JUJUTSU KAISEN: the lost chapters (english version)

CHAPTER 6 ◇ The cursed ryokan (Part 2)

Place:

Yamagata Prefecture, Central Station

Acting persons:

Suguru Geto (Jujuzist 3rd rank 1st year)

Satoru Gojo (Jujuzist 3rd rank 1st year)

Shoko Ieiri (Jujuzist 3rd rank 1st year)

Sayuri (Curse Spirit)

Time:

03.12.20XX, afternoon

A chauffeur was already waiting for them at the station, scrutinising the three teenagers with a critical eye. It was obvious that teenagers were not his usual clientele. Satoru hadn't made it any better when he greeted the man with "Yo, mate! This car is really nice!", he had greeted him. Extremely piqued, the man let Satoru shake his hand as the chauffeur was about to open the door for him. Suguru would have loved to sink into the floor. Was there nowhere to go with this guy? With an embarrassed smile for their driver, he hurriedly followed his friends into the luxurious car. And stared demonstratively out of the window at the snow-covered landscape that passed them picturesquely by. Sayuri would certainly have liked it, but the four of them were too cramped in the limousine. So he had had to send her away again. Shoko reprimanded Satoru for not putting his dirty shoes on the fine leather upholstery. Suguru sighed inwardly. This was certainly going to be a long mission...

The ryokan's façade alone screamed the words: luxury, relaxation, tranquillity and perfection to its future guests. Despite everything, it made a rustic and traditional impression. No doubt a bunch of architects and designers had been commissioned to create this impression. It was situated on a small hill. Nestled in a forest and mountainous landscape, just like you've seen on many postcards. Nevertheless, everything looked natural and informal. A small stream babbled along the right-hand side of the building. The driver stopped on a large forecourt and released his passengers back into freedom. "Really nice bro. For driving and all that," said Satoru, high-fiving the chauffeur. Suguru rolled his eyes again. Ever since he had met his best friend, he had perfected this gesture. The three of them hurriedly fled from the cold to the hotel entrance. It was cosy and warm in the hall and the three friends felt a pleasant shiver run down their spines. Here, too, everything was furnished in a very rustic style, but if you took a closer look, you could immediately see that all the furniture was, without exception, designer pieces. They tapped their slush-stained shoes on the entrance mat and Suguru silently called out to Sayuri, so that she manifested herself next to him a blink of an eye later. Her eyes grew wide and shone when she saw the interior. Excited, she immediately went on an exploratory tour of the entrance hall. How easy it was to impress her. He found it hard to stifle a smile. So he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans, shrugged his shoulders and made his way to reception. He was followed by Shoko and Satoru, who asked him to show some decency, but he just grinned mischievously at them and continued to pick his nose unabashedly. Shoko also spoke so loudly that it bordered on rudeness. So Suguru gave the woman behind the reception desk an extra wide smile to make up for his friends' misbehaviour. "You wish?" she asked in an extremely posh tone. She was dressed in a yukata in the colours of the hotel. Purple and saffron yellow. It reminded him of Sayuri's yukata. Although hers was much shorter. What's more, the work clothes were clearly the winter version. The fabric was thick and lined. Despite the very warm temperatures in the entrance hall, the receptionist didn't seem to be sweating. "We'd like to check in," he replied, trying to look very charming while his friends squabbled next to him. He slid the booking documents across the counter to her. She opened a thick guest book in front of her. How pleasantly old-fashioned, Suguru thought to himself at the sight. Nowadays, almost everything has been digitised. But this tome of a guest book clearly fitted in much better with the image that the ryokan wanted to convey than a computer. She ran her manicured fingers along the still quite empty booking columns. Suguru noticed that some of the names were followed by strange symbols. "Ah yes. Here they are. Mr Gojo, Mr Geto and Mrs Ieiri from Teitan High School in Tokyo. They are the ornithology club that won our competition." "The what?" Satoru blurted out, leaning over the counter to fish for the book. Suguru held him by the collar of his jacket. "Calm down, man!" he murmured to the teenager with the white-blonde hair, "We're here incognito. You know that!". "I don't even have a clue what Orinthothingy is. How can I be in a club like that?" Satoru murmured back a little too loudly. The receptionist gave her a confused look. Suguru turned to the young woman. "So you know...". "SUGURUUUUUUUUUU!". The scream made him flinch. Gesticulating wildly, Sayuri jumped up and down enthusiastically at the edge of his field of vision. "Suguru, Suguru, Suguru! Look!!!". His eyes narrowed. He was clearly surrounded by idiots. Ignore her! The receptionist can't see her anyway. "...We are...". "Suguru! Have a look! There's a bear here! It looks totally real! But it's made of wood! Just imagine! Just look!". He tried to collect himself again. Which was clearly difficult for him. Sayuri, who could barely contain her enthusiasm for wood carving, Satoru, who was trying to pronounce the word ornithology, Shoko, who was holding her cigarette packet in her hand again, and the woman behind the counter, who was beginning to feel like she had the wrong guests in front of her. "A wooden bear. I can stick my hand in its mouth and it won't bite me!". Satoru gave up his linguistic attempts and poked Suguru in the side. "I don't know if you've noticed, Bro, but I think there's a wooden bear sculpture in the corner.". "Really what? Do stuff! It's good that you pointed it out to me, otherwise I would have missed it!". When the two of them started arguing, Shoko sighed and took her ID card out of her bag. She held it out to the woman. "Yes, we're the three of us from the Todei. We only took part in the competition for fun. I never thought we'd actually win, but it's incredibly beautiful here." She was beaming. Now the woman was smiling again. "If I can take you to your room then?" "I'd love to." Shoko grinned. The woman led the way and they followed her. The only difference was that Suguru stopped at the aforementioned bear first and took Sayuri by the hand. You never knew. They might come across a wooden pig on the way, in which case she would get lost on the way to her room.