Talking to Junpei was easier than expected. Itadori had anticipated some difficulty due to the mental age difference between the two, but Junpei was quite intelligent for someone his age and could hold a good conversation on a variety of subjects.

Itadori would be lying if he said he didn't like the boy, which would only make things more difficult if Junpei fell prey to the curses later on.

Fortunately, Junpei was still a good boy who loved his mother above all else. As long as he could save her, Itadori was confident he could prevent his downfall.

That's why he turned down the invitation from the beautiful woman who was Junpei's mother and decided to follow them cautiously to their house.

He didn't need to cause any fights or get involved with the person responsible for placing Sukuna's finger in that location. He just needed to retrieve the cursed object quickly enough so that no curse would be attracted to the house. After that, a simple conversation with Junpei could potentially keep him out of the dangerous world of Jujutsu.

With this in mind, Itadori watched the apartment from afar, waiting for any ripple of cursed energy to occur.

Recovering the finger was not only crucial at that moment to save Junpei's mother but also for his own purpose. Itadori felt his bond with Sukuna growing stronger and stronger, and he was confident that devouring another finger would be just what he needed to start assimilating some of Sukuna's cursed techniques.

!

Fortunately, Itadori didn't have to wait long when a ripple of cursed energy suddenly began to explode from the residence—a signal that made him move immediately.

No second should be wasted. Curses were unpredictable; they could attack immediately or wait a while.

But that changed when there was an object that emitted so much cursed energy. This caused them to become extremely aggressive, whether toward humans or even other curses.

They would do anything to get Sukuna's finger.

But Itadori wasn't afraid of failing. As long as it wasn't a special-grade curse, he was confident he could exorcise it without too much trouble.

"..."

Leaping onto the roof of the house, Itadori quickly opened a passage and landed in what appeared to be the kitchen, only to see Sukuna's finger placed on the table.

"Found it!"

Grabbing the finger, he quickly devoured it. At that point, he no longer hesitated as he had before.

Of course, that didn't change the fact that the sensation of the finger going down his throat was disgusting.

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!

Feeling cursed energy explode from his body, Itadori gave a small smile before returning to normal, his eyes turning to his hand as he squeezed his fingers.

'My cursed energy has increased even more... Incredible!'

But as he contemplated the sudden increase in his cursed energy, he overlooked something extremely important in that situation.

He hadn't considered that other curses might have taken a while to arrive on the scene.

!

Receiving a full-force attack on the side of his body, Itadori was caught off guard as he was pushed backward.

"A curse?"

Regaining his balance, his attention turned to the curse that had suddenly appeared—a strange humanoid figure with excess skin all over its body.

"Ew, that's weird."

Itadori clicked his tongue in disgust and, without much thought, lunged forward, his fist striking the curse squarely and piercing it with ease.

"These things get stranger and stranger."

"..."

As he stared at the lifeless curse, his eyes narrowed as a strange sensation ran through his body. He blinked a few times before turning to see Junpei standing in the hallway.

"Oh... Uh..." Unable to think of anything, he simply waved at the boy. "Hi, Junpei!"

"..."

The boy didn't answer immediately; he just swallowed.

Itadori rubbed the back of his neck when he saw this, his eyes alternating between the curse and Junpei a few times before focusing completely on the boy.

"How about we talk about it?"

.

In the end, the conversation with Junpei had been more peaceful than expected. The boy quickly understood that if it hadn't been for Itadori, his mother would most likely be dead, and he could only be grateful for that.

Itadori also made it clear that getting involved with clever curses was not a good idea. Junpei had seen it with his own eyes.

Even if they appeared good-natured, they were still curses and wouldn't hesitate to betray him if it furthered their own goals.

Junpei, as a boy easily manipulated, had believed Mahito and almost paid the price for it. He could understand that very well.

After saying goodbye, Junpei thanked Yuji one last time before returning home.

Itadori, who was already on his way to the hideout where Gojo was holding him, allowed himself a small smile.

He had no obligation to save the boy; after all, doing so left him completely in the dark about Mahito's next move.

Perhaps Mahito would still attack the school, but that was no longer information Itadori could trust.

He had saved Junpei because he felt he could, and so he did. The boy was a good person and didn't deserve to lose his mother just to maintain the "canon." Itadori wouldn't sacrifice someone just for the sake of it...

At least, he didn't expect to have to do so in the future.

Sigh

Sighing, the boy turned to the starry sky.

The stars that he had once been at least a little close to, shining at an infinite distance, which even in his old life he could only dream of reaching.

After a while, he couldn't help feeling nostalgic for his old life.

Becoming an astronaut had been the greatest achievement of his life, a dream he had used everything in his power to achieve...

Having it taken away from him still left a bad taste in his mouth.

But he didn't dislike this new life. Being able to save people was also rewarding.

He believed that becoming an astronaut meant sacrificing himself for the evolution of humanity.

In the end, he was still sacrificing himself for people.

And he didn't feel indignant about it or anything like that. In fact, he felt fulfilled.

He had his own selfishness, his own desire to get stronger, but he wasn't like Sukuna, who believed he could do whatever he wanted because he was strong.

Eating when you're hungry, killing when you don't like someone.

Itadori couldn't act like that.

He would avoid sacrificing himself for someone at all costs, but he wouldn't hesitate to do so if it was the only option.

"..."

'I think Itadori has affected me more than I realized.'

"..."

"Junpei, why the hell is there a huge hole in our roof?!"

In the distance, Itadori heard a voice he recognized well from his old life...

The voice of an angry woman.