Underneath the bridge in his makeshift base, Mahito lounged on a hammock and perused a book. "Special Grade Imaginary Cursed Spirit," he said.
"Some Cursed Spirits are classified as such, composed of cursed energy that flows from humans."
He continued, “Even if they don't exist physically, fearful common perceptions that humans share make it easy to manifest as a powerful curse.”
Yoshino pondered, “Fearful common perceptions that humans share? Are you referring to famous monsters or ghost stories?”
“That's right,” Mahito confirmed, showing Yoshino the book page.
“There are many of those, like Hanako-san or the Nine-Tailed Fox. Jujutsu Sorcerers classify them as Special Grade Imaginary Cursed Spirits and deal with them accordingly.”
He added, “The same goes for unknown and powerful curses. They are usually categorized as such too. I guess that's all they see.”
Mahito glanced over at Yoshino and said, "But what people usually fear isn't just myths like these."
Yoshino thought for a moment before hazarding a guess, “Are you referring to natural disasters?”
Mahito smiled, “It's great that talking to you doesn't give me stress.”
Yoshino fidgeted in embarrassment, “No, well…”
The faint sound of a haunting echo reverberated through one of the tunnels.
Yoshino peeked towards the source of the noise, but Mahito approached him before he could investigate.
“Humans… They fear the earth, the forest, and the ocean,” Mahito spoke eerily. “The cursed energy flowing into them is too great. Before they took form, they hid out of sight as they gained knowledge.” He rested his hand on Yoshino's cheek, his voice hushed, “I'm proud that every one of them is my comrade.”
“What kind of curse are you, Mahito?” Yoshino's eyes shook as he asked Mahito a bold question.
Mahito parted his bangs, revealing cigarette burns on his forehead. “Human. I'm a curse born from the hate people feel for one another.”
Shuuei High School Detached Office.
“The recent disappearances and bizarre deaths have been consolidated into residuals report by a window,”
Nanami discussed as he pointed to the map on the board. “With this, we can pinpoint the culprit's hideout within a certain range.”
"Ok then...so are we going to barge in?" Izuku asked while opening his bag that contained the katana but Nanami stopped him.
“No, this is just an approximation,” Nanami replied. “I'll continue the investigation. I have another job for you, Midoriya-kun.”
Nanami pinned a photo on the board and explained, “This is Yoshino Junpei, the teenager that was in the cinema. He went to the same school as the victims.”
He switched on the surveillance camera, displaying footage of Junpei fleeing the scene. “Based on his behavior from the surveillance video, he's unlikely to be a Curse User. However, the connection between him and the victims is another matter.”
“Curse User?” Izuku asked.
“The evil version of a Jujutsu Sorcerer,” Nanami clarified. “I've left the protocols to Ijichi-kun, so I would like the both of you to investigate Junpei Yoshino.”
Izuku nods his head, "Oh right!, I don't know any other assistants aside from you, Ijichi-san.”
“Well, I'm the only one who knows you're still alive. It can't be helped,” Ijichi replied.
“I see. Let's go!” Izuku said as he walked out of the office.
Ijichi peeked inside the office before leaving and added, “I don't think it's just an approximation. You already know, right? The culprit's location, that is.”
“Of course. The culprit can leave the scene without leaving residuals if he wants. We're being lured again,”
Nanami sighed. “There's the risk of going alone, and the risk of bringing Midoroya-kun along. I chose the former, that's all. Since he's still a child.”
Izuku was walking in, shoving Ijichi forward as he addressed Nanami, “Nanami-sensei!” He grinned widely before adding, “I forgot to tell you. Please be careful!”
Ijichi smiled while Nanami paused. He finally said, “Midoriya-kun, I'm not a teacher, so don't address me like that.”
"...Then...Nanamin!” He beamed at Nanami, unfazed.
'He's not gonna like that'
'Oh what do you know!'
“I'll beat you up,” Nanami retorted.
Thay made Izuku to hit the ground hard while Sukuna just laughed, 'I told ya'
“I found him,” Ijichi said as he drove slowly on the street, trailing after their target, Yoshino Junpei.
“Wait, casual clothes?” Izuku remarked as he observed the boy in front of them.
“He hasn't been to school lately,” Ijichi informed him. “We'll need to get out of the car here.”
They parked the car and stepped out, with Ijichi leading the way. “Let's go,” he instructed.
Izuku meanwhile was holding a cage wrapped in a sealing charm containing low-level spirits as they followed behind Yoshino.
Kanagawa District Satozakura High School—Audio-visual Club.
“Wait, there are five sequels to The Super Scream Project?”
“There are seven of them,” Yoshino confirmed.
“Really? I think the seventh installation of this series will be shocking,” one of the three boys said.
“The seventh installation feels totally different. It's not even a movie parody,” Yoshino said.
“Then what movie is that?”
“Well… A sloppy sitcom plus family horror, I guess?”
“What does that mean?”
Yoshino shared, “The grandson of the owner in the first movie, the grandson of the prisoner in the second movie, and the grandson of the first person who died in the third movie lived together for some reason.”
“The house turned out to be haunted, so they invited a psychic to the house,” Yoshino continued.
“It sounds boring.”
“It's boring to death.”
“Who would want to see this?”
“But what's interesting is that the ones in the fifth and sixth movies—” Yoshino added when the door abruptly slid open.
“What? Why are you here?” A menacing figure entered the room, demanding, “Didn't we tell you not to use it since we're using it as our club room?”
Yoshino stood up, his voice uncertain as he tried to reason with the aggressive guy. "But...you haven't used it in a while. I thought you didn't need it anymore..." he said, his voice trailing off.
The guy's response was sudden and violent—he threw the movies off the table and smashed one of the cases with his foot. The group looked on in shock and fear.
Yoshino struggled to find the right words. "No… I mean...”
But before Yoshino could finish his sentence, the buff guy in front kicked the table, scaring them even further.
"Get out of here, you cockroaches!" he bellowed.
The other two guys quickly grabbed their bags and turned to urge Yoshino to leave. "Come on, Yoshino, let's get out of here," they said urgently.
As the three of them turned to leave, the guy warned, “Things won't end so easily if you use this room again. Got it?”
Yoshino stopped abruptly, his brow furrowed and head lowered in contemplation.
His friend whispered, “Hey, what are you doing?”
Yoshino, determined, knelt down near the disc case. "Please move your foot," he said quietly.
His friends urged him to stop, but Yoshino trembled as he insisted, "I'm taking this back. Can you move your foot?"
The guy kicked him and his friends escaped in fright. The guy smiled as he patted Yoshino on the shoulder. “Close the door,” he ordered his goons.
Inside the room, the sound of punches and kicks filled the air, accompanied by the laughter of the bullies and the agonizing torment of the victim…
"‘The antonym of like is indifference.’ Did the person who came up with this go to hell? Getting along with others with bad intentions is better than leaving them alone? That's impossible,” Yoshino said quietly.
Yoshino continued, “The antonym of like is hate. That's what Japanese people like. They complicate things and gain joy from them.”
Mahito replied, “But Japanese people didn't come up with that.”
“I'm talking about the mistaken translation.”
“What?”
“Some foreigner initially said that… "The antonym of love is indifference," right? There are many definitions of love. That's why we can define the antonym as ‘indifference’,” Yoshino explained.
“I guess so.”
“But the Japanese don't usually use the word "love." So in this country, it changed to "like" at some point. Can the antonyms of "love" and "indifference" be established? No one really thought about it before spreading it.”
As they continued to walk further inside, Mahito made a comment, “Everyone likes to play word games. Because humans can't live without making excuses.”
“What's this?” Yoshino asked as something enormous came into view.
“An experiment to test how big can humans become,” Mahito replied.
“And what you're holding is a test to see how small it can go,” Mahito added.
Yoshino looked down at what he was holding. "This is... a human?" he uttered.
“Junpei, are you used to seeing corpses?” Mahito inquired.
“I don't know,” Yoshino responded as he handed the transfigured human back to Mahito. “If this were my mother, I might collapse and hate you.”
“But I know humanity is ugly. So I don't have any expectations for other people. I don't have any thoughts about someone else's death either. Indifference is the virtue that mankind deserves,” Yoshino said as he held the right side of his face.
“And someone like you seeks revenge?” Mahito remarked.
“Are you saying that I'm contradicting myself?” Yoshino asked.
Mahito countered, “Do you think people have a heart?”
Confused, Yoshino responded, “What? Do they not?"
“That's right. They don’t. Humans have souls. But that's not the heart.”
This revelation caused Yoshino to falter, his voice trembling as he asked, "Then...my...?"
“I'm the only one in the world who understands the structure of a soul. Because I change the shape of a creature by touching the soul.”
“Emotions are products of the soul's metabolism. It's too mechanical to call it a heart. People think too much about the things they can't see. As someone who can see them, souls are the same as bodies, it's nothing special. It just exists there. Do you understand? Life has no value or weight. It's like the flow of water between heaven and earth. Life is just a cycle. You and I are the same, meaningless and worthless.”
“F... Father…” The transfigured human drooled.
"Because of this," Mahito calmly continued. “You can do whatever you want. It's your freedom on how to survive.” He turned to face Yoshino, emphasizing, “Don't be imprisoned by the ideal of indifference. There's no need to implement a single living method. Eat when you're hungry, and kill when you hate. I acknowledge your entire existence, Junpei.” With that, he crushed the small transfigured human in his hand, conveying his twisted message.
Yoshino's jaw hung open as he was transfixed by the thought Mahito had just presented before him.
Yoshino walked forward, flexing his hand and then breaking out into a smile.
“I found him,” Ijichi said as he drove slowly on the street, trailing after their target, Yoshino Junpei.
“Wait, casual clothes?” Izuku remarked as he observed the boy in front of them.
“He hasn't been to school lately,” Ijichi informed him.
“But I'm the same, too. Are the others doing well?” Izuku asked.
Ijichi gave a small smile and replied, "They seem to be doing alright." As he spoke, the scene shifted to show Kugisaki being hauled around for her falling practice, a common training exercise.
“So what are we going to do?” Izuku inquired.
Ijichi gestured towards the passenger seat with a serious expression on his face. "Use that," he replied simply.
Izuku exclaimed in surprise, "a Cursed Spirit?"
“It's a Fly Head, a low-level Cursed Spirit below Grade 4,” Ijichi explained. “Once you see no one around, use the Fly Head to attack him.”
"...Come again?" Izuku questioned.
Ijichi held firm, “One, if he's a normal person who can't see the curse… Please save him. Two, if he can see the curse, but he doesn't know how to handle it… Please save him too. Then question him about the incident. Three, if he eliminates the Fly Head with cursed technique… Arrest him on the spot.”
At this, Izuku narrowed his eyes, "Iwth force? Why?"
“Yes and because it Doesn't matter if it's a misunderstanding. We'll apologize later. However… Four, if he has the potential of a Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerer and above… We'll retreat temporarily and meet with Nanami-san,” Ijichi said solemnly.
“If he's a Grade 2, I should be able to handle him,” Izuku said.
'Are you saying that because I'm inside of you?'
'Not only that....but we still haven't tried if I can use your technique yet'
'...shit, guess we gotta wait a bit to start up our torture again'
Izuku shivered when Sukuna said that.
“If he's a Cursed Spirit, that is.”
Izuku looked confused, “What?”
Ijichi clarified, “Fushiguro should have said this before. We usually dispatch a Jujutsu Sorcerer of the same grade as the Cursed Spirit to perform the task. This means a Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerer can beat Grade 2 Cursed Spirits easily. A Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerer is almost on par with Grade 1 Cursed Spirits.”
This got Izuku to realize that Gojo hasn't explain to him much about that information, "...Damn it, that information would really help me out...Ijichi-san would you be albeo to help me with any information that's important when it involves with cursed spirits and so on?" Izuku with Ijichi just widened his eyes but never the less smiled.
"Of course...but right now, We'll need to get out of the car here.”
Izuku nods his head while holding the bag strap tightly.
"Let's do this"
He said while Sukuna meanwhile was narrowing his eyes a bit while going through the memory of his fight against Stain...it made him sigh a bit.
"That fucking bastard who has my finger doesn't know much about the jujutsu world...no matter what they do...they can't and will never perfect whatever shit they're gonna do"
Sukuna said while leaning on his throne.
Chapter End.