Jujutsu Kaisen : The Larcenist

Chapter 2 : No Rest for the Wicked

The world was shrouded in a shade of sombre grey. Torrential rain poured relentlessly from the overcast sky, drenching a lone boy as he trudged home from school. His small frame was hunched under the weight of his soaked backpack as he regretted forgetting his umbrella yet again, the puddles in his path splashing cold water onto his sneakers.

But there was something else. Something was up in the air that made him uneasy. And the closer he got to his home, the tense feeling kept growing, gnawing at his mind. The front door, slightly open and creaking in the wind, was an ominous sight against the gloomy backdrop of the day. An instinctive sense that something was undeniably wrong coursed through him. The boy hesitated for a moment, raindrops trickling down his face, his heart thumping rather frantically.

Why?

Why today?

What was wrong with today?

With trembling fingers, he pushed the door open, its rusty hinges protesting with a low groan. He stepped into the dimly lit house, the gloom inside intensifying the uneasiness that had settled within him. At first glance, nothing seemed wrong inside as far as he could tell. Even still, the unease he felt within his heart did not subside.

Moving cautiously, he ventured further inside, the sound of his wet sneakers squishing against the wooden floor echoed in the background, drowning out the sound of the rain outside. But he could hear something else - The television was turned on. A slight sense of relief passed through his mind. His mother was probably watching that one really bad comedy show, featuring a comedian that was even worse. He never really understood why she found it interesting, and whenever he asked her about the reason, she never really gave a clear answer either.

However, when he reached the living room, he froze.

There, on the couch, sat his mother. But she was not as he knew her. Leaning on the seat, her vacant eyes stared blankly ahead, unseeing. Her once vibrant face was now pale and emotionless, blood trickling down her nose and mouth. The boy's small voice quivered as he called out for his mother, but there was no response. The silence in the room was oppressive, and a sense of overwhelming dread washed over him, chilling him to his very core. He took a step back, trembling, the realisation of the horrific scene before him slowly sinking in.

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"..."

Daichi opened his eyes, the warmth of the morning sun casting a gentle glow across his room. For a moment, the vivid memory of the dream clung to his senses, the haunting images replaying themselves in his mind. Taking a deep breath, he tried to shake off the lingering unease. He knew it was just a dream, a haunting relic of his past that sometimes resurfaced to torment him. He ran a hand through his tousled hair, sweat-dampened from the ordeal.

"Seriously, when was the last time?" He mumbled under his breath. 'I guess it won't go away till I get rid of the root cause... him... '

*KNOCK* *KNOCK*

While Daichi was wrestling with the lingering thoughts that arose as a result of his dream, he was startled by the sudden knock on the door. However it did manage to get him out of his stupor, as he quickly rose from his bed and made his way towards the door. Turning the doorknob, he pulled the door open only to find himself staring at his classmate.

"Okkotsu?" Daichi's voice held a mix of surprise and confusion as he met the gaze of his visitor, who also happened to be in his uniform, considering it was the weekend and they were free for the day. "What happened?"

"Okada-san, get ready as soon as you can." Yuta replied with a tense expression. "The two of us got assigned to an emergency mission."

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