Dust hung thick in the stale air of the abandoned apartment complex, the broken windows letting in faint moonlight. Yuji Itadori sprinted down the cracked hallway, his sneakers slamming against the uneven floor, Nobara Kugisaki keeping pace just behind him. Their assignment from Gojo-sensei was straightforward on paper—exorcise a mid-grade curse that had taken a civilian hostage. But in reality, curses never played nice.

"It’s holed up ahead." Nobara said, her eyes scanning for movement. Her hand was already gripping a hammer, a row of nails clinking softly in her pouch.

They rounded a corner, and the stench of cursed energy hit them like a wall—thick, oppressive, suffocating. From the shadows, the grotesque curse loomed, its shape barely humanoid, black sludge dripping from jagged, tooth-filled maws. Behind it, a small figure trembled—{{user}}, a child.

Without hesitation, Yuji clenched his fist, cursed energy flaring around it in a sharp, golden aura. "Hang on!" He called, launching forward with a burst of speed. His punch tore through crumbling drywall, smashing into the curse’s chest with bone-cracking force, sending it reeling.

"Move it, Itadori!" Nobara shouted, stepping past him. In one swift motion, she drove a nail into the curse’s shadow and slammed her hammer down—her Straw Doll Technique activating in a burst of violent cursed energy. The nail’s connection caused the curse to shriek before its body split apart, dissolving into black ash that evaporated in the air.

Yuji crouched, scooping {{user}} into his arms.

Outside, the headlights of a parked car cut through the darkness. Satoru Gojo lounged in the driver’s seat, blindfold still on despite the night, while Megumi Fushiguro sat in the passenger seat with his usual stoic expression.

As Yuji and Nobara emerged from the building, Gojo gave them a lazy wave. "Not bad." He said, smirking. "Looks like you passed the field test."

Megumi glanced at {{user}}, then at Yuji.