DISCLAIMER:

I do NOT own the Oregairu and Jujutsu Kaisen series as they are respectfully owned by the creators and studios.


"It's so hot in here..." A man complained to himself while walking on the street full of people. He had white hair and wore sunglasses, a white tank top with a black print of kanji that read "five", a pair of jeans, and sneakers with black and white design. With his maroon backpack behind him, he slouched for a moment before walking straight to his goal. Many bystanders looked at him in awe. Some of them had dark skin. A few ladies asked him for a selfie, which he accepted, but after the seventh picture, he ran away from them as the flock of women surrounding him grew. He found an empty narrow alleyway for him to hide and jumped high to reach the rooftops. "No matter where I go, there will always be women pouncing at me. Beauty really is a curse~."

"Itana kahane ke baad bhee aap pareshaan nahin debate." A deep male voice behind him spoke in a foreign language.

"He said: 'You don't seem to be upset after saying that'." A female voice translated his words to Japanese. He turned around to see a man and woman. The man had dark-skin, a white beard and wore a red V-neck shirt with golden outlines, beige pants, and a white turban on his head. The woman's attire consisted of a shirt with black and white stripes and a black collar, three golden bracelets on her right wrist, a pair of jeans and black heels.

"Oh, wow. Were you all expecting me? You're even kind enough to have a translator." The white-haired man said while approaching them. "Thanks a lot for that. I'm still having trouble with English pronunciations."

"Ham nahin jaanate ki aap yahaan kyon hain, ya aapane hamaare astitv kee khoj kaise kee..."

"We don't know why you're here or how you discovered our existence..." As the woman translated his words, several people wearing different kinds of masks appeared around them on different rooftops.

"Levin aapaka svaagat nahin hai, Satoru Gojo."

"But you are not welcomed, Gojo Satoru."

"Well, that's rude." Satoru said as he stretched his arms. "And I went through all the trouble finding out about you guys and coming here on a hot day..."

"Chhodo ya maro. ve aapake ekamaatr vikalp hain." The old man said in anger.

"Leave or die. Those are your only choices." The woman translated.

"Seriously? You know my name and yet you're still threatening me?" Satoru grinned, which made the old man's eyes widen and unintentionally took one step back. "Heh, nevermind. You guys actually know how pointless it is. Now, let's have some good talk, alright? I don't wanna kill the last remaining sorcerers here... at least not now."


Okinawa Incident: Part 2

The Beginning Under The Scorching Sun

8:00 AM in Motobu

"So, what are the plans for today?" Yukino asked Haruno. The little sister wore a white cold-shoulder blouse with flounce sleeves and a ruffled trim outlining the neckline, a peach skirt matching block heel sandals. Meanwhile, the older sister wore a yellow, sleeveless high-neck shirt, split side knotted pants with red and beige stripe patterns, and a pair of black cut-out heels.

"Free time! We're supposed to go to the Churaumi Aquarium, but for some reason they moved the opening time to 9:30, so let's just do whatever we want." Haruno answered.

"Sounds good to me." Ooka agreed. His attire comprised a blue short-sleeved jacket over a plain white T-shirt, yellow walking shorts, and white plimsolls. Yamato wore an orange T-shirt with white horizontal stripes and collar, brown chino shorts, and red sneakers. "There's this cool store Yamato and I wanna check out. Oh, Saika you're coming with us, right?"

"Yeah, the store looks interesting." Saika answered with a nod. He wore a plain light blue T-shirt, a pair of jeans, and white sneakers.

"Woah, I feel left out." Hayato spoke. He wore a black sleeveless jacket over a red polo shirt, a pair of jeans, and white sneakers. "Mind if I come along?"

"Well, duh. Come on!" Ooka accepted.

"I want to go to the mall!" Komachi suggested loudly. Her attire comprised a salmon-colored, tie-shoulder tank top with a ruffle hem, a white skirt and yellow block heel sandals.

"Same. My old clothes feel tight recently." Yui said as she adjusted her shirt. She wore a blue, ditsy floral high-neck shirt with butterfly sleeves, light blue denim shorts, and black low gladiator heels.

"You're a healthy growing woman, alright." Saki commented. Her clothes consisted of a black short-sleeved jacket over a plain white T-shirt, a pair of jeans and sneakers with grey and orange design.

"I don't think I've grown. The last time I got my measurements, it still the same." Yui said to Saki while pulling down her shirt because of how tight it felt. "Maybe I got fat! I might've eaten too much recently! No, I'm definitely getting fat!"

"Yeah, that could be possible. Or maybe it's those two powerful entities attached to your upper body, Yuigahama-san." Hachiman thought as he couldn't help but stare at Yui's chest. Because she was pulling her shirt down, she unintentionally highlighted her large chest, which caused onlookers to glance at her primary assets.

"Aw!" Unfortunately for the young sorcerer, his girlfriend noticed where he stared, and so she pinched his left side in anger.

"Oh, dear. Where are you looking at, Hikigarbage-kun?" Yukino said with a cold smile.

"Nothing interesting." He answered, maintaining his stoic expression, but he couldn't hide his blush. He wore a denim jacket over a white sleeveless hoodie, a pair of brown cargo shorts, and sandals.

"So we're going separately by boys and girls?" Haruno asked everyone.

"Nee-san, I believe you need to excuse us." Yukino said to her older sister. "This thing and I have plans together."

"Wow, an Okinawa date, huh?... But, why did you call him a 'thing'?" Haruno asked in confusion as she tilted her head.

"He's a human who can be classified as a 'thing'. It is impressive, really." Yukino answered while squeezing his right arm and then dragged him away from the group. "Now, if you excuse us, we will be on our way. We will meet again at the aquarium."

"Sure, take care!" Haruno said as she waved at them. Once the couple was far enough, her smile faded and a look of confusion was all over her face. "What was that all about?"

"What did he do to get her mad?" Yamato asked, with the same confusion as everyone else.

"A mystery called 'women'." Ooka answered and put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Don't dwell on it, bro."

"Hikio is just dumb at dealing with a girl's heart." Yumiko scoffed with arms crossed together. She wore a green sleeveless peplum shirt, a pair of jeans and red pump heels. "Now, where's the mall again?"

"It's not that far from here..." Komachi answered as she fiddled her phone to open the map. While the others were busy talking to each other, Yui covered her chest with her arms with her cheeks blushing. It was only for a brief moment, but she saw Hachiman just stared at that specific area.

"You idiot, Hikki." She mumbled with pouty cheeks.


"Can you let go now? I'm losing the feeling in my arm." Hachiman asked her.

"No." Yukino immediately refused.

"Why?"

"If I let you go, you would run around bothering people, including women."

"Am I a dog on a leash now?"

"I called you a 'thing', did I not? A dog is not a thing. it's a living creature."

"Ouch, you're hurting your dear man's living heart, you know? Don't be bothered by your, uh... physical problem."

"Physical problem? Whatever are you talking about?" Her voice became colder and her glare sharper than any blade or weapon he imagined.

"Nevermind, I'm sorry for being a perverted boyfriend." Hachiman apologized which made them stopped walking. She let go of his arm and sighed.

"You should be." Yukino glared. "I don't think I can forgive you."

"How do I make it up to you?"

"Why are we here in the first place?"

"To spend time together."

"Correct. So let's enjoy this date to our hearts' content." Yukino leaned closer to his face, making the both of them blush. "This time, I'll make sure you forget every woman in your mind except me."

"Uh... sure." That was the only response he could give before his girlfriend held his hand and walked together. "Love does make a person act in an unusual behavior. It took an entire month for us to feel comfortable holding each other's hand, but just as Komachi said almost two months ago, we're still children who just became beginners in the area called 'love'. So the fact that she approached me in such a... tempting way caught me off-guard. What a sneaky attack! Should I level up and spend more points on my flirting skills?"

"So, where shall we go first?" Yukino asked him.

"Hm?"

"It's your fault, so you will be the one responsible for our date today. We only have about an hour in a half until we get to the aquarium."

"Let's see..." After a few moments of thinking, he led her to various places. Some places they went were food stands, and then went to a clothing store to buy each other's clothes. There was this store they visited selling strange products such as frog purses and many liquors called "Habushu" that said to also be an aphrodisiac. While his girlfriend was looking at such strange items, Hachiman noticed a small cursed spirit at the size of a child. By mere instinct, he grabbed what he could use as a weapon and quickly decapitated its head along with the rest of its upper body. He sighed in relief and lowered the weapon.

"Are you going to buy that?" Yukino asked as she looked at the object he held. It was a 5-foot bamboo hiking pole. Its handle was simply wrapped in friction tape and black paracord on top with a lanyard.

"Oh, uh, not-" Before he could say no, a thought crossed his mind. "I didn't think of the possibility of encountering cursed spirits here. It's not like they only appear in Chiba. I didn't bring my katana with me to this trip, but I doubt I could just slip in the airport without security finding out. I don't even have a permit for it to avoid getting to prison! After thinking about the curses, there's no way I won't buy this."

"Hachiman?" Yukino called out his name. He inspected the hiking pole, swinging it twice, which caused her to be confused. After testing its weight, he nodded.

"Yeah, I think I'll buy this."

"For what? Self-defense?" She asked with her head tilted.

"That, and if we would ever go hiking in the mountain."

"I never thought you would consider hiking. Who are you and what have you done to my boyfriend?"

"He's dead. You're now dating a different version of the glorious Hikigaya Hachiman." He jested as his girlfriend chuckled. He bought the hiking pole, which was the only item they bought at that store. Last, they took a short stroll at the Motobucho Tancha Park until they took a seat at a table under a roof.

"So, do you forgive me now?" Hachiman asked, and it made her pause for a moment. It wasn't a playful one, nor even an act. She truly had a strangely sad expression. After releasing a sigh, she held his hand.

"No, there is still one more task you must fulfill." She answered.

"What is it?" When he asked that question, she gave him a serious look.

"Tell me the truth. What happened when we went to that abandoned middle school?"

"What happened, huh? My memories are still kinda fuzzy. All I remember is that we went there, Tobe being an idiot and scared the three girls, we just walked around in the hallway and then... we went to a classroom?"

"Yes, we did."

"And after that... I was the first one to enter that room, then the last thing I remember was the door sliding shut behind me."

"That's it?"

"Yeah, sorry. Well, my memories are coming back little by little." He shrugged his shoulders and Yukino suddenly stood from her seat with her hands curled into fists.

"Don't lie to me." She said in a trembling voice.

"What? I'm not lying to you."

"Yes, you are. Anyone would've believed what you said, but not me. I know that's a lie."

"What makes you think I'm lying?" Hachiman asked while pretending to be confused. Although he did think last night this could be a dangerous move, he still hoped this scenario wouldn't happen.

"You saw something else, right?" She glared. "There's something more than just a door closing."

"Like what?"

"Like inhuman hands approaching you."

"... Excuse me?"

"You don't need to pretend. I know something terrifying happened back then and somehow you came back without a scratch the next day."

"Yeah, I mentioned that to your mother and Haruno-san. The police investigated the scene, but they found nothing."

"Because they can't. It's something that only special people like us can see."

"Shit... can she really see curses?" He questioned in his mind. "Why her?"

"Well?" She slammed her hand on the wooden table.

"I don't know... what you're talking about." He lied with his act faltering slightly. "Smooth. Real smooth, Hachiman. You should get that Oscar trophy and beat yourself to death with it."

"That is the most pathetic excuse." She gritted her teeth, expressing her growing frustration. "I just saw you killed that monster back at the store using the hiking pole. Buying that object really is just for self-defense against them, isn't it?"

"I don't know about a monster. I just swung it like a sword because I have the brain of a kid. I guess my chuunibyou phase is coming back." He lied with a smirk. Yukino leaned forward across the table and suddenly slapped his cheek. His eyes widened in bewilderment at this action as her glare intensified.

"I'm worried about you!" She shouted. Fortunately, there was no one around the park that could hear their heated argument. "I thought so deeply about what truly happened to you, and now you're hiding it from me? At this very moment, I'm thinking you might be an evil being or a strange cultist. Who are you? What are you? Do I even know the real you in the first place?"

"I'm Hikigaya Hachiman, a socially inept guy in the final year of high school. This is the real me."

"Then who was the one that killed the creature back then? Was he just an illusion or something more?"

"Every day, I hoped my family nor anyone I know won't encounter any curses or even have the ability to see them." He thought as he opened his mouth to answer, but he hesitated. "Why Yukino? She's the last person I want to see all that terror and worse, becoming a victim. It just makes me wonder now: who else that I know can see curses? I'll think about that later because right now, our relationship and faith in each other is on the line. I... really don't know the right choice here."

"If you can't tell me, then we are finished."

"What?" Her words made his heart stop. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying we will end our relationship at this very moment unless you tell me the truth." She said with a determined expression. "After worrying about you so much, after constantly thinking, fearing for what will happen to me and everyone else... after going left and right speculating, beginning to consider I might be a lunatic, you can't just... lie to me and expect everything will return to normal."

"I'm sorry." Hachiman stood and approached his girlfriend. "I'll tell you everything, okay?"

"You will?" She asked as he sat next to her and held her hands.

"Yeah, I'll keep it short." And so he summarized everything to her, from the first gigantic cursed spirit to all the struggles and training he did in Tokyo. Yukino listened attentively and after he finished the story, she just looked down at the table. A mix of various emotions within her. She didn't know what reaction was the correct one that would convey her emotions.

"That's... quite a story."

"It's a little ridiculous, huh?"

"You're being too kind by adding the word 'little'."

"True, it's just hard to process all that for you, right?"

"Immensely difficult. It's as if you told me a story from a television show."

"I know right?"

"You're not the cause of all those cursed spirits, right?" She asked with a hint of uneasiness.

"I don't know." He answered honestly. "The reason the higher-ups let me go was because of Gojo's help in forging evidence to make a cover-up story. I'm not really sure if I'm innocent. I'm not sure what I am anymore, but I want to hold on to the things I have now. The things that helped me to get to this present time. I want to protect them."

"I see..." She rested her head on his shoulder. "That includes me as well?"

"Yeah."

"So you are calling me a thing? Well, I suppose that is fair."

"Yup, you are my most precious thing in the world."

"My goodness, are you listening to yourself? Your words do not fit your character." Although she mocked him for that, Yukino actually felt delighted hearing those words. "Am I more precious than Komachi?"

"Uuuhh..."

"I thought so. That issue of yours needs to be fixed. Such a disturbing sister complex."

"I'm not a siscon. It's just that Komachi is just that great of a sister that I adore her."

"Pervert."

"Yes, I am your dear, perverted boyfriend. I guess both of you are equally precious."

"Equal? No, you must choose: Your lover or your sister?"

"It's really hard to choose..." Hachiman held his chin while looking up at the roof.

"If you truly love me, you shouldn't hesitate and choose me."

"Now, listen. I don't exactly follow the norms of couples. Just because you're my girlfriend, that doesn't mean I should be biased about my opinions whenever you're involved."

"But this question is a different matter. It is about who do you treasure in your heart. Also, you are already biased if it is about your sister so why can't you do it for me?"

"I have a lot of things in my heart like blood, veins-"

"Now you are avoiding the question with a terrible joke."

"I'm trying my best here."

"With your jokes or your effort to avoid the question?"

"Both."

"I see. Then we will discuss this for another time." Yukino sighed, but she smiled. "If I hear another, my eardrums will be severely damaged."

"I agree, it's for the best." He nodded in agreement. "So... what now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Now that I've told you the truth, what now? I'm a jujutsu sorcerer who exorcises curses while you're a normal girl. What's our next step in this? Are we sure of ourselves we can hold on to this relationship despite how big the challenges are, especially after becoming this?"

"Well... I see the problems that we have to face in this. The worst-case scenario is the higher-ups discovering the lies Gojo Satoru crafted and they're sending people to kill you. There are even other issues such as being injured from working on missions and... Oh my god..." Yukino covered her mouth with a hand. "The situation is quite serious."

"I know..."

"Why did you agree to this?"

"I just... agreed to it. I just thought if I didn't take responsibility, then the guilt would kill me instead of the curses."

"But you don't know if you're the primary cause of all this."

"Still, just as Gojo said, I'm not normal, both in ordinary human and jujutsu standards. What am I? What did I do to be like this? Either way, as long as you and the people I care about stay in Chiba, then I have to make the place safe for us to live our normal lives."

"So if all of us decide to leave the city-"

"Then I have no reason to continue the job. I'll basically quit and just live as a normal citizen."

"That sounds selfish."

"Sorry, but I don't have the characteristics to becoming some selfless hero."

"Yes, you don't..."

"... Do you hate me for that?"

"No. You're just thinking about us. It's understandable to pick the ones you know and care for instead of the other innocent people who are complete strangers to you." Yukino answered as she caressed his hand and rub her cheeks with his backhand. "How difficult is it? Working as a sorcerer?"

"It's hard. My life is on the line every time I went to those missions."

"You must be clever at hiding your injuries... How long will you keep working?"

"Until the rate of cursed spirits became stable and manageable to normal standards for Jujutsu Tech."

"Is preventing curses from appearing impossible?"

"Cursed spirits are born from the cursed energy that normal humans leak. Cursed energy comes from negative emotions. As long as we humans live, there will always be curses."

"I see... So how long until you achieve that goal?"

"I don't know..."

"Hachiman..." Yukino leaned her face closer to his. "After knowing what you're going through, I will be constantly worrying about your wellness every time you go on those missions. This will be difficult for both of us."

"Don't worry about me too much. I'm stronger than you think. Have faith in me."

"I don't know if those are true or just empty words to reassure me." She shook her head and then checked her phone. "We should get going. It's 9:15."

"Alright." They stood from their seat and walked.

"This is strange." Yukino mumbled while fiddling her phone.

"What's wrong?"

"There's no signal."

"You think a cell tower broke or something?"

"I don't know..."

"... Wait..." Hachiman looked around the park and noticed something strange. "How come there's not a single person here? A park like this would usually have people at this time. No, it can't be."

"Is there something wrong?" Yukino asked as she noticed his frightful expression.

"We need to go." He said while grabbing her hand.

"You're scaring me... What's going on?"

"... I think we... or rather I might be in trouble."


"Well, that's not suspicious at all." A girl with short black hair spoke sarcastically. She hid herself behind bushes and trees with a revolver aiming specifically at Hachiman's head. "I'll take the shot."

"No, wait!" A girl with long light blue hair kneeled next to her. "I, uh... don't think he's a bad guy."

"A Japanese man, has black hair, and in a relationship with the younger sister. It all matches the description we were given."

"I know that. It's just that... it doesn't feel right."

"Of course it's right. Look, he's a sorcerer. We can tell from his cursed energy. If we don't kill him now, who knows what will happen to that girl who's with him. Don't trust your gut when it's still hungry."

"Was my stomach growling the whole time?!" The light blue-haired girl asked while holding her own stomach.

"Yeah, ever since we arrived at the airport. Let's just finish this so we can relax, okay?"

"Right."


"Are you sure you're not being paranoid?" Yukino asked while looking around in fear.

"I wish I wasn't." Hachiman answered. "I'm sorry I got you into this."

"It's fine, let's just get out safely."

"Yeah, we-" Before he could finish his sentence, he saw something while looking around the park in caution. Behind the bushes and trees, there was a tiny speck of cursed energy from afar. He could be imagining it, but his alerted mind didn't want him to dismiss a single hint of danger, even if it was just from paranoia. He pushed Yukino to crouch with him and a gunshot echoed through the park.

"Shit!" Hachiman shouted as blood dripped from the left side of his head to his cheek.

"Are you okay?" Yukino asked in worry when she saw the graze.

"Yeah."


"He dodged it?" The short-haired girl said in bewilderment. "I guess I need to get to a farther distance."

"Should I...?" The light blue-haired girl asked while pointing at herself and then to their target.

"Yeah, I'll distract him." The short-haired girl answered.


"Where is he..." Hachiman stared at the spot where he saw the cursed energy while moving in front of Yukino to protect her. Both were still crouching. "Run to the table and take cover."

No words were exchanged except for a nod from Yukino. They both ran towards the table where they once sat, and Hachiman saw the tiny spark of cursed energy again to the right corner of his eye. He tilted his head to evade, but he received a cut to his right earlobe.

"So whoever this guy is, he really is targeting me. Did they figure out? No time to think about that. Right now, I need to survive."

"BEHIND YOU!" Yukino shouted a warning, which he listened to and turned around to see a girl with long, light blue hair with a sheathed sword in hand on her hips. Hachiman already guessed what she was about to do, and he anticipated for it.

New Shadow Style: Quick Draw!" The girl drew her sword and came a blur. Her draw was so fast, it was difficult to completely see her movement from an ordinary human's perspective. Hachiman couldn't see it clearly either, but he knew where she would swing and managed to block it with the bamboo hiking pole.

"Since I'm just crouching and she's trying to hit me with that technique, I knew she which way she would swing. It was just obvious. And I'm glad I convinced Yukino to not put the hiking pole on a coin locker." He thought while smirking at her. However, the fight was clearly not over as she pulled her blade and attacked once again. She raised her katana and swung it down to his head. He blocked it in time by raising the hiking pole. A split second after he blocked, the girl kicked him in the face which caused him to tumble away on the grass. He quickly stood, and it was his turn to attack.

He charged at her, preparing a left swing. The girl expected his move, but it was just a feint. Instead, he swung a left kick to her leg and adjusted his aim to hit her head with the pole. The girl easily guarded against it, but because of the kick she received earlier, she lost balance and fell to her knee. She was quick to make her next move as she tilted the blade down to make the pole slid down which made Hachiman open for an attack. At least that was the case. Hachiman was quick to react as he blocked a swing to his throat with the tip of the bamboo pole's handle.

"What a precise guard." The girl was impressed. She noticed he was going to kick her again, and so she countered it with her own kick to stop him from raising his leg. She dodged a downward swing from him and then gave him a cut to his right side. He blocked another swing, aiming for his left shoulder, and thrusted the bamboo pole to her stomach. It successfully hit, and he followed his attack with a successful swing to her left temple. The girl tumbled and as she noticed him quickly approaching her, she stood with one bent knee and made a cut to the left side of his leg. "He reinforced his body with cursed energy. Hitting him with a fatal attack is gonna be hard, but it's not a problem. I'll just have to cover his body with more cuts till he bleeds to death... That sounds so brutal. I really don't want to kill this guy, but I don't have any choice. I have to do it, and I believe this battle will end in my favor."

"I'm getting dizzy. The graze on my head is to blame for that." He analyzed his current situation mentally. "And I can tell this girl is good at swordsmanship, better than I am. Not to mention, the difference in our weapons. Just a few more clashes and the bamboo pole will break. And then there's that guy with the gun. This is a losing battle for me..."

"... His swordsmanship is great but still needs work." The girl thought. "It's like he knows how to swing but doesn't know how to avoid making mistakes. A genius but still a novice in battle... just like what that guy said. Despite his cursed energy stronger than mine, I can still beat him in a battle with swords."

Hachiman shifted his eyes between the girl and the shooter that was hiding from afar. He noticed was a spark of cursed energy that was even tinier, and he tried to dodge, but he miscalculated. The bullet pierced his left leg and at the same time as the gunshot echoed; the girl moved. She sheathed the blade and as soon as she reached a close enough distance, she drew once again.

"New Shadow Style: Quick Draw!"

"SHIT!" His balance faltered slightly and, along with the feeling of panic, his only move he could think of was to jump away. While doing that, He just raised the bamboo pole to guard his neck and head, but the girl aimed for his abdomen. He received a cut, but if he didn't jump away, the injury would be more fatal. Both sorcerers were several feet away from each other, and he saw this as an opportunity. He held the bamboo pole to his left hip as if he was about to draw a sword, and concentrated for a few seconds.

"Cursed energy is building up in his right arm. My guess is he's trying to do a powerful and fast swing." The girl thought as she sheathed her katana and entered a stance. "If that's the case, then I'll face it with my quickest attack."

"Looks like she's anticipating it. The only chance I can take her down is by striking her with my fastest attack. But, I don't have my katana and scabbard so my swing won't be as fast. I'm using a bamboo pole, so I'm not exactly performing my New Shadow Style technique, but rather just imitating its movements. Still, this is my only shot." He inhaled deeply while focusing his gaze at the girl. He ran while gathering cursed energy. "Gather as much cursed energy as I can... And then spread it quickly throughout my legs like making it explode."

"Here he comes. Wait-" The girl noticed something odd from Hachiman, but her thoughts stopped a second later as once she blinked, her arm moved and drew the katana. After seeing a blur in her vision, she heard a grunt of a man behind her, and she turned around to see Hachiman on his knees, clutching the left side of his chest. The cut reached his left shoulder, and the bamboo pole was sliced in half. "He was gathering cursed energy while running and imbued it to his legs to go faster. His plan must be to surprise me with the sudden change in his speed. If I didn't use my Simple Domain for my New Shadow Style, you might have the upper hand. But even if that happens, your legs are broken because the way you imbued your cursed energy is impatient and dangerous. It's like you forcibly moved your limbs beyond their limit in a split second. You attempted to blow up your muscles to defeat me. Reckless, but it's commendable."

"Am I gonna die here? Just like this?" Hachiman thought with dread. With all his might, he let out his voice. "I guess it's my loss... But I just have to ask to make sure... Why do you guys want to kill me? Did the higher-ups send you?"

"What?" The girl asked in confusion. "Your comrade confessed about the assassination. There's no point in hiding."

"What assassination? I'm not... killing anybody." Hachiman struggled to breathe.

"Are you serious?" She asked in bewilderment and turned around to look at Yukino, whose eyes widened with tears dripping on to her cheeks. Yukino wanted to run to Hachiman and help, but she feared her life would be in danger and she hated herself for that. Meanwhile, the light blue-haired girl was just in thought. "Maybe we got tricked after all. No, it's too early for that. It's hard to determine their true nature. The best course of action might be to interrogate them."

"Hey, Miwa." The girl with short black hair came out of the bushes and approached her.

"Mai?"

"We need to go. Mechamaru encountered two of them."

"Did he kill them?"

"No, they retreated for now. We need to go back and think about our next move." The short-haired girl named Mai then looked at Hachiman, who was still on his knees in silence. His consciousness was fading, but he didn't want to give in. He had to endure the enormous amount of pain from his injuries, and the continuous ringing in both ears. He couldn't feel his body or even move anymore. Not even his head. Suddenly, the swordswoman named Miwa carried him on her back and turned around. He lifted his eyes and saw Yukino being approached by the short-haired girl. Yukino stepped back each time the sorcerer went closer to her. The short-haired girl pulled Yukino's right arm forcefully with the revolver aiming for her head at point blank.

"Oi... wait... She's not involved in this... Please..." He pleaded, but they ignored it, or perhaps they were speaking to him but he couldn't tell because of the ringing in his ears. He wanted to hear what these two sorcerers were talking about, but his main priority was his girlfriend. "Let her go... Don't hurt her..."


"So where is this guy!?" Miwa asked while carefully putting down Hachiman on a bed.

"Mechamaru said he's upstairs." A man answered as he walked out of the room. He wore a black suit, and had brown, slick-back hair.

"What are they going to do with us?" Hachiman thought and couldn't see Yukino around. Then a person entered the room.

The person appeared to be a man with dark skin and wore a green T-shirt, a pair of jeans and sandals. He suddenly prostrated on the floor next to his bed and then sat in a cross-sitting position with hands clasped together. He appeared to be talking so quickly, while closing his eyes shut with a look of despair. It was as if he was praying for forgiveness. The man in the black suit pulled him up by the arm and stared at each other for a moment as the dark-skinned man's facial expression changed into fear before the former left the room. He approached Hachiman and placed a hand on his graze wound and the cut on his right side. The pain from both injuries slowly grew faint, but it didn't disappear completely. Even so, he felt relax to the point he wanted to sleep. However, he had to resist and remain conscious so he could go back to the others with Yukino. He had to find a way for them to escape as these sorcerers' intentions might still be hostile. After staring at the ceiling for an entire hour, he slowly touched the injury on his right side and flinched.

"U-um, be careful." The man who healed him spoke, but in English with a strange accent. He made strange hand gestures while explaining. "Injury not healed. Rest."

"Uh, S-Sankyu (Thank you)." Hachiman expressed his gratitude in English, though with pronunciation errors.

"Uh, let's see. Oh, right I forgot." The dark-skinned man went out of the room and immediately came back with a small white rectangular device. He fiddled with the device and spoke close to it in English. "Okay, uh, Ahem, How are you feeling?"

"Oh, wow." Hachiman was amazed. After the man spoke in English, the device translated it into Japanese. The man then pointed the device close to the boy and answered. "I'm fine, but my injuries still kinda hurt."

"I'm still getting used to this reversed cursed energy."

"So there's another sorcerer who can make reversed cursed energy?"

"Yes, but I just figured out how to do it recently so it's hard to control it."

"Is there a chance you can teach me?"

"I don't think I can. It's really hard to explain. It's like a feeling, you know?"

"Worth a shot." Hachiman sighed. He thought he could at least get the very basic understanding about reversed cursed energy, but it seemed to be impossible. He raised his trembling left hand towards him while looking stoic.

"What's wrong? Are you-" The moment the healer grabbed his hand, Hachiman violently pulled him close and locked him in a chokehold. The boy sat up while maintaining the strength of his hold on the healer.

"What are you trying to pull?" Mai glared at him as she and Miwa drew their weapons at him. After one deep breath, he glared at the two sorcerers and manager.

"Don't move or I'll kill him." He said in a menacing way.

"Be my guess. Once you kill him, your head will get this bullet as a reward." Mai said with a smirk.

"We want to interrogate you. Nothing more." Miwa tried to ease the situation. "Once you answer them, we'll let you two go."

"No, I'm asking the questions here." Hachiman argued as he tightened his hold further, which caused the healer to grunt even more.

"Or we could kill you right now." Mai threatened.

"No." Miwa dropped her katana on the floor. "Look, we're not gonna hurt you."

"Oi, Miwa..." Mai looked at her in bewilderment.

"Just do it. We won't be able to understand the full situation if we keep on fighting."

"Ugh, fine." Mai dropped her revolver.

"Ask away." Miwa said while raising both hands up.

"Okay, first: Where is Yukino?"

"In a separate room, being interrogated." Mai answered nonchalantly.

"If you do anything to her, I'll-"

"Please trust us, we don't mean any harm." Miwa tried to convince him, but it didn't work.

"Right. Of course, I can trust you guys after you cut me and shot me in the head." Hachiman said in an angrily sarcastic tone. "Do you think I'm that dumb?"

"We just want answers because we're just as confused as you are."

"Who are you, anyway?"

"We're from Kyoto Jujutsu Tech." Miwa answered. "My name is Kasumi Miwa. This is Zenin Mai."

"And my name is Onishi Fujin, an auxiliary manager." The man in a black suit named Fujin suddenly entered the room while introducing himself.

"From Kyoto?" Hachiman thought. "What do sorcerers from Kyoto want?"

"We're assigned on a mission to stop an assassination. According to the person we arrested, curse users from a foreign country are hired to kill certain targets here."

"Foreigners, huh? Who's the target?"

"Yukinoshita Haruno."

"What?!" Hachiman was shocked as he accidentally loosened his grip on the healer, which the latter took the opportunity to break free from the chokehold. He mumbled, but then sighed. "Shit. Is she alright?"

"Yes, for now. She is still in danger until we stop them."

"What are they after? Money? Trafficking? A personal agenda?"

"A rival business." Mai answered with both hands on her own hips. "Looks like someone is jealous of her family doing better than their client, so he or maybe she wants it gone for good, starting with the most likely person to inherit the business."

"A rival business?" Hachiman repeated. "That would mean a non-sorcerer has knowledge about curses?"

"Possibly. Curse users are criminals under jujutsu law." Fujin answered while Mai caressed the healer's back to comfort him as he caressed his neck. "You could say it's no different from those ordinary businesses like trafficking, robbery, and whatnot. Think of that, but with curses involved. Even though Gojo Satoru is keeping them in check, there are still some who supposedly slipped out of his grasp, but if they're active while his overwhelming presence dominates the jujutsu world, their freedom to commit crime is too limited to even try to 'openly' promote their business or do anything at all. The curse users attempting to assassinate you will be considered 'bold by the current standards since the immediate consequence is not something to take lightly."

"So why hasn't Gojo done anything for this yet?" Hachiman asked.

"I heard Gojo is busy with a mission abroad."

"At a time like this? What kind of mission is that?" He gritted his teeth in frustration."Then why are you attacking me?"

"The person we interrogated said a 'boy who is in a relationship with the younger sister is one of them'."

"And you believe that shit?" His frustration grew larger, but he didn't want to shout at them. Not yet.

"He sounded believable considering how they tortured him to get the answers." Mai answered. "Don't blame us for trying to kill you."

"What she meant was we're sorry for causing you so much trouble." Miwa bowed and elbowed Mai's arm to make her do the same. The latter clicked her tongue and bowed.

"It's... fine." Hachiman accepted hesitantly before gently holding his head, specifically the part where the injury was. "Was the guy you captured one of those foreign curse users?"

"He's in the same group, yes." Miwa confirmed for him.

"I guess this is more of a personal grudge?" Hachiman speculated. "What did I do that caught their attention?"

"Um, since you're not one of them, does that mean you're not the one who cast the veil?"

"I thought it was you?"

"... So that means it was someone else. Most likely, it's those assassins." Mai speculated.

"Yes, that is the only possibility under these circumstances." Fujin spoke. "The veil can somehow brainwash any non-sorcerers into staying away from the area, and only sorcerers can go through the barrier, but it prevents them from getting out. A veil that complex is difficult to create for even the most talented of sorcerers."

"None of us can cast a veil like that." Mai spoke while sitting on a chair with her legs crossed. "We might be dealing with some strong curse users."

"But... why?" Hachiman said while holding his chin. "Curse users are criminals, right? Which means they have no consideration for jujutsu law. One of those laws are not letting innocent non-sorcerers involved in a jujutsu conflict. Also adding the fact that they're assassins, that raises the question of why they had to go so much trouble of creating a complex barrier to separate us from the public? It would've been easier for them to just kill me while blending in public when my guard was down or from a certain distance. Instead, they went for those measures to isolate us from outside, and possibly want us to kill each other. Who is that curse user, anyway? Do you know the identity the person you captured?"

"He only calls himself 'The Defiant', and we could only trace his origin back in India." Miwa answered.

"India? I don't know any Indian or any foreigner in general." Hachiman said with a shrug. "India... do they know something about my abnormality? Possibly, I guess we can only find the answer through that curse user, but I don't want to just tell these Kyoto sorcerers. They're not trustworthy yet."

"Our main objective right now is stopping the assassins." The manager suggested. "Mechamaru encountered two of them when Yukinoshita Haruno and her friends were strolling on the road, attempting to assassinate her while blending in the crowd..."


30 minutes ago, while Hachiman fought the two sorcerers.

"Did you put the tracker on her?" Mechamaru asked from the phone.

"Yes." Fujin answered while walking past citizens.

"Okay, please find a spot for you to keep an eye on her in an angle I can't. If you see a suspicious person or with a different flow of cursed energy, notify me immediately."

"Understood." The call ended and Mechamaru just stood while watching Haruno and her friends walking towards the coin lockers. The tracker was special because Mechamaru created it with two functions: One was to obviously work as a GPS tracking device via sensing his cursed energy stored in it; The other was to detect a strong cursed energy output within its large radius. It worked by releasing a pulsating barrier every three seconds. Those that had high cursed energy output would be immediately be alerted by Mechamaru once they were inside the barrier's radius. The reason he created it to pulse was because maintaining a barrier continuously would cost more cursed energy, so this was the only way to keep the function in effect while costing little cursed energy. Once a person or object with strong cursed energy entered the barrier, it was up to Mechamaru to determine if said person or object was a threat or not.

"And if I did see it as a threat, I'll cast another barrier with the puppet to protect her." Mechamaru thought. "It would be better if the curse user just approach her and gets in the barrier without noticing it. If that happens, I'll just shoot him down from afar. A far better scenario because if I activate the protection barrier, the curse users will see it and then they'll act even more cautiously. Creating this puppet took years, and this is the only one that works. But if the curse user fires a cursed technique to kill from a distance, then I'll use the protection barrier, find the residual to trace it back to the culprit, then shoot him from this distance if possible."

While Mechamaru was thinking, something entered the detection barrier. The moment its smallest molecule went in, information suddenly sent to his mind.

It was an object.

Small, sharp, and made of metal.

A knife.

And it was coming towards Haruno's head quickly.

All that information came within a split second. Mechamaru quickly responded by casting the protection barrier through the puppet and it successfully protected her as the knife bounced back. One civilian saw the knife falling, and he immediately jumped back.

"What the hell?!" The man was shocked, along with other bystanders. Haruno and the others shifted their attention towards the man and the knife.

"So they're going for an assassination from a distance, huh? Whoever launched that knife has to be around here." "As soon as he thought that, he got a call from the auxiliary manager.

"I found the curse user." Fujin spoke through the phone and told him the direction. Mechamaru looked down closely until he finally saw cursed residuals on the road, even though they were small from his eyes because of being on top of a tall building. He traced the footprints back and found the culprit walking with the crowd. It was a man who appeared to be quite skinny with a shaved, bald cut, a blue large backpack and wearing a plain white long-sleeved shirt, grey cargo shorts, and sneakers with black and white design.

Mechamaru aimed his right hand at the culprit, but he sensed a fast moving, cursed energy coming to his way, specifically to his left side. He leaned back, and a knife flew past him, leaving a scratch on his chin. Before he thought any further, two more knives twirled towards him from behind. As he was about to guard against them, something entered the detection barrier around Haruno. With quick thinking and reflexes, he immediately cast the protection barrier to deflect the incoming twirling knife at her neck. At the same time, he used "Sword Option: Ultra Shield" on both arms to block the two knives. He looked down to find the curse user, but he was nowhere to be seen. All that was left was the residuals which just stopped in the middle of the road, not leading to anything else.

"If I didn't create the detection barrier, I might've been too late to notice that attack. Distracting me with two knives and threw another one a second later, excellent strategy." Mechamaru thought, while jumping from rooftop to rooftop. Since the curse user knew where he was, the best tactic was to keep moving while JHaruno was within his sight. After jumping to another rooftop, he looked around and waited while hiding behind a water tank. This time, three knives were twirling towards him from three directions: In front, right side, and left side. It was also faster than the previous ones, too fast for him to evade, so he used Ultra Shield on both arms to guard. Then, out of nowhere, someone appeared in front of him. It was a person wearing a red hoodie, black jogging pants, sandals, and a hollowed-out German Shepard head mask.

The mask-wearing man punched his stomach, which made him crash through the water tank and to a wall. The silver lining was Mechamaru blocking the three knives, but they were stuck in his arms as one shattered some spikes. He went back on his feet, and the man charged at him to engage in hand-to-hand combat. The curse user threw a left jab, and Mechamaru blocked it with his right Ultra Shield. It grazed the curse user's wrist with the spikes, but it didn't seem to bother him as he swung a right kick to Mechamaru's leg. The force was so strong; he broke the sorcerer's leg almost in half and the curse user tried to finish it with a punch to the face while the latter was falling.

"Sword Option..." Mechamaru's left hand formed a long, metal, sharp claws and decapitated his fist. This forced the curse user to jump away to avoid the claws and re-think his tactics.

"Boost on."

But, unfortunately for him, Mechamaru activated his elbow-mounted jet boosters at the same time he jumped. He flew, and his claw began to spin fast like a drill. He thrust the drill-like attack at the curse user's chest while the latter was inches off the ground. The curse user could only guard as he crossed his arms up front. The puppet tried to pierce through the arms while activating the jet booster on his left elbow to add more momentum, but it only tore the right sleeve of his red hoodie. The attack caused the curse user to be sent flying back, and Mechamaru didn't waste this opportunity as he fired beams of cursed energy to his stomach and head. He made sure to make it small and compressed, but still deadly so the people from below wouldn't hear it. The first beam pierced through the stomach while the other one was just negated when it made contact with the dog mask.

"So that mask of yours is a cursed tool. Is it safe to assume that's how he found me? How annoying." The puppet sorcerer complained and fired more beams of cursed energy from his palms, aiming at the curse user's vital areas. The curse user jumped to the side to evade the first projectile, then tilted his body to dodge the second one while running towards him. Mechamaru used Boost On to fly away from the enemy because one of his legs was broken, and landed on another rooftop. The curse user followed as he jumped to the rooftop and chased after him. While flying and jumping away, the puppet sorcerer fired more beams until he hit the curse user's right thigh. The sorcerer analyzed while in mid-air. "So my cannons work but not my Ultra Spin? I wonder why?"

The dog mask-wearing enemy didn't slow down even after his thigh was pierced by a beam of cursed energy. He ran and threw a rock that he grabbed from the debris at the previous rooftop. Mechamaru simply tilted his head to dodge, and then blocking the second one with Ultra Shield.

"Such strong throwing power with cursed energy. No, it's not just that." Mechamaru thought as the curse user was getting closer to him. The sorcerer flew up to gain the air advantage, and the curse user threw a third rock at him, which he flew to the side to evade. A split second later, the curse user jumped towards him, but he did nothing as he fell. Mechamaru wondered why, but he already saw the answer. "It seems your injuries are taking its toll on you. Don't worry, I'll make this as painless as possible."

"Not a chance." The curse user spoke and just vanished. The puppet sorcerer was stunned and looked around, searching for him. Unfortunately, he couldn't find him, and so he shifted his attention to the target of assassination.

"I want to find that curse user, but my main priority right now is protecting that Yukinoshita daughter. Finding that scum will be their job. Hm?" Mechamaru noticed a commotion occurring in the middle of the road. A knife was stuck in his right arm and onlookers stared in shock. Some just took pictures of the horrid scene whle the others just stood still. Haruno and the group also stared in bewilderment until they just walked away.

"... And we need to avoid casualties."


"...He stopped them, but unfortunately they managed to escape after suffering from injuries. Right now, he is still monitoring her until something happens."

"Thank God." Hachiman released a sigh of relief, but he asked in concern. "Wait, this Mechamaru guy is monitoring her? Alone?"

"Don't worry, he's strong." Miwa said with a reassuring smile. "A semi-first grade against a group of second and third grades. He'll be fine."

"Is that so?" Hachiman seemed assured with that answer

"Now, wait just a minute." Mai interrupted them while massaging the bridge of her nose. "This just turned into some strategy meeting than an interrogation. I can't believe we're that stupid..."

"Oh... yeah, but he's kinda trustworthy." Miwa whispered to her.

"Not until we know who he really is." Mai argued and turned to the boy in question. "Well? Who are you? A sorcerer from Tokyo? Got any ID?"

"I used to be a student there, but I dropped out because I couldn't take the missions anymore." Hachiman came up with a quick lie.

"A dropout, huh?" However, that didn't end their doubts about him. Within a second, he already got an idea.

"I can call someone to confirm this." Hachiman suggested.

"What? How do we know you're not gonna call your friends to 'take care' of us? We won't be that stupid."

"Trust me, it's someone from Tokyo Jujutsu Tech."

"Who?" Miwa asked.

"Kusakabe Atsuya."

"Kusakabe?" Fujin repeated the name in bewilderment.

"You know him?" Hachiman asked the manager.

"I once worked together with him along with other sorcerers and managers in a terrorist attack called the 'Night Parade Of A Hundred Demons'. He was one of the Tokyo sorcerers who helped us in exorcising an army of curses in Kyoto. He is quite skilled with the blade and is respected by others."

"Yeah, I can see that..." Hachiman thought with his arms crossed and nodding in agreement to that statement. "Can I call him? I know him well."

"What is your relationship with him?" Fujin asked with an arched eyebrow.

"He's my teacher."

"I see, that explains your good swordsmanship." Miwa praised with a gleam on her eyes and smiled. "All the lessons he taught you haven't left you even after dropping out."

"Yeah, even though he only trained me for like a week I think."

"What?" Miwa just looked at him in shock. "You're kidding, right?"

"I wish I wasn't. Because he didn't have that teacher's license, he couldn't teach me more, and he was really busy during that time. I just stumbled on him a few times and sparred with him." Hachiman lied so he could cover up the issue with Atsuya not having a teacher's license.

"Hmm..." Fujin contemplated while holding his chin, and pulled out a phone to give it to him. "Here, you can call him."

"Fine, I give up. Just do whatever you want" Mai just left the room with a sigh of frustration. Meanwhile, Hachiman dialed the number on the phone and it answered.

"Hello? Hikigaya?" Atsuya said on the phone.

"Kusakabe-sensei? Hi, uh..." Hachiman greeted back and explained to him his situation. He then gave the phone to Fujin, who grabbed it and talked to Atsuya for a while. After waiting for seconds, Fujin shifted his attention to the boy.

"Okay, your words are confirmed by a professional jujutsu sorcerer. We trust you." Fujin gave the phone back to him and bowed. "We humbly apologize for the misunderstanding and the harm we've caused you."

"It's okay... I just want to know what your next plan is for stopping the assassins."

"Hmm... For now, I'd say the best course of action is to keep guarding Yukinoshita Haruno in the shadows. Mechamaru has a barrier technique that protects her, so in order for them to kill their target, they need to find a way to get through that barrier."

"Either by using an attack strong enough to break it, or just kill Mechamaru to solve the problem." Hachiman looked at Yukino again in worry and sighed. "The question is when will be their next move."

"It has to be tonight or tomorrow." Fujin answered. "This Okinawa trip is the best potential opportunity for them to perform their assassination without a hitch. If you all go back to Chiba, the curse users would have to split their efforts between killing their target, and avoiding the eyes of Tokyo Jujutsu Tech. All we can do is wait."

"You don't have to get involved in this," Miwa reassured him while waving her hands. "Just let us handle it while you can go back on enjoying your vacation."

"How the hell are we gonna enjoy our vacation after knowing all this?" Hachiman thought with a drop of sweat on his cheek. "Don't you guys have any ways to find them?"

"If we could, but they only left so little residuals, it didn't leave us anything." Miwa answered while shaking her head. "Just waiting for them is all we could do unless they slip up."

"Seriously?" The young sorcerer put a hand on his head. "I guess there's nothing else to do."

"Just count on us. We'll end this quickly." Miwa said with a bow and left the room, followed by Fujin. They left Hachiman alone with the doctor and only silence filled the room for a moment until the doctor spoke on the translator.

"Uh, right. Let me check on your condition deeper and see if there are issues."

"Thanks..." Hachiman said in a mispronounced English. "Oi."

"Ah, yes?" The doctor pointed the translator near the boy for him to speak.

"You haven't told me who you are, yet."

"Dr. Rahul." The doctor named Rahul introduced himself. "Nice to meet you."

"Rahul... Wait, you're a foreigner, right?" Hachiman asked with a scrutinizing gaze. "Where are you from?"

"I'm from the Middle East."

"The Middle East, huh?" The boy just closed his eyes and relaxed without even noticing the slight change in the doctor's expression. There was this menacing expression he wore before checking his injuries. "Why coming here?"

"Japan is the country that holds a monopoly in jujutsu sorcery. Basically, it's all business in my part. I just arrived yesterday and now I'm here to 'test my abilities'. Even though just giving me an injured person for me to heal is good enough."

"I see..." As Hachiman fell asleep because of the immense exhaustion, Rahul stood and opened his bag to pull out an axe, but he put it back in.

"abhee nahin... dekhate hain ki yah kaise saamane aata hai." Rahul mumbled.

"'Not yet.. let's see how it turns out': that's what he said..." Hachiman thought as he slightly opened one eye to observe him without being discovered he was awake. He had an intuition he may be involved in because the timing of the doctor's arrival in Japan raised his suspicion. He couldn't see what Rahul was doing in the large bag since he could only see the doctor's back. Still, Hachiman sensed cursed energy gathering in one place. When he was about to form speculations, something bothered him. "Wait, how did I understand that?"

"So, do you feel anything strange? You were grazed in the side of your head. You're quite lucky it wasn't fatal enough, but it's very impressive that you're still conscious."

"I still feel a headache and..."

"... And?"

"There's this ringing in my left ear and it won't stop... Make it stop... It's irritating me..."


Two women sat across from each other between the table and none hadn't spoken. Mai was just staring at Yukino with a scrutinizing gaze. Yukino just looked down, afraid of making eye contact with the sorcerer. The silence and the continuous gaze were unbearable for her. She wanted to escape this room and go back to her normal life with Hachiman. However, she didn't know where he was or if he was fine from those injuries. It was a horrid sight for her. All the blood dripping from those cuts, the moment he kneeled after fighting the blue-haired sorcerer, and his mumbling voice as he tried to speak while appearing to lose consciousness; it engraved deeply in her mind. She was aware how dangerous Hachiman's circumstances were, but she underestimated the events that would randomly happen.

"Hey..." Mai tried to call her, but Yukino was in her own mind, trying to avoid going back to that image. She questioned in her mind what these people were about to do.

"Hellooo~?"

"Where is he...? Where is he...? Please, don't di-..." Yukino's thoughts were interrupted by Mai, who tried to get her attention with a clap.

"Looks like you're awake. Don't space out when you're in this predicament." Mai said as she put her right elbow on the table and rest her chin on her right hand. "So, you're Yukinoshita, right?"

"Y-Yes..."

"And you're family is rich?"

"Yes..." Yukino answered while still looking down and clutching her skirt. "Does she want money? Is that the reason they did that to him? No, there has to be more than that..."

"Then, if you wanna get out of here, buy some clothes, okay?"

"Not okay!" Miwa suddenly entered the room and karate chopped Mai's head. The light blue-haired sorcerer then bowed as an apology. "I'm sorry, she's just joking."

"Um, okay..." Yukino said with a nod and Miwa smiled.

"You're okay to go now. We believe you two are innocent based on both of your answers. We're very sorry for causing you both harm." Miwa bowed again.

"R-Really? Is Hachiman okay?"

"He's being treated by our doctor. He looks fine now."

"Thank you..." Tears came out of Yukino's eyes and covered her mouth to hold back her voice. "Thank you..."


An hour later,

Hachiman and Yukino left the building as she held his right arm. His head was wrapped around in bandages along with his other injuries, but he seemed to be perfectly fine. They took a ride on a bus so they could go back to their resort. Yukino already texted her older sister, lying to her that Hachiman got involved in an accident and so they wanted to go back to let him rest.

"What did those people want?" Yukino asked.

"It seems to be a misunderstanding." Hachiman answered while looking outside through the window to his left. "The information they got was a lie, so they apologized and let us go."

"Is that really it?"

"Yeah, nothing else. I can't believe I just suffered through that because of a misunderstanding."

"But, there's no more problem, right?"

"Yeah..." Hachiman said with a sigh. "We're fine now."


"So the information from that curse user was false?" Mechamaru asked through the phone. He was still observing Haruno from afar despite the damage he received from the fight with the curse users.

"It seems to be the case." Fujin answered while staring at a whiteboard full of pictures, lines, and the map of Okinawa. "The curse user must have a separate reason from his group. He must have a grudge against Hikigaya since his time in Tokyo Jujutsu Tech."

"Is that so? Then, let's prioritize on dealing with the real assassins. There is no other way for us to search for them, so the only course of action is to protect Yukinoshita Haruno and wait for them to strike."

"We know that. We discussed it earlier before you called." Mai said while playing with a strand of her hair.

"The matter of when isn't the problem, but on the matter of how they will attack. One of them has a cursed tool that can somehow find me. But, I think we can settle that issue with you, Mai."

"Me?"

"You see, the curse user threw the knives at the target and then, they went after me. It seems they weren't aware of me or the barrier until he did it. I believe there is a certain limit, a specific range that the cursed tool could detect, or he could find us after we use our cursed technique. I'm leaning more on the second possibility because by default, I'm already using my cursed technique 24/7 so they should've discovered me before attacking the target.. You're the perfect role of killing the curse users from a distance without them noticing you because you're the best marksman here."

"Is that so? Then, you buy me a sniper rifle since we don't know the exact range of that curse user's detection. "

"I already did."

"What should I do?" Miwa asked eagerly.

"You will follow from far away. Once we found the curse users, you'll head to us quickly with Onishi-san transporting you."

"Oh..." Miwa was a little disappointed that her role was small, but at the same time, she was glad because she was still had difficulty on the concept of killing an individual.

"So when is my sniper rifle coming?"

"It should arrive right about now. As for Hikigaya Hachiman, it's best for him to be close to Yukinoshita Haruno so we can protect both of them. Once we're prepared, we'll finish the mission."


Sorry it took so long. Lots of personal stuff kept me busy. I'll try to upload as fast as I can.

So what did you guys think of the fights? It kinda makes sense to me that 8man wouldn't stand a chance against two grade 3 sorcerers since: One, he's still inexperienced in some ways; two, it's a 2v1; and three, Miwa and Mai are grade 3 which means they're close to the strength of grade 2 which is 8man's current grade. How is the overall argument between 8man and Yukino? I didn't put too much effort in their dialogue because I kinda want to just get it over with so we can progress into the larger moments of the story.

Also, I used an English-to-Hindi translator so please forgive me for the errors in Hindi.

This is a very short arc that just further explores and develops the characters and how they will move the story as a crossover. I'm thinking just one chapter will be the last for this arc until we get into the big and more serious ones.

Thank you for reading this fanfic. Please leave a review as your opinions will be helpful for making this story better.