Fujino couldn’t help but find watching Rika deal with the curse entertaining. It felt like she was watching a 3D movie, except for the part where she almost got eaten.

“Eh? Yuta?”

Fujino’s gaze shifted to the side, spotting Yuta Okkotsu carrying Maki on his back and holding a small child in one arm. Yuta was equally surprised to see Fujino, but his expression quickly turned to one of concern.

Fujino was a mess: her clothes torn, blood dripping from her head and staining her face, dried blood smudged at the corners of her mouth, and her leg raised stiffly as she struggled to stand upright.

“Fujino! Are you okay?”

“I’m not okay, actually!”

“Eh?”

Well, of course, she wasn’t okay! She was covered in injuries! Realizing his silly question, Yuta quickly added, “Should I help you, then?”

“You can barely stand yourself. How are you going to help me? Forget it. Let this beautiful lady give you a hand instead!” Fujino said, taking the two children from Yuta’s arms. She freed one hand and lightly patted his head.

“Eh? Fujino?”

“Ah… Yuta, you did great today! If it weren’t for you, we’d probably still be stuck in there,” Fujino said with a warm smile.

For some reason, tears started streaming down Yuta’s face.

“Fujino…”

Carrying the two children, Fujino wobbled forward but turned her head slightly to encourage him. “Keep it up, Yuta! We’re friends, aren’t we? Besides, Rika’s been helping you too…”

Yuta’s eyes grew determined as he adjusted Maki on his back and began walking forward again. Even though the burden had lightened, his body was still struggling due to his exhaustion.

Finally, the two made it to the school gate with the children and an unconscious Maki in tow. The barrier lifted, revealing Satoru Gojo standing before them.

“Welcome back.”

With a soft thud, Yuta collapsed under Maki’s weight and fainted on the spot.

“You’ve worked hard,” Gojo said with a smile. Fujino turned to look at him, and he seemed surprised by her appearance.

“Fujino-chan, you’re seriously injured! How careless. I’m worried, you know,” Gojo teased.

Fujino, remembering how close she had come to being the curse’s snack, made an awkward face, her expression resembling a scribbled “囧.”

“Eh? What’s with that look?” Gojo asked, amused.

“…Let’s just go to the hospital,” Fujino muttered.

“Alright, let’s visit Shoko. I’m sure she’ll be thrilled to see you, Fujino-chan!” Gojo said with a knowing grin.

A short while later, Fujino found herself sitting in the infirmary under observation.

“That Gojo, not even letting me know Fujino-chan was back…” A long-haired woman stood before Fujino, her expression curious. For some reason, Fujino felt like she’d seen her before.

“You seem to know me too…” Fujino muttered.

Ieiri Shōko looked questioningly at Gojo, who merely smiled. Understanding dawned on her as she introduced herself.

“I’m Ieiri Shōko. You can just call me Shōko.”

“I’m Jingyuan Fujino. So, Shōko, could you maybe bandage my head first?”

The room fell silent. Fujino felt like she was about to pass out from blood loss.

“Alright,” Shōko finally said, starting to heal Fujino. In just a moment, her head was fully recovered. Fujino reached up to touch her forehead, amazed.

“It doesn’t hurt anymore!”

“That’s reverse curse energy. Now, let’s fix your leg,” Shōko said. Within seconds, Fujino’s injured leg was as good as new.

Standing up, Fujino spun around in excitement. “Wow, that’s amazing!”

“So… how did you end up like this?” Shōko asked, raising an eyebrow.

Fujino froze, her expression once again turning into a “囧.”

Gojo chuckled, stepping in to deflect the question. “Looks like Fujino-chan doesn’t want to talk about it, Shōko. Let’s leave it at that.”

Shōko gave Fujino a long, thoughtful look before walking to the door. Pausing at the threshold, she turned back and said, “Now that you’re back, don’t disappear without a word again… Welcome home.”

With that, she left the room.

Fujino, still processing the interaction, turned to Gojo with a bewildered expression. Gojo just laughed and patted her on the head.

Once again, her face morphed into an awkward “囧.”