Chapter Seven: Not Really Chaos
What a boring world this is...
It's nothing like that idiot son of mine said...
This world is worth nothing other than madness...
Nothing interests me...
"You cheater!!!" A young boy yells out as he slams his tiny fist on the tall person's lower arm, scaring the woman standing next to them. The boy looks upon the person with teary eyes, pouting.
"Umm, who is this?" The woman asks, sweating a bit from the look the boy gave to her. Just before the tall yet attractive person can answer, the boy points at her and says loudly, "I'm their fiancee!"
The woman quickly retracted her moments, "F- fiancee?!" She looks at the two, judging them silently.
The boy puffs his cheeks and stomp on the ground, "That right!! So back off!!"
The woman began to get flustered because of the attention the group have gotten from the passerby, causing her to quickly walk away, leaving her date. The person sighs crouching down. Even with that, they were still taller than the boy that they had to tilt up his head so he was able to see his face. "That my tenth date, you fuck up." They said, didn't bother to censors their swear words.
"Then stop going on dates with random people!! You have me!" The boy huffs in anger.
"Yeah, I don't want to go to jail." They smirk, showing their sharp almost canine teeth and ruffling the boy's hair. " You need to stop with marrying me thing kiddo. I'm too old for you." They tell the boy, sliding their hand down, having it resting on the boy's chubby cheeks.
He just shakes his head furiously. "No. You are mine, so you have to be my spouse!" The boy smiled widely, "When I grow up, I want to marry you so you can stop destroying the world."
The boy's words had them narrow their eyes. The once orange eyes glowing bright green. "Hooh~ Sacrifice yourself from some useless dream, human?" They slid down their hand on the boy's shoulder before grabbing his tiny and fragile body by the neck. "What makes you think I stop destroying the world? This dream is useless to me." The way they spoke now was different. The sweet kindness was gone, it was harsher, avoidant of any emotions, yet the boy in front of them was fearless, only staring at the person with a smile on his face.
That expression makes them chuckle, releasing the grip on the boy's neck, but their long fingernails still on the boy throat, "Well, fine. I stop hooking up with random persons. But let make a deal..." The boy looks at them with confusion, "Until your seventeen, let see if you still 'love' me. I'll make you my husband and I'll let this wretched world go."
They then press his nail on the boy's skin, breaking the surface and drawing blood. The blood didn't trickle down but instead, it starts floating around, forming a symbol. An eight-point star, on the boy's cervical.
" Your mine now, human." He hisses. "Entertain me and make this useless dream world of mine worth it."
☯☯☯
"Please stay back!" Warns one of the police as they try to hold the forming crowds and journalists. They already put out a 'keep out' tape in front of the cinema, yet all of the citizens still want to see what happens." It seems like the victims were high school students." The officer says on his walkie-talkie.
The bagged corpses are being placed away on the ambulance, this makes the chatter become loud. The witnesses that found had the body being calmed down as one woman was shaking and crying. Clearly traumatized by the memory of the dead corpses.
MONDAY 10:30 AM.
"Who were those guys?!" Complain one of the detectives, sitting on the couch as he rubs his face, frustrated, "Why were they on the scene before forensics?!" Then turn to look at one of his collages. "Two of them were just kids, too!!"The bald man that monitoring the camera lean back on his chair, "I don't know the details, either. But you saw those stiffs, didn't you?"
The bald man glances at the chubby male as he remembered the current status of the corpses. "That's not something a person could do." He says taking a drag of his cigarette, before exhaling it, "Just pretend you never saw it...if you want to reach retirement in this line of work, that is." The other male beside him only sighs at the words.
☯☯☯
You and Itadori stood side by side, staring at the blood-covered chairs. At Itadori's left stood a well-built man with light-brown hair styled with a neat part. His eyes being hidden behind dark sunglasses. "Can you two see it?" The male starts after you three being silent for some time. "This is the residual taint of cursed energy." He points at the chairs nearby at the door. You two follow his finger movement.
"No, I can't see anything," says Itadori.
You squint at the direction he had pointed at. "What are we supposed to see again?"
"That's because you're not trying to see it." He put back his hand down shoving it inside his pant pockets. "We typically see curses as if it's perfectly natural to. When a cursed technique is used, it leaves traces behind. That's what residuals are. But residuals are much fainter than cursed spirits." He explains, glancing at the two idiotic children. "So focus your vision and look closely."
You and Itadori narrow your eyes, staring at what the male pointed at. Itadori places both his palms at the side of his face, slowly beginning to see footsteps on the floor that was leaking with a purple aura. You two let out a gasp, grinning winding after realizing the tracks. "We can see them!!"
"Of course you can." The male sighs, ignoring your excited yet annoying laughter. "A proper sorcerer can sense them before seeing them."
The pink-haired boy pouts from Nanami's statement, shrugging his shoulders back, feeling quite offended.
You just laugh slapping him on the shoulder, "Don't mind! Don't mind!"
"Couldn't you give us a little more praise or something?" He whined. Both of you follow the male as he walks out of the cinema, the boy lifts the tape, signalling you to walk out first which you happily obligated.
"I don't praise or disparage anyone. I adhere to facts and judge on that basis. That's who I am." The tall male told Itadori and you in a monotone voice, "There was a time when I mistakenly believed society operated the same way, but enough about that." You and Itadori glance at each other, feeling awkward about the situation you've both been put in before Nanami interrupts, "Let's follow them."
Itadori slams his fist on his open palm, "Yeah! Let's go all-out!"
You throw your arm at the air just as Itadori was, "Show them Justice!" Your excitement gets cut off when the Nanami says, "No, only when the moderate effort will suffice, use moderate effort." Your shoulder slump in disappointment, pouting. "Let's go." He then began to walk away, leaving you two behind. It seemed that you and Itadori share the same brain cell when having the same expression of displeasure. 'We're not getting anything from him.'
This day had all started when Gojou told you two this.
"I won't be able to lead you this time."
You two follow your white-hair teacher as he continues, "But don't worry. I've called in a friend you can trust."
Walking through the tunnel, Gojou slides open the wooden door to reveal the light-brown man just standing a few feet away from the small temple. Gojou then wraps his arm around the male, tightly, Nanami being in utter displeasure from any form of physical contact with Gojou. "This is Nanami Kento-Kun, the ex-salaryman Jujutsu sorcerer!" Nanami crosses his arms across his chest. "Please don't call me that."
"Plenty of Jujutsu sorcerers are oddballs, but since he worked for a company, he's got a good head on his shoulder." Gojou continued, ignoring the warning Nanami had just given him seconds ago, "He's a first-grade sorcerer, too."
Nanami pushes his glasses up, "I'm sure no one would want to hear you saying that about them."
"Ex-salaryman? Why didn't you become a Jujutsu sorcerer from the start?" asks Itadori, but Nanami didn't answer the question, "We should greet each other first." He says, bowing at you two politely, "Nice to meet you, Itadori-Kun, [ Last name ]-[kun/chan]."
Itadori quickly follows his movement, giving Nanami a sign of respect. Seeing that you were still in a daze, he claws his hand on the back of your head, forcing you to bow. "Oh, yes, nice to meet you, too." You try to move Itadori's hand from your head, shaking him off but return, messed up your hair. "Oi, oi, Yuuji!! Justice never bows to anyone!!" You manage to pry his hand from you, huffing your cheek in humiliation. To think that Defender of Justice has to bow down on someone.
Nanami ignores your childish demeanour, already used to these kinds of scenes and proceeded, "I studied at Jujutsu Tech and one thing I learned is that Jujutsu sorcerers are shit!" He says with all seriousness. You both freeze, not expecting this level of pure volume and bluntness. "Then I worked at your typical company and one thing I learned is that work is shit!"
"Really!?" Itadori yells out in shock.
"If you both are equally shit, I'll take the one I'm more suited to. That's the only reason I came back."
You, Gojou and Itadori huddle together. "That's dark," whispers Itadori near your ear.
"Right?" Gojou whispers back.
"He needs to chill." You add, sighing a breath of discontent.
"Itadori, [ Last name ], please don't believe I'm of the same mindset as Gojou-san. I do trust and have faith in him," Nanami's word had Gojou glance over at you two in a proud manner which you both looked away from him and his annoying expression. "But I do not respect him!" Nanami adds out loud, plummeting Gojou's self-image to the pits of the earth.
"Huh?!"
"I hate the way the higher-ups do things, but I believe in rules and regulations." He marches toward the temple before stopping to glance back at the two students, "This conversation is dragging on. In short, I don't recognize you two as sorcerers, either. Even if you do carry the bomb we know as Sukuna, please make an effort to prove that you are useful."
Itadori lower his gaze on the ground while you were leaking of criminal aura, about to punch this guy in the balls. "Oh, you handsome mother hating towering fuc-!!" You try a move to strike him on the face but Itadori voice stops you.
"I know. Lately, I've been forced to realize how weak and useless I am." You watch at Itadori with slightly wide eyes, "But I'll become strong. I have to be strong, or I won't be able to choose how I die. I don't want to hide behind [ Name ] or anybody else anymore." The teacher only smiles at Itadori's words," I'll make you recognize me, even without that advice." He gives Nanami a determined smile, "Just give me a bit more time."
You smile widely and proudly at this, a warm sensation appears on your chest, proud at Itadori's growth, "Weeeell, I don't really care if you recognize me or not." You shrug, walking to Itadori and stood beside him, "After all, Defender of Justice didn't need someone to recognition to continue being number one hero."
Nanami stares at you two before facing away, "Say that to the higher-ups, not me. Frankly, I don't care."
"You need therapy, dude!!" You point at him irritated by this, yelling at him before Itadori can say anything. "Even Justice can't understand what you say!!" This guy's personality is hard to understand. And they say you are the weird one.
Walking up the stairs, Itadori asks Nanami, "There wasn't anything on the surveillance cameras, right?" While talking, you climb past them easily, "Right. There was only one young man aside from the victims."
The pink hair boy furrows his eyebrows. "Then a cursed spirit was behind it?"
"Most likely yes."
As soon you arrive at the top of the stairs, you let out a scream causing the two boys to quickly run up the stairs,
"[ Name ]?!" Itadori looks at you in panic, and you glance at them before pointing at what was in front of you, "Ushijima in Oikawa uniform!!" You screech out. Leaning on the wall was a cardboard cut. An irk mark appears on Itadori's forehead, slapping you on the back of your head, hard. "Don't scare us like that!!"
You rub your head and stick out your tongue, "Tehee~"
You three walk toward the rooftop, seeing that it already raining, you three search for an umbrella but unfortunately there only two left, Nanami take the black one and walk toward the door, you and Itadori share a look before he take it suggesting that you share the umbrella, "There's a small chance the young man could have done it, but identifying him is the police's-"He stop walking when he sensed something and glanced around his shoulder.
You and Itadori halted your steps.
He stares at where the curses spirit was, seeing a green curse that was large yet very skinny. "Lu, luu, lunchbox!" The Curse Spirit mumbles, turning its head and showing its face, teeth, and eyes bulging out. Itadori gives you his umbrella and takes a fighting stance but Nanami stops him, closing his umbrella and tapping it on the ground. "I'll take care of this one. You two handle the two over there."
You and Itadori look around, there behind the wall is another curse spirit. It had sickly gray skin with no eyes, "Good detergent!" You spot another curse spirit on the top of the high railing. It had disgusting gray skin, no face, and its mouth is on its stomach, its body being shaped as a bat. You close your [ colour ] umbrella, facing your enemy.
"If you decide you can't beat it, please call me," Nanami tells the two.
"Aren't you taking us a bit too lightly here?" He sweats drop, a bit devastated that Nanami didn't believe he could fight the curses. You aren't that bothered by his words, you knew when to stop if things got ugly.
"It's not a matter of underestimating you or not. I am an adult, and you two are children." Nanami began to unbutton his jacket, grabbing his tie and loosening it. "I have a duty to prioritize your life over my own."
You sigh at his words, throwing the umbrella on the ground and cracking your knuckles, "I am a Defender of Justice. I don't drag other people on the fight I engage." You say loudly, approaching you curses spirit enemy.
Itadori nods, frowning by Nanami's harsh words. "I'd rather you underestimate us than treat us like a kid."
"You've faced several life-or-death situations." Reaching toward his back, he tugs his jacket revealing a strap on his shoulders. Nanami then withdraws a short blunt sword from his back. "But that does not make you an adult. Finding more fallen-out hairs on your pillow, watching your favourite stuffed bread disappear from the convenience store..." Itadori stole a glance at Nanami as he continued to speak, making a face of annoyance. "The accumulation of those little despairs is what makes a person an adult."
You purse your lips together, "For your information, I'm older than both of you.." You mumble lowly, clothes already drench from the rains and thunders clash against each other on the dark heavy clouds. Running toward the cursed spirit you jump toward the railing, ignoring the cries and shouts of Nanami. You had jumped high enough to reach the almost one-meter railing. The curses spirit flap its wings and flew away from its previous spot. You then grab onto the railing, bringing up your legs kicking the net, causing it to bend by the pressure.
You jump toward the flying Curse Spirit, grabbing onto its leg, using the gravity to spin around along with the Curse Spirit. With a slight of your power, you toss the Curse Spirit on the ground with ease, breaking the concrete floor. Sprinting, your body landed onto the cursed spirit smirking, enjoying the Curse Spirit growls of pain.
"Are you listening, Itadori, [ Last name ]?" You hear Nanami ask.
"Huh?! You talking with me??!!" Itadori shifts his head as he was fighting with the curses spirit.
"What?!?!" was all you answered, not even listening to what he had to say.
The question breaking his consecration causing the Curse Spirit to manage to thrust him away by punching him in the face. The impact was high enough that he crashed on the board.
"Yuuji!!??" You glance over at his worry. Didn't notice that the curses spirit until your leg was grabbed with a slimy arm, throwing you across the area. You let a small yelp as it propelled you to the air. Using your two feet digging into the ground, you land on the floor like a cat, letting a tch of annoyance slip past your mouth.
Itadori fall to the ground, quickly sitting back up and holding his sore cheek, "Is it okay to reveal something like that?"
"It's no problem to reveal that technique to that opponent." Nanami says as you and Itadori get up from the ground, "Also, all the better if revealing it misleads them."
'Is this what the others feel when we have a battle?' Your eyebrows twitched in annoyance as Nanami proceeded. "There is merit to it. 'Revealing one's hand' is a pact that increases the effectiveness of one's technique. Like so..."
He spread his leg and bring his sword up as his curse energy surrounding him, the cursed spirit ran toward him. With calculated eyes, he slashes the cursed spirit with one smooth swing, slicing its legs apart. It fell to the ground bleeding heavily, Nanami swung his sword in horizon movement, cleaning the blood from his sword. "That's all from me."
"Wow..." Itadori was in awe, "Not only is the blade he used all wrapped up, but he used the back of it to slice right through that thing..."
Nanami glances at the ugly Spirit, "Itadori, behind you." He warns him as the Curse Spirit he was just fighting attacked him. Itadori quickly blocks the charge but the pressure was too much, flying a few feet backwards.
"I don't like you looking away," Nanami says blankly.
"Who's the one distracting me here!!?" Itadori yells in frustration.
"Hmm? Wheres [ Last name ]?" The blond asks when noticing your disappearance. He then looks up at the sky, his eyes widen slightly when he sees you in the air. On the back of the Curse Spirit flying, arms wrapped around its large fat neck.
"Since when did they?-" Nanami mumbles.
You yell out for the boy, making him look up at you, mouthing gaping in shock once he saw you from up there. His eyes were widened, knowing that you always fighting recklessly but never this stupid. "Let do a combo attack!!!" You yell at him smiling widely.
"WHAT, NO, NO WAY!!" He screeches out loud for all of Japan to hear. The last time you two 'worked together'... let's say it didn't end so well.
"Come on!!!!" You laugh, clearly high from the excitement.
Itadori sighs and faces the other curses spirit, "FINE, but you owe me a lot of food!!" He takes a deep breath, focusing his energy on his fist, a blue fire appear on both of his fist covering it whole.
You giggle, putting your whole weight on your top body, tilting your body to the side, causing the cursed spirit to follow your movement, you bring up your legs and put it on the back of the cursed spirit. Kicking your legs up to gain pressure, you make a flip forward, still gripping the spirit's neck tightly.
You throw it on the other Curse Spirit, both of them clashing with each other. Still, in the air, you summon your spear and slam down the spear at the between the two curses spirit and in an instant, two tentacles shot out from the floor where the end of the spear implied. It was wrapping around the two and Itadori took this as a chance to punch the Curses spirit. The impact of his punch was strong enough to hit both of them, causing a hole appears on the Curses Spirit's chest oozing out blood.
Itadori looks up and opens his arms to catch your bridal style.
You two share a grin, putting you down on the wet ground and you quickly grab your spear, "I thought you going to make me punch the spear again." He says, making you laugh, remembering the past events.
"I need just punch this?" Itadori asks you as he stares at the spear you implied in front of him.
"Yup, just punch it." You confirm, nodding your head along up and down while resting yourself on the bench.
Itadori nods, positioning himself in a fighting stance, pulling back his punch. He throws a powerful punch at the spear, but as soon his fist touches the shaft, dozens of gray and green tentacles shot out from the end of the spear, wrapping its tentacles around Itadori. The boy let out a yelp at this as he tries to pry the tentacles away but it was too slippery,
"[ Name ]?" He calls for your name, but no answer. Looking at where you sit he sees you sit there with a wide smile, chin rested on the back of your hand and legs crosses with another. "[ Name ]?! What is this?" He asks again but you just stare back at him chuckling lowly yet creepily, making the boy pale.
"Wait, no, no, no!!!!"
You just laugh, "They just tried to tickle you and you make it sound like it was doing such a lewd thing."
This had the boy flustered, huffing as he turned back to the curses spirit, trying to finish it off but Nanami had already stopped him. He approached you two, showing you his phone where there was the previous curses spirit-hand but you had noticed something off, "Have a look at this." Itadori seems not to have noticed it, taking a look at the photo confusedly.
"I took the photo of my opponent."
"Huh? I thought cursed spirits didn't show up in photos." He mumbles.
"Please listen calmly..." says Nanami, softer than his usual tone. "What we've been fighting
"-was once an actual human." You say emotionless, cutting him off.
☯☯☯
"They're human." Shoko confirms through the phone, "No, I guess I should call them former humans. They're the same as the three from the theatre. The structure of their bodies was forcibly altered by a cursed technique."
You three were back at the cinema room, where the detective was but already gone, you three being the only ones here. Nanami took off his jacket, giving you two a small towel. The rain already stopped and the three cursed spirits were already sent out to Shoko.
Itadori stares at the table in front of him," If that was all, I would have noticed at the start. The three we fought were full of Cursed energy, like a cursed spirit." Nanami says to Shoko.
You wipe your face, letting the towel rest on top of your head.
"You'll have to ask the culprit about their cursed technique to explain that." Shoko continues, you glance back at Itadori to see he had made no move to dry himself off. "Though there is evidence that their brain stems were tempered with, most likely to create a state of confusion and impaired consciousness. If they can temper with the brain, it might be possible for them to modify someone to be able to use cursed energy. The relationship between the brain and cursed energy is still a black box to us."
"Oh, right, is Itadori and [ Last Name ] listening?" The doctor asks.
"Oh, yeah..we are." Itadori answers as you weren't going to.
She sighs, "To sum it up, these guys died of shock from having their bodies modified. You two didn't kill them. So don't get the wrong idea about that."
Even though by that word, Itadori face still shown sadness, eyebrows furrowing and lips forming a frown, Nanami ends the call, "Either way, the deaths of these two weigh on me just as heavily.." Itadori says gently, causing you two to look at him blinking. "That said, this thing..." Itadori grips on the towel tightly, his face scrunching up,"...has disgusting taste."
You lean back on the couch. It was rare to see Itadori this angry. The last time you see him this angry like four years ago, and to think you see him like this again.
"Those residuals were a bluff, likely meant to lure us in." Nanami starts, gaining both your attention "Our foe is quite skilled." He then stood up, gazing at you two seriously. "It looks like this will take more than moderate effort. So, let's go all out." This had Itadori smile.
You groan loudly, "I more or less gonna go for the boss kind of person, you know." You say, throwing your towel on Itadori face making him let out a sharp 'Oi'. Placing your hand on top of the boy's head, grinning widely at him. "Let show them what real Justice is, Yuuji." You ruffle the boy short hair. He closes his eyes, leaning from your touch before he opening his sandy gray hues, showing his determined expression. "Yeah!"
"I've organized the reports from our windows on recent residuals, unnatural deaths, and disappearances."Nanami explains as he shows you two the map he put on the board, Ichiji waiting at the corner, "This should help us narrow down the culprit's hideout to some extent."
Itadori awes at him excitedly, "Aw yeah! Are we storming in!?"
Nanami shakes his head, "No, it's still only to some extent. While I continue investigating this matter, I'd like you and [ last name ] to handle a different task." He then pins a picture of a boy on the map, "This is the boy who was at the theatre, Yoshino Junpei."
Junpei had shoulder-length black hair that covered the right half of his face, pale skin and dark eyes. "Apparently, he goes to the same high school as the victims," Nanami tells you two, then turning on the TV on the corner showing the footage of the cinema, you two seeing Junpei running out from the room hurriedly. "Based on the surveillance footage and how he carried himself, I believed it was unlikely he could be a curse user." You stare at the boy's face as Nanami continues, "However, if he's related to the victims, that changes things."
"Curse user?"
"An evil Jujutsu sorcerer." Nanami explains." I've entrusted the process to Ichiji, so I'd like you three to investigate Yoshino Junpei."
You three give Nanami a salute, Itadori then looks at the black-hair male, "Speaking of which, I don't know any assistants other than you." He points out, "Well, I'm the only one who knows you're still alive, so by necessity..." You two nod at this, Itadori grabbed your hand and drag you out from the room, "Let's go!!"
Ichiji quickly follows you two but quickly goes back to the room out of Itadori's vision. You didn't bother to point it out to Itadori, you knew that Nanami knew where the real culprit is, rather choosing to go there alone than bringing you two. You look out the window, he was a good guy despite his weird habits. If he died, Itadori will surely be devastated. You squeezed Itadori hand, giving you a wide bright smile and hugged your hand back.
He then brought you back to the room, jokingly shoving Ichiji forward.
"Nanami-sensei~~~"
"Kento-sensei~~" Two voices hum in a sing-song tone. Nanami looks at you two seeing you both smiling creepily at him, "Be careful, okay!!" You two say simultaneously.
"Itadori... [ Last name ]..." He sighs, " I'm not a teacher, so please don't call me 'sensei.'"He says,
"Then Nanamin!!"-"Ken-chan!!" You both gave him a nickname.
"I will slap you two." He threatens, giving you a single warning. "And don't call me by my first name."
You pout at this, "Then, ken-chan, can call me [ name ]." You say, winking at him.
Juju stroll
The sound of flesh hitting flesh echoing through the underground Dojo, Gojou own, you let out a pained whine as Gojou pin you down the floor, face on the floor.
"Satoru, it hurts..." You breathe out, trying to move but Gojou's grip on you only congeals.
Gojou shushes you, "It's okay. Take a deep breath." He whispers, his hot breath fanning the shells of your ear, making you shudder. His free hand then travels down your waist, hosting it up. He bends forward so his chest touching your back. "Come on, bring your hips up." He order which you obligate.
He looks at you through his long eyelashes, sweat dripping down his face. "Good...what good bunny.." You just whine at his praise, scratching the floor, "S-slow down.."You gasp body jerking backward. Tear sliding down from the corner of your eyes, falling on the floor along with pooled saliva. "W-wait!" Gojou smirks at your plead, he moves his hips forward, pressing your body on the floor.
"T-time up!!!" You hit the floor as Gojou tighten his grip on your hand that being pin on your back, he let you go and you fall to the ground, holding your sore shoulder.
"Ahaha, you not really flexible, huh?" He laughs, staring down at you as he standing up, wiping the sweat off his forehead. You roll your body so you facing the ceiling, letting out a huff, you quickly kick his leg making him stagger forward, falling toward you, rolling away, Gojou fall on the floor face first, and you quickly got on top of him, pinning his arms by using your shoeless feet. You wrap your arms around his neck, choking him. Gojou slaps the floor when your grip tightens.
"That not fair!!" He manages to choke out a word, you grin and move your head near his ear and yell. "Get dunked!!" Gojou began to struggle harder."[ Naaaammmmeee ]."
Itadori glances at the scene that was happening in front of him. Sweat dropping, he then looks at the reader, "What? You think something lewd, isn't you?"
He shakes his head ins disappointment, crossing his arms as if he was a mother. "Go back to the horny corner now." He huffs, pointing at the corner of the room.
"Time out you horny reader." He scolds.