Megumi has managed to stop Kirara and bring their scuffle to an end. Before Megumi's able to ask for help, Hakari's conflict with Yuji reaches its climax. With the only goal being to ask for Hakari's aid, Yuji stops resisting and decides to remain resolute until Hakari breaks. However, before Hakari can ever even consider agreeing to help, Yuji must prove he's got the fever to intise him.
Megumi lets Kirara go and begs for them to listen.
Megumi dispels Divine Dog: Totality while restraining Kirara and simply asks them to please listen. Still skeptical, Kirara asks if Megumi could've really planned to use Divine Dog to restrain them. Kirara doesn't think Megumi could've known whether he or the shikigami would've gotten pulled. Megumi admits he took a gamble but now he knows that the one with the higher cursed energy output does the attracting. Initially, Divine Dog pulled Megumi but the opposite occurred when Megumi reinforced his body with cursed energy.
Kirara says that Megumi isn't very cute for a first-year but he suddenly lets them go. Megumi prostrates himself and begs Kirara to listen because there's no time. Confused as to why Megumi would release them, Kirara decides to believe him and agrees to listen. However, the monitor room door comes suddenly flying off the hinges and Yuji with it. Megumi notices Yuji has been hit outside the room and Panda comically laments about how he wasn't any real help to Megumi.
Yuji allows himself to endure a beatdown at the hands of Hakari.
Hakari walks outside and irritation is written all over his facial expression. Yuji tells Megumi and Panda to stay out of it, prompting Hakari to believe he's being underestimated. He immediately throws a devastating punch that smashes Yuji's face and sends him reeling across the roof. Megumi, Panda, and even Kirara are troubled by how hard the hit is. Hakari notices that Yuji isn't even resisting and the first-year gets back to his feet before completely falling to the ground. Yuji defiantly blows the blood out of his nose and Hakari comments that he's nuts, noting that his adversary doesn't even intend to dodge. This isn't a life or death battle like in Shibuya, so Yuji won't dodge or fight back anymore until Hakari breaks.
Yuji refuses to stay down and resolves to be resilient until Hakari breaks.
Yuji's lack of resistance all but confirms he's not a spy, so Hakari says he'll hear Yuji out on the condition he can remain standing. Hakari flares up his cursed energy and Kirara urges him to listen out of concern for Yuji, telling him that they just want his help. Hakari claims that he just said he'll listen and then asks Yuji why he's asking him for help specifically.
Yuji says that all his senpai have confirmed Hakari is strong, annoying him. Hakari punches Yuji again and while he's reeling through the air again, Yuji compares Hakari's reinforced punches to getting hit with a serrated bat. Irritated, Hakari yells at Yuji, stating that sorcerers understand asking one another for a favor is tantamount to asking someone to put their life on the line. In order for Hakari to take such a risk, he needs Yuji to prove here and now that he has the fever to convince him.
"But senpai... what's your function?"
Hakari is annoyed because Yuji came to Tochigi on someone else's orders and says Principal Yaga should be weeding out weaklings like him. Yuji claims he doesn't have any fever and says he's just a cog, a cog in a machine that sorcerers need to eliminate cursed spirits. Hakari finds this answer extremely boring and windes up another punch, prompting Megumi to express his concern for Yuji, believing he can't afford to get hit anymore. Hakari strikes Yuji with the hardest blow yet, sending him flying across the roof into the wall and appearing to incapacitate him. Hakari reveals that Satoru Gojo has said his cursed energy has an edge to it, hence the cutting sensation Yuji was experiencing from getting hit
Hakari begins to tell Megumi and Panda to grab Yuji and leave, but Yuji suddenly reappears behind him. Hakari is genuinely surprised and backs up, wondering how he's still standing after suffering three blows unguarded. He asks Yuji what he is and the first-year repeats he's just a cog. Yuji believes his function is getting rid of curses since Hakari is necessary for that, Yuji declares he won't stop til he agrees. Then Yuji gets back in Hakari's face, looks him in the eye and asks him senpai what his function is. Hakari meets Yuji's gaze and asks himself if this is the look of a cog in fever. He wants to keep punching Yuji but Kirara interrupts to get Hakari's attention.
Kirara points out that Yuji is burning with fever.
Kirara asks Hakari if Yuji's fever is burning hot enough for him yet, surprising Hakari. He recognizes that Kirara's point is undeniable, acknowledging that it's true and that the fever never lies. Hakari suddenly agrees to hear Yuji out and tells Megumi and Panda he's finally willing to cut a deal.
Megumi and Panda are supremely confused as to what just occurred, as Megumi doesn't at all understand how things got resolved all of a sudden. He asks Kirara if what they said convinced him, which they confirm. Kirara reveals that while they still hate the higher-ups, they still recognize that Hakari's fever burned the hottest while he was helping people at Jujutsu High.
Megumi Fushiguro Kirara Hoshi Panda Yuji Itadori Kinji Hakari Mahito (Flashback) Masamichi Yaga (Mentioned)
Gachinko Fight Club
Cog (部 (ぶ) 品 (ひん) , Buhin?) is the one hundred and fifty-seventh chapter of Gege Akutami's Jujutsu Kaisen.
