Chapter 17

Boredom is the seventeenth chapter of Akutami Gege's Jujutsu Kaisen.

Summary
Aoi Todo of the Kyoto Magic Technical College asks Megumi Fushiguro what his ideal woman would be like and Megumi asks why he has to discuss his taste in women with a total stranger. Nobara Kugisaki interrupts and quips that despite his sour looks Megumi has high standards and he sighs saying that the situation is getting unnecessarily complicated. Aoi introduces himself to the pair and then says that is enough for Megumi to know to give him an answer, saying that his answer will tell Aoi what kind of person he is. Continuing to say that boys with boring taste in women are boring themselves and that he despises boring people.

As the Exchange is where he can safely run wild, Aoi always seeks thrills at them and since this is his last Exchange, Aoi wants to make the most of it. Urging Megumi to answer him yet again Aoi says he will be kind to the boy and only leave him half dead if he bores him, wanting to avoid a confrontation especially while Nobara is unarmed Megumi answers that as long as it is someone who's moral compass is not easily swayed then he doesn't wish for anything else. Aoi's companion, Mai Zenin who is Maki Zenin's twin sister, looks on approvingly at Megumi and Aoi says that Megumi was as boring as he had expected and prepares to charge as the boy raises his guard. Despite blocking, Megumi is sent flying backwards by Aoi's lunge. Nobara attempts to rush forward to his aid but is held back by Mai who says that even though Megumi is a genius who enrolled as a second-grade shaman in just his first year he is still far outclassed by Aoi who is a first-grade. Taunting Mai, Nobara says that she was mistaken about her looking the same as Maki, going on to say that Maki is a hundred times better looking, asking Mai if she is sleep deprived and that she has huge pores. Enraged, Mai says she will teach Nobara how to use her mouth properly as she pulls out a gun and aims it at the girl's stomach.

Having been flung out of the building, Megumi recovers as Aoi walks up and says he knew the boy would be boring from the start but wished to give him a chance to prove differently and Megumi simply rebutted his kindness. Megumi asks if Aoi has a pineapple for a brain as he slowly begins to recognise the third year as the same shaman who exorcised 5 first-grade cursed spirits and 1 high-grade cursed spirit all by himself during Geto's attack on Shinjuku and Kyoto. Megumi recounts a rumour that the third year couldn't use technique but it is immediately refuted by Aoi who says he used it against the high-grade curse and Megumi is shocked that he doesn't use it against first-grade curses but says he is relieved as he prepares to battle with a combination of Chimera and Toad called Bottomless Well which gives the frogs wings and the ability to fly.

Unimpressed, Aoi dashes behind Megumi in an instant, lifts him by the waist and bends over backwards to slam him into the ground, severely damaging Megumi. Upon impact the boy quickly escapes his grip and flips backward but Aoi immediately lands a heavy blow to his stomach and smashes him into a wall. Gripping his face, he says he is not done and launches the both of them through the building back to the top, saying that there is no doubt that Megumi is boring. He is taken by surprise however, by the frogs wrapping their tongues around his arms and waist. Untroubled, Aoi says he cannot feel Megumi's willpower and the bot responds that he was being modest and would now take the fight seriously but is interrupted by Toge Inumaki and Panda showing up and attacking Aoi. Relieved, Panda says that they are on time and Aoi greets him, saying it has been a while and the bear asks him why he cannot wait until the exchange saying he will announce his return to everyone.

Preparing to leave, Aoi tells Panda to pass on a message to Yuta Okkotsu for the second year to also be present at the exchange and Panda huffs that he is unable to understand human terms. Back to the girls, Mai tells Nobara, who has bullet holes through her abdomen and arm, that if she wants to continue being a shaman she should choose her opponents wisely. Before she can shoot again her gun is smacked upwards by Maki who asks her sister what she is doing with her errand girl, as the two sisters prepare to clash.