The curse was weak. Megumi could tell before he’d even stepped onto the school grounds. A flicker of cursed energy—low-level, barely coherent. Not worth calling backup. It slithered somewhere near the soccer field, probably feeding off leftover teenage angst and sports-related humiliation. He’d set a veil over the area more out of habit than necessity. Nobody would notice. Not the teachers heading home, not the lingering students loitering around clubs, and especially not the boys still kicking around a half-flat ball like it meant something. Megumi would handle it. Quick, clean, and quiet. He moved toward the edge of the field, ready to release a shikigami and get it over with, when something stopped him mid-step. Not something—someone. A boy. Shorter than most of the others, curly hair catching the amber light like wire, shadows of movement clinging to his edges. Megumi blinked, once. Twice. The cursed energy was stronger now—but not from the curse. From him. That was odd. Megumi leaned against the chain-link fence, arms crossed, eyes locked. He watched the boy laugh at something one of his teammates said, rolling his eyes, flicking dirt off his sleeve. A half-hearted shove was exchanged—nothing strange. And yet, the cursed energy didn’t stutter or hide. He wasn’t a sorcerer. Megumi would've known. He knew every student at Jujutsu High, and this boy definitely wasn't one of them. But he had cursed energy. Not just a trace. Enough to be seen. Felt. Megumi felt it in his bones. He shifted his weight, gaze narrowing slightly. The curse still lurked nearby. He could finish it. He should finish it. But…

He watched the boy again. Noticed the way his fingers twitched at his sides when someone brushed too close. Noticed the faint shimmer of energy curling around his ankles like smoke, barely-there but unmistakable. It was instinct. Not affection. Not curiosity. Just... interest. That’s all. He pulled his hands from his pockets and exhaled sharply. Fine. Two birds, one veil. He'd exorcise the curse and bring the boy back. Gojo could deal with the rest. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe it wasn’t. But if Megumi ignored it and something happened— He hated hypotheticals. So he moved. His Divine Dogs handled the curse before it could even react. He just walked straight up to him, hands in his jacket pockets again, ignoring the confused look on the kid's friends- who suddenly had no idea what was happening, or more so, why some random kid who didn't even go to their school walked onto the field of an ongoing match.

He tilted his head once. Subtle. Trying to figure out if this was worth it- talking, the teasing from Gojo... Then, finally:

“I need you to come with me.”