Once they finally settled down, they couldn't help but feel a little uneased by the screen's response.
There were still way too many unanswered questions left from them, but they had no choice but to react. Who knows maybe they will have their questions answered soon, either from whoever is behind all of this or from the video they will be reacting.
And so, without wasting any more time, they took a seat next to each other while looking at the big screen screen intently.
Kaede simply has no thoughts in mind except Hiroki. I'm still wondering where he is and how he has been.
Kanoko - 'We're supposed to be finding Hiroki, not do whatever shit this is...' she thought while crossing her arms.
Ayumu - 'I wonder how Hiroki is doing right now?' she asked herself, having both hands on her lap.
Nao - 'I'm curious about who we will be reacting to.' she asked herself curiously.
Their thoughts were all shaken off once the projector began to play.
The scene starts with an unrecognizable male voice, reading; "Morning."
The scene switches from a person's point-of-view to a third person in which we can see a pink-haired teenager wearing a white t-shirt, blue jeans that are rolled up to his knees, and red sneakers with socks.
The young man also appears to have dried-up blood running across his chin from his lips and looks pretty roughed up.
Almost as if he is recovering from a fight.
As for where they are right now, they can be seen inside a dimly lit room, lit by yellow lanterns placed across the floor.
The person didn't seem to intrigue Ayumu and Nao too much at first, but he caught the two's interest rather quickly.
The other two girls, however, manage to catch something even if it's just a glance of his face.
Kanoko - 'Why do I feel like... I know him?' she asked herself, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.
Kaede - "Those eyes... It reminds me of Hiroki..." she muttered quietly.
Pinkie lets out a tired sigh, his head tilting up slightly as his attention focuses on the person in front.
Once his blurry Point-Of-View clears out, his attention focuses on a man with... a blindfold and white hair. He also seems to be staring(?) at him with an amused grin on his face.
This, of course, catches the four girls' attention quickly. Who is this man? What does he want with the pink-haired boy? Better yet, who are they?
Each second passed, and more questions began filling their curious mind, but they chose to stay quiet and look at the screen in desperate for answers.
Pinkie looks around the room to see that there is a lot of talisman paper (or Ofuda) plastered across the walls, one that's used specifically to ward away ghosts or spirits in mythology, before glancing back at the blindfolded guy.
Blindfold Guy - "So which one are you right now?" he asked attentively but still kept his grin intact.
Pinkie - "Aren't you..." he muttered through fatigue.
Gojo - "Gojo Satoru." he introduced himself briefly, "I'm in charge of the first-years at Jujutsu Tech."
Kanoko - "Jujutsu Tech?" she whispered, her head tilting slightly in confusion.
The others were just as confused as she was. Never in their life have they heard about such a school before, let alone having to come across one.
Pinkie - "Jujutsu..." he mumbled weakly, attempting to recall any recurring past events, "Fushiguro... Senpai!"
Once he was able to comprehend his consciousness, he instinctively attempted to stand up but was stopped upon realizing his arms were strapped behind his back with ropes attached to big pin-needles on the floor with a bunch of talisman paper all over it, restraining him in place.
Pinkie - "What is this?" he asked, bewildered.
This confuses them to a whole new level. Why is this kid being held in place like he's someone dangerous?
Ayumu - "W-Why is he holding him that like that?" she asked confusingly and in slight concern.
Kanoko - "Maybe that Gojo guy thought that Pinkie had some sort of evil spirit possessing him or something?" she guessed, talking as if she was trying to call Gojo crazy.
Gojo - "I'm not sure you should be worrying about others, Itadori Hiroki." he said, his arms dropping and flailing like a child as Hiroki looked back at him.
This caused all of them to stay frozen in place, silent.
But that silence was immediately interrupted by
Kanoko, Ayumu, and Nao - "WHAT?!" they all shouted in shock and surprise about the whole new revelation.
Kaede - "H-Hiroki...?!" she closed her mouth in both relief and concern. Relieved at the fact that her son is still doing just fine, but concerned that he's in a room being strapped like he's a dangerous criminal.
Ayumu - "Wait, wait, wait, t-that's Hiroki?!" she pointed at the big screen with a gaping expression.
Nao - "W-When did Hiroki have pink hair again?" she asked. Sure, it looks funny, but it makes him look cute, too.
Ayumu - "I-... think he... d-dyed his hair pink or something." she shrugs cluelessly, still surprised about the reveal.
Kanoko - "Wait, you two don't know he has pink hair...?" she looks at Nao and Ayumu with raised eyebrows.
Ayumu - "... Eh? Hiroki has pink hair all along?" she asked with a perplexed smile.
Kanoko - "Yeah, but he dyed his hair blonde for... some reason." she looks away with narrowed eyes.
Nao - "He looks... more mature..." she stated in astonishment. She's not sure how she would react, but her pupils slightly dilated at the sight of the new Hiroki.
Ayumu - "A-And taller too!" she added, attempting to ignore the heat rising in her cheeks.
Kanoko - "Yes, but that's what makes him look more like... well, not Hiroki." she trails off her words.
Kaede - "I mean, you can kind of see it..." she responded with a light smile.
Despite Hiroki not looking like... the Hiroki they used to know. He still acts and even looks like him if he pays close attention to his face.
Gojo - "It's been decided that you'll be secretly executed." he informed, much to Hiroki's bewilderment.
That sentence alone makes not only all of them quiet again but also adding extra layers of shock down their core.
Kaede - "... E-Eh...?" she muttered quietly, her mind frozen about Gojo's statement.
Upon taking in the information, her breath starts to quicken in a frightened manner. Her son, her only son, will be executed. She doesn't know why, but she doesn't want to know why. It's quite obvious that it's because of them. He must have gone through a bad path that led him to this fate... or at least, that's what she thought of.
Her mind is a jumbled mess, filled with nothing but denial and panic. She kept on repeatedly uttering the name 'Hiroki' out of her mouth over and over again with tears flowing down her face.
Ayumu - "P-Privately E-E-Executed?!" she stutters, completely perplexed and disturbed by the newfound information.
Nao - "W-What did Hiroki do?!" she asked, her eyes wide in shock and horror.
Kanoko - "M-Mom, calm down! It's okay! Everything's gonna be alright!" she immediately went to her side and touched her frightened mother's hand in an attempt to comfort her.
Kaede shook her head rapidly with ragged breaths, her eyes still widening in pure disbelief and distress. Whether she has to see the execution of her child or not, she doesn't want to. She can already see the image in her eyes, even if it's vague.
She wishes all this was a joke, a dream... or, or... a lie. Some kind of prank. Yes, that's it! Haha! Nothing to worry about, right?... Right?
In an attempt to prevent her mother from hyperventilating further, she went over and pulled her into a tight hug on her seat. The warmth of the hug softened the panicking state of Kaede, as when they were all finally settled down, she quietly shed tears to herself with her forearms pressed against her face (more specifically eyes).
Kaede - "Oh... My Hiroki... H-Hiroki is..." hic "H-Hiroki is..." hic "Hiroki..." she kept crying on her forearms while Kanoko kept rubbing her back in comfort.
Kanoko - 'God damn it... How did it come to this?' she gritted her teeth through her frown, feeling deep regret to herself.
They are also afraid that they might have blood on their hands. What if Hiroki is involved in some sort of gang or organization that kills people? Maybe that is the reason why he is getting executed. They still have not acknowledged any information regarding why Hiroki is going to be put to death yet, but they for sure know it's a big deal.
It could involve the death of others or maybe something worse than that.
Kanoko - "Hey mom, you alright?" she asked concerningly.
Kaede stayed quiet for a moment while looking at her, as she looked back down with half-closed eyes before rubbing the tears off her face.
Kaede - "I-I'm alright, hun. It's just... I need some... time to manage myself..." she swallows the lump in her throat, still looking back down.
A box of tissue suddenly appeared next to her, and even if she was surprised at the sight of it, she felt thankful for whoever brought it there as she grabbed some tissue to blow her nose.
Nao - "Hiroki didn't do anything too bad... did he?" she asked, still horrified and confused.
Ayumu - "M-Maybe, they just got the wrong person?" she guessed with a forced smile, attempting to ease any worries for the others and herself also.
Kanoko - "He has blood running down his mouth..." She narrowed her eyes at the screen, looking at the sight of the dried blood dripping down his chin while still holding her mom in comfort, "He must have gotten into a fight. I don't know if it's accidental or not, but he might have injured or likely killed someone, too..."
The picture of Hiroki killing another person is the very last thing they will ever think of. Hiroki is known to be a kind and cheerful boy. Ever since the previous incident, they could not help but wonder if he had taken a completely dark turn in his life or not.
And so, after calming down, they went back to their seat and continued watching the screen with full attention.
[ Song: "KaiKai Kitan" by EVE plays ]
The intro starts with a black screen while a seemingly glowing red tattoo appears. As it began to fade out, the black screen transitioned to Hiroki in a different uniform, sitting on the seat of a train with his head down and eyes closed.
The train is also flooded with water that reaches up to his knees, as a white and black stripped-pattern fish appears to be circling one of his legs.
This took them by surprise.
They were still taken back by the discovery of Hiroki and his execution, and now they're suddenly being thrown at the intro out of the blue with catchy music. And the fact that the train scene looks... mysterious?
It's a weird and surprising contrast between the intro and the scene that comes before it.
The scene switches once more to the majority view of Tokyo from the sky, as the glowing yellow roads slowly change the hue to a more reddish color. And with that, the title appears reading;
"JUJUTSU KAISEN"
Nao - "Jujutsu... Kaisen?" she muttered in confusion.
Ayumu - "Don't that mean something like... Battle of Sorcery?" she said, earning a shrug from the clueless Nao.
Nao - "I'm as confused as you are, Ayumu." she shook her head, 'Though, why do I feel like Hiroki has something to do with this?'
[Uzou muzou hito no nari Kyosei shinshou jingai mononoke mitai da]
{The swarming masses, promotion to mankind. Bluff, mental image, inhuman, ah it's like the ghost}
The scene cuts off to a view of a highway tunnel with a male with black-spiky hair (Urchin), as he then crouches and glances down at the shiny road.
[Kyoshin tankai inochi yadoshi Ato wa pappara pa na nakami naki ningen]
{With an open, clear mind, harboring life. The rest of a mindless, hollow human}
For a brief moment, they show his face as he stands back up, in the scene switches yet again to a brown-haired girl standing in the shade of a building during a bright day somewhere in the city.
The girls walk out of the shade as the scene moves closer so that we can have a clear view of her face.
[Yoseru kitai fubyoudou na jinsei
Sainou mo nai daijou hi nichijou ga
Onshin byoudou ni botsu kosei
Tadoru kioku boku ni ibasho nado nai kara]
{Anticipations nearing fulfillment and unfair life
Talentless Mahayana as extraordinary as it is
A lack of individuality in mutual grudges
Memories that I explore because I have nowhere else I belong}
The scene then switches again to reveal more of the casts, including a white-haired boy with a bop cut as he has his mouth covered with the tall collar of his uniform, a... standing panda, viewing another panda through the glass, a blonde-haired man sitting on a couch reading a book with green-colored small goggles, and a dark-green-haired girl standing near a pond, cleaning the blur off her glasses.
So many other people revealed, and yet still very little information about them. Even so, they could somehow see that they are an important group of people later on.
Ayumu - "Wait, was that a panda?" she snorts in a comical style, finding it cute.
Despite the oddly somewhat cryptic lyrics, they would be lying if they said the song wasn't catchy.
The green-haired girl puts on her glasses, which reveal a green fish monster with extra human limbs that's even the size of a literal human. It exits the pond as one of its limbs reaches out to her, almost looking like it's ready to munch her down.
This shook the viewers down to their cores. What in the world was that?!
Kanoko - "What is that disgusting-looking thing?" she pointed at the screen with a disgusted look on her face.
Nao - "I-Is it even real?" she said in a slightly fearful tone.
[Yume no hazama de naitenaide]
{Don't cry in the gap between dreams}
A sight of Gojo Satoru can be seen standing on the railing of a random tower. He still kept his blindfold and smirked on his face as his hair blew in the wind.
[Donna kao sureba ii ka wakatteru
Dakedo mada kotaete kure yo]
{Even though I know how to express myself
But still, answer}
The scene switches back to Hiroki in the train as it passes through a tunnel, enveloping his surroundings and himself in darkness. There, on the opposite side of the train, in the window, a reflection of Hiroki can be seen. Only this time, he has tattoos across his face with a dark smile plastered on his ominous aura.
No one knows why, but for some reason, the sight of Hiroki's other self with tattoos peering through a reflection of the train's window sends chills down their spines.
Hiroki kept glancing down at the fish as the train exited the tunnel, filling the surroundings with the accustomed ambient sunlight.
For only a brief second, a man was shown with bangs that hid half his face as he stood in front of what appeared to be a jellyfish.
The fish then leaps at Hiroki and it gives out a lens-eye effect before the scene quickly switches back to Hiroki, in which a sharp-toothy mouth suddenly appears out of his cheek.
Kanoko - "W-What the hell?!" she asked, horrified by the sight unfolding right before their very eyes.
Nao - "Is that... a mouth?!" she muttered in disbelief.
Kaede - 'Hiroki...' she thought to herself in worry. Silently hoping that nothing worse will happen to her son.
[Yami wo haratte yami wo haratte]
{Cleanse the darkness, cleanse the darkness}
Out of nowhere, a scene showing Hiroki running at something at a rapid speed. He then leaps and gives a slug-looking monster that's the size of a two-story house, a swift and powerful kick to the head, rendering it half-conscious.
The blonde guy with spectacles from before comes in from above as he holds a tie that's shaped like a cleve high in the air, before bringing it down towards the giant monstrosity and sending a long deep cut whilst falling.
Both Ayumu and Kanoko jaw-dropped while Kaede and Nao stared at the screen, completely bewildered and awestruck. How did he manage to jump so high up and deliver such a powerful kick to whatever that thing was?!
Ayumu - 'Was that Hiroki just now?' her eyes widened in awe.
Better yet, is he the usual Hiroki they used to know? He does not look this strong before. So what happened?
[Yoru no tobari ga oritara aizu da]
{When the night falls, that is the sign}
The scene cuts to Gojo again, back at the tower, as he shoots out a tiny glowing red orb, which was summoned from the tip of his index finger. He points it somewhere as if he's throwing a ball, in which the red orb explodes into chunks like lightning.
[Aitai shite mawaru kanjousen]
{Face to face with each other on the looping track}
Two humanoid-looking monsters can be seen next to each other, one with no eyes and has roots coming out of their head; shaped like horns, and one of them has one eye and a head matching to that of a volcano.
[Zaregoto nado wa hakisute ike to]
{But that kind of joke should be thrown away}
The scene transitions to a red octopus with big bulging eyes as it floats on top of the water, and it abruptly cuts to another scene involving random city residents walking around when a person passes by the screen, everyone suddenly dies while a long blue-haired guy with patch across his face and body can be seen standing in the middle of all the massacre.
[Mada tomenaide mada tomenaide]
{It's not time to stop. It's not time to stop}
A close look at his face can be seen as he licks off the blood off his hand with a crazy smile, as the camera quickly pans to his eyes before transitioning back to the brown-haired girl snapping her fingers while holding a hammer with floating nails in which it's enveloped in blue flames.
[Dare yori mo satoku aru machi ni umareshi kono shoutai wo]
{An existence that was born in the city and seemed more powerful than anyone}
The scene transitions again to the green-haired girl with square glasses spinning a long spear and taking in an attack stance before another scene appears featuring the man with a bop cut unzipping down the long collar from his uniform as he opens his mouth.
Then a panda can be seen parkouring through the top of buildings, a long blue-haired girl standing respectively with an old man in the background, a very muscular guy casting a blue flame in a black outline with a confident grin, a hand reloading a revolver, the guy with spiky hair as he has blue with black outline flaming aura around him.
So much stuff is happening simultaneously, and they can't fully comprehend what is happening. They tried to process one piece of information at a time but were instantly taken to the other which is more bizarre than the last.
[Ima wa tada noroi norowareta boku no mirai wo souzou shite]
{Now, I can only imagine my cursed future}
The scene switches again with Hiroki sitting beside the jellyfish guy near a pond, under the sunset.
A mouth opening with four hands making hand signs from the inside.
A girl in a ponytail smiling sweetly at the camera as it transitioned to her reaching her hand out to a little girl in a red tracksuit behind.
A guy with yakata robes and stitches across his forehead, looking at his side with a smile while crossing his arms under the long sleeves of his attire.
A close shot of Gojo ready to take off his blindfold, was interrupted by a scene of Hiroki being held back as he held his arms up to prepare whatever was coming toward his direction.
[Hashitte koronde]
{I ran and fell}
Suddenly, a mysterious but powerful shockwave-like force comes his way, which violently blows his hair and clothes. He has a struggling look while the tip of his fingers is being blown off, blood gushing out from the tips as he barely competes to the force with blood dripping down his nose.
Kaede - 'Hiroki!' she yelled inside her mind in her motherly instinct, her eyes closed to shedding tears again at the sight of her son being in absolute pain.
Kanoko - 'What the hell was that?!' she asked internally, completely stunned and disturbed by the scene.
Ayumu and Nao - 'H-His fingers!' their eyes widened in horror. What could cause something like that to happen? The most fitting and accurate description they could think of is a shockwave from a bomb or some sort.
[Kienai itami daite wa]
{Guarding wounds that can't be lost}
The bright blinding light from the powerful energy overwhelms the camera as it shifts again to a sight of Wasuke on his hospital bed glancing at his grandson, Hiroki. He then proudly smiles at the pink-haired boy.
Kanoko - 'Gramps...?' her eyes widened slightly at the view. The sight of Wasuke in a hospital bed is quite unbelievable, considering how healthy he looks from when she and the other last saw him.
[Sekai ga matteru kono ishun wo]
{The world is waiting for me for times like this}
The scene switches again to a camping sight of four individuals, including Gojo, the guy with black spiky hair, Hiroki, and the man with his long bangs covering half his face. The scene also shows a happy and cheerful Hiroki talking to the man with a long bang.
Kaede and Ayumu's hearts swell at the sight of happy Hiroki. A kind and heart-warming smile that they missed so much since his disappearance.
In a glitch-like effect, the scene transitions once more which shows Hiroki looking up to another clone of himself in tattoos as his other self sits on what appears to be a shrine. Looking down on Hiroki with an amused smile as Hiroki himself furrows his eyebrows in both hatred and determination.
This caused them to lean their back against their seat. Is this what Gojo meant by "Which one are you?" From last time?
Ayumu - "D-Does Hiroki has a twin, perhaps?" she asked curiously.
Kanoko - "No way, I've never seen or even heard a twin of Hiroki before..." She shook her head in disagreement, in which Kaede disagreed.
A gross-looking chopped finger sinks in the water with a branch growing out as if it is a tree, and the opening theme begins to end with the sight of a tattoo across Hiroki's face beginning to fade out also.
The intro then ends with the sight of Hiroki going back to his sleep on the spot as the screen shifts back to black.
A moment of silence to properly digest what they just witnessed. No words could describe what rollercoaster of emotions they had just gone through.
Kanoko - "That was...?" she muttered, still in bewilderment.
Ayumu - "-Surprising? But it is cool, though..." she whispered to herself on the last part.
Nao - "To be honest, I was not expecting that at all." she looks down slightly, her gaze still fixated on the screen.
Kanoko - "Seriously?! Does anyone not wanna talk about a literal mouth popping out of Hiroki's cheek?!" she looks at them in disbelief.
Kaede - "I'm aware, dear." she stated sternly, "As much as it concerns me, I'm still more worried about the... secret plan for Hiroki."
Kanoko - "I-... right..." she stared forward, almost forgetting about Hiroki's execution.
Ayumu - "W-What about Hiroki's... other self? I mean... He looks very identical to him. Well, at least without the markings on." she asked confusingly.
Nao - "I... Have no clue either, Ayumu." she tilts her head cluelessly,
Kanoko - "What about that giant slug? That thing was huge!" she looks at the two, unease while at the edge of her seat.
Ayumu - "And that blue-haired guy with patch face all over his face too?" she remarked, referring to a certain touchy-touchy-you-explode guy.
Kaede - "I can't say much, but... I just hope Hiroki is doing just fine." she kept glancing down on her lap worryingly. She almost forgot how much those words coming from Gojo's mouth had impacted her as a whole. If Hiroki dies, then she can not forgive herself. Not even after the day of her passing.
The scene starts with the sight of a traditional house, one that belongs to Wasuke, to be exact.
The episode titled "Ryomen Sukuna" appeared on the bottom left side of the screen.
The first thing the viewers hear is the sound of a phone ringing.
A nametag on the front porch saying; Itadori can be seen as someone picks up the call.
Woman - "Hello, Sugisawa Hospital!" one of the nurses greeted through the call.
Hiroki - "Ah, this is Itadori." he greeted back.
The scene switches to the inside of the house, as Hiroki is holding an old phone close to his ear while his other hand is placed inside the pocket of his yellow hoodie.
Kaede smiled in relief.
Even if Hiroki went absent after the... incident, at least she now knows that he has been living with his grandfather, Wasuke, the entire time. It removed any doubts and worries regarding his disappearance.
Hiroki - "I just called earlier..." he paused through the call, "Yes... Right." he nodded, "I'm sorry to keep calling, but how is my grandpa doing?"
The scene shows a hospital office full of nurses, while one of them is answering back the phone.
Nurse - "Huh? I thought they already told you?" she remarked as she stayed silent while Hiroki was saying something through the phone, "Oh, please hold on. I'll go ask myself."
With that, the nurse stands up and hangs up the call before leaving the room. While that was happening, the two nurses who noticed the conversation whispered to each other.
Nurse 2 - "Mr. Itadori never uses his call button." she commented, looking at the other nurse beside her.
Nurse 3 - "It's actually scary that he doesn't." she commented back.
This earned a slight giggle from Kaede and a smirk from Kanoko. Knowing that when they were still together, Wasuke would never usually use his phone. The only special time is when he needs an emergency. It is almost as if Wasuke is lost in time, they thought.
The nurse then leans into a patient's room.
Nurse - "Mr. Itadori, you have a phone call." she informed as she stepped inside the room, "Hiroki's asking if you want to bring him any-"
Wasuke - "LEAVE ME ALONE!" he shouted all of the blue, earning a perplexed look from the nurse and everyone else outside the room who heard him, "TELL HIM NOT TO COME! HE SHOULD GO TO HIS CLUB! HIS CLUB!"
This, of course, sends a shock through Ayumu and Nao. They did not expect Hiroki's grandfather to be so... unpredictable.
Ayumu - "Eh...?" she tilted her head with a comical sweatdrop.
Kanoko - "That's gramps for you." She sighed, her arms crossing under her breasts.
Nao - "Just curious, but... does Mr. Itadori usually act like this, Mrs. Itadori?" she looks up at Kaede.
Kaede - "Please don't mind!" she plastered a fake innocent smile on her face, while in reality, she was quite embarrassed due to Wasuke's... antics.
Hiroki, who has heard the entire commotion set by his grandpa, stays silent for a moment before bringing the phone closer to his ear again.
Nurse 2 - "What is going on?" she asked with the other nurses through the call but quickly composed herself with a cough, "You heard him. What club are you in, Hiroki-kun?" she asked, talking back to Hiroki now.
Hiroki's face contorted into a dumbfounded one.
Hiroki - "I heard. I'll come by tomorrow evening." he responded before the screen cuts to black.
This, as expected, caused the girls to smile. Despite having to engage in his club activities the very next day, he would still go out of his way to visit his grandpa whether he liked it or not.
Kaede - 'Oh, Hiroki... Always going out of your way for others...' she thought with a proud smile.
Sure, she might not be the best mom... Well, she is not the best mom. But seeing her son staying kind and positive fills her with... a proud feeling.
The scene shifts to the sound of footsteps as there is a sign reading: "Miyashiro Prefectural Sugisawa Third High School"
This earns the girls' attention.
Ayumu - "Wait, I think I've seen that school before..." she sits on the edge of her seat, leaning forward.
Nao - "Yeah..." her eyes narrow slightly.
Kanoko - "... Hold on, isn't that the school near Wasuke's home?" she tilted her head slightly.
Kaede - 'Why are they showing us this?' she thought to herself in wonder.
A young teenage man with dark spiky hair can be seen walking to the side of the school, approaching a small wooden cabinet.
Ayumu - "Hey, it's that guy!" she remarked, clearly remembering him from the intro.
Kanoko - - 'His head looks like an Urchin...' she stifled her giggle.
Nao - 'What is he doing?' she asked herself, looking a little creeped out.
Urchin - "They're keeping a cursed object in a place like this?" he asked himself, walking closer to the cabinet, "Could they be any dumber?"
Nao - 'Again with this Cursed Object.' she frowned in confusion.
The Urchin noticed the latch of the cabinet was undone, in which he hesitatingly opened the latch completely and checked the contents inside. Only to be presented with... nothing.
He starts to frantically search around the cabinet, going from checking under it, and then above, even closing and reopening it back again as if it is a magic trick.
Amused giggles and grins from the girls.
Urchin then dialed a number and called someone while looking at the distance through the school's fence.
Urchin - "There's nothing here." he stated firmly.
Gojo - "Huh?" he said in surprise through the call.
"The Stevenson's empty."
"Seriously? That's hilarious! Maybe it took a nighttime stroll."
Urchin - "I'll punch you." he responded immediately right after, sounding annoyed.
Kanoko - "I like this guy already." she stated with an amused smile, her legs crossing.
Gojo - "Well, no going home until it's recovered, okay?" he reminded before hanging up the call.
Urchin then put his phone back inside his pocket with one thing in mind; 'I'm seriously gonna punch him next time.'
Kaede - "They must have a great bond with each other." she coyed.
Kanoko - "Agreed.." she shrugs, "It feels like a normal thing for them."
The next day, students around the same school can be seen walking around and doing their club activities.
Inside the school building, in one of the rooms labeled "Occult Phenomenon Research Club," a conversation can be heard.
Hiroki - "Ready to go?" he asked, "Are you sure?"
Nao - "Wait, that's Hiroki's voice?" she recalled, clearly recognizing it.
Kanoko - "Occult Phenomenon Research Club?" she repeated, "Huh, sounds ominous."
Ayumu - "Creepy too." she added, leaning back against her seat.
In a dimly lit room, a girl with glasses and a dark bop cut can be seen looking down with a tense look on her face.
Hiroki - "Sasagi-senpai?" he asked again, earning a subtle noise of confirmation from the bop-cut girl.
Another person, a man with slit eyes and slightly thick eyebrows, also with a suspenseful look on his face.
Hiroki - "Iguchi-senpai?" he asked once more, earning another subtle sound from the man.
With deep breaths and a sweatdrop, Hiroki leans forward while staring down at the table intensely. "Alright, here we go!"
The girls' breath hitches, preparing for something big due to the dark and suspenseful atmosphere.
The suspension, however, completely dies down with the cut of Hiroki, Sasagi, and Iguchi each placing their index finger onto the Ouija Board on the table, having a playful and curious smile on their face.
Hiroki - "Spirit, Spirit! Please tell us which creature is the council president just barely weaker than?!" he asked the board, anticipating an answer.
The girls blinked in surprise, as Kaede couldn't help but giggle a little at her son's usual bright and energetic energy.
Kaede - "Oh, Hiroki..." she lets out a sigh, resting her hand on her chest with a content smile.
Ayumu - 'That looks fun... I miss hanging out with him.' she thought to herself with a saddened expression.
Kanoko - "So this club is about... ghost and paranormal stuff?" she sweatdrops.
Nao - "They look surprisingly dedicated about it, too." she blinked in surprise.
Kaede - "Well, it isn't a bad thing if you're having fun, is it?" she smiled, happy seeing her son happy.
The pointer of the Ouija Board (that is meant for direct answers) began to shake slightly.
Hiroki, Sasagi, Iguchi - "Oh?" they all look in unison with wide; curious eyes, "Ku-ri-o-ne (Sea Angel)?"
With that, they all immediately throw a fit of laughter together.
Hiroki - "A sea angel can beat him?! What a small fry!" he commented out loud in the middle of the laughing Sasagi and Iguchi.
This earns a snicker from Kanoko and Ayumu.
Kanoko - "A sea angel? Really?" she snorted.
Nao - "Hiroki looks surprisingly happy there." she blinks in surprise. She thought that after the previous incident, Hiroki would have changed the way he acted. But it appears that he is still the same as his old self. Which she respects, but wonders why?
How could he stay so happy and cheerful even after everything that had happened?
His behavior causes a pang in Nao's heart. She is aware she hurt Hiroki that day, and even the day before that secretly, but now here she is. Witnessing her ex-boyfriend since childhood, whom she always thinks is pathetic and a fragile weakling... Who, despite all possible bad things happening to him, chose to stay strong and friendly toward others.
It feels her with an unforeseen regret.
She is aware she took advantage of his kindness. However, she did not think it would impact her that badly. If her only purpose of cheating on him is to compare that Kokujin is better than the so-called "Pathetic Hiroki," then what is the point? Moreover-
Is it even worth it?
Hiroki is considered one of the nicest people she knows, so nice. He is willing to get beaten up just for her sake. He even goes as far as going out of his way to bring her a birthday present even though he is sick.
It is obvious which one is better. She was just too blinded by pleasure to even realize that. Hiroki is a better man than Kokujin would ever be. She would doubt that Kokujin would even ask how she is daily, unlike Hiroki, or... if he ever wanted to get hurt for her sake.
Guys like Kokujin are always predictable. When they are done with the girls, they will just throw them away like they are nothing. And if anything happens to the girls, he would simply cower away.
She got herself a man who is worth one in a billion, and she just throws him away like that for nothing but temporary pleasure that is probably not even worth it. And now, Hiroki probably hates her is what she thought.
Nao - 'I... I need to apologize...' she held her head low.
Kanoko - "Wait, I just noticed it by now, but... Is Hiroki in a different school?" she tilted her head.
This brings realization to the others. It sounds unbelievable, but it seems like it. They don't remember him taking a class in another school, nor does he have any reason to, unless he moves himself there. And the fact that he is in a club and all of that speaks for itself.
Ayumu - 'So he did transfer to another school.' she looks down solemnly, 'What school was it again? Miyashiro Prefectural Sugisawa... I'll see if it's possible to transfer there too...'
Suddenly, the door opens to reveal the club president.
Club President - "Occult Club!" he announced, walking in with a sheet of paper.
Hiroki - "Hey, Plankton President! What's up?" he asked with a playful smile, earning a stifled laugh from Sasagi.
Kanoko - "Pfft!" she muffled her laugh, 'Nice one little bro.'
The Club President slams the paper on their desk, reading; "Notice"
Club President - "As you were previously informed, a research club with no real activities must forfeit its classroom." he remarked as the three members of the Occult Club began reading the paper all at once, "So vacate this room at once."
Nao - 'Well, he isn't wrong. If you were to say that this club is doing anything productive at all, I don't think it is.' she noted, now wondering to herself why the Occult club was even made in the first place if it serves no real purpose but to hunt ghosts and such.
[Small fact, Nao does not believe in ghosts]
Hiroki - "You shouldn't underestimate our members, President." he leans back against his chair with a confident smile, as Sasagi stands up from her seat.
Sasagi took out a book from the shelf and slammed it on the table in an exaggerated manner.
Club President - "What is that?" he asked while crossing his arms, earning a dark smile from the three members.
Sasagi - "You know about our rugby field being closed off, right?" she asked with an intent smile.
The screen transitions to the view of their school's rugby field.
Club President - "Yes." he responded affirmatively, "Some of the students who fell ill were hospitalized."
Sasagi points at him with her free hand on her hips.
Sasagi - "Don't you think that's strange? We're talking about tough rugby players here!" she responded, "Truth is, the player said they started hearing mysterious sounds and voices before they fell ill." she brought up a newspaper, "That's when we found this newspaper article from thirty years ago. It talks about the disappearance of Yoshida-san, who worked with the construction company, and it mentions he was last sighted here at Sugisawa Third High School during construction."
The Club president's eyebrow twitched while Sasagi continued her babble.
Sasagi - "Yoshida-san was struggling to make ends meet, so he turned to loan sharks, and those organizations were after him." she held her hand up, "Which means, the whole disaster at the rugby field was caused by" she twirls around and stands in-between the waving Hiroki and Igachi like a whole opera, her right leg on a firey-like orb saying; 'VENGEFUL SPIRIT' "A vengeful spirit of Yoshida-san, who's buried in here!"
Silence filled the room, while all the girls looked at the trio (Hiroki, Sasagi, and Iguchi) as if they were some professional dumbass.
Kaede - "Well, Hiroki and his friends are committed to their club!" she smiled. At this point, she does not care what her son is doing. Normally, she would tell what is wrong and what is right, but it would be hard to do regarding what happened. As long as it is not hurting anyone, and he is having fun, then she is happy, too.
Ayumu, however, was somehow convinced by all of that.
Ayumu - "Whoa! Hiroki-senpai and his friends are smart when it comes to these things!" she stated in awe, her hands clasping together with glints in her eyes.
Kanoko - 'Seriously...?' she looks at Ayumu with a critical look.
Nao - 'Well, when it comes to Hiroki, Ayumu is always like that...' The ghost disbeliever herself sighed.
Club President - "No, it was caused by ticks." he replied bluntly.
A view of the three that looks like a simple-drawn character in all white stares at the president in silence, delivering a comical scene.
A picture of the tick itself alongside its information and facts about it appeared on the left side of the screen.
Narrator - "Hard ticks. A large, blood-sucking bug. If one bites you and infects you with SFTS, it can be fatal, so be careful."
Embarrassed, Ayumu sulked back to her seat.
Ayumu - "Oh..." she said disappointedly.
Kanoko - "Thought so." She sighed.
Hiroki held the book with an angry/determined expression while the hopeless Sasagi stared down at the ground on her knees. Meanwhile, Iguchi has a trembling hand in the foreground.
Hiroki - "So what?! The occult club is trying to uncover occult activity," he said, defending Sasagi while lightly smacking the book in his hand, "So it's still a proper club activity report!"
The Club President held his glasses with furrowed eyebrows.
Club President - "This isn't some kid's game! Besides, the biggest problem here is you," he pointed with an open palm, "Itadori Hiroki!"
Ayumu - "Eeeeh?" she said, her voice almost echoing through the theater, "Why?!"
Hiroki - "Hm?" he muttered, eyes wide and shoulders dropped.
Club President - "You're registered with track and field, not the Occult Club, so this club doesn't even have three members required for any club!" he remarked.
NOT ENOUGH MEMBERS
Hiroki - "Heh?" he pointed at himself with an utterly confused look on his face, earning a dark look from Sasagi and Iguchi, "No, I know I wrote down Occult Club!"
"I rewrote it!"
A slant-eyed guy with tanned skin makes an appearance on the screen.
Kanoko - 'Gosh, who is this again?' she huffed with zero interest, her arms crossing under her breasts again.
Hiroki - "The track and field coach, Takagi!" he declared with clenched fists.
Takagi - "Hiroki! We need you so we can conquer the nationals!" he announced with crossed arms.
Kanoko - "Wait, am I hearing that right? They need Hiroki?" she asked in slight disbelief.
Nao - "Is Hiroki good at any sports?" she instinctively asked, curious.
Ayumu - "Well, as far as I remember, not really. He is very good at Judo, but in other physical training, no." she shook her head twice.
Kanoko - "But like, we're talking about the nationals here. It's either that Hiroki is finally really good at sports or that coach guy just assumes he's like it." she makes a gesture with her hand.
The room goes dark as a light circle around the Club President in a comedic style.
Club President - 'A teacher more problematic than the students just showed up...' he thought inside his mind.
The light in the room goes back to normal.
Hiroki - "Give it a rest! How many times do I have to tell you I refuse?" he asked again, annoyed.
Takagi - "You can't!" he responded solidly.
Hiroki - "Why can't I?!" he asked once more, even more perplexed.
Takagi - "However, I'm not some demon! If you can beat me, then I'll give up on you." he clenches his fist with a challenging look, "Let's settle it fair and square on the track!"
Hiroki - "Now it's interesting!" he posed on the camera along with the confidently smiling Takagi, "You're on!"
Kanoko - "Student versus their Coach, huh? Sounds interesting." she leans back against her seat.
Nao - "And it's Hiroki too." she said, surprised.
Kaede - "Let's just hope Hiroki doesn't get too injured." she told herself worryingly.
Club President - 'Is it fair and square to write a student's club application.' he asked, clearly bewildered by all this.
Kanoko and Ayumu snorted at the Club President's statement, though, they could not deliver themselves but to agree with him.
The screen transitions again from the black screen to the view of the school's field, as the scene cuts again to Urchin (I'm sorry) walking through the rugby field while searching around.
Kanoko - "This guy again?" she asked in surprise.
Urchin - 'What's with this rugby field?' he asked, looking at the ground.
Then someone... or rather something can be seen quite literally swimming across the ground as if they are in a pool.
Urchin - 'Is there a dead body buried here or something?' he thought.
Urchin follows its movement as... a blue giant monster that is roughly the same size as two people when standing, with four human arms and two legs, a hair-like fin, a lizard-like tail, and four red eyes is seen climbing to the top of the rugby pole, letting out cursed growl.
Urchin - 'That's probably a grade 2 curse. Must be that cursed object's influence.' he guessed inside his mind.
This earns a shocked and terrified look from the girls.
Ayumu - "W-What is that...?" her eyes widened, fear returning.
Nao - "He said it's a... curse?" she asked, confused yet slightly terrified at the sight of the so-mentioned 'curse.' That's not real, is it?'
Urchin walks up the stairs, leading back to the school field with hands in his pockets.
Urchin - 'Its presence is too strong to pin down. It feels like it's close by, but it could be far away, too.' he pulls out his phone and looks at it intently, 'This special-grade cursed object is a serious pain.'
This brings attention to them. A mention of a cursed object?
They could still recall the screen mentioning the same thing about a cursed object that teleports them there... or an enclosed barrier as they also mention.
Maybe they are closer to answers than anticipated?
An image of a cylinder-like cursed object wrapped in talisman paper is shown on his phone.
Urchin - 'Who could have moved it?' he asked internally in desperate answer, 'Where is it now?
He took the phone to the inside of his pocket again, walking up and seeing two students running somewhere.
Student - "Over here!" he said, waving at his friend, "Coach Takagi is taking on Hiroki from West Middle!"
Student 2 - "Wow, what are they competing in?" he asked back in wonder.
This catches the attention of Urchin as he walks over the stop sign that was used to block any regular bystander from entering the school's rugby field.
Nao - "Hiroki from West Middle?" she repeated, "That sounds specific. Is he popular by any chance?"
Ayumu - "It seems like it?" she guessed, her shoulders rising.
A heavy metal ball lands on the ground, creating a slight dent in the dirt.
Takagi, who threw the heavy metal ball is seen posing confidently, not bothering to look at how far he has thrown.
Kanoko - 'Damn, he's just as buff as Kokujin.' she stated herself, furrowing in annoyance at just the exchange student's name.
Ayumu - "A Shotput..." she stated, her posture tilting slightly forward.
Two students, carrying a measuring tape, measured the distance of how far their Coach Field threw the ball.
Student - "Fourteen meters!" he declared, earning a round of applause as Takagi kept on flexing his biceps to the others with a prideful smile.
[ JAPAN'S NATIONAL RECORD - 18m85cm ]
Kaede - "Impressive." she admits, her mouth forming an 'o' shape.
Ayumu - "H-How's Hiroki gonna top that guy?" she asked with a nervous expression.
Kanoko - "I mean, seeing someone who can casually break a national record without competing in one? You don't see that kind of stuff regularly." she added, shrugging.
Nao - 'I wonder how Hiroki's performance is gonna play out.' she asked herself curiously, looking at the screen with full attention.
One of the students in the crowd said, "Wow, Takagi's still got it! What're you gonna do, Hiroki?"
The other students kept on chanting the name "Hiroki" while pumping their fists in the air.
In the crowd, stand Hiroki's friends and Occult Club partner.
Sasagi - "Hey, is Hiroki famous or something?" she asked, seemingly to Iguchi who was standing beside her the entire time.
Kanoko - "He is famous it seems..." She stares with a blank; gaping expression.
Iguchi - "They're probably tall tales, but I heard he beat all stages of Ninja Warriors, and that he's the incarnation of Mirko Cro Cop." he whispered to Sasagi.
The girls' eyes widened at this.
Ayumu - "Whoaaa..." she muttered in awe. She did not realize she was friends with someone so cool like him!
Kanoko - "Ninja Warriors? Isn't that those parkour gym thingy?" she recalled, but was focused more on the driven fact by Iguchi. She is doubting whether that is fact or just a myth.
Nao - "D-Did Hiroki do all of that? They went as far as calling him the incarnation of Cro Cop even!" she asked, clueless and in need of an answer.
Kaede - 'Hiroki is popular at that school... I wonder if he gets girls too...' she thought to herself.
Hiroki can be seen walking up to the throwing ground and placing his hand under the metal ball that the coach is carrying, and Takagi playfully drops the heavy metal ball on purpose which almost knocks Hiroki off balance due to the unexpected weight, earning a laugh from the others.
Sasagi - "But Mirko's not even dead yet?" she recalled.
Iguchi - "Still, he earned the nickname 'Tiger of the Middle East'." he responded.
Sasagi - "Lame..."
Ayumu - "It's still cool, though." she frowns, attempting to defend her "best friend".
Hiroki - "Hey, can I throw this however I want?" he asked, looking to Takagi behind him.
His question intrigued the girls.
Nao - 'What does he mean by that?' she raised her eyebrows in both confusion and curiosity.
However, she will not be prepared for what is coming next.
Takagi - "I won't call any fouls, so you can throw however you please." he touches his forehead, still keeping his confident grin, "Sorry. I wanted to demonstrate how serious I am by intentionally choosing something that isn't your forte-"
His words were eventually cut off midway as Hiroki, in a pitcher style, finally threw the metal ball.
It went flying above two students' heads, until... It landed on a goalpost, denting its' side.
Two students with the measuring tape, ran up to the goalpost to try and measure how far Hiroki had thrown the ball.
Student - "Uh... roughly thirty meters." he announced, slightly baffled.
[WORLD RECORD - 23m12cm]
No reactions... or at least, a silent one.
Kanoko - "... What in the-" she muttered, completely bewildered but was cut off.
Ayumu - "EEEEEEEEeeeeeeeh?!" she screamed, her face imitating that of a flabbergasted one.
Nao - "T-Thirty meters...?" she repeated, her eyes widening in surprise at the revelation of Hiroki's newly profound strength.
Kanoko - "H-Hold on, hold on. Did Hiroki just... casually break a world record?!" she sat back down in her seat, eyes still widening with a hint of awe.
Kaede - "Oh my..." she said, clearly not expecting that. She had always acknowledged her son as being a strong boy, but she did not mean THAT strong.
Nao - '...' she looks down in deep thought. Ever since that day when Kokujin humiliated Hiroki by beating him until he begged to stop, she always thought of him as nothing but a weakling. A crybaby even. So what happened?
She thought he was only strong in the mind, but now she is witnessing Hiroki with his supernatural strength.
What made or even How did Hiroki manage to get THAT strong? Is it because of her? The others too? Or... Is it an act of revenge for Kokujin and them? She is entirely confused right now.
But one thing is for sure.
She has to apologize if she does not want to create an even worse relationship between the two of them.
Kanoko - 'No wonder why they called him "Tiger of the West Middle".' she crossed her arms, in awe and slight fear of her little brother's strength. Knowing this, he might not need any protection from his big sister anymore.
Hiroki - "Yes! I won!" he pumped his fist in celebration of his victory, ignoring the others (and Takagi) behind him with a shocked and/or bewildered look on their face.
Sasagi - "He's more of a gorilla than a tiger, is he?" she commented in the crowd, with a sweatdrop.
Iguchi - "That was a pitcher's throw." he added, also with a sweatdrop.
Hiroki can now be seen walking back to his two friends with hands in his pockets as everyone else around them left the circle, seeing that the battle between the student and his coach had concluded.
Sasagi - "Hiroki, you'd do well on a sports team." she smiled, "You don't have to force yourself to stay in our club, you know?"
Kanoko - 'My thoughts exactly.' she internally agrees. Having a strength like that feels like a blessing, and yet, Hiroki is not using it to his advantage.
Hiroki - "Eh? But as much as you two love scary things, you couldn't go to a haunted place without me, could you?" he asked with a curved eyebrow.
Sasagi - "We're scared because we like it." she admitted with an embarrassed pout.
Now, this is what surprised Hiroki's close ones the most.
The fact that Hiroki is willing to not participate in a club that is fitting for him just because his friend likes it when he is around speaks so much about his character.
They almost forgot how nice Hiroki can be sometimes.
Hiroki - "Besides, this school requires everyone to be in a club, right?" he points at the still frozen-in-shock Takagi behind him while the others took multiple pictures around the coach's unmoving body, "I couldn't keep up with this."
A brief flashback of Hiroki's appointment with the leader of the Occult Club, Sasagi with the smiling Iguchi behind her.
Sasagi - "You don't have to do anything! You can be a ghost member! We're the Occult Club, after all!" she said through her light-shaded glasses, smiling intently in a comical sense.
Hiroki only replied with a cheeky smile to the camera.
The Flashback ended with the sight of the blushing Sasagi in check, smiling with dotted eyes as she remembers that moment.
Sasagi - "I did say that." she responded sheepishly.
Ayumu - "Oh." she giggled, finding the scene funny, 'No wonder why he chose to be with them. They look fun to hang around with too.'
But then, she thinks to herself.
Ayumu - 'Maybe... if I just keep being nice to him... He'll eventually forgive me? And then me and Hiroki will stay best friends. Or... maybe... more than- N-No! He's just your friend! Stop thinking about that, Ayumu!' she shook her head in embarrassment.
Hiroki - "I want to be able to go home by 5 PM for my reasons. So if it's okay, I'd like to stay." he closed his eyes before tilting his head down, "I like the atmosphere of the Occult Club a lot."
Sasagi lowers her head in embarrassment next to the now flustered and smiling Iguchi.
Sasagi - "Well, if that's how it is, we don't mind." she conceded.
Iguchi - "Right." he stares at Sasagi, earning a laugh from her.
In the background, Urchin can be seen looking at Hiroki.
Urchin - "That guy's incredible. He pulled that off without any cursed energy." he faces away, "I wonder if he's like Zenin-senpai..."
Kanoko - "Again with these cursed things..." she said impatiently. She is desperate for answers now, even if it is only a little...
________________________________________
(This shit has a limit for bold words so I am doing parts.)
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|.从" _ ,,,, / |./ |
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レ'ヽL__|___i,___,ンレ|ノ
ト-,/ |___./
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The big clock reads half past four (16:30/4:30 PM) on the school wall.
Hiroki - "Oh! It's already half past four!" he immediately put on his bag, "Well, Coach, I've got stuff to do! Later!"
With that, he ran away, leaving the now-moving Coach and his two Occult Club friends.
On the way, Hiroki ran past Urchin as he felt a spark between them that shook him down his spine.
A presence so strong it is almost scary to try and ignore.
Urchin - 'The presence of a cursed object!' he shouted in his mind with a staggered look, "Hey, you!"
As he was about to chase down and interrogate Hiroki, the pinkie suddenly changed the pace of his running to the point where he looked like a running cartoon character.
Urchin - 'He's way too fast!' he exclaimed internally, watching the man leaving the place at a rapid speed.
While this, he overheard a conversation happening behind him.
Student 1 - "I heard he can run fifty meters in three seconds." he remarked in disbelief.
Student 2 - "Is he a car?" he joked.
This earns a comical baffled look from Urchin.
Kanoko - "I- Huh?!" her eyes widened, even more dumbfounded than before.
Not only is Hiroki strong but he is also fast now?!
Ayumu - "Fifty meters?!" she exclaimed, jaw-dropping, "Isn't that like, insanely fast?!"
Kaede - "W-Wow...' she muttered in awe, looking at her son in admiration, 'I... I didn't think Hiroki would be this... athletic."
Nao could only be gulped at this. Knowing that Hiroki is a lot stronger and agile now, it would most certainly be harder to ask for his forgiveness. Now she is starting to doubt that he even needs her again. Or... if he ever wants to see her again.
Nao - "Hiroki..." she spoke softly, head lowering in deep regret.
The scene transitions to Hiroki buying a flower in a flower shop.
A few seconds later, he is now seen holding a bunch of flowers in wrapping paper while waiting for the stop to cross the street under the sunlight. A baby tried to reach out to his flowers as he half-reluctantly moved away.
The girls smiled at this. It felt... odd seeing him this peaceful, regarding everything that had happened to him. However, it also felt relieving at best to just see him doing okay.
Though, Nao felt a pang in her heart. She secretly wishes those flowers were meant for her.
Hiroki walked into Sugisawa Hospital, and in the next second, he was inside the room with his grandfather.
Wasuke - "I told you not to come." he sassed, still lying on his hospital(-death)bed, "Stop buying flowers to bring with you all the time."
Hiroki - "You always give me that" he argued, still arranging the flowers, "Besides, these aren't for you. They're for the nurses."
Kanoko - "That's cold." she frowns, her mother secretly agreeing.
Wasuke - "All the more reasons not to, you fool!" he retorted, raising his tone slightly, "And what about your club? Go to your club! Your club!"
Ayumu - "Hiroki's grandfather cares for him, huh?" she smiles sweetly.
Kanoko - "Yeah, though, he's always hot-headed at best." she shrugs in her seat.
Kaede - "Wasuke..." she sighs, resting her hand on her chest, 'Thank you for taking care of Hiroki while I'm not there...'
Hiroki - "Oh, chill out. It ends before 5 PM. " he reassures with a slight irk in his tone, "I wouldn't be visiting you if I didn't have free time."
Wasuke - "Good. Then listen to me, since I got free time, too." he said briefly, hearing Hiroki walking past his bed.
Hiroki - "Not interested." he dismissed in disinterest.
Wasuke - "Just listen well. There's something I want to tell you before the end." he reconsiders his words while a tap running is heard in the background, "It's about your father."
Hiroki - "I said I'm not interested." he complained, checking his hair through the mirror, "Grandpa, could you stop trying to act all cool before you die?"
Kanoko - "Just hear what he wants to say, dude..." she frowns even more. Clearly, She dislikes the attitude Hiroki is displaying toward him and her grandpa.
Kaede was mostly confused by this. What kind of truth does he want to share with Hiroki about his father? So she leans in slightly forward, listening in full intent.
Wasuke - "Every man wants to go out in a style, you know!" he countered, Hiroki walking up to a vase near the outside window, "Get a clue, you useless grandson!"
Kaede felt her heartache just the mere mention of that, she suddenly remembered the time when she told Hiroki is a useless boy during her heat session with the exchange student.
Kaede - 'I'm sorry...' she apologized, silently begging for forgiveness.
Hiroki - "Quit snapping over everything." he places the flowers in the vase, "You can just be yourself."
His grandfather could only scoff at him.
Wasuke - "Lax Upbringing." he fumed, sleeping on his side which faces away from Hiroki.
Even when they are arguing, they cannot help but find something strangely wholesome during all this drama between the son and his grandfather.
Nao - "You can just be yourself?" she quietly repeated, taking those words to heart, 'You're wise, Hiroki. I wish I could still be with you. If only... only...' her mouth quivered into a shaky one, 'If I... could stop myself on that day...'
Wasuke slowly closed his eyes.
Wasuke - "Hiroki." he drawled, earning a hum and the attention of the pink-haired boy, "You're a strong kid, so help others. Even if it's only those who are the closest to you, just save the people you can. It's okay if you lose your way, and don't worry about whether they'll thank you or not."
Hiroki's eyes fluttered open, his face growing out from his uninterested one.
Wasuke - "Just save as many people as you can, even if it's only one." he continued, his tones now slightly weak, "When you die, you should be surrounded by people. Don't end up like me."
This opens a new perspective for the girls.
They consider his words, taking them to heart, and... he is right. What is the whole point of living in this world when you will just be left alone when you are dead? Would it be called a sweet; relieving death if you are dying alone on your deathbed?
For the entire time, Kanoko and Kaede thought that Wasuke was just a stubborn and short-tempered old man, but that speech was surprisingly full of wisdom coming from someone such as himself.
But one thing is for sure, those words fill them with something.
A determination to try and get Hiroki back. They knew they messed up big time, but Wasuke's words were like a huge motivation for them.
Besides, not all hopes were completely lost, therefore they still have a second chance. They just have to find a way, or... work for it somehow.
So all they have to do is wait for the reaction to finish, and after exiting what they called the "domain", they can try and search for Hiroki again. Since, with this new profound information, they now know where Hiroki is.
Also, Hiroki is a kind and considerate person. It should not be so hard to try and convince him back, right?... Right?
Hiroki kept staring at his grandpa, mouth opening.
Expecting something back, he waited for his grandfather to make a sign of reassurance... only to be met with a deafening silence.
The cold; dead silent atmosphere is almost uncomfortable for the girls, as they cannot help but stay on the edge of their seats. Waiting for something to come.
Hiroki - "Grandpa?" he spoke out, waiting for a response still... silence.
The scene changes abruptly back to the nurse's office as the phone rings, and one of the nurses comes over to answer it.
Nurse - "Yes, what's the matter?" she asked in full attention, but her face went confused, "Hello? Itadori-san?"
Back in the room, Hiroki can be seen looking up at the ceiling while holding his phone low, his face matches that of a sad one with a quivering mouth, trying his hardest not to cry.
"My grandpa... is dead."
Gasps fills the room. Both Kaede and Ayumucloses their mouth with their hands in concern, while the other two simply stare at the screen in shock. However, the unexpected death impacted Kaede and Kanoko the most. They did not expect Wasuke to just... die like that. In front of Hiroki too.
Ayumu - "H-Hiroki-senpai..." she muttered sadly, already feeling the depressing atmosphere on the screen and around her.
Seeing Hiroki attempting not to cry made them weak to their core. They could not help but want to reach out and comfort him. But they are not there on his side. Nor will he ever acknowledge them being there for him.
Seeing him taking all this alone, with no one to hug him or to pat his back, fills them with even more regret than anticipated.
Kanoko - "Damn..." she muttered silently, her teeth gritting through her closed frown.
Nao - '...' she swallows a lump in her throat, her heart already aching.
Kaede - 'W-Wasuke... H-Hiroki...' she stuttered inside her mind, feeling the tears swell up her eyes again, 'I'm sorry... I'm sorry...'
Ayumu - "... W-What now?" she asked out of the blue, which, unfortunately, no one knows the answer to that.
Now that Hiroki's last relative he is genuinely close to passed away, he is left alone once again. Just like when he is with his mom, sister, girlfriend, and best friend... but this time, it is different.
He watches them die in front of their eyes. With no one on his side. All alone.
A brief image of Wasuke's last photo of him passing peacefully was seen, and then Hiroki's hand from the side while looking down at his deceased grandfather... And then he looks at the two nurses who bring Wasuke's corpse away on a body trolley in the distance.
A shot of the flowers he placed on the vase near the window, as the screen transitions back to Hiroki zipping up Wasuke's belongings when he stayed at the hospital inside a duffle bag.
He stares at the bag and then the bed.
The silent atmosphere is still present, and it is strong. Their ears are filled with nothing but ambiance and background noises.
Hiroki is now writing a notification of death for his deceased grandfather, setting his pen down once he is done and handing the paper back to the nurse who is working behind the counter.
Nurse - "That's all for the necessary paperwork." she said softly, smiling to make it less awkward.
Hiroki - "Okay. Thank you for everything." he thanked, as there was a hint of sadness in his tone.
Nurse - "Are you sure you're okay?" she leans forward, now with a concerned smile.
Hiroki - "Well, this is my first time dealing with something like this, so it doesn't feel real yet." he tilted his head down, 'Besides, it's not like this is the only worrying thing that has happened to me...'
That sentence alone fills the girls' hearts with what they like to call true regret. It made them remember all the times when they humiliated him, some were intentional and some were not. Either thee, they drive away and leave him broken.
Even to this day, the memories are still clinging to Hiroki's mind. He wishes he could erase those parts of memories, but he finds it nearly impossible to do.
They could not help but stay silent in remorse and sorrow, knowing that they made the state Hiroki was experiencing right now even worse.
Kaede - "H-Hiroki... I-..." she wipes the tear off her face, looking at the screen with a determined look, 'I'll... I'll try to make this right. I promise not to leave you alone again... I promise...'
Kanoko - 'Little bro...' she crossed her arms, 'Next time I see that Kokujin guy again, I'll fucking stab him right in the eye..'
Ayumu - 'Hiroki-senpai...' she lowers her head in shame, now determined to try and make it all up for him.
Nao - '... Hiroki...' she blinked, her eyes glossing a bit, 'I-I don't understand... How could you still smile even after all of this...?'
Hiroki - "Grandpa would snap if I kept moping around forever, though, so I'll just have to laugh as I roast him up." he sheepishly smiles.
Nurse - "Phrasing." she responded with a light chuckle.
Kanoko - "Hiroki!" she exclaimed, obviously irritated by the lack of respect.
Hiroki's eyes widened as he felt a presence on his side, his head turning toward the direction of a certain someone... Urchin, who was lurking in the shadows is back in his high school uniform attire.
Urchin - "Itadori Hiroki, right?" he asked intently, almost interrogative.
Hiroki continued to stare at Urchin confusingly, the nurse behind the counter also reacting the same way.
Kanoko - "This guy," she asked uninterestedly, almost sounding annoyed.
Ayumu - 'What does he want with Hiroki-senpai?' her eyes narrowed in suspicion, wondering why Urchin followed Hiroki to the hospital.
But then it clicked, she remembered the scene when Hiroki ran past him and he mentioned something about a dangerous presence being within Hiroki's.
Despite not knowing what it is, she feels that it is not a good thing.
Megumi - "I'm Fushiguro Megumi from Jujutsu Tech." he finally introduced himself, his cold eyes piercing the seemingly clueless Hiroki, "I'd like to have a word with you. Now."
Kanoko - 'Fushiguro, eh?' she tilts her head slightly, 'Hm... still gonna call him Urchin.'
Both Fushiguro and Hiroki are now in the dark lobby of the hospital.
Hiroki - "Um, I'm in mourning right now." he explained, almost sounding as if he was trying not to make it any more awkward.
Megumi - "Sorry, but there is no time." he responded, sounding interrogative.
Kanoko - "This guy..." her eyebrows flared, 'Can't you see a guy is in the middle of mourning?'
Ayumu - 'Have a bit of empathy, would you?' she frowns while looking at the Urchin-head boy.
Megumi - "The cursed object you possess is very dangerous. Hand it over to me right now." he asked rather hastily.
Hiroki - "Cursed Object?" he repeated in confusion.
Megumi brings out the phone and shows him a picture of the same cylinder-like object wrapped in talisman papers on an open box.
Megumi - "This." he spoke briefly, as Hiroki took a closer look at the image.
Hiroki - "Oh, yeah, yeah. I found that." he looks back at Megumi's alarming face, casually leaning back against one of the lobby's chairs, "I don't mind either way, but my senpai took a liking to it." he tilted his head slightly, "What do you mean by "Dangerous"?"
Megumi - "The number of unexplained deaths and missing persons within Japan exceeds 10,000 a year on average." he scrolls through his phone, going through news of missing reports, "Most of those are the results of curses."
Hiroki - "Curses?" he leans back even more against the chair, keeping a curious expression on his face.
Ayumu - "Curses?" she repeated in unison.
Kanoko - "Like that freaky-looking thing we saw back at the rugby field?" she raised her eyebrow, clueless.
Though, it seems like they are finally getting some answers. So they lean forward from their seat, listening carefully.
Megumi - "I don't care if you believe them or not. They're real." he replied coldly, "I'll go on."
"A large pool of negative energy forms especially easily in schools, hospitals, and so on."
"Hardship, regret, shame..."
"The negative emotions of mankind become the source of the curses."
"That's why most schools secretly keep a cursed object such as a protective talisman. The object you found is one of them."
Nao - "Cursed object... such as a protective talisman." she repeated.
Kanoko - "Ah, so a cursed object is literally in the name. An object that has been cursed either in a good or bad way." she shrugs in her seat.
Ayumu - "Wait, but if curses are real, how come no one ever saw them?" she asked, still in need of an answer.
Kanoko - "That, I-... Don't have a clue about that." she shut her mouth in realization, now wondering the same thing too.
Hiroki raised an arm.
Hiroki - "If it's protecting us, shouldn't we be grateful for it?" he protested.
Megumi - "Let me finish." he fumed, annoyed.
"Placing a cursed object of greater evil is a deadly poison that keeps other curses away."
"It's a bad practice that only claims to protect."
"Over the year, its seals weaken, and then it becomes bait to lure in and fatten up other curses."
Megumi - "The cursed object you found is a dangerous one, classified as special-grade. Hand it over before people start dying." he held his hand up.
Kaede - "Oh dear..." she stated worryingly.
Kanoko - "That's not good." she commented, her eyes widening slightly at the mention of the death of others.
Hiroki - "Hey, I already said I don't mind that." he quickly took out the box from his hoodie pocket and tossed it to Fushiguro, "So go tell it to my senpai."
Megumi opens the box only to find... nothing?
Megumi - 'It's empty? I was just following the taint clinging to the box?!' he stops Hiroki from walking away, looking at him with a serious expression, "Where are the contents?!"
Hiroki pushed his hand away.
Hiroki - "I told you, my senpai... have it..." he trails off from his words, recalling something.
Megumi - "What?" he hastily asked with a sweatdrop.
Hiroki - "Actually, they were talking about removing the talisman from it tonight at the school." he explained thoroughly.
Shocked, Megumi took two steps back with a horrifying discovery that confuses Hiroki.
Hiroki - "What? Is it bad?" he faces back toward Megumi, scratching the back of his head in confusion.
Megumi - "It's worse than bad." his frowning expression deepens, "They're going to die."
Ayumu - "D-Die?!" she repeated, horrified.
Kanoko - "How dangerous is that cursed object or whatever?!" she questioned waringly, her hands on the arms of her seat.
Nao - "H-He said the one Hiroki got is a deadly poison?" she theorized, assuming that the poison can kill people it touches or... maybe something way worse.
Kaede - "Hiroki..." she muttered out of her motherly instinct, hoping nothing bad would happen to her dear son as he was getting dragged into Fushiguro's mess.
Back at school, one of the school rooms is lit from the outside.
It is the Occult Club room.
Inside, we can see Sasagi and Iguchi sitting down at their table with a candle lit next to them.
Sasagi has the so-called cursed object Megumi mentioned back then, looking like she is struggling to take the talisman paper off.
Sasagi - "I can't take it off..." she said, attempting to peel off its skin.
Iguchi - "Did we need to sneak in to do this?" he stands up, "I'm turning on the lights.."
Sasagi - "No! The atmosphere is important!" she protested, causing Iguchi to stand still, "Enjoying the thrill is in the spirit of the Occult Club, isn't it? It's not like anything's gonna happen, anyway."
Kanoko - "Hey! That's the cursed object!" she points at the object in Sasagi's hold.
Ayumu - "W-What's gonna happen to them?" she asked in slight fear, her hand on her cheeks as if it was ready to close her face in case anything horrifying appeared on the screen.
Sasagi managed to peel off the end of the talisman paper, earning a surprised look from Sasagi herself.
Sasagi - "Oh, it came off!" she said, causing Iguchi to sit back down and spectate.
She continued rolling the talisman paper off the cursed object slowly but surely, her eyes glistening in anticipation of what object could it be.
Once the talisman paper was off, they were met with a chilling discovery.
A severed finger.
Not just a regular one at that, one belonging to a special kind of anomaly. Almost as if it is a witch finger from a fairy tale.
Kanoko - "W-What is that?" she gagged in disgust, grossed out by just looking at it.
Nao - "W-who's finger is that?" she muttered, her eyes widening in disgust and disturbed.
Ayumu - "Ew ew ew!" she narrowed her eyes in revulsion, not able to bear looking at it but chose to anyway.
Kaede - "My word..." she gasped, frightened.
Iguchi - "A human finger?" he muttered in both surprise and shock.
Sasagi - "Is it real?" she queried.
The candlelit next to them suddenly extinguished itself, causing an audible gasp from the two.
Sasagi - "Is this..." she started, but was abruptly interrupted by the room shaking, scaring the two.
She grabs the cursed object along with the talisman paper too, staring down at the table alongside Iguchi in a now fearful face and tone.
Sasagi - "What is this?" she asked frightfully,
However, they were too focused on the cursed object that they did not notice something emerging out from the ceiling above them.
A purple sludge of curses, arms crawling out as they made disgusting noises.
Ayumu - "AH!" she instinctively covered her face, her legs curled up on her seat.
Kanoko - "Shit! Run!" she warned instinctively, knowing damn well it will not do anything but chose to say it anyway.
Nao - 'I-Is it the cursed object's doing...?' she asked herself internally.
The next scene shows back to Hiroki and Megumi running on the side of the street alongside each other in a hasty manner.
Hiroki - "Do talismans come off that easily?" he questioned, still running.
Megumi - "No, it's impossible for people who lack cursed energy." he paused for a moment, "Normally."
Hiroki - "Go right! It's a shortcut!" he directed, motioning Fushiguro to go the same way as him.
Megumi - "This time the object itself is too strong. The seal is ancient. It might as well be plain paper." he explains.
Hiroki - "I still don't get all this stuff about curses." he responded with a defeated sigh.
Megumi - "Where are they?" he asked back.
Hiroki - "Fourth floor!" he answered right after.
Finally reaching the school, something made Hiroki alongside Megumi stop in their track right in front of the school's gate. They looked above and saw a noticeable ominous purple presence radiating off of the school's fourth floor.
Hiroki - "What is this pressure?" he asked, confused and taken back but was snapped out of his daze when Megumi walked past him and gave a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
Megumi - "You stay here." he commands briefly, climbing the school's gate but stops himself when Hiroki tries to follow him.
Hiroki - "I'll come, too! It's dangerous right?" he exclaimed, "I've only known them for a few months, but they're my friends. I can't just stand by!"
Ayumu - "W-Wait, I think listening to him is a good idea!" she said impulsively.
Kaede - 'Hiroki... Always worrying about the others...' she frowns, praying silently for Hiroki to not come along. She may not know what that thing is back with Sasagi and Iguchi, but it has to be dangerous to go there.
However, she also understands why his both friends matter to him. As he mentioned, he had only met them a few months prior but the three already looked like a happy family. A happier one at that than his actual real family who were willing to abandon their loved ones for some temporary pleasure.
And yet, he is still willing to put his own life at risk to save the two people who are not even relatives of him, causing Kaede to feel conflicted.
Megumi looks back with his cold gaze over his shoulder.
Megumi - "Stay here." he repeated, running toward the school building.
Back at the Occult Club, the metal doors are heavily damaged and are even disconnected from their locket.
"What time is it...?" a curse spoke, its voice echoing through the hallway.
Sasagi is somewhere around the pillar of the building, hiding while closing her mouth to not let out any unintentional noise with a tense and frightful look.
The girls are now sitting at the edge of their seats, feeling the tension in the air as they look at the screen intently.
Ayumu - 'It's like a horror movie...' she thought, feeling the cold sweat trailing down her cheek.
Sasagi - 'What kind of monster was that?' she asked internally, watching the monster moving past her hiding spot.
Iguchi - "S-Sasagi..." he called weakly, emerging from the shadows.
Sasagi - "Iguchi? Thank goodness!" she exhaled in relief, "Where were... you-..."
Kanoko - "At least they're still alive and... well-..." her eyes widen upon realizing what the screen is projecting.
Iguchi - "Help... Me..." he said weakly, fully emerging from the shadows as he is seen standing with... a curse slowly munching on his head while playing with its mouth, shocking Sasagi beyond belief.
The roaming curse that had just walked past her came back and finally caught her, its arm extending to reach her face from the corner.
A shriek from Ayumu, who shrunk back to her seat.
Kanoko - "Holy shit!" her eyes widen in horror, jumping slightly in her seat.
Ayumu - "T-T-That's...!" her mouth hanging wide in fear.
Nao - 'It's those things from before...' her eyes still widen in shock, 'I-It's true what Fushiguro said...'
"It's worse than that, they'll die." is what she recalled.
Back with Megumi, he is seen running up the stairs at a rapid speed.
Megumi - 'The curse has been unleashed!' he kept on running up the stairs, 'Its presence is still all over the place!'
Moving past the corridor, he was ambushed by a curse appearing down the hallway; saying "Slurp" which halted the sorcerer in his place.
Megumi - "Out the way!" he suddenly makes gestures with his hands, imitating that of a wolf or some kind, "-Demon Dogs-!"
In a matter of seconds, his surroundings are enveloped in shadows as what emerges from it are two dogs. The white one is seen howling, while the black one stares at the curse intently.
Megumi - "You may eat it!" he permitted, his serious expression returning.
Ayumu - "W-Whoa!" she muttered in awe, seeing Megumi's supernatural ability in action.
Kanoko - "Wh-... He can summon stuff?!" she gasped, eyes widening at the appearance of his -Demon Dogs-.
Nao - "H-How did he do that?!" she leans back against her seat, eyes filled with confusion and fear.
, despite the initial fear, she eased up a bit once she saw Megumi looking like he knew what he was doing. Maybe it is a normal thing for him? Are all these curses and cursed objects an everyday thing for him?
Because it seems like it.
Kaede - "Demon Dogs..." she repeated, mouth forming an 'o' shape.
Back outside, Hiroki is still standing in front of the gate in deep thought.
Hiroki - 'Am I going to wait here like he told me to?' he paused, 'What am I so afraid of?'
A brief flashback of Megumi back at the hospital, saying: "They're going to die."
Hiroki - 'That's right.' he stares at his school's building that is radiating evil aura through its' windows, 'I can sense death over here...'
Ayumu - "W-We're back to Hiroki again?" she questioned confusingly. She wants to see what Megumi called Demon Dogs in action, though, she could not help but listen to what Hiroki has to say.
Hiroki - 'I'm afraid of dying. Was I afraid of them?' he asked himself internally, 'I didn't feel like I was, though. I didn't cry because I was scared. I was just a little sad.'
He looks back at the school gate, rethinking his decisions.
Hiroki - 'But my grandpa's death and the death I'm facing now...' his hand trembles, 'How are they any different?'
An image of Wasuke's passing peacefully appears.
"You're a strong kid, so help others."
Hiroki's mouth quivered.
The girls could not help but feel a tinge of worry within' their confusion. They felt as if Hiroki was planning something. They do not know what his intentions are, but they for sure know he is contemplating something.
A reconsideration perhaps?
Besides, his friends are still in there. Those two are the closest he could consider as a family after his grandfather's passing, and he is just gonna let him die like that? He knows Megumi is taking care of the situation, but... what if it goes wrong?
What if... They die because he is not there.
Just like the situation with the four all over again.
Back with Fushiguro, packs of curses are seen launching themselves toward Megumi, which they got destroyed into ashes by Megumi's two "Demon Dogs".
Kanoko - "Damn!" she exclaimed, eyes widening in amazement again.
Ayumu - "So cool..." she muttered quietly, having sparkles in her eyes.
Megumi - "The curses are growing in number!" he noted, running around a corner, "They're close!"
Once he makes a quick corner turn, he stops himself upon seeing something in the distance. His -Demon Dogs- growled at the sight of a blob of curse with multiple eyes and arms holding both Sasagi and Iguchi captive.
Kanoko - "Erg..." she gagged with a scrunching; disturbed look, watching the curse holding Sasagi in a quite... inappropriate way.
Kaede - "T-That boy...!" she gasped in horror, horrified at the sight of Iguchi being slowly eaten by the curse.
Ayumu - "That thing looks terrifying..." she commented, not even wanting to imagine what it is like being held by one of those... things.
Nao does not say anything apart staying silent while gripping the arms of her seat, watching the screen with a slightly open mouth.
The scene cuts back to Hiroki as he is gripping the bars of the school's gate.
Hiroki - "He was short-tempered and stubborn." he commented, his fists tightening, "No one but me ever paid him a visit."
Kaede and Kanoko felt a pang in their heart. Does that mean... they were not there when Wasuke was on his last line?
Where were they?
Or maybe... they were too busy focusing on trying to find Hiroki and ended up forgetting about their dying relatives... Yeah, that must be it.
So there it is, another reason to blame themselves for what they did to Hiroki added to the list.
Hiroki - '"Don't end up like me." Huh?' he looks up, his face serious, "That's true."
Kaede - 'What are you trying to do, Hiroki?' her eyebrows furrowed in worry.
Kanoko - 'You better not pull any crazy crap...' her breathing became heavy, looking at Hiroki on the screen intently.
Back with Megumi, he is seen struggling to try and make a decision. Would he risk it all and let the finger get swallowed by the curse to save the two students?
Megumi - "Damn it! Is it trying to swallow her along with the cursed object?!" he said in horror, watching helplessly as the curse consumes the rest of the two students, "I'm not gonna make it!"
But then, they curse's eyes widened as he look outside the window on its' side and saw... Hiroki. His legs face against the glass as he kicks his way in, glass shattering around.
Hiroki's unexpected appearance delivers great shock and confusion to the girls.
Kanoko - "W-WHAT?!" she sputtered, now standing up from her seat.
Ayumu - "H-HIROKI-SENPAI?!" she said, her eyes widened in complete baffled expression, "W-When did he get there?!"
Nao - "N-No wait! Did he just climb up there or did he just leap to the fourth floor from the ground?!" she asked, which sounded unbelievable at first.
Kaede - "S-Son!" her eyes widened, seeing Hiroki getting close to the curse.
He grabs the top railing of the broken window to change his line of sight mid-air, now facing toward the curse from above.
Megumi - "Hiroki!" his eyes widened also, taken back by his unexpected and sudden appearance.
Hiroki - 'I think you had a proper death, Grandpa.' he thought, 'But...!'
He gives a strong punch to the head of the curse, knocking it to a dazed state in place.
Hiroki - 'This death...' he quickly grabs Sasagi and Iguchi out of the curse's grip before leaping away with two of his friends in his arms, '-is wrong!'
Ayumu - 'He got it!' her mouth forms into a relieved smile, watching her 'friend' in admiration.
Kanoko - "W-Wow..." she muttered in awe while returning to her seat, finding a new utmost respect for her little brother.
Hiroki sets them down on the cold floor of the hallway, checking their condition. Iguchi coughs up blood while Sasagi looks traumatized.
Hiroki - "So this is a curse?" he looks back at the blob of horror, "It's not what I was expecting."
Before the curse could reach Hiroki along with his two friends, it was sliced in half as it exploded into chunks.
Megumi walks around a corner of the hallway while stretching his arm, his -Demon Dogs- munching on the remaining curses behind.
Kanoko - "Urchin also comes into the rescue!" she sighed in relief, glad to see the situation had been taken care of.
Nao - "That was incredible..." she mumbled, viewing Megumi's power on display.
Ayumu - "I-Is no one gonna talk about Hiroki jumping four stories up from the ground?" she suggested, looking at the three girls present.
Kaede - "I..." she trails off her words, speechless. Utterly flabbergasted.
Kanoko - 'What's the source of his superhuman strength?' she asked, now in confusion.
Megumi - "I want to ask what you're doing here, but good job." he stops in his tracks, "Why so haughty?"
Hiroki - "By the way, what's that munching on the curse?" he asked, looking at his -Demon Dogs- behind Megumi.
Megumi - "My Shikigami." he looks over his shoulder before back at Hiroki, "You can see them then? Normally, a curse can't be seen. Not unless you're on the verge of death or in special places like this."
Hiroki - "Oh, that makes sense." he nods understandingly, "I've never seen a ghost or anything like that at night."
Ayumu - "Oooooh... so that's why we haven't seen let alone heard about them before." she said, satisfied about the reveal of the answer.
Megumi was taken aback by his lack of fear.
Megumi - "You're not scared, are you?" he asked, slightly surprised.
Nao - '... Oh, right... He doesn't look scared...' she thought in realization, head tilting down as her mouth formed a light 'm' shape.
She knows Hiroki is already a brave person as she knows it, considering how he always gets out of the way to protect her. But she did not think he would be that brave to face something that could potentially lead to his life being taken away.
Hiroki - "I was scared a bit. But did you know?" he looks away, "People really can die."
Megumi - "Huh?" he furrows his eyebrows in confusion.
Hiroki - "So I at least want the people I know to have proper deaths." he explained, now standing up.
Both Hiroki's mother and big sister smiled at this.
Kanoko - 'Carrying on grandpa's legacy, huh?' she closed her eyes with a conceding smile, 'Heh, I'm really the weak one here. Isn't that right, Little brother?'
Hiroki - "Not that I really get it myself." he quickly grabs the finger before it falls out of Sasagi's skirt pocket, "Whoa!"
The pink-haired boy takes a closer look at the cursed object.
Hiroki - "This it?" he asked, still holding Sasagi in his arms.
Megumi - "Yeah." he replied in confirmation, "That's the special-grade cursed object, Ryomen Sukuna's finger. It's a miracle it didn't get swallowed."
Nao - "Ryomen Sukuna..." she repeated, wondering who this particular person was as he sounded like a big deal.
Hiroki - "Why would anything eat it?" he looks back at the cursed object in his hand, "Does it taste good?"
Silence...
Kanoko - "Why would you think of that?" she looks at her little brother, quite concerned by his outrageous statement.
Why would anyone think of wanting to eat that gross thing in the first place? And even if they did so, it would be the last thing they would think of when holding something so... nasty-looking.
Megumi - "Don't be stupid." he responded coldly, "You'd do it to gain stronger cursed energy. It's dangerous, so hand it over already."
Hiroki - "Sure sure." as he was about to hand the finger over, a literal giant hand emerged from the ceiling above them, earning a shocked gasp from Megumi.
Kaede, Kanoko, Ayumu, Nao - "Look out!" they all shouted in unison.
Megumi's two Shikigamis notice it and run back to their owner, as Megumi quickly pushes Hiroki out of the way.
Megumi - "Run!" he yelled, the curse making its way in and filling their surroundings with smoke.
Kanoko - 'Shit! The situation got real bad real quick again!' she sat on the edge of her seat once more.
Once the smoke clears out, the curse from the rugby field holds Megumi within its' grasp.
Hiroki - "Fushiguro!" he shouted in concern.
Megumi - "Nue!" he makes hand signals again, imitating that of a bird.
However, his summonings were canceled by the curse throwing him into the wall, causing the boy to spit out blood. While this is happening, Megumi's -Demon Dog- melts by itself, marking its leave.
Hiroki - "Huh?" he stares at the melting -Demon Dogs- in confusion.
From the outside, three flashing lights appear from the window as Megumi busts through the walls by the giant rugby field's curse, blood dripping down his forehead.
He lands on the ground and tries to stand up, finding out it is increasingly hard to do so while the curse quickly advances toward the sorcerer.
Megumi - "Damn it, I can't think straight." he spoke weakly, trying to summon another one of his companions with his hand signals.
As the curse was about to grip the young sorcerer again, Hiroki came from above and delivered a quick powerful chop to the curse's head.
Kaede - 'Hiroki!' her eyes widened at his unexpected appearance again, 'Get out of there now!'
Ayumu - "Oh no, oh no. Oh god, oh god." she covers half of her face, panicking at the thought of having to watch her former best friend get potentially injured or even worse... dead.
Megumi - "Hiroki!" he struggles weakly, "Why can't you understand to take those two and run?!"
Hiroki is seen avoiding the curse's strike left right in the center, dodging mid-air, and attempting to crawl up the curse's giant body.
Hiroki - "You're in big trouble yourself!" he retorted, being dragged across the ground by the curse, creating a line on the school's roof ground in the process as he is thrown into the air while screaming in pain.
Megumi - "Only a curse can exorcise other curses!" he yelled, "You can't beat it!"
Ayumu - 'Move out of the way! Out of the way!' she screams internally, making motions with her hands by herself.
Nao - "H-Hiroki's really struggling to keep up with that thing..." she said quietly, eyes widening in worry.
Kanoko - "Get the hell away from that thing! Didn't you hear what Fushiguro just said?!" she fumed, teeth-gritting in the maximum amount of worry.
Hiroki - "Is it the time to be saying that?!" he yells back, dodging attacks some more by doing a quick maneuver in the air and around the curse before finally landing a kick in the eye, "You're going to die at this rate!"
However, after taking a step back, he saw that the curse's eyes regenerated from its damage rather quickly.
Kanoko - "Oh great, it can regenerate too." she noted in frustration.
Kaede - "Please be okay, Hiroki..." She clasped her hands in worry and concern.
Hiroki - "If I went home now, I'd be having nightmares!" he lands on a railing, the finger still under his possession, "Besides, I have my own..."
A voice of Wasuke can be heard again, reading: "Help others."
Hiroki - "... Troublesome curse already!" he leaps away from an incoming attack.
Kanoko - "Summon whatever shit you had at your disposal and help Hiroki! Damn it!" she yells in irritation, wondering how long it takes for Megumi to fully recover from the blow.
Nao - 'If he keeps dodging like that, the curse will eventually hit him...' she thought. No words could describe how much she worries for Hiroki's well-being, which in itself is already a surprising thing.
As he was about to jump out of the way, he was punched straight in the stomach by the curse. He coughs up blood before being flung into the air, the cursed object now no longer within his grasp.
Hiroki - "Arg!" he grunted in pain.
Kaede - "HIROKI!" she nearly cries at the sight of blood from her son.
Nao - 'I-I was right..!' her face contorted to that of a terrified one.
Ayumu - "No no no!" she jumps in her seat repeatedly, panicking, ''
Noticing the finger in the air, he regained his composure and tried to reach for the cursed object... Until he was abruptly caught by the curse and was about to swallow him, but he forced his way up by jumping on its head and catching the finger with his teeth.
Megumi - "Idiot! Hand it over to me or you'll get eaten too!" he shouted, finally recovered.
Kanoko - "It's the finger! That curse is only chasing Hiroki because he has the finger!" she exclaimed, pointing at the screen.
Ayumu - 'Just let go of the finger! It's not worth it anymore!' she jumps slightly on her seat.
Nao - "Toss it back to Fushiguro!" she leans forward, almost shouting.
The curse, now with two hands and opening its mouth wide, forcibly holds Hiroki down as if it is trying to eat him. Meanwhile, Hiroki, holding himself with two legs against its exposed teeth, is struggling within the curse's grasp.
Holding in as much as he can to not die.
While at this, Hiroki looks at the finger and remembers his own words: "Why would anyone eat it? Does it taste good?"
"Don't be stupid. You'd do it to gain stronger cursed energy."
Ayumu - "What is he trying to...?" she questioned in skepticism
They were confused at first... but then their eyes widened. Realization struck them as to what Hiroki was about to do.
Nao - "No..." she muttered in disbelief, refusing the thought of what she thought he was planning.
Hiroki - 'It's alright, right?! No one's waiting for me back home! Besides...' with a flick, he sends the finger flying above his head, aiming at his mouth, "There is a way to save everyone! I just need some cursed energy, right, Fushiguro?!"
Megumi - "Don't." he is almost in disbelief but reality strikes him, "DON'T DO IT!"
Ayumu - "Wait..." her eyes widened even more, and her breathing stopped.
Kanoko - "CRUD!" she swore, her mind in distress as she anticipated what was about to happen.
Nao - "Don't... Don't tell me he's going to..." she gasped.
Kaede - "Don't do it, Hiroki!" she yells on the verge of tears.
They still remember clearly what Fushiguro said: "It's a deadly poison." He'll die if he eats it!
Opening his mouth wide open, he lets the finger fall into his mouth before swallowing it whole in one go.
GULP!
Ayumu - "NO!" she immediately looks away out of fear of what is about to happen, only hearing the sound of the finger gulping down his throat.
Kaede - "H-Hiroki... N-No..." her mouth quivered into a nervous one, a drop of tear now falling down her face.
Nao - "H-He just... swallows it...!" she remarked with a look of shock and horror.
Kanoko does not say anything in particular, but instead, she just waits... and waits... anticipating the dread that is about to come.
Megumi - 'Ryomen Sukuna's finger! That's a special-grade cursed object!' his mouth twitched, 'It's a deadly poison! He'll die for sure!'
Hiroki's body went limp, his legs swaying left and right in the air as the curse took advantage of his weak state to try and eat him again.
Megumi - 'But there's a one in a million... a one in a million chance...' he remarked, voice trembling in fear.
Ayumu - "One... in a million...?" her face turns into a confused one, but still has a faint hint of concern and worry in it.
Almost all of a sudden, the curse's hands, which were previously holding Hiroki in place explode into smithereens.
Hiroki, out of his daze, leaps away from the curse and lands a few steps back in an abnormal way.
The curse quickly advances toward the two teenagers using its remaining limbs.
With markings appearing on Hiroki's wrist, he flicks his hand up in the air faster than the naked eyes can see, instantly demolishing the curse into bits as it eventually disintegrates into mere ashes.
Their skin went pale as they saw what Hiroki did to the curse.
Nao - "W-What...?" she muttered, her concern and worry overwritten into a confused and slightly fearful one.
Kanoko - "How the...?" her mouth hangs open in utter bewilderment.
Kaede - "He's... He's okay?" she looks at the screen with hope, but all that hope instantly fades once she sees something that is not normal, 'Markings...?'
Megumi's eyes widened more and more each second, realizing the nightmare that unfolds right before his very eyes.
Steams coming out of Hiroki's arm, the screen moves closer and shows his face. The clouds finally drifted away as his face was shined by the bright moonlight, showing a clear picture of the markings spread across his face.
Kanoko - "H-He's okay, but..." he blinked, swallowing her spit, "He has... tattoos now?"
Ayumu, who was next to Kanoko was perplexed beyond anything to the point where she could not say a word, marking her as speechless.
He opens his eyes, and two pairs of eyes appear right under his main ones. His light snicker slowly turns into a full wicked; diabolical laugh.
Nao - "W-What is happening to him?!" she asked out of instinct, uneased by Hiroki's unexpectedly evil laugh.
Ayumu - 'Hiroki-senpai... becomes scary...' she thought in a fearful expression.
Hiroki - "Ah, I knew it! The light feels the best in the flesh!" he rips off his hoodie, showing the rest of his markings underneath his clothing.
Meanwhile, Megumi kept looking at him from behind with shaky breaths.
Megumi - 'This is the worst...' he thought in dread and panic, 'A one-in-a-million-chance, worst outcome!'
'The special-grade cursed object has incarnated!'
Kanoko - 'Did that finger just possess him?!' she asked herself in wonder, mouth slightly shaking.
Nao - "One in a million chance...? Incarnated?" she repeated, absolutely confused and terrified.
Hiroki - "The cursed spirit's flesh is so boring." he commented, his voice amplifying in a cursed way as he looked around, "Where are the people? The women?!"
He stands on a railing and holds his arms up, looking at the bright distinct lights of houses, buildings, and streets in the distance.
Hiroki - "What a wonderful era to be in. Women and children are crawling everywhere like maggots." he continues on his rambling, "Marvelous! It'll be a massacre!"
Kanoko - "H-He sounds like he's crazy..." she pointed it out, now trembling in her seat.
Kaede - 'Hiroki... What happened to you...?' she asked, worried and confused about her son's sudden change in behavior.
As he continues on his crazed laugh, he stops himself by grabbing his cheek and steps back from the railing.
Hiroki - "What do you think you're doing with my body?" he asked to seemingly... himself, "Give it back."
Hiroki - "How are you able to move?" he responded back... to himself.
Hiroki - "I mean, it's my body." he stated, back to himself again.
Kanoko - "Now he's... talking to himself?"
Nao - "I- Wait no, I think it wasn't Hiroki who said all of that?!" she theorized.
Ayumu - "What do you mean by that, Nao?" she looks at her from the side, confused by her friend's statement.
Nao - "It's like... There's another person taking control of his body...?" she shrugs her shoulders, still as clueless as the other three.
Hiroki - 'He's suppressing me?' he thought, but it was all interrupted by a shout from his right.
Megumi - "Don't move!" he ordered threateningly, earning a confused look from Hiroki as he looked at him, "You're no longer human!"
He holds his hands up, clenching it into a fist. Darkness began to envelop the dark-haired teen again, as he prepared to summon something big.
Ayumu - "N-No longer human? What does he mean by that?!" she questioned, profoundly puzzled.
Kaede - "Hiroki..." she muttered, eyes filled with motherly worries.
Megumi - "Under Jujutsu regulations, Itadori Hiroki..."
"I will exorcise you as a curse!"
________________________________________
(There you go my dear readers.)
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