The clock's ticking echoed down the empty walls of the laboratory while Qian's face was buried in a microscope.
So the cells are consistently around the same shape: rigid with wall-like structures surrounding the membrane… She raised her head and held up the tube that contained a small section of the cursed spirit she had removed. Its original vibrant green color had begun to fade, the tissue becoming almost completely transparent.
This was the first one found- killed on March 15th, today's the 20th of April… She glanced down at her phone and clicked on the calendar app. So the limit before complete degradation is around 4 weeks.
Maybe I'll freeze the other three, just to see if it helps preserve the bodies. She stood up and opened the walk-in refrigerator, taking a step inside. She kneeled down next to each body, scrutinizing the tags she wrote.
"M-March 21st, March 31st, and April 16th." She whispered out loud as she inspected them. She pushed herself back up to her feet, scratching her head. We're going to need a big freezer…maybe I'll just take a huge cross section of each body and toss the rest? What if I end up needing more though…
She walked out of the fridge and closed the heavy door behind her, rubbing her temples in exhaustion. I need a break.
Making sure to place all her samples back in the fridge, she headed out the door and walked up the stairs. As she finally reached the sun, she stretched her arms high above her head to soak up its warm rays, sighing in contentment. Ieiri-sensei always did complain about how the laboratory felt like a dungeon… She mused as she began to wander down the path, staring up at the crisp blue spring sky as cherry blossom petals fluttered down around her. Despite being located at an isolated part of Jujutsu High's campus, she treasured how abundant the foliage was around the laboratory's premises. She took a deep breath, relishing the breeze that swirled around her.
Minutes passed by as she continued strolling through the campus at a leisurely pace. Soon, she heard a series of harsh shouts, diverting her attention. She noticed she was by the entrance of the training grounds and, out of curiosity, walked closer to take a peek at the commotion.
In the middle of the field were Yuji, Megumi, and Nobara sparring against Satoru, who appeared to have an actual blindfold tied around his eyes. While the three of them appeared exhausted, their teacher had a relaxed smile on his face as he somehow continued to easily dodge their blows.
"Come on, guys. Are you even trying?" He taunted, stepping to the side as Yuji threw a punch. "I can't see a thing and yet you still can't even touch me?"
Megumi was on his knees, gasping for air as he gritted his teeth in frustration, choosing to ignore his gibe. "Nue plus Gama!"
As soon as his winged frogs appeared from the shadows, they shot out their tongues towards Satoru, wrapping his wrists and ankles.
The man smirked. "Oooh, I see now. You used Yuji as a diversion? Clever-"
Suddenly, Nobara appeared behind him, raising a red hammer high above her head. A knowing grin spread across his face. "But not clever enough."
As she threw her hammer down, an explosion erupted from the blow, causing a storm of dust to swirl around them. Qian had to hide behind a pillar to avoid getting buffeted by the blast. Once the wind died down, she peered around and saw Yuji and Megumi a distance away, both doubled over and on the ground.
"Did we get him?" Yuji panted, leaning on his knees as he tried to regain his breath.
As the smoke cleared, they groaned upon seeing their teacher holding Nobara up by her collar, dangling pathetically like a scolded puppy. The girl shrugged in defeat. "I tried guys."
"Damn it!" Megumi punched the ground with his fist in disappointment. "Not even a scratch?!"
"Hey, don't be so hard on yourselves." Satoru gently lowered his student and patted her on the back. He untied his blindfold, revealing his usual eye mask, as he regarded the others proudly. "You almost caught me off guard and managed to work together more coherently as a trio. I have to say, I'm quite impressed."
The three of them still hung their heads dejectedly and Qian stared at them in wonder. They're so amazing! Her eyes drew to Satoru in particular, who appeared unphased and remained completely untouched. While his students were covered in dirt and grime, he had not a single speck of dust on himself. As he continued speaking with his rich, baritone voice, she couldn't help but stare at him in fascination. He's so strong…
She then slapped her burning cheeks together, quickly turning around to sprint back towards the lab in mortification at her blatant ogling. What is wrong with you? Get a hold of yourself!
Satoru's ears perked and he turned his gaze up the steps, regarding the entryway carefully. He could've sworn he heard something- as if someone was watching him..
Oh well.
"Alright guys, let's go again! I'll tie my hands behind my back this time."
—-
A few days later, Qian rushed down the corridor with a stack of papers, folders, and a notebook in hand, face flushed but eyes shining in excitement.
She burst through her office door. "I-Ieiri-sensei! I have big news-"
Upon seeing the occupants of the room, she blushed in embarrassment and immediately clamped her mouth shut.
"Oh! What is it, Qian?" Shoko stood up from her seat. Satoru, meanwhile, stared at her through his covered eyes and simply crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair.
The teen shook her head, face as bright as a tomato. "I-I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt…"
"No, no you're fine!" Shoko held her hand out in front of her. "We were just chatting about work. So, what is it?"
Qian quickly stepped forward, murmuring a quiet 'excuse me' as she passed by the Jujutsu Sorcerer, handing over the first few sheets on top of the pile in her hands.
"R–Right. So I finished analyzing the tissue samples taken from the cursed spirit we found last week. And I think…" She took a deep breath, smiling from ear to ear, "I think they're plants."
The doctor simply stared at her. There was a long pause. "...Plants?"
Qian nodded her head enthusiastically, her glasses practically sliding off the bridge of her nose. "L-Look at these photos. I took images of the tissue samples taken from the bodies we've found and the cells: they're rigid in shape, they have cell walls, and other microscopic structures that only plant cells have. A-And check these out!"
She flipped through more pages and tugged out another three, causing a couple of sheets to fall onto the floor but she paid them no mind. "I wasn't sure exactly what kind of plants they were so I compared them with normal vascular tissue from leaves, flowers, and trees and they look most similar to trees."
Shoko took the photos from her, scrutinizing the images. "...so what does this mean, exactly?"
"W-Well, you mentioned before that cursed spirits just disappear, right? They just dissipate into cursed energy?" Qian shoved her glasses back up her face before plucking out her notebook, swiping her fingers through the pages. "F-From what I've observed at least since I started working here, at first we thought they weren't disappearing, but actually they are- just really slowly- into cursed energy. W-Well, more like decomposing at a cellular level- kinda like how living beings decompose into inorganic and organic matter over time. A-And also! If they were composed of pure energy, I wouldn't see anything tangible under a microscope."
"Interesting…" Shoko murmured, tapping a finger against her chin thoughtfully. "So the fact that they don't instantly disappear means they're not made of pure cursed energy, they're made of something else too."
"So what- these things are like a weird fusion of organic material and cursed energy?" Satoru interjected, tilting his head quizzically.
"I-I think so!" Qian pushed her spectacles back up before pulling out another couple pages. "A-And I did some research on my own about how plants grow and…some plants can grow by feeding on other plants or organic material in general- like mistletoes feed off of trees and pine drops feed off of fungi. S-So I think the only way this could happen here is that they must have been created from an organic source originally and grew from feeding off of said source."
Shoko rubbed the back of her neck tiredly. "So these aren't naturally appearing cursed spirits…something, or someone, is creating them."
Satoru remained silent for a moment, crossing his arms in thought. "Great, as if we already didn't have our hands full."
Qian paled, suddenly feeling guilty. "I-I'm sorry, I guess this information is just causing more stress than help-"
The doctor shook her head, piling up the photos together into a neat pile. "No, no! That's not it at all, this really is super helpful for us. A crucial piece to a larger puzzle- I just hope they're not related to the other powerful Curse Users we've faced." She sat down and grinned at her assistant. "I was wondering what you've been doing this past week, holed up in the lab. This is great, though it generates a lot more questions for us now."
Satoru slapped his hands on his knees and stood up. "Well, on that note, have fun writing that report to the higher-ups."
Shoko shot up from her seat, slamming both hands down on her desk in protest. "Wha-?! Why do I have to do it?!"
"'Cuz it's your assistant!" He wiggled his fingers mockingly in goodbye as he skipped out the door. "Toodles!"
She clenched her jaw, rolling her hands into fists as she fell back in her seat in exasperation. "Damn it."
She then noticed the girl continuing to stare after his retreating figure, seemingly lost in thought. "Qian? You good?"
"A-Ah yes!" She yelped, shortly before she turned around. "Sorry, I'll be right back!"
She quickly rushed into the corridor, wheeling her head around in search of the sorcerer. Upon seeing his bright silver-white hair turn a corner, she immediately jogged after him.
"U-Um!" He stopped and looked over his shoulder upon hearing her voice.