrying a kind of long-suppressed weariness.

Why?

"Um?"

"Why did you save me?" Mechanical Maru's voice was soft, but every word was clear. "You made this arrangement on purpose, you must know what I did before, right?"

Why don't you expose me?

"Why do you only ask this one question?" Xuan Yi sighed helplessly and squatted down next to Mechanical Maru. "Do you only feel at ease when I tell the whole school about your secret contact with the cursed spirit?"

A static noise came from the speaker of the machine gun.

"But I don't have time to care about your secrets." Xuan Yi's tone was indifferent. "As for whether you want to turn yourself in or not, that's your business."

I wouldn't really say I'm saving you, since your original form isn't here, Mechanical Maru!

only……"

If Xuan Yi doesn't intervene in this matter, Yu Xin Ji will eventually be killed by Lu Suo and Zhen Ren according to the original plot. Although he did do something that harmed the interests of Gao Zhuan, Xuan Yi also knows that Yu Xin Ji is not inherently bad.

Since all tragedies can be completely avoided, he is naturally willing to give the other party a chance to repent and start anew.

In fact, judging from the decision of Mechanical Maru to break the restraints in exchange for cursed power to fight against the real person, his choice should also be correct.

Xuan Yi didn't know what to say, so he simply changed the subject and looked at the damaged head of the mechanical pill.

"I think Mechanical Maru has always wanted to meet everyone in person!"

Mechanical Maru's voice suddenly froze: "What are you doing...?"

"Just answer me, whether you want to or not."

Silence spread through the air.

A few seconds later, a barely audible response came from the speaker.

"Of course... I really want to..."

But if you saw what I look like in real life, you wouldn't...

"You don't know what?" Xuan Yi interrupted him.

Mechanical Maru was speechless, as if she were immersed in her own pain.

"Actually, you've always considered 'meeting in person' as an impossible condition because you feel that you're not qualified to stand in front of everyone looking like this?"

So you rejected everyone's visits, rejected all kindness, and locked yourself in that metal can, as if that way no one could see your misfortune?

Xuan Yi's voice lowered, but it was no longer cold.

"Please, have you ever considered that no one has ever said 'we'll be friends after Mech Maru can walk'? You're the one who unilaterally set up this barrier and then unilaterally felt abandoned. You're making everyone feel helpless!"

Xuan Yi looked up at the night sky and slowly stood up.

"Moreover, the desire to see everyone in person never needs to wait until the day you're 'ready'. Because those who truly care about you never demanded that you be 'perfect' from the very beginning."

As soon as he finished speaking, a faint sound came from the other side of the ruins.

Xuan Yi didn't turn around, but the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

"—Right?"

The shadows of the trees swayed, and a group of people emerged from behind the broken walls and ruins.

Higashido Aoi was the first to stride forward, nudging Itadori beside her and grinning, "Of course! Honesty is the most important thing between close friends! Right, Itadori!"

"Yeah!" Itadori nodded vigorously, looking sincerely at Gakumei, "Gakumei, even though I didn't see it, you must look incredibly cool in battle!"

Kugizaki Nobara couldn't help but cast a disdainful glance at Itajō.

Your phrase "although I didn't see it" was redundant.

Kamo Noriyuki's tone was relatively calm: "You've already done a tremendous amount of work to get this far. No one will deny you because of that. At least you've given it your all for us."

Zenin Mai crossed her arms, turned her face away, and chuckled softly: "Although you're usually sharp-tongued... at least you're still a normal person, right?"

A puzzled whisper came from the mechanical ball's speaker: "...At least?"

"That's right." Nishimiya Momo, holding a broom, scratched her head. "Without you, we simply don't know how to deal with Toudou. Do you think anyone can tolerate him?"

"...Is that the reason?"

"Big Mustard." Dog-Roll Thorn gave a thumbs up, his eyes gentle.

The panda raised its paw.

"Then let's go to Kyoto to visit you next time! I want to try the Yatsuhashi mochi there."

Maki seemed a little confused about the situation.

"So...you guys are going to Kyoto too?"

Mechanical Maru stared blankly at these familiar faces, at their laughing or joking expressions. The high wall that had been built in his heart for seventeen years finally cracked at this moment.

A slender figure emerged from the crowd, approaching step by step with a serious yet stubborn expression. She squatted down in front of the mechanical ball and silently gazed at it for a long time.

Those always clear and bright eyes were filled with an unprecedented determination.

She took a deep breath.

"Isn't Machine Maru an idiot?!"

Mechanical Maru fell silent.

A long, hissing electrical sound came from the speaker, as if something was being suppressed.

Finally, that hoarse voice rang out softly, with a trembling laugh.

"yes……

I'm sorry, everyone.

Xuan Yi tossed the fleshy lump that had been transformed from a real person in his hand, breaking the tender atmosphere.

"So... is the unexpected incident over? What should we do next in the competition?"

Fushiguro Megumi leaned against a broken rock and said calmly, "Anything is fine, as long as we don't have to consult Gojo-sensei."

"Oh? Really?"

A flippant voice suddenly came from behind Fushiguro Megumi.

Fuhei Hui froze, then slowly turned around.

Gojo Satoru was already standing behind him at some point, bending down and peeking out, his eye mask curving into a crescent moon with laughter.

"Since that's the case—"

"Then let's hold a group visit to express our appreciation to Mechanical Maru!"

"No, let's not!"

"Absolutely! Absolutely!"

Let's go together!

"Salmon!"

"Great! I can finally go to Kyoto!"