Jujutsu Kaisen Manga Chapter 163

   

 Summary:

Yuji and Rin have met once before in an encounter that the former doesn't remember. In the present, Rin hopes to atone for his actions by helping Yuji find Hiromi Higuruma. Megumi is also accompanied by someone, but Remi leads him into a confrontation with another player named Reggie instead.

Plot:

Sometime in the past in Sendai City, Rin Amai and another student were approached by bullies. Rin did not stand up to the aggressors, but he knew how to behave so that the bullies would not be upset, so that they would quickly stop harassing him. He laughed and agreed with what the thugs said while the other student was more or less confused. The other student wasn't aware of how to do the same, and Rin expected more from him, even though he never tried to help. Rin knew that bullies were arrogant despite not being smart or athletic, so he focused on keeping them out of their way. He always smiled and went with the flow even at the expense of others because no one bothered him and sometimes good things happened to him.

However, in the same case, someone completely different refused to sit back and watch someone else get bullied. Rin thought there was another nerd who didn't know how to stay out of trouble, but it turned out to be Tiger from West High School. The bullies tried to beat up the newcomer, but all three were knocked down with one punch, shocking Rin. The junior high student turned to Rin and asked what happened to him, but Rin was greatly frightened and could barely answer. Currently, these two are registered as Culling players: Yuji Itadori and Rin Amai.

In the present, Megumi and Remi get off at Kahamecho Station, and the former immediately expresses some concern. He doesn't think it's wise to go through Ikebukuro towards Shinjuku because supplies are plentiful and he's more likely to run into other players. He believes they should have taken a more direct route to Shinjuku, but Remi claims he has two reasons for going through Ikebukuro. The route is easy for her and she has a base nearby where she wants to rest and bathe.

Meanwhile, Rin takes Yuji to a theater in Ikebukuro that Higuruma uses as his base. Thrilled to have quickly located his target, Yuji thanks Rin and prepares to go inside. Concerned, Rin asks if Yuji is really going in, and Yuji replies that he is in a hurry to meet an ally. Rin has never met Higuruma in person, but he has beaten Habu badly in the past. This does not shake Yuji's confidence as he did not find Haba to be that strong and assures Rin that he will be able to escape if anything goes wrong. Yuji happily hops off into the theater while Rin idly laments that he's unable to say anything. Rin apologizes to Yuji as she heads to the theater. Yuji descends the stairs into the building and is surprised by what he sees.

Someone who isn't Higiruma introduces himself as Reggie, but doesn't greet Yuji. Megumi walked into an ambush in Remi's "base" where another player was waiting for him. Reggie reveals that Remi tricked him, prompting Megumi's rage. Megumi looks back at Remi with a very irritated look, but she doesn't panic because she has faith in Reggie. She tries to taunt him, but Megumi tells her to shut up and summons Divine Dog: Totality, saying they're wasting his time.

What surprises Yuji upon entering the theater is Higuruma sitting in a bathtub filled with water while still clothed. Higuruma claims he feels better than he expected. Higiruma explains that he doesn't care about anything anymore, so he tries things he never thought he could do before. He adds that it's basically someone in his thirties going off the rails and asks if it's funny.

Yuji finds it funny but tries to get straight to the point. He asks Higuruma to speak, but the lawyer says it costs five thousand yen every half hour. Higuruma dismisses it as just a joke, as he wanted to play the role of a greedy lawyer for once. Yuji senses that something is wrong with Higuruma and realizes that he is not a wizard from the past incarnate. Since Higuruma was a normal human before he became a wizard, Yuji believes they can communicate and make a deal. Yuji reveals that he and his allies want to cancel the Culling Game and asks to use Higuruma's points to add a rule.

Higuruma declines, believing that the clean-up game presents possibilities that interest him. He is disillusioned with social justice and wants to learn more about the rules of the garbage game in comparison. Higuruma poses the question of what if the Culling Game punished rule breakers without charges, prosecutions or trials. Higuruma thinks something like that would be ideal, though he acknowledges that the game's rules aren't perfect. He still wants to preserve the core mechanics of the game and see with his own eyes the process of removing the cursed technique.

Yuji tries to tell Higuruma that the killing game is a ritual for sacrificing everyone in Japan, but Higiruma doesn't believe it. The lawyer points out that the rules of the Culling Game celebrate permanence, which Yuji can't argue because he doesn't really understand it. Running out of options and patience, Yuji decides to reformulate and demands that Higiruma let him use his points. Higuruma defiantly gets out of the bath and asks Yuji if he's ever killed someone who made him angry. Higiruma, armed with a hammer in hand and a shikigami at his side, claims to be feeling better than expected as well.