A Page of the Past
"Itadori, are you fine?" You yelled out, holding onto the cold railing.
The dark night sky was gradually fading into daylight, the tweets of birds following along with passing cars. Next to you, Kugisaki cursed under her breath, eyes full of exhaustion and irritation.
As you pulled up the vinyl cord that was wrapped around Itadori, Fushiguro pulled him up as well.
"We didn't find any cursed spirit," Kugisaki sighed, leaning against the metal railing while pushing back her fluttering hair.
You stretched your arms, yawning,
"And it's daytime already."
Fushiguro closed his eyes, his complexion slightly hinting signs of disappointment. You glanced away, squinting your eyes to read the small sign of a convenience store that stuck out.
"Let's go get something to eat first."
* * * *
You opened the plastic packaging of onigiri, standing with the other 4. Munching on it, you thought to yourself. I wonder what Inumaki's doing?
With the closing door sliding softly behind you, Fushiguro informed the blonde lady,
"We didn't sense any presence or residuals. There might still be plenty of others who got cursed, and the death rate is certain."
You gritted your teeth, furrowing your eyebrows as sweat trickled down your forehead.
We need to hurry up.
Suddenly, the blonde lady's face lit up as she suggested something. She snapped her fingers,
"Ding-ding! Jumping was the hype back then, right? So maybe the act of jumping off is the key?"
Next to you, Kugisaki and Itadori crouched together, eyes in awe of what the lady had just said. Were they really that surprised at her saying "ding-ding"?
You glanced at the dark gray car behind you, replying,
"Itadori's already done that."
The lady's eyes widened, unsure of what she had just heard. Realizing something, she immediately yelled,
"What?! With that vinyl cord?!"
You shrugged your shoulders, smiling as Fushiguro nodded his head. No sane person would do that. But honestly, fighting cursed spirits had probably drained the hell out of your sanity.
You suddenly heard a familiar voice,
"There you are! Fushiguro!"
You whirled around, catching sight of the black-haired man from the school on a bicycle. Behind him sat a petite girl, hands wrapped around his waist. Her brown bob-cut hair was illuminated by the glowing sunlight, her pale face as light as day.
"Who's that again?" Kugisaki glared, unamused.
"Fushiguro's underclassman," You replied as Itadori followed after you,
"Remember how much you picked on him?"
Fushiguro turned his head towards the two, curious as to what was up. The underclassman explained,
"You were talking about Yasohachi Bridge, so I'm really glad I found you here!"
"Fujinuma?"
The blonde lady glanced at Fushiguro, questioning who she was.
"A classmate," Fushiguro replied.
"My sister," The dark-haired man introduced.
I was talking to my sister about you yesterday and..."
His voice trailed off into silence, before his sister continued,
"Um, Morishita had a funeral in the neighborhood, then I heard from my brother that you were looking into that man and Yasohachi Bridge."
She tilted her head downwards, eyes wavering and nervous,
"So I started wondering if they were related."
The blonde lady subtly shook her head at Fushiguro, and you could understand where she was coming from. If not handled properly, it could create panic and chaos. Fushiguro seemed to understand too.
"If what's related?" Fushiguro asked, face still stern and calm.
"Morishita's death and the bridge..."
You tried to give her a sense of relief, smiling as Fushiguro replied,
"It's not related. We're just-"
"I went there," The girl finally stated, head bowing and eyes glued to the floor.
You couldn't see her face properly, but you could sense how frightened she was. You felt the slight urge to try to comfort her, but you didn't know if you should or even how to.
She stumbled over her words, chest heaving,
"In eighth grade... I went to Yasohachi Bridge at night."
The blonde lady leaned towards her, calmly asking her,
"Has anything odd happened at home recently? Any strange feelings that only affect you and no one else?"
She lifted her head, fear overwhelming her face,
"My family runs a local branch shop, and the automatic door is wide open only when I come home."
Her knees started trembling, clammy hands fiddling by her side.
"Mom and Dad both say it's just a coincidence, but there's definitely something there."
She clenched her arms, trembling as she cradled them.
"It scared me. That's when I heard about you and I remembered the Yasohachi Bridge."
"When did the issue with your automatic door start?" The lady questioned, trying to not induce any more panic.
Clenching your fists, thoughts overwhelmed you. How much time does she have left?
You couldn't tell if the worry on your face could be easily noticeable, frowning as she responded,
"It's happened about every other day for exactly one week now."
One week. It took at least two weeks for the victims to die after witnessing strange phenomenons.
You furrowed your eyebrows, nails digging into the gloves of your fists. We still have time.
"You didn't go to Yasohachi Bridge by yourself at the time, did you?" Kugisaki asked next to you.
The girl quickly held her hand towards her chest, breaths unsteady and rapid.
"S-So this really does have something to do with..."
"Just with your automatic door," The blonde lady warmly smiled, her presence greatly comforting as she continued explaining,
"But it has nothing to do with Morishita's death."
She swiftly tangled her arm with Kugisaki's, matching bright grins as she stated,
"Fushiguro and the others are helping me with my college report. 'Electromagnetic Waves from Haunted Locations and their Effects on Electronics'."
You went up to the two, nodding your head with a reassuring smile.
"It's really exhausting, but I want to hear from all kinds of people! So I'd love to hear who you went with," She beamed, leaning towards the girl.
You held in your admiration, impressed at how different she could make a situation sound. You couldn't help but let out a grin as the girl opened up, relieved at what the blonde lady had said.
"I went on a test of courage with two others from my club," She replied,
"That's right, Fushiguro. Tsumiki was with us then, too."
You couldn't move, astonished at what she had just said. Fushiguro's sister? Tsumiki?
You sneaked a peek at Fushiguro, even more worried than ever. But somehow, Fushiguro kept his calm expression, simply shrugging off what she had just said,
"I see. Then I'll try asking Tsumiki too."
How? Just how?
"Alright. Then I'll escort these two home," The lady exclaimed, saluting playfully,
"Please keep working on the report."
The dark-haired guy seemed slightly skeptical, asking you all,
"Something's up, isn't it?"
The lady quickly placed her hand over her waist, grunting,
"I can't let you both go home on one bike!"
Watching as the three of them slowly leave your sight, you sneaked another glance towards Fushiguro. He seemed distraught, instantly the opposite of how he had looked like before.
He tilted his head downwards, and despite Itadori calling out to him several times, even the look on his face sent shivers down your spine. His eyes wavered frantically, beads of sweat dripping down his cheeks.
Itadori immediately placed his hands over Fushiguro's shoulders, pulling Fushiguro towards him,
"Fushiguro, snap out of it."
You walked to Fushiguro's side, clenching your fists as you heard him lie,
"I'm fine."
No you're not. There's no way you are.
"Sorry, I need to take a breath for a sec," Fushiguro muttered, eyes stuck at the ground.
He turned away, walking and leaving you three. He took out his phone, dialing and calling as he walked further.
You had always perceived Fushiguro as someone who was rational, constantly one step ahead of his enemy. In such a dangerous and threatening situation, would he still keep his calm composure?
Before you knew it, both first-years had already left you, quietly following after Fushiguro. You sneaked up behind them, hiding behind a pillar. Bits and pieces came to your ears, enough for you to understand what was going on.
"She's fine. More importantly, this mission's danger level just shot up. Other sorcerers will be taking over this case," Fushiguro explained,
"You guys can go back now."
Fushiguro turned around, his gaze piercing even the corner you hid in. You clasped your hand over your mouth, chest heaving as you hid from him. Suddenly, you heard steps, Fushiguro asking,
"Where's (Y/N)?"
"We kinda just left her behind," Itadori stated, scratching the back of his head.
Fushiguro opened the grey car's door, shoving Itadori inside,
"Make sure to tell her to get back safely."
Itadori yelled, confusion stirring inside of him,
"Huh? Us two? What about you?"
You watched from the safety of the shadows, observing at how the scene was unraveling.
"I'll go back after I say goodbye to Takeda," Fushiguro placed his hand over Itadori's shoulders, eyebrows furrowed as he glared at him,
"Now, go!"
Fushiguro slammed the door, staying still as the car quickly drove away. He hid his hand in his uniform's pockets, walking away. As he passed you, you immediately hid, silencing your worried breaths.
He wasn't going to leave. You knew he was too stubborn to.