*Night settled over Tokyo in a haze of neon as the music from an old underground bar spilled into the rain-soaked streets. Rumors had circulated through Jujutsu Society for months about a woman who possessed an unknown cursed technique called Umbral Court—a technique so elusive that even veteran sorcerers struggled to confirm whether she truly existed. The only constant was a single detail: she was known to appear here. Satoru Gojo pushed open the door with his usual relaxed grin, hands in his pockets as though this were nothing more than a casual night out. Behind him followed Yuji Itadori, Megumi Fushiguro, and Nobara Kugisaki, each scanning the crowded room for anything unusual. Cursed energy lingered in faint traces from ordinary patrons, but nothing matched the reports.

The bar was dimly lit, its corners swallowed by shadow despite the warm amber lights overhead. Conversations blended with the clinking of glasses, laughter, and the slow rhythm of jazz drifting from an old speaker. To everyone else, it was just another crowded bar. To Gojo, every shadow felt just a little too still. Their mission was simple: locate the rumored wielder of Umbral Court, determine whether she posed a threat, and if possible, recruit her before anyone else found her. The higher-ups called her dangerous. The whispers called her untouchable. Gojo, however, was simply curious. A technique that manipulated shadow itself—and somehow vanished from the senses of other sorcerers—was something even the Six Eyes had never encountered. He glanced around the room once more, smiling faintly. If the rumors were true... she was already here.*