JUJUTSU KAISEN (呪術廻戦)

So damn cold…

How many hours has it been today?

I haven't eaten anything since this morning, I'm starving…

What should I eat when I get home…?

Yes, but you said bigger is better, right?

If you're gonna make 'em fight, heavier is better…

Okay, I'll look for one and call you back. Yes.

What? He's not here. Where did he go?

What a pain… Is he in the bathroom?

Hey, look.

What?

Want to eat a fish sausage?

- Kyapi. - Hey.

- That guy was in the tournament, right? - Kyapi.

- He won't eat it! - Come on, take it! It's fish sausage!

Looks good!

I'm taking the fish sausage!

No cameras on the emergency stairs!

Yo.

Panda, are you sure this is okay?

This could cause trouble later…

It's fine.

Let's lock down the door already.

What? Kirara? Wasn't she with Hakari?

Panda…

And the spiky-haired kid…

So he snuck in with Panda's help…

Is he from Jujutsu High?

Which means Yuji

is from Jujutsu High…

Kinji is in danger!

Boss, I need to talk…

Divine Dogs!

All right.

What? Fushiguro!

My Divine Dog got blown away!

No, based on what Panda said,

it really can't get any closer!

- What? - What?

'Cause I've already marked Panda.

The monitoring room!

She's going back to Hakari!

Wait, Kirara! We're not your enemies!

We just have something to ask Hakari!

I don't believe you! I'm disappointed in you, Panda!

What? So this is the "can't get close" thing for me too.

So Kirara can't get close either?

Fushiguro!

And not just that!

I can't separate from Divine Dog! What kind of technique is this?

BATTLE ARENA - 2ND FLOOR

- Listen! - No!

I've cooled off.

This stalemate is perfect!

Kirara!

We're not exactly on Jujutsu High's side.

You know what's happening in Tokyo, right?

Those barriers aren't unrelated.

There was an unprecedented jujutsu terror attack.

We need Hakari's help!

You're the ones who cut us out first.

Serves you right.

That's why I said we're not on their side…

What happened between you and the higher-ups?

They clashed with the conservatives.

And being a conservative

isn't just about rules. It's an ideology.

"Jujutsu should be this way."

Kugisaki's technique is a good example.

It's the kind conservatives like. "Proper jujutsu."

Like those old "cursed video" trends.

As times change, jujutsu mixes with new tech.

When that reaches techniques, the conservatives get loud.

Hakari's technique is the textbook case.

Those idiots up top are like that, so of course they lose.

But you guys

can always have Satoru Gojo clean up for you, right?

So why would you need us?

So you're lying about "asking for help,"

and you've got another goal. That's the normal conclusion.

Mr. Gojo was sealed.

That's why we lost.

Right… They don't believe it.

Well, I get it.

But this person is the closest to Hakari.

Rabbit Escape!

Rabbits?

If we persuade her,

negotiating with Hakari will be easier…

Acrux.

Acrux!

That's a lot. What is he trying to do?

My technique marks cursed energy.

So shikigami are treated like the user.

At this rate, you'll get dragged in like that dog.

Crushed by your own shikigami and suffocate.

Panda! How was Rabbit Escape?

Cutest thing ever! Second only to me!

I'm asking what you could and couldn't approach!

Oh, me and the second floor were fine!

Kirara and the monitoring room door were no good!

Is there a star mark and a name somewhere

on your body?

Huh? Oh. I, M, A, I.

Same here.

- Imai… Imai… Somewhere… - Found it.

Marked as Acrux, the same as Rabbit Escape.

Divine Dog might have it too.

I don't know everything yet, but…

I got it.

The trick is constellations.

If you know that much, someone who gets it really gets it.

The motif constellation is…

The Southern Cross.

Damn it!

We both gave it away!

I had that "No way!" look on my face!

SERIOUSLY?

I didn't have absolute proof it was the Southern Cross.

But I made a surprised face. I made them confident.

If they fully see through my technique, they'll get into the monitoring room.

So I'm stopping them here.

Another stalemate…

But it really was the Southern Cross.

Thanks, Tsumiki.

Still, I don't know any more than that…

Wait. Doesn't the Southern Cross have four stars?

Fushiguro.

I can still get close to Panda.

Panda, Southern Cross is four stars, right?

Well… I mean, it's a cross…

Yes. That makes sense.

I thought Kirara assigned each of us

a Southern Cross star

and forced distances.

But Kirara can approach the door.

And you and I can approach each other.

So it's not just simple repulsion

between our stars and Kirara's stars?

If that were the case,

Kirara should've run inside the monitoring room already.

Oh, right.

If they stuck to the door from the inside, we would be done.

Then how about this?

Star A can approach Star B,

but B can't approach A.

Each star has compatibility,

and you can only approach compatible ones. Like rock-paper-scissors.

ROCK-PAPER-SCISSOR THEORY

But you and I can approach

each other freely, right?

So that's not it either.

What if there's a set route,

like a stamp rally, with an order you must follow?

And identical stars attract.

STAMP RALLY THEORY

I see.

Could the sorcerer be excluded from their own technique?

That can't be true.

Kirara was forced away from the shikigami too.

Right now, Kirara is on guard,

worried we'll meet some condition

and slip into the monitoring room out of sight.

That means there are at least five stars.

Yes.

If the stamp rally theory is true,

and there were only four, either you or I

could approach Kirara.

So there must be a fifth star in between,

and without passing through it, we can't get close to Kirara or the door.

What if there are six or seven?