Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

What the actual fuck.  

You blink, absolutely dumbfounded. There’s some kind of grotesque, insect-like creature in front of you, buzzing obnoxiously as it flaps its wings. It bears the appearance of a fly, at least somewhat, but it’s much bigger than a normal fly, and its face looks like it came straight out of a low-budget horror movie.   

The point is, it’s not normal. It's not the kind of thing you’ve ever seen before. At the very least, not in real life.   

And yet, you’re the only one who seems to notice it.  

“...I keep telling you, it’s weird,” a girl mumbles, scratching her neck impatiently. “I can’t get rid of it. There’s this chill that follows me around no matter where I go, and my shoulders feel weirdly heavy lately. I even went to a chiropractor to see if it would help. I feel so gross these days.”   

The fly-like creature is hovering closely above the girl, a disturbing smile plastered across its already unattractive face. It’s literally right next to her, and not only her, but the other girls that are gathered around. They’re all just talking like nothing’s even going on. Completely blind to the abnormal presence that lurks nearby.   

You’re the only one who can see that yucky-looking thing. How does that make any sense? How is it even possible for something like that to exist in real life?   

Actually… where are you right now?   

Once again, you blink. Something utterly strange is happening. The last thing you remember is going to bed, in your perfectly ordinary bedroom, so how in the world did you wake up in the middle of what appears to be a field?   

You’re at a school, by the looks of things. But certainly not the school you’re used to attending. It seems like you’re even wearing some unfamiliar uniform, and it would make sense for this to be a dream, but by all accounts, it’s way too realistic.   

Pinching your cheek doesn’t help. The scenery refuses to change, and sure enough, the creature is still hanging above that girl. It even lets out a shrill, high-pitched laugh (which she of course doesn’t hear), almost as if it’s taunting her.  

You’re not sure what you should be doing right now. This is all one hell of a mindfuck, if you’re being honest. But that creature can’t be good news, and even though you’re admittedly pretty scared, it seems like you’re the only one who can see it. You’re the only one who even realizes it’s here.   

Swallowing your apprehension, you take a deep breath and approach.   

“Excuse me…?”  

You call out to the group of girls. There’s no easy way to break this to them. How do you bring up the fact that there’s some weird creature in the vicinity? If they can’t see it, there’s no reason they’ll even believe you. They’ll probably just think you’re crazy or something.   

As it so happens, though, you aren’t required to recount some absurd, seemingly nonsensical tale.   

You’ve barely taken two steps forward when all of a sudden, the creature sharply turns its head in your direction.   

And then it screams.   

Just like its laugh, the sound is high-pitched and wholly unpleasant. You’re not even sure what prompted that kind of reaction, since it seemed pretty chill up until this point, but now, it’s trembling like a leaf in the wind.   

You’re worried that you might have triggered it somehow, and that it’s going to attack you, but that doesn’t happen either. It turns out that the scream it just let out wasn’t one of aggression, but rather, fear .   

So, it flies off before you can get any closer, and the girl who was complaining until just a few moments ago suddenly blinks, expression brightening.  

“Whoa, wait,” she mumbles in disbelief. “It’s… it’s gone. I think I feel better now. No way. It’s actually gone! I thought it would never end!”  

“Are you sure it wasn’t just all in your head?” one of the other girls frowns, visibly unconvinced. She then turns towards you. “Oh. Sorry, were you talking to us just now? I didn’t really hear what you said.”   

“Uh.”   

You’re not sure what to say. The whole reason you came over was so you could warn them about that weird creature, but it disappeared in the blink of an eye. It screamed right as it saw your face—which is kind of offensive, honestly—and then it flew off like no one’s business.   

A bit hesitant, you try asking, “Sorry if this sounds weird, but where are we right now?”   

Now it’s their turn to look dumbfounded. You can only imagine how visceral their reaction would have been if you’d actually brought up the weird fly creature.   

“What do you mean where are we? We’re… at school, where else?”   

The girl gestures all around her, as if it should be obvious. Granted, you deduced as much, but that wasn’t really what you were asking. All of this is just so ridiculous. How in the world does a person manage to go to sleep in their own room and wake up someplace they’ve never been before?  

The group decides to walk away, probably because you weirded them out with your stupid question, and you can even hear them whispering amongst themselves.   

“Why’d she even ask that all of a sudden…?”   

“I don’t know. She transferred here just recently, right? Maybe she’s still getting used to things. It was kind of weird, though.”   

They keep talking about it as they leave, probably not realizing you can still hear them. Whatever. You’ve got bigger fish to fry right now. As things stand, you woke up god-knows-where, and you just saw some freakish creature a second ago, so you’re starting to worry that you might be going insane.   

The only explanation is that this has to be some kind of dream. A lucid dream, perhaps? That’s what they call these kinds of things, right?  

This is way too freaky, though. Can I make myself wake up? I really don’t like this. It gives me the creeps.   

You desperately try to force yourself awake, but regretfully, it doesn’t work. And you’re not even given much time to speculate on the issue any further.   

A soccer ball comes flying at you and hits you right in the face.  

It hurts. It hurts like fucking hell . In fact, it hurts so much that you’re knocked flat onto your back, groaning as you cradle your poor nose, which feels like it’s just been split open.   

“...holy shit, are you okay?!”   

You can hear a student running towards you, but since you’re lying on your back convinced you’re about to die, you don’t pay it much mind. The immense amount of pain you’re feeling is absurd. Even for a lucid dream, isn’t this too much?  

However, things are only about to get weirder.   

Like way, way weirder.   

“I’m so sorry!” the same student apologizes. It’s a boy, by the sounds of it, and you hear him drop to his knees beside you. “I swear I wasn’t even trying to kick the ball that hard! I barely even used any force!”  

From afar, another student chimes in. “Even when you hold back, you’re way too strong, Itadori! Is she dead? You killed her, didn’t you?”  

Did he just say… Itadori?   

For just a moment, the pain subsides, and clarity overtakes your features. You manage to squint your eyes open and find a boy staring down at you. A boy with bright brown eyes, and spiky pink hair styled in an undercut.   

A boy that you’ve most definitely seen before.   

Your jaw drops open. There’s just no way. This is… Itadori Yuji? The protagonist of Jujutsu Kaisen? A fictional series, which, by definition, means he doesn’t actually exist ?   

Yet here he is, fussing over you and looking immeasurably guilty for having just kicked a soccer ball in your face. And even though you keep trying to tell yourself that this is a dream, it’s getting harder and harder to deny. The sensations you feel—the pain, the confusion, and the excited fluttering in your chest—are impossible to ignore.  

It all makes sense now. That weird creature you saw earlier was a cursed spirit. That explains why those girls didn’t even notice it. Ordinary humans normally can’t perceive curses. Most of the time, they’re completely unaware of their existence.  

You realize how utterly absurd this is. People don’t just wake up and find themselves sucked into their favorite anime. No matter how badly some fans might wish for it, this kind of thing just doesn’t happen.  

Or at least, it’s not supposed to.  

“Wait, your—your nose is bleeding!” Itadori exclaims. “I need to get you to the infirmary! Can you walk? Or should I carry you?”   

He appears frantic, which of course he is, since he’s a good guy. He’s the kind of guy who always cares about others. A guy with a big heart, a friendly demeanor, and a penchant for justice. Truly, the perfect protagonist.   

…so, is this seriously happening right now?  

“I-I’m fine,” you try to insist. “I just… need a moment. And then I’ll be okay.”   

Itadori seems entirely unconvinced, so you suspect your nose is probably bleeding even more than you fear. Right now, you honestly couldn’t care less, though. Your heart is pounding relentlessly. The excitement and awe you feel can’t even be put into words.  

“I’ll take you to the infirmary,” Itadori says again. He resists the urge to outright pick you up into his arms, and after a moment’s pause, he offers you his hand instead. “Here. Try standing up. If not, I’ll carry you there, okay?”   

It’s difficult just to form a response. You’re overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of his presence. The fact that you’re face to face with someone you never thought you’d be able to see in person, let alone speak to.   

But even if it seems hard to believe, even if it makes you want to question your sanity, this is real . This is actually happening.   

And so, you take his hand—changing the course of your life as you know it. 

Chapter Text

Itadori helps you to your feet, and you can’t help but stare at your hand, at the way that it’s tightly grasping his. Even now, it still feels like a dream. You’re actually holding Itadori Yuji’s hand, like it’s no big deal.  

Honestly, it’s almost impossible not to fangirl.  

But perhaps it’s a good thing that your nose is bleeding right now (not really), because it prevents you from making a total fool of yourself, and so, with great reluctance, you let go of Itadori’s hand and start walking.   

“Man, I’m really sorry about this,” Itadori apologizes again, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably. “I feel awful. I should have been more aware of my surroundings. I know apologizing doesn’t actually help much, but I’m seriously sorry, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make it up to you!”   

Yes, your nose hurts like a bitch, but being kicked with that soccer ball allowed you to meet him, so in the grand scheme of things, you’re not complaining.   

Still, there’s a lot of blood, so you definitely need to see the school nurse.   

It’s actually for the best that Itadori is walking with you and guiding you along, his hand resting gently against your back in case you sway unsteadily and trip over your own feet. Without him, you wouldn’t have a damn clue where you’re going. It’s the first time you’ve ever stepped foot in this school, after all. Based on what those girls said earlier, it sounds like you’re a recent transfer student or something…? That’s a rather convenient plot device. Although this whole situation is so ridiculous that you would expect nothing less, really.   

“Just a bit further,” Itadori encourages. He offers you a bright smile, and you have to squint through your eyes, because he may as well the sun. His protagonist status couldn’t be any more obvious.   

Eventually, you arrive at the infirmary, and Itadori promptly slides the door open and pokes his head into the room.  

“Um, excuse me? Miss nurse? There’s a student here who got hurt pretty badly, and she needs help.”   

There’s no response. You follow him and step inside the room. Sure enough, it’s empty, so you can only assume the nurse isn’t here right now. She’s off doing god-knows what. Seriously, what is it with school nurses and never being around to do their jobs?   

“Uh-oh,” you say, a few droplets of blood slipping through the cracks of your fingers and splattering onto the floor. “I don’t feel so good…”  

You’re hit by a sudden wave of dizziness, and Itadori catches you in his arms before you can fall onto the floor. Maybe you should have taken him up on his offer to carry you earlier. You already know from watching the anime how abnormally strong he is. He lifts you up as if you’re weightless, then gently places you down on one of the beds.   

“Uh, crap,” Itadori mumbles, brows pulling together in concern. “I’m not that good with this kind of stuff, but for now… just lie down, okay? I’ll get you some tissues.”   

You watch him scurry around the room, nearly knocking things over in the process, but he returns to your bedside before long, offering you a needlessly large pile of tissues.  

…actually, considering how bad your nosebleed is, those tissues still might not be enough.   

“Thanks,” you say, shifting onto your side so that you can face him. You grab a few tissues and press them to your poor, aching nose.   

What a terrible first impression. Here you are, having finally met one of your favorite characters of all time, with blood gushing down your face. It’s incredibly unflattering, you have to admit. Most people would probably think it’s pretty gross. You’re lucky that Itadori is the nicest, friendliest person ever.   

“I’m so sorry,” he apologizes for the millionth time. The poor guy looks guilty beyond belief. It’s not his fault that he’s got superhuman strength. He can blame the author of Jujutsu Kaisen for that.  

“Don’t worry about it,” you wave off, still holding the tissues close to your nose, so your voice comes out a bit muffled. “Accidents happen. I’ll live.”   

“But still! You look like you’re really suffering, and I just—” He stops to sigh. “Anyways, it’s my bad. I can’t change what happened. I just wish I knew a better way to help.”   

“Seriously, I’m okay,” you insist. “I don’t want you to keep beating yourself up over it. Um… earlier, I heard someone say your name. Itadori, right? I’m [Name].”   

You obviously already know his name. You know even more about him than he does, to be honest. You know what the future holds in store for him, and how soon, his life will change forevermore.   

“It’s nice to meet you, [Name].” Itadori chuckles weakly, hanging his head in defeat. “If only we’d met on better terms. After today, I swear I’m never playing soccer ever again. I’m going on strike! Even if those guys keep pestering me to play with them, it won’t happen!”   

“There’s really no need to go that far. I promise I’ll be fine.” Hesitantly, you pull the tissues away from your nose. It seems like the bleeding has mostly stopped. “See? I’m already getting better. This is no biggie.”   

“Damn. You’re really tough,” Itadori marvels. “Most people wouldn’t be as calm as you. It’s badass!”  

No, I’m just too busy fangirling over you right now.   

You obviously keep your thoughts to yourself, but it’s impossible to fully suppress the smile that keeps rising to your lips. None of this makes any sense, and truthfully, you can’t help but wonder what happened in the real world —the world you’re from. You wonder about how your parents and friends are reacting to your disappearance, or if you’ve even disappeared at all. Maybe this is some sort of alternate reality. Maybe you’re living within both worlds, simultaneously, without even realizing it.   

Ugh. It’s probably best not to think too hard about it. This whole thing is way too trippy.   

“The nurse still isn’t here,” Itadori remarks. “I guess it is lunchtime. Well, either way, I’ll stay and wait with you until she’s back.”   

“I appreciate it,” you smile.   

Obviously, the canon plot of Jujutsu Kaisen has yet to kick off, because this is just an ordinary high school, which means he hasn’t met Fushiguro or Gojo at this point. It also means that he’s incapable of seeing curses. But for some reason, you are.   

You were able to see that weird insect-like curse from before, when no one else could. That means that you must at least have an above-average amount of cursed energy, right? The curse also ran away when you approached it. Maybe that’s why? Because it sensed that you were aware of it?   

Who knows, really. But you suppose it’s a good thing that you’re able to perceive curses. There are some exceptionally dangerous ones out there, and you feel much more at ease knowing that you won’t be completely blind to them.   

For a little while, you just stare at Itadori. You make a point of studying all his features, the same features you’ve only ever been able to glimpse across a screen, or while flipping through the pages of a manga. It’s so surreal that you’re able to hold a conversation with him like this. It’s strange—but also exhilarating—to see him looking your way and to know that the smile on his face is directed towards you .   

But… all that being said, you know what kind of world Jujutsu Kaisen is. You know how incredibly dangerous the plot will become, and how your life can easily be put at risk. Every fan dreams of being able to interact with their favorite characters, but just because you’re now living in a fictional world, it doesn’t mean you have a death wish.   

You won’t be able to spend much time with Itadori. Soon, he’ll go off to Jujutsu High, and you’ll probably never see him again. There’s no guarantee that you’ll even talk after this. The only reason you met was because of some fortunate accident that granted you the rare opportunity to speak to him. He’s a popular guy, after all. There are plenty of other people he’ll be spending his time with.   

Still, it was nice while it lasted. You should be content with just getting to meet him at all. You should be grateful for an opportunity that normally wouldn’t exist.    

“Oh, there she is,” Itadori perks up. It seems like the nurse has just returned, and he stands up and hastily bows to her. “I’m so sorry! I accidentally kicked [Name] in the face with a soccer ball, and she got really hurt because of me! Please take a look at her to make sure she’s okay!”  

“You did what ?” the nurse blinks, and she hurriedly glances over at you to find you flashing her a thumbs-up, with a wad of bloody tissues pressed to your nose. A heavy sigh falls from her lips. “Oh, good grief.”  

“It looks worse than it is,” you reassure.   

“Let me be the judge of that, please. You should run along and enjoy what’s left of your lunchtime,” she tells Itadori. “Thank you for bringing her. I’ll take care of it, so don’t worry.”   

Itadori frowns. “I hope she’ll be alright. Is there anything at all I can help with? I’ll stay behind if you need me to, just so I can—”   

“Everything will be fine,” the nurse insists, unscrewing a jar filled with cotton balls. “Classes will be starting soon, so just let me handle this. Alright?”   

“Yeah. Alright. I’m sure you know best.” Itadori looks back at you once more. He smiles in a way that conveys how bad he still feels. “I’ll get going now, [Name]. Again, I’m really sorry for what happened. I hope you feel better soon.”   

He leaves moments later, and you exhale softly. This was a remarkably coincidental meeting. The two of you hardly know each other, and you doubt another opportunity like this will arise. It was destined to be a one-time thing. That’s what you instinctively believe.   

But of course, you’re wrong.   

“[Name], hey! Good morning!”   

You blink repeatedly. It’s a brand-new day, and you’re back at school again. Yesterday you went home to find that your parents in this world look exactly like your real parents, except, well, they’re not. They act like them, too. Mostly, at least. In a way, it’s reassuring to have them around, but since they aren’t as bewildered as you are by this new world, you can tell they haven’t been isekai’d. They’re just kind of here. Like placeholders, or something.   

Anyways, nothing out of the ordinary happened last night. You had the same kind of interactions with your parents as you normally would. You know better than to question all the semantics, so you’re just going to go with the flow and make the most of this situation.   

But right now, you’re rightfully taken aback, because Itadori is grinning ear-to-ear while he waves to you.   

“Um, hey,” you reply, blinking yet again. “What’s up?”   

“Nothing much,” Itadori keeps smiling. “By the way, how are you feeling today? I heard you went home yesterday after lunch to get some rest, but the nurse told me your nose wasn’t broken or anything, which is a relief.”   

“Yeah, it’s all good,” you nod. “Apparently it’s not uncommon to get a nosebleed after getting hit in the face. It doesn’t always mean it’s broken. So, I don’t need to go to the hospital to get it realigned or anything. Which is good, because I was really dreading that. I heard it hurts like a bitch.”   

“I’m sure it does,” Itadori laughs. He stops himself, though, looking very sheepish all of a sudden. “But, uh… seriously, I’m really sorry about what happened. I feel like I shouldn’t be joking around after what I did to you.”   

Aw. What a cutie.   

He’s a sweetheart, no doubt about it. You wish you could express how much you’re grateful just for the opportunity to even talk to him, but if you tell him the truth, he’ll definitely think you’re crazy. And so will everyone else.   

“Don’t stress about it,” you smile. “There’s just a bit of swelling and slight bruising. I’ll be good as new in no time.”   

Itadori beams at you. “You’re so nice, [Name]! Thanks so much for not holding this against me. I’ll try to figure out a way to make it up to you in the meantime.”   

You keep trying to reassure him that there’s really no need, but he seems determined to right his wrongs. Together, you walk into the school building, quickly lock up some of your belongings, then you head to the classrooms.   

“This is my class,” you say, stopping in front of one of the rooms. Yesterday you skimmed through some of your relevant school documentation, like your student ID, enrollment papers, etcetera. You’re a new transfer student, so thankfully, there were a bunch of papers lying around at home for you to consult.   

Itadori tilts his head to the side. “Weird. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you. I stop by here pretty often. A few of my friends are in this class.”   

“I just transferred in recently, so that’s probably why.”   

“Oh, right. I think I remember hearing that we got a new transfer student. Are you liking it so far? I mean, apart from getting kicked with a soccer ball, obviously.”   

You chuckle softly. “It’s been… good. Um, yeah. I have no complaints.”   

Mostly because my memories of this place don’t date back any farther than yesterday.   

The hallways are bustling with students hurrying to get to class, so regretfully, it doesn’t look like you have much more time to loiter around and chat.   

“I guess I should head to my classroom now,” Itadori says. “But I’m glad to hear you’re feeling better! I’ll see you again soon, okay?”  

“Yeah, see you around,” you smile.   

He walks off, and within moments of stepping away from you, some other student comes up to him and drapes an arm around his shoulder. He’s absurdly popular, of course. The kind of person that others naturally gravitate towards.  

You smile, heart pounding wildly in your chest. It’s still crazy how this is even happening right now. Talking to him always leaves you breathless, in a sense. It leaves you feeling giddier than you can even put into words.   

Even though your nose is still a bit sore, you’re in such good spirits that it hardly even fazes you, so you turn around with a spring in your step.   

Only to hastily clear your throat.   

“Um, sorry if this is a weird question, but… does anyone know which desk I sit at?”  

Lunch rolls around, and Itadori returns.   

It turns out that when he said he’d see you again soon, he meant really soon. You watch, mouth agape, as he excitedly waves to you from your classroom’s doorway.   

“[Name]!” he calls out. “[Name], hey! Over here!”  

He’s as expressive as ever, and your classmates don’t even look surprised that he’s calling your name with such enthusiasm, despite you having only just transferred in. Itadori’s so friendly that it’s practically a given he’ll get along with everyone.   

You walk over and give him a curious look. “Itadori? What’s going on?”   

“Nothing much,” he grins. “Just wanted to ask if you wanted to eat lunch together. My treat! It’s the least I can do for you, all things considered.”   

“Are you sure? You really don’t have to. I packed a lunch from home,” you say, gesturing towards the bento box on your desk.   

He scratches his cheek. “Hm, okay. Well, I guess I won’t buy you lunch today, but I’ll definitely do it next time! Did you want to eat together anyways?”   

No way.   

You can’t believe this is actually happening. It’s crazy enough that you were able to meet him in the first place, but now he’s even going out of his way to seek you out? You suspect it’s mainly because he feels guilty for injuring you and wants to make sure you’re okay, but still.   

Itadori Yuji could actually become your friend?   

“Y-Yes,” you blurt, immediately cringing at how excited you sound. “Um, yes. Thank you for inviting me. I’d love to eat lunch with you.”  

“Awesome!”   

His grin shows no sign of disappearing, and you race back into the classroom to quickly grab your bento box, heart fluttering all the while.  

Together, you walk through the hallways, and it looks like he’s leading you someplace. You can only assume it must be his usual lunch spot.  

Eventually, he stops in front of another classroom. It has a big plaque above it that reads Home Economics , but there’s also a paper plastered to the door. A paper that says something else entirely.    

Before you can even comment, Itadori slides the door open and looks back at you, grinning yet again.  

“Welcome… to the Occult Research Club.”  

Chapter Text

The door slides open to reveal two students, a girl and a boy, sitting around a table while they eat their lunches. Itadori steps inside, still grinning widely, and their heads turn at the sound of his voice.  

“Hey, guys! I just dropped by for lunch, if that’s okay. Oh, and I brought a friend! This is [Name],” he happily introduces.   

You’re too stunned by the fact that he just referred to you as his friend to process much else, and by that point, the two students have already stood up.   

“It’s nice to meet you, [Name],” the girl greets with a smile. “I’m Sasaki, a second-year.”   

“And I’m Iguchi, also a second-year,” the boy chimes in.   

Needless to say, you already know who they are, too. Even though it was indirect on their part, they’re largely the reason why Itadori ends up at Jujutsu High, thanks to the fateful events of a certain night spent on school grounds.   

At this point in time, Itadori has yet to give them Sukuna’s finger. You’re not sure exactly when it’ll happen, but there will probably be some warning signs, like Fushiguro showing up on campus to look for it.   

Still, for obvious reasons, you feel like you shouldn’t get too involved with these two. The plot is going to proceed normally, as it should. You’re worried that something might go wrong with your interference. It’s probably best if you keep your distance, and—  

“Would you like to join the Occult Research Club?!”   

“...”   

Yeah, you probably should’ve expected that.   

Itadori laughs. “Come on, guys. I didn’t bring her here to try and recruit her. I just wanted to introduce all three of you! I’m not sure if [Name]’s into that kind of stuff, anyways. It’s not really everyone’s thing.”   

“It’s true,” you nod. “I’m, uh, not that great with scary stuff…”   

“There’s nothing scary about the paranormal!” Sasaki insists. “It’s just interesting! Mysterious! Imagine what could be out there! Don’t you have a thirst for the unknown?”   

It’s precisely because I do know what’s out there that I’m scared…  

“Sasaki, you’re coming on way too strong,” Iguchi chides. He turns to offer you a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. We just can’t help but get excited when new people show up to our club room, but we know this kind of thing can’t be forced. You two are more than welcome to stay here during lunch.”  

To some extent, you can’t help but feel a bit bad, because you know how passionate they are, and soon, Itadori won’t be around to keep them company anymore. He has no choice but to go to Jujutsu High. It’s his fate as the protagonist of this world.   

You know you can’t possibly be a substitute for someone as irreplaceable as Itadori, but once all the craziness with Sukuna’s finger passes, you’d be happy to be their friend, if they’ll have you.  

“Ooh, your lunch looks really good, [Name],” Itadori remarks once you sit down and unpack your bento box.  

“Thanks,” you smile. “I’ve been cooking for a while. My mom cooks too, but I just got used to making food for myself. The process helps me take my mind off things. It’s kind of therapeutic, in a way.”   

Seeing as being sucked into a fictional world is kind of—or rather, really fucking insane, it’s safe to say that you cooked up a storm when you got home yesterday. You packed up most of the leftovers for lunch today, so the food didn’t go to waste, but still. You ended up emptying a good portion of the fridge.  

Itadori takes a big bite out of his onigiri, but he keeps eyeing your lunch all the while, so you chuckle and push the bento box closer to him.  

“Go ahead,” you encourage. “You can have some if you want.”   

“Can I really?” he blinks, a few pieces of rice stuck to his cheek. It’s kind of ridiculous how adorable this guy is. You have the sudden urge to pull him into your arms and give him a big squeeze, but mercifully, your intrusive thoughts don’t win.   

“Of course. I packed plenty, so I can afford to share.”  

“Oh—wait, but earlier, I was saying that I’d be the one to treat you! I can’t just eat your lunch! I still owe you big-time for what I did to you!”   

Itadori firmly shakes his head in refusal, then crosses his arms and makes an attempt at what you can only assume is meant to be a stern expression. But again, he’s so ridiculously cute that it’s a bit hard to take him seriously.   

Sasaki arches a brow. “What did you do to her?”   

“I, uh, may have hit her in the face with a soccer ball,” Itadori replies, shamefully shrinking in on himself.  

He is literally baby.   

“Why would you do that?” Iguchi gapes. “Come to think of it, her nose is a little bruised…”   

“It obviously wasn’t on purpose!” Itadori protests. He turns towards you with an imploring expression. “[Name], I promise it wasn’t on purpose. I swear I would never do something like that!”   

You chuckle softly. “I know you wouldn’t. You definitely don’t seem like that kind of guy.”  

Itadori lets out a sigh of relief and resumes munching on his onigiri. Meanwhile, Sasaki stares at you from across the table.   

“So… [Name],” she says. “You’re a first-year like Itadori, I’m assuming?”   

“Yep.”   

“I’ve never really seen you around.”   

“I’m a new student. I only just transferred in.”   

She pauses for a few moments, and you can see her eyes glistening with excitement. “So, that must mean you haven’t joined any clubs yet, right?”   

“Sasaki, not this again,” Iguchi sighs.   

“I’m telling you! Not everyone is drawn to the occult right away. It takes trial and error to figure out if it’s something you’re actually interested in. I’m not saying she has to join our club or anything. But while she’s here, she should at least dip her toes in, right?”   

Before Iguchi can protest on your behalf again, Sasaki grabs a large board from one of the bookshelves and turns towards you with a mischievous grin.   

“...you’ve heard of Kokkuri, right?”   

After school, Itadori stops by your classroom.   

“Hey, [Name],” he beams. “Thanks for hanging out with all of us during lunch. It was a lot of fun. Hopefully that game of Kokkuri didn’t freak you out too much.”  

“I had fun too,” you nod. Truthfully, you’ve never really been fazed by this kind of stuff. Horror movies and the like don’t often get much of a reaction out of you. You never bought into ghosts or vengeful spirits. Well, not in the real world at least.  

Unfortunately, in this world, there’s plenty of freaky shit to go around.   

“It means a lot to those guys,” Itadori says, a tinge of sadness to his smile. “We’re the only people in the school that seem to have an interest in the occult. I signed up for it because I thought it’d be fun, but we just barely meet the three-member minimum. Thanks for going along with it to make them happy, even if it’s not really your kind of thing.”   

“There’s no need to thank me. I know I said I wasn’t crazy about scary stuff, but I actually ended up having a good time. I’m glad you invited me to hang out with you guys,” you smile.   

Itadori returns your smile with one of his own—seriously, he’s almost always smiling, but you certainly don’t mind—and before you realize it, a phone has been placed into your hand.   

You blink. “What’s this?”   

“My phone,” Itadori replies, still smiling.  

“Um, I mean, I know that , but why’d you give it to me?”   

“So you can give me your number. That way it’ll be easier for us to stay in touch!” He pauses, just for a moment, to frown. “Oh, but I guess I should’ve asked if you were okay with it first. I got a little ahead of myself. Would it be cool if we exchanged numbers?”   

Abso-fucking-lutely!   

By some miracle, you manage to reign in your excitement, and instead of hardcore fangirling and squealing out at the top of your lungs, you just nod.   

“Sure thing,” you say, trying to play it cool. Still, despite your best efforts to act indifferent, your fingers are trembling as you pull out your own phone and refer to the number you have saved in a notes app (because you definitely haven’t memorized it within less than a day of being here). Once you’re finished inputting your number, you pass your phone over to Itadori so he can do the same.  

And just like that, you have a new contact saved. Itadori Yuji. He even added a little smiley-face at the end of his name. God, he’s so fucking cute.   

“Sweet!” Itadori grins. “Thanks, [Name]. I’ll be sure to text you lots! Sorry I can’t really stick around much longer. I just wanted to stop by real quick before I left to go visit my gramps at the hospital.”   

Right. His grandfather. A point deep in your stomach throbs uncomfortably, and you’re hit by a sudden wave of guilt. It feels awful to know that his grandfather’s end is rapidly approaching. It feels awful to know that you can’t change it, or even warn him. All you can do is feign ignorance and hope that he enjoys these fleeting moments while they last.   

You muster up a smile. “I hope you have a nice day with your grandpa. Feel free to text me whenever.”  

“Will do! See ya!”   

Itadori waves you off, every bit as cheerful as always. Yet another thing that causes you immense guilt is the knowledge that his happy days won’t last forever. Soon, he’ll be thrown into a dark, sinister world that teems with death. A world that, in your opinion, is far too harsh for such a gentle soul.   

Unfortunately, there’s nothing you can do about that. Fate will run its course, and you must simply stand by and let it happen.   

Despite the nice day you had, your spirits are admittedly a bit low as you trudge home, having to consult Oogle Maps in order to find your way around. After being injured yesterday, the nurse called your parents to inform them of what had happened, and your mom came by to pick you up. This is technically your first time finding your way home by yourself. It’s not just a new school you need time getting used to, but a new home, a new city, a new world … all of it is bound to get a little overwhelming at times.  

You wish you could say you’re completely aware of your surroundings, but that’s far from the truth. Every so often, you have to stop and squint towards the street signs to make sure you’re heading the right way. Jujutsu Kaisen is set in a fictional world, of course, but it’s a world modeled off the real world, and there’s plenty of similarities. This version of Japan is every bit as busy as the real one, for instance. Which is why you keep getting swept up in the crowds and losing your sense of direction.  

Still, it’s not rocket science. You can mostly figure out where you’re going. Oogle Maps is idiot-proof, after all. Well, sort of.   

But the fact remains that you’ve never wandered these streets before, and naturally, you’re as disoriented as anyone would be in a foreign place. Hence why you don’t notice him until it’s late.   

A man with long, black hair, who’s staring right at you.   

You get jerked around by the crowd of people hurrying home during rush-hour, enough that you end up tripping onto the sidewalk and falling onto your knees. Your socks only reach up to your calves, so unfortunately, your knees get scraped open and start bleeding.   

Man. Only two days into this isekai thing, and you just can’t seem to stop getting hurt.   

“...are you alright?”   

Some guy is speaking to you. Presumably, one of the bystanders that saw you trip. Your cheeks flush, because falling in public is one of the most embarrassing things that can happen, but you instinctively reach out to grab his hand anyway.   

At the same time, your gaze pans upwards, and his eyes meet yours.   

Oh, balls.   

That’s the most appropriate response you can think of. After all, the man you’ve just had the misfortune of running into is hardly the type to be your friend. He’s not like Itadori. He’s not one of the good guys.   

He is Geto Suguru. Or rather, the curse user that’s pretending to be him. The real Geto is long dead. He was killed by his former best friend, Gojo.   

Those scars on his forehead tell you everything you need to know. The curse user’s name is Kenjaku, and he is merely using Geto’s body as a vessel. As things stand, you’re probably the only person who knows his true identity.  

Regardless, the details don’t matter right now.  

You’re just really fucking scared.   

Kenjaku pulls you to your feet, and unlike with Itadori, when you wished you could keep holding his hand forever, this time, you pull away viscerally fast, as if you’ve just been splashed with hot oil.   

Naturally, Kenjaku notices.   

“You didn’t answer my question, miss,” he chuckles, a cunning smile spreading across his lips. “I asked if you were alright. You took quite a tumble there. It must have hurt.”   

“I-I’m fine,” you reply, praying your fear isn’t absurdly obvious. You need to stay calm. There’s no reason why an ordinary person would be afraid of him, and if you let it show, he’ll know something’s up.   

“Your knees are bleeding,” Kenjaku points out. He leans closer to you, and you swear your heart nearly explodes. His dark, thin eyes are even more eerie from up close. “And you look like you just saw a ghost. I admit, I’m a bit worried.”  

That’s bullshit if you’ve ever heard it, but nevertheless, you can’t allow your expression to crumble. There’s no reason for him to kill you out in public like this. Unlike cursed spirits, people can see him. He won’t risk drawing that kind of attention to himself.   

Probably.   

“I’m just… socially awkward,” you say, chuckling shyly for added effect. “And, uh, I’m not good at talking to handsome guys like you. I get nervous.”   

To be honest, what you just said isn’t even a total lie. Sadly.   

Kenjaku stares at you in silence for a few moments, then smiles yet again, his eyes crinkling at the corners.   

“I’m flattered by your words,” he muses. “Well, just be careful not to trip again. You got off with a small injury this time, but if you’re not careful, it could be a lot worse. And nobody likes to hurt, do they?”   

It’s hard to tell whether or not that was meant to be a thinly-veiled threat, but you have no intention of sticking around to find out.   

“Thank you for your help, mister. I appreciate it.”   

You hastily bow to him, then waste no time before speed-walking away. The further you get, the easier it is to breathe.  

But since you’re too scared to look back over your shoulder, you don’t realize that Kenjaku is still staring at you with a contemplative look on his face.   

He hums to himself. “So much cursed energy. Is she a sorcerer? But something about her seems strange. I just can’t put my finger on it.”   

Well, no matter. He’ll leave you in peace for now. He can’t very well attack you in broad daylight, and he doesn’t even know if you pose a threat. There are far too many variables to consider.   

Besides, something tells him that this won’t be your last meeting.   

Chapter Text

“Draw two,” Sasaki says.   

“I’ll add another draw two. So now [Name] has to draw four,” Iguchi follows up, throwing another card onto the pile.  

You stare at the two cards left in your hand, and then you cast a glance beside you, over to poor Itadori, who’s easily holding more than ten. Part of you wonders if you should be nice and spare him, since he’s clearly suffering more than enough already, but then again, this is Uno.   

Uno is just about as cutthroat as it gets.   

“Sorry,” you mumble, wincing a bit as you add another card onto the pile. “I still have a draw four card left… which means Itadori has to pick up eight cards in total. Also, um, Uno.”   

“No way!” he cries out, and you swear you see his soul leave his body.   

Sasaki throws her head back and starts laughing. “Man, Itadori, you stink at this! I swear you’ve placed last every single time we’ve played. It’s actually kind of impressive how unlucky you can be sometimes.”  

“I haven’t lost yet,” Itadori stubbornly refutes, but of course, within the next round, you win, and Sasaki and Iguchi quickly follow suit.   

You watch as Itadori’s shoulders slump in defeat.   

“Fine, now I lost,” he sighs. Most people would probably be pretty frustrated seeing as he’s lost more than four—or is it five games in a row now? In any case, Uno tends to ruin friendships and drive people insane, but since this is Itadori, it only takes a few brief moments of adorable sulking for him to perk up again. “Alright, well, I’m ready for the next round!”   

Iguchi shakes his head. “Sorry, but no more. I’m starting to feel bad about beating you this badly.”   

“Really?” Sasaki blinks. “I’m having the time of my life.”   

“You don’t always have to voice your intrusive thoughts aloud, Sasaki.”   

“We can play more next time,” you say, gently patting Itadori on the shoulder. “And I’m sure you’ll win a bunch then. Enough to make up for all the losses from today.”   

“Doubt it,” Sasaki muses.   

“Sasaki, that’s seriously enough out of you,” Iguchi sighs.  

“Alright, fine,” Itadori relents. He quickly glances towards the clock on the wall. “I guess it’s about time for me to head out anyway. It’d be nice to get to the hospital early for a change.”   

More than a week has passed since you first awoke in this world, and during that time, you’ve spent pretty much every day hanging out with Itadori. It’s quite literally a dream come to true to be able to talk to him like this. From the moment you discovered you attended the same school, you were already starstruck, but you figured you would only ever be able to stare at him longingly, from afar. Never in a million years did you imagine that you would actually become his friend.   

Even though your friendship is destined to be cut short, you’re determined to enjoy these blissful moments for as long as you can.  

You and Itadori say goodbye to Sasaki and Iguchi, and the two of you walk out of the building together, stopping by a vending machine to grab some canned drinks. You crack your can open and sit down next to him, relishing in the fresh air paired with the cool liquid running down your throat.   

“Visiting your grandpa again, right?” you affirm.   

Itadori takes a big gulp, then nods. “Yeah. Same old, I guess. That’s another reason why it’s nice being part of the Occult Research Club. A lot of people have pestered me to join athletic clubs, but they run way too late. I wouldn’t be able to make it down to the hospital in time for visiting hours. It just works out better this way. Plus, hanging out with those guys is a lot of fun.”  

“It’s nice that you always make an effort to visit him,” you say, smiling gently. “I’m sure he really appreciates the time he gets to spend with you. It must mean a lot to him.”   

“Well, I’m the only one he has left, so I’d feel really crappy if he had to spend every day all on his own.”  

“Still. Not everyone would make sure to visit every single day, like you do. You’re really kind. You’re a good person, Itadori.”   

You hold your smile as you take another sip of your drink, and you don’t notice that Itadori is staring at you wide-eyed, at least, not until you turn and realize he’s nearly breathing down your neck.   

“Um,” you say, feeling a bit embarrassed by how close he is, “y-yes? Is there… something on my face?”   

Itadori scratches his neck. “Uh. This might sound like a bit of a weird request and all, but I was just wondering if… maybe you wanted to come with me today?”   

“Come with you?”   

“Yeah. To visit my gramps. Since we got to talking and all, I figured maybe he’d like to see someone other than me for a change. To be honest, I don’t think he has much longer left. He’s always snapping at me for visiting him, saying I shouldn’t waste my time going to a depressing place like that, and that I should be spending time in clubs with my friends instead. Maybe he’ll feel better if he sees me bring a friend along. He won’t worry that I’m lonely, like he is.”   

You proceed to just stare at him, and although you didn’t intend for your gaze to be unsettling, Itadori lets out a nervous chuckle and quickly shakes his head.  

“Aw, man, what am I even saying? Sorry. That was kind of weird. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to waste your free time going to a hospital, of all places. I didn’t mean to try and pressure you into anything. Just forget what I—”   

“I'll go,” you blurt. “If you're sure you want me to come with you, then yes. I'd be happy to meet your grandpa.”  

Itadori blinks rapidly, clearly bewildered, but it doesn’t take long for one of those ridiculously cute smiles to spread across his lips.   

“Awesome! Thanks so much, [Name]. That’s really cool of you. I feel like you’re always the one doing me favors, even though it should be the other way around.”   

“It’s not a favor,” you reassure. You pause, smiling shyly. “I really like spending time with you, after all.”   

Itadori’s smile shows no signs of disappearing, and together, you make the trip to Sugisawa Hospital, where his grandfather is currently admitted.   

You have to admit, you feel a little nervous. His grandfather is his only remaining family, and naturally, you want to make a good impression. Even more so because you know that he doesn’t have much time left. You may not be able to stay by Itadori’s side once the canon plot begins, but at least for now, you’d like to put his grandfather at ease.   

“Don’t worry,” Itadori reassures, smiling brightly. “He might seem like a crabby old man at first, but he’s not actually that bad. I know he’ll be happy to see me with a friend.”   

You smile back and quickly nod, and after a moment’s delay, Itadori slides the door open.   

“...you again, Yuji?” a gruff voice immediately barks out. “I thought I told you to quit wasting your time stopping by. Don’t you have anything better to do? What about your school club?”   

Itadori steps into the room first, rolling his eyes as if this kind of reaction is typical, but once you follow behind him and make your presence known, his grandfather’s expression does a full one-eighty.   

“Oh,” he blinks. “Who’s this now? Yuji, don’t tell me… you finally managed to get yourself a girlfriend? Good going, kid. I didn’t know you had it in you.”   

Itadori blushes a bit, but his embarrassment dissolves once he lets out a sigh. “Cool it, old man. Don’t make me regret bringing her. This is [Name]. She’s my friend. You always seem so worried about me not spending enough time with other people, so I invited her to come, and she accepted. Make sure to be nice to her, okay?”   

“It’s very nice to meet you, sir,” you say, bowing your head. “I hope me being here isn’t an inconvenience.”   

“Itadori Wasuke,” his grandfather introduces. You watch as he sits up a bit straighter in his hospital bed. “Hm. Are you sure you’re not dating Yuji? You seem like you’ve got a good head on your shoulders. You’ve got manners, unlike this brat. Hey, Yuji. Don’t be stupid. You don’t want to lose a pretty girl like her to someone else.”   

Itadori rolls his eyes again. “It might be easier said than done, but try to ignore him. Sometimes I think he just says things because he likes hearing the sound of his own voice.”   

“See that?” Wasuke points. “Do you see how this ungrateful grandson of mine treats me?”   

You bite back a chuckle. Naturally, you’ve already gotten a glimpse of what their relationship is like, well before meeting either of them in person. Wasuke may have a sharp tongue, but it’s clear that he loves his grandson, and he wants him to have a good life. He wants him to be surrounded by people who care for him, and even though Itadori will face plenty of hardship in the future, the fact remains that he will have plenty of friends who are willing to stand by his side.   

“Itadori’s a really good guy,” you say, lacing your hands together and smiling. “Everyone likes him. He’s got a lot of other friends besides me. And I know he’ll make countless more friends from here on out.”   

You pause to gauge their reactions. Itadori is blinking at you, perhaps a bit flustered by your sudden declaration, and Wasuke’s expression hasn’t really changed much, but you notice that his eyes are a bit wider than they were a second ago.   

It’s awfully subtle, but for just a brief moment, a smile rises to Wasuke’s lips.   

“Is that so?” he chuckles. “Thank you for saying that, young lady. I’ll admit that it brings me some relief. I’m glad Yuji isn’t just wasting the best years of his life tending to a sickly old man like me. If he’s got friends like you who speak so highly of him… then I guess he must be doing something right.”   

“No way,” Itadori marvels. “Did you just compliment me, gramps?”   

“Don’t get used to it.”   

“Still! You actually said something kind of nice for a change!”   

“Alright, I take back everything I just said.”   

The two of them go back and forth like this for a while longer, and you’re perfectly content to just stand there and watch. It’d be nice if Wasuke could stick around longer. It’d be nice if Itadori didn’t have to lose the only family he has left. But without a doubt, Wasuke will live on in his heart, and you get the feeling that even when he passes, he’ll be watching over him for a long, long time.   

Wasuke clears his throat. “Seriously, though. If you don’t act fast enough, by the time you know it, [Name] will be dating someone else. Don’t live a life filled with regrets, kid.”   

“...gramps, come on .”   

Itadori :)  

Hey, [Name]!  

I think I found something pretty cool!  

Meet me by the outer edge of school grounds, close to the fence!  

You’ll see me standing right next to a big wooden storage box!  

Uh-oh.  

You’re not an idiot, so of course, you know what this means. The wooden box he’s referring to is where Sukuna’s finger was being kept. Up until Itadori found it, that is.   

Which can only mean that soon—like, very soon—the main plotline will begin to unfold.   

You nervously chew on your lip. Truth to be told, you want absolutely nothing to do with that stinky finger. You already know that everything will be fine until the Occult Club members remove the seal, but still. The whole thing just freaks you out, and it’s way too scary to even fathom getting involved in.   

While you struggle to come up with a reasonable excuse, your phone buzzes again.   

Itadori :)  

I promise it’s really cool!  

I mean, I don’t actually know what it is, but it seems pretty neat!  

Come here so I can show you :D  

Balls. He’s just too goddamn cute. It makes it downright impossible to turn him down.   

With a heavy sigh, you text him that you’re on your way, and you eventually get there, unsurprised to see him standing in front of the same storage box that Fushiguro was frantically searching at the start of the series.   

Itadori grins widely. “Thanks for coming! Here, check this out. Have you ever seen something like this before? It looks kind of supernatural, doesn’t it? I bet Sasaki and Iguchi would go crazy over this.”  

He proceeds to hold up a small, visibly old wooden box, and you gulp as he opens it up to reveal the cursed object inside—one of Sukuna’s fingers.  

Of course, he doesn’t have the slightest clue what it actually is. It’s completely wrapped up in the seal, making the object inside indiscernible. He probably wouldn’t be grinning ear-to-ear if he knew it was some wrinkly old finger.   

…then again, he swallowed said finger without even hesitating, so maybe he wouldn’t actually care that much.   

“Oh, c-cool,” you say, doing your best to mask your discomfort. “Yeah, it definitely gives off that occult vibe. I’m sure the other club members would like it a lot.”   

“I really wonder what it’s even supposed to be, though.” Itadori frowns as he picks up the sealed finger—much to your horror—and leans in closer to get a better look at it. “Yep, I honestly have no idea. You got any theories, [Name]?”  

Without warning, he tosses the cursed object towards you, and out of pure reflex, you lurch forward to catch it.   

The second it falls into your hands, you experience a sense of dread that is almost too nauseating to put into words.   

It’s only for a moment, but the scene before your eyes changes. All of a sudden, you feel something wet sloshing around your feet, and you look down to find crimson liquid, red water, or perhaps— blood .   

You try to choke out a few words, but no sound escapes your lips. You’re understandably disoriented, so your gaze then pans upwards, and to say that you’re terror-struck would still have been an understatement.   

Right there, sitting on top of a pile of skeletons, is Sukuna.  

It seems as though you’ve lost the ability to speak, but even if you could speak, you doubt you would have been able to find the right words. You’re too overwhelmed with fear to even think clearly, and right before you collapse onto your knees, just shy of a meltdown, Sukuna knits his brows together and leans forward.  

“...who are you?”  

You snap out of it with a gasp, only to find that you’re still standing in front of Itadori, who has a worried look on his face.   

“[Name]?” he frowns. “What’s wrong? You don’t look so good. Sorry, did I freak you out by tossing that thing at you? I probably shouldn’t have done that. I get why you’d be startled.”   

He crouches down to pick up the cursed object, which you apparently dropped to the ground without even realizing it. You place a hand over your chest, exhaling shakily. Your heart is pounding relentlessly, and you feel dizzy, like you might pass out at any given moment.  

Just now… that was Sukuna’s Innate Domain, right? But how is that even possible? He hasn’t even been incarnated through Itadori yet…  

You swallow hard. That finger is completely sealed. Even though the seal is old enough to be torn off by even a regular human—like Sasaki, for instance—Sukuna shouldn’t have appeared before you. Or at the very least, you shouldn’t have been able to see him.   

Maybe it was just a strange vision. Maybe the shock induced some kind of hallucination, or something. None of this makes any sense in the first place. The fact that you’ve been transported into the world of Jujutsu Kaisen.  

Itadori places the cursed object back inside the box, then tucks it into his pocket. “Sorry again for catching you off guard like that. Are you okay? You look a bit faint. That was my bad. You even mentioned before that you don’t really like scary stuff, so I should have thought twice before doing that.”   

“I’m okay,” you reassure, and it’s true. You feel perfectly fine now. That sensation of choking up and being overcome with fear is already a thing of the past. It seems more and more likely that it was probably all in your head.   

Yeah.  

You must have just been imagining things.   

“Kokkuri, Kokkuri, please tell us… which creature is the school council president weaker than?!”   

Ah. So, it’s finally starting.   

The question is all too familiar, of course, and as you allow the coin to be guided around the board, the word formed is exactly what you expected.   

“What? A fish ?” everyone laughs in response, and just like in the canon series, the door abruptly slides open, revealing none other than the student council president himself.   

He starts berating everyone in the room, of course, but you're not really paying attention.   

Instead, you gaze at Itadori with a wistful smile, realizing that after today, you will no longer be part of his life.  

There's no place for you by his side. It's simply too dangerous, and even if you were strong enough, you can't risk upsetting the delicate balance of this world. Everything will unfold the way it's supposed to, which means that your role here, albeit small as it was, is over.   

…or is it?  

Chapter Text

“Occult Club!” the student council president fumes. “You didn’t submit your club activities again! I keep telling you over and over that we don’t have space in the school for this kind of nonsense. Starting today, this is going to become the girls’ track and field club’s changing room, so get out!”   

He goes off on his usual tirade, and you feel a bit awkward just being here, to be honest. However, it seems as though your presence hasn’t gone unnoticed, because all of a sudden, the student council president adjusts his glasses and turns towards you.   

“And who’s this now?” he asks. “You’re not even a club member. I don’t recall seeing anyone submit new applications for this club.”   

Sasaki links her arm with yours and sticks her tongue out at him. “This is [Name]! She promised to join the Occult Research Club soon!”   

Uh, I’m pretty sure that never happened…  

The student council president stares at you for a while before pushing his glasses back up again, in true anime fashion. “Hmph. Well, it doesn’t matter. It’s too late! Officially, your club doesn’t even meet the three-member requirement in order to operate. The problem lies with you , Itadori Yuji! You’ve been going along with this charade, but you’re not even a club member!”   

“Huh?!”   

Sasaki and Iguchi proceed to both glare at Itadori as if they’ve just been betrayed, and naturally, he’s in utter disbelief.   

“But I swear I wrote Occult Research Club on my application,” he insists.  

“ I rewrote it!” a new voice suddenly booms. Of course, it’s none other than the track and field coach, Mr. Takagi, who desperately needs Itadori’s superhuman strength and athleticism in order to win nationals.   

You’ve seen all this play out before, so there’s not a single word exchanged that surprises you. Mr. Takagi challenges Itadori to duke it out on the field, and if Itadori wins, he agrees to give up on him.   

That’s how you find yourself standing outside, awaiting their fateful match. Not that it’ll be much of a match at all, because Itadori will beat Mr. Takagi at shot put with ease. He’ll even break the world record in the process, if you recall.   

And so, you gather around alongside everyone else, but as much as you like Itadori, you already know he doesn’t need your support. Which is why your eyes can’t help but wander, searching the crowd for a certain dark-haired boy.   

Eventually, they land on the boy in question—Fushiguro Megumi.   

But for some reason, he’s staring right back at you.   

Crap. I got caught. He must think I’m checking him out or something.   

You turn away in a hurry, cheeks flushed. You know it’s bad manners to stare, but you just couldn’t help yourself. This is the only time you’ll ever see him, after all. Your fangirl heart simply can’t be contained.   

You figure he’ll just brush it off, though. He won’t think much of it. After all, you’re nothing more than a side character. In the grand scheme of things, you’re completely insignificant.   

That’s what you think , at least.   

All of a sudden, Fushiguro walks up to you, wide-eyed. You can only assume it’s because he wants to ask why you were perving on him, so you prepare yourself to be called out for being a creep, but surprisingly, that doesn’t happen.  

Instead, his expression turns awfully stern, and he faces you head-on.  

“You,” he says. “You have it, don’t you? You must be the one who picked it up.”   

“Uh…”   

What. Like, seriously, what ? By ‘it’ is he referring to Sukuna’s finger? He has to be. But you’re not even the one carrying it right now! As far as you know, Itadori still has the empty box tucked away in his pocket, and he’s already given the actual sealed finger to Sasaki and Iguchi. It must be stowed away somewhere in the club room.   

“I-I don’t understand what you mean,” you stammer nervously.  

It makes no sense why he came up to you like this. Could it be that some of the cursed energy is still lingering on your body? From when you briefly made contact with the finger the other day? It was only for a second, though. There’s no way that alone would be enough to draw him in.   

Fushiguro knits his brows together, then he lifts up his phone to show you a picture of—surprise, surprise—the special-grade cursed object he’s looking for.   

“This,” he insists, all but shoving the phone in your face. “I can tell that you have it. I’m sure you probably don’t even realize what it is, but it’s extremely dangerous, and I need you to hand it over immediately.”  

Shit. Why is he so fixated on you all of a sudden? You just barely touched Sukuna’s finger, and you’re not even the one carrying the box right now. He should be paying attention to Itadori instead.  

The plot can’t veer off course. It just can’t . Because if that were to happen, you genuinely can’t predict how this fictional world would hold up. You fear that the very fabric of this universe might tear.   

And in that case, you’ll be super-duper fucked .   

“Oh… that,” you say, mustering up a quick smile. “I get what you mean now. Um, yeah. I’ve seen that before. My friend picked it up, actually. Itadori Yuji. That guy over there. The one that just broke the shot put record. He’s still carrying it with him, as far as I know.”   

Fushiguro looks off into the distance, turning his head to where your finger is pointed. Sure enough, he sees Itadori, who’s just realized what time it is and sprints off in a hurry so that he can make it to the hospital for visiting hours. Fushiguro tries to run after him, but he’s too slow, of course, and he doesn’t even get close enough to sense whether or not the cursed object is actually nearby.   

“How is your friend so fast?” Fushiguro grimaces. “He seriously reminds me of Zen’in. Anyways, he already left, so can you call him or something so I can—”   

You’re gone. In the few brief moments he turned around and tried chasing after Itadori, you took the opportunity to book it the hell out of there. You refuse to unintentionally make a mess of things. A fangirl you very well may be, but you’re not about to screw up the storyline and end up indirectly responsible for god-knows how many casualties in the process.   

It’s important to distance yourself from important, plot-defining moments like these. Itadori needs to get a proper start. Everything needs to proceed exactly as it was written.   

But regretfully, your presence in this world is far too anomalous to be so easily overlooked. And by running away, even if you don’t realize it, you’ve unwittingly drawn even more attention to yourself.   

“What the…”   

Fushiguro narrows his eyes. Every second of that interaction felt forced and unnatural. From the moment he walked up to you, you seemed skittish for some reason, almost as if you were afraid you’d just been caught somehow. In fact, you were staring at him well before he even noticed you. Your gaze seemed to linger on him for an abnormal amount of time.  

More importantly… you got visibly nervous once he brought up the cursed object. And when he demanded that you hand it over to him, you insisted someone else was carrying it, and you diverted his attention elsewhere so that you could run away. You tried to get him to chase after your friend instead.  

It’s far too suspicious. Not to mention the absurd amount of cursed energy he can feel coming from you. You have to be carrying the cursed object. There’s no other explanation. Which means that you lied to him.   

People only lie when they have something to hide.  

“I see how it is,” Fushiguro mutters. He really would’ve preferred to settle this peacefully, but if you’re hellbent on being so uncooperative and deceiving him, he can only assume that you’re up to no good. No matter what, the cursed object must be retrieved.   

If he needs to take it by force, then so be it.   

Itadori :)  

Sorry for leaving in a hurry without saying goodbye!   

I didn’t realize Mr. Takagi would make me do all that   

I also forgot to ask if you wanted to join me and visit gramps again  

He keeps bringing you up lol   

A sad smile pulls at your lips. Poor Itadori doesn’t even know that today is the last day he’ll ever spend with his grandfather. And he won’t even have much time to grieve him, because Fushiguro will show up at the hospital immediately thereafter and whisk him away into a confusing, dangerous world.   

You feel guilty for knowing what’s about to happen, and even guiltier because you can’t be there to support him through it, but this is simply what fate has in store for him. Still, if there’s one thing you can take solace in, it’s the fact that he’s incredibly strong, and brave, and because of that, he’ll be able to weather countless storms.  

Anyways. It’s out of your hands now, and the bitter truth is that you were never destined to stand by his side.   

So, you trudge home, chanting a silent send-off for Wasuke in your head as you do, and eventually, you approach the residential area where you live.   

Except someone’s apparently been following you all this time.   

“You’re a sorcerer, aren’t you?” Fushiguro says. The sound of his voice catches you completely off guard, and you turn around in a hurry, jaw dropping open.   

Why… why the hell is he here?! He should have been following Itadori to the hospital!   

Fushiguro steps closer, eyes narrowed. “Either you’re a sorcerer—a curse user, perhaps—or you’re just an ordinary human with a morbid interest in the supernatural. But whatever the case, you lied to me. I know you’re carrying the cursed object. The amount of cursed energy I can feel coming from you is unmistakable.”   

You blink in disbelief. Is this seriously happening right now? You even told him that Itadori was the one carrying it. He should have followed after him, like in the canon storyline, and everything was supposed to have proceeded normally from then on. Did he not believe you? But what reason would you have to lie? And why does he keep claiming that you’re surrounded in cursed energy when you barely touched that wrinkly old finger for half a second?   

“I… I don’t have it,” you insist, a sense of dread creeping up your spine. “I swear on my life that I don’t have that thing. Itadori has it with him. He’s at Sugisawa Hospital right now. You need to meet up with him and—”   

“Stop. I’m not gullible enough to believe your lies,” Fushiguro glares. His stance shifts slightly, and you watch, horrified, as he links his hands together in a very peculiar way—a telltale sign that he’s about to summon his shikigami. “I don’t want to have to resort to forceful methods. The more you try to deceive me, the more suspicious it is. I want to believe that you’re not dangerous. That you’re just a normal person who’s gotten caught up in the wrong things… which is why I’m going to give you one last chance to hand the cursed object over to me. Before this escalates any further.”   

…bro.   

What in the actual fuck is happening right now? Why is Fushiguro Megumi threatening to kick your ass? Why is he looking at you like you’re some kind of threat?   

All you ever wanted was to fangirl in peace. Is that really too much to ask for?   

“I-I’m not lying,” you insist, and you even raise your hands in surrender. “Please. I swear I don’t have it. I’ll do whatever it takes to prove it. D-Do you want to pat me down? Search my belongings? I don’t have that thing. I promise .”   

Fushiguro remains on guard for a few more moments, but then his shoulders slump a bit, and much to your relief, he no longer looks ready to attack.   

“Here,” you say, tossing your bag onto the ground and gesturing towards it. “Please. You can search through it if you still don’t believe me. I swear I’m not lying to you.”   

“Alright,” Fushiguro replies, visibly wary. He crouches down and starts sorting through the contents of your bag, but then he raises his head to glance back at you and immediately does a double-take. “W-What are you doing? Why are you taking off your clothes all of a sudden?!”   

“Just my school blazer,” you say, lifting it up and turning the pockets inside-out. “Oh, and, uh… I guess my skirt has pockets too. Did you want to search through those yourself?”   

Fushiguro’s cheeks redden. “That phrasing makes it sound like I’m some kind of pervert. I don’t appreciate it.”   

“S-Sorry.” You pause for a moment, then do your best to turn your skirt pockets inside-out as well. Fushiguro watches with visible reluctance, looking somewhat ashamed of himself, but you hope he’s finally been convinced. “Those are the only places I have to carry things. Do you… believe me now?”   

“I guess I do,” Fushiguro acknowledges. He pauses for a few moments. “But then… how do you have so much cursed energy? You must be able to see curses. Right? Have you ever seen strange creatures lurking about? You’ve got more than enough energy to qualify as a sorcerer, so surely…”   

“ Ohh ,” you chuckle awkwardly, trying to feign ignorance. “So, that’s what those things are. Y-Yeah. I noticed them a little while ago. They’re pretty freaky, but it didn’t seem like anyone else but me could see them, so I was convinced I must be crazy or something. It’s not exactly the kind of thing you can tell people about.”   

You never imagined you’d be able to speak to Fushiguro. Meeting Itadori—and then Kenjaku—was already crazy enough, but you figured it would end with those two. To think that yet another important character has noticed you. It’s unprecedented. Even for a situation as crazy as yours.   

Wait, there’s no time for this right now! He needs to meet up with Itadori and get to the school in time to save Sasaki and Iguchi!   

You grit your teeth. Even if Fushiguro leaves now, it’ll take him too long to get to the hospital. He was supposed to have been there already. Itadori should be sorting out the paperwork right about now, dealing with the aftermath of his grandfather’s passing, but you can’t risk dragging things out too long. Sasaki and Iguchi are in danger. You refuse to have their blood on your hands.  

“I still don’t understand,” Fushiguro frowns. “If you have this much cursed energy, shouldn’t you have been brought up as a sorcerer? I don’t get how no one’s ever noticed… but I guess that’ll have to wait. Can you reach that friend of yours? Tell him it’s important. Tell him he’s in grave danger just by carrying that object around.”   

You nod hurriedly and start dialing Itadori’s number. Shit. There’s no guarantee he’ll even pick up in time. His grandfather just died. The only reason he rushed to the school the same night is because Fushiguro followed him and met up with him in person. It was made clear to him that his friends’ lives were at stake.  

But if he doesn’t pick up… then what happens? What will happen to the story? How will it proceed without a proper start?   

…what if you’ve already messed everything up?   

You feel like you’re on the verge of a meltdown, but mercifully, before you can spiral any further, a familiar voice calls your name.   

“Oh. Hey, [Name],” Itadori picks up. He sounds less spirited than usual, which is no surprise, considering he’s just lost the last family he had left. “I was actually going to call you in a bit. To be honest, I just got some kind of disappointing news—”   

“S-Sorry,” you stammer. You feel awful that you can’t even give him proper condolences, but you just don’t have any time to waste right now. “Please tell me all about it later. But I need to know. Do you still have that thing you showed me before? The weird box with the even weirder object inside of it?”   

You turn the call mode to speaker, and Fushiguro leans in closer to hear properly.   

“Huh?” Itadori responds. “Oh, that. I’ve still got the box, yeah. But I already gave what was inside of it to Sasaki and Iguchi. Remember how I said I thought they’d go crazy over it? They seemed really excited when I handed it to them.”   

“So, you don’t have the actual object,” you clarify—even though you already knew this to be true.   

Fushiguro grabs the phone and grits his teeth. “Where is it? Do you have any idea how dangerous that thing is?!”   

There’s a pause, and you imagine Itadori scratching his head.   

“[Name], who’s that random guy I hear with you? Why is he yelling at me for no reason?”   

“Tell me where the cursed object is,” Fushiguro insists. “This isn’t a laughing matter. Whoever has it right now, they’re in serious danger.”   

“What the heck? [Name], is this guy your friend or something? He’s saying some pretty weird things. Oh—did you find another possible club member for the Occult Club, by any chance?”  

“Itadori, I know this must all sound strange, but I can tell he’s not kidding,” you insist.  

“Huh. I didn’t realize that thing was such a big deal, but if you’re saying it is, then I guess I have no choice but to believe it.” He stops to ponder for a moment. “Come to think of it, I remember Sasaki and Iguchi mentioned something to me before. Something about removing the seal at school tonight and finding out what’s actually inside. Is that bad?”  

All the blood drains from Fushiguro’s face.   

“Not just bad!” he cries out. “They’ll die !”   

“...what? You’re starting to scare me, man. I really hope this isn’t some kind of prank, because if so, it’s really not cool.”   

“Itadori, even if it sounds crazy, please believe him,” you say, swallowing hard. “I… I’ve been seeing weird things for a while now. What he’s saying definitely isn’t made up, and I’m really worried about Sasaki and Iguchi. You have to meet us at the school, okay? You have to.”   

Fortunately, Itadori isn’t the kind of guy to abandon his friends when they’re in danger, and he seems to trust in your words enough that he’s willing to make an appearance at the school. Which means everything’s okay. The story is back on track.  

But little by little, everything will start to change.  

You and Fushiguro arrive at the high school right in time to see Itadori running up from afar. The sight of him immediately prompts a sigh of relief. He’s finally met up with Fushiguro, and he’s now in the right place at the right time. Thank goodness.  

“Found you guys,” Itadori says, but he suddenly halts in place, brows knitting together. “Am I… just imagining things? What’s with all this pressure?”   

You feel it too, without a doubt. Inside the school, countless curses must be running rampant right about now. What lies ahead is nothing short of a hellscape, and even from all the way out here, the sensation is downright sickening.   

“I’m not sure why you called him out,” Fushiguro grimaces. “He doesn’t even have any cursed energy. He’s just a regular human. I just needed to know where to retrieve the special-grade cursed object. He shouldn’t be here.”   

“I don’t know what you’re on about,” Itadori frowns, “but those two inside are my friends. There’s no way I could just abandon them. Over the phone, you kept saying how dangerous it was. So, I’m coming with you.”   

“ No ,” Fushiguro sternly refutes. “Stay here. Or better yet, go home. It’s way too dangerous for someone like you. And… it’s [Name], right?” All of a sudden, he turns towards you and narrows his eyes. “Based on your cursed energy alone, you should be a sorcerer. But I can tell you don’t have any experience with exorcizing curses. I don’t know how it’s possible that you’ve stayed under the radar for so long, but I can’t bring you with me either. You don’t know how to fight. I can’t put either of you in any danger.”  

Well, it’s a good thing you had absolutely no intention of going in there anyway. You’ve done your part. Fushiguro and Itadori have officially met, and from here on out, the story will proceed as it should.  

“I’m going in alone,” Fushiguro reiterates. He pauses for a few moments, and his gaze softens slightly. “Don’t worry. I’ll do whatever it takes to protect your friends.”  

He leaves without a moment’s delay, and Itadori clenches his jaw, visibly opposed to waiting around outside while Sasaki and Iguchi are in danger.   

“What am I even so afraid of?” Itadori mutters. “Hey, [Name]. I didn’t get a chance to tell you this before because everything happened so fast, but… earlier today, my gramps died.”   

You offer a sympathetic smile. “I’m so sorry for your loss. I wish you didn’t have to deal with this right now, when you should be grieving him instead.”   

“It’s okay. I always knew it was bound to happen soon, and besides, he wouldn’t have wanted me to mope around for too long. I bet he’d be yelling at me from the afterlife if I just sat around crying instead of moving on. But… before he died, he told me to help people. And right now, I feel like I’m letting him down.”   

You already know that he’s bound to chase after Fushiguro, but nevertheless, you feel obliged to give him a small push.   

“You’re strong, Itadori. Whatever’s in there, I’m sure you can handle it. That’s why I called you. Because I knew Sasaki and Iguchi could count on you to save them.”   

His expression brightens, and suddenly, his gaze is clearer. More resolute. Like he knows exactly what he needs to do.   

“But what about you?” he asks. “I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving you out here all on your own. That guy was saying it’s super dangerous. I’m worried something might happen to you while I’m not around.”   

“There’s no need to worry,” you reassure. “This stuff is way too scary for me, so I’m just gonna go home—”  

“Come to me… girl.”   

You wince. Something is wrong. For just a second, you swore you heard Sukuna’s voice reverberating in your head. Your shoulders are suddenly weighed down by a heavy, unpleasant sensation, the likes of which makes bile rise up your throat.   

It’s as if someone has your heart in a death grip. The further you back away from the school, the more painful the sensation becomes. You feel a strange, unseen force pulling you closer and closer, until finally—without even realizing it—you’re pushing the school doors open in a trance.   

“[Name]?” Itadori blinks. “You’re coming too? It’s dangerous, you know? I guess you must be pretty worried about Sasaki and Iguchi too.”   

No… this isn’t me. I’m not… I’m not the one doing this.   

That’s what you try to say, but much like when you inexplicably found yourself in Sukuna’s Innate Domain, no sound escapes your lips.   

“Well, in that case, don’t worry,” Itadori says, a big grin stretching across his lips. “Just stay by my side. I’ll protect you. And together, we’ll save them, okay?”   

The door closes behind you, echoing with a resounding thud.   

Like it or not, you’re here to stay. 

Chapter Text

I just want to go home.   

You feel like absolute shit—as one tends to feel when they’re being controlled by some freakish, unseen force. Even now, you swear you can still hear Sukuna’s voice echoing inside your mind, and although you struggle to fight against it, to turn on your heels and run, resisting proves to be immensely painful. It appears as though your only choice is to press forward, much to your horror.  

Man. You’re not sure what the hell is happening, but this is some isekai bullshit.   

Your very existence in this world is already strange enough, and right now, you simply don’t have the luxury to stand around and contemplate what’s happening. Something—or rather, someone —has taken hold of you, and the darkness beckons you closer, in the direction of what you can only assume is Sukuna’s finger.   

“Shit,” you gasp, pressing a palm to your chest and feeling how tumultuous your heartbeat is. “I feel… like I’m gonna pass out. This place is making me sick. This energy… it all just feels wrong .”   

The only silver lining is that Itadori is by your side. He lifts his brows and looks over at you in concern. You know that he’s strong, and in the worst case, he’ll probably be able to protect you if shit hits the fan. At this point, your fear is honestly secondary, because you need to make sure he meets up with Fushiguro in time to eat the finger. If one of those cursed spirits manages to consume it instead, you already know what will happen, and suffice to say, it's not going to be pretty.   

“[Name], are you good?” Itadori asks. He wraps an arm around your waist and steadies your body against his. “I agree that something about this place feels really off. I can tell that guy wasn’t kidding when he said it’s dangerous. I think maybe you should turn back. There’s no need to push yourself if you’re too scared. I promise to save Sasaki and Iguchi. No matter what happens, I swear it.”   

If only. You’ve been trying to turn back from the very beginning, but the second you resist and head in the opposite direction, a wave of pain envelops your body, paired with a thick, nauseating haze. It’s as if your entire nervous system is screaming out and refusing to comply.  

Sukuna is calling to you. That much is abundantly clear. You’re not sure why exactly, or even how , but you surmise it must have something to do with that encounter that took place inside his Innate Domain. Which means that it wasn’t a hallucination at all. It really happened.   

“I can’t turn back,” you grit out, squeezing Itadori’s arm in a desperate attempt to tether yourself to reality. “Let’s… let’s just keep going. We need to find those two.”   

And you need to eat Sukuna’s finger before it’s too late.   

Fortunately, you’ve been able to avoid curses until now. Most likely because they’re all being drawn in by the massive amount of energy being emitted by Sukuna’s remains. And since you can feel yourself being pulled right towards that crusty old finger, it might actually be smooth sailing from here on out. Itadori will find Fushiguro and eat the finger, Sukuna will be incarnated through him, and shortly thereafter, Gojo will show up to save the day.   

Well, assuming everything goes to plan. Which, so far, it hasn’t .   

This is further reinforced by you and Itadori turning the corner, only to come face to face with a medium-sized curse, which rotates its grotesque, bulging head in your direction, eyes swirling around all googly and freakish.   

Maybe if you hold your breath and stand perfectly still it won’t notice you?   

“ Ahhh!”   

…yeah, that plan was clearly destined to fail.   

The curse lets out a shrill, ear-piercing scream, and you brace yourself, shaking all over, prepared for it to attack.   

But for some reason, that doesn’t happen. Not right away, at least.   

Much like the smaller curse you saw on your very first day in this world—the Fly Head—the curse’s immediate instinct isn’t to barrel towards you. In fact, it does just the opposite. For a moment, it briefly falters and even steps back . Unless you’re imagining things, it actually looks a bit scared.   

“...intruder,” it garbles in a distorted, unpleasant voice. “In… Intruder. Intruder. Intruder !”   

The more it repeats the word, the angrier it becomes, and this time, it overcomes whatever was holding it back at first and charges straight ahead, clearly out for blood.   

You’re not a fighter. You don’t know any martial arts, or self-defense techniques, and you can’t say that you’re especially athletic either. So, when faced with something so deeply unnatural and horrifying, your immediate instinct is to freeze up, too frightened to react in time.   

But luckily, the same can’t be said for Itadori.   

He jumps in front of you and forcefully kicks the curse, hard enough that it gets knocked onto its back and lets out yet another scream. But you already know that it won’t stay down. Itadori doesn’t know how to channel cursed energy yet. And without any cursed energy, the curses can’t be defeated.   

Which is why the only option is to run .   

“This way!” you cry out, having snapped out of your fear-induced stupor. You grab Itadori by the hand and pull him towards the stairs, running as fast as your legs can carry you. There’s no point in trying to sneak around and play it safe anymore. The best thing you can do is reach Sukuna’s finger as fast as possible, and for better or worse, you can tell exactly where it’s located.   

Itadori grips your hand tight as you run through the building, and he doesn’t even question where you’re leading him to. It’s clear that he trusts you completely. He’s more than willing to follow you further and further into this hellscape.   

But perhaps he shouldn’t.  

“Come to me, girl. Come set me free.”   

You wince. Sukuna’s voice is stronger now, and the feeling is more intense, too. You can tell that the finger is close. Uncomfortably so.   

And perhaps you’re actually luckier than you realize, because you arrive right in the nick of time—just as Sasaki and Iguchi are about to be swallowed up by a curse, along with Sukuna’s finger.   

“Let go of them!” Itadori yells. Much like earlier, he attacks the curse with a flying kick, and in one fell swoop, he pulls Sasaki and Iguchi to safety, skidding backwards and catching both of them in his arms.   

Their deaths have been avoided, just like in the canon timeline. And even though Itadori wasn’t able to exorcize this curse either, his interference gives Fushiguro just enough time to get a proper attack in.  

The curse now lies on the ground, defeated, and Fushiguro’s Divine Dogs—that cute black and white wolf pair—begin eating the curse’s remains.   

Fushiguro lets out a heavy, somewhat exasperated sigh. “What the hell are both of you doing here? I specifically told you guys not to come in. Normally I’d be pretty pissed… but good job. I was worried I’d gotten here too late.”  

“So, that’s what curses look like,” Itadori frowns. “It’s weird that I’ve never seen them before. [Name], you were saying you’re actually familiar with these things? As in, today’s not the first time you’ve run into them?”   

You don’t respond. More accurately, you can’t respond. You can feel the blood pounding in your ears, and your breaths are becoming more labored by the second. Your chest hurts. Your heart hurts. It’s as if your body is throbbing all over, overcome by some dark, foreign desire.   

Sukuna’s finger falls out of Sasaki’s pocket, and Itadori quickly picks it up.   

“Is this the cursed object thingy you kept going on about?” Itadori asks.   

“Yeah,” Fushiguro nods. “Special-grade cursed object, Ryomen Sukuna. Well, one part of it, at least. In any case, it’s dangerous, so hurry up and hand it over. As for why you’ve never seen curses before, it’s because normal people usually can’t. The only exceptions are when you’re exposed to these kinds of life-or-death situations, which grants you the ability to see what’s actually in front of you. In [Name]’s case… she already has an abundance of cursed energy. More than enough to be considered a sorcerer. Which is why it’s strange that she’s never been trained to fight curses, but—wait. What are you doing?”   

Fushiguro isn’t talking to Itadori anymore. This time, his words are addressed to you .   

Because you’re in the process of wrangling Sukuna’s finger out of Itadori’s grasp.   

“Oh,” Itadori blinks. “Did you want to take a look at it too? Sure, I’ll pass it over—”  

Another curse descends from the ceiling, breaking through the upper floor of the building. You already knew this was going to happen, of course, and if you hadn’t been locked in a trance, you probably could have warned them in time. Fushiguro gets caught and injured by the curse, which is the natural sequence of events, and he’s violently thrown against the wall, only for it to crack and split open from the impact.   

Itadori cries out to him in a panic, but you can’t bring yourself to do the same. Instead, you stare down at the palms of your hands in abject horror, trembling from head to toe.   

Just now… you actually tried to eat that thing.   

“Fuck my life,” you sob, but since Sukuna’s finger is still at large, he beckons you forth yet again, and you chase after Itadori and Fushiguro, out onto the school rooftop.   

There, you find both of the boys locked in a fight with the curse, and having already taken considerable damage. You’re not even sure what grade this freakish monster is supposed to be, but it’s certainly not weak, and killing you would probably be child’s play.   

You’re well aware of all this. You realize just how dangerous it is to get anywhere near that ugly-ass thing.   

And yet, you drag your feet along, like some kind of zombie, enslaved by someone else’s will.   

“Come to me.”   

Itadori is lying on the ground right now. He’s wincing from the pain, and he’s sure to get up again in no time flat, but at this very moment, he’s defenseless. And you can see Sukuna’s finger sticking out from his pocket.   

You reach towards it just as Itadori presses up on his elbows, and he stares at you between furrowed brows, blood dripping down his forehead.   

“[Name]?” he blinks groggily. “It’s… it’s not safe here. Run away while you’re still—”  

“—eat it.”  

Unsurprisingly, he blinks at you. Even with the threat of the curse looming nearby, his confusion briefly renders him motionless, and he tilts his head to the side and gives you an adorable, disoriented puppy-faced look.  

All the while, your hand keeps reaching closer, mere inches away from the cursed object.   

Itadori wipes a sleeve across his brow. “What are you talking about? I’ve got practically no appetite right now. It’s not really a good time to bring up food—”  

“Eat the finger!” you scream. “Just do it! Please !”   

It only takes a single moment for everything to go wrong. In just a single moment, your fate could end be sealed, and Itadori doesn’t seem to know what else to do but stare at you in bewilderment. He can’t seem to understand why you’re reaching for the finger yourself, while begging him to dispose of it.   

But it turns out that your friendship is even stronger than you first thought. You should have realized as much when he followed you through the building without protest. When he blindly trusted in you and came all the way down from the hospital in the first place.  

Itadori cares for you, and he will continue to do so, forevermore.   

“ No !” Fushiguro desperately cries out—but it’s too late, because Itadori has already swallowed the finger whole.   

Your body instantly deflates, and you crumple to the ground, like a worn-out ragdoll. That sickening sensation is finally gone. Sukuna doesn’t have a hold on you anymore. You successfully avoided the worst-case scenario.   

Unfortunately, you’re not prepared for what will come next.   

“What did you do?!” Fushiguro exclaims, furiously shaking you by the shoulders. “Do you have any idea what this means? A special-grade cursed object may as well be poison! He’s going to die !”   

You stare at him, eyes glazing over from exhaustion, and then you tell him, very plainly:   

“No. He won’t.”   

The curse tries to strike again, but you don’t even need to look back to find out what happens. There’s a harsh, bloodcurdling wail, and the next thing you know, the curse falls flat onto the ground, lifeless. Its corpse is already disappearing, but you’re more concerned with what is soon to follow. An evil the likes of which you never thought you’d be faced with.   

The curse is dead. Itadori killed it.  

 Or rather, Sukuna killed it.   

“Ah! I knew it!” a distinctly deep and familiar voice cries out. “Light really does feel best in the flesh!” Manic, deranged laughter fills the air, and you watch as Sukuna rips Itadori’s hoodie off, revealing a collection of black, patterned tattoos.   

Fushiguro’s grip on your shoulders goes slack, and all the color proceeds to drain from his face. At first, he’s clearly in denial, but gradually, his expression gives way to pained acceptance, and he’s forced to confront the horrific scenario he’s just been presented with.   

“Killing a cursed spirit is no fun!” Sukuna cackles. “Where are all the people? The women?” He stops all of a sudden, pausing to take in the scenery. From his vantage point up on the roof, he can clearly see the city that sprawls out beneath him, bright lights sparkling like stars in the dark canopy of the night. “What a wonderful era to be in,” he remarks in delight, and he stretches his arms out wide, each laugh more unhinged than the last. “I can tell that women and children are crawling everywhere, like maggots. How marvelous! I couldn’t have asked for anything better! It’ll be a massacre !”   

Sukuna’s laughter steadily builds, and the most you can do is cower behind Fushiguro, waiting for Gojo to hurry up and make his appearance already—because holy shit, you’re so scared.  

Thankfully, all of this is predetermined. From here, you have full faith in what’s about to happen. That creepy, ominous sensation from before has completely disappeared. Itadori has become Sukuna’s vessel, which means that you’re safe, and soon—  

“...wait.”   

All of a sudden, Sukuna turns around, and for some reason, his blood-red eyes are clearly affixed to you .   

“That familiar cursed energy,” Sukuna says, almost in some sort of breathless awe. “You… you’re that same girl. I’ve seen you before.”   

You don’t know what to say. It’s one thing to see this guy as a fictional character. Even then, his cruelty and malice was so potent it made you want to repeatedly stomp on his balls, but he was simply a character, and thus, you found entertainment in his actions, depraved as they were.   

However, it’s a different thing entirely to meet him in the flesh, and not only that—but to realize that you’ve so clearly caught his eye.  

Sukuna knits his brows together. “Yes… I remember now. Part of me was calling out to you without me even realizing it. But it seems I’ve taken this boy’s body instead. What a shame.”   

“What… in the world is he saying?” Fushiguro blinks, rightfully taken aback. “You already know him?”   

You’re so scared that you still can’t form a proper response, and even if you could, you’re not sure what you could possibly say to defend yourself. The King of Curses himself is claiming that he knows you. How in the world do you refute that?   

Hurry the fuck up already, Gojo! You’re late!   

“I just can’t seem to understand,” Sukuna says, voice dropping eerily low. “Girl. I demand that you tell me right now. What are you?”   

Without warning, he lunges towards you. He’s so fast that even Fushiguro can’t react in time, and you watch as Sukuna’s hand menacingly reaches out to you. You swear he’s about to tear out your heart and crush it between his fingers.  

Without a doubt, death has you in its grasp.   

“...hey! Cut it out! What are you trying to do to [Name]?!”   

Sukuna stops just short of making contact with you, and you scramble backwards in a hurry, with Fushiguro quickly following suit.   

Holy shit. That was so, so close. If not for Itadori regaining control right in the nick of time, you would’ve been completely and irrevocably fucked . You’re shaking all over from how utterly terrifying that was. It’s honestly a miracle you didn’t wet yourself just then.   

“How are you able to move?” Sukuna mutters in disbelief.   

“What do you mean?” Itadori blinks. “You realize this is my body, right? And why’d you randomly get so close to [Name] all of a sudden? That’s creepy! Look how scared she is right now!”  

“It’s true,” you sniffle pathetically. “I hate it here. I just want to go home.”   

Sukuna keeps fighting it, but as expected, Itadori is able to suppress him with relative ease. The tattoos are gradually fading from his skin, proof that he’s the one in control right now, not Sukuna.   

And then, it happens. The long-awaited moment has finally arrived. Right as Fushiguro declares that he has no choice but to exorcize Itadori as a curse, a certain white-haired man appears, seemingly out of nowhere.   

That man, of course, is none other than Gojo Satoru—the strongest jujutsu sorcerer in the whole world.  

“Yo, Megumi,” Gojo casually greets. “What’s the situation?”   

“Wha—? Why are you here?!”  

“Well, I honestly wasn’t gonna come at first, but the higher-ups wouldn’t shut up with a special-grade cursed object gone missing, so I decided to stop by while I was sightseeing. But man, you’re pretty roughed up, huh? I’m definitely gonna show this to all the second-years.”  

He laughs obnoxiously while snapping pictures of Megumi’s bloody, injured state, and normally, this is the time when he would inquire about the location and state of the cursed object, but mirroring what Sukuna did earlier, he instead turns to you.   

“Also… what’s the deal with this girl?” Gojo asks, his cheerful, laid-back demeanor shifting for a moment. “Something about her cursed energy feels unnatural. It’s kind of giving me the heebie-jeebies, to be honest. Hey, you can hear me, right? You haven’t gone into shock or anything, have you?”  

He starts aggressively poking the top of your head, and even though you feel like you should be fangirling right about now—you’re being touched by the Gojo Satoru, after all—regretfully, that’s not how you react.   

Perhaps it’s the wave of sheer relief you’ve been hit with, now that you know you’re finally safe, or maybe it’s because of the absolute mindfuck that you’ve been put through today. Not just today, really, but ever since you somehow found yourself in this world. Whatever the case, it doesn’t matter.   

Exhausted beyond belief, you sway unsteadily, fainting right on the spot.   

“Whoa,” Gojo chuckles. He reaches out just in time to catch you in his arms. Your eyelids are completely shut, and you’ve got a peaceful expression on your face, because finally, you can afford to rest.   

Gojo stares down at you. With these special eyes of his, he can see the flow of cursed energy in haunting detail. Naturally, that means that from the moment he caught so much as a glimpse of you, he knew something was off. He knew you weren’t normal.  

The special-grade cursed object, Ryomen Sukuna. That’s why he came all this way. To retrieve something incredibly powerful, something too dangerous to risk falling into the wrong hands. He figured he already had his work cut out for him, but now, it looks like the situation’s gotten even more complicated.   

Just like him, you too are an anomaly, and the realization makes a grin spread across Gojo’s lips.  

“Well, then. This should be interesting.”   

Chapter Text

You awaken to the sight of Itadori gazing down upon you.   

“[Name]!”   

He cries out in a panic, and there’s no denying the look of concern on his face. Truthfully, it takes you a little while to make sense of everything. The last thing you recall is your close encounter with Sukuna, with Gojo showing up not long afterwards, but past that, there’s not a single memory to draw from. It’s all blank.   

“You fainted,” Itadori explains. In that case, it makes sense why you’re so disoriented. Right. Gojo appeared, which means that he must have been just about to fight Sukuna for a few seconds and test Itadori’s ability to suppress him, but before that, he briefly turned his attention to you. And then you passed out without even managing a proper response.   

Man. You kind of suck at first impressions, huh?   

“I’m alive,” you mumble breathlessly. “I actually… survived all of that.”   

By all accounts, it’s a miracle. You’re not supposed to be involved in the plot. You’re not a character in the main storyline. Which of course means that any number of things could have gone horribly, irreversibly wrong. Especially since Sukuna nearly forced you to eat his finger yourself.   

At least now, finally, it’s all over. Itadori has become Sukuna’s vessel, just like he was meant to be. From this moment onwards, he will face no shortage of hardship, but at least you were able to keep the plot on track. At least you haven’t completely messed everything up. Which means that all of this insanity is about to come to an end. Once Itadori leaves for Jujutsu High, you’ll no longer have any part in this.   

Or at least, that’s what you’d like to think. You’ve been put through hell tonight, and you desperately want to believe that a peaceful life awaits you.   

But of course, you’re dead wrong—and soon, you will realize it’s far too late to escape.  

“Ah, you’re awake,” a familiar voice hums. You turn towards the person who just spoke, and there he is. The man, the myth, the legend himself. Gojo Satoru. You didn’t really get the chance to admire him earlier since your body just kind of decided to shut down, but now that you’re lucid again, you can’t help but stare at him incredulously.   

Gojo approaches you with a smile. “Hello, there. Yuji mentioned that you’re his friend. [Name], right? How are you feeling?”   

“I’m alright,” you reply in a daze, and you hope to god you’re not drooling, because it sure as hell feels like you are.  

My god, he’s hot.  

Fortunately, you keep from blurting that remark aloud, and Gojo just keeps smiling at you. Which is honestly a bit unsettling, because even though he’s one of the good guys, he’s definitely got a mischievous side to him, and it almost feels like he’s scheming something.   

“Here, stand up,” Gojo offers, and he grabs you by the hand to help pull you to your feet. You briefly fangirl, of course (Gojo Satoru is holding your hand!), but you can tell that he’s got a few things he wants to say, so you face him with a solemn expression.   

There’s a pause, and then his smile widens.   

“Your friend Yuji is going to be executed,” he states matter-of-factly.   

What a truly horrifying thing to say with such a careless, easygoing expression.   

You’re not surprised, though, because you’re already familiar with how the storyline will proceed. Still, for the purposes of not coming across like a total psycho, you turn towards Itadori with your mouth agape, feigning shock and absolute horror.   

“Wh-What?” you splutter. “I… I don’t understand. Why would you say something like that?”   

Even though you’re certainly not going to win any Oscars, you hope that your shitty acting is convincing enough. And by the looks of things, it is , because Itadori lets out a heavy sigh and slumps his head forward.   

“He tied me to a chair earlier and started saying all kinds of weird stuff. Apparently, he and his allies are trying to collect a whole bunch of those fingers. There’s twenty of them in total. That guy whose finger I ate… his name is Sukuna, or something. And he’s apparently super-duper strong. I’m not sure how I’m able to control him, but it looks like I’ve become his vessel. He’s so dangerous that they normally would have killed me by now, but instead, the higher-ups agreed to let me live until I find all the remaining fingers and eat those too. And once I’ve done that, then they’ll kill me. Along with Sukuna. To make sure he’s gone for good.”   

You’re not sure what the appropriate response is. This is all stuff you already know, but putting yourself in the shoes of someone who isn’t from another world, who doesn’t have knowledge of how everything will proceed… essentially, your friend’s just told you he’s guaranteed to die, at some point or another.   

That shit’s pretty fucked up.   

You clench your fists. “Itadori’s a good person. Why are you threatening to—”   

“Sorry, sorry,” Gojo waves off. “I wasn’t actually looking for any input. The situation’s pretty non-negotiable, to be honest. Yuji’s execution has only been postponed because I argued in his favor. You don’t seem like you’re aware of how dangerous Sukuna actually is , so believe me when I say that I’m amazed they accepted my proposition in the first place.”   

Trust me. I know exactly how dangerous he is.   

Once again, you keep your thoughts to yourself, and instead, you turn to gaze out the window. It’s early morning, by the looks of things. You’ve been out cold for quite some time. But at least you can go home now, right…?   

“I’m sure this is a lot to take in,” Gojo continues, “but it’s really the only option we have. To be honest, it’s a miracle that Yuji survived in the first place. He was able to eat Sukuna’s finger without any side effects. An ordinary human would have died immediately. But for some reason, Megumi tells me that you encouraged Yuji to eat the finger. And you seemed to have full faith that he’d survive. Do you mind explaining that?”   

…ah, shit.   

“I-I was scared,” you swallow uncomfortably, taking a step back. “Fushiguro mentioned before that only those with cursed energy can kill curses. And since Itadori didn’t have any cursed energy, I thought that… maybe he could gain some. By eating that finger. We were backed into a corner and I thought we were all going to die. Itadori’s already really strong to begin with, so I felt like he could save us.”   

“Hmm.”   

Thankfully, Gojo doesn’t press the issue any further. Perhaps it’s a reasonable enough explanation, especially since he believes that you’re a total noob in the world of jujutsu sorcerers and the like. Surely he doesn’t suspect that you know more than you’re willing to admit.   

Yeah… surely not.   

“Okay,” he grins. “I guess that explains it. Oh! But I had another question, actually. Megumi also told me that when Sukuna first awakened, for some reason, he said he recognized you. He said that he’d seen you before. That’s kind of weird, isn’t it?”   

You freeze up on the spot, and at that moment, it finally hits you.   

There’s no chance in hell they’re going to let you walk away from this.   

“I don’t know what he meant by that,” you insist. “It was my first time ever speaking to that scary guy.”   

Technically not a lie, because when you encountered him inside his Innate Domain, you didn’t actually say a single word. You were too busy crapping your pants from fright.  

You’re not sure exactly how much is safe to reveal, but you suppose a half-truth would be good enough. Because if you admit that Sukuna was trying to make you eat his finger and possibly turn you into his vessel…   

Well, evidently, the higher-ups aren’t shy about executing people they deem dangerous.   

“Itadori showed me the finger once before,” you admit. “Back when he first found it at school. It was all wrapped up in the seal back then, so I had no clue what it was, but he tossed it to me, and I held onto it for a few moments. Do you think that’s what Sukuna was referring to?”   

“Sukuna should have been contained within the seal, even as flimsy and worn-out as it was, so I don’t see how that would work.”  

Gojo leans over, bringing his face level with your own, and you gulp, unnerved by the lack of distance. He’s ridiculously attractive, of course, but he can also be pretty intimidating too. Without even trying.   

It doesn’t take long for a smile to return to his face, though.   

“Oh, well!” he shrugs. “I guess we’ll just have to cross that bridge when we get there! I’m gonna have my hands full figuring all of this out, huh?”   

“Haha… ha.”  

Seriously, fuck my life.   

“Leave [Name] alone,” Itadori frowns. “I get why you guys are after me because of the finger, but she’s not involved. She was just worried about Sasaki and Iguchi, like I was. I’m the one who became Sukuna’s vessel, so let me deal with it. She doesn’t need to worry about any of this stuff. She should be going home and getting some rest.”   

Gojo’s smile finally drops. “Not involved, you say? Well, from your perspective, it might seem that way, but let me be honest. A lot isn’t adding up here. Unlike you, [Name] was already able to see curses, and she possesses an overwhelming amount of cursed energy. As things stand, she’s far from being an ordinary person. Not to mention that Sukuna himself expressed interest in her. I understand that you’re worried about your friend and you want to keep her safe… but I can’t in good faith just walk away and pretend like I never ran into her. It’s my responsibility as a jujutsu sorcerer. Besides. If I leave her all on her own, something tells me she’ll be found by someone else sooner or later. And more likely than not, they won’t have good intentions.”   

You lower your gaze to the ground, because you already know where he’s going with this. In fact, you probably should have realized it from the moment that small curse ran away from you. From the moment you inexplicably met Sukuna inside his Innate Domain. From the moment he called out to you and beckoned you towards him.   

Or rather… from the moment you first awoke in this world.   

You shouldn’t be here. By all accounts, it doesn’t make any sense. But the fact remains that you are , and naturally, weird shit is bound to happen. Things are bound to change. The life you’ve been thrust into is going to be nothing like the one you lived before, and it’s about time you came to terms with that.   

“Yuji and [Name],” Gojo says, a grin spreading across his lips, “both of you… are coming to Jujutsu High with me.”

Not long after your discussion with Gojo, you visit Sasaki and Iguchi in the hospital, along with Itadori. The scene that follows is pretty much exactly like in the anime. Sasaki is almost entirely unharmed, whereas Iguchi is presumably going to be alright in the long-term, but he’s still unconscious for the time being.   

It’s a strange feeling, to be honest. Seeing the two of them and knowing it’ll be the very last time. You always assumed Itadori was the one who was destined to leave. You figured that he would only be your friend for a short while, and then, you would have no choice but to say your goodbyes. You told yourself that after he left, you would stick with Sasaki and Iguchi and keep them company in his place.   

But now, it looks like you have to leave, too.   

“Someone will be stopping by tomorrow to help Iguchi,” Itadori says. He pauses to offer a weak smile. “I’m sorry. This all happened because I picked up that cursed object in the first place. What you saw inside the school… they weren’t monsters. They were curses. Iguchi will be alright, though. I promise.”   

Sasaki stares at him, visibly confused, and then she turns towards you. “[Name]...? So you were at school last night, too? Both of you came to help us?”   

“I’m sorry,” you also apologize, instinctively bowing your head. Naturally, this all would have happened even without your involvement, but still. You feel compelled to apologize. Not just for what she’s been through, but the fact that you won’t be able to stay behind as her friend.   

“I’m sorry, but we can’t stick around much longer,” Itadori tells her. He smiles once more, looking even more pained than he did a few moments ago. “There’s somewhere we need to go. Sorry. We’ll see you later, okay?”   

Even without the words being stated outright, Sasaki must already know. She must realize that this isn’t just a regular hospital visit. It's a goodbye.   

“Alright,” she nods, and she’s considerate enough not to ask any questions. She just sits there, next to Iguchi’s beside, with a wistful expression. “Bye, guys. Wherever you’re going… good luck.”   

You and Itadori walk out of the building, both with heavy hearts. Itadori is probably the nicest, bravest, most compassionate person in the world, but even he can’t just shrug off the thought of being executed. You know that death scares him, but it’s less about the process of dying, and whether or not he’ll be able to have a ‘good’ death. Whether he’ll be able to say that he lived a life free of regrets. A life where he did everything in his power to save others.   

Just because he’s strong doesn’t mean he’s not scared, though. Just because he’s going to accept his fate without putting up a fight doesn’t mean it isn’t hitting him hard. He’s only a highschooler. A boy who’s lived a happy, carefree life until now. It’s impossible not to be nervous, not to feel apprehensive, not to yearn for something else.   

But no matter how frustrated Itadori feels, it doesn’t matter.   

He will never give up.   

You know what awaits him is nothing short of hell. That’s why you were so desperate to avoid this. It’s such a horrifying world to land yourself in. It certainly isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. It isn’t going to be a blissful experience, where you’ll be able to interact with your favorite characters free of any worries. It’d be nice if that were the case, but it just isn’t .   

Unlike Itadori, you aren’t a protagonist. You aren’t naturally courageous, or ready to throw your life away if someone else is in danger. You wish you could say you are, but not everyone is meant to be a hero. And in the real world, the average person won’t think twice before prioritizing their own safety.  

But it looks like you’re going to have to change. Even if you aren’t like that to begin with, you’re going to have to become that kind of person. You’re going to have to face your fears and hold your ground, bite your tears back when you feel like running away. Like it or not, in this world, you are a unique, special existence, and that may very well be for a reason. Perhaps… perhaps you might be able to save the people that Itadori wasn’t able to. Perhaps you’ve been put in this world to ease his burden. To stand by his side and support him in his darkest hours.  

You’re terrified of what’s to come. No doubt about it. And you can’t really say that you were a particularly remarkable person in your previous life.   

But maybe this time, you can be.   

“I’m going to do it,” Itadori says as you walk side-by-side. He glances over at you and furrows his brows. “If curses and people like that Sukuna guy are really so dangerous, then I’ll do it. I’ll eat all those fingers and do whatever it takes. My grandpa wanted me to help people. So that when it’s my time to go, at least I’ll be surrounded by the people I care about. That was his dying wish.”  

He reaches out and gently squeezes your hand, a smile returning to his face. Whether the gesture was meant to reassure you or himself, you honestly don’t know. But it doesn’t matter. As long as you’re together, it’ll be alright. Even the scariest moments will be bearable.  

You won’t let his story end in tragedy, and hopefully, neither will yours.

“Mom, dad, I need to leave. I’m transferring to a new school, which means I’ll be moving to a different city. Today.”   

Normally, when parents hear something like this without any prior notice, their immediate instinct is to be concerned. This is the part where they’re supposed to start chiding you for saying something so ridiculous, which will be followed by a firm refusal.   

But that doesn’t happen.   

“We know,” your mother nods, with a strange, somewhat eerie look in her eyes. “You’re going to become a jujutsu sorcerer, aren’t you? So that you can protect all kinds of people.”   

“...”   

Okay, what in the ever-loving fuck ?  

“Um,” you respond, blinking repeatedly in disbelief. “How did you—?”   

“Don’t worry about us,” your father piles on. “This is very important, isn’t it? Go do what you need to do. We understand.”   

Alright, well, you knew from the start that they weren’t your real parents, because they clearly hadn’t been isekai’d like you, but to hear them casually going on about things they shouldn’t know—since you never told them a damn thing about curses or sorcerers—is unbelievably freaky. This interaction is further proof that you’re not really a part of this world, and they’re just meant to be some weird stand-ins. They’re not even actual people themselves. More like omniscient NPCs.  

“This is creepy as fuck,” you sigh, shaking your head in defeat.  

“Hurry up, darling,” your mother encourages with a smile. “Gojo is waiting outside to pick you up, along with Itadori and Fushiguro.”   

“Oh my god, stop it! You’re seriously freaking me out!”   

You can’t possibly get out of the house any faster, your luggage clunking behind you every time the wheels spin out or roll over a rock. True to your creepy NPC mom’s word, three people are waiting outside, one of whom is Itadori, and he excitedly waves to you.   

“[Name], hey!” he beams. “Good morning. Excited to make the trip to Tokyo?”   

“Definitely. I’m never coming back to this house ever again,” you shudder.  

“Huh, why? Did you have a fight with your parents or something?”   

You let out a heavy sigh, refusing to elaborate. Anyways, it doesn’t really matter. It looks like you were always destined to get involved, whether you intended to or not. People don’t just get isekai’d in their favorite anime to not play a role in the story. In all the fanfiction you’ve read, that’s pretty much an unwritten rule.  

“All ready to go?” Gojo smiles.   

You nod slowly. Truth to be told, you have many, many doubts. You’re scared that you’re not strong enough to make a difference, even if the story is pulling you in. You’re scared that you might end up meeting an early death, even with all this knowledge on your side. And you’re scared that if you really do disappear… Itadori will have yet another person to grieve.  

Itadori wants to have a proper death, and honestly? You want the same thing. You want to be able to look back at all you’ve accomplished and say that you genuinely, truly did everything you could.   

So, that’s what you’ll do.   

“I’m ready,” you nod, gripping the handle of your suitcase a bit tighter. “But before we go… I just have one request.”   

Gojo tilts his head to the side, confused, and he watches as you pull your phone out of your pocket, only to stare at him with a stern expression.   

“Take a selfie with me, please.”

Chapter Text

“Hehe.”   

You stare down at your brand-new selfie—taken with none other than Gojo Satoru . He’s smiling and posing while making peace signs with his fingers, and on your end, you’ve got a stupidly wide grin on your face, looking like you’ve just won the lottery. Which, in all fairness, you kind of did .   

“There you go,” Gojo hums, then he stops to cross his arms for a moment. “But why the selfie request all of a sudden? I’ll admit, I’m pretty popular in the world of jujutsu sorcerers, but you shouldn’t know about any of that.”   

“I don’t,” you nod. “I just think you’re really hot—I mean, really cool. Y-Yeah. You just seem really cool.”   

Out of the corner of your eye, you notice Fushiguro staring at you in disgust.   

Goddammit. That dude must have an absolutely terrible impression of you so far.   

“Very true,” Gojo grins, swiping his hair back like some kind of L’Oréal shampoo model. “I am pretty cool, if I do say so myself.”   

Fushiguro looks even more disgusted now.   

Gojo claps his hands together. “Anyways! Time to head out. Take one last moment to make sure you’re not forgetting anything, because once we’re there, well… I can’t guarantee when you’ll be able to come back.”   

It’s a good thing your parents aren’t actual parents, because it’s safe to say that there’s no longer anything tying you to this place. Of course, you’re terrified of what the future may hold, but you made the decision to be brave, and to try to help people in the process. If you play your cards right, maybe lives can be spared. Maybe not everyone has to die.   

So, yeah. You’re ready to leave. You’re ready to start this new chapter.   

And you also now have a selfie with Gojo Satoru. So far, life is pretty good.   

The trip to Tokyo takes a couple hours by train, but fortunately, you’ve got Itadori to keep you company the whole time. You try to engage Fushiguro in conversation as well, but he mostly keeps to himself and just stares out the window without saying anything. It doesn’t help that he’s clearly suspicious of you, but whatever. Not much you can do about it right now.   

Some time passes, and eventually, you reach your destination. Fushiguro separates from the group and goes off on his own to receive treatment for his injuries, so you’re left behind with Gojo and Itadori as you venture further into the mountains.   

“I can’t believe this is really Tokyo,” Itadori marvels.  

“Even Tokyo’s like this on the outskirts,” Gojo brushes off. “More importantly, Yuji, you’ve got an interview with the principal right away. If you mess up, you might get rejected, so do your best, okay? No pressure.”   

“Huh? Does that mean I’ll get executed right away?!”   

“What a disappointment. So, you’re not even the leader?”   

A familiar voice. You freeze up at the sound of it, unsurprised to find Sukuna’s mouth on the side of Itadori’s cheek. A partial manifestation, or whatever the hell you might call that. Either way, it gives you the creeps.   

“A hierarchy not based purely on strength is boring, if you ask me,” Sukuna chuckles.   

Itadori slaps his palm over his cheek in a hurry to shut Sukuna up. “Sorry about that. He pops out sometimes. I can’t always help it.”  

Unfortunately, Sukuna refuses to disappear, and this time, he manifests on the back of Itadori’s hand instead.   

“You really did a number on me earlier. I’m letting you know right now. Once I make this boy’s body completely mine, you’ll be the first one I kill!”   

That stinky old bastard is just running his mouth (quite literally), so you’re not really fazed.   

At least, not until he turns his attention to you.  

“And you ,” Sukuna mutters. “The strange girl. You never answered my question before. What are you? What in the world is going on with your cursed energy? It’s bothersome. Hurry up and give me a straight answer, or you’ll regret it.”   

“Ugh, again ?” Itadori fumes, stomping his foot in frustration. “Go away, already! You’re so annoying! And leave [Name] alone!”   

Fortunately, Itadori manages to fully suppress him this time, putting an end to Sukuna’s incessant yapping. Dude is seriously in love with the sound of his own voice.   

Unfortunately, Gojo already heard everything he said loud and clear.   

“Sukuna appears to have a fixation on you,” Gojo remarks, pressing his hand to his chin. “Well, I guess it’s not really that surprising, considering the ridiculous amount of cursed energy you’re constantly emitting. It’s obvious that you’re not a sorcerer because you don’t seem to know how to control it, but in terms of sheer capacity, it far surpasses that of an ordinary human.”   

“N-Neat,” you reply stupidly.   

Gojo stares at you for a few moments, then throws his head back and starts laughing.   

“Haha! Sure, I guess you could call it that. Being strong is pretty neat, without a doubt. I was going to say how honored I am to be the target of Ryomen Sukuna, but it looks like he’s even more interested in you, so you’ve got me beat in that regard.”   

“I’m not honored at all. I want nothing to do with that nasty guy.”   

Gojo laughs again. “Yeah, I bet. I can only imagine how confused you must be right now. Not to mention freaked out.”   

“So, is Sukuna really that famous?” Itadori asks.   

“Yes,” Gojo nods. “Ryomen Sukuna. He’s a demon of lore with four arms and two faces. But the truth is that he was actually a human who existed, although it was well over a thousand years ago. In the golden age of jujutsu, sorcerers gathered up all their might to challenge him, but ultimately, they failed to defeat him entirely. Crowned with the title of Sukuna, we couldn’t even destroy his grave wax, and he thus traversed the ages after his death as a cursed object. Without a doubt, he is the King of Curses.”   

“So, who’s stronger, you or him?”   

“Hm. Well, if Sukuna were to regain all his power, then it’d probably be pretty draining.”   

“Would you lose?”   

Gojo slows his steps for a moment, then tilts his head towards both of you, a cocky grin plastered across his lips.   

“Nah,” he chuckles. “I’d win.”   

Oh my god. I really got to see him deliver that iconic line. And he looked hot as hell while doing it.   

You stare at him with hearts in your eyes, already in full fangirl mode (which is pretty much your default mode, to be fair), but Gojo beckons the two of you onwards before you can get lost in your thoughts.   

He leads you inside one of the buildings, where you’re greeted by a familiar face.   

“You’re late, Satoru. Eight minutes late. Not quite enough to chastise you for, but I thought I told you to fix that bad habit of yours.”  

It’s the principal, of course—Yaga Masamichi. He’s currently in the middle of crafting a new puppet, and he’s also got more than a handful of them already surrounding him. At first glance, they’re adorable, but you know that their appearance is awfully deceptive, and they’re a lot stronger than they look.   

Poor Itadori’s about to get bitch-slapped by one of those puppets soon.   

“That old dude’s randomly making really cute stuff,” Itadori whispers in your ear.   

“If it’s not enough for you to get mad about, then cut me some slack, will ya?” Gojo sighs. “I figured you’d just be making your dolls anyway. Eight minutes is no big deal.”   

Principal Yaga gestures towards Itadori. “That’s him, right? Sukuna’s vessel. And the girl beside him… must be the other student you mentioned. The one with the abnormal amount of cursed energy.”   

“My name is Itadori Yuji!” your friend introduces, bowing his head in a hurry. “I like girls like Jennifer Lawrence! It’s nice to meet you!”   

Shit. Is it my turn now?   

“I-I’m [Last Name] [Name],” you say, bowing as well. “And I like, um… I guess I like cool guys. Like Gojo. And funny guys, like Ryan Reynolds. I also think Timothée Chalamet is pretty cute—”   

“Stop, stop.” Principal Yaga presses a palm to his forehead and exhales loudly. “I never asked either of you to start listing your personal preferences. Cut it out, already. And why was Satoru’s name randomly thrown in there?”   

“I can’t help that I’m extremely cool,” Gojo shrugs.   

“Satoru, that’s enough out of you. More importantly, why did you come here?” Principal Yaga asks, now addressing Itadori.   

Itadori looks confused, of course. “Uh… I came here for an interview. I’m pretty sure.”   

“But why Jujutsu High?”   

“To learn… jujutsu? And stuff?”   

“I mean beyond that. What do you hope to find once you’ve studied curses and learned how to exorcize them?”   

This time, Itadori glances towards you, almost as if he’s seeking some kind of guidance. “Beyond that…? Well, I mean, I’m gonna collect all of Sukuna’s remaining fingers. It’s dangerous to just leave them as is.”   

“But why ?” Principal Yaga presses.   

Gojo chuckles and taps you on the shoulder. “This is probably going to go on for a little while. Come. Let’s go wait over there. The principal likes to ramble every now and then.”   

You offer Itadori an encouraging smile. You obviously know what comes next, but that also means that you have full confidence in him. You know that he’ll pass Principal Yaga’s test and get accepted into Jujutsu High. It doesn’t seem you’ll be put through any interviews yourself… probably because you’re not Sukuna’s vessel, but you expect that most people are probably going to be pretty wary of you anyway. Since you’re an anomaly and all that. And since Sukuna couldn’t keep his stupid mouth shut.   

So, you watch. You watch as Itadori gets smacked around by one of Principal Yaga’s puppets, all the while having to answer the questions he keeps throwing at him nonstop. It’s definitely not fun to have to see your friend get beat up, but again, thanks to the knowledge you have of this world, you’re not worried. And it’s certainly not like anyone’s life is at risk right now.   

That won’t always be the case, though.   

“You pass,” Principal Yaga eventually states, and he cracks a small smile, even offering Itadori his hand so that he can stand up.   

Itadori smiles back at him. “Thank you. It’s nice to properly meet—”   

He promptly gets pummeled by the puppet again.   

“Oops,” Principal Yaga mumbles. “Sorry. I forgot to stop the incantation.”  

“Looks like everything went well,” Gojo muses. He peers down at you curiously. “But I have to admit, I’m a bit surprised. You didn’t look concerned at all. Weren’t you worried that he’d fail? In which case that would mean that his execution date would be pushed up.”  

You shake your head. “I believe in Itadori. I knew he’d be able to pull it off. And… I believe in you too, sensei. You said you’re the one that convinced the higher-ups in the first place, right? I can tell that you’ll protect Itadori. You wouldn’t let him be executed. I trust you completely.”  

You grin ear-to-ear, and even though you can’t see it, Gojo’s eyes briefly widen, underneath his black blindfold. Of course, it’s not the first time people have relied on him. Being the strongest jujutsu sorcerer there is, it comes with the territory. But it’s strange that you’re already willing to put your full faith in him, despite not knowing anything of this new realm you’ve just ventured into.   

Admittedly, it’s rather endearing.  

“You’re exactly right,” Gojo chuckles, reaching out to gently pat your head. “Leave it all to me. I don’t intend to let any of my students get hurt on my watch. It’ll probably all seem overwhelming at first, but you won’t be alone. I promise.”   

Gojo Satoru is patting my head! %$%^*@^$!*!  

Your brain short-circuits for a few moments, and you briefly think that, honestly, you could probably die happy right now.   

Itadori approaches you while you’re still stuck in fangirl mode, and fortunately, you snap out of it in time to congratulate him for passing the principal’s test. Meanwhile, Gojo and Principal Yaga step off to the side.   

“The boy is one thing, but the girl, [Name],” Principal Yaga frowns. “I’ve never come across cursed energy like hers before. And you say that Sukuna himself expressed interest in her?”   

Gojo nods. “It’s even weirder than no one’s noticed her before. With that kind of energy, you would think she’d have stood out a long time ago. But she clearly hasn’t been trained in the ways of jujutsu. It’s almost like she sprung up one day, completely out of nowhere. But surely that kind of cursed energy can’t just randomly appear on the spot. It would make sense if she’d been born with this kind of power and had cultivated it over the years. Do you think it’s possible one of the great clans have been hiding her all this time?”  

“I suppose we can’t rule it out, but it wouldn’t make any sense. If that were the case, she would surely have been trained from a young age.”  

“Well, we’ll just have to look into it, I guess. It’s fine. Better to have her nearby so we can keep an eye on her. I knew from the moment I saw her that I couldn’t just let her go.”   

Gojo stares at you from afar, watching as you and Itadori happily converse. The two of you are so carefree and innocent. You have yet to be exposed to the horrors that the world of jujutsu has to offer. He knows he won’t be able to spare either of you from the bitter reality of things, but all the same, he’s going to fight for your futures.  

After a brief pause, Gojo smiles, then claps his hand together.   

“Alright! With that out of the way, let me show you guys to your dorms.”

“Perfect!” Itadori grins, stepping back to admire his handiwork. Namely, the giant poster of Jennifer Lawrence he just put up on the wall. “Man, these dorms are huge, huh? I wasn’t expecting us to have so much space!”   

“They’re nice,” you agree. “My new dorm is even bigger than my bedroom.”   

Both in this world, and back in the real world.   

“I’m just relieved I was able to make it through the principal’s interview. I wasn’t expecting those dolls of his to come to life! That was pretty crazy, huh?”   

“Y-Yeah. Who could’ve seen that one coming…?”   

“Anyways, Gojo was saying they’re gonna need me to help locate the rest of Sukuna’s fingers,” Itadori continues, adjusting the poster slightly. “‘Cause I’m not just a vessel, but some kind of radar, too. Honestly, I don’t get what’s happening with my body, but I guess there’s not much I can do about it at this point. I really don’t think Sukuna’s gonna cooperate, though. I doubt we’ll be able to come to an agreement that easily.”   

“I’m sure he wants to find the rest of his fingers, because he’s trying to regain his full strength. There’s no way he’d miss out on an opportunity to become more powerful. But… yeah. Be careful,” you nod gravely. “He definitely can’t be trusted.”   

“Why’s he so obsessed with you, anyway? Everyone keeps going on about how you have a whole bunch of cursed energy. Have you always been able to see curses and stuff?”   

“Uh…”   

You’re not sure how to respond. Technically, yes , as in, you’ve been able to see them from the moment you materialized in this world, but you’ve only been here for a solid few weeks. Perhaps you’re better off being honest this time.   

“Only recently,” you admit. “I think I started being able to see them roughly a few weeks ago. I noticed them right about when I transferred into our old high school. There were a couple of small curses hanging around and clinging to people from time to time. But I thought I was going crazy, so I didn’t mention it to anyone.”  

“Damn. That must have been scary. Oh,” he realizes. “Is that why you said you weren’t interested in joining the Occult Club? Because of all the weird stuff you kept seeing?”   

“Um, pretty much. I wasn’t sure whether or not it was all in my head, but I kind of wanted to keep my distance, just to be on the safe side. Sorry. I would’ve been upfront from the start, but… obviously, it’s a bit hard to believe. Especially since you weren’t able to see the curses with your own eyes.”   

Itadori smiles. “You don’t have to apologize. I get that you must have had a lot on your mind, and you’re right that it’d be a pretty difficult topic to bring up. Anyways, don’t worry! I’ll keep Sukuna away from you. It sounds like things are gonna get pretty complicated, but I’m gonna collect all those fingers so that no one else has to get hurt. Including you.”   

“Are you saying you’ll protect me?” you chuckle.   

“Of course! If you ever get scared, don’t hesitate to use me as a shield!”   

Itadori proudly flexes his bicep, and you giggle in response. You have no doubts that he’ll be looking after you along the way, because that’s just the kind of guy he is, but hopefully… you’ll be able to protect him too. You’d like to make his painful life at least a little bit easier.   

“By the way, you asked Gojo for a selfie earlier. I didn’t realize you liked him that much. I guess he is pretty cool, objectively speaking.” Itadori scrunches up his brows. “Is he the kind of guy girls are usually into?”   

“I think it depends. Girls like all kinds of guys. Especially strong, caring guys like you,” you grin.   

You were just being honest and trying to hype him up a bit. Itadori’s a friendly, extroverted guy, after all. You don’t even remember him ever looking embarrassed when you first watched the anime.  

Which is why you’re surprised to see him blushing.  

“R-Really?” he chuckles awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck. “I feel like you’re just saying that. But thanks! I appreciate it. While we’re on the topic, I bet most guys would have a crush on you , [Name]! Because you’re so pretty and nice!”   

If there was water in your mouth, you would have probably spat it out right about now.   

You start melting into a little puddle of embarrassment, but thankfully, Fushiguro steps into the room and saves you from some of the humiliation.  

“You guys are so loud,” he grumbles. “And seriously, why’d they put you next door to me? There are a bunch of empty rooms to choose from.”   

“Oh, hey, Fushiguro!” Itadori waves. “Glad to see you look better now. Also, Gojo was saying it’d be more lively and fun if all our dorms were close by.”   

“Classes and missions are more than enough,” Fushiguro mutters, rolling his eyes in annoyance. He stops just in front of you, and of course, that crease in between his brows deepens.  

You strain a smile. “Um… yes? Is there something you wanted to say to me?”   

“Not really. You’re just kind of confusing, if I’m being honest. And you’re weirdly obsessed with Gojo.”   

“Only because he’s hot,” you protest. “I mean—dammit! Because he’s cool ! I like him because he’s cool, okay?!”   

Fushiguro makes no effort to hide his disapproval, and you let out a heavy sigh, eventually hanging your head in defeat. It’s no surprise he doesn’t trust you yet. Your circumstances are far from ordinary, and you even told Itadori outright to eat Sukuna’s finger. If you were in his position, you’d probably have your doubts too.  

Itadori taps both you and Fushiguro on the shoulders. “Hey, guys. [Name]’s selfie with Gojo earlier got me thinking. Now that we’re all gonna be classmates and dorm buddies, we should commemorate this with a photo or something. Right?”   

“I like that idea,” you smile.   

“I don’t ,” Fushiguro grimaces.  

“Okay, let’s all take a selfie together!” Itadori exclaims, and he proceeds to pull you and Fushiguro close—despite the latter’s protests—then he uses your phone to snap a picture of all three of you.   

Just like that, you have a new picture saved. Fushiguro is scowling irritably, of course, and your smile looks a little dorky because it all happened so spur-of-the-moment, but you decide that it’s good as it is. It makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.   

“I like this picture even more than the one I took with Gojo,” you beam. “I’m gonna make it my lock screen right now.”   

Fushiguro blinks. He wasn’t expecting such a bright, infectious smile. It’s just a selfie. Is it really worth making such a big deal over? He’s not sure why, but something about your expression makes it difficult for him to maintain his grumpy demeanor.   

Even though he doesn’t really want to admit it… you’re kind of cute.   

Chapter Text

You never thought you’d be able to say this, but you’re officially a Jujutsu High student.  

It feels stranger than you can even put into words. The fact that right now, you’re living under the same roof as Itadori, Fushiguro, and technically even Gojo … in many ways, it’s a dream come true.  

As long as you don't think about the scary parts, that is. 

You've finished unpacking and your dorm is now completely set up. Unlike Itadori, you didn't bring any industrial-size posters, and truth be told, you hardly have any attachment to your belongings since you've barely been in this world for a few weeks. There's a bunch of stuff you wish you could've brought along with you from the real world, but there's not much you can do about that at this point.  

I wonder if I'll ever find a way back to my old world.  

Realistically, you know it's probably a lost cause. But maybe there is some kind of condition that needs to be met. Maybe if you see the story all the way to its conclusion, and once Itadori can finally rest easy, maybe your job will be over, and you'll be allowed to go home.  

Still, you know better than to hold out hope for a miracle. Your number one priority is to adapt to your new environment and survive .  

You’re sure you'll have plenty of time for an existential crisis along the way.  

It's nighttime now, and you’re just about ready to go to sleep. You finish all your preparations and change into your pajamas, but before you actually tuck in for the night, you can't help but creep out of your room and steal a peek down the hallway.  

“Itadori’s lights are still on,” you mumble.  

You know it's probably not polite to disturb him at this hour, but you decide you'd like to say goodnight and wish him sweet dreams. Gojo already told you earlier that tomorrow, you'll be picking up the last remaining first-year student—which is none other than Kugisaki Nobara, of course.  

Tomorrow is going to be pretty eventful, and you're bound to encounter some curses too, from what you recall. Just the thought of it makes your stomach clench. It won't be smooth sailing from here on out.  

Maybe that's why you want to enjoy the last bit of normalcy, while you still can.  

You knock on Itadori’s door as quietly as you can, not wanting to wake Fushiguro. At first you think he might not have heard you, so you raise your hand and prepare to knock again, but soon enough you hear the sound of his feet padding across the floors, and the door opens. 

Itadori blinks, and it doesn't take long for him to sport a grin. “Oh, hey, [Name]! What's up?” 

“I noticed you were still awake, so I just stopped by to say goodnight. I hope I'm not bothering you.” 

“Not at all! To be honest, I'm a little too energized to go to bed right now anyway. Did you want to come in and talk for a little while?” 

Hanging out in a cute boy's dorm room after hours? 

Uh… hell yes. 

“Thank you,” you say, smiling shyly as you step inside. His dorm layout is mostly unchanged from what you saw earlier. Like you, he didn’t really pack a whole lot. His Jennifer Lawrence posters are probably his most prized possessions, from what you can tell.  

“Can’t sleep either?” Itadori asks, lifting a brow.  

“I guess not. This is a lot to take in. I’m still in the process of adjusting.”  

Perhaps that might come across as a bit insensitive. He’s stuck dealing with Sukuna, after all. There are few things that can top becoming a vessel for the ever-powerful, malevolent King of Curses. 

Well, other than traversing worlds, of course.  

It looks like you’ve got him beat in that regard.  

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Itadori sighs, plopping down on his bed. He pauses, then smiles as he pats the spot next to him. “Did you want to sit, too? The bed’s probably more comfortable than the crappy desk chair.”  

Damn. Itadori Yuji just invited you into his bed. Not literally , but still.  

You’re grinning like a goddamn fool. 

“Th-Thanks,” you stammer. You sit down next to him, reminding yourself to be cool, to be normal (yes, you can do that sometimes), and by some miracle, you manage to reign in your erratic heartbeat.  

Itadori looks over at you. “Hey, [Name]. You can be honest. Now that I’m that Sukuna’s vessel… does it make you a little nervous? Being around me?”  

No. I’m more nervous about the fact that I’m in bed with you.   

“Why would I be nervous?” you reply. 

“Earlier, Gojo made it sound like he was really dangerous. This is obviously all new to me, but I think it’s finally starting to sink in. That he’s hurt a lot of people until now. You were friends with me before all this happened, so I can’t help but wonder if you feel uncomfortable now. Because things are different. And I definitely wouldn’t blame you for feeling that way.” 

“But you can suppress Sukuna. Because you’re strong. I’ve always known you were strong. Not only that, but you would never hurt anyone. So, please don’t worry,” you smile gently. “There’s no way I’d ever feel uncomfortable around you.” 

Itadori’s eyes widen, and his expression seems to brighten a bit as well. Maybe he needed to hear those words. As cheerful and upbeat as he always tries to be… you can only imagine how afraid and frustrated he feels right now. His body isn’t even entirely his own anymore. He shouldn’t have to worry about losing his friends too.  

You’ve already decided that you’ll stay by his side, no matter what happens.  

“Thanks, [Name],” Itadori chuckles. “I feel like you always know exactly how to cheer me up. I’m glad I have you here with me. It really helps.”  

“I can’t promise that I’ll be as strong as you are, but I can promise that I’ll do whatever it takes to make things even just a little bit easier for you.” 

Right. You can’t promise anything. Even with a bit of knowledge on your side, there’s no guarantee things will go to plan—as evidenced by the fact that they already haven’t.  

But at least you can try.  

And you’re damn well going to try your hardest. 

“Hm, I’m still not sleepy,” Itadori admits. “Oh, but I’m not keeping you awake, am I? If you’re tired, don’t stay up too late because of me.”  

You shake your head. “No, I don’t feel like going to bed yet either. You brought your laptop, right? Do you want to maybe watch something for a little bit? Maybe some kind of Jennifer Lawrence YooTube compilation?”  

“No way,” Itadori blinks, and he proceeds to stare at you in awe. “[Name], do you… like Jennifer Lawrence too?”  

“Yeah, I’ve seen a bunch of her movies. And she’s funny in a lot of interviews. Plus, she’s pretty.”  

Itadori continues staring at you with his mouth agape, and for a split second, he wonders if you might be his soulmate.  

“Yeah, let’s do it! One Jennifer Lawrence compilation coming right up!”  

It doesn’t take long for you two to get sucked into the black hole known as the internet, and you both lie in bed, flat on your stomachs, with Itadori’s laptop facing towards you. Every so often, you shuffle around and reposition yourself, bumping up against Itadori’s body in the process. By mistake, though— totally by mistake. Totally.  

Long story short, you eventually lose track of time, and it turns out that you’re being a lot louder than you thought, because Fushiguro eventually bursts into the room.  

“Will you two keep it down already?!” he fumes. “I’m actually trying to get some sleep!”  

You and Itadori turn around, and it allows Fushiguro to get a proper look at what’s currently blown up on the laptop’s screen. Namely, a collection of pictures, each featuring a half-naked Jennifer Lawrence.  

The Oogle search bar reads: jennifer lawrence bikini hot .  

“I-It’s not what it looks like,” you desperately insist, but of course, your efforts are in vain. 

Fushiguro is already closing the door, and the last thing you see is that trademark disgusted expression of his.  

This time, you can’t really blame him. 

“...hey. I said, hey . Wake up, already. We’re going to be late.” 

Your eyelids slowly lift, heavy from morning haze, and it takes a little while for your blurry vision to clear.  

When it finally does, you find Fushiguro staring down at you with his arms crossed—looking somewhat like a disapproving mother when their child oversleeps for school. 

“G’morning,” you mumble groggily. A quick glance down at your slightly damp pillow tells you that you were drooling in your sleep, and you hurry to wipe your face and fix your bedhead, mortified to have been seen in such a disheveled state.  

Fushiguro sighs. “I’m sorry for barging into your room like this, but you really need to start getting ready. I had to go wake up Itadori earlier, too. Being late on your very first day of school sets a terrible precedent, doesn’t it?” 

“Sorry. I’m… not really a morning person.”  

“I figured as much,” he sighs again. There’s a pause, and his gaze briefly flickers down to the front of your pajama shirt. One of the buttons must have come undone in your sleep, and the fabric is hanging off your shoulder a bit, revealing perhaps a bit too much cleavage.  

It only takes a second for Fushiguro’s face to turn bright red.  

“A-Anyway, just hurry up,” he splutters, quickly turning away from you. “We seriously need to get a move on. I left your new uniform by the door.” 

Fushiguro leaves in a hurry, nearly tripping over his feet in the process. You feel a bit embarrassed that he had to see you looking all sloppy like this, but it certainly wouldn’t be the first time he’s judged you.  

Pressed for time, you finish getting ready as quickly as possible, but you make a point of stopping to look back at your reflection in the windows. Now that you’re all decked out in the Jujutsu High uniform… it feels even more real. You struggle to reel in your excitement, but ultimately fail, and out in the hallway, Fushiguro can hear you happily giggling to yourself.  

“So ridiculous,” he scowls. 

Yet again, he can’t fully bring himself to admit that you’re absurdly cute. In kind of a stupid way, but still. 

Eventually, you and Itadori both finish getting ready, and the three of you head down to Harajuku Station, where you’ll be picking up the last addition to your group, Nobara. Itadori buys some popsicles while you wait for Gojo to show up (Fushiguro refuses to have one, of course), and you suck on the iced treat while glancing all around, eagerly searching for a short-haired brunette.  

“I still feel like four people is way too little for a first-year class,” Itadori absently remarks.  

“Other than [Name], have you ever met anyone who could see curses?” Fushiguro points out. 

“Well… I guess not.”  

“That’s just how much of a rarity jujutsu sorcerers are.”  

You bite into the last chunk of your popsicle, briefly shuddering from how cold it feels against your teeth. Right as you’re finishing it off, you hear a familiar voice, and you turn your head towards the station’s entrance.  

“Sorry for the wait,” Gojo greets, lifting his hand in the air. He tilts his head as he walks over towards the three of you. “Oh. Looks like the uniforms made it on time. How are they? Comfortable?”  

“Mine’s a perfect fit,” Itadori nods. “My uniform looks different from Fushiguro’s, though. It’s got a hood, for one.” 

“You can put in requests to have your uniforms customized,” Gojo explains.  

“I’m pretty sure I never requested that.”  

“That’s because I did it for you, of course!” Gojo proudly sticks his thumb in the air, and his grin gets even wider when he turns towards you. “Yours too, [Name]. I wasn’t sure what you’d like, but I did my best to come up with a cute design. How is it? In my opinion, it suits you really well.” 

“Does that mean you’re also calling me cute?” you gape incredulously.  

“Sure, sure,” Gojo laughs. “You look super cute. I guess I’ve really got an eye for this kind of thing, huh?” 

You press your palms to your flushed cheeks and somehow manage to bite back a squeal. Meanwhile, Fushiguro’s expression turns to his disgust yet again. It’s practically a superpower at this point. 

“Sleazeball,” Fushiguro mutters.  

“Who, me?” Gojo points. “What’d I even do?” 

“You started hitting on a high-schooler.”  

“Hey, now. I was just complimenting one of my students. I’m being a supportive teacher. You know, positive reinforcement and all that.”  

You nod enthusiastically. “The positive reinforcement is definitely working. Keep it up, sensei. I can feel myself getting stronger already.” 

Fushiguro shakes his head in disbelief.  

“You’re all a bunch of idiots.” 

Since Nobara specifically requested that you meet up in Harajuku, there are plenty of shops to hit while you wait for her to show up. Itadori holds your hand as he excitedly leads you through the crowds. Fushiguro refuses to partake in anything fun, of course, so you and Itadori treat yourself to yummy crêpes, needlessly complicated drinks, and try on silly accessories like comically oversized sunglasses and animal ears. 

“Itadori, you’ve got some whipped cream on your cheek,” you say.  

“Huh? Oh, shoot. I didn't even realize.” Itadori pauses, then leans closer to you and smiles. “Would you mind getting it for me?”  

“S-Sure,” you reply, and even though the gesture is innocent enough, your face feels ridiculously hot as you gently swipe your finger across his cheek, picking up the leftover whipped cream. The deranged part of you briefly considers licking the cream off your finger, in true clichéd anime fashion, but you ultimately wipe your finger with a napkin, proud of yourself for not giving in to your fangirl urges.  

Fushiguro grimaces. “They’re basically just on a date. And we’re being forced to watch. Also, why didn’t she just use the napkin to wipe his cheek in the first place? I swear she’s got a few screws loose.”  

“Ah, young love,” Gojo muses.  

You finish off the last of your treats then throw away your garbage, and apparently, just in time to watch a familiar scene unfold.  

“Excuse me, do you have a moment?” a suited man asks, smiling politely as he approaches a woman walking on the street. “You see, I’m looking to scout potential models. Here’s my business card. Would you be interested, by any chance?”  

“I’m busy right now,” the woman curtly replies, clearly not willing to give him the time of day.  

“Please, just hear me out. Even a short chat would be more than enough—” 

“Hey, you.”  

The man is roughly grabbed by the shoulder and pulled back, and he turns, coming face to face with the girl you’ve been waiting for this whole time.  

“Forget about that woman. What about me?” Nobara asks, with the sort of confidence you can only dream of having.  

Panic immediately seeps into the man’s expression, but naturally, Nobara doesn’t let up.  

“For the modeling gig, duh,” she continues. “I’m asking what you think about me . I’m pretty, aren’t I?”  

“Oh, um… e-excuse me, but I’ve got some urgent matters to attend to, so if you don’t mind, I’ll just be on my way…”  

He tries to escape, but she forcefully pulls him back again, and her tone of voice becomes significantly more confrontational than it was just a few moments ago.  

“What the hell, man? Don’t run from me. If you’re got something to say, then come right out and say it!”  

“We’re about to go talk to her ?” Itadori blinks. “That’s kind of embarrassing, not gonna lie.”  

“You of all people shouldn’t be talking,” Fushiguro mutters.  

“Hey, hey, over here!” Gojo calls out, waving his arms so that Nobara spots him. She turns around and catches a glimpse of you through the crowd, giving that poor man the chance to finally run away.  

Nobara approaches the group, one hand resting squarely upon her hips. “So, you’re the other first-years. I’m Kugisaki Nobara. You should feel honored to be able to spend time with me.”  

She’s very self-assured, no doubt about it. Well, you already knew as much from watching the anime, but actually meeting her is a whole different story. You almost feel a little bit intimidated by the sheer magnitude of her presence. Some might go as far as to call her arrogant, but you know that deep down, she cares deeply for her friends and is willing to risk her life for them. 

“I’m Itadori Yuji,” Itadori introduces with a grin. “I’m from Sendai.”  

“Fushiguro Megumi,” the other boy says—and that’s it. Full stop.  

Nobara narrows her eyes as she looks them over. Even without her saying it aloud, you already know exactly what’s going through her head right now. Based on first impressions alone, she thinks Itadori is dorky and unsophisticated. The type who ‘definitely ate his own boogers as a kid’, to quote her word-for-word. As for Fushiguro, she seems to think that he’s stuck up and considers himself superior to others, based on how blunt and unenthusiastic his response was.  

Anyways, since she judged them so harshly, right from the beginning, you fear to imagine what she must think of you .  

“I’m [Last Name] [Name],” you introduce, bowing politely and offering a small smile. “It’s really nice to meet you. I’m from Sendai too. Itadori and I went to the same high school. It was only for a little while, but we kind of know each other from before. Also… I think you could definitely do it. The modeling gig, I mean. That guy from earlier was clearly blind.”  

Nobara blinks, visibly surprised, and suddenly, her haughty expression does a full one-eighty.  

“Aw, you really think so?” she grins, latching onto your arm and pulling you into a hug. “Right? That’s what I’m saying! I swear most people can’t recognize talent even when it’s staring them right in the face. Thank god there’s another girl in the group. I don’t know what I’d do if it was just me stuck with those stinky boys.”  

“She just randomly called us stinky,” Itadori gapes. “But… we don’t even smell bad. Right, Fushiguro? Right ?”  

Unsurprisingly, Fushiguro ignores him.  

“Are we going somewhere from here?” he asks.  

Gojo chuckles. “I’m glad you asked. Well, since I’ve finally got all of my students together, and it just so happens that most of you are from the countryside… there’s really only one thing to do. We’re obviously going to go sightseeing in Tokyo!”  

Cue a wave of excited cheers from both Itadori and Nobara. They’re dancing around Gojo and yelling out all the different places they’d like to see. In this world, you started off in the countryside, yes, but back in the real world, you’ve lived in big cities pretty much your whole life. There’s not really much appeal here.  

Besides, you already know that Gojo’s letting them get their hopes up for nothing.  

“I will now announce our destination,” Gojo says, and you watch as Itadori and Nobara both drop to their knees in subservience. “We will be visiting none other than… Roppongi !”  

The pair of fools stare back at each other, eyes all glossy, wide, and hopeful. Poor things. They’re in for one hell of a disappointment.  

You pout. “Sensei, are we really going sightseeing? Are we actually going to get to do fun things?”  

“What do you mean?” Gojo hums, feigning ignorance, of course. “What else is there to do but let loose and have fun? Look at how excited your classmates are!”  

“Uh-huh…”  

For obvious reasons, you don’t trust a word he says, and when you arrive in front of the abandoned building that’s teeming with cursed energy, Itadori and Nobara can only wail in desperation.  

“I knew it,” you say, pouting again. “Sensei, you’re a liar. I saw this coming from a mile away.”  

Even though I technically used cheats, but still.   

Gojo crosses his hand over his heart and pretends to look hurt. “You wound me, [Name]. Weren’t you just saying the other day that you trust me completely? I didn’t expect you to doubt my intentions.”  

“I can just tell,” you shrug. “Good luck lying to me. I’m pretty sure I’ll know.”  

“Hm. Is that so?”  

Gojo’s lips pull into a smile. You’re incredibly perceptive, it seems. Fushiguro’s known him for a long time, so it’s no wonder he’s not surprised with this outcome, but he was expecting you to be convinced, just like how Itadori and Nobara were.  

Perhaps he’s reading into things too much, but he wonders if this perceptiveness of yours has anything to do with how you knew Itadori was supposed to eat Sukuna’s finger. How you had full confidence that he’d survive. Maybe this is just a stretch, and it might just be that he’s not as good of a liar as he thought he was, but still.  

He’s got his eye on you, and from now on, he won’t let you out of his sight. 

Chapter Text

“[Name], Yuji, and Nobara. Today, I want the three of you to go and exorcize the curses inside that building,” Gojo instructs. “Consider it a practical test. I’m interested in seeing what you guys can do.”   

Balls.   

You had a feeling that things would turn out this way. In the canon story, Fushiguro was the only one who waited outside along with Gojo. He already has experience using cursed techniques and all that stuff. You and Itadori are both newbies, and Gojo isn’t familiar with Nobara either, so it's hardly surprising.  

In any case, you should be fine. Nothing tragic is set to happen today. As long as you play it safe and let Itadori and Nobara take care of everything, it shouldn’t be a big deal. If nobody’s life is at stake, you’d rather not risk messing with the storyline too much and just let it unfold. It’s not like you know how to fight yet anyway.   

“Well, I guess that’s fine by me, but I’m surprised there are curses just lurking around all over the place,” Itadori remarks.   

“How do you not even know simple things like this?” Nobara scowls.   

“Ah, right, you still haven’t heard what happened. The truth is, neither Yuji or [Name] have been trained as jujutsu sorcerers yet,” Gojo explains. He proceeds to point towards Itadori. “This guy ate a cursed object, and now he’s become Sukuna’s vessel. As for [Name], she naturally has a lot of cursed energy, but she doesn’t seem to know how to use it.”  

“He ate a cursed object?!” Nobara exclaims, immediately taking refuge behind you. “Disgusting! That’s seriously gross! What’s wrong with you?!”   

“You know, ever since we met, I feel like you’ve done nothing but insult me,” Itadori grumbles. “Anyways, sensei, I don’t mind going in there, but I thought before you said that only a curse can exorcize a curse. I still don’t know any jujutsu.”   

“Since you’re Sukuna’s vessel, you’re pretty much a half-curse already. Cursed energy is flowing through your body. But of course, I can’t expect you to control it right away, so for now, use this.”   

He hands Itadori a cursed tool—the dagger you saw him wielding early on in the series, Slaughter Demon . A weapon imbued with cursed energy, designed to kill curses.   

“Wow,” Itadori blinks, staring at the dagger visibly in awe. It does look pretty cool, so you can’t really blame him.   

“And you too, [Name],” Gojo continues. You turn towards him, only for him to hand you a cursed tool of your own. It looks a bit different than Itadori’s. It’s longer, for one, and closer to a short sword than a wide-edged dagger. The blade is thin, and even though it’s considerably shorter than an actual sword, it has a decent amount of reach. Plus, it’s light enough that you can comfortably move it around.   

“Does my weapon have a badass name too?” you ask hopefully.   

“Hm, I’m not sure, to be honest. But feel free to name it yourself.”   

“Since mine’s Slaughter Demon , you should name yours Curse Annihilator! Or, or—what about Deathbringer? Or Abyssal Fury ? Eclipse’s Edge ?”   

Itadori keeps excitedly throwing out names, and as cute as his enthusiasm is, you doubt Gojo’s just going to let you guys sit around and pretend like you’re in some kind of RPG.   

“So childish,” Nobara sighs, already turning towards the building.  

You chuckle once, gripping the hilt of your blade a bit tighter. It’s not like you haven’t seen curses before. You already got up close and personal with Sukuna , the most dangerous ‘curse’ of all. There’s no reason to be afraid. Especially when you can already predict everything that’s going to happen.   

Gojo waves you off with a smile, and Fushiguro crosses his arms without saying anything, but you can tell that he’s a bit worried. Mostly about Itadori not having anyone to monitor him, but still. He can’t quite seem to hide all his concern, even with that cute little frowny-face of his.   

“Ugh, this is such a pain,” Nobara mutters. “I can’t believe I have to deal with some curses first thing in Tokyo. Let’s hurry up and get this over with so we can grab sushi or something.”   

“Hold on, let’s try to be a little more serious,” Itadori protests. “Curses are really dangerous. Don’t you know that?”   

Oh, Itadori. You sweet summer child.   

You’re unsurprised to see Nobara turn around with a look of sheer contempt, and she even forcefully kicks him down the stairs.   

“I don’t want to hear that from someone who was a normie until now! Hurry up and get the hell on with it! If we split up, we’ll get this done faster!”   

Nobara grabs you by the hand and starts pulling you along with her, before you can even get a word in edgewise.   

“This is why girls don’t like you,” she mutters as she leaves Itadori behind.   

“Huh? What do you know about girls not liking me? And—hey! If we’re splitting up, I want to be with [Name]! Hey!”  

Itadori calls out, but to no avail. Nobara is already leading you up the stairs, towards the top floor.   

You suppose it doesn’t really make much of a difference who you’re with. There are only a few curses inside this building, and every single one of them will be exorcized by either Itadori or Nobara. You know Gojo is curious to see how you’ll fare, but realistically, your help isn’t going to be needed.   

“Don’t worry,” Nobara reassures. “Just stick with me. I’ll take care of all the curses. You won’t get hurt.”   

Damn. The difference between how she treats you and Itadori is like night and day.   

Not that you’re complaining.   

You stay close to her side, and she eventually stops upon entering one of the rooms. There are a bunch of mannequins scattered around. You already know what’s about to happen here, even without her saying anything.   

“Hey, you,” Nobara points. “The curse over there. The mannequin in the middle. Are you seriously planning on hiding? Do you take me for a fool? If you’re not gonna come out, then… fine. I’ll just exorcize you as you are.”  

She pulls out her hammer and several nails, and right as the curse springs to action, she shoots out her nails and lands several direct hits. The cursed corpse mannequin teeters backwards, but already, the damage has been inflicted. Nobara imbues all of her nails with cursed energy. That thing was done for the moment they hit their mark.   

“Easy peasy,” Nobara proudly states. She flashes you a bright smile, and you quickly return it with a smile of your own, but you know that the battle isn’t truly over.   

Moments later, you hear the sound of a child whimpering in fear.   

“Ah. There’s a kid,” Nobara remarks. She leans forward slightly. “It’s okay now. I took care of that thing, so you don’t need to keep hiding.”   

As expected, the little boy furiously shakes his head in refusal, and Nobara sighs, taking a step back.   

“I guess it’s true that children are naturally more wary of beautiful women like us. It can’t be helped. We’ll just have to call Itadori and wait for him to—”   

She’s cut off by the sound of the boy screaming, and you when you blink, sure enough, there’s a curse holding him hostage—and giggling, no less.   

Well, I already knew this would happen.   

It’s alright. The boy isn’t really in danger, because any moment now, Itadori will burst through the wall behind it and rescue him, giving Nobara the opportunity to exorcize the curse. Of course, it hurts to see a child suffering like that, afraid that their life might be about to end, but you choose to believe that everything will unfold the way it’s supposed to. Itadori will have already finished killing the curse he encountered by now. There’s no reason he wouldn’t come looking for the two of you.   

And yet, things don’t go the way you expect them to.   

The fact that you’re even here right now means that sometimes, the story will change.   

Nobara sets her hammer and nails down and raises her hands above her head, signaling to the curse that she won’t attack. You do the same, dropping your blade so that it realizes there’s no imminent danger. You know the curse won’t let go of the kid, but it won’t kill him, either. At least, not by the time that Itadori shows up.   

Something seems off, though. And you’re suddenly hit with a wave of déjà vu.   

For some reason, you’re reminded of the way that other curse reacted to you. The one you encountered inside Sugisawa High. The one that got really, really mad when it locked eyes with you.   

This one’s starting to look pretty mad too.   

Without warning, the curse tosses the boy to the side, making him collide against one of the walls. It all happens so fast that you can barely even process it. One second, the curse is still a few meters away, and in the next, it’s right in front of your eyes, unhinging its huge mouth as its razor-sharp nails descend on you from above.   

Neither you nor Nobara are able to pick up your weapons in time. The curse is already upon you, and it brings you crashing down to the ground, one swipe away from clawing your face off.   

What’s… happening?   

You thought you were safe. You thought that by now, Itadori would be here. You thought that the curse would still be backed against the wall, where it had a blind spot, and was vulnerable to being attacked from behind. Everything you expected, all of the knowledge that you were so sure of… it was wrong. It didn’t go the way you thought it would.    

Nobara scrambles to try and shoot her nails out again, but it’s too late. You’re disoriented and vulnerable. You’re just short of being mauled.   

In that moment, you feel it.   

You feel the hot, dizzying pulse of energy that ripples through your body. You feel as if your nerves are on fire, like everything around you is inoffensive. Harmless.  

For just a second, you feel powerful.  

“Get the fuck off me!” you scream, and your hand makes contact with the curse’s body, just for a moment, before the energy flows out of your body, expands, and obliterates the curse right where it stands.   

Your vision fades in and out. The weight that was pressing down on you moments ago is gone, just like that. The curse is nowhere to be seen.   

…did you do that?   

While you regain your bearings, Nobara runs over to the little boy and makes sure that he’s okay. There’s a bit of bleeding from where the curse lightly sliced into his neck, and he collided with the wall pretty forcefully, but it doesn’t look like there’s any serious, permanent damage. Thank goodness.   

“I’m here!” someone cries out—and it’s none other than Itadori, who finally made his appearance by breaking through the wall. Realistically, he probably got here right around the same time he did in canon, but those few seconds just now could have been the difference between life and death for you.   

Itadori looks around, confused. “Huh? For a second, I thought… I felt a curse or something around here. Was I wrong?”   

“There was one. But [Name] exorcized it,” Nobara says. She pats the little boy’s head, then turns towards you with a frown. “I thought you didn’t know how to use cursed energy, but you actually pulled it off. You didn’t even need the cursed tool.”   

Itadori helps pull you to your feet, and you dust yourself off, still somewhat in disbelief. You’re uninjured, luckily. The curse wasn’t awfully powerful, but you wonder how much damage it could have inflicted on you if you hadn’t killed it in time. Honestly, you don’t even want to imagine. You’re just glad to have all your limbs intact.  

“Are you alright?” Itadori asks worriedly. “Man. I don’t even have a single clue how to use jujutsu yet, but you actually killed that curse bare-handed? You’re awesome, [Name]! I didn’t realize you were already so strong!”   

“I… just got lucky,” you admit. “It was like some kind of reflex. I doubt I’m good enough to consciously control it and trigger it on my own. But I’m glad everyone’s okay. That’s the only thing that matters.”   

Yeah. Everyone’s safe, including the little boy. But once again, things changed. It was only a slight deviation from the main plotline, but the fact remains that the curse acted differently because you were here.   

What if that happens in the middle of an important event? What if it happens against a much more powerful enemy?   

…what if you end up causing more harm than good?  

You clench your fists. No. Thinking about it like that is way too scary. You already made up your mind. Right now, you’re just not strong enough. Which means the only thing to do is improve. Until you’re confident enough to be able to protect everyone.   

“Let’s go,” you say, putting on a brave face. “I’m gonna make Gojo treat us to a yummy meal.”

“Ew! No way!” Nobara exclaims. “Why do I have to live in the same place as these stinky boys?!”  

“Fushiguro, she called us stinky again,” Itadori pouts, repeatedly jabbing his dark-haired classmate in the ribs. “Are you really going to stand for that? Hey. C’mon. Seriously, do something about it.”   

Unfortunately, Fushiguro doesn’t intend to do anything, and instead, he proceeds to ignore everyone and march to his room.   

Aw. What a cute, socially-awkward little bean he is.   

It’d be nice if he didn’t think I was a pervert, though.   

“You’re not stinky, Itadori,” you reassure, and that’s pretty much all it takes for his expression to brighten up.   

“If you say so, [Name], then I know it must be true,” he beams.   

Nobara glances between the two of you, lips pursed. “So… are you guys dating, or what?”   

“I wish—” you start, but you manage to clamp your hand over your mouth, just in the nick of time.   

Holy shit , that was so close. You almost just exposed yourself as the number one simp in the history of all simps. Even Itadori, as much of a sweetheart as he is, wouldn’t be able to look at you the same if he knew you were lowkey (highkey) thirsting over him.   

“W-We’re just friends,” you reply, quickly collecting yourself. “Like I said before, we briefly attended the same high school. I transferred in late, so we’ve only known each other for a few weeks, but I guess it helps that we’re already familiar with each other.”  

“You’re way too pretty to be friends with someone like him,” Nobara states matter-of-factly. “I bet he ate his boogers as a kid.”   

Wow. She actually said it to his face this time.   

“I didn’t do that,” Itadori insists, but based on Nobara’s expression, you can tell she’s not buying it.  

You turn towards your new classmate with a smile. “I think it’s cool that we all get to live together. Gojo wanted to put all the first-years in the same building. He thought it’d be more fun that way, and I agree. We have separate bathrooms from the boys, obviously. I don’t see the problem.”   

“Well, the problem is that they could sneak into my room in the middle of the night and try to steal my underwear or something.”  

“Um, Itadori would never do something like that, and Fushiguro would probably sooner die than be labeled a panty thief. Also, these doors lock. So, I’m pretty sure they have no way of getting into your room.”  

Nobara stares at Itadori through narrowed eyes. “Still. I bet they’ll find a way. Perverts stop at nothing to get what they want. If you try anything funny, I’ll kick your ass, just so we’re clear.”   

“Why am I being accused of stealing underwear all of a sudden?” Itadori sighs. “I’m too tired for this. I think I’m gonna start getting ready for bed. Goodnight, [Name]. Goodnight, Kugisaki.”   

He waves you off with a smile, and he smiles at Nobara too, but she responds by making a slicing motion across the base of her neck.  

Oh, well. She’s a little rough around the edges right now, but you know that she’s actually a really good friend. She cares about people, even if she doesn’t let it show from the start.  

Inside the communal girls’ bathroom, you and Nobara brush your teeth in front of the big mirror, and you watch, incredulous, as she pulls out a gigantic box and sets it down on the counter.   

You spit into the sink and wipe your mouth. “What’s that?”   

“My skincare products,” Nobara simply responds. The box opens like some kind of treasure chest, and you can hardly even count the number of items inside.   

“Whoa. You use all that stuff?”   

“Of course. How else do I think I maintain my pretty face?”   

“I just use this thingy,” you shrug, pointing to your tiny little bottle of facial wash—which looks rather pitiful in comparison to Nobara’s treasure trove.  

Nobara lets out a loud, offended gasp. “Seriously? That’s the only step in your skincare routine? Where’s the toner? Where’s the moisturizer? Do you even exfoliate?”   

“Back in my old world—I mean, back when I lived in a different city, I used to wash my face with soap. Trust me, this is a step up.”   

Similar to Fushiguro, Nobara proceeds to stare at you with a mixture of both horror and disgust.   

“You’re way too pretty to be ruining your skin this early,” Nobara sighs. “Here. I’ll let you borrow some of my skincare products. You clearly have good genes, but if you’re not careful, you’ll damage your skin and it’ll all be wasted. We can go shopping together sometime to pick out what you need.”   

You grin. “So, you’re asking me out on a shopping date?”   

“Sure,” Nobara chuckles. “That’s one way of putting it. I’m seriously jealous now. I can’t believe you look so cute when you’re putting in minimal effort.”   

Hehe. Nobara thinks I’m cute.   

You decide to take her up on her offer and try following the very lengthy steps of her skincare routine, and it’s definitely working, because by the time you’re done, your face feels fresher than ever.   

“Wow,” you marvel. “Nobara, feel my cheeks. They’re super-duper soft.”   

“Of course,” she proudly replies, flipping her hair. “Don’t ever doubt me again. I’m an expert when it comes to this kind of stuff. There’s seriously nothing to do in the countryside. I spent a bunch of time reading up on beauty tips and fashion, just waiting for the chance to live in a big city. I don’t know why your family ever moved to the countryside in the first place. Didn’t it feel like absolute torture?”   

“Not really. I didn’t mind it. And I got to meet Itadori at my old high school, which was nice.”   

“Hm. Well, I’m glad you didn’t have a bad experience.” Nobara crosses her arms, looking rather downcast all of a sudden. “I used to have a friend that moved to the countryside from a bigger city, just like you. Her name is Saori. She was super nice, and you honestly remind me of her a bit. People make the countryside sound like it’s so laid-back and filled with nothing but kind, warm-hearted people, but they can actually be pretty cruel. Back where I lived, all of the villagers decided to bully Saori, claiming some bullshit that she was secretly looking down on them. In the end, they ended up driving her out of the village and making her move away. Isn’t that horrible?”   

Right. That was one of the reasons she grew to resent the countryside that much more. You’ll never understand why people choose to hurt others for no reason.   

Then again, in a world as cutthroat and brutal as Jujutsu Kaisen, you honestly shouldn’t be surprised.  

“I’m lucky that people never bullied me like that,” you acknowledge. Truly, you can’t say you had any particularly upsetting experiences back in the real world. You lived a fairly average, otherwise unremarkable life. Perhaps that’s why you’ve been isekai’d here , of all places. Perhaps someone out there felt your life was too easy and decided to give you a challenge. Who knows, really.   

The only thing you do know is that it’s far too late to turn your back on these people. And even if it’s scary, even if it’s downright terrifying , you’d like to help them.   

“I’m sorry your friend had to go through something like that,” you say, gently patting Nobara on the back. “And I’m sorry that you had to be apart from her because of what those villagers did. I hope that you’ll be able to see her again someday. I have a feeling it’ll happen.”  

Nobara stares at you wide-eyed, not quite sure how to respond. Maybe she’s not used to being comforted because she’s such a strong person and doesn’t ever show weakness.  

But her expression makes it clear that she appreciates your words.   

“You really do remind me of Saori,” Nobara grins, pulling you into a hug. “You’re both so nice. Saori was really pretty like you, too. If that old guy from earlier today would’ve seen the two of us together, I bet he’d have scouted us to be models in a heartbeat.”  

You chuckle softly. You never imagined yourself in the modeling industry, but Nobara’s confidence makes you feel like you really could have had a shot at it. It would definitely be easier than being a jujutsu sorcerer.   

If only.   

“Alright, well, I’m gonna head to bed now,” Nobara says, finally shutting her massive, treasure chest-like box of skincare products. “Beauties like us need all the rest we can get. I don’t know about you, but I do not want to wake up with eye bags.”   

“I’ll go to sleep soon, too. I think I just want to step outside for a bit and get some fresh air before I turn in.”   

“Alright. Goodnight, [Name]. See you in the morning.” Nobara glances around and grits her teeth. “Pray that none of the boys try to steal our underwear while we sleep.”   

You laugh as she walks off, and the image of Itadori and Fushiguro sneaking around like ninjas as they rifle through your clothing drawers is almost too funny. Fushiguro especially. You can’t think of a single person who’d be less likely to pull some shit like that.   

After tucking your belongings back in your room, you make your way out of the dorm building. There’s a full moon tonight, and you lift your head towards the clear sky, relishing the sensation of the slight breeze that caresses your cheeks.   

“...can’t sleep?”   

You blink, somewhat alarmed, only to find Gojo standing mere inches away from you. The way he just sometimes manifests in the blink of an eye… it’s kind of freaky. Although you’d expect nothing less of the strongest sorcerer.   

“Sensei, don’t sneak up on me like that,” you huff. “I almost had a heart attack.”   

“My bad,” Gojo chuckles. “I was just stopping by to make sure you’d all gone to bed. There’s a barrier around the school, so it’s not necessarily dangerous to wander around, but you’re still students. There are rules and curfews in place.”   

“I wasn’t going to go anywhere. I just wanted a bit of fresh air.”   

“Well, I guess that’s fine, then. Don’t worry,” he grins, pressing a finger to his lips. “I won’t tell on you.”   

God. This man is way too attractive for his own good.  

“Was there something on your mind?” Gojo hums. “You did pretty well for your first day, considering you have no clue how to even control your cursed energy. I’m guessing what happened earlier today was an instinctive response. You still need actual training. But you’ve undoubtedly got potential.”   

“Well… there are a few things,” you admit. “I’m just a bit… nervous. I guess. About everything. Does that make me a coward?”   

“I’d say that’s the normal response in your position. Yuji’s an exception. He adapts to situations very quickly, and even though he’s scared, he’s the type to jump right in when others are in trouble. But it’s not like he’s immune to fear either. No one is immune to fear.”   

There’s a pause, and moments later, he’s got a goofy smile on his face.   

“Well, except for me, of course!”   

You sigh. “I admire your confidence, sensei. If I could have even a fraction of it, that’d be amazing. But I’ll probably just have to find my own way of coping.”   

Gojo chuckles again. He doesn’t say anything for a while, and you awkwardly kick at a few leaves that have fallen to the ground, but when you turn back to look at him again, his blindfold has been pulled off.   

And he’s even closer to you than before.   

“To be honest, my eyes are pretty good at reading the flow of cursed energy,” he says, and sure enough, the pale blue eyes you find yourself staring into are so piercing, so bright, that you may as well be under a spell. You can’t bring yourself to look away.  

Gojo’s smile slips, just for a moment.   

“I don’t really know how to describe it, but your cursed energy flows differently than what I’ve become accustomed to. It feels unnatural. It’s almost like some kind of glitch. You know how like in video games, there are lags sometimes and the images get all choppy? Or the screen will randomly freeze up? Sort of like that. It just… doesn’t really sit right with me.”   

You swallow. Of course, you instinctively know that this has to do with the fact that you’ve been isekai’d. Your existence in this world already doesn’t make sense. It figures that the power you’ve been imbued with doesn’t make much sense either.   

He’s suspicious of you, and for good reason, but you doubt anyone would ever come to the conclusion that you’re from a different world. It’s unfathomable. Even if you told people outright, they still wouldn’t believe you.   

In his eyes, you are an enigma, and you can only hope that the mystery that surrounds you won’t be the reason for your demise.   

“So… you’re calling me weird,” you mumble, pretending to look embarrassed.   

Now that you can clearly see the entirety of Gojo’s face, you’re able to pick up on even the smallest changes in his expression, like the way his eyes widen slightly, and the subtle lift of his brows.  

His smile returns, even brighter than before.   

“Haha! Well, I won’t deny it. Objectively speaking, your situation is weird. But the same can also be said of Yuji, so don’t worry about it too much. I just felt like saying what was on my mind. It wasn’t my intention to shame you.”   

He happily pats your head—which has since become your absolute favorite thing—then places his blindfold back on. Which is kind of a shame, because you can’t see those beautiful eyes of his anymore. Oh, well. It was nice while it lasted.   

“Time to get some sleep,” Gojo says, gently pushing you forward. “If I catch you outside again, I might have to act the part of a strict teacher for once. You wouldn’t like to see me when I’m grumpy.”   

“I like seeing you all the time, sensei.”   

“Is that so? I’m flattered,” he muses, still pushing you into the building. “But I’m afraid your sweet talk won’t work on me. Believe it or not, even I can be responsible. Well, sometimes.”   

You step inside the building and turn back to face him. This whole time, you haven’t even stopped to consider that he’s just seen you in your pajamas, and suddenly, you feel your entire face flush.   

Hopefully he thinks the little teddy bear print you’re wearing today is cute.   

“Goodnight, sensei,” you say, politely bowing your head. “You work really hard, so I hope you’ll be able to get some rest. You deserve it.”  

You wave him off with a big smile before he can even respond, and he watches as you excitedly scurry off in those cute pajamas of yours, nearly tripping over your own feet in the process. You’re admittedly a bit clumsy, which isn’t ideal for a jujutsu sorcerer, but hopefully your natural strength can compensate for it.   

Besides, even if he can’t really put it into words, he enjoys being around you. You’re entertaining. Despite the fact that nothing about you makes any sense.   

A grin splits across Gojo’s lips.   

You might end up becoming his favorite student at this rate.   

Chapter Text

You wake up to the sound of your alarm going off.   

“Ugh.”   

Even though your immediate instinct is to slam your hand down on your phone and snooze the alarm, you’ve slept in once already. You don’t want to build up a reputation for being a total slacker. Plus, it’d be embarrassing if Fushiguro ended up having to barge into your room two mornings in a row. You refuse to be caught drooling again.  

It feels torturous, but against all odds, you manage to drag yourself out of bed and change into your school uniform. You quickly wash your face in the bathroom with some of the skin products Nobara lent you, and after combing out some unruly knots in your morning bedhead, you head downstairs.  

Fushiguro is the only one in the kitchen. It looks like nobody else has woken up besides the two of you. Fushiguro’s the diligent type, so it doesn’t really surprise you that he’s gotten an early start. He sure as hell looks taken aback to see you , though.   

“You’re up,” he says, unable to keep himself from frowning.  

“I actually set an alarm today. Which, uh, in retrospect, I probably should have done yesterday too, but… y’know.”   

You shrug your shoulders and awkwardly chuckle. Fushiguro just stares at you for a little while before eventually turning away, not even bothering to humor you with a response.  

He really doesn’t seem to like me at all. Is it because of all my weird cursed energy? Or because I told Itadori to swallow Sukuna’s finger? Or because I keep thirsting over Gojo and doing stupid things?   

…come to think of it, his list of reasons to dislike you is already pretty long. Oops.   

Fushiguro opens up the fridge and starts rummaging through it. You slowly walk up to him and poke your head around his shoulder to see what you’re working with. The fridge seems pretty well-stocked. Seeing as there are several students living in this building, they clearly made sure you weren’t lacking any ingredients.   

“What are you making?” you ask.   

“Uh, I don’t know,” Fushiguro replies, his frown deepening. “Just something simple. Maybe scrambled eggs. I’m not the best cook.”    

“Did you want to make breakfast together, then? I’m sure we could come up with something good if we help each other out. I have a decent amount of cooking experience.”   

“ You ?”   

He doesn’t even bother to hide his disbelief. You suppose, in his eyes, you’re a stupid, clumsy fangirl who barely knows right from wrong. You haven’t exactly got the best track record, after all.  

“I like to think I’m a pretty good cook,” you nod. “But I guess I’ll let you be the judge of that. Here. Since we’ve got so many ingredients, I was thinking we could make some yummy fried rice. It’s nothing complicated, but it’s filling, and it can pack a lot of flavor, too.”   

“Sure,” Fushiguro shrugs. “Just tell me what I need to do.”  

You grin widely. “Okie-dokie! For now, let’s just pick out some veggies to use. If you could wash some of those for me, that’d be great. We already have some chilled rice, which is good, so when you’re done with the veggies, I’ll start dicing them.”   

Despite Fushiguro’s visible wariness towards you, he follows instructions well, and he’s generally pretty cooperative. It goes without saying that he’s competent, too. With his help, the whole process runs a lot more smoothly. You hum as you happily sautée the vegetables, and Fushiguro watches curiously from a little distance away.   

“It does seem like you’re pretty used to this,” he remarks. “Sorry I’m not much help.”   

“What do you mean? You’ve already helped me a bunch! Everything’s going so much faster because you’re here. Oh, do you mind cracking the eggs into the pan now? It’s time to add them in.”   

Fushiguro picks up an egg and proceeds to stare at it unsurely. He then shifts closer to you and cracks the egg against the pan’s edge a few times. It breaks in half nicely, but a small piece of the shell falls into the middle of the pan, and Fushiguro’s face instantly turns pale.   

“S-Sorry,” he stammers.  

How adorable. Based on his expression, you would think he just committed some kind of unspeakable crime. He comes across as blunt and standoffish, but you know that deep down, he’s actually a huge softie.    

“Don’t worry about it. That kind of stuff happens all the time.” You turn your spatula a bit, and with expert precision, fish out the eggshell and set it aside on the counter-top. You smile at him again. “See? No biggie. Cooking isn’t meant to be perfect. You just go with the flow and figure things out along the way. Anyways, can you add in another egg, please?”   

“Oh… sure.”  

Fushiguro keeps helping you by adding in ingredients every so often, or passing you the sauce whenever you ask. A pleasant scent soon begins wafting through the kitchen, and before long, breakfast is ready.  

Right in time, too. Itadori and Nobara have just come downstairs.  

“I swear I heard some scratching by my door last night,” Nobara accuses, crossing her arms as she narrows her eyes at him. “Care to explain?”   

“Are you seriously still accusing me of trying to steal your underwear?”   

“Well, the fact that you haven’t given me a straight answer is kind of suspicious.”   

Itadori lets out a heavy sigh, but his expression brightens the moment he turns towards you. “Oh. Hey, guys! I was wondering what smelled so good. Did you already cook breakfast?”   

“We made enough for all four of us,” you happily nod.  

“Sweet! I get to eat [Name]’s cooking first thing in the morning!”   

Itadori and Nobara both take a seat, with the latter still scrutinizing him from across the table. You spoon out a generous portion onto everyone’s plate, then sit down next to Fushiguro.  

“Did that guy pressure you into making us all breakfast?” Nobara frowns. “Be honest. You can tell me. If he did, I’ll set him straight. He better not be treating you like some kind of maid. Seriously, this is why you guys aren’t popular.”   

“I’m the one who suggested we make something together,” you reassure. “Fushiguro helped me out.”   

He shifts in his seat. “Not really. You did all the work.”  

“No, it was a team effort!” you insist.   

“Well, if you say so…” There’s a slight pause as he loads up a spoonful and brings it to his lips, and you watch—a bit nervously—as he finally takes a bite.   

Then, his eyes widen.   

“It’s good,” Fushiguro says. He takes a second bite, then a third. “Yeah. It’s really good. I like it a lot.”  

You can feel your cheeks getting hot, and it looks like Itadori and Nobara are enjoying their meals, too. Part of you still struggles to believe that you’re actually interacting with them right now. You’re actually a part of their lives.   

“I’m so glad you like it,” you beam, a happy little giggle falling from your lips. “Thanks again for helping me, Fushiguro. We can be cooking buddies from now on!”  

He continues eating, but this time, he opts to stare down at his plate instead of looking back at you. His face also reddens, ever-so-slightly.  

“...alright.”

“Eh? Gojo left on a business trip?”   

“It’s always like this,” Fushiguro shrugs. “He’s the strongest sorcerer there is. He can’t always just be hanging around the school doing nothing.”  

“Uh, what do you mean doing nothing ?” Itadori gapes. “I thought he was supposed to be our teacher. Doesn’t that mean he needs to be here? To teach? And stuff?”   

“He’s meant to train us to get better at using jujutsu and fighting curses, yes. But he’s not certified as an actual teacher. This school is backed by the government, even if its exact purpose is hidden from the general public. That being said, we’re still required to obtain a formal high school education. They have teachers assigned to cover regular academic material, too.”   

Itadori looks like he just got the worst news of his life.   

“N-No way,” he blinks. “I thought it was just going to be training and fighting. I still need to do homework? And tests? All of that stuff?”   

Fushiguro gives him a thoroughly unimpressed look. “Did you really think you could get by without doing any academic work?”   

“I mean… yes ? I was maybe, sort of, kind of hoping for it… maybe.”  

Poor baby.   

You pat Itadori on the back. Clearly, academics aren’t his strong suit. You do recall him briefly complaining to you about a quiz he failed, back at your old high school.  

“It’s okay,” you reassure. “We’ll be in the same class now. If there’s anything we don’t understand, we can figure it out together. And we can even have study sessions and stuff.”   

“Thank you, [Name],” Itadori sniffles, leaning his head against your shoulder. “You’re the best. Please don’t give up on me just because I’m dumb.”   

You chuckle and run your fingers through Itadori’s hair—a gesture which he seems to greatly appreciate, and he even leans into your touch.   

Unsurprisingly, Fushiguro watches with visible distaste.   

“You always baby him,” he sighs.   

Well, given all the hardship he’s going to endure, you feel like stroking his hair is honestly the least you can do. He deserves to be treated gently, with nothing but warmth and kindness. He deserves the whole world, in your opinion, and just the thought of what he’s going to go through makes you angrier than you can put in words.   

But that’s why you’re here. To help ease his suffering, as much as you can.   

“I’m not babying him. I’m just trying to encourage him a bit, that’s all.”  

You smile and continue running your fingers through Itadori’s hair. At least, up until Nobara makes a remark about him being a pervert, and he hurries to defend himself.  

Fushiguro scowls and turns away, sufficiently irritated. “Whatever. If we don’t hurry up, we’re going to be late for class. Let’s go.”  

The academic lessons are about as normal as you’d expect. You’ve always been a pretty good student. Certainly not outstanding, but there are plenty of worse things than solving math equations.  

Like fighting a curse to the death, for instance.  

You focus as best you can throughout class. On several instances, Itadori dozes off out of boredom, and the teacher yells at him to pay attention—only for the process to repeat itself all over again. You also catch Nobara spending most of the class checking her nails instead of looking at the blackboard. The only one who’s actually paying attention, apart from you, is Fushiguro.  

But you suppose that’s not giving him enough credit, because even you’re distracted. Today is just a normal day. Nothing scary is going to happen. Still, your mind is racing, and you can’t keep yourself from thinking of all the horrific events that are set to take place in the future.   

“[Name],” a voice calls.   

“...huh?”   

You blink, only to find the teacher frowning at you.   

“Is your attention drifting elsewhere too?” he sighs. “I thought you were one of the more focused students.”  

“S-Sorry. Can you repeat what you said?”   

“I asked you if you knew the answer to the question I wrote on the board.”   

“Oh, it’s… option B. Right?”   

He stops to look down at his teacher manual, then nods approvingly. “Good. I guess you were paying attention, after all. Now, Itadori. How about you solve the question written below that one?”   

“When in doubt, pick C,” you hear Itadori whisper to himself. “So, uh… C! The answer is C!”  

“Wrong,” the teacher immediately refutes, and he shakes his head disappointedly. “You Tokyo Jujutsu High kids… I swear. It’s no wonder the Kyoto branch is constantly outperforming you in academics. You need to try to stay focused. Okay?”   

Itadori glances over at you with tears in his eyes. “See? I told you I’m dumb. Sometimes I think my brain hates me.”  

You chuckle softly. As cute as Itadori is, earning a good grade in school is the least of your worries right now. He doesn’t even realize what the future holds in store for him. But it’s better that way. Having that kind of knowledge ahead of time would probably just break him even more. It would fill him with nothing but dread, and the only one who needs to shoulder that burden is you .  

All you can do is get stronger.   

Strong enough to twist fate with your own hands.

Just like that, another day has gone by.   

There’s a cafeteria here, which means lunch is always provided to you, but dinner is a separate issue, so you end up cooking up another meal for everyone to enjoy. Fushiguro helps you again. He claims he’s not a good cook, but he learns quickly. You bet he’ll be the next Gordon Ramsay in no time.  

Soon enough, it’s time for bed. You finish getting ready alongside Nobara, and she bids you goodnight before heading back to her room. Fushiguro is already asleep, and it looks like Itadori’s tucked in, too. You turn off the hallway lights and reach for your doorknob, but before you can twist it open, you hear something.  

“...seriously, shut up already! You’re so annoying!”  

Itadori?   

You’re certain everyone has already gone to sleep, so you’re surprised to hear what sounds like an argument going on inside his room. Realistically, there can only be one person he’s talking to right now, but you knock on his door anyway.  

It opens to reveal a rather frustrated Itadori, but before he can say anything, another voice chimes in.   

“Oh, good,” Sukuna says, and a fang-toothed, grinning mouth appears on Itadori’s cheek. “The girl saved me the trouble of going to look for her myself.”   

“I keep telling you she’s [Name] ,” Itadori glares. “Stop calling her that girl or whatever. And she obviously didn’t come here to see you !”  

You purse your lips. “Is Sukuna running his mouth again?”   

“Yeah! I keep trying to make him go away, but he’s super persistent this time!”  

“I need to talk to you, girl,” Sukuna continues, completely ignoring what Itadori just said. “Don’t run away this time.”   

“I’m not going to run away, dude. It’s not like you’re in control anyway. What do you even think you can do?”  

Thanks to your foresight, you already know Sukuna can’t just break free and take control of Itadori’s body whenever he wants. Perhaps that’s why you feel so comfortable mouthing off to the King of Curses. Well, that and the fact that he’s a massive dick.  

Sukuna chuckles. “Such impertinence. Both you and that white-haired man. I’m going to kill him for sure. As for you… I’m still trying to decide what I’ll do with you. You refuse to answer any of my questions and explain yourself. How did you enter my Innate Domain that one time?”   

“What’s he talking about?” Itadori frowns.   

“I don’t know. I think he’s senile or something. Isn’t he like a thousand years old?”  

“Still acting ignorant, I see.” Sukuna stops talking for a few moments, but unfortunately, the peace and quiet doesn’t last long.  

Soon enough, he’s smiling again.   

“You’re amusing. Something about you draws me in. I still haven’t figured out how I’ll deal with you, but if I decide I want to keep you alive… I’m going to make you my woman.”  

You and Itadori proceed to both stare at each in disbelief, mouths hanging wide open. For a moment, you’re convinced you must have heard wrong. There’s no way this thousand-year-old villain just uttered those words.   

In a situation like this, you can only think of one appropriate response.  

“... eww.”   

You take a hurried step back, despite the fact that Sukuna can’t actually do anything to you in his current state. It’s still pretty gross, though. You feel like you’ve been tainted somehow. Nasty old man.  

“Alright, that’s enough out of you!” Itadori exclaims. He slaps himself on the cheek, right on top of Sukuna’s mouth, and it seems to finally do the trick. Sukuna isn’t yapping anymore. Thank god .  

The silence that follows is palpable, and Itadori eventually sighs and hangs his head in defeat.   

“He really is obsessed with you,” he mutters. “Sorry, [Name]. If I could suppress him perfectly, he wouldn’t keep popping up like that and saying weird things all the time. It must make you uncomfortable.”  

“Sukuna’s the one making me uncomfortable, not you. It’s definitely not your fault. Don’t stress over it.”  

You shift uncomfortably. Come to think of it, does Itadori secretly hold any resentment towards you? Since you’re the one who told him to eat Sukuna’s finger in the first place. Of course, you only did that because you were nearly forced into eating it yourself, but he doesn’t know that. He might think you screwed him over big time. He has yet to realize just what it means to have the King of Curses dwelling within his body.   

Once he does realize, though… will he hate you for what you did?  

You try not to think about it too much, because if you do, you’ll probably end up having a meltdown.  

For now, you choose to believe in Itadori’s warm, genuine smile. You choose to believe that he’s the kind of guy that would sacrifice himself to save someone else—and you already know that to be a fact.   

“There’s no reason for you to ever apologize to me, Itadori,” you say, doing your best not to let your guilt show. “I should be the one apologizing to you. Because I feel like I’ll probably end up getting in your way at some point. Being a jujutsu sorcerer sounds really scary, and I’m worried I might not be good enough.”  

“Huh?” Itadori blinks. “But everyone keeps saying you’re already super strong. Because you’ve got all that cursed energy. And you exorcized that curse in the abandoned building all by yourself, without even needing a weapon.”  

“That was purely reflex. I didn’t consciously trigger it on my own. Gojo says I have potential, but I don’t know how to fight yet. I don’t know how to control my powers. So I guess I’m worried I might not actually live up to that potential.” You pause to scratch the back of your neck. “Um, anyway. I wasn’t trying to get all bummed out all of a sudden. Just please don’t apologize. You have nothing to be sorry for. You’re a really good guy, and… you deserve only good things. You deserve nothing but the best.”   

Itadori blinks again. He must not understand why you’re praising him to high heaven out of nowhere, but you meant what you said. And you really hope you won’t turn out to be useless. You hope you can actually make a difference.  

“I’m going to head to bed now,” you say, offering a hasty smile. “Goodnight, Itadori. Sweet dreams.”   

“O-Oh. Goodnight, [Name]. I hope you can get some rest.”   

You wave him off. He still looks a little confused as to why you got so serious, but that’s to be expected. He sees the world differently than you do. Whereas he can only focus on the present, your mind is constantly stuck in the future, imagining all the things that could happen. It’s both a blessing and a curse. You have the chance to do a lot of good. You really don’t want to waste it.   

It’s probably best not to dwell on it too much right now. All you can do is get some sleep. It takes quite a while for you to finally shut your brain off, but when your eyes eventually open again, there’s light creeping into your room.  

And Fushiguro is once again staring down at you with his arms crossed.   

“No alarm today, I see. Also, you should really get into the habit of locking your door at night. Even if it’s only the four of us here.”  

You shrink back. “I’m sorry. I promise I’ll be better about waking up on time from now on.”   

Fushiguro averts his eyes as you sit up and the blanket slips off of you. He clenches his jaw, determined to not to accidentally steal a peek at your cleavage again.  

“Well, you need to hurry up and get ready. We’re going out soon. We have a mission today.”  

Ah. So, it’s finally starting. From here onward, things are only going to get more and more dangerous. If you want to survive, you can’t afford to cower in fear. You need to be brave, just like Itadori.  

Anyways.   

Time to go to prison.

Chapter Text

It’s pouring.   

You look up towards the sky, lips twisted into a grimace. Of course, you already knew it would be raining, but it really is strange to see everything play out, down to the smallest details. The weather was predetermined. Regardless of your influence, things like that can’t change. The creator of the story wanted to set the tone by making the day as gloomy as possible, and clearly, it’s working, because you feel more unnerved by the second. 

“Our window confirmed the cursed womb’s existence roughly three hours ago,” Ijichi explains. “Once roughly 90 percent of people inside were evacuated, the detention center was closed off. Citizens close nearby have also been evacuated.”  

“What’s a window ?” Itadori frowns.  

“It refers to someone with the ability to perceive curses. They will often notify us of a cursed spirit’s appearance. However, they aren’t sorcerers themselves.” 

Man. Knowing what lies inside that facility, being a window is starting to sound really good right now.  

Unfortunately, it looks like you’re fated to be a sorcerer. Thanks a lot (not), isekai gods. 

“Moving on,” Ijichi continues. “Detainee Block 2. Presently, five inmates are still trapped inside with the cursed womb. If this cursed womb is the type that can metamorphose, we predict it will become a special-grade cursed spirit.” 

Both Fushiguro and Nobara wear stern expressions, because they clearly understand the gravity of the situation. Itadori, however, doesn’t know any better, and looks as laidback as ever. 

Which is ironic, because once all of you are inside, he’s the one who’s going to be dealt the worst hand. By far .  

Nothing’s even happened yet, but the knowledge of what’s about to unfold makes you feel guilty beyond repair. 

“Hey, so, I still don’t really understand what special-grade means,” Itadori says. Fushiguro and Nobara both grimace, of course, and Itadori leans closer to you with an inquisitive look on his face. “[Name], do you know? Well, I guess this is all pretty new to you too, so probably not.”  

Unfortunately, you do know what it means.  

You know it all too well.  

“I-I’m not sure,” you nervously brush off. “But they used the term special-grade to refer to Sukuna as well, right? So I’m assuming it probably describes a cursed spirit that’s… really strong.”  

Ijichi nods. “Yes, I suppose that’s the general idea. In any case, allow me to explain in a way that even idiots would be able to understand.”  

Alright, damn, Ijichi. You didn’t have to come for us like that.   

“First off, we have fourth-grade. If I could use an analogy, even a wooden bat would suffice to defeat them. For third-grade, if you were to have a handgun, you can rest easy. Second-grade. It’d be a close call, even with a shotgun. First-grade. Most likely, even a military tank wouldn’t be enough. Then we finally reach special-grade. How can I put this… let’s say you might stand a chance of winning if you were to repeatedly carpet bomb the curse. And even then there’s no guarantee.”  

Itadori’s jaw drops open. “Wait, so… isn’t that really bad?!”  

“Normally a sorcerer on par with the curse would take on the mission,” Fushiguro sighs, massaging his brow. “But since Gojo is still away on business, it can’t be helped.” 

“Our line of work is always lacking in manpower,” Ijichi nods gravely. “You will often have to undertake missions beyond your capabilities. This particular case is truly abnormal, and hence, why it urgently requires our attention. You are not to fight, under any circumstances. When confronted by a special-grade curse, your only options are to run or die.” 

Run or die, huh…? What a lovely pep talk.   

Naturally, none of this comes as a surprise to you, but now that you’re actually here, standing right outside the detention center, you’d be lying if you said you weren’t getting cold feet.  

Actually, even that’s an understatement. 

You’re scared shitless right now. 

“Please, listen to your fears,” Ijichi advises. “And above all else, remember that your mission here is strictly the verification and rescue of survivors.” 

His words are a harsh reminder as to just how dangerous this new world you’ve found yourself in is.  

Well. Better than Attack on Titan, you suppose. 

“E-Excuse me!”  

There’s a woman calling out to you. You don’t even have to turn around to know who it is, and the sound of her voice alone is enough to make your stomach twist into a knot. 

“Tadashi… my son,” the woman mumbles, tears in her eyes. “Is my son okay…?” 

You can see the way Itadori’s chin trembles, and you can tell that his heart aches having to watch this poor mother fear for her son’s life. He hates seeing others in pain. This must be eating him up inside. 

And the same goes for you. 

Because you know that Tadashi is already dead. 

“Please step back,” Ijichi says, facing the woman with a solemn expression. “There’s a possibility that someone has spread poisonous gas throughout the center. We cannot share any more detail at this time.” 

The woman just stands there at first, rigid and unmoving, but gradually, more tears fill her gaze, and she crumples to the ground, breaking down into a full-blown sob. She wails and wails, asking why in the world this has to happen, and begging for someone to bring her son back to her.  

The more he watches her, the more Itadori’s expression darkens. He isn't his carefree self anymore. There’s a fire blazing in his eyes.  

“[Name], Fushiguro, Kugisaki,” he says. “Let’s go. We’re… going to save everyone.”  

Nobara furrows her brows, but agrees with Itadori without so much as a second thought. Fushiguro is every bit as stoic as ever, but even he nods slightly. Every single one of them is fully intent on going in there to rescue the survivors.  

You’re the only one. The only one who knows that what lies inside is nothing but a gruesome massacre. There isn’t anyone left to save. 

And what’s even more depressing is that you have to pretend like you think they actually have a chance.  

“Y-Yeah,” you nod weakly. “Let’s… do our best.”  

Ijichi directs all of you towards the entrance you’re using, and he proceeds to bring down a Veil, which will conceal all of you from the outside world. This is necessary, for obvious reasons. The average person doesn’t even know that curses exist, after all. 

“Whoa, it got dark all of a sudden,” Itadori marvels. “That’s so cool!”  

“God, you’re ignorant,” Nobara scowls, rolling her eyes. 

Fushiguro sighs and brings forth his Divine Dogs. Just one of them for now. The fluffy white wolf, and he lets out an adorable little awoo as he manifests. Truly the goodest boy.  

“He’ll let us know if the curse gets close,” Fushiguro says. He motions to keep advancing, but nobody follows him right away, on account of the fact that all of you are busy petting the fluffy good boy. 

“[Name], he seems to really like you,” Itadori grins. “Look! He’s so affectionate!”  

“I see doggo, I pet doggo,” you respond matter-of-factly. Sure enough, his tail seems to be wagging a good deal, and he repeatedly nuzzles his cute little snout up against your body.  

Can’t we just pretend this mission doesn’t exist and play with the fluffy sweetheart instead?   

“We need to get moving,” Fushiguro sighs, and he goes as far as to grab you by the wrist and start pulling you along. The white wolf follows closely by your side, occasionally peering up at you as if he’s hoping for more pets. He’s absurdly cute, especially when compared to the horrific situation you’re about to walk into. 

You take a deep breath to compose yourself as the doors open. Fuck. Is it really too late to run away? Gojo isn’t here right now. Maybe you can flee the country somehow. Get far, far away from all the craziness that has yet to unfold. You’re starting to have second thoughts. You really don’t know if you can do this. You don’t know if you have what it takes to see that thing from close up. 

In the canon series, nobody died. Itadori was able to survive thanks to Sukuna, and Fushiguro and Nobara were able to escape relatively unharmed.  

But where do you fit into this? It’s already clear that things can—and will —change. What if something goes terribly wrong? In that case… 

You’re dead.  

“...[Name]?” 

Itadori gently nudges you, expression rife with concern. You didn’t even realize that you were shaking so much. Even Fushiguro and Nobara must have noticed, based on the way they’re looking at you.  

“Sorry,” you apologize, swallowing hard. “I’m just a bit scared. I’m really sorry. I don’t mean to hold anyone back.”  

“It’s going to be okay,” Itadori reassures, and perhaps it sounds a bit silly, but just those few simple words—coupled with his warm smile—help ease your tremors. He grabs your hand for a moment and gives it a light squeeze. “We can do this. I’ll be right by your side the whole time. I promise.” 

Nothing is a guarantee. You already know that. Still, Itadori’s words aren’t just for show. If he says something, he means it. 

Thanks to him, you feel a little bit braver.  

“Wh-What’s going on in here?!” 

Now that you’ve all stepped inside, everyone is rightfully taken aback. You were supposed to have walked into a two-story dorm for the inmates. What lies before you is an unimaginably large space. Much larger than what the building could ever fit inside.  

“It’s an Innate Domain made from cursed energy,” Fushiguro says, unable to keep his eyes from widening. “The dormitory expanded in size. Even so, it’s my first time seeing one this big. Wait! The door—!”  

It’s long gone. You knew from the moment you stepped inside that you wouldn’t be able to backtrack. Of course, there is a way of getting out of here. It’s just that the exit has changed.  

“Don’t panic,” Fushiguro says—even though Itadori and Nobara are doing exactly that. “This guy remembers the smell of the place we entered from.”  

He gestures to the white wolf, AKA super good boy, who is already wagging his tail and looking up at you expectantly.  

You grin and pet his head. “That’s amazing! You’re so strong and smart, aren’t you? If it was up to me, I’d be feeding you all the treats you could ever ask for.”  

“Take this more seriously, please,” Fushiguro mutters. “Even if we’ll be able to find our way out, it doesn’t make the situation any less serious.”  

“But it’s okay, since you’re so reliable,” Itadori grins, also petting the doggo.  

“Yeah,” you nod in agreement. “Fushiguro’s the kind of guy you can always depend on. Thank you for looking after us. And for letting me play with your cute wolf friend.” 

Fushiguro doesn’t respond, and instead awkwardly averts his gaze. You can’t tell if he actually likes being complimented or not. He’s so stoic that it’s hard to read his expressions most of the time.  

“Let’s keep moving forward,” he finally says. You pet the wolf one last time, perhaps as a form of reassurance, because if memory serves correct… you won’t like what you’re about to find in the next room. 

For more reasons than one.  

Itadori’s face instantly drops. Just as you anticipated, you’ve walked into the room with the dead inmates. Most of their bodies have been mutilated beyond recognition, save for one of them, whose torso and head are still intact.  

Horrified, Itadori reaches out towards the inmate and grabs onto the collar of his jumpsuit. 

You don’t even have to get closer to know that the name tag reads Tadashi .  

The scene is gruesome, to say the least. Your stomach turns at the sight of such obvious brutality, and you quickly look away. But you aren’t just avoiding the image of blood and gore. You aren’t being overtly squeamish.  

Rather, you are frantically glancing all around the room, searching for the cursed spirit—because you know it’s here somewhere. 

Where the hell is it hiding? How is it concealing its presence so well? Shit. You’re already shaking from head to toe, but the fact that you don’t even know exactly where it’ll appear from makes it a hundred times worse. 

“I’m taking this body home,” you overhear Itadori mumble. “He’s that woman’s son. The one that asked us for help earlier. We weren’t able to save him… so the least we can do is retrieve his body for her. His face hasn’t been damaged much. I don’t think she’ll be able to come to terms with his death otherwise. And this way, he’ll be able to have a proper burial.” 

Fushiguro pulls him back. “Leave the body. We still need to confirm if the other two people are alive or not.” 

“Huh? Earlier, the entrance we used disappeared. If we walk away now, there’s no guarantee we’ll be able to make it back later.”  

“I didn’t say we were coming back later. I said leave it. He’s not even worth saving when he’s alive. Why the hell would I save his dead body?”  

“Not worth saving?” Itadori gapes. “What are you talking about?”  

Fushiguro grits his teeth. “This is a juvenile detention center, you know. Jujutsu sorcerers are granted access to all information about the scene beforehand. That’s how I know that Tadashi guy hit a little girl while he was driving without a license. And that was already his second offense. I know you’re fixated on saving lots of people and guiding them towards proper deaths, but what will you do when someone you saved ends up killing someone else in the future?”  

The argument that ensues is one you’ve already heard, of course. They both have wildly different opinions on the matter, and whether you tell them to stop arguing or not, they probably won’t listen to you. In any case, you don’t have the luxury of paying them much attention right now. All of the nerves in your body are on high alert. You keep looking and looking, but you can’t for the life of you see any sign of the cursed spirit.   

The white wolf nuzzles up against your leg, and you pause before leaning down to pet his head again.  

“Do you sense it?” you ask nervously. “Can you… tell if the curse is nearby?” 

He starts sniffing the air and glancing around. There’s no way to know exactly when the curse is set to appear. You don’t have a precise time frame for any of this. All you have is your own memory to rely on, and even that isn’t perfect. But surely it should show up any moment now, right? You feel like it was sometime in the middle of their argument…  

Suddenly, the wolf’s head turns, and by the time you follow his line of sight, it’s already too late. 

The cursed spirit is right in front of you. 

You aren’t even able to scream in time. It attacks, and if not for the wolf jumping in front to protect you, you’re willing to bet that you would’ve been decapitated. All you can do is jump back and hasten to put as much distance between you and the curse as possible, and only then do Fushiguro and Itadori realize what’s happening. 

“My Divine Dog,” Fushiguro mumbles in disbelief. “Kugisaki’s missing, too. We need to… run! Itadori, [Name], we’re leaving right now !”  

If only you could. That cursed spirit is absurdly strong, not to mention fast . It isn’t special-grade for nothing. Before Fushiguro can say anything else, it appears right next to him and Itadori, close enough that it may as well be breathing down their necks.  

Itadori is the first to react. He instinctively brandishes his weapon and aims for the curse’s head, but you already know it’s pointless. 

The next second, Itadori’s severed hand is lying on the ground, in a puddle of blood. 

“Sukuna!” Itadori cries out. “I doubt I can escape in this state, and if I die, you’ll die too, right? If you don’t want that to happen, you need to cooperate with me!” 

He won’t.   

“I refuse,” Sukuna responds, just as you predicted. “Even if the parts of me inside you die, I still have eighteen other fragments of my soul. That said, I’m not in control of this body. If you want to switch, go ahead and switch. But as soon as you do, I’ll kill that brat before the cursed spirit can. That other girl, too. The spunky one that was taken away. As for the last…”  

He stops himself before commenting on you. You’re not sure what he intended to say, but it hardly matters at this point. Itadori needs to be the only one left alone to fight the curse. You, Fushiguro, and Nobara will escape. And then everything will unfold the way it’s supposed to. There won’t be any casualties today. Even Itadori won’t actually die. As long as you run away now, it’s all going to be okay.  

Except you can’t run.  

Once again, the curse appears right in front of you. 

Why…?! It came to me all of a sudden—  

You’re forcefully blown back, hard enough that you collide against one of the walls. Out of sheer instinct, you managed to raise your hands as the curse struck you. You keel forward, vision blurry, gasping for breath and spluttering up blood. Your arms… are still intact. Earlier, Itadori’s hand got sliced off in one fell swoop. Is it because you subconsciously concentrated enough cursed energy around your body in order to minimize the damage? You still have all of your limbs, but your arms are shaking uncontrollably, and the skin where the curse hit you is bloody and raw. You swear you can feel your bones creaking. 

Holy shit, it hurts. It hurts, it hurts, it hurts ! It hurts so bad that you’re tempted to cry, but all of the air got knocked out of you just now, and the most you’re capable of is a bit of strained, painful wheezing. 

The curse purposefully attacked you just then. It was right next to Itadori and Fushiguro until just a few moments ago. Why did it divert its attention elsewhere? Why do all of these curses seem to come after you with a vengeance? Is it because they instinctively know you don’t belong here? Do they feel threatened by your inexplicable existence?  

God… you’re so scared. 

“Fushiguro!” Itadori screams. “Take [Name] and Kugisaki and get out of here! I’ll hold the curse back until you leave this place. When you’re safely outside, give me some kind of signal, and then I’ll swap with Sukuna. That way, no one has to die.”  

Fushiguro stares at him in disbelief. “Are you an idiot? That’s a special-grade curse! You won’t even last long enough to bring out Sukuna before we escape!”  

“Look at it. That thing… it’s laughing. It’s totally underestimating us. I should at least be able to buy you guys some time.”  

“There’s no way you can—”  

“Fushiguro,” Itadori says, expression painfully resolute. “I’m counting on you.”  

You groan weakly, and Fushiguro casts a fearful glance towards you. He must realize you’re already in a terrible state. It’s a miracle you even survived just now. The sheer volume of your cursed energy is what saved you, but against an opponent as powerful as a special-grade, it’s no use if you don’t actually know how to fight. 

So, he grits his teeth and rushes over to you, then picks you up and lifts you onto his back. You’re in so much pain that even just clinging to consciousness proves incredibly difficult, but the feeling of being pressed up against Fushiguro’s warm back fills you with relief. He’s going to take you and Nobara out of here. The nightmare is almost over. 

Fushiguro runs towards the exit, already preparing to summon his other Divine Dog. You feel terrible having to leave Itadori behind. If you were stronger at this stage, strong enough to help him fight that cursed spirit, he wouldn’t have to suffer so much. You know that he isn’t actually at risk of dying, but still. You can’t help but lament your weakness. 

That’s why you need to survive today. So that you can be there to help when countless other lives are on the line. It’s unfair that Itadori has to shoulder this burden all on his own. He’s going to experience a sense of fear and dread that can’t even be put into words.  

I’m sorry, Itadori. I promise to try and help another time. I’m just… too weak right now. I’m really sorry.   

You’re nearly out of the room. Safety is almost within your grasp. 

But yet again, the future you know changes.  

The cursed spirit blocks your path.  

“Fushiguro!” Itadori screams—but it’s too late, because he’s nowhere near fast enough to keep up with that thing. It may as well be teleporting with how quickly it moves around. Fushiguro just barely manages to leap out of the way before it delivers an attack strong enough to decimate the spot where he was just standing.  

You splutter again, dust clogging up your lungs. Something feels completely and utterly wrong . This wasn’t supposed to happen. The cursed spirit was supposed to have ignored Fushiguro and allowed him to escape, and instead focused all its attention on Itadori. But it’s barely even glancing Itadori’s way.  

It refuses to take its eyes off you.  

I’m not going to escape.   

A tear rolls down your cheek. If you try to run away again, along with Fushiguro… he’ll die. Itadori would have died without Sukuna’s help. The same is also true of Fushiguro. He’s not strong enough to take on that kind of opponent. No matter how many times he tries to escape with you, the curse will follow him. Relentlessly. 

“Leave,” you mumble brokenly, and Fushiguro’s eyes widen, in visible disbelief.  

“What? But I can’t—”  

“It’ll chase after us. As long as I’m with you.” You slowly stand up, wincing as you do, and you hurry to wipe more tears away before they can fall. “Cursed spirits hate me. I can’t explain why. Every single one I’ve encountered gets aggressive when I’m nearby, and the weakest ones have outright fled because they can’t stand being close to me. Out of the three of us, this curse is most likely to attack me . That’s what my gut is telling me.”  

You should’ve known from the moment you found yourself in this world that you were far from lucky. Everyone dreams of meeting their favorite characters in the flesh, being able to talk with them, laugh with them, become part of their lives… but at what cost? 

Either way, you already know one thing to be true. 

From now on, until however long you manage to survive, your life will be filled with suffering.  

“Find Nobara, and escape together,” you say, doing your best not to let your fear show. You refuse to be the reason everyone dies. The two of them need to get out of here, at the very least. This is probably the end of the road for you. This is the most you were able to accomplish with this measly life of yours.  

If you’re going to die, at the very least, you don’t want it to be a pathetic death that leads everyone else to their demise. 

“Just fucking leave already!” you cry out. “Why the hell are you still here?!”  

Fushiguro flinches, taken aback by your uncharacteristic harshness. He might seem cold at first, but you know that he cares deeply for people. He never wanted to leave Itadori by himself in the first place. The thought of abandoning both of you must make him feel like absolute shit.  

Still, he isn’t an idiot. He’s logical. Pragmatic. He knows not to let his personal feelings get in the way of important decisions. 

And so, he runs. 

You watch him disappear out the exit. As expected, the cursed spirit doesn’t bother trying to follow him. Even now, it’s still staring at you with that wide, disturbing smile.  

“[N-Name]?” Itadori stammers. “You… stayed behind? But why? You can’t be here! It’s too dangerous, you just can’t—” 

“That thing won’t let me leave. Should I have put Fushiguro’s life at risk, too? It’s better this way. At least he and Nobara can escape. I refuse to drag them down with me.” 

The cursed spirit continues to stare at you, cackling ever so often. You’re nowhere near as cool as you’d like to pretend to be. To think that you had all these plans, all these hopes and dreams of saving people from their gruesome fates, only to walk into death so soon. How embarrassing. You’re probably the single most pitiful isekai protagonist to exist.  

Oh, well. It was nice while it lasted.  

You suppose you’re going to die now.  

The cursed spirit launches itself at you, and like before, you instinctively bring up your arms, praying that you can coat yourself in enough cursed energy to avoid certain death. You’re blown back, just like last time, and you skid along the ground, gritting your teeth in an attempt to endure the pain. Your arms are looking bloodier and more fucked up by the second. You’re not sure how much longer you’ll even be able to move them for.  

“Leave [Name] alone!” Itadori screams, jumping to your rescue. Unfortunately, since he has yet to learn how to control his cursed energy, and he simply doesn’t have as much as you, he takes significantly more damage than you do. 

He’s flung against one of the walls like you were earlier, but the cursed spirit doesn’t bother to finish the job and instead turns back towards you again.  

“Why?” you grit out. “ Why are you so obsessed with me, you ugly freak? You’re not even my type!”  

The cursed spirit doesn’t laugh this time. It just stares at you, looking slightly unnerved. It must be wondering why your body isn’t as broken as Itadori’s. It seems frustrated with itself for not being able to kill you yet. 

It attacks again. This time, it grabs onto you and slams you down into the ground. You wail out, almost positive that you’ve cracked a few ribs, and it proceeds to hold you in place, channeling what’s sure to be a devastating blow of pure, concentrated cursed energy.  

Shit. I think I might actually die now. This is so fucking scary. I don’t want to be here. I want to run away. I want to make it all stop.   

You bite back your tears and desperately try to remember that sensation from before, when you exorcized that curse in the abandoned building. It was a much weaker curse, without a doubt, but if you could just remember how you channeled your energy. If you could try to replicate that feeling, then maybe, just maybe , you might be able to inflict a bit of damage. 

Even though it feels like all of your muscles are outright screaming at you, and your vision is clouding over more and more by the second, you manage to reach out your hand and place it against the curse’s body.  

In that moment, you envision being powerful enough to defeat your opponent. You imagine being as powerful as Gojo—no, Sukuna , even. You imagine a world in which you’re strong enough to protect the people you care about. A world in which everyone can survive. 

What a beautiful world that would be.  

For a split second, you feel something similar to what you experienced before. A pulse of energy, something hot that courses through your entire body, in search of release. The cursed spirit is in direct contact with you, so your attack lands.  

Did it… work?   

You squint through your bleary eyes. The cursed spirit pulls away from you in a hurry and looks down at its arm, which appears distinctly burnt, as if it was just doused in flames. However, it clearly didn’t take that much damage. It’s still perfectly fine.  

Which means you failed.  

“Fuck,” you chuckle humorlessly. “I really thought I did something there.”  

The cursed spirit turns towards you again, angrily mashing its teeth together. Despite the fact that it’s still relatively unharmed, it clearly isn’t happy. It seems to be getting more offended by the second. Its ego must be huge. 

Too weak to move after all the damage you’ve taken, all you can do is watch, hopelessly, as the cursed spirit raises its foot, no doubt imbuing it with more cursed energy than you can even fathom, and stomps it down right onto your arm. 

You scream again. You’ve been screaming practically nonstop for the past few minutes. This time, your arm is broken. It feels like your bones have been completely pulverized and turned to dust. 

It keeps punching and stomping on you, like some kind of little kid throwing a fit. With every blow you endure, the light in your eyes fades a bit more. You only made it this far because of some kind of glitch with your cursed energy. Sheer luck, essentially. But you aren’t invincible, and your body is starting to accumulate more damage than it can handle. 

The cursed spirit lets out some kind of frustrated screech, and it stomps down on you one last time, breaking your other arm.  

You’re out cold now. The pain was too much for you to bear. You lie there, utterly defenseless, and as Itadori weakly hobbles towards you, he realizes your death is imminent.  

“No way,” he breathes, tears pricking his eyes. “Was I always… this weak ?”  

He couldn’t do anything. The cursed spirit barely even paid attention to him. He may as well have been a fly buzzing around it. That’s how much of an afterthought he is. That’s how pathetic he turned out to be.  

And to think that he promised to protect you before. What a fucking joke.  

“Hey!” Itadori cries out. “I said, hey ! Look at me, dammit! Look over here! I’m still alive, you bastard! Why don’t you leave her alone and finish me off instead?!” 

The cursed spirit doesn’t even bother to turn its head. Itadori’s shoulders begin to tremble, and a sob escapes his lips as he’s forced to watch the curse dig its fingers into your hair and pick you up like some kind of ragdoll. You’re going to die. He can’t get over there in time, and even if he could, it wouldn’t make a difference.  

Itadori promised his grandfather that he would help people. And yet, he failed to help the person he cares about the most. He hasn’t even known you for very long, but you’re the closest friend he has. You met the last remaining family he had left. His grandfather adored you.  

How is he supposed to face him in the afterlife, if he lets you die here?  

Itadori has finally realized just how truly weak he is. Fushiguro hasn’t even given him the signal yet. Him and Nobara are probably still somewhere inside. If Sukuna finds them, there’s no guarantee they’ll be able to escape. But right now, he can’t think that far ahead. All he can do is focus on what’s right in front of him.  

He can’t save you. At least, not alone .  

“Sukuna. I’m going to switch over to you,” Itadori trembles. “But you… you have to save [Name]. You can’t let her die. You’ve always talked about being interested in her. You don’t ever shut up about her. There’s no way you would be okay with her dying here. Right? So, just… help her. Not for my sake. Do it for yourself. It doesn’t matter what your motives are, just… do it.”  

The cursed spirit prepares to deliver the finishing blow. It pulls his fist back, slowly building up more and more cursed energy. Its manic grin spreads out even wider as it readily anticipates your demise. 

But then, it feels someone grabbing onto its arm, so it turns around.  

Only to realize that its arm has been fully ripped off.  

Sukuna stares at the cursed spirit, eyes dangerously narrowed. 

“...did I give you permission to touch her?”

Chapter Text

“...did I give you permission to touch her?”   

The cursed spirit just stands there, wildly in disbelief. Until just a moment ago, it was focused entirely on you. It wasn’t interested in Itadori at all. It could have continued toying with Itadori for quite a while longer, but it knew it had to deal with you first. From the moment it took note of your presence, it was determined to kill you.   

And yet, the boy that it had previously overlooked is now breathing down its neck, and he even managed to… rip off one of its arms?   

Instinctively, it realizes that something has changed. The person standing before it is someone else. Someone completely different.   

Someone… strong .   

The cursed spirit hastily jumps back, putting as much distance between itself and Sukuna as possible. The reaction is immediate, reflexive. For the first time since it manifested, an unpleasant emotion rises to the surface, impossible to ignore.  

The cursed spirit doesn’t want to admit it, but…  

It’s terrified.  

“You’re such a fool,” Sukuna scowls, leaning down to pick you up into his arms. He’s already healed Itadori’s body back to normal. He originally didn’t plan on restoring Itadori back to full health, but he didn’t have the time to control his power. He was too focused on jumping in to save you.   

Ha. To think that the King of Curses would actually save someone… it’s almost laughable.   

But that just goes to show how much you’ve captivated him.   

“This girl is off-limits,” Sukuna declares. “I couldn’t have cared less if you killed those other two brats. You picked the wrong target. You made a grave mistake.”   

The cursed spirit is panicking, without a doubt. When faced with such overwhelming, oppressive power, it doesn’t know what to do. It feels as if it’s been backed into a corner. It feels as though its only choice is to fight or die .   

And so, it chooses to fight.   

The cursed spirit lets out a scream as it channels a beam of cursed energy. Sukuna clicks his tongue at the sight. Even while holding you in his arms, he isn’t the slightest bit fazed. All he has to do is shift you around a bit to free up one of his hands, extend it outwards, and just like that—the cursed spirit’s attack has been blocked.   

“What a pain,” Sukuna sighs, so irritated that he can’t even derive any joy from the curse’s horrified expression. “It seems you still don’t know your place. In that case, allow me to spell it out for you. The moment you decided to lay your filthy hands on this girl… you were already dead.”   

Sukuna gently sets you down, and before the cursed spirit can even react, he lunges towards it, teeth bared. Just like the curse did to you earlier, he stomps down on it with his foot, but significantly harder. Part of the structure they’re standing on breaks into pieces, straight down the middle, and the cursed spirit drops down into the water below.   

Meanwhile, Sukuna takes you in his arms again and chuckles softly as he admires his work. “What a joke. Can you believe it? Apparently, both of us are classified as special-grade. You and me. Isn’t that ridiculous? I’m not sure who came up with these labels, but I’m offended to be put in the same category as a weakling like you.”   

Still holding you, Sukuna drops to water level alongside the curse. It lost even more limbs during that attack, all of which are buried haphazardly in the wall it got slammed into, like pieces of a broken puzzle.   

The curse grits its teeth as it strains to forcibly remove itself from the wall, and at the same time, the lumps of its dismembered flesh gradually change shape—until all of its limbs have been restored back to normal.   

The cursed spirit then jumps back down to the ground and smiles proudly at the feat.   

Sukuna tilts his head. “You look happy. Were you expecting me to praise you? Regeneration comes easily to cursed spirits, unlike with humans. You’re so ignorant that it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Fine, then. This is a good opportunity, so allow me to show you what true jujutsu sorcery is.”  

He sets you down again, freeing up both his hands. The cursed spirit considers striking again right then and there, but instead, it simply watches with bated breath. It gets the sense that something is about to happen. It needs to be ready to react.   

Of course, by the time Sukuna brings his hands together, it’s already too late.   

“Domain Expansion. Malevolent Shrine. ”   

The cursed spirit freezes up, rendered motionless by sheer terror. It wouldn’t have made a difference even if it tried to run. It never had any chance of escaping to begin with.   

Within the blink of an eye, it’s dead.  

“You really are weak,” Sukuna sighs, very much unimpressed. He approaches the cursed spirit, which has been brutally sliced into pieces, and retrieves another one of his fingers. It was a boring, tedious fight, but at least he got something out of it in the end.   

Sukuna pockets the finger, then turns back towards you. You’re still unconscious, of course, propped up against the wall he sat you against. He had to modify the conditions of his domain to ensure you weren’t caught up in any of the attacks. As a result, you’re unharmed. Well, no more than you already were to begin with.  

“How unpleasant,” Sukuna remarks, brows furrowing together. He doesn’t like seeing you this way, with your body all broken and ugly. Your fascinating circumstances aside, he can admit that he’s rather biased towards your pretty face. If you’re going to become his woman, he can’t very well leave you the way you are. It’s an eyesore.  

Sukuna reaches his hand out, ghosting his fingertips over your skin, starting with your soft, supple cheeks. His reverse cursed technique allows him to heal both his own body, as well as anyone else’s. Normally, he would never be caught dead doing something like this, but right now, it can’t be helped.  

After all, he’s not even close to being done with you.   

“Ah, much better,” Sukuna hums. You’re back to your normal, pretty self now. He leans closer without even realizing it. It’s the first time—apart from when he first reincarnated—that he’s gotten to be this close to you, while in control of this body. Normally, that stupid brat is constantly trying to silence and suppress him.   

But now, he can touch you to his heart’s content, and the realization makes a horrifically gruesome smile spread across his lips.   

Sukuna pulls you into his arms again, closer and closer, until your foreheads are touching. You’re unconscious, but you’re still alive. He can see your chest rising and falling along with each breath. He can even feel your heartbeat from this distance. You feel comfortably warm in his arms, and he has the sudden urge to lay claim to every inch of your body.   

He chuckles softly, bringing his lips mere inches from your own.   

But then he stops himself.   

“No,” he mutters. “No, no, no .”   

How shameful. The King of Curses has no business stealing a kiss without you being none the wiser. It’s a pathetic, cowardly tactic. Why should he have to sneak around? If he wants something, then it goes without saying that it will become his. Besides, kissing someone while they’re unconscious is no fun.  

It’ll be much more fun when you’re actually awake, fully aware of what’s happening. He wonders what kind of expression you’ll make then. He wonders how you’ll react to his advances, and what you could possibly do to try and stop him.  

Either way, it’s bound to be absolutely delightful .   

Sukuna chuckles again. He squeezes you tighter, and instead of claiming your lips, he settles for lightly kissing your forehead this time. It’s enough to tide him over for the time being. He’ll be sure that you realize you owe him your life. You’re lucky you happened to catch his eye.  

Otherwise, he would’ve had no qualms slicing you up into ribbons, just like the special-grade curse.  

“Alright, I’m done,” Sukuna mutters, knowing all too well that this moment won’t last. He continues to hold you, but in just a second, now that you’re all healed, Itadori will take control again. “I said, I’m done . So frustrating. If you’re going to switch, hurry up and switch already!”   

There’s no response.   

Strange. Itadori has never struggled to suppress him up until now. What is he taking his sweet time for? Is he being deliberately annoying, by making Sukuna feel like he finally has some freedom, only to inevitably tear it away from him?   

“Brat?” Sukuna calls out for the second time—but yet again, there’s no response.  

More time passes. Nothing is happening. Sukuna can still feel that he has full control over this body. Unlike all those times before, there isn’t that uncomfortable, nagging sensation. The one that makes him feel like he’s being forced deep, deep down.   

Surely, by now, Itadori would have taken over.   

Which must mean that… he can’t .  

Sukuna’s grin stretches out even wider. First being able to see you in the flesh, and now this turn of events.   

Today just keeps on getting better.  

Fushiguro successfully escaped. He dropped Nobara off with Ijichi, who agreed to take her to the hospital to get treated. Even now, he can’t help but feel as though he took the coward’s way out. He left both you and Itadori behind. Itadori promised to switch with Sukuna, which means that he’s most likely safe, but as for you …  

Is he stupid for holding out hope that by some miracle, you managed to survive?   

Fushiguro lowers his gaze to the ground. No, he shouldn’t get his hopes up. Even if you lasted long enough for Itadori to make the swap, the fact that you were trapped in there with Sukuna , of all people, may as well be a death sentence. Sukuna can easily kill the special-grade curse, and he’ll protect Itadori’s body because that’s his vessel, but he won’t bother to have mercy on you. He could care less about whether or not someone lives or dies. Earlier, he even outright stated that he wanted to kill all of you.  

She’s dead.   

As much as Fushiguro doesn’t want to admit it, he knows that it’s true. He clenches his fists, shoulders trembling slightly. He’s suddenly reminded of your bright smile, and all the silly, oftentimes ridiculous things you would say. Maybe he was too harsh on you. Maybe he judged you too quickly, purely because of your strange circumstances. You seemed so happy to move into the dorms and spend time with him… and yet, he was only ever cold to you.   

Before Fushiguro can sink further into a bout of depression, something in the air shifts, and when he looks back towards the detention center, he can tell that the Innate Domain has disappeared.   

“The special-grade curse is dead,” Fushiguro mumbles. “So, Itadori must be—”   

“That brat isn’t coming back.”   

Sukuna is standing behind him. Fushiguro’s entire body tenses up on reflex. He feels as if all of the air just got knocked out of his lungs. He’s so scared that he can barely move a muscle.   

But then, out of the corner of his eyes, he sees.   

Sukuna is holding you in his arms.   

“Don’t be so frightened,” Sukuna muses, cradling you gently, as if you’re something precious. “I’m in a great mood right now. Let’s chat for a little while.”  

Fushiguro still isn’t moving, but despite how terrified he is, despite the fear running rampant through his veins, he also feels relieved.  

You’re alive .   

“Put her down,” Fushiguro demands, hoping his voice comes across at least somewhat stern. “Let… let go of [Name]. Get away from her.”  

“This girl? How rude,” Sukuna sighs. “ I’m the one who saved her, you know. She would have died to that curse if I didn’t step in. Even when the brat swapped over to me, ultimately, saving her was still my decision to make. I even went out of my way to heal her. You wouldn’t believe the state she was in earlier. Now she looks pretty again. Just how I like her.”  

Sukuna… saved your life?   

Come to think of it, one of the first things Sukuna did upon reincarnating was say that he recognized you. He tried speaking to you back then, but Itadori intervened by suppressing him. And ever since, he’s been making strange remarks, like repeatedly asking you to explain yourself, and trying to interact with you every chance he gets.  

It’s obvious that Sukuna has some sort of fixation on you. Fushiguro kind of already knew that. But for him to go as far as to actually spare your life…? It’s difficult to believe. Even if it was only done for selfish purposes.  

Right now, none of that matters, though. The only thing that matters is that you’re still alive.   

And Fushiguro intends to keep it that way.   

“It was nice,” Sukuna continues, pressing his cheek against yours as he continues to hold you close. “I was able to spend some quality time there with this girl. Alone, away from prying eyes. With no one to disturb us.”  

You’re fully unconscious, so naturally, you don’t react. But even though you aren’t aware of your surroundings, the image of you, trapped inside that domain, passed out and completely at Sukuna’s mercy…  

It’s enough to make Fushiguro feel like throwing up.  

“You sick bastard,” Fushiguro grits out, on the verge of exploding. “What the hell did you do to her?!”   

Sukuna shakes his head. “Tsk, tsk. There’s no need for any outbursts. Don’t worry. I didn’t deflower her.” He pauses for a moment, intentionally gliding his fingers up your uniform, and stopping just in front of your chest. “It’d be no fun if she wasn’t awake to enjoy such an intimate act. I decided to hold off until later.”   

Fushiguro knows he doesn’t stand a chance against the King of Curses. He should be desperately trying to run away right now. He should be attempting to create any kind of opening in order to escape.  

But after that disgusting remark Sukuna just made…  

He’d be lying if he said he was still thinking rationally.   

“Anyways, just relax,” Sukuna chuckles. Before Fushiguro can completely lose control of himself, Sukuna gently sets your unconscious body down on the ground, up against the trunk of a nearby tree. “There’s no need to worry about the girl. I don’t plan on hurting her. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have bothered saving her in the first place. The fact that I’m able to move freely right now must be because that brat tried to use me without any kind of pact. He seems to be having trouble switching back. Still, it’s only a matter of time until he regains control. Which is why I thought about what I can do right now.”  

Without warning, Sukuna rips his shirt off and plunges his hand deep into his chest, then rips out his heart—or rather, Itadori’s heart.   

Blood trickles down the corners of his lips as he chuckles cruelly, and a pool of crimson spills onto the rain-spattered ground. He grips Itadori’s heart firmly, and with every passing second, Fushiguro’s expression unravels more.   

“Wh-What are you doing…?” he asks fearfully.   

“I’m taking this brat hostage,” Sukuna grins. “I can live without this, but the same can’t be said for him. Swapping with me right now would mean certain death. Oh, and… I also have this , just for good measure.”   

Sukuna pulls out the finger he retrieved from the special-grade curse and promptly swallows it, thereby increasing his strength even further. Fushiguro can only watch, terror-stricken. Sukuna tosses the heart aside and wipes a hand across his bloody mouth. His grin still shows no sign of disappearing.   

“I guess that makes me a free man. Feel free to be scared now. While I’m here… I think I may as well kill you. For no particular reason. Just because I can .”   

Fushiguro casts a quick glance over to you. “Itadori will come back. Even if it means dying. That’s just the kind of guy he is.”  

“You’re giving him way too much credit,” Sukuna brushes off. “He’s just a dimwit who’s a little tougher than most humans, that’s all. Earlier, he was whimpering like a baby. He couldn’t believe how weak he truly was. He knew he couldn’t save the girl on his own, which is why he had no choice but to rely on me . Such a pathetic weakling… I know for a fact he doesn’t have the guts to kill himself.”   

Fushiguro takes a step back, narrowing his eyes. Sukuna is clearly capable of healing himself and others. He healed you, and even Itadori’s arm has been restored. He may be able to live without a heart, but it must still be damaging to him. He needs to feel as if he has no choice but to put his heart back. He needs to believe that he can’t win in his current state.   

The odds of overpowering him are incredibly slim. Fushiguro knows that all too well. But whether or not he can actually do it doesn’t matter.   

He will do it.   

Not only for Itadori, but for you .   

“If you kill me,” Fushiguro begins, assuming a fighting stance, “what do you plan to do with [Name]?”  

Sukuna just stares at him for a few moments. The rain seems to be picking up even more. For a while, the only thing that can be heard is the sound of raindrops pelting the ground, drowning out virtually everything else.   

Until Sukuna laughs, that is.   

“Isn’t it obvious?” he grins crudely. “I’m going to make her mine . And once she’s mine… I’ll do whatever I please with her.”   

Fushiguro grits his teeth.   

Like hell is he going to let that happen.   

Chapter Text

For some reason, you open your eyes and find yourself in Fushiguro’s arms.   

“...ah. You’re awake.”   

His expression is a strange combination of concern and relief. He isn’t carrying you outright. Rather, he’s sitting against the base of a tree and helping cradle your neck on his shoulder so your head doesn’t droop down. Still, you feel the warmth of his touch and how gently his fingertips rest against your skin. The Fushiguro you know would never let you get this close to him. The Fushiguro you know thinks you’re some kind of shameless, braindead pervert. It’s obvious that this isn’t real.  

After all, you died.   

The last thing you remember is being struck by the special-grade cursed spirit. Everything went black afterwards. By that point, your body was already mangled beyond repair, and there was no way you could have possibly survived another attack. Not to mention that the pain is gone now, and your injuries have seemingly disappeared.   

You must be in the afterlife right now. Is this heaven? Is that why you’re being granted such a blissful, happy scene? It would certainly explain why Fushiguro is holding onto you so gently. You were terrified of dying, but if these are the kind of moments you now have to look forward to, then maybe it’s not so bad.   

“This is a nice dream,” you sigh happily, wrapping both your arms around Fushiguro and snuggling up even closer to him. You tilt your head so that you can press one of your cheeks against his own, and just like the rest of his body, it feels pleasantly warm.   

It’s strange, though. You figured that, since this obviously isn’t real life, you could construct this reality however you saw fit. If it’s meant to be heaven, then naturally, it means that you’re being granted eternal happiness. This dream should unfold exactly the way you want it to.  

And yet, Fushiguro pushes you away in a hurry.   

When you look back at him, his face is violently red.  

“D-Don’t do that,” he stammers, looking embarrassed all of a sudden. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay now that you’ve regained consciousness. It wasn’t an invitation to get all handsy with me.”  

You blink. He’s not reacting the way you expected. If he’s going to act all embarrassed, why was he holding you in the first place? This is a dream, after all. This is supposed to be the afterlife. A peaceful resting place for deceased souls.  

… right ?   

“I’m dead,” you blurt, but it sounds less like a statement, and more like a question. You knit your brows together in confusion. “I… was killed by the special-grade curse.”  

Fushiguro stares at you. It’s subtle, but his expression softens, ever-so-slightly.  

“No. You’re alive. Sukuna saved you. He healed your injuries too. He killed the special-grade curse and escaped from the detention center because Itadori was having trouble switching back. And then… he took Itadori’s body hostage by ripping out his heart.”   

What? Sukuna… really saved me? Like, for real?   

You’re in utter disbelief. When the special-grade curse was about to kill you, Fushiguro and Nobara had yet to escape the building. You never heard Fushiguro’s signal. Itadori was supposed to wait for that signal before swapping with Sukuna, and since the light in your eyes was already fading, naturally, you figured you were a goner.   

Which can only mean that Itadori must have swapped earlier than in canon. Out of sheer desperation to protect you.   

Even so, it’s difficult to believe that Sukuna actually spared your life. Sure, he’s been saying all kinds of creepy shit, like making you his woman or whatever, but at the end of the day, he’s a crazy murderer. He finds tormenting people to be the most enjoyable thing of all. The fact that the King of Curses bothered to go out of his way to keep your life intact…  

Honestly, dying might have been more merciful than whatever the hell that sicko has in store for you.   

In any case, now’s not the time for an existential crisis. You should be grateful just to be alive, regardless of what Sukuna’s intentions are with you. You’ll worry about all that later. Right now, something else takes precedence.   

Itadori’s dead body is lying on the ground.   

You instinctively recoil at the sight. You already know he’s not actually dead, and that Sukuna will have no choice but to bring him back, but it still doesn’t make it any easier to stomach. Nobody wants to see their friend’s corpse. You glance away faster than you can even blink, tears pricking the corners of your eyes.   

“He sacrificed himself,” Fushiguro mumbles. His expression is visibly pained, even though he tried to hide behind his stoicism. “He knew he would die after Sukuna ripped out his heart, but he still switched back, to keep Sukuna from hurting anyone else. I knew all along that he would do something like that. I tried to fight Sukuna and pressure him into restoring Itadori’s body back to normal… but obviously, I failed.”   

Poor Fushiguro. He must feel guilty, even though anyone in his place would have been absolutely terrified to go up against the King of Curses. The fact that he lasted long enough to survive is already impressive enough.  

You wrap your arms around yourself and look back towards Itadori’s bloody, lifeless body. He lies there amidst puddles formed by the rain, completely unmoving. It’s a painful sight. You’re tempted to avert your eyes again. It doesn’t matter that you already know he’s going to come back. The fact is that when Itadori switched back with Sukuna, he believed he was going to die. And yet he was still able to make such a horrifying, selfless choice, for the sake of everyone else.   

Itadori isn’t dead for good. That much is true.   

But his suffering is only beginning, and that— that is what breaks you. That’s what makes the pain in your chest downright unbearable. That’s what makes more tears form and stream down your cheeks.   

Fushiguro watches you sit there, trembling, as you quietly sob. He valued Itadori’s life, and he genuinely wanted to save him, but that being said, he wasn’t able to shed any tears on his behalf. They hadn’t even known each other for very long. It’s an unfortunate tragedy, without a doubt, but he has no choice but to push forward.   

The same can’t be said for you, though.   

How must you be feeling right now? You were friends with Itadori well before your transfer to Jujutsu High. He’s seen firsthand just how close the two of you were. The life of a jujutsu sorcerer is riddled with danger, but this is all new for you. Up until recently, you were living an ordinary life. You apparently couldn’t even see curses before roughly a few weeks ago.  

You must be in an absurd amount of pain right now. He can’t possibly relate, or even understand. And he already knows he’s terrible at comforting people.   

“I’m sorry,” is all Fushiguro can think to say. He knows it won’t do anything to ease your suffering. He knows it’s a shallow gesture at best.   

You sniffle, then turn towards him with puffy, reddened eyes.   

“There’s no need to apologize,” you say, straining a smile. “It’s amazing that you even went up against Sukuna in the first place. You fought to protect Itadori. I’m sure it meant a lot to him. I’m sure he appreciated that you did your best to save him. You have no reason to feel sorry. Please don’t ever blame yourself.”  

Fushiguro’s eyes widen. Even in a time like this, you made the effort to smile for his sake. Even though you should feel nothing but bitterness towards him, because he failed to save your dear friend, you’re still bothering to reassure him. Despite the fact that your anguish far outweighs his own.  

It’s obvious now that he was too harsh on you from the start. He was far too quick to judge. He perceived you as fickle, thoughtless, not to mention incredibly suspicious.   

But he knows better now.   

You’re kind. And gentle. And much more mature than he first thought.   

Fushiguro really likes those qualities in a person.   

This is so awkward.   

It’s a new day, and you’re back at Jujutsu High, sitting on some steps alongside Fushiguro and Nobara. Suffice to say, the mood is gloomy, and you’re sandwiched in between the two of them as they lament Itadori’s passing.  

“He kept telling us to live long lives… but then he went ahead and died himself,” Nobara mutters.   

She was discharged from the hospital quickly enough, and thankfully, her wounds weren’t serious enough to warrant any concern. You were worried that since Fushiguro took longer to get away from the special-grade curse and go save her, she might have gotten hurt more badly this time, but that’s fortunately not the case. In fact, you were hurt the worst out of everyone—not counting Itadori getting his heart ripped out by Sukuna in the end.  

Nobara rests her chin on the palm of her hand and glances towards Fushiguro. “Hey, you. Is it your first time having a partner die?”   

“It’s the first time it was someone my age,” Fushiguro replies, staring down at the ground.  

“I see.”   

Normally, this is the part where she would make a remark about how well he’s taking the situation, all things considered, but this time, she stops herself.   

On account of the fact that you’re with them.   

“This must be really hard for you,” Nobara mumbles. Her expression and tone of voice are noticeably softer now. “Since the two of you were such good friends. I’m sorry that you have to go through this. It’s messed up.”   

You fidget uncomfortably. Even though you predicted this would be the case, it feels really, really wrong to grieve someone’s death when you know that said person will be coming back to life in due time. You obviously have no choice but to pretend otherwise, but it doesn’t make you feel any less slimy about it. It’s as if you’re making light of their heartache.   

“I… only knew Itadori for a few weeks longer than you guys, so I can’t act like we’d spent our entire lives together or anything.” You pause, pressing your hands together. “Still, I could tell he was a really good guy. I realized that from the moment I met him. I’m just upset that he had to suffer so much. It’s unfair that the world is so cruel to kind-hearted people like him.”  

There. You’re not technically lying about what you said. You are upset because of what Itadori’s had to endure—and what he will continue to endure, going forward. These feelings of yours aren’t disingenuous in the slightest.   

Still. You hate having to pretend he’s dead when he’s obviously not . You’re already counting down the days until Itadori comes back and makes his big reveal.   

Anyways, it’s probably about time now, right? Any second now, they should be making an appearance.   

“...what’s this? You’re looking even more glum than usual, Megumi. Is this a wake or something?”   

Cutting through the heavy silence is a girl’s strong, imposing voice, and you already know who it is, well before you even lift your head to look up.   

Fushiguro blinks. “Ah, Zen’in. You’re back.”  

“Stop calling me by my last name,” the girl snaps. “You know I hate it when—”   

“Maki, Maki!”  

The girl—Zen’in Maki—turns around, where two other students are frantically gesturing to her. Namely, a panda (who is appropriately named Panda), and a comparatively shorter male student with platinum blond hair.  

These students are your upperclassmen, the second-years, and you’ve been expecting their arrival ever since you moved to Jujutsu High.   

Anyways, Panda is understandably freaking out because of the tone-deaf comment Maki just made.   

“Someone really did die yesterday!” Panda panics. “One of the first-year boys!”  

“Bonito flakes,” Inumaki sighs disapprovingly, clearly emphasizing the gravity of the situation.   

It only takes a second for Maki’s face to go pale as a sheet.   

“Tell me that sooner, you idiots!” she fumes. “Now I look like some kind of heartless, cold-blooded demon!”   

“Well… you pretty much are .”   

“Tuna mayo.”  

Their entrance in the story is actually rather comical, considering the morbid circumstances in which they’ve turned up. You watch, struggling to suppress your smile, as all three of them bicker in a loud, obnoxious fashion. You, Fushiguro, and Nobara are supposed to be in mourning right now. Although you suppose this ridiculous scene is meant to be lifting your spirits.  

“Who are those guys?” Nobara rudely points, looking far from impressed.   

“The second-years,” Fushiguro replies. “Zen’in is the best of all students at wielding cursed tools. Next to her is the Cursed Speech user, Inumaki. He only speaks using onigiri ingredients. And then there’s Panda. There’s another second-year as well, Okkotsu, who’s the only one I can sincerely respect, but he’s overseas right now.”  

“Um. You’re not going to elaborate on the panda named Panda?”   

Nobara is clearly wary of the admittedly odd upperclassmen she’s just been introduced to, but naturally, none of this comes as a shock to you. Even though you’re slowly getting used to meeting more and more characters in the flesh, you still can’t help but feel excited every time it happens. You hope your enthusiasm isn’t stupidly obvious. It’d be weird if you were grinning like a madman right after your friend just died.   

“Sorry for showing up so unexpectedly, especially when you’re in mourning,” Panda apologizes, bringing his hands (or should you call them paws ?) together. “The truth is, we actually wanted to speak to you guys about something. We’d like you all to participate in the Kyoto Sister School Exchange Event.”  

He’s referring to an event in the future, whereupon the Tokyo and Kyoto branches of Jujutsu High will get together. It’s usually exclusively reserved for second-year and third-year students, but the third-years are currently suspended from school, hence why they’ve asked your group to participate in their place.  

“The event has the principals of both Tokyo and Kyoto schools each propose a competition to be held for the day, over the course of two days,” Panda explains. “Well, that’s all on paper, though. Pretty much every year, the first day is a team battle, and the second day consists of individual battles.”   

“Salmon,” Inumaki nods.   

“Individual and team battles?” Nobara blinks. It takes a few seconds for everything to sink in, and suddenly, her eyes widen. “Wait… we’re going to fight ?! Against other jujutsu sorcerers?”  

Maki grins. “Yeah. It’s a jujutsu battle where anything goes, apart from outright killing each other, of course.  

“Don’t worry,” Panda reassures. “We’ll train all of you so that you can hold your own. Just count on us!”  

He starts excitedly punching the air, and you have the sudden urge to wrap your arms around him and rub his fuzzy belly. You wonder if he’d let you do that at some point. Knowing him, you think you have a pretty good shot.   

“So?” Maki asks, arching a brow. “You’re gonna participate, right? Do it for your fallen comrade. I’m sure all of you want to get stronger.”  

It goes without saying that they’re going to agree. Even Itadori will be there to participate in the event. The first day will be very eventful thanks to a certain cursed spirit attacking… but that’s still a ways off. All you can do is train to prepare yourself and hope you’re strong enough by then to contribute somehow. Maybe, if you play your cards right, it’ll be possible to take down Hanami earlier than in canon. Maybe you can help ensure that the intruders’ losses will be bigger this time around.   

There’s something else that happens before that, though. Something that… you want to avoid at all costs.   

Junpei.  

Unless you figure out some way to get involved, Junpei’s death is all but assured. Fushiguro and Nobara weren’t involved in this arc, and Itadori undertook the mission without them knowing he was still alive. Since you’re here with them, and you’re supposed to believe that Itadori is gone, how can you insert yourself in Junpei’s story? How are you meant to increase his odds of survival if you never actually cross paths with him?  

It’s not looking good. Your knowledge of the story is next to useless if you aren’t able to actually do something with it.   

Junpei’s story is unbelievably tragic. He should never have gotten caught up in this kind of thing. He should have been allowed to have a normal, happy life. He’d already suffered enough, even before he met Mahito.   

You need to save him.   

Fushiguro glances over at you, frowning slightly. “What’s wrong? You haven’t said anything for a while. Do you not feel like participating in the exchange event?”   

“No, I’ll participate. Sorry. I was just… thinking about something.”  

You throw on a quick, reassuring smile. There’s no need to despair. You were brought to this world for a reason. Whether it was the universe’s way of deciding to torment you, or perhaps it was intended as a challenge of sorts, it doesn’t matter.   

Now that you’re here, you sure as hell aren’t going to waste this chance.   

“It’s nice to be officially meeting all of you,” you beam, going around shaking all of the second-years’ hands. You stop in front of Inumaki the longest, struggling to suppress your smile because of how fucking cute he is. He even greets you by saying ‘kelp’, and it’s a miracle you don’t melt right on the spot.   

Fushiguro watches, with a tired expression, as you proceed to fangirl again. Perhaps something isn’t quite right with you after all. It’s very easy to tell who you find attractive, since you’re not exactly being subtle about it.   

Still.  

He wonders why it annoys him so much. 

Itadori Yuji is alive.   

Admittedly, when Gojo watched Itadori’s presumed dead body rise up, like something straight out of an exorcism, he was pretty damn shocked. It didn’t take him too long to come to terms with the situation, though. Itadori is Sukuna’s vessel, after all. Sukuna must have decided to restore Itadori’s body, purely for his own sake.   

The higher-ups want Itadori dead. Gojo knew that much from the start. It was nothing short of a miracle that he managed to delay Itadori’s execution, but he should have known that they would cook up a scheme at some point or another. The fact that a group of inexperienced first-years were dispatched to deal with a cursed womb that ended up becoming a special-grade curse… it’s obvious they jumped on an opportunity to get Itadori killed off.   

Fine, then. Since it’s come to this, Gojo has no choice but to keep Itadori hidden. At least for a little while. It’ll be easier if the higher-ups think he’s dead. Gojo can train him in secret in the meantime and help him build up some strength. So that he’ll be better equipped to deal with this kind of thing in the future.  

The autopsy report will state that Itadori died from having his heart torn out, just as everyone already presumed. No one could possibly suspect otherwise.   

And yet, here you are, looking up at him with wide, trembling eyes.  

“Sensei,” you say, and he watches as you swallow hard, as if choosing your next words wisely. He has no idea what to expect. When it comes to you, he really, truly, doesn’t have a clue how you’ll surprise him next.   

It takes a lot to catch Gojo Satoru off guard, but somehow, you manage to do it every time, without fail.   

“Itadori… isn’t dead. He can’t be. I refuse to believe it.”  

Gojo tries—but fails—to hide the smile spreading across his lips.   

You really are a thing of wonder.  

Chapter Text

“What exactly do you mean?” Gojo asks, tilting his head inquisitively. “It’s good to value your allies, but at the same time, this is the world of jujutsu. People are constantly losing their lives. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but unfortunately, this is reality. You have to accept these losses as they come and keep pushing forward.”  

“But… Itadori wouldn’t have just died like that. He wasn’t ready to give up. He planned on helping a lot of different people.”   

“Just because he had good intentions doesn’t mean the world is fair. It isn’t uncommon for kind people to be met with an unfortunate end. Even if they aren’t deserving of their fate, it doesn’t change what actually happens.”  

You nibble on your lower lip. As expected, he’s still fully intent on making you believe that Itadori is dead. He plans on keeping Itadori hidden for as long as possible in order to protect him from the higher-ups. He certainly wouldn’t trust one of his students to keep such a big secret. Hence why he never told Fushiguro or Nobara either.   

Still, you can’t afford to back down. Realistically, the only way you’ll ever cross paths with Junpei is if you’re by Itadori’s side. This is the first major death that’s set to occur, and you’re desperate to prevent it at all costs.   

It doesn’t matter if the odds aren’t in your favor. It doesn’t matter if your chances of succeeding are slim at best.   

You have to at least try .   

“I want to see Itadori’s body,” you say, balling your hands into fists and making what you can only hope is a stern-looking expression. Not that it’s going to intimidate someone like Gojo, but still. He needs to know you’re serious about this.  

“That’s a rather odd request,” he replies, sounding somewhat amused (evidently, your stern expression didn’t work). “I would’ve thought that seeing his corpse one time was already enough to traumatize you. You really want to look at it again?”   

“Yes. I do.”   

“Wow.”   

“Not in a creepy way!” you hurriedly insist. “I just… I just really need another look. To confirm with my own eyes whether or not he’s really dead. I don’t think I’ll be able to accept it otherwise. If there’s even a chance he might actually be alive, I need to know.”  

Gojo just stares at you. He obviously can’t show you Itadori’s corpse, because there isn’t an actual corpse to begin with. Granted, he can still refuse your request outright. He doesn’t necessarily need to come up with any excuses. But perhaps, if you pressure him enough, he might give in…?   

After a heavy pause, Gojo eventually shakes his head. “Sorry. You’re in distress right now, so you’re not thinking straight. Your mind’s come up with some kind of fantasy to try and help you cope with the situation. If I show you Yuji’s body again, I’m afraid you’ll completely break down. I have to admit, I’ve never been good at comforting people. I wish I knew how to help you, but this is just something you’re going to have to get through on your own.”   

Shit. It’s not looking good right now. You know that he’s not refusing your request purely to be cruel or anything like that. He’s taken it upon himself to conceal this information from the higher-ups, which could get him in a lot of trouble. Not to mention that he must have his suspicions about you to begin with.   

“Get some rest, [Name].” Gojo smiles as he lightly tousles your hair. “Yesterday must have been exhausting. It might be easier said than done, but try to find ways to clear your mind before you start training for the exchange event. Do whatever you can to get in the right headspace.”   

He turns, ready to walk away, but suddenly finds you grabbing onto his arm and refusing to let go.   

“Sukuna!” you desperately blurt. “Sukuna, he… he can heal Itadori. I know he can, because he healed me, and he healed Itadori’s injuries before, too. So, it’s definitely a possibility. Sukuna wouldn’t want to lose his vessel. It would make it even harder to gather all of his fingers that way. Also… he wouldn’t have saved me for no reason. He wouldn’t have saved me unless he wanted something from me. And the only way he can get it is if he keeps Itadori’s body and stays right where he is.”  

Gojo chuckles. “Are you claiming that Sukuna would revive Itadori purely because he’s interested in you? That’s a bit arrogant, isn’t it? Well, not that I mind arrogant people, but still. It’s a little unexpected, coming from you.”   

“I’m not saying he would revive him just because of me, but I think it might be a factor. He’s been saying all kinds of creepy stuff to me. He’s obviously a pervert. But his motives don’t matter. What matters is that it isn’t beneficial to him if Itadori dies. So, why would he ever let that happen?”  

“Yuji is dead, [Name]. I’m afraid you’re going to have to accept that.”   

It’s not working. But if I’m not with Itadori at the right time, Junpei is guaranteed to die. Am I supposed to just give up, then? I’m worried Gojo might get even more suspicious than he already is. If he starts to consider me a threat… there’s no telling what he’ll do.   

The logical part of your brain is telling you to just drop it. It’s a horrible feeling, but there might not be a way to change Junpei’s fate. Sometimes, you just have to make peace with the fact that not everything will go how you want it to.   

Unfortunately, you aren’t capable of governing your actions purely through logic.  

And right now, the emotional part of your brain is refusing to shut up.   

“If you don’t let me see Itadori’s body,” you start, drawing in a sharp, shaky breath, “then I’ll… I’ll stir up a huge fuss so everyone can hear! I’ll get a bunch of other people involved! And I bet you wouldn’t like that, would you, sensei?”  

Gojo presses his lips together, and unless you’re imagining it, you swear the temperature just dropped several degrees.   

“Are you, perhaps, trying to threaten me right now?”  

You recoil faster than you can even blink. “N-No? I mean, no . No, definitely not. I would never do something that stupid. Haha… ha.”   

Instant regret sets in, and you fear you may have just made an enemy out of the worst person imaginable, but fortunately, Gojo isn’t actually upset.  

However, he’s becoming more fixated on you with every encounter, and that isn’t necessarily a good thing either.   

“Haha! Did I scare you?” Gojo grins, his playful nature quickly returning. “Relax, I’m not mad. I’m just surprised you’ve been holding your ground this long. You seem confident in your theory, so you must have a lot of faith in Yuji. It doesn’t look like you’re going to back down, either. You’re a lot more stubborn than I gave you credit for.”   

Gojo pauses to quickly glance around and make sure nobody’s nearby, then, without warning, he leans in awfully close (enough to make you blush), and grabs you by the wrist.   

“Follow me,” he says, grinning wider by the second. “You win this round, so I guess I may as well let you see for yourself.”  

Your expression brightens up. This obviously doesn’t guarantee that Junpei’s death can be prevented. You know that. Even so, it’s a step in the right direction. It gives you an opening. An opportunity to be there and intervene.   

For now, it’s a start.   

Itadori seriously loathes Sukuna’s guts.   

“You sure are seething with anger,” Sukuna remarks disinterestedly, sitting atop a pile of skulls and bones.   

“Damn right I am,” Itadori grits his teeth. “You killed me, asshole!”  

“What an ungrateful little brat. Are you forgetting how I healed all of your injuries?”  

“You ripped out my heart right after that, though!”  

“Hmph. But I made good on my promise, didn’t I? I saved that girl you’re so fond of, [Name]. And I completely restored her body as well. She would have died there if not for me. And yet you still have the nerve to pick a fight?”  

Itadori knits his brows together. As much as it pains him to admit, Sukuna did save you. He wasn’t strong enough to protect you himself. It’s shameful, and it honestly makes him want to cry, but Sukuna is right. Without his help, you would have died to that special-grade curse. But your life was spared, and for that, he is thankful.   

“Fine. I do appreciate you saving [Name],” Itadori grumbles. He can set aside his pride and acknowledge that much. “I know you definitely didn’t do it for me, though. You only did it because you’re obsessed with her. Still… thanks. Thank you for protecting her. It’s the only time I’ll ever thank you. Also—why the hell do I have to be stuck with you even after I died?! That’s seriously way too unfair!”  

“This is why I say you’re a stupid brat,” Sukuna sighs. “We’re not even in the afterlife right now. This is my Innate Domain. Which means we’re not dead yet. And if you accept my conditions… I’ll fix your heart and bring you back to life.”   

Itadori lets out a derisive snort. “You’re acting all arrogant and dismissive, but to put it simply, you don’t feel like dying, huh? You even insulted me to Fushiguro’s face and acted like I wouldn’t have the balls to follow through with switching over to you, but in the end, you’re the one who isn’t ready to call it quits.”   

“You’re free to believe whatever you want,” Sukuna chuckles. “Either way, this has become a massive inconvenience, and also… I have quite a few things I’m looking forward to. I’ll make it simple for you. There are three conditions. One, if I say enchain, you’ll surrender your body to me for a minute. Two, you will have no recollection of what I do during that one minute. And three, you’ll forget that we ever made this pact to begin with.”   

“ No ,” Itadori refuses. His glare deepens tenfold. “Are you crazy, or what? After what you did this time, it’s clear to me now that you’re pure evil. I’ll never lend you my body ever again.”  

Sukuna sighs again, looking more annoyed by the second. “Fine. Then I promise I won’t kill or hurt anyone within that one minute.”   

“Huh? Who the hell would believe some nonsense like that?!”  

“It doesn’t matter if you believe me or not. This is a Binding Vow. I’m the one who’ll incur a loss if I don’t obey. A pact is founded in mutual interest. It’s one of the key factors in the world of jujutsu.” Sukuna drops down and lands in front of Itadori with a smug, expectant expression. “This benefits both of us. You have no reason to refuse.”   

Itadori stares at him long and hard. “Well, if you say that you really will be forced to obey this pact, and that you won't be able to hurt anyone, then… fine. I’ll accept your conditions. Since I want to come back to life.”   

A cunning smile spreads across Sukuna’s lips, and he chuckles softly before nodding in approval.  

Then, Itadori punches Sukuna in the face.  

“Like hell I’d say that!” Itadori exclaims. “Revive me without any conditions. I’m only dead in the first place because of you, bastard. And don’t think I’ve forgotten about all the creepy stuff you did to [Name] while you were in my body!”   

“You’re getting this upset over a mere kiss on the forehead? You really are a brat,” Sukuna scowls. “So childish and inexperienced.”   

Itadori clenches his fists. Maybe for Sukuna, it wasn’t that big of a deal, but for him , even just remembering it is enough to make his face redden. He feels guilty for being unable to stop Sukuna from doing that to you, and even guiltier because technically, his lips were the ones that pressed against your skin.   

Great. He’s embarrassed all over again.   

“I could care less what a pervert like you has to say,” Itadori glares. “Rotten old geezer. Hurry up and bring me back to life already. Without any conditions.”   

Sukuna narrows his eyes. “In that case, how about this? We’ll fight to the death right here, right now. If you win, I’ll agree to revive you without any conditions. If I win, you come back to life under my conditions.”  

“Ha! Sure,” Itadori replies, furrowing his brows in determination. “Bring it on. I’ll beat you to a pulp—”  

He’s already dead. It probably took half a second at the very most. Well, Sukuna already knew that Itadori was foolish enough to give in to his provocations. From the very start, all the odds were stacked against him. He never had an actual choice.  

“What an idiot,” Sukuna muses. “If you really wanted to protect that girl, the least you could have done was try to negotiate an additional condition for me to keep my hands off her.”   

He pauses for a moment, only for a crude smile to rise to his lips.   

“Well… not that I would have agreed to it anyway.” 

Only about a day has passed since you last saw Itadori, but somehow, it feels like you’ve been missing him for an eternity.   

“Congratulations,” Gojo hums. “It seems your hunch was right after all.”  

He brought you down to the same basement area that you watched Itadori train in (AKA binge movies while learning to control his cursed energy), and funnily enough, Itadori looks more surprised to see you than you are to see him.   

“...[Name]?”   

Itadori blinks in disbelief. Gojo must have made it clear to him that for the time being, he needs to stay hidden from everyone else and train up his jujutsu abilities in secret, yet lo and behold, here you are.  

“Itadori! You’re okay!”   

You waste no time before pulling him into your arms. Even if you already knew he was alive, it doesn’t change the fact that you’re happy to see him. He’s your close friend—arguably the best friend you have in this world—and after what he’s been through, he definitely deserves a hug.   

“H-Hey,” Itadori stammers, red in the face. He’s a bit stiff at first, but he hurries to hug you back. “I wasn’t expecting this. Sensei, didn’t you say that people weren’t supposed to know that I’m alive?”   

“Well, [Name]’s a lot more perceptive than most people,” Gojo replies, flashing you a subtle smile. “She was convinced that there was no way you were actually dead. She refused to believe you were gone. Since she was asking a lot of questions and I didn’t want our cover to be blown, I figured I may as well let her in on the secret. She promised not to tell anyone else.”  

“My lips are sealed,” you nod vigorously, then you go right back to squeezing Itadori as hard as you possibly can.   

Itadori’s blush deepens. “Oh. So, that means… it’s okay if [Name] knows? I don’t have to hide down here all by myself?”   

“[Name] will still have to spend most of her time with the other students, so as not to raise their suspicions, but I guess it’s fine if she checks in on you every now and then. I’m sure I can come up with excuses if she disappears from time to time,” Gojo shrugs. “I just probably can’t whisk her away for too long.”   

“Sensei, you can whisk me away whenever you want.”  

“What was that?”   

“...nothing. I said nothing.”   

“Anyways, Yuji has a lot of training to do, but the same applies for you as well,” Gojo says, turning towards you. “I believe that you’re going to keep your promise and stay quiet about Yuji’s situation, but the fact of the matter is that both of you need to get stronger. I need you to be prepared to deal with whatever may happen in the future. Both of you have unique circumstances. But it’s probably good that you have that in common, because it means you’ll know how to support each other.”   

“I’ll always support Itadori,” you nod again, and you hug him even tighter, smushing your cheek against his own.   

Itadori grins widely. His blush still shows no signs of disappearing, and in that moment, he decides that he’s really, really happy to be alive right now.   

Gojo chuckles at the sight. It’s nice to see you two getting along so well. Although the world of jujutsu is cruel and unforgiving, it’s important to forge close bonds. He’s glad his students value and care so much for each other.   

To put it simply, it’s cute. He can’t help but smile.   

Especially when he looks at you .   

You’re the only other student that knows Itadori is alive. Now that Gojo has agreed to let you in on the secret, you’re hoping that you can accompany Itadori on some of his missions and save Junpei. Presently, that’s your most urgent goal.   

Still, you have to acknowledge that unless you get stronger, you probably won’t be of much use. And so naturally, that means it’s time to start grinding like your life depends on it.   

Lucky for you, you have one of the cutest mentors to ever exist.  

Inumaki tilts his head as you approach him. “Kelp?”   

“H-Hello,” you say, struggling to keep your smile under control. “Um. Before, you and the other second-years said you’d train us in preparation for the upcoming exchange event, right? I really want to get stronger. I’m kind of clumsy and weak, and I don’t have a whole lot of athleticism. Getting used to controlling my cursed energy is one thing, but I think I’d like to focus on improving my physical abilities, too. Otherwise I doubt I’ll be much help if I can’t hold my own in a fight. I heard that you and Maki are both really good at that kind of stuff. Will you… help me?”   

Inumaki stares at you for a little while, and you can’t help but focus on the long lashes that frame his striking violet eyes. It’s a shame that he keeps half his face hidden most of the time. You wonder if he'll ever unzip his collar around you. Once you get a bit closer.   

Before you can get too lost in your thoughts, though, Inumaki suddenly stands up, and with a determined expression, proceeds to point to himself and exclaim, “Mustard leaf!” —which roughly translates to: I’m on it!  

For a few good seconds, you completely forget about all the dangers Jujutsu Kaisen has to offer.   

He’s just that fucking cute.  

You sigh dreamily. “I’m so glad I was isekai’d…”  

“Tuna?”   

Chapter Text

“Ow, ow, owww ! Inumaki, please stop! My body doesn’t bend that far!”   

As much as you enjoy getting to spend time with a cute boy and simp over him to your heart’s content, you clearly underestimated just how difficult this training would be—especially since you’re not all that athletic to begin with.   

You lie on the ground, legs spread out in front of you and chest nearly kissing the dirt, as Inumaki presses down on your back to get you to flatten yourself as much as possible. He’s obviously trying to help you improve your flexibility, but with all of your joints screaming out in agony, it may as well be torture.   

Inumaki stops pushing down on your back (thank god ), and instead, crouches next to you and flashes you two thumbs up. “Spicy cod roe!”   

Unless you’re mistaken, what he just said means that he’s encouraging you right now, and naturally, it’s adorable, but your body seriously won’t last at this rate.   

“I-I just need a little break,” you exhale shakily, slowly sitting back upright and wincing as your joints creak like a rusty door hinge.   

“Bonito flakes,” Inumaki sighs, shaking his head in obvious disappointment.  

“I’m sorry,” you whine. “I told you I needed help! I wish I was better at this stuff. If I’d known I was going to have to become a jujutsu sorcerer, I would have started my training arc ages ago, I swear!”  

You’re not lying. If you’d known ahead of time that you would be isekai’d into the world of Jujutsu Kaisen, you would have trained like your life depended on it—because, quite frankly, it does .   

Itadori may not be familiar with the world of jujutsu, but he’s strong, a fast learner, and being the protagonist of the story, he also has some plot armor on his side. Of course, that doesn’t mean that he won’t suffer. Having to watch friends and innocent people die is more than painful enough, and that’s exactly why you want to try and prevent all those horrible things from happening.   

Still, the fact of the matter is that you’re not invincible. Unlike Itadori, this story will go on regardless of whether you live or die. And if you actually plan on helping people, you need to improve your own odds of survival first.   

“Tuna mayo,” Inumaki says, and he proceeds to gently pat your head. He can probably tell based on your expression that you’re pretty bummed out right now. Bummed out over the fact that none of this comes naturally to you.   

“Inumaki,” you sniffle, tempted to jump right into his arms. “You’re trying to make me feel better, right? Thank you. You’re really nice. You’re a great senpai.”   

The corners of his eyes crinkle a bit, and despite the fact that his mouth is hidden, you can tell that he’s smiling.   

Inumaki adjusts his crouching position and sits down all the way, then leans closer. He doesn't say anything. He might be waiting for you to say something first, or perhaps he’s just keeping you company while you pause for a few minutes to catch your breath.   

You slowly hug your knees to your chest and frown. “I can tell I don’t have a talent for fighting. Especially when it comes to physical stuff. Not like you, Maki, and… Itadori. But everyone keeps telling me that I have a lot of cursed energy and that I should become a sorcerer, and I want to do it if it means I’ll be able to help people. I want to save others. Just like Itadori wants—er, wanted to.”   

Inumaki’s expression softens. In his eyes, you’re still grieving right now. He feels sympathetic towards your situation. Not only because he found out that you and Itadori were friends from before, but also because you’ve been thrust into a world that you know practically nothing about.   

Well, that’s what he thinks , at least.   

“Sorry,” you chuckle weakly. “I don’t mean to complain. I guess I just wish I was a lot stronger than I am. If I was super-duper strong… then people wouldn’t have to get hurt. I’d be able to save everyone.”   

Inumaki still doesn’t say anything, but he nods in understanding. It’s the same for him. He always wants to save people. He may come across as quiet and a bit aloof, which is partly due to his Cursed Speech restricting him, but in truth, he’s a lot more insightful and caring than he appears at first glance.   

It’s normal to be intimidated when all of this is new to you. He’ll be sure to help train you to the best of his ability. Besides, even if you lack confidence right now, he can tell that you’re probably going to get a lot stronger. You weren’t kidding about having a lot of cursed energy.   

It kind of reminds him of Okkotsu.   

Inumaki pats you on the head again, and you instinctively lean into his touch, giggling a bit. He really is a nice guy. That’s right. You shouldn’t get all discouraged over nothing. So far, there haven’t been any casualties. There’s no sense in beating yourself up so early on. You can get stronger. No—you will get stronger.  

“Thanks,” you beam. “I appreciate you being so patient with me. Also, um… your Cursed Speech. That’s the reason you don’t talk in full sentences, right? Because you’re worried your ability might accidentally curse someone?”   

“Salmon,” Inumaki nods.   

You already knew the answer, of course. You already know more about him than he could ever imagine. Still, it’s yet another reminder of what a kind, gentle person he is. He’s always so careful, to make sure he doesn’t hurt anyone.   

God. You just want to pull him into your arms and give him the biggest hug ever .   

“It’s really nice of you to be so cautious and considerate, but I bet it gets pretty tiring. It must be difficult to express yourself properly.” You scoot a bit closer to him and grin. “Hey. I’m not sure exactly how good my cursed energy actually is, but if I get strong enough, do you think one day you’d feel comfortable talking around me?”   

Inumaki’s eyes widen, only for him to furiously shake his head.   

“Huh? You’d still be worried about hurting me?”   

He nods emphatically.   

Aw. But I really want to be able to have an actual conversation with him someday. Is it impossible?   

You know that the stronger the curse user, the less effective Inumaki’s Cursed Speech is on them. His abilities will still work against special-grade curses, but there’s a limit to how much he can use them, and how effective they’ll be. Someone as strong as Gojo, for instance, would easily be able to block the effects.   

Hm. Logistically, you’re not sure exactly how strong you would have to become in order to be unaffected. It might be a hopeless pursuit after all. But it’s still nice to dream. And who knows? Maybe you’ll get lucky someday.   

“What about your collar?” you ask, determined to see his adorable face, if nothing else. “Why do you keep it zipped up like that? Does that also have to do with your Cursed Speech?”   

Inumaki knits his brows together, then shrugs, as if to say, ‘sort of’.    

“Would you feel comfortable showing me? I just realized you’ve been helping me train this whole time, but I still don’t even know what your whole face looks like.”   

“Salmon,” Inumaki affirms, and you watch, eyes wide and attentive, as he unzips his collar. For some reason, you can’t help but feel a bit dirty about the whole thing. Almost like you just watched him unzip something else.  

…anyways.   

Now that his face is exposed in full, it’s a miracle you don’t squeal outright. He’s seriously way too attractive. You can clearly see those distinct tattoos that sit just underneath both his cheeks, and you know the tattoos extend even further, onto his tongue as well.  

You’re obviously not going to ask him to stick out his tongue, though. That would be way too unhinged, even for you.  

Instead, you grin widely. “I could already kind of tell, but you’re really handsome, Inumaki. I’m guessing you have those markings on your face because of your Cursed Speech? They’re cute. They definitely suit you.”  

Inumaki blinks several times, and with his collar now unzipped, you’re able to spot the light blush settling onto his cheeks.  

Naturally, he can’t give you a proper response, but you were expecting him to make some kind of remark using onigiri ingredients, like usual. He doesn't do that, though. Rather, he shifts in place for a few moments, averting your gaze, and when you look down, you find him tracing his index finger into the dirt.   

Suddenly, you’re blushing too.   

“Thank you.”   

Inumaki looks back up at you and nods shyly. It’s the first time you’ve ever seen him communicate with someone other than the way he normally does it. He’s probably written messages and stuff to his friends before, but it was never shown in the anime. Maybe that’s why it catches you so off guard. Seriously, how much cuter can this guy get?   

Inumaki tilts his head down towards the ground again and traces another message.   

“I’m glad you don’t think it looks weird. I was born like this. I keep these markings hidden because they basically tell people I can use Cursed Speech. It’s easier for me to use my technique when people aren’t expecting it.”   

Obviously, you know it’s important to have the element of surprise while in combat, but dammit! You wish you could see him like this all the time! It’s like seeing Gojo without his blindfold. A precious rarity.   

“It’s easier to talk to you like this,” you beam. “I’m glad I can get to know you a bit better. Thanks for taking the time.”   

Inumaki nods, lips holding a small smile.   

“I don’t mind. You’re right that it’s easier to get to know each other this way. Also, I’m sorry about what happened to your friend, Itadori. I heard you two were really close.”   

“Th-Thanks,” you reply, straining a smile. You always feel so awkward when you have to lie about this. Even more so now that Gojo is trusting you to keep the secret. “We, um, don’t need to talk about that, though. What happened was really awful, but that’s why I want to make sure I get stronger. So that I can protect the people I care about.”   

“You can do it. You seem like a hardworking person. I can tell.”   

Inumaki’s smile brightens, and it’s so gentle, so angelic, that you swear your soul nearly ascends to the skies.  

You flatten out onto your back and let out a blissful, content sigh. Inumaki leans over you and pokes you on the cheek a few times. You suppose your break is just about over. It’s time to put your body through hellish torture again. Well, Inumaki is definitely the nicest mentor you could have picked. Panda is flinging Nobara left and right as you speak—you can hear her wailing out at the top of your lungs—and Maki is cool as hell, but quite frankly, she scares you. You don’t have the guts to put yourself through her bootcamp yet.  

“Inumaki, lie down next to me for two minutes,” you say, patting the spot beside you. “Just two more minutes, okay? Promise.”   

He knits his brows together, clearly a bit dubious, but eventually, he shrugs and spreads himself out like a starfish just next to you. He even starts making snow angels in the dirt. God, he’s so fucking cute.   

From afar, Maki watches with a look of disbelief. “What are those two idiots doing…?”   

“What idiots?”   

“Hm? Ah. Megumi, you’re finally here.” She turns around to face Fushiguro, whose eyes are narrowed in confusion. “Sure took you a while to show up. You weren’t planning on skipping out on training, were you?”   

“Of course not. Who do you take me for? More importantly…”   

Fushiguro scans the field, and it takes him a little while, because the sound of Nobara’s high-pitched screams are so distracting, but he finally picks you apart from everyone else.   

Then, he blinks.   

“What’s [Name] doing with Inumaki?”   

“Beats me,” Maki sighs. “I think she asked him to help train her or something. They were training normally for a while, but for the past few minutes she’s just been giggling and making googly eyes at him. Inumaki definitely jumped on the chance to slack off with her. That asshole.”   

Maki lets out a resounding huff and turns away, but Fushiguro can’t find it in himself to do the same. He watches, frozen in place, as Inumaki eventually picks himself off the ground and offers you a hand to help you to your feet. You look happy as can be. You look like you’re having the time of your life.   

It’s just training. Inumaki is his upperclassman, so naturally, he has more experience. Not only that, but Inumaki is also incredibly athletic, and he has a powerful cursed technique, too. It’s no wonder you asked him to help you.   

And yet, even though it defies all logic, even though you made the rational choice, Fushiguro secretly wishes you’d come to him for help instead.  

…is that so wrong?  

Later that same day, Gojo brings you back down to the basement to visit Itadori.   

“As you can see, he’s in the middle of a movie marathon right now. It’s a special training regimen I’ve devised just for him,” Gojo proudly states.   

“Cool,” you reply.   

“Hm? Aren’t you going to ask how this qualifies as training?”  

“Nah. I trust you, sensei. You said you wanted Itadori to become stronger, so I’m sure you’ve figured out the best way for him to do that.”   

You smile at him before rushing over to Itadori’s side. Itadori gets all excited upon seeing you, though, which unfortunately means that the puppet he’s holding reacts to the flux of his emotions and pummels him right in the face.  

“Ow,” Itadori whines, but it doesn’t take long for him to smile. “Hey, [Name]. Sorry, I have to be as chill as possible. Otherwise this creepy-cute puppet thing is going to punch me again. I need to keep my cursed energy as stable as possible. Which is hard, because some of the movies I’ve had to watch have been downright awful .”   

“Sensei, will I be doing this training too?” you ask.   

“Hm. I’m not sure,” Gojo admits. “I considered it, but it probably isn’t the right strategy for someone like you. Well, you may as well give it a try. Yuji, pass the doll over to [Name] for a bit.”   

Itadori hands you the puppet—a bit hesitantly, because he knows all too well what that thing is capable of—and you take it into your hands, already nervously shrinking away.   

Oddly enough, the puppet goes completely still. It doesn't have a peaceful, sleeping expression, however. It's more like it's frozen in place, fear-stricken, unsure how it's supposed to react.  

“As expected,” Gojo sighs. “The flow of your cursed energy is too unstable. The doll isn't processing it normally. You have even less control than Yuji, so I doubt you can use this method to get a hang on your powers.”  

“I’m even worse at controlling my cursed energy… than Itadori ?” you gape.   

Itadori frowns as he grabs the puppet back. “Um. Why do I feel like you just insulted me somehow?”   

“Haha! It’s just because your case is so unique,” Gojo dimisses with a laugh. “I told you before that your cursed energy is strange. Don’t get discouraged if you have to take a different approach than other people. You just have to figure out what works best for you. And in terms of sheer volume, you have plenty of cursed energy to go around. Controlling it is important, of course, but it doesn’t mean you’re helpless. You’ll improve over time. It’ll just take a bit of trial and error.”  

You hang your head in defeat. Despite what he said, it’s a little difficult not to get discouraged. Goddammit. If you were going to get sucked into this world, why couldn’t you at least be badass and overpowered? You wish you could be the Saitama of this universe. You’d gladly go bald in exchange for that kind of power.  

“[Name], you can hang out here for a little while,” Gojo says. “I think it’ll help challenge Yuji even more. He always seems to get extra excited when you’re around.”   

“I-I don’t get that excited!” Itadori protests in embarrassment—and right on cue, the puppet punches him in the face. “...ugh. I don’t… I don’t get any more excited than normal. I’m chill, okay? Super chill.”   

Gojo chuckles. “Okay, well, I have some business to attend to, so I need to head out for a bit. [Name], make sure Yuji doesn’t slack off while I’m gone. Stay on his case. Maybe you can help him settle into a rhythm. But don’t hang out too late. Head back to your dorm by curfew.”   

“Okay,” you nod. “I promise I’ll make it in time.”   

Gojo starts walking away, but he only takes a few steps before he stops and glances back over his shoulder.   

“By the way, Yuji… did you talk to Sukuna while you were dead? Did he propose any conditions or contracts in exchange for healing your heart?”   

“Oh,” Itadori blinks. “Actually, I feel like we did talk about something. But I can’t remember what it was at all.”   

“...I see.”   

Gojo’s expression stills for a few moments, but as always, he regains his smile before long, and happily waves the both of you off. The door shuts behind him as leaves. Itadori is still wrangling with the puppet, struggling to keep it under control.   

Of course, you know the answer to Gojo’s question. Itadori did make a pact with Sukuna. And you’re well aware of the terms of that pact. However, there’s a problem. A problem that will hinder you greatly going forward.  

You have limited knowledge of this world. At the time that you first awoke in Jujutsu Kaisen, only two seasons of the anime had been released in the real world. You never read the manga. You desperately fought to avoid spoilers online (and unfortunately, you couldn’t avoid all of them), but right now, you’re kicking yourself for that decision, because it will only be to your detriment.   

When Sukuna utters the word enchain , he will swap with Itadori, as agreed upon in their Binding Vow. But to this day, you have never seen Sukuna take advantage of their pact. You don’t know when he’ll actually do it, and in what context. It’s driving you absolutely insane , because you can’t help but feel like you’re missing a very important piece of the puzzle, but there’s really nothing you can do about it.   

As far as canon goes, the reality is that it would have been a long, long time before Sukuna finally used the pact to his advantage.  

It would have been.   

However, as you’ve already experienced, things can change. Things will change. Now that you’re here in this world, nothing will ever be entirely as it used to.   

Some time passes after Gojo leaves. You and Itadori are watching a shitty horror flick together. You glance over at him every now and then and offer a few words of encouragement, but inevitably, your eyes always drift back to the television screen.  

Itadori doesn’t talk much because he’s doing his best to stay focused. You’re happy just being with him, even if not many words are exchanged. The silence, apart from the movie playing at low volume, feels comfortable. In fact, you can feel yourself getting a bit sleepy. Maybe you’ll have to call it a night earlier than expected.   

A soft yawn leaves your lips, and you lean further back into the couch cushions, brushing shoulders with Itadori as you do.  

Then, you hear it.   

“Enchain.”   

In a truly ironic twist of fate, the same word you were wondering about not long ago now cuts through the silence, along with a familiar voice, which is most definitely not Itadori’s.  

You turn, horrified, only to find Sukuna sitting next to you.  

“Hello, girl,” he chuckles. “I take it you’ve missed me?”

Chapter Text

Well, it’s official. You have the worst luck ever .   

Naturally, your first instinct is to panic. The fear is quick to set in, along with the realization that right now, not only are you trapped in a basement with the King of Curses, but nobody other than Gojo even knows you’re here. And he already left quite some time ago.  

This feels like a death sentence.  

At least, that’s what your brain’s instinctive response is. But as you grip down onto the couch, steeling your nerves, you’re able to come to a much more reassuring, rational conclusion.   

Sukuna can’t hurt you. The Binding Vow he made with Itadori prevents him from doing so. Unless, for whatever reason, the conditions have completely changed. You have no way of knowing whether or not that’s true, but if that were the case, Itadori would never have agreed to the pact in the first place. He would never allow Sukuna to take control of his body without a guarantee that nobody would be harmed.   

The other reason you’re able to stay somewhat calm is because you remember, once again, that Sukuna saved you. It’s ent  

irely possible that he kept you alive only to torment you later on, but you’re willing to bet he’s not going to toss you aside until he gets what he wants. Whatever the hell that is.  

Still, you can’t help but freak out. This surely isn’t a good sign. The fact that he used the Binding Vow so early on means that the plot has become even more unpredictable. Thanks to your involvement.   

Your safest bet is to inform Gojo. There’s no guarantee that he’ll be able to get to you in time, but at the very least, he needs to know. Which is why you lunge for your phone in a hurry, but regretfully, Sukuna has already thrown it out of your reach.   

He then leans in closer, crimson eyes staring right into your soul.   

“Don’t,” he says, chuckling softly. “I’m consciously suppressing most of my cursed energy right now. That man would’ve been able to detect my presence, which is why I waited until he was far enough away. He can get here quickly, but obviously, I’m not going to let that happen. There’s no point in calling him, anyway. We only have one minute, so I suggest you pay attention.”   

You back away from him, doing your best to muster up a brave face. No. There’s no reason to be afraid. He’s not allowed to hurt you. God, but what if… what if he wants to do something worse than hurt you?  

“I-I don’t care how strong you are,” you stammer out, lifting up a couch pillow in a pathetic attempt to protect yourself. “Every man has a weak spot. And I will target that weak spot. I’ll kick you right in the dick if that’s what it takes. I’ll make that thing unusable if you try to pull some nasty shit on me. G-Got it?”   

Sukuna doesn’t look impressed.   

“If I wanted to force myself on you, I could have already done that by now,” he merely shrugs. “Foolish girl. In any case, I’d need much longer than a minute if I wanted to join our bodies together. Pleasure shouldn’t be rushed.”   

…brother, eughhh.  

Well, that’s one fear out the way, at least. Thank goodness. You were ready to stomp on his balls while screaming out bloody murder.  

But if his goal isn’t to be all slimy and gross, then why is here?  

“Girl,” Sukuna says, both pairs of his eyes crinkling in delight. “We have no time to waste. Right here, right now, you are going to forge a pact with me.”   

You gape at him. “Sorry, what ? There’s no chance in hell I’d ever—”   

“I suggest you listen first. The truth is, I’ve already made a Binding Vow with the boy. In exchange for healing his heart, he granted me control over his body for one minute, but during that one minute, I promised I wouldn’t hurt or kill anyone else. However… I never promised that I wouldn’t hurt the boy himself. He didn’t even stop to consider the possibility. So, you either agree to make a pact with me, or I will rip out this boy’s heart. And this time, I’ll kill him for good .”   

Your entire face turns pale. What? There was that kind of loophole in their pact? Shit. You didn’t know. You had no idea. This bastard. After going to the trouble of reviving Itadori, he’s seriously going to hold his body hostage again ?   

It doesn’t occur to you to question him, though. You already know that Sukuna won’t die, even if Itadori does. He can be reincarnated over and over again, provided enough of his fingers are still out there. Itadori hasn’t even assimilated very many of them at this point. Sukuna doesn’t fear death. He knows he can just start over again.  

You don’t know what he hopes to gain from this. Sukuna clearly has a fixation on you, which must be because you’re not meant to be part of this world. He realizes you’re some kind of anomaly, and it intrigues him. Perhaps that’s why he’s so desperate to find the answers. It’s rare that he finds anyone else amusing. Few have the pleasure—or rather, displeasure —of becoming his personal plaything.  

“What kind of pact?” you ask, voice trembling, even though it really doesn’t matter. He could demand the most vile, unspeakable thing of you, and you would probably still have no choice but to obey. Itadori’s life is on the line.   

You may be a coward, but even you wouldn’t allow your friend to die.   

Sukuna chuckles. “I can acknowledge that this pact is rather one-sided, so I won’t get greedy. The conditions are as such. So long as Itadori Yuji is my vessel, I will not harm him, and every time I take over his body for one minute, you will be physically incapable of alerting anyone, or calling for help. Also, every time, without fail, you will forget what happens. Just like this boy won’t remember any of our meetings either.”   

“...that’s it?”   

He plans on appearing before you again. You’re not sure how many times it’ll happen, or what he’ll do to you during those times, but just because he’s creating a new Binding Vow with you doesn’t mean that his Binding Vow with Itadori will stop working. He still won’t be allowed to hurt you, or anyone else.   

Fuck. It’s not like you have any other option but to accept. He’ll kill Itadori if you don’t. The fact that you won’t even be able to remember what Sukuna does to you in the future… it’s a harrowing thought, but you don’t have the luxury of dwelling on it.  

“You won’t be able to hurt me, or anyone else,” you grit out. “And if I accept, Itadori will be safe too. You won’t kill him as long as I agree to this, right?”   

Sukuna’s grin spreads out even wider. “You have my word.”  

In the heat of the moment, and also due to your lack of knowledge of what the full story of Jujutsu Kaisen entails, you failed to realize that Sukuna was trapping you in another loophole, too.  

“So long as Itadori Yuji is my vessel.”   

At the time, you had no idea.   

You didn’t realize that Sukuna had already set his sights on someone else.   

“Shit. Fine, then. Fine! I agree to the pact,” you say, trembling furiously. “God fucking dammit. I just know you’re going to creep on me like the pervert you are…”   

“Good girl,” Sukuna hums. Without warning, he shoves his face into yours, close enough that you can feel him breathing down your neck. His grin is disturbingly wide, and although there’s no threat of death, you feel horrified all the same. “We’re about to run out of time. It seems our meetings are destined to be short and sweet. For now , at least.”   

He grabs hold of your face and squeezes down on your cheeks, holding you in place as you tremble. His lips part, ever-so-slightly, and panic rips down your spine—like some kind of painful, electric shock.   

You’re on the verge of tears, ready to have your first kiss stolen by this disgusting relic of a man, but suddenly, Sukuna’s eyes start to close, and he clicks his tongue in annoyance.   

“I missed my chance. How truly… unfortunate…”  

One minute finally went by. Sukuna’s time has run out, and right as he shifts back over to Itadori, your mind goes blank. The memories of this encounter have disappeared in one fell swoop.  

…?   

Your eyes slowly open. You’re disoriented, unable to comprehend what just happened. The last thing you remember is watching a crappy horror movie along with Itadori. Right. You were facing the TV and steadily zoning out. Except you’re not facing the TV anymore. And there’s a strange pressure on your lips.   

Also, you’re staring right into Itadori’s eyes, for some reason. From close up. Like, very close up.  

Holy shit.    

Why the hell are you kissing Itadori Yuji right now?!   

You scream. Itadori screams. Both of you scream so loud that it’s a miracle your eardrums don’t shatter, and thanks to the explosive emotional reaction on Itadori’s part, the puppet wakes up, then, of course—pummels him right in the face.  

Itadori groans as he slowly peels himself off the ground. He got punched so hard this time that he rolled right off the couch. The puppet is on the ground, shaking its fists around like it’s in a boxing ring, but right now, that’s honestly the least of your concerns.   

Your face feels like it’s on fire. Your heartbeat is so frantic and out of control that you’re starting to wonder if you might be about to have a stroke. Maybe some would say your reaction is too overblown, but you seriously can’t help it.   

Just now, Itadori’s lips definitely made contact with yours.  

“I-I-I’m so sorry.”   

Still mortified, you shamefully glance back in Itadori’s direction. He looks just as embarrassed—if not more —and his face is easily the reddest it’s ever been.  

“I don’t… I don’t know what came over me,” Itadori gapes. “I swear I didn’t mean to do that. I don’t even know how it happened. I must have… b-blacked out or something. Maybe my brain isn’t working properly because of how many times I got punched by that doll.”   

You swallow hard. It’s not like you were going to blame him, or accuse him or anything, because the same can be said of you. There isn’t a single reasonable explanation that you can come up with as to how that even happened. Weren’t you both just facing towards the TV and watching the movie? It’s still playing in the background.   

So, how did you end up in that position, of all things?  

“I f-feel the same way,” you stammer back, blushing all the way up to your ears. “I think we must have accidentally turned our heads towards each other at the same time. And then, um, y’know. I-It was an honest mistake. It had to be.”   

“R-Right!” Itadori nods. He then scratches his head and chuckles nervously. “Man, that’s crazy, huh? But like you said, it was an honest mistake! So, it… shouldn’t be… that big of a deal. I think?”  

Honestly, you want nothing more than to dig yourself into a hole right now. Accident or not, you’re so embarrassed you could die . You really do have a knack for getting yourself into the most ridiculous situations known to man.   

Still, setting your embarrassment aside for a moment…  

Why does it feel like you’re forgetting something important?  

“I should go,” you blurt, too flustered to even look him in the eye anymore. “Thanks for letting me spend time here. I had fun kissing you—I mean, I had fun hanging out with you! I just—ah, shit! I really gotta go, bye!”  

You book it the hell out of there without even looking back. Itadori considers calling out to you, but after what just happened, perhaps it’s for the best that you both have some time to cool off. He honestly feels kind of dizzy.   

Did he… really just kiss his best friend?   

“I committed a grave sin,” Itadori groans. The puppet is still swinging its fists around and demanding attention, but in his current emotional state, there’s no way he can deal with that thing.  

Itadori trudges back to the couch and buries his head in his hands. It takes quite some time for him to even start calming down. He had to tie the puppet against a piece of furniture just so he could have a break. At least he’s all alone now, so he doesn’t have to worry about hiding how goddamn embarrassed—  

“Hm? Yuji, what are you doing?”   

Itadori blinks. “S-Sensei? Didn’t you say you left for an errand?”   

“Well, I was about to invite you out on a little trip with me, but what’s this? Are you slacking off? I thought I told you to keep holding onto that puppet and maintain a constant flow of cursed energy.”   

“Um, sorry.” Itadori bows his head, the red tinge on his cheeks darkening. “I was doing fine, for the most part. I just had a really big shock a second ago. I’m embarrassed to say that I kind of lost my cool…”   

Gojo tilts his head. “Are you blushing? And where’s [Name]? You two weren’t up to anything inappropriate while I was gone, were you?”   

He meant it as a joke, which is why he’s surprised to see just how much redder Itadori’s face turns in response.   

Man. He really regrets asking.   

“Hormonal teenagers,” Gojo sighs.   

“I-It’s not like that! I’ve been improving, I swear! It was going really well for a while—look!”   

Itadori takes a deep breath and picks the puppet back up, reminding himself to stay as calm as possible. It thrashes around for a few brief seconds, but it doesn’t take it long to fall asleep again and start snoring peacefully.  

Gojo purses his lips. “Hm. Well, I guess it’s not too bad. You were able to control your energy fast enough. Although I’m not sure what went down between the two of you… I may as well still bring you along with me. This is an important lesson, after all.”   

Something feels strange. It’s subtle, but Gojo swears he spots residuals of Sukuna’s cursed energy. They’re incredibly faint, and also partly distorted. However, he also feels like his mind is playing tricks on him. The lingering remnants of your cursed energy are throwing him off. His Six Eyes have never once failed him. At least, not until the day he met you and couldn’t make sense of what the hell he was seeing.   

“[Name] left?” Gojo affirms.   

“Huh? Oh… yeah,” Itadori nods. “She left a little while ago. It’s late, so I’m guessing she went back to the dorms.”   

“Right. And other than whatever embarrassing incident you two had, everything was fine? Sukuna… didn’t appear or anything, did he?”   

“What?! No way! Why the hell would that guy show up? I already swore I’d never give him control of my body ever again after what happened at the detention center!”   

It doesn’t make sense. If Sukuna had free reign over Itadori’s body, surely he would have already gotten his way by now. Perhaps the glitched-out nature of your cursed energy really is throwing him off. He feels frustrated. He feels like he’s missing a crucial piece of information. There may very well be some kind of pact in play.   

“Alright. I guess I’ll have a chat with [Name] later. I’ve got a few questions I’d like to ask her. For now, let’s stick to the plan and have you come with me. I want you to witness the height of jujutsu sorcery. Domain Expansion .”   

As always, whenever you’re involved, he’s left with more questions than answers.  

I’m sneaky. I’m the sneakiest person that ever lived. I’m so sneaky, there’s no way anyone will ever—  

“[Name]? Where have you been until now?”   

You’ve just stepped foot inside the first-year dorm building—sneakily, might you add—but unfortunately, you didn’t go anywhere near as unnoticed as you’d hoped.   

Fushiguro is staring at you between furrowed brows.   

“It’s late,” he says. “You disappeared after training. I thought you’d cook dinner with us. You said you like cooking as a group. Not that I really care, but still. You’re the one… who said you wanted to.”   

“S-Sorry. I was… walking around. For a bit.”   

It certainly doesn’t help that your face is still on fire. Even though it was an accidental kiss, the fact remains that your lips brushed against Itadori’s, and every time your body recalls the sensation, you feel like melting into a puddle.  

“How far exactly did you walk?” Fushiguro keeps frowning. “You were gone for a while.”   

“Oh, I went pretty far.”   

“Where to?”   

“Just around. You know, that one spot, and then I stopped by that other spot afterwards. I’m still getting used to the campus, so I got lost for a bit. It’s kind of embarrassing.”   

You try to play off your kiss-related embarrassment as something else, and while Fushiguro obviously doesn’t know the finer details, he simply can’t disregard how awkward you’re being right now. You keep on chuckling nervously, and why are you so fidgety? You seem way too flustered. He doubts anyone could look that embarrassed over getting lost.   

Before Fushiguro can say anything else, Nobara steps into the hallway and blinks. “Ah, [Name]’s back. Where’d you go? You can’t just run off and have fun without me. That’s not fair.”   

“She doesn’t want to tell us where she went,” Fushiguro mutters sourly.  

“That’s not true!” you insist. “I seriously just got lost for a while!”   

“[Name] wouldn’t lie,” Nobara dismisses with a wave. You nod in agreement, thankful for her support, but it turns out that your relief is short-lived. “Unless,” she mumbles, eyes lighting up with glee, “you ditched us to have some private time with a cute boy? Is that what happened?”   

Oh my god. How did she know?!  

Your jaw drops open, and Nobara proceeds to laugh uncontrollably. “Nah, no way! As if that would happen. More like, there aren’t even any cute guys here. There’s barely enough students to go around.”  

“Haha… ha.” You strain a smile as Nobara drapes her arm around your shoulder. “That’s right. What a silly thing to say. You shouldn’t tease me so much. Even I can get angry, you know.”   

“Sure, I bet you’d be super scary,” Nobara keeps laughing. “With that cute little face of yours!”   

She affectionately pinches your cheeks and starts leading you down the hall. It sounds like you’ll be doing skincare together again tonight. Not that you’re complaining. Hopefully it’ll help take your mind off the earlier incident.   

The whole time, you’re unaware of the fact that Fushiguro is staring at you, stiff as a statue, and without blinking.  

It didn’t even cross his mind until Nobara brought it up. Suddenly, he can’t stop thinking about how he saw you shamelessly flirting with Inumaki earlier today. The second-years split up after training ended. You could very well have been with Inumaki until now, doing god knows what.   

It’s fine. You have every right to do that. He doesn’t have a say in how you choose to spend your time. The thought of you and Inumaki alone together—in secrecy, no less—doesn’t bother him. Not even a little bit.  

It really doesn’t.  

Chapter Text

You awaken the next morning on time for a change. Or perhaps it’d be more accurate to say that you’ve been up all night, the memory of your kiss with Itadori playing on a seemingly endless loop.  

It was just an accident. That’s what you keep telling yourself to try and calm down. Not that it really works, but whatever.   

Speaking of Itadori, it probably happened last night, right? Gojo was supposed to take him out to have him witness his Domain Expansion during his fight against Jogo. Maybe it’s a good thing you ran out in a hurry, all embarrassed, because otherwise, you might have gotten caught up in that too. You’re not ready to be all up close and personal with the volcano head dude. Or any more special-grade cursed spirits, really.   

But sooner or later, you’re not going to have much of a choice.   

You pull yourself out of bed to get dressed for the day, and right as you’re stepping out of your room, you end up bumping into Fushiguro.   

“Oh. Good morning, Fushiguro,” you greet, and even though you’re exhausted, you manage a bright smile.   

“Good morning,” he replies.   

You can’t help but feel a bit awkward. He clearly suspected that you went somewhere last night. He’s been suspicious of you from the very start, and you wonder if that will ever change. You really hope that, as strange as your circumstances are, he still trusts you and considers you his ally.   

Fushiguro tilts his head. “Did you not get much sleep last night? You look pretty tired.”   

“N-Not really. I was a bit restless.”   

“Something on your mind?”   

“I just want to get stronger,” you say, which isn’t the truth of what happened last night, but it isn’t a lie, either. “I don’t want to be useless to anyone. This stuff doesn’t come naturally to me, but… yeah. I can’t stop thinking about how badly I need to improve. So that I can actually make a difference.”   

Fushiguro blinks. It’s strange how you can go from acting flirty and shameless one second, to fiercely determined the next. In moments like these, he’s reminded of the fact that you’re a kind, caring person, and it makes him feel a bit guilty for the ridiculous thoughts he’s been having. Like how he can’t stop wondering if you were with Inumaki last night.   

“It’s good to want to become stronger,” he nods. “But if you let it eat away at you, I think it’s counter-productive. There’s no point in torturing yourself like that. Just keep working hard and don’t give up. Eventually, it’ll pay off.”   

He grimaces a bit at the end. As expected, he sucks at cheering people up. No matter what he says, it either sounds too passive and cold, or unbelievably awkward.   

Not that you seem to mind, though.   

“Thanks,” you beam. “You’re right. I just need to stay focused and do my best. I’ll try not to beat myself up too much. Doing that won’t help anyone. I feel like you’re good at calming people down, Fushiguro. You always seem to know just what to say.”   

“Not really,” he mumbles, turning away so that you can’t see the blush spreading across his cheeks. “I’m sure anyone else would’ve said the same thing.”   

“Well, I don’t know about that, but it definitely means a lot more coming from you!”   

He continues looking away from you, face burning, and fortunately, the door to Nobara’s room swings open not a second too late.   

Nobara yawns loudly. “G’morning. Man, I’m hungry. [Name], are you going to help us cook breakfast again? I really don’t want to eat the leftovers of the dinner Fushiguro made last night. It tasted kind of crappy.”   

“Yeah, well, sorry about that,” Fushiguro grits out. “Like I said, I don’t cook much.”   

“Sure, I was going to make something anyway. We can all make it together. I’m sure it’ll turn out great. But I bet Fushiguro’s dinner wasn’t bad. Don’t worry, Fushiguro. Nobara’s just teasing you.”   

“No, I’m really not,” Nobara insists. “You weren’t there last night, so you don’t know. It tasted like—”   

“Alright, alright, let’s just go!”   

You grab Nobara by the arm and start pulling her along, making sure to chastise her for being needlessly rude. You make it to the edge of the stairs before you stop to glance back at Fushiguro over your shoulder, your smile as bright as ever.   

He’s not sure how to explain it, but he really loves that smile of yours, and as shameful as it sounds, he secretly wishes you would only smile for him.   

“...I’m telling you, it was crazy! First, sensei randomly appeared out of nowhere, and before I knew it, he’d grabbed me and taken me to this cursed spirit with a volcano for a head! Even I could tell that was the strongest curse I’ve seen so far—including the one at the detention center. But sensei called him weak and kicked his ass no problem.”  

Itadori recounts last night’s events with a bright, animated expression. You’re back down in the basement, of course, and Gojo is here too. This time, you have an actual excuse. Gojo told the other students that since you’re struggling to control your cursed energy, you need extra, personalized training from time to time. At least Fushiguro won’t think too much of it when you disappear every now and then. Although knowing him, he’s probably still not entirely convinced.  

Gojo proudly crosses his arms and chuckles. “Well, yeah. I am the strongest, after all. I wouldn’t lose to a weakling like him.”   

“So, you were able to exorcize the cursed spirit?” you ask, even though, unfortunately, you already know the answer to that question.  

Both Gojo and Itadori fall deathly silent.   

You shift in place and offer a weak smile. “Um. Is there a reason neither of you are saying anything…?”  

“Sensei, you shouldn’t have acted all smug,” Itadori whispers into Gojo’s ear—rather loudly, at that. “You just said you were the strongest, so now it’s going to be embarrassing to have to tell [Name] that the cursed spirits got away.”   

“Quiet, Yuji,” Gojo whispers back. “I was getting there, okay?”   

These two are honestly ridiculous.   

Gojo hastily clears his throat. “I guess there’s no point in beating around the bush. Last night, I brought Itadori out for a demonstration after I was attacked by a cursed spirit. I won, of course, but he had an ally, who helped him escape. The other cursed spirit was good at concealing their presence. I’ll admit, it caught me off guard for a second.”   

“That sounds dangerous,” you say, doing your best to look surprised. “Should we… be worried? Do we know what their objective is?”   

“It’s hard to tell. But seeing cursed spirits form a faction is already quite the rarity. They don’t often join forces and coordinate their efforts like this. Well, they could very well just have been trying to kill me, but somehow, I can’t help but feel like there’s more to it.”  

He’s right to be wary, because there is more to their plan. Far more than Gojo himself could possibly imagine. And while they won’t be able to kill him outright, in Shibuya, according to the canon plot, they will succeed in sealing Gojo inside the Prison Realm.   

That won’t happen for quite some time, but still. Is there any way you can prevent Gojo from being sealed, without divulging too much and risk branding yourself as a traitor?   

You really don’t know. In fact, you don’t even know what’s supposed to happen after Gojo does get sealed, but he’s the strongest jujutsu sorcerer, and without him, you’re all at a massive disadvantage.   

Gojo tilts his head towards you. “What’s wrong, [Name]? You look deep in thought all of a sudden.”   

“Huh? O-Oh. It’s nothing,” you say, hurrying to plaster on a smile. “I’m just a little shocked that those cursed spirits actually attacked you. I guess I can’t stop thinking about it. But I’m glad you’re both okay. I’m glad neither of you got hurt.”   

“You’re worrying about me?” Gojo chuckles. “That’s cute. I can’t remember the last time someone expressed concern on my behalf. If ever.”  

“All I heard was that you think I’m cute,” you beam.   

Gojo chuckles again. It’s strange to even hear those words coming out of your mouth. People don’t worry about him because they have no reason to worry. He’s the strongest, after all. He’s the one that’s supposed to be protecting everyone, not the one that’s meant to be protected. Logically, it’s a waste of time and energy to bother worrying about him. He’s the last person those feelings should ever be directed towards.   

But coming from you, oddly enough, he doesn’t mind it. Somehow, it just makes you all the more endearing.   

What a cute little enigma you are.  

“Anyways, [Name], have you heard about the upcoming exchange event?” Itadori asks. He looks especially excited all of a sudden. “I heard that we’ll be competing against the Kyoto school branch, and I’ll finally be able to let people know that I’m alive! Sensei said he has the perfect plan to unveil me in front of everyone.”   

You know exactly which ‘plan’ he’s referring to, and it’s far from perfect. Fushiguro and Nobara are going to lose their shit when it happens, but oh well. You don’t really feel like raining on his parade. He’s way too cute when he gets excited.   

“That’s why you need to train as much as possible until the exchange event rolls around,” Gojo hums. “Both you and [Name]. Yuji, you can continue with the movie marathons, because it seems to be working, but I’ll also have you go out on missions to help you gain some more experience that way. As for [Name]—”  

“Can I go out with Itadori on missions too?”   

You stare at Gojo with a hopeful, near-pleading expression. You have to accompany Itadori on those missions. That’s how he’ll encounter Junpei. And without your interference, things are bound to unfold exactly as was pre-determined in the plot. Which means that, inevitably, Junpei will die.   

You refuse to let that happen.   

Behind his mask, you can see Gojo furrowing his brows. “Hmm. I’m not sure. You still have classes to attend. Plus, if you’re gone too often, people might start to get suspicious.”   

“But you’ve told me a bunch of times that something about my cursed energy is weird. And people already think you’re helping train me separately. Please, sensei? I really want to go on the same missions as Itadori. He almost died before. I… want to make sure he’s safe. I want to stay with him.”   

Your admission makes Itadori blush a bit, although you’re not being completely honest with either of them. You do want Itadori to be safe, of course, but there’s someone else you’re hoping to protect. And since Junpei will become Itadori’s friend, it’s even more reason to want to pull this off.  

That way, you’ll be able to protect Itadori’s smile, too.  

“Maybe,” Gojo relents, and although it isn’t confirmation, at the very least, it’s a start.   

“Thank you,” you beam. “I promise I won’t hold anyone back. I want to go on lots of missions so that I can become stronger. Strong enough to be able to help as many people as possible.”   

That smile of yours really is contagious, and with each passing day, Gojo finds it more and more difficult to say no to you.   

“Yuji, put on some movies and continue with your training. I need to have a little chat with [Name] for a bit,” Gojo says.   

You blink. What does he want to talk to you about all of a sudden? Not that you’re complaining (being a fangirl and all), but you always worry that people will find new reasons to be suspicious of you, and if you’re not careful—they might reject your existence entirely.   

You’d better be careful not to make any serious oopsies.   

Itadori settles into a comfortable position on the couch, along with the cursed puppet he’s become so familiar with lately. He already seems to be making a lot of progress. The puppet is reacting a lot less than it was yesterday.   

“Come here,” Gojo gestures, and after flashing Itadori an encouraging smile, you follow.   

You leave the basement and climb back up the stairs. You suppose you don’t really have to be worried about anyone stumbling across your conversation, because Gojo is bound to notice before they can sneak up on him.   

Still. Every time you’re alone with Gojo Satoru, you can’t help but get a little nervous.   

…and also a little excited. You’re only human, at the end of the day.   

“I wish I was an adult,” you sigh heavily, shaking your head in disappointment.   

“What’s this now?”   

“Nothing. What did you want to talk about?”   

Gojo purses his lips. “Last night. Did something happen? I need you to be completely honest with me.”   

Your face starts to burn. Hold up! Is he referring to… that ? He can’t possibly be referring to that , of all things, right?  

“W-What do you mean?” you ask, trying to play innocent.  

It doesn’t work.   

“I mean beyond whatever awkward moment you and Yuji suffered,” Gojo sighs, waving his hand dismissively. “He didn’t want to tell me the details, so I won’t ask you for them either. But other than that, did something else happen? Something… involving Sukuna, perhaps?”   

The mention of Sukuna’s name makes you frown, and you’re able to momentarily set your embarrassment aside.   

“Sukuna? I’m not sure what you mean, but he didn’t say anything. Sometimes he pops up on Itadori’s hand or cheek and makes creepy remarks, but I’ve kind of gotten used to them by now. He definitely didn’t appear last night, though. Why?”   

Gojo just stares, watching you gaze up at him with a look of obvious, genuine confusion. It’s not like he can always tell whether or not someone’s lying to him, but he’s usually pretty good at gauging these things, and it’s clear that you really have no clue what he’s referring to.   

Itadori said the same thing. He insisted that Sukuna didn’t make any appearances last night. Could it really be that Gojo’s Six Eyes are failing him? He swore he saw faint, nearly nonexistent traces of Sukuna’s cursed energy. But then again, the presence of your cursed energy within that same room might actually have been throwing him off. You’re the only person whose cursed energy flow he’s failed to make sense of. After all, if Sukuna had the ability to manifest at will, the casualties would be endless.  

“Sukuna didn’t appear before you,” Gojo reiterates. “Are you absolutely sure of this?”   

“I wouldn’t lie to you, sensei. Besides, Itadori can suppress Sukuna, right? Otherwise we would already be done for. Don’t you… believe me?”   

Hurt colors your expression, and it makes Gojo’s heart ache a bit. Either you’re telling the truth, or you're the most skilled liar that ever lived.  

He’s already got a soft spot for you, though, which is why he’s much more inclined to believe the former.  

Gojo smiles and places his hand on your head, ruffling your hair a bit. “Don’t worry. I believe you. I just had to ask. Some things weren’t adding up. I think it might have to do with your unique circumstances.”   

“You mean how Sukuna always pervs on me?”   

“That’s not exactly what I was referring to, but… wait. What do you mean he ‘pervs’ on you?”   

“He says gross things all the time. Like how he plans to make me his woman or something.” You shudder, expression turning to disgust. “I think he’s getting carried away just because he’s using Itadori’s body. I bet he’d look ugly in his real body. He’s supposed to have two faces and four arms, right? Yuck .”   

The hand Gojo was using to stroke your hair drops to his side, and he can’t help but frown at what he just heard. Granted, he could already tell that Sukuna was somewhat intrigued by you. The King of Curses was surely able to discern that something about you is strange, unnatural. It must have caught his eye.  

But to say that he plans on making you his woman? And not only that, but Fushiguro himself said that Sukuna saved you from the special-grade curse at the detention center. Gojo could hardly believe it when he first heard the news. He was in utter disbelief.   

Sukuna more than likely has some sinister plot in the works. And while Gojo doesn’t know exactly what it is, he has no intention of letting you get caught up in it. His strength isn’t just for show.   

If Sukuna knows what’s good for him, he’ll keep his dirty hands off you. 

The next day proceeds normally, for the most part.   

You attend your regularly scheduled classes and do your best to pay attention. Going to school might be boring, but ever since your life changed in a big way, you find yourself appreciating the peaceful, mundane aspect you took for granted before. God, how badly you wish Jujutsu Kaisen was a slice-of-life anime. If only.   

After classes end, it’s time for training again. You spend some time with the second-years, until suddenly, Maki decides to send you off on an errand.   

“It’s hot out. Go buy drinks and bring them back for us. Don’t take too long.”   

She’s addressing you, Fushiguro, and Nobara. Panda sighs and tries to tell her that it’s not nice to boss the first-years around, but in response, Maki starts angrily swinging her weapon, so the three of you hurry to leave.   

“They could at least add more vending machines around here,” Nobara mutters. “I feel like I walked for miles.”  

Fushiguro shakes his head. “You’re obviously exaggerating. Let’s just hurry up and get what we need. Zen’in will give us hell otherwise.”  

While Nobara pushes buttons on the machine, you glance around, and it’s only then that you realize this area looks familiar to you. To be honest, it kind of slipped your mind. You nearly forgot about it.  

Today is when they’re supposed to appear, right?  

Your suspicions are confirmed when two figures approach. A boy and a girl, both of which you immediately recognize.   

Fushiguro turns his head. “What are you doing here, Zen’in? Why are you in Tokyo?”   

“Wait, Zen’in? No way,” Nobara blinks. “I thought she looked familiar. Not just appearance-wise, but their aura, too. Is she Maki’s sister or something?”   

“How unpleasant, Fushiguro. If you refer to me by last name, no one will be able to tell us apart. Call me Mai,” the girl chuckles, adding a playful wink at the end.   

Mai isn’t alone, of course. Standing just next to her is a tall, muscular male student, and even though you already know he isn’t a bad guy, you have to admit, he’s pretty damn intimidating in person.   

“Hm. So, these guys are supposed to be Okkotsu’s and the third-years’ substitutes,” the male, Todo, comments with a scrutinizing gaze. “One of them… that girl over there. Do you notice it, Mai? She has a massive amount of cursed energy. She must be the other student Gojo Satoru found, along with Sukuna’s vessel. Another type like Okkotsu, perhaps?”   

“Oh, how lovely,” Mai comments in a dry, lackluster tone of voice. “I’m simply overjoyed for her. I’m sure it must be nice to be so blessed.”  

Nobara grits her teeth. “Huh? Why are you picking a fight with [Name] for no reason? What the hell did she do to you?”   

“I did nothing,” you mumble awkwardly. “I was just standing here.”   

“Yeah, she was just standing here, goddammit!”   

Mai puts on a fabricated smile. “I wasn’t picking a fight at all. In fact, we were so worried about you guys, we decided to come along with the school principal on his visit. I heard your classmate died, right? Was it painful? Or not?”   

“What is it exactly that you’re trying to say?” Fushiguro frowns.  

“There are some things that are hard to put in words, right? It’s okay. I’ll do it for you. Although the terms ‘vessel’ or ‘host’ are accurate, to some extent, the truth is that he was a half-curse monstrosity, right?” There’s a pause, and suddenly, a cruel, gleeful expression spreads across Mai’s face. “For that kind of filthy non-human to have the nerve to call himself a sorcerer… you were repulsed by it, weren’t you? Aren’t you glad he’s dead?”   

Both Fushiguro’s and Nobara’s faces immediately drop, and if not for the fact that you already knew this was coming, you would probably be yelling all kinds of obscenities right about now.   

“What the fuck did you just say?”   

Oh, nevermind. Nobara’s going to do it for you.   

“Take that back,” she glares, and she even grabs you by the arm and pulls you in close. “You bitch. Itadori was [Name]’s close friend. They went to the same high school together, before they came to Jujutsu High. What kind of scumbag takes joy in mocking someone who’s grieving?”  

“I was just stating the facts,” Mai shrugs. “And even if they were friends before, that was obviously bound to change once he became a monster. I’m sure you feel the same way, right, [Name]? You must have been disgusted to call a freak like that your friend. You must have felt ashamed to have ever gotten close to him to begin with. Poor thing.”  

Your expression darkens, but before you can say anything, Todo steps forward and shakes his head.   

“You sure like to talk about worthless nonsense, Mai. I just want to know if these guys are worthy replacements for Okkotsu. [Name] looks like she might have some potential, but I’m not sure about the other two. Which is why… I’ll start with him . Fushiguro, you said your name is?  Answer me right now. What’s your type?”   

Fushiguro and Nobara blink, visibly bewildered, and at the same time, Todo rips his poor t-shirt to shreds, revealing his toned, bulging muscles in full.   

“Depending on your answer, I might beat you half to death right here, and drag Okkotsu, or at least the third-years, out to the exchange event. Oh, and by the way…”   

Todo grins widely.   

“My type is a tall girl with a big ass.”   

Chapter Text

Well, it’s not like you didn’t expect this. You already knew exactly what Todo was going to say, word for word. It’s crazy that you’re actually experiencing such an iconic scene for yourself. If not for how imposing Todo’s aura is, you might have even laughed.   

Fushiguro scowls irritably. “Why do I have to discuss my taste in women with a guy I just met?”   

“That’s right,” Nobara nods. “He’s pretty antisocial, so you’re asking way too much of him.”  

“Please shut up. This situation is ridiculous enough without you complicating it for no reason.”   

“Kyoto branch, third-year, Todo Aoi,” Todo introduces without so much as batting an eye. He cracks a grin. “There, my introduction’s over. Now we’re friends, right? Hurry up and answer. If you prefer men, that’s fine too. A person’s taste reveals everything about them. Guys who have boring tastes are boring themselves. And I hate boring guys.”   

It's been a while since you’ve watched the first season of the anime, so you kind of forgot just how unbelievably passionate he gets about this topic. It’s a weird hill to die on, but to each their own, you suppose.   

Todo continues. “The exchange event is where my soul can be free as blood boils and flesh clashes. Who knows what I might end up doing if my last exchange event ends up being painfully boring? As a token of my kindness, even if our tastes don't align, I’ll leave you only half-dead for today. Answer me, Fushiguro. What’s your type?”   

Todo isn’t going to back down until he gets an answer. That much, you’re certain of. Of course, Fushiguro realizes this too, and in an attempt to diffuse the situation, he takes a moment to press his lips together, then responds.   

“...I don’t really have any particular preference. As long as it’s someone with a strong, unshakeable character, I’ll be happy.”   

At this very moment, he’s thinking of his step-sister, Tsumiki, who he cares for and respects. She means a lot to him. He’s both his family and someone he looks up to. A kind, positive role model.   

Normally, Tsumiki would’ve been the only person that came to mind. But then again, nothing is normal anymore.   

Not when you’re here.   

Instead, Fushiguro finds himself turning towards you as he utters the words. Tsumiki is someone he cares deeply about, of course, but not so long ago, he realized that you have those same qualities. The exact ones he looks for in a person.   

“Also,” Fushiguro continues, his cheeks reddening, “I guess if I had to pick one more thing, it’d be… a pretty smile. Someone who always smiles brightly, no matter what.”   

You blink. Did he say that originally, in the anime? You can’t quite remember, since it’s been a while since you first watched this scene, but you feel like he didn’t make any mention of that kind of thing. Unless your brain is short-circuiting right now.   

For a second, with the way he was looking at you, you almost wondered if he was referring to you as he was saying those words. But that’s obviously wishful thinking on your part. You really need to get your ego checked.   

More importantly…  

“I knew it,” Todo mutters softly, and you watch as tears roll down his cheeks. “You’re boring , Fushiguro.”   

Shit!  

This is bad. You know exactly what’s about to happen, and even though Fushiguro’s life isn’t actually in danger, he’s going to get beaten senselessly nevertheless. As far as Fushiguro ie concerned, you may very well be an idiot who goes googly-eyed over every person you meet, but regardless of what he thinks of you, you consider him a friend.  

You’re not just going to sit idly and watch as your friend gets hurt.   

“Wait!” you cry out, and you step in front of Fushiguro in a hurry, arms outstretched in a pitiful attempt to protect him. Todo is about to lunge towards the both of you, and as thing stand, you’re going to get caught up in the attack. Unless, of course, you pull out your trump card.   

“Tall girls with a big ass,” you say, repeating Todo’s words from earlier. A nervous, wobbly smile cuts across your lips. “I agree. I like girls like that too. Like Jennifer Lawrence. Or… like Takada Nobuko. My all-time favorite idol.”   

Todo freezes in place. You watch as his jaw drops open and his eyes widen. Without a doubt, you caught him off guard. He was ready to pummel Fushiguro into the ground just seconds ago, but now, he looks oddly… at peace?   

Suddenly, he appears right in front of you, but it’s not to attack.   

Rather, he grabs both of your hands in his and stares down at you with a look of awe.   

“You… also like Takada?” he mumbles, seemingly breathless. “Are we, perhaps… soulmates?”   

“O-Of course,” you chuckle nervously. “I’m one of Takada’s biggest fans. I know she’s got a meet and greet here in Tokyo, happening today. While you’re here, I’m guessing you plan on going? You definitely should. I went to one of her meet and greets before, and I got to see her do her signature Taka-tan Beam in person. I can’t go today because I’ve got some important commitments I wasn’t able to get out of, but I hope you’re able to have fun for the both of us.”   

Todo gasps, and you can feel his hands trembling slightly as he squeezes your fingers tight. It’s a silly, ridiculous situation. You can’t believe that you just used a tall, big booty idol to save the day, but hey—it worked. And you’re definitely not complaining.   

Before Todo can say anything else, Fushiguro pulls you away from him.  

“Stop it,” he glares. “It’s bad enough you ambushed us out of nowhere. Why are you cozying up to [Name] all of a sudden? I’m sure she thinks it’s unpleasant. And don’t go around calling yourself her soulmate or whatever other nonsense. You’re really starting to get on my nerves.”   

Fushiguro holds you close, eyes viciously narrowed as he glares Todo down. Even though it’s not technically a hug, it’s probably the closest you’ll get to one, and so you grin widely as you wrap your arms around Fushiguro and embrace the moment.   

His blush deepens, but regardless, he doesn’t let go.   

Todo knits his brows together. “Hm. Protective of your classmates, I see. To be honest, I was going to beat the crap out of you just now, Fushiguro, but if I do that, my soulmate will probably be upset with me. Right, [Name]?”   

“She’s not your soulmate,” Fushiguro grits out.  

“I will be upset,” you nod, and you make sure to hug Fushiguro even tighter, as proof of how much you care for him. “We’ll compete against each other fairly during the exchange event. And even if you think Fushiguro is boring… I can promise you he’s not. He’s really strong. The exchange event will be eventful enough to get your blood boiling. I swear on my life.”   

A lot of crazy shit is going to happen that day, after all.   

“I see.” Todo crosses his arms and grins. “Luckily for you, Fushiguro, [Name] is more than enough to make up for your dullness. At the very least, she should make the exchange event interesting. I feel reassured now. Ah—let’s swap contact information, [Name]. So that we can talk about our love for Takada more. And so we can go to another meet and greet together one day. Or a concert. Or a date to go buy Takada-themed merchandise.”   

“Um… alright,” you nod, and even though Fushiguro has the urge to slap Todo’s phone out of his hands, he somehow manages to restrain himself and simply continues holding onto you.   

You stare down at your new contact. Todo Aoi, of all people. You’re not sure how you pulled this off, but it’s proof that your knowledge of this world can make a difference. There was no tragedy set to occur today, but still, you prevented Fushiguro from getting hurt. And that’s not nothing.  

Nobara blinks in disbelief. “What’s wrong with this guy? Two seconds ago he was talking about fighting Fushiguro, and now he’s obsessed with [Name]. Gross. I’m telling you right now, but you’d better watch those hands, pervert.”   

“Ah, what a fulfilling trip this turned out to be,” Todo sighs happily, completely disregarding everything Nobara just said. “I was able to find my soulmate, but not only that, she also seems to have incredible potential. Fushiguro is boring, but I’m willing to overlook it for now. And I even have plans to go meet Takada. Life is such a beautiful thing.”   

Fushiguro pulls you even further away from Todo, still grimacing all the while, and Nobara’s nose is scrunched up in disgust. She looks like she’s itching to kick him in the balls. You honestly wouldn’t put it past her.   

It seems like, somehow, everything worked out for the best. Nobody had to get hurt this time around. Also, Todo may be kind of weird, but he’s actually a good guy. You already knew that much.   

There’s someone, however, who’s even more upset than they were in canon.   

“I can’t believe you, Todo.” Mai grinds her teeth together in frustration. “What are you doing, cozying up to that girl? She’s from our rival school. Not to mention that she was friends with that monstrous freak . It’s always like this. Some people… are born so blessed. They never have to worry about anything. Everything is handed to them. People flock to them, adore them, and meanwhile, I’m…”   

She doesn’t finish her sentence. Before you can even process what’s happening, she pulls out her gun and cries out as she aims straight for your head.   

But nothing happens.   

The bullet ruptures the moment it gets too close to you.   

“Those bullets are… fake, right?” you frown, turning towards Mai—whose expression is becoming more unfurled by the second. “I think they are, but I’m not entirely sure. I really hope you didn’t try to fire a real bullet at my brain. That would’ve been kind of messed up.”   

Mai’s revolver drops to the ground. Her shoulders are trembling. “They’re not… real bullets. But you didn’t even do anything. My bullet wasn’t even able to land a hit on you, without you reinforcing your defense? That’s… how much cursed energy you have?”   

“I already told you, Mai,” Todo sighs. “She reminds me of Okkotsu. Don’t be foolish, picking a fight you can’t win. That’s enough. It seems like the exchange event will be entertaining, after all. We’ve done what we set out to do, so it’s time to leave.”   

Mai stares down at her feet, looking depressed beyond belief, and utterly humiliated. It wasn’t your intention to antagonize her, and technically, she’s the one that went ahead and tried to attack you for no reason. Still, you can’t help but feel sorry for her. You know all too well what kind of discrimination certain jujutsu sorcerers face, when they aren’t deemed strong enough. Worse yet, she was born into one of the main three clans. They don’t care about raising children with love and affection. In the Zen’in Clan especially, a child’s worth is determined based on their competency for jujtusu. If they don’t have any talent, they’re discarded of without so much as a second thought.   

You wish it didn’t have to be that way.  

“Here,” you say, pulling away from Fushiguro so that you kneel down and pick up Mai’s revolver. You hand it to her with a sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have questioned whether or not you were using real bullets. I can tell you wouldn’t try to hurt people that badly. It was a nasty accusation to make, so I apologize.”   

Mai snatches the revolver out of your hands and glares at you. “I don’t need your pity.”   

“I know. I’m not pitying you. I just wanted to apologize anyway. My choice of words could’ve been better.”   

She’s confused. Just earlier, she was ridiculing your deceased friend, Sukuna’s vessel. She said all kinds of horrible things. You looked quite upset about it, too. But now, there’s nothing but forgiveness in your eyes. It’s not contrived, either. It’s not disingenuous or fake. You’re able to smile at her, despite what she just did. You must truly be a good person.  

Which just makes her an even shittier person by comparison.   

“You’re back at it, huh, Mai?”   

It looks like the second-years have finally appeared. They must’ve been wondering what was taking so long. Except unlike in canon, they didn’t have to break up any fights.   

Maki still looks incredibly annoyed, though.  

“When will you ever fix that crappy attitude of yours?” she scowls. “It’s pathetic to see. Hurry up and leave before you really piss me off.”   

“Yes, we’re leaving,” Todo mutters gravely. He throws his uniform jacket over his shoulder and impatiently taps Mai on the shoulder. “I’m already cutting it close as it is! Mai, we need to catch our train to make it to the meet and greet on time. I’ll tell you all about it, [Name]. I’m sure it’ll be a magical experience.”   

“It definitely will be,” you reassure. You chuckle as you turn towards Mai. “I’m pretty sure you’ll like it too, Mai.”   

“As if I would,” she grumbles.   

Oh, you’d be surprised.   

“Hurry up! Takada awaits! Goodbye, my dear soulmate, [Name]! I look forward to seeing you again at the exchange event!”   

They leave in a hurry, and if nothing else, you were able to avoid some senseless violence. It’s a small shift, but you can take solace in the fact that depending on what you do, your actions can change the course of the story.   

Hopefully for the best.   

Inumaki approaches you while tilting his head. “Mustard leaf?”   

“Hm? Oh.” You chuckle and turn towards him with a smile. “Everything’s okay, don’t worry. It looked like a fight was about to break out for a moment… but fortunately, nothing bad ended up happening.”   

Inumaki crosses his arms, frowning slightly. “Tuna mayo.”   

“You’re saying you would’ve stepped in to protect me if I was in trouble?”   

“Salmon.”   

“Thanks,” you giggle, and even though Inumaki’s collar hides most of his face, you can still tell that he’s smiling, based on how the corners of his eyes crinkle.  

Maki arches a brow. “Mai tried to hurt you, didn’t she? Are you alright?”   

“I’m fine,” you reassure.   

“Hm. Well, I guess that figures. Mai’s a weakling, even though she likes to act all high and mighty. You haven’t even trained much, but I’m sure you could still probably beat her. Just ignore whatever nasty stuff she said. She always talks too much.”   

Maki roughly pats you on the shoulder, which you assume is her way of trying to cheer you up. She’s definitely a lot nicer than her sister, even if she doesn’t initially seem the type. But then again, Mai isn’t a bad person either. She’s bitter, and insecure, but deep down… she isn’t truly cruel. She’s just had an unfortunate life and doesn’t know what else to do but take her frustrations out on others.   

If possible, you’d like to try becoming her friend.   

“Anyways, just ‘cause those guys showed up, that doesn’t mean you’ve got an excuse to slack off,” Maki continues. “If anything, it should make you want to train even harder. So that we can kick their asses at the exchange event.”   

You nod in agreement. Of course, you want to do your best when the event rolls around, but you’re more concerned with what happens before that. It’s yet another reason to train and try to become stronger, though. In the hopes that Junpei’s death can be prevented.   

You turn to head back towards the field alongside everyone else, but as you’re doing so, you feel your phone buzz in your pocket.   

Todo:   

My soulmate.   

I’m truly fortunate to have met you today. However, please be honest with me. I’m now on my way to Takada’s meet and greet.   

Do you think I’m underdressed?   

Fushiguro peers down at your phone over your shoulder, and you chuckle awkwardly at the sight of his expression becoming progressively more annoyed.   

“You should really delete that guy’s number,” he grumbles.   

The next morning, you somehow wake up on time and prepare for classes, but when you step outside the first-year dorm building, you find none other than Gojo waiting for you.   

“Yo!” he greets with a chipper smile. “Morning. How did you sleep?”   

“Good morning,” you smile. “I slept, um, fine. For the most part. I’m always really bad at waking up early, but that’s nothing new.”   

“Come on,” Fushiguro gestures, lightly nudging you along. “We’re going to be late for class.”   

“Actually, [Name] has business elsewhere today. With me,” Gojo grins.   

As always, Fushiguro doesn’t look impressed. Especially since you’re quietly squealing and excitedly jumping in place. You don’t even know what’s happening, but you’ll never, ever say no to private time with Gojo Satoru.   

“No fair,” Nobara whines. “Why does [Name] always have to do separate activities from the rest of us? I wanna skip class too. We can go shopping in Harajuku together.”   

“You already know that [Name] needs extra help, because she struggles to control her cursed energy,” Gojo calmly explains. “In that sense, you two are already ahead of her. Also, she has way better grades than you, Nobara. If you want to earn the right to skip class, maybe you should start by actually doing homework and studying for quizzes.”   

“...ugh.”  

Based on the face Nobara makes, you can tell that she would literally rather do anything else but focus on school.   

Fushiguro stares at you in silence for a few moments, but then his gaze flickers in between both you and Gojo.  

“Control yourself,” he says—and while you’re almost certain the statement is directed to you , honestly, there’s no telling what’s going through his head.   

The two of them leave to head to class, and you’re left alone with Gojo (yay!), with a pretty good feeling of where you’re headed.   

You lean in close enough to whisper in his ear. “We’re going to visit Itadori, right?”   

“Bingo,” he grins. “But I’ve actually got a little surprise planned for today. It’d be easier to explain in person, though. Let’s go!”  

Gojo can be rather unpredictable, so you’re not really sure what to expect. You’re excited to see Itadori, though, so you’re not complaining.   

And as you’re about to discover, there’s someone else waiting for you today.   

Someone you absolutely adore .   

“Ta-da!” Gojo proudly exclaims, loosely wrapping his arm around the blond man standing next to him. “I told you I had a surprise today. This is a reliable underclassman of mine. Meet Nanami Kento, the ex-salaryman jujutsu sorcerer!”   

“I’ve already asked you not to call me that,” Nanami retorts.   

Oh… oh my god. It’s really happening. I’m finally meeting… my all-time favorite character!   

You stand there, jaw agape and eyes wider than ever, as you stare at Nanami Kento in all his glory. He’s even more perfect in person. Not that you ever doubted he would be, but still. You’re so happy right now it can’t even be put into words. Would it be weird if you started crying? It probably would be, right? It would definitely kill the mood.   

“Hey, [Name],” Itadori beams. “I guess sensei wanted you to meet this guy too, huh? Also, his glasses… I feel like a lot of sorcerers cover up their eyes. Is it just me?”   

“As I was saying, Nanami is someone I can trust,” Gojo continues. “A lot of jujutsu sorcerers can be kind of strange, but since he’s a former office worker, he’s got a good head on his shoulders. He’s ranked as a first-grade sorcerer, too.”    

Itadori frowns. “Ex-salaryman? Why didn’t you become a jujutsu sorcerer from the start?”   

“We should start with introductions first.” Nanami pauses to adjust his glasses, then bows his head. “It’s nice to meet you, Itadori. And it’s nice to meet you as well, [Name].”   

Holy shit. Nanami Kento just said your name. He’s looking at you right this very moment, and it’s no exaggeration to say that your heart feels like exploding.   

You’re unbelievably excited. More excited—and nervous—than you’ve ever been.   

“H-Hi, Nanami,” you greet, bowing back. You hastily lift your head, cheeks burning like wildfire, as a wobbly grin continues to spread across your lips. “I’m [Name], and I love you—I mean, I’m happy to meet you! So, so happy…”   

Gojo and Itadori both stare at you in disbelief, and even Nanami, as stoic as he is, furrows his brows as confusion overtakes his features.   

Honestly, you don’t even care. You’re so happy right now that your embarrassment is momentary at best. You can’t get over the fact that you actually get to spend time with him. You want to see him as much as possible. You want to hug him, and laugh with him, and know that he’s happy, too.   

No matter what it takes, you’re going to save him. 

Chapter Text

Nanami stares at you for a few moments, then awkwardly adjusts his tie. “I thought I heard something rather strange just now… but I suppose you must have just misspoken.”   

Oh, I definitely didn’t. Actually, it’s a miracle I managed to hold back that much. I’m kind of proud of myself.   

If Nanami knew just how much you simp for him, he would certainly be lost for words. Although something tells you that it’ll be difficult to control yourself, despite how hard you’ll try. Curse him for being so unbelievably attractive. And seriously, why can’t you be an adult in this world?! It’s so goddamn unfair.   

“Anyway, we were in the middle of our introductions,” Nanami continues. “What was I saying? Oh, right. I studied at Jujutsu High when I was your age, and what I learned during that time was that… jujutsu sorcerers are shit!”   

Itadori blinks. “Eh?”   

“Then I worked at a regular company,” Nanami goes on, crossing his arms, “and there, I learned that… work is shit!”   

“Seriously?!”   

Predictably enough, Itadori reacts the same way he did in canon, with his jaw hanging open and wide, disbelieving eyes. Naturally, he’s taken aback by Nanami’s attitude, and it’s funny, because your reaction couldn’t be any more different from his.   

Man. Nanami Kento is such a fucking icon.   

“Since both options are shit, I may as well pick the one that I’m naturally better suited for. That’s the only reason I came back,” Nanami states.   

“He’s so gloomy,” Itadori whispers to both you and Gojo.   

“I know, right?” Gojo quips back.   

They both pause to glance over at you, expecting you to weigh in as well, but you’re too busy admiring Nanami in all his glory.   

“He’s not gloomy,” you mumble, heart hammering away in your chest. “He seems… awesome .”   

Once again, Itadori and Gojo proceed to stare at you like you’re not quite all there in the head.  

“Please don’t assume that I have the same kind of mindset as Gojo,” Nanami says. “I do trust him and have faith in him…”   

Gojo smirks, and he even goes as far as to strike a pose.   

“...but I do not respect him!” Nanami exclaims.   

“Huh?!”   

“I’m not a fan of the way the higher-ups run things, but that being said, I follow the rules. This conversation is starting to drag on quite a bit, so I’ll just get to the point.” Nanami pauses for a moment, then turns to face Itadori. “To put it simply, I still don’t approve of you as a sorcerer. Even if you do carry the bomb known as Sukuna, please make an effort to prove that you can be useful.”     

Itadori’s shoulders slump. You can’t help but feel sorry for him, even though you know Nanami means no harm. He’s in an incredibly unfair position to begin with. It’s not his fault he got stuck with the likes of Sukuna. You doubt anyone else could possibly handle it as well as he’s been doing. He deserves so much better than this, and yet, he’s never complained. Not even once.   

“I know,” Itadori mumbles, expression downcast. “Recently, it’s become painfully obvious to me how weak I actually am. I hate feeling like this. But… I’ll make sure to get stronger. I have to be stronger, or else I won’t be able to choose the way I die.”   

He glances over at you, just for a second, before managing to bring a smile to his lips.   

“Don’t worry. I’ll make you approve of me eventually, so please just give me a bit more time.”   

“...hm.” Nanami stares at him for a while, then shoves his hands in his pockets. “That’s the kind of thing you should be saying to the higher-ups, not me. To be frank, I don’t care.”   

“Yeah, yeah,” Itadori sighs.   

Nanami now turns towards you instead. “Itadori is one thing, as Sukuna’s vessel, but Gojo specifically asked me to look after you , [Name]. You seem to be some sort of oddity, and he believes you’ll benefit from getting hands-on experience out in the field.”   

“Yuji’s still going to be training on his own for a little while,” Gojo nods. “But since that method won’t quite work for you, [Name], I figured the best way for you to get the hang of your powers would be through strenuous repetition against real-life enemies. It seems you’re able to subconsciously muster up your strength when it matters. Like when you exorcized that curse in the abandoned building, and Megumi said you put up quite a fight against the special-grade curse at the detention center, too.”   

“Aw, no way,” Itadori whines. “So, I’m not even going to be joining them on their missions?”  

“You will eventually,” Gojo reassures. “After you make a bit more progress with your training. [Name] needs help too, and since I’m preoccupied with a lot of things at the moment, I figured I could leave her in Nanami’s care.”  

Yes, please leave me in Nanami’s care. I will literally cry tears of joy.   

So, thanks to you being here, it seems Nanami made his appearance earlier than in canon. He was supposed to show up a bit later on, after Itadori had completed his training with the cursed puppet. That means you probably won’t be running into Mahito for a little while. Although if you plan on saving Junpei, an encounter with that blue-haired piece of shit is pretty much inevitable.  

“By the sounds of it, you also have a ways to go before becoming a proper sorcerer,” Nanami says. “Since Gojo’s entrusting you to me, I’ll do what I can to help you along, but you will also have to prove yourself.”   

You nod enthusiastically. “Yes, of course! I’ll work as hard as I possibly can. I want to get stronger too, just like Itadori. Strong enough to help people.”  

Including you.   

“Make sure to be nice to my cute student,” Gojo chuckles. He reaches out and affectionately ruffles your hair. “Nanami, you can be pretty stiff and blunt. Girls are a bit more sensitive, so keep that in mind.”   

“I’m not sure what her gender has to do with anything. She wants to become a sorcerer, like the rest of us. If you’re entrusting her to me, then please don’t criticize my way of doing things.”   

Gojo sighs. “Would it kill you to loosen up a bit? Sorry, [Name]. I bet you’re already wishing you could train with your super cool, super down-to-earth sensei instead.”   

“No, I’m fine with this,” you beam.  

“...huh?”   

“I’m happy with Nanami. He seems really nice. I’ll do my best to make him proud.”  

You continue happily staring at Nanami, and there may as well be hearts in your eyes. It’s also impossible to contain your grin. You keep telling yourself to dial it back, otherwise he’ll be creeped out, but it’s easier said than done. You’re only human, after all.   

“[Name]’s always so friendly with everyone,” Itadori remarks. He leans in closer to Gojo and whispers. “To be honest, I feel like I won’t get along that well with Nanami. It kind of feels like our personalities won’t mesh. I’m not sure why [Name] seems to think he’s nice, but she’s usually a pretty good judge of character, so she’s probably right.”  

Gojo doesn’t respond. It’s strange, but he feels this slight twinge of discomfort in his chest. He wonders why you were so quick to get excited over Nanami, when you barely even know him, and Nanami isn’t really a people person to begin with.  

Well, whatever. He’s probably reading into things too much—  

“...um, excuse me. Nanami. Would you, by any chance, be willing to take a selfie with me…?”   

Behind his black blindfold, Gojo blinks. And not just once, or twice, but several times in quick succession.  

“That’s a strange request,” Nanami frowns. “No thank you. I don’t see the point, and I’m not one for taking pictures in the first place.”   

Your head droops in visible disappointment. Well, you suppose that was bound to happen. Nanami isn’t as playful and extroverted as Gojo. He’s nowhere near as full of himself, either. Maybe one day, when he knows you a bit better, he’ll consider it. And if he does, then that selfie is pretty much guaranteed to become your family heirloom.  

“Ah, man. She got rejected,” Itadori sighs. “She looks sad now. I should go cheer her up. Also, sensei, didn’t she ask you for a selfie a while back too? She also took a bunch of pictures with the first-years. Maybe she’s trying to put together a photo album or something.”   

Itadori walks back over and loosely wraps an arm around you, and while it still doesn’t make up for the fact that you were deprived of a Nanami selfie, you take full advantage of the moment and hug him back.  

All the while, Gojo still hasn’t said a word.   

There’s no way you already prefer Nanami over him … right?  

You would like to retract your earlier statement about wishing you’d been isekai’d into a different universe, because if that were the case, you wouldn’t be able to spend time with the most perfect human being to ever be conceived, truly, a god among men— Nanami Kento.   

There may very well be dangerous curses looking to kill you at virtually every turn, but honestly?  

Worth it.   

…okay, fine, you’re exaggerating. You’d much rather not die a gruesome death. Still. You get to be all alone with Nanami, and the joy you feel right now can’t even be put into words.   

“There are curses inside,” Nanami says. It’s another abandoned building, similar to the one you explored before with Itadori and Nobara. “We’ll be visiting different areas that show signs of cursed spirit activity, for the purposes of your training. Are you ready?”   

“As long as you’re with me, I’m ready for anything,” you mumble.   

“What was that?”   

“I mean, uh, yes! I’m ready when you are.”   

Nanami just looks at you for a little while, brows slightly pinched together, but eventually, he shrugs and starts heading towards the entrance. As he walks, you stare at his beautifully broad back, mind gradually filling with some of the most obscene thoughts known to man. Once again, you curse the fact that you aren’t an adult.   

“I love you,” you whisper after him, then, you follow him inside.   

Nanami turns towards you. “I think a good start would be to work on your ability to detect curses. Seeing curses is like second nature to sorcerers, but being able to discern their location, even when they remain hidden and unseen, is also an important skill. It’s clear that you possess a very high volume of cursed energy, but you lack the proper training that a sorcerer would normally undergo. Gojo tells me that you only started seeing curses recently. Is that true?”   

“Yeah,” you nod. “Before ending up at Jujutsu High, Itadori and I went to the same high school. I had just transferred there, and I guess sometime around then, I started noticing little curses around me, but I didn’t really know what they were. I thought I was going crazy or something.”   

“So, you and Itadori are in a similar boat. Although it’s clear that he obtained his cursed energy from Sukuna, whereas you… hm.” He adjusts his glasses. “Well, I suppose the details don’t really matter at this point. What’s important is that you learn how to adjust to your new environment and hone your skills. Take a look around. Tell me if you can pinpoint where the cursed energy is coming from.”   

You nod again. Nanami Kento himself has been assigned to mentor you. You literally couldn’t have asked for a better arrangement. Also, with this, it’s all but guaranteed you’ll cross paths with Junpei at some point or another.  

By the time Mahito shows up, you need to be strong enough to face him.   

“Um…”   

You squint your eyes, straining to focus to the best of your ability. Sure enough, you can feel the presence of cursed energy. It seems to be surrounding you, from all directions. There must be several curses. Nowhere near on the level of the special-grade from the detention center, obviously. There’s no overwhelming pressure that makes you shake on the spot.   

“That way,” you say, pointing off in one of the directions. “I think there should be a cursed spirit over there. And… I’m pretty sure it’s the weakest of the bunch, so I’d like to start with that one first. I-If that’s okay.”  

Nanami nods approvingly. “It seems you’re not too bad at detecting curses.”   

“So, I got it right?”   

“Yes. But it’s too early to celebrate. After all, actual combat is the most important thing. Let’s go.”   

Most people may consider Nanami to be unnecessarily stoic and blunt, but you know better. He may not be as laid back and fun-loving as Gojo, but he truly cares about others. He obviously didn’t mention this when he was introducing himself to you and Itadori, but the main reason he quit being a jujutsu sorcerer is because one of his friends, Haibara, died back when he was at Jujutsu High. Being a sorcerer is a life filled with pain and suffering, and in which his allies are constantly forced to sacrifice themselves. Nanami has a gentle, kind soul, and truthfully, this kind of job must be far too painful for him. He shouldn’t be working in the first place. He’s already worked hard enough. He should be in Malaysia, relaxing to his heart’s content.  

You’re going to make sure he ends up there, even if it costs you your life.   

You navigate through the building, urging yourself to set those thoughts aside for the time being, and instead, focus on the task at hand so that you can prove to Nanami how capable you are. You can feel the presence of the cursed energy getting stronger, which means you must be getting close.  

Suddenly, you stop.   

“I can never get used to how creepy these things look,” you sigh.   

You found the cursed spirit. It really does seem fairly weak, thankfully. It must be an ordinary curse, though. If Mahito hasn’t shown up yet, then you’re not dealing with any transfigured humans. Honestly, you haven’t even really thought of what it’ll be like to have to deal with that sort of thing. You’ve kind of been consciously blocking it out.   

Nanami must not register the curse as much of a threat, and you suspect that if things do go sidewise, he’ll intervene, but for now, he stands there with his short sword at the ready. You grip the cursed tool in your hand a bit tighter—the blade that Gojo gave you before—and take a deep, steady breath.   

I can do this. Even the special-grade curse wasn’t able to kill me right away. I may be weak for now, but I’m also… not. I have the potential to get a lot stronger, as long as I don’t give up.   

You can see the cursed spirit getting angry, the way they always seem to react whenever you’re around, so before it can do anything, you strike.   

You’re not gifted with natural, or rather, superhuman athleticism like Itadori. But it turns out that it’s not quite as big of a setback as you thought it’d be. In this world, physical weakness can be overcome.   

When someone has as much cursed energy as you do, that is.   

You close in on the cursed spirit, and right as it’s about to jab its ragged, claw-like nails in your face, you slash at it with your blade, mustering up all the strength you can manage.   

It only takes a second for the curse to disintegrate right in front of your eyes.   

“I… I did it,” you say, turning towards Nanami with a slightly incredulous expression. “That was easier than I thought it’d be. I guess it really was a weak one, so I probably shouldn’t get too excited.”   

“Yes, it seems so.” Nanami stares at you, and for some reason, you can see him furrowing his brows somewhat. “Wait. Will you give me your weapon for a moment?”   

“Huh? Oh, sure.”   

You hand him the blade, and he’s still frowning, the whole time he looks it over. It takes you a few seconds to realize what it is, and all of a sudden, you’re frowning too.  

“W-Why is the blade cracked?” you ask nervously. “Oh no. Did I already break it somehow? Did it take too much damage from when I attacked the curse just now?”   

“A low-level curse like that wouldn’t be anywhere near strong enough to damage a weapon of this caliber. I think it’s… deteriorating. Because of your cursed energy.”   

“Weapons can do that?”   

“Yes. Any cursed tool can be destroyed, unlike special-grade cursed objects, which are indestructible. This weapon isn’t special-grade, but it should still be fairly strong. And yet it still cracked. Even with how little you’ve used it.”  

Nanami presses his lips together. He’s not sure how Gojo managed to do it, but it seems he found someone even more unbelievable than Sukuna’s vessel. A girl who claims she wasn’t even able to see curses until a few weeks ago suddenly manifested this much power?   

It’s strange. But then again, the world of jujutsu sorcerers hardly makes any sense to begin with. As abnormal as you may be, Nanami is glad that you have all this strength to fall back onto. If it increases your odds of surviving, he could care less how confounding your circumstances are.   

He just wants you to live .   

“Thank you,” Nanami says, handing the weapon back to you. “Keep using it for the time being. Eventually, I suspect it will deteriorate completely, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. Now. We still have more cursed spirits to exorcize. Pinpoint where the next one is, and lead the way.”   

You smile at him, bright and wide.