ONE PUNCH || JUJUTSU KAISEN

CHAPTER 24

Yuji's world seemed to come to an end when he witnessed the sight of you dying, the light in your eyes fading as your body was dragged by Yuta in the river of blood Choso had produced earlier.

The memory replayed in his mind, an unending loop of pain and regret.

If only he had been faster.

If only he had been stronger.

If only he had been more prepared, more vigilant, more anything.

If only, if only, if only—

"Yuji!"

Megumi’s voice cut through the haze, sharp and urgent.

Yuji snapped out of his daze, his dull, lifeless eyes meeting Megumi’s. The sight of his friend so broken made Megumi’s heart ache, but there was no time to mourn properly.

There never was.

"Come on. We need to go." Megumi’s voice was firm but gentle, trying to reach the part of Yuji that was still fighting, still alive.

But the spark that once burned so brightly in Yuji’s eyes was nowhere to be found.

It had only been a day since you had lost your life—a day that felt like an eternity.

Yuji’s room had become a prison, walls closing in on him as he sat among the shattered remnants of his emotions.

He hadn’t eaten, barely slept, and the weight of your absence hung heavily on his shoulders.

He stared at the floor, hollow and lost. The world outside continued to turn, indifferent to his grief, but Yuji couldn’t bring himself to care.

He wanted to stay in this place, frozen in time, where he could still feel the echo of your presence, even if it was just a shadow.

But reality was relentless, and Megumi knew they couldn’t stay like this.

The world wouldn’t wait for Yuji to grieve, and as much as it pained him to force his friend to move on, they had no choice.

"Yuji, please…" Megumi’s voice wavered, but he kept his resolve.

"We can’t stay here forever."

Yuji’s fists clenched, his knuckles turning white.

He wanted to scream, to rage against the unfairness of it all, but all he could manage was a whispered promise to himself:

Never again.

Never again would he let someone suffer because he wasn’t enough.

With a heavy heart, Yuji finally rose from his spot, the pain of loss still fresh and raw. There was no solace, no comfort—but he would keep moving, if only because he had no other choice.

---------------------------------------------------

Wherever Megumi was taking Yuji, it was all a blur to him at first but at some point, he noticed they were still walking and it had him finally take notice of his surroundings.

"Why are we here again?"

He recognised the area being the place where you had died and it had his heart hammering, not in an erratic or fearful way but, with anger.

Megumi remained silent, only gesturing for him to keep walking but Yuji refused to listen, calling out to him in a stern manner.

"Megumi."

The black haired boy let out a sigh of frustration before turning to face Yuji once more, ready to speak in a harsh manner but, he was beaten to it.

"You both made it."