Chapter 04

Cursed energy was a strange concept.

Unlike other fictional types of energy like Ki or Chakra, cursed energy had an additional level of complexity.

Yuji vaguely remembered Gojo Satoru's explanation in the original storyline, where he compared cursed energy to electricity.

Itadori couldn't say if that was the best comparison to use for this energy, as even though he followed the anime and manga, he was never one to pay much attention to the details.

Simply put, he understood how the energy theoretically behaved, but he didn't feel he would be able to manipulate it anytime soon.

In his previous life, he was an intelligent man, quite talented for his age, but that was far from meaning he could work a miracle and learn to use this type of energy in a single day.

It was a concept too new for him, requiring not only meticulous control of this new energy in his body but also control of his own emotions, all done simultaneously.

Cursed energy, reverse cursed energy, cursed techniques.

These were various concepts that, although originating from the same energy, worked differently.

Understanding all of this in less than a day was far beyond his current capabilities.

"…"

Sitting on the bed in his new dormitory, Itadori had his eyes closed, his expression quite troubled.

But that didn't mean he couldn't try.

Because even if he couldn't use it now, he could at least learn to discern the energy flowing through his body.

Like a new strange sensation coursing through his body, he could deduce that this was cursed energy.

Since swallowing the second finger of Sukuna, he had been able to feel this strange sensation, as if something was being pumped from his stomach to the rest of his body.

He had tried to manipulate it a few times since then, but it was like trying to peel off his own skin with his fingers.

Maybe during combat, he could gain a better understanding of it, but until then, feeling it was the most he could do.

With a sigh escaping his lips, Itadori lay down.

"There's no point in trying too hard. I better rest for tomorrow."

He feared being as helpless as the original Itadori was when facing the special-grade curse at the beginning of the storyline.

The last thing he wanted was to be forced to switch with Sukuna because of it. There was no way he would accept Sukuna's proposal to revive him.

Preventing that from happening was important, as it would avoid many problems in the future.

"Maybe I should just tell Gojo what's going to happen."

This was also a possibility that came to Itadori's mind, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't afraid of what might happen if he did.

Telling Gojo Satoru that he somehow had knowledge of future events, despite possibly solving some problems, could lead to even bigger issues.

After all, there was no way to know how Gojo would react, especially upon discovering that Kenjaku now possessed the body of his deceased friend.

In the worst case, his sealing could happen even sooner, which would be an outright defeat for the sorcerers.

"Damn... I'll think about it tomorrow."

But Itadori preferred to put that matter aside for now. He wanted to see how far he could get without Gojo's help. At the very least, he needed to learn how to use the cursed energy in his body before facing the special-grade curse.

If he couldn't, he would only be signing his death warrant by entering that reformatory.

.

"You're really hungry."

At a restaurant in the Harajuku district, Itadori and Megumi were busy with their own meals.

"I haven't eaten anything since yesterday."

Itadori, who had used an excuse just to try traditional Japanese food for himself, was entirely focused on devouring the dish in front of him.

"I clearly remember smelling instant noodles in the dorms." Megumi frowned, easily identifying the lie in his words.

"You must have dreamt it." Finishing his meal, Itadori wiped his mouth and stood up, Megumi following him out of the establishment.

"Hey! I asked you to wait!"

In the distance, Gojo appeared among the crowd, Itadori and Megumi turning to see him.

"Sorry, Gojo Sensei. Itadori wanted to eat something before we met with the transfer student." Megumi explained, making the teacher nod in agreement.

"Oh, right!" Itadori, who seemed to remember something, suddenly pulled something from a bag in his hand, turning to hand it to Gojo. "I bought some sweets for you, sensei."

Gojo, taking the packaged sweets, gave a small smile.

"Thank you for the consideration." Opening one of the sweets, he quickly put it in his mouth, turning his head to Itadori. "Looks like your uniform is ready."

Wearing a uniform no different from the original, Itadori looked at his clothes. He liked the look, so he was quite satisfied with the outfit.

"Yes, it's quite nice."

"Well, if you want to change anything, just ask."

Itadori nodded in agreement.

"Oh, it looks like she's here."

Hearing the teacher's words, Itadori and Megumi turned to see a girl with short brown hair seeming to argue with a man.

"So that's the transfer student?" Itadori, even knowing the answer, asked more as a way not to seem too indifferent. "She seems lively."

"I feel like this one's going to be troublesome." Megumi commented with a sigh.

"Hey, over here!" Gojo, ignoring his students' comments, called the girl, who immediately noticed him.

Approaching the group, the girl stopped in front of them, her hand on her hip while her face filled with pride.

"My name is Nobara Kugisaki. I am the beautiful flower in a group of merry boys."

"Ugh..." Megumi murmured, while Itadori seemed quite indifferent to the girl's presence.

Itadori didn't have much to say about Nobara. He thought she was a good person, but he didn't pay much attention to her when he watched the anime. He was a little shocked by her death, but it didn't go much beyond that.

"My name is Yuji Itadori." Itadori introduced himself with a friendly smile.

A stark contrast to Megumi, who seemed completely uninterested in the situation. "I'm Fushiguro Megumi."

"…"

"I see I wasn't very lucky." With a sigh, Nobara looked disheartened.

Itadori blinked at this attitude. 'What was she expecting?'

.

Looking at that building exuding cursed energy from its interior, Itadori swallowed hard.

'Looks like I'm going to be put to the test.'