𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐎 | ᶦᵗᵃᵈᵒʳᶦ ʸᵘʲᶦ

²⁹

surprisingly, it didn't take long for katsumi to adjust to chōsō's presence, more specifically- his cursed energy. before either of the trio knew it, their mission had started.

chōsō and katsumi stood at one side of an underpass, waiting for itadori to arrive. katsumi's ears picked up at the sound of loud rumbling approaching the two. katsumi stretched her arms over her air, popping her fingers in the meantime and then got into her position.

itadori suddenly appeared in front of the two, a couple of giant cursed spirits right at his heels. the salmon-haired boy glanced behind him for a split second and yelled out: ''guys!''

katsumi watched with careful eyes as chōsō used his cursed technique to cut through two of the cursed spirits. another one tried to sneak up on itadori, only to be blown back by the boy's punch. the cursed spirit's body crashed into a wall, causing a dent from the impact.

cursed lotus art: heavenly hail

the last cursed spirit screamed as blazing petal-like daggers slashed through its body. the blondish girl lowered her outstretched hands. she was about to walk over to the two when an unknown voice stopped her.

''i don't see megumi.'' a tall guy dressed in traditional clothing noted out loud, looking around the place. ''am i the first one here? is that possible? is he that slow?''

cautiously, katsumi took a step back. her gut was telling her to run, screaming about how dangerous this man was to her and her group. however, there was something familiar about the man as if she had seen him somewhere.

''what are you two doing? you totally stand out. '' the man's face had an indifferent, almost bored, look as he stared at the trio. ''don't you want to run?''

''run?'' itadori questioned, his brows furrowed in confusion at the unknown man's words. 

''huh? don't you know?'' the man smirked, seemingly amused by the whole ordeal. ''your death sentence is back on since satoru's support is gone. oh! and the girl is wanted back at the headquarters.''

itadori and katsumi shared a quick look of nervousness before the man started talking once again.

''my business is with megumi, so i honestly don't care if the two of you live or die. however, the girl will be coming back with me. i heard your grandfather is looking for you, something about becoming your legal guardian.'' 

katsumi felt her cursed energy become more stable as the male continued provoking them. the newly formed hatred she felt towards the man, whose name she didn't even know, was only growing the more he opened his mouth. 

''what do you want with fushiguro?!'' itadori inquired, his eyes set into a glare.

''i think i'll have him die.'' the man sneered. ''but it'd help if he wrote a little something first.''

in a flash, the man appeared in between chōsō and itadori and the fight broke out. ''i heard megumi is looking for you two.'' the male threw punch after punch, disappearing before neither chōsō or itadori could land a hit on him. 

katsumi's eyes widened as the male appeared in front of her, ready to send her flying, but she was faster.

cursed lotus art: mirage

the man punched katsumi's mirage, making it explode into pieces of petals. he grinned. ''i've heard many great things about the cursed lotus art. i'm guessing this is just one of them.''

unknown to him, a lone petal landed on his clothes, and that was more than enough for katsumi to attack. the man suddenly flew back into the wall, much to everyone's (except for katsumi) surprise. 

''now i know why you seem so familiar'' katsumi outstretched her hand towards the male. ''you're that one zen'in that maki has told me about.''

cursed lotus art: heavenly hail

zen'in's eyes widened once again when he saw projectiles coming his way. he used his cursed technique to get away, but still, a dagger managed to scratch his cheek, drawing blood. he wiped the few drops of blood with his thumb before he grinned at the trio.

''you lot seem tougher than i thought. to be honest, i didn't expect much.'' his eyes narrowed at the small group, taunting them in a way. ''shall i try upping my speed?''

out of nowhere, a massive amount of cursed energy surrounded the area, making everyone freeze. katsumi's turquoise eyes widened in recognition and she quickly turned around, locking eyes with the all-so-familiar figure of her cousin.

''hm? you're not alone''

''yūta!''

kinda short :/

this story will go on hold once we get to the start of the culling games. i'll wait for the culling games arc to finish and then start writing again.

there are still at least five to seven chapters left until that ^