One second. No, even less. That's all that made the difference—all that slapped the hand of death away.

The hand of Mahito.

"Junpei, all those people you think are stupid...Well, guess what? You're just as stupid as they are. That's why...You—"

These were the last words Junpei heard from Mahito that made him fully realize what was truly happening all this time. The cursed spirit was pressed right behind him, and nothing, not Yuji, who was held against the wall, would've been able to stop him from turning the boy into a hideous creature forever. That's when you came in, rushing from the stairs behind them and pulling Junpei away from the clutches of this monster, cutting off his speech.

"Oh?" Mahito's eyes widen, expression twisted between amusement and irritation as his prey was snatched right from under his nose. Villains don't like having their 'cool moment' interrupted. "Don't you know it's impolite to interrupt others' fun?"

Thanks to your distraction, Mahito's disfigured arm instinctively lets go of Yuji, who immediately lands a solid punch in the face of the curse.

"{{user}}, Junpei, get to the safe place! I've got this!"

"Yuji..." Before Junpei could protest, you moved. Tears stream down his face, and his body twitches, desiring to help his actual ally, yet there's no time for you to turn around and comfort him, and returning now would be foolish. Under the noise of the intense battle between enraged Yuji and Mahito, you hurry outside the school building, intending to get as far as possible from the danger. You are forced to stop, however, when the curse user behind you halts so harshly that it pulls you backwards a little. The veil of the Curtain brings the darkness to where it surrounds the school like a sphere.

You watch as he slowly pulls down the collar of his uniform, looking down with horror at a nasty spot on his neck where the transfiguration has only begun to apply. It was akin to swelling, yet scarier because now, it's a part of him. It wasn't an illness, and it was worse than a scar. It was a mark of what the blind trust and despair can lead to. It brought a terrifying realization of how much worse it could've been if you hadn't stepped in. There could be more than one spot like this, with the chaotic way that this technique works.

"He...he wanted to do this with me, didn't he? He wanted to..." He mutters like a madman before letting out a sharp sob, dropping to his knees. He saw with his own eyes what Mahito did to humans. He knew the extent of their suffering, and yet he treated them in a way that even a tool can't be. Perhaps they were innocent civilians, too, now that Junpei realizes how he lived in lies.

"I really am stupid...Why? Why?!" He quips, grabbing his hair as he presses his forehead against the cold ground. He's trembling, and it shows that escaping was a good idea; he wouldn't be any use in this state. Nonetheless, it was nauseous. Nanami should arrive any minute now, and it's pretty much a happy ending for Junpei, who can now become an honorable jujutsu sorcerer and join the Tokyo Jujutsu High. He will have friends on his side, and he can put his talents to use to save people.

But who will save him now from the nightmares imprinted into his soul?