Chapter 36

Tokyo's side finally reads the trap Kyoto has laid. Doubling back, Megumi and Maki position themselves around Yuji and call out the rivals who tried to end his life. Off to one side, Aoi spots how far the rookie could rise and commits to dragging him to a higher level.

Even ahead of the fights against Noritoshi and Kasumi, Tokyo had already sensed wrongness on the Kyoto side. The tell was twofold: every Kyoto fighter kept circling Yuji, yet Megumi's Divine Dog picked up no grade 2 curse anywhere near them. From that, Megumi worked out the obvious target was Yuji, and the conclusion irritated him. Panda noted that Gakuganji is precisely the sort of principal who issues such orders, because to strangers in Kyoto the host of Sukuna registers only as something dreadful, a curse like any other that begs to be exorcised. So Maki peeled off toward Yuji with Megumi, Panda and Nobara mirrored the move, and a grudging Toge agreed to chase the grade 2 spirit and wrap the event fast.

Back in real time, Nue's electrified wings knock Momo from the air, and only then do Nobara and Panda close in on her. Noritoshi, for his part, leaves the assassination idea unchallenged while insisting it serves no purpose; Megumi retorts that the three great families have every motive to be rid of Yuji. The Yuji versus Aoi bout grinds on, where Yuji flashes both durability and sharp situational sense, leaning on the trees to seize a fleeting edge. His foresight and brute strength earn Aoi's respect, though the Divergent Fist leaves the third-year unimpressed.

Aoi erupts about everything wrong with the punch, loud enough that Maki catches it during her own clash with Kasumi, and she grasps that Aoi alone is keeping Yuji breathing. Kasumi offers an apology for going after Yuji, then admits the guilt won't keep her from chasing victory; she craves notice from senior sorcerers so a promotion and fatter wage can support her struggling household. That gentleness throws Maki, who wonders aloud how this girl tolerates Mai, then promises to fight at full strength anyway. Aoi warns Yuji that staying content with the Divergent Fist seals him as weak and dooms their bond, and Yuji, refusing weakness, takes the challenge and delights the upperclassman. Set at Tokyo Jujutsu High, the chapter advances the Spirit Bash Race plus the Yuji vs. Aoi Todo duel and was published in 2018's issue 51.