"What's this?" was the first thing that the King of Curses ever said to her, when Nobara Kugisaki easily located Sukuna's cursed fingers, which she then hid from the jujutsu users even until the recent years.
"Hello, Spirit...my name is Nobara," the six year old Nobara had said to the King of Curses, whom she had only heard of in passing from peaceful souls she met often since she still had the title as the Master of Death and the Guide for the souls into the Afterlife.
Even at age of six, Nobara was already mature for her age, mainly due to retaining most of her memories of her past lives. Hence, she managed to take the cursed finger without activating the seals around one of the ancient temples in Kyoto, which she did during a school outing that Nobara was allowed to go by her parents. Apart from not wanting anyone to suspect her of stealing the cursed fingers, she also just wanted to live a normal life.
So despite her maturity, Nobara decided to keep her extensive knowledge and power to herself, especially her intent in collecting Sukuna's fingers and breaking his curse. As a Master of Death still, she wanted all spirits to pass through the gates and into the afterlife, even including Sukuna, who was considered a villain by most in this life.
And as she recalled her first meeting with him, she mused almost to herself on how the King of Curses looked puzzled and a bit intrigued to see a child of six entering his inner sanctum.
"What are you?" That was Sukuna's next question to her when she had walked closer to him. The cursed spirit had remained seated on his pile of bones that he seemed to take pride on to show to others who entered his domain.
Without a hint of fear, she marched towards the King of Curses and said without faltering, "What am I? Well, I am no one of importance. Just someone who is interested in learning more from a Master Sorcerer."
Nobara recalled how he had arched a brow at her nonchalant response and simply replied back, "A lie if I ever heard one. I know that you are no ordinary child. I can sense immense power in you, little sorceress. Don't deny it..."
And so she hadn't. Deny it. That is….
She admitted to Sukuna that she was a practitioner of the arts and had come seeking him out to learn about his world, his knowledge, and his history with the jujutsu users.
At first, Nobara was very vague about her intent wherein she made the King of the Curses think that he could manipulate her to do his bidding and search for his other cursed fingers. However, in truth, she was also intent to retrieve Sukuna's cursed fingers with the sole purpose of reversing his curse and letting him move onto his next life as what she had planned for him all along, despite the fact that she had grown fond of him and his dark moods.
That was ten years ago.
Now, at seventeen years old, Nobara was ready to attend the School of Jujutsu users with Sukuna's grudged agreement.
Currently, she was in his inner sanctum.
Throughout the years, the cursed spirit learned to redecorate his world to suit her at best. The last ten years in her presence was a great deal of time that even Sukuna Ryoumen had simply started to soften around the edges towards her.
At the moment, Nobara was standing at an office of Sukuna's own making.
"So….what do you think?" She asked as she put her hands on her waists while presenting to the King of Curses her uniform for the Tokyo Jujutsu Highschool. The school she was about to attend alongside others.
"It looks... passable. However, your skirt is too short," Sukuna grumbled beneath his breath, but Nobara heard him well enough.
Even though the King of Curses had a hand pressed against his cheek with his elbow propped on the desk and his gaze averted, she knew that nothing gets past the King of Curses, even her school uniform.
"What's with you and my skirts?" She sniffed, sounding offended.
"You are growing fast Nobara. You tell me," He stated as he turned his full attention towards her. "I kind of wish you never grow up. It makes me feel so old now…"
"Well, you are old," She replied with an eye roll. "Ancient, in fact."
"My, my, my, insults thrown at me this early morning? Is it the time of the month already? Or is the thought of the strongest sorcerer visiting your house got your panties in a twist? Which is which I wonder?..." He smirked at her while he crossed his arms in front of him.
"Neither actually," Nobara snapped while unconsciously mirroring Sukuna's movement to cross her arms. "I'm just kind of nervous about attending this jujutsu school."
"Are you sure that's it? And not because of Satoru Gojo?" Sukuna asked, his grin widening all the more when Nobara couldn't suppress the blush that rose up her cheeks.
"Stop lying, No - Ba - Ra…" the King of Curses taunted and simply laughed when Nobara's face flushed all the more. "You are blushing, little sorceress! So you better tell me honestly why you are concern how you look like in your uniform - "
"Just shut up you bastard!" She cut him off. She then turned her back to conceal her scarlet face from him. "I am not talking to you at all if you continue to tease me like this. So I'm leaving."
"You are no fun, Nobara! Where is that feisty girl who doesn't hesitate to punch me in the face when I stepped out of line, hmn?!" Sukuna called out but Nobara was too embarrassed and too annoyed to even think of a quick comeback.
Hence, she disappeared from Sukuna's mindscape and woke up lying on her bed with one of his cursed fingers clutched on her right hand.
She seriously needed to stop Sukuna from teasing her like that. Being a teenager again made her hormones act up again, which were already all over the place to begin with. She certainly couldn't let him disarm her again.
The King of Curses knew her well to the point that he could easily detect her weaknesses, which she could not afford at all. She needed to be on guard when she saw him next time.
She sat up from the bed and checked her watched.
It was morning still and Nobara was getting a bit nervous as noon drew to a close. She would be going to Tokyo tomorrow, but today was the day when one of the strongest jujutsu users would pay her family a visit and explain her attendance at the Jujutsu High School.
In truth, Sukuna had it right in the end.
Nobara Kugisaki was very much nervous to meet Satoru Gojo.