Jujutsu Kaisen: The Forgotten Clan
Chapter 17- Scariest Place on Earth, Day 2 Part B
"There she is, the one we have all been waiting for," Satoru shouts enthusiastically. I give a quick smile in return.
"Thank you for the introduction. How was your walk?" I direct my question to the group while placing a coffee order.
"Nothing out of the ordinary. We all wanted to clear our heads after last night's…discoveries. How are you holding up, Miss Santa-Clara?" Nanami with the formalities per usual.
"As good as I am going to get. What is the plan for the rest of today?" I take a sip from my coffee.
"Hang out, compare notes, annoy each other." Satoru with his antics. At least he is in a playful mood. I need to pick his brain later.
Once our food and beverages are consumed, the six of us go our separate ways. Haibara and Nanami head upstairs, while Geto and Kiyotaka meander down the hallway. Leaving Gojo and me alone at the table. He looks at me with his nose pointed towards the ceiling.
"When are you introducing me to your grandfather? I got the pile of papers he sent over with my clothing."
"Why assume my grandfather sent over the information? The information could have been sent from the Elders, I could have gathered the information, or someone else in the sorcery community may have dropped off the info." He is giving me a smug grin again and acting nonchalant.
"One of the photos in the folder looks just like you. The main difference, the subject of the photo has darker hair and a fuller face. Unless the photo is of your father, an uncle, or an older cousin, I presume it is a photograph of your grandfather.
While riding the Teacups yesterday, you said your grandfather most likely left the note at my apartment. Plus, the Elders and I don't see eye-to-eye…has something to do with my parents and their stuffy ways. Should I continue with my analysis? I think you are intelligent enough to accept my answer and how I came to my conclusion."
Now I am smiling, not with my mouth, but with my eyes. My rant makes Satoru laugh and moves his glasses to the tip of his nose. He smiles at me and draws attention to our table from a few patrons.
"I spoke with my parents and grandfather after your interview. Suguru was with us if you want to confirm anything I say. Right now, we don't have a meeting set-up and are trying to be discrete with our information sharing. I know you are intelligent enough to read between the lines on why we are working in secrete."
"Because the other two clans, mainly the Zen'In, have ulterior motives to control, hurt, kill, or force me to marry into one of their clans," I say this with a casual, direct tone. Satoru smiles and starts standing up.
"As I said, you can read between the lines. Enjoy the rest of your day and don't let anything or anyone get inside your pretty little head, ok?"
"Are you always this flirtatious with your female counterparts?" I say with a flat affect. He ignores my question and walks off.
At approximately 3:30 pm, the six of us gather in the lobby of the hotel.
"It is nice to see everyone refreshed and awake!" Satoru states with a light tone to his voice.
"Why are we meeting up this early? It is still light outside, and the park does not close for another six hours." I say this between yawns. My questions make Satoru smile and turn towards me.
"You will see when we get to the park. Now let's go, everyone."
I don't argue with Satoru and walk next to Haibara on our way out the lobby doors. The rush of sunlight and warmth makes me close my eyes for a few seconds. Once inside the park shuttles, a thought hits me.
Another incident took place between now and our meeting with Sir Shingo. Either that or our missing civilian has shown up and wanted for questioning. Tapping into my technique, I sense very little activity at the park: it is Wednesday, but with people on holiday break, the park should be more active than what I am feeling.
I let out an audible sigh the moment we arrive at the park. Sir Shingo is present, and I am not happy. My reaction gets a few laughs from the people I am riding with. Something is wrong and I want answers.
"Long time no see, young sorcerers. I assume you all have had adequate rest and are ready to get back to work?" I can't tell if Sir Shingo is being genuinely kind or sarcastic.
"We are rested Sir Shingo, thank you for asking. After receiving your message, Satoru and I gathered everyone together per your request. Do you mind telling us what is going on so we may proceed accordingly?" Suguru, being diplomatic as usual.
"I am waiting for Osamu to arrive." Sir Shingo will not divulge information until Osamu arrives.
Five minutes later, I see Osamu walking towards us with a fresh batch of park maps. He looks worried.
"How many people were injured, where are they now, and what attacked the people?" Satoru asks Osamu.
"What makes you say there were injuries involved?" Sir Shingo
"You closed the park early, your head of security looks terrified, and this morning you wanted us to wait until the park closed to exorcise the curses. Are you going to be joining us Sir Shingo?" Satoru to Sir Shingo
"I most certainly am not, young man. I am not a sorcerer, and glad of it. My wife can see curses…what you people deal with is something I never want to get involved with. Now, Osamu here will give you your assignments.
I suggest sticking to what he says unless you want me to report you to your supervisors. Understand?"
The six of us nod our heads, and Satoru has his signature grin plastered on his face. I have an idea of what is going on. Osamu starts talking.
"Three people were injured and have been sent to a hospital. May they heal quickly. One attack occurred near or on the Jungle Cruise, the second attack occurred between Haunted Mansion and Splash Mountain. The third attack…we are not sure where it occurred. It is assumed curses are responsible for the attacks."
"Just in case we are dealing with another vampire, the park has been evacuated. Allowing us to lure and attack it in broad daylight versus the cover of night." I am confident there is not another vampire in the park. It has already escaped.
"Correct, Santa-Clara. Now go and try not to damage the park too horribly. I will be expecting a report by midnight!" Osamu says in a panicked tone while my classmates and I head off.
4:30 pm - Main Street Disneyland
"Who is working with who?" I ask no one in particular.
"We have two people with ocular abilities, two people who have fended off a vampire, and two special grade sorcerers. Haibara, you go with Satoru, Nanami, you partner up with Santa-Clara. Kiyotaka, you are with me."
"What if I want to work with Kiyotaka, Suguru?" Satoru's question makes Kiyotaka cringe.
"The rest of us know that is not a good idea. You will do nothing but belittle him." Suguru is direct. We head our separate ways.
4:45 pm – Jungle Cruise Entrance
"Were you and Haibara able to search this area, yesterday? My understanding is there was disagreement on a curse being present."
"Your understanding is correct, and we did not explore this area yesterday. Our primary focus was in the Main Street area. What have you picked up? I want to compare notes and split off so we can work efficiently." Getting to the point and taking work seriously. I am going to enjoy working with Nanami.
"I am not sensing any vampires, here or in the rest of the park. We have a strong curse lurking someplace in the ride. It could be underwater or hiding behind a solid object. Which direction are you heading and where and when do you want to meet up?"
Nanami shakes his head in agreement with my analysis. I head towards the right-hand side of the ride, Nanami heads off to the left. We are meeting at the waterfall in thirty minutes.
Wading through the water is a tad refreshing in the heat. Roughly three meters from the start of the ride, a weird feeling grows inside my stomach. Something is nearby. Ten minutes later, and I see the waterfall. Nanami is not around, and I figure he is still searching his part of the ride. I swim to the sandbar under the waterfall and get out of the water.
"Any luck on your end, Miss Blaze?" I open my eyes and see Nanami staring down at me.
"Nope. I take it nothing showed up for you?" Nanami shakes his head no. I let out a sigh and suggest….
"We should circle back to the front and retrace your route. I am not questioning your abilities; I have a feeling something is close by. The last thing I want is to let the curse getaway."
Just as we round the corner to head back to the start of the ride, the thick black bands appear on my wrists. A finger is around; I search high and low, looking for movement, then Nanami disappears under the water.
I dive under the surface and find him wrestling with a curse. I swim over to them, and the curse comes after me. A swift kick to the face makes the curse back off, gives Nanami time to float to the surface, and me to follow him.
"You alright?" I ask between breaths; the bands are gone.
"Fine, just caught off guard. We need to hurry; the curse is up ahead."
By the time we reach the entrance, it is 5:30 pm. Our belongings have not been stolen. I furrow my brow and flair my nostrils; the curse is not in sight, and that concerns me. I was expecting it to be waiting for us.
"Don't get caught up in the details, Miss Blaze. I know what you are thinking, and we need to move on. Gojo and Haibara are waiting for us near Splash Mountain."
"You go ahead, I am checking something out first. Tell the other two, if I am not at Splash Mountain by 7:00 pm, come and find me." I grab my bag and head off towards It's a Small World.
"I would prefer accompanying you, Miss Blaze."
"I would prefer to go by myself. Thank you."
5:45 pm – It's a Small World
The faint sounds of a heartbeat ring in my ears, a steady inhale-exhale of lungs accompanies the heartbeat.
"Let me introduce myself, my name is Blaze and I am here to assist you. I will not force you to come out of hiding and will sit here until you feel comfortable with my presence." My voice is calm and reassuring.
A few seconds later, a woman in her late twenties emerges from the scenery. She is a few centimeters taller than me, with deep cuts on her face, neck, and arms. The veins in her neck stand out, her figure looks frail.
"What do you want? If you are with them, go away!" She is holding up her fists in a defensive pose. I put my hands in the air, showing her, I mean no harm.
Tears stream down her face, and she starts sobbing.
5:45 pm- Splash Mountain Entrance
"Where is the newbie, Nanami? And why are you dripping wet?" Satoru in a slightly amused tone.
"It's a Small World, she did not explain why and ignored my request to accompany her. To your second question Blaze and I came across a curse at Jungle Cruise. You can fill in the blank on why I am wet." Nanami is not putting up with Satoru's antics right now.
"Hmm, well I am glad you are safe!
Ding, ring, ring. The three men look at their phones, Satoru is the first to talk.
"Looks like Blaze found a warm body and is headed towards us now. I take it you and Blaze were not able to exorcise the Jungle Cruise curse?"
A forced sigh leaves Nanami's mouth while he stares at Satoru. Haibara smiles and does not interrupt the feud brewing between his counterparts.
"I don't blame you. The curse moves from place to place every fifteen minutes, blends into the environment, and will most likely leave the park before the day is over." A look of amusement dances across Satoru's eyes.
6:00 pm – Splash Mountain Entrance
"I don't want to go any further than this, Miss. Not with…"
"As I said before leaving the ride, my comrades and I are working together. Whatever attacked you earlier today, is gone." I choose my words carefully to keep Angela calm.
"Fine."
I gesture for Satoru to come over to me. The rest of the group and Angela are heading to Osamu's office: Kiyotaka and Suguru are waiting with Osamu.
Once Satoru reaches me and everyone else is out of earshot, I ask,
"Do you have a location for the curse Nanami, and I could not exorcise? It consumed a finger and will make matters worse for Sir Shingo should it roam free." I roll my eyes after mentioning Sir S's name.
"Hehe, you sound worried. The curse is no longer inside the park. I don't know where it is headed, and as far as I am concerned, we are finished with this mission."
6:30 pm – Osamu's Office
"I understand Sir Shingo, what more do you expect of me? I don't know what a curse looks likes and if I did, I would not be able to locate it...Another person was found a few minutes ago by Santa-Clara.
No, they are not the woman who went missing on Space Mountain three months ago. I assume she was attacked today...yes, I will wait for you to come to the park and join the debrief. Goodbye."
"Hey dude, go easy. I will have to deal with the blowback from your outburst later." Chester, responding to Osamu.
7:00 pm - Alleyway Leading to the Security Headquarters
"Excuse me, ma'am. Umm, can I talk with you for a minute...alone?"
I stop walking and look at Angela, she is holding her arms across her chest and trying to stay strong. I nod to the rest of the Jujutsu Tech students to go on without me. Before they leave, I give Haibara a note and instruct him to give it to Osamu.
"Come on Angela, we can walk and talk."
Angela and I sit in front of the fudge shop, there is no point in going further into the park and I want Osamu to see me on the security cameras. I look at Angela from the corner of my eyes and smile at her.
"Around 11:00 am this morning, my friends and I were attacked by some creature. It was short, had a slim figure, and felt like pure evil. It went for my friends first, then knocked me unconscious...by the time I woke up, you had found me."
Now I have a physical description of the curse Nanami, and I found at Jungle Cruise.
8:15 pm - Conference Room in the Security Building
"Thank you all for your patience, Sir Shingo should be coming any minute. He has been stuck in an important meeting since this morning and appreciates you all..."
"Why is Sir Shingo joining us? We will have a report on what we found during the mission and submit it to the Elders. The Elders assigned this mission to us and have a connection with Sir. S." My question is met with silence.
"Sir Shingo is a meticulous individual, prides himself in owning a business., and wants to keep this investigation undercover." Chihito responding to my question. Osamu shakes his head at Chester.
By the time Sir Shingo arrives, it is 9:00 pm. I have dosed off to sleep, Satoru and Suguru went for a walk, Haibara and Nanami went back to Jungle Cruise. Kiyotaka nudges me awake.
"Where are the others, Osamu?"
Sir Shingo is accompanied by three guards, rather than two. One guard on either side of Sir Shingo and the third standing directly behind him.
"I sent a text to my comrades and will be here in a moment. Welcome to the debrief, Sir Shingo" There is not a hint of sarcasm to my voice.
Ten-Minutes Later...
Osamu gets up and addresses the room. His face is long, his eyes are darting from one corner of the room to the other, and he is starting to break out in a cold sweat. He adjusts his collar and wipes his brow before speaking.
"Now that we are all here. I will go over the notes submitted by the jujutsu college students. Today, Wednesday, one civilian was recovered and a confirmed victim of the attack this morning. Four curses were exorcised near Haunted Mansion and Splash Mountain during the park's closure. A fifth curse, presumed Special Grade, escaped from Jungle Cruise and is no longer in the park.
Tuesday: an unidentified corpse was found on the rooftop of the security building, two vampires were discovered in Space Mountain, and five of the six civilians who went missing three months ago were rescued. An autopsy of the corpse and one of the vampires will be conducted by jujutsu technical college...the sixth civilian from three months ago is presumed a runaway."
Sir Shingo sits up straight in his chair and stares at Osamu as if the security guard insulted his wife.
"What do you mean a corpse was found on the rooftop, Osamu? And why are we to assume the young woman is a runaway?"
I look at Suguru trying to tell him I would like to speak. He grins and gestures at me.
"An individual unassociated with your investigation, Sir Shingo. They are most likely a victim of the vampire discovered in Space Mountain...the one in custody. To your second question, no more bodies are lying around the park, the deceased vampire does not fit the description of the missing woman, and neither does the woman sitting downstairs. My colleagues searched the park before your arrival and can affirm what I have shared."
My explanation makes Sir Shingo flinch. He was expecting each civilian to be recovered, dead or alive. My question for him is...
"How long have you known about the vampire, Sir Shingo?" My question is met with a deadpan stair from Sir Shingo
"What makes you think..." He is cut off by someone walking through the door.
"I think we have shared enough, Miss Blaze. Please sit down and I can talk with you later. Sir Shingo, is there anything else you need before heading home?" Chihito has made an appearance...did not sense him walking through the door.
"Yes, I need a written report from the Jujutsu Tech students documenting everything that was just shared. You lot are free to stay at the hotel for another night or go back to campus."
Sir Shingo stands up, his eyes squinting and face turning a slight pink color. He avoids making eye contact with the room. Before walking out the door, he leaves us with a brief message.
"Expect your payment to come through by the end of this week. As for you Miss Santa-Clara, you may want to contact your supervisors before I get to them."
"I am certain they are aware of what I have asked of you, Sir Shingo. There is no point in threatening me."
I smile and sit back in my chair. Satoru lets out a laugh under his breath. At least one person in this room understands where I am coming from.