"The Tokyo-Kyoto Sister School Exchange event will be held over two days. The first day is a group battle... the wacky cursed spirit exorcism race. The rules are simple. The first team to excorcise the second grade cursed spirit released in the designated area wins. Several third-grade and lower cursed spirits will be released into the designated area as well. If a winner is not decided by sundown, the team that exorcises the most wins. There are absolutely no other rules. Of course, you're welcome to sabotage the others, but remember you're all on the same team against curses. This exchange event will allow you to learn about yourselves and your comrades through competition. Be certain not to kill other competitors or injure them beyond recovery. That's all. You're dismissed until the event commences at noon."

"Uh, depending on how you look at it, this could be considered very extreme bullying." Yuji complained weakly, holding the mourning frame around his head. He was kneeling at the table, curiously looking around at his classmates - some of which he'd never seen before. He was relieved to be back, but things had changed a little too much in his absence for it to be a comfortable return.

"Shut up and stay that way for a while." Nobara scowled, a vein popping out of her forehead as she stared down her now-alive classmate. "And what do you mean Noriko knew? She was the most shook up! When I get my hands on her...."

"Well, I thought she did! She said Sukuna wouldn't let me die so easily and that 'I'd be back on my feet in no time'," Yuji protested, glancing around the room. He wanted to see her - thank her for making his would-be last moments so comfortable, thank her for her reassurance... but more so, selfishly, he wanted to see her relief at his return. He wanted her to smile at him again, not the cold look she'd given Gojo before disappearing off when he first turned up. "Where is she? I thought this was meant to be a team meeting."

"I think she slipped away in the confusion, I didn't see her leave," Panda folded his arms as he tilted his head thoughtfully. Maki furrowed her brows as she watched the group. Where was Noriko? Involved in another of Gojo's secretive plans? " But... cut him some slack, Nobara. You've heard his explanation."

"Eh? The panda talked?"

"Salmon, salmon."

"What?" The dumbfounded boy glanced around at his seniors, a blank look on his face.

"Inumaki-senpai is a cursed speech user. Cursed speech is a technique that amplifies the power and compulsion of words." Fushiguro explained, tearing himself out of his thoughts. It was too much to handle for the space of one hour: to learn Yuji was back, and Noriko had known? Her sorrow was real... he'd seen it with his own eyes. He figured she must have just said it to reassure him in his 'final' moments... but the words did have a point: Sukuna wouldn't let his long-awaited vessel die. "He limits his vocabulary to keep others safe."

"So if he told someone to go die, they'd actually die?" Yuji queried, forgetting about the furious Nobara - who sulked on the opposite side of the table with a concerned Maki sat next to her. Of course, she was surprised that the first year was alive, but the bigger issue at hand was the group dynamic. Yuji's appearance had thrown everyone off - or at least, half their team - and she had no idea how to rework their plan to fit him. "That's useful."

"It's nothing that convenient." Elaborating, Panda took over from Fushiguro - noting the boys furrowed brows. "It's all case by case, depending on their difference in strength. If he uses powerful words, he's hit with massive feedback. Worst case, it could affect him. Limiting his vocabulary is a way for Toge to protect himself, as well."

"So, how are you able to speak, senpai? Are you a new species of panda?"

"Blabbing on about people's techniques..." Nobara hissed disparagingly as she sulked in the corner. She hadn't planned on this when she came to Tokyo: gaining friends, losing friends... and then somehow gaining them back? In such a dumb way as well? Nobara now knew what Fushiguro meant when he mentioned in passing that he couldn't respect Gojo. They'd all been strung along so easily... and she hated it.

"It's okay. Toge's isn't that kind of technique, anyway." Maki reassured her as she placed a gentle hand on her underclassman's shoulder. "More, importantly, Yuji, give me back slaughter demon. You borrowed it from Satoru, right?"

Maki got up and stepped forward to a confused looking Yuji, watching him shrink under her harsh gaze as she held a hand out. He thought for a second.

"Uh, Gojo-sensei... has it."

"Tsk, that blindfolded dumbass!" - she backed off - "So, what's the plan?" Maki sighed as she moved to the centre of the group, taking charge. Being the best strategist, or at least the most capable of being a leader, Maki had been the key decider in determining their strategies. Panda and Inumaki preferred not to take leadership roles, Fushiguro couldn't communicate, Nobara had no experience, and Noriko's ideas... were very obscure. "The group battle format is what we expected, but we have another member now. Do we change strategies? There's not much time."

"Well, that depends on Yuji." Panda turned to their newest addition, giving him a once over. He had a large supply of energy - barely contained... and fringed with an unfortunate darkness, something he supposed could be attributed to Sukuna. "What can you do?"

"Punch, kick...?" It came out as more of a question than a statement and Maki suppressed a groan - another close combatant. If not for their surprising collection of mid-to-long range combatants (Nobara was a fixed mid-to-close-combatant, while she, Fushiguro, and Noriko were luckily more flexible), they'd really struggle, she thought.

"Ah... we have enough of that." Panda voiced her concerns and the group mulled over their predicament in a soft silence.

"I don't know what he's been doing since he's been dead, but if everyone from Tokyo and Kyoto fought him at once without cursed energy, Itadori would win." Fushiguro hummed, giving Maki a reassuring nod.

"Hmmmm...."

"Well... Noriko's our most flexible member, so we can always move her around either in a three cell block or individually," Maki sighed. "But... where is she?"

The door rattled and was swung open.

"Hi, I picked all of us up a coffee~!" Pushing open the door with her foot, Noriko made her way into the room, a cardboard cup holder in her left hand containing six cups of coffee from the local café branch at the bottom of the mountain and one from the same brand was clutched in her left.

"You went to go get coffee!" Nobara roared, slamming her hands on the table as she leapt from her seated position. Giving no reaction, Noriko bustled around the group handing each of them a drink - which she'd memorised their usual orders for - and awkwardly handed one to Nobara. She took it without thinking, steaming in anger. "We're hard at work planning and you went all the way to the bottom of the mountain to get-"

"Ah, Yuji, I don't know what your usual order was, so I just got you a caramel latte," she cut Nobara off, handing the last cup to Yuji and folding the carboard holder up and dropping it in the recycling bin in the corner of the room. "I hope you don't mind."

"Oh! No, I'm not picky, thank you." The vessel's eyes couldn't help but linger on the soft smile on her face, noting the gentleness to her eyes - he'd missed this. After the incident with Junpei, he'd felt cold and alone, but now, back with his teammates, his burden began to ease. Taking off the lid, he blew on the hot beverage a couple times before taking a few quick gulps.

"Kelp, salmon."

"No problem, Inumaki," she shot the boy a quick smile as she slung her bisento* off her shoulder and settled down at the table between Panda and an authoritative-looking Maki, who only raised an eyebrow at the girl before beckoning Nobara to sit back down. Carefully, she sipped her coffee.

"Is that just where you were?" The Zenin queried carefully, glancing to Fushiguro out the corner of her eye before returning it to the dark-haired girl. She'd let Fushiguro know about Gojo's ask for Noriko to intimidate the other students, and they were both very keen to determine what kind of plans were being made behind their backs.

Fushiguro, though he kept this idea to himself, was certain that if Noriko didn't want them to know, then they wouldn't. Sure, she was a bad actor, but she sealed her lips well and plastered on that signature half-grin when she refused to give them any information. Her heart, that cursed spirit, where she went when she didn't go to lessons, why Gojo kept having conversations with her in private. He didn't ask because he knew she wouldn't tell him... and he felt, perhaps naively (since he had no proof), that she was on 'his side', and therefore, would trust her decisions.

"Mmmm... nope, but I have the answer to your 'Yuji' issue," she sipped the caffeinated beverage carefully, examining her nails as she spotted a few chips in her lilac polish. Damn, she hummed to herself, maybe it was climbing that tree? "We don't go with the groups of two idea. It's too risky, the other team has too much combat experience for that and a wider range of abilities. We need two groups and two individuals."

"Two individuals? I thought that was too risky?" Panda glanced down at the girl next to him, catching the mischievous glint in her eye.

"The Kyoto Team is going to attack us out the gate all at once - apart from Aoi Todo, who is a complete wild canon and will act separately. Ironically, this makes him the least threatening person on the field as he'll most likely go for Fushiguro or Yuji," Noriko glanced around the table to check they were all keeping up with her. "Yuji will be one of the 'individuals' and he's going to draw Todo's attention. Todo doesn't care at all for the game and so he'll get completely caught up with Yuji - which will neutralise their strongest player. While we also 'lose' Yuji, we're generally stronger than the other team."

"But, what if he kills Yuji? Todo's uncontrollable!" Nobara breathed, shooting her newly not-departed classmate a worried glance.

"He won't - remember he asked Fushiguro about the type of girls he liked? It's a test, of sorts, which Yuji will pass naturally-" "Eh, I will?" - "Yes, don't worry, just answer how you would normally." Maki nodded quietly, agreeing with Noriko's plan as she 'ran the numbers' internally. "Our biggest hurdle - and I'm telling you all this in confidence that it will never leave this room or throw you too much - is that the Kyoto Team are going to try to kill Yuji."

The room grew cold.

"How did - "

"Don't ask, and don't freak out, because that'll be our downfall," Fushiguro stared at his classmate, unconsciously displaying his deep confusion across his face as his eyes widened.

"Do you know that for sure?" Panda asked quietly, glancing over to Yuji - who was the only one who remained unfazed - and then to the rest of his classmates, who wore their horror on their face.

"Yes. But, we don't have to worry because Aoi Todo is working on his own accord and at most he'll severely injure Yuji - not kill him. You two will essentially remove yourself from the game, can you do that, Yuji?" His light brown eyes met her darkness - cold - and he nodded after a few seconds of thought. "The Kyoto Team will attack us directly and it'll be the role of the two groups to fend them off, or, more importantly, keep them occupied. For this plan to work, you're all going to have to keep them focused on the battle for as long as possible. Maki, you're a better tactician than I am, so I leave the make up of these groups to you. However, I will be the other 'individual'."

Maki Zenin nodded curtly, turning her attention to the group as she began to think.

"I'm the fastest here and with how flexible my technique is, it'll be the easiest for me to locate and deal with whatever Grade 2 Curse they've unleashed. Since the Curse was released by the Tokyo staff, we shouldn't have an issue with it, but there's nothing stopping the Kyoto Faculty from planting stronger Curses or even traps for us, so it's best if you keep the fighting condensed to one area." Noriko explained, downing the rest of her coffee as she glanced around the table to check they were still keeping up.

"Another point of importance is to take down Momo Nishimiya as quickly as possible. She is their 'eyes' and is important in giving them the advantage."

"I can take her down with Nue," Fushiguro added, finally settling down at the table with the rest of them after spending most the meeting brooding in a corner. He pondered for a few seconds, wondering if he should test the waters. "Did you really know Yuji was alive?"

Nobara, who'd fast finished her coffee, glanced between her classmates anxiously, a little taken back at the confrontation. She nudged Maki for support, but the older girl just shrugged and shook her head. Yuji's gaze shifted to his classmate and he couldn't help but analyse her expression.

"In the beginning, I thought he was - Sukuna's not a Curse to waste the opportunity of having a vessel so easily - but as things progressed, and Yuji didn't come back, I just started to doubt it," she hoped the sincerity of her words got through to Fushiguro as she played with the rings on her fingers.

"But, I knew Gojo was up to something. Odd things wouldn't make sense - like the trace of Yuji's energy on him, his sudden disappearances, strange things he'd say about the Event - so I decided, even if Yuji wasn't alive, something had to be happening."

There was a heavy silence.

"If you have theories like that again, please share them with us next time," Fushiguro's voice was surprisingly gentle as he gaze flitted from her face down to his own interlocked hands... and then to Yuji. "We... we're all in this situation together now, so it would be best not to keep things like that to ourselves."

"Yes, of course, I'm sorry I didn't say something sooner."