DISCLAIMER:
I do NOT own the Oregairu and Jujutsu Kaisen series as they are respectfully owned by the creators and studios.
August 10:30 AM
It was a bright day. The summer heat was still strong, but that wasn't a problem for the people inside the building. On the first floor, there was a kids' corner for the young children to play. One particular woman was staring at her 6-year-old son playing happily with other children. Her husband was away at work, so she was left with the task of handling household chores and taking care of the child as the housewife of the family. They lived in a normal house, their finances were stable, and the spouses managed to enroll their son to a decent school.
But was she happy?
From her expression, she appeared to be. Her smile emanated a bright maternal aura as she watched her son laughing and running with the new friends he made. She looked at how happy he was while playing with them. It was almost as if he forgot about anyone else other than the toys the corner offered and his friends.
As if he forgot his own mother was there watching him.
"It's fine, right...? He looks so happy. I don't even need to be here..." With a sigh of relief, she slowly stepped back until someone called out to her.
"Oh, it's you!" A woman appeared to be in her forties approached her while waving. "It's been a week! How are you doing?"
"Oh, hahaha... Yes, I'm fine. I took my son here to let him play with the kids while I uh... take a breather and look at the great view at the top." The mother answered nervously. "Stop talking to me..."
"That's good. I came here to give my two cousins a quick tour around Chiba."
"Is that so? Um, can you excuse me for a moment? There is something I need to do." After she said that, the housewife took more steps backwards and turned around to walk quickly. "Just don't look back. The moment you walk out the door, that's when everything is-"
"If it isn't the hardworking wife. I didn't expect you to be here." An old lady in front of her greeted. "How is he, by the way? Still working hard?"
"Oh, no. Why do I have to bump into her..." She covered her ears and hesitated, but the urge to run was growing. Before she could reach even a meter close to the door, the lights turned off, and darkness remained. This puzzled her and everyone else. It was still daylight, so the automatic glass doors should at least illuminate the floor slightly. However, they saw no glass doors or even windows. The others ran to where the way out was, but they instead bumped into a concrete wall.
"What the hell?"
"What is going on?"
"Mommy?!"
People panicked as they wandered around in confusion and fear while children cried for their parents and guardians. The housewife hesitated, but her maternal instincts took over her thoughts. And so, she quickly ran towards his son by following the sound of his voice. However, what came next was one that not a single innocent soul in the building would predict it happening.
The Four Stories Of The Tower: Part 1
Climb And Descent
12 days had passed since his belated birthday party. After saving Haruno from the curse users attempting to assassinate her, Hachiman noticed a slight change from her. She started calling him on the phone more often, having brief conversations about mundane topics and his well-being. He worried she might develop an overprotective behavior towards himself and Yukino. However, it didn't really bother him to a degree. As of this moment, his current issue was the hearing aids he wore. It was his first time using a pair, and it already irritated him. One issue was that his ears would feel uncomfortable and itchy, and his ear wax would build up. It didn't really take long for his family to find out about his tinnitus since his mother spotted him removing the hearing aid in the bedroom. He came up with a lie that Yukino and her family took him to an audiologist in Okinawa after receiving a head injury from an accident. When Komachi called Haruno, the latter immediately figured out the situation and supported his lie. So in the end, that issue was resolved.
At the present, a new conflict had emerged...
"The Chiba Port Tower?" Hachiman asked Nanami. He was in the backseat of the black car with Nanami sitting in the front and Ijichi driving.
"Yes, it seems the tower is empty for the last hour and it raised suspicion." Nanami answered while adjusting his glasses. "When a few people went in there to check, they never came back. No one was able to contact the people inside either. The most obvious reason for this occurrence is a curse. We are tasked in discovering that curse and exorcise it."
"Got it, but do I have to wear this?" Hachiman asked while looking at his own attire. He wore a suit comprising a charcoal grey jacket with matching pants, a black shirt with white chalk stripes and a maroon tie.
"Gojo-san said it is mandatory for whatever reason. But I don't see any harm in wearing that attire as long as you perform the mission efficiently."
"Mandatory, huh? Isn't he just a teacher?"
"Yes, but his strength is beyond any authority."
"But does that mean I should do as he says?"
"As long as he's on your side, then no."
"I feel like him being on my side is just as bad. If I feel his presence for even one second from a mile, I would cancel all plans to commit on creating an Anti-Gojo strategy."
"You don't have to do any of that. It's a waste of time to ponder the inevitable, so the only thing we do is to express indifference to it. After doing that for a period of time, you can already tolerate his behavior by 40%."
"I haven't even reached the double digits after the training. And that was more than a month and a half? It's hopeless."
"It will be hopeless if you only complain."
"This is turning into a Gojo-hating conversation... again." Ijichi thought with a drop of sweat on his cheek.
"Listen well, Hikigaya-kun." Nanami explained to the young sorcerer while looking at him in the rear-view mirror. "The epitome of an adult isn't just one who can leave their comfort zones or one who knows the correct ways to do based on an instruction or manual, but one who had grown accustomed to the accumulation of the tiny despairs. In our daily lives, even the tiniest of conflicts can spark a huge wave of emotion within us. Simple problems such as forgetting there was a huge discount for meat at the nearest grocery store, noticing too late there's no toilet paper roll when using the restroom, or accidentally putting salt to bake dessert instead of sugar, are all what give us this tiny spark of despair and respond correlating to that. What response should you be most concerned?"
"The... kind that reacts violently or aggressively?" Hachiman answer, unsure if it was the right one.
"Correct. How you emotionally respond and control is where you test your own maturity. If something unfortunate happens to a person, the first reaction is either frustration, sadness, or rage... or all of the above. It is inevitable for the majority to have such emotional reactions. Now, to truly achieve a calm mind, the person must approach the despair in a more civilized manner. Your level of maturity is dictated by how quick you can dissipate your emotions to keep your reaction at a minimal degree along with the proper mindset of learning from said despair. That is how to understand and learn the ability of indifference."
"I see... I think the toilet paper situation is a lot bigger than a tiny despair. Something like that is equal to being broke or losing a job."
"Hm, that is a good point."
"Eh? You agreed to that? Well, that's true for me too." Ijichi thought in agreement.
"So in your own opinion, what if those feelings are too overwhelming?" Hachiman asked.
"Expression is the most effective method to find peace." Nanami answered while crossing his arms together. "You can complain, vent your frustration through harmless activity, or just shout. What matters is after doing that, you must be calm to make the right decisions. I believe you have already achieved that based on how much you complain about Gojo-san and then become indifferent to his antics."
"I'd rather not say anything out of fear of escalating a problem or embarrassing myself to death." He said while looking outside through the car window. "Do you also do everything he says?"
"Depends on the request he would give me and his reasoning." Nanami answered. "If it's nonsensical, I will refuse without question."
"So... you think doing missions with me isn't nonsensical?"
"It is massively nonsensical."
"Then why did you agree to this?"
"You were given unfair judgment until Gojo-san presented you with this chance. I also disapprove of the higher-ups' decisions. They're conservatives that want to keep some outdated Jujutsu laws and virtue to the modern era, no matter how strict or questionable those might be, based on today's social norms. However, their decisions filled with traditional and outdated reasons are understandable when you know what sort of period they've lived throughout the previous era. I abide by the rules because we need order in the world of jujutsu, but I don't agree with the mindset of the higher-ups in this present time."
"Sounds like it's more reasonable rather than nonsensical..."
"The nonsensical part of this is what Gojo-san had in mind." Nanami looked at Hachiman through the rear-view mirror.
"Hm... So how much in trouble Gojo will be in if they find out about this?"
"Unsurprisingly, not much. They would just shout at him and he would only ignore them like an immature brat, even though I'm younger than him."
"Younger? How old are you?"
"I'm 27, and Gojo-san is 28."
"Still in the late twenties. I thought you were about mid-30s or early 40s." When Hachiman said that, Nanami flinched and adjusted his glasses with trembling fingers.
"Do I appear that old to you?" Nanami asked in the usual calm tone, but the young sorcerer felt something off.
"Uh.. a little." His answer caused Nanami to flinch once again, and Hachiman noticed it. "So it hurts men too... I should've listened to Hiratsuka-sensei about mentioning age."
"We're here." Ijichi cut the awkward conversation by announcing their arrival at the location. The two sorcerers and the auxiliary manager went out of the vehicle and saw the area around the tower was empty.
"Can I at least take the jacket off? It's too hot." Hachiman asked.
"I already took off my own, so go ahead." Nanami answered as he only wore his usual attire, but without the jacket. As Ijichi cast the veil over the tower, the two sorcerers approached the entrance. They looked through the double glass door and windows, and they didn't see a single person inside.
"It's as if this place has been recently abandoned." Hachiman commented while feeling discomfort inside his ear. "It's itching again. Is there a hearing aid that's comfortable and doesn't involve inserting it in the ear? Whatever, just keep it together."
"Be cautious and good luck to you all." Ijichi said to the sorcerers as he watched them went inside the tower through the opened double glass door, and then saw them disappeared.
The first thing the two sorcerers encountered was pitch black darkness. No matter where they looked, they couldn't see their surroundings. Hachiman pulled out his phone and turned on its flashlight.
What he saw was grotesque and horrific.
Puddles and splashes of blood were on the floor, the walls, the stands and other things. In the game corner, the slot machines were damaged and covered in blood, and on the kids' corner, the toys were shattered into pieces. Corpses were everywhere on the floor, and it almost made Hachiman vomit, but he held it in after covering his mouth with a hand.
"Even the kids..." Hachiman mumbled as he saw the corpses of children in the kids' corner. Some of their heads were torn off, while others had holes in their bodies. His expression displayed sorrow until he sensed cursed energy from behind. He and Nanami jumped forward, which was the right move as the spot they once stood ruptured, with all the pieces of concrete scattering everywhere. Hachiman lifted the phone and illuminated a large cursed spirit with an upside-down head. Its face was full of maggots, and it had no eyes or nose. The upper body was muscular, while the limbs were fat. The oddly proportioned cursed spirit wasn't alone. Another cursed spirit came out of the darkness and showed itself in his flashlight. This time, it was a four-legged creature with a serpent-like head and neck. Its pair of legs from the back appeared to be much longer than the pair on the front, and its body was oval-shaped with uneven bumps. It was as if the cursed spirit's body had spores inside it. It seemed to only have a few teeth, and it was as if the cursed spirit had swelling on its eyes.
The sorcerers noticed the four-legged curse was holding a dead little girl in its mouth as it continued chewing her. Hachiman just gently placed the phone on the floor with its flashlight pointing upward on the ceiling. The instant he had both hands on his sheathed katana, he was already behind the two cursed spirits. The four-legged one was sliced into three pieces, being exorcised in the process, while the humanoid monster only received one cut for each fat forearm.
"That one is a first grade!" Nanami thought as he rushed towards them. Hachiman swung his katana at the cursed spirit's left side, but the blade got stuck the moment it sank inches deep into its muscular body.
"It's hard! And I can't get my katana off!" He thought while trying to pull the weapon out. The cursed spirit threw a right hook at him, which he just ducked and countered with a jumping kick to its upside-down face. Nanami used his Ratio Technique to decapitate its right leg, and together with the momentum of the push from Hachiman's kick, the cursed spirit immediately fell on the floor on its back. The two sorcerers didn't hesitate as they quickly went to finish it, but the cursed spirit's hands inflated and squashed the two of them together. With their strength, they broke free from its grasp.
Nanami ran towards the curse and swung his blunt sword at its arms. However, the cursed spirit's inflated hands bounced back the attack, and tried to smash him into the ground. Fortunately, he jumped away just in time before its attack landed. As the curse smacked its hands down on the floor, the concrete shattered with its cloud and pieces spread. In that split second, Hachiman used "Obscuring Stream Of Malice" to only cut its neck. Once again, it was too shallow, but Nanami exorcised the curse by following up with a blow to the 7:3 spot in the neck that completely decapitated the head.
"Hikigaya-kun." Nanami called out to him. "Your initial reaction is a cause for concern. No matter the situation, we must remain calm to work at our best capabilities."
"I understand." Hachiman answered while still staring at the dead bodies. They heard a ringing sound and turned to look at an elevator opening. There was light inside and they could see the space was larger than a normal elevator. Hachiman thought the worst and turned around to see if the entrance was still there. However, he saw no glass doors, only a concrete wall. "Nanami-san."
"I know. This is a Domain Expansion... It's incomplete with no cursed technique. Proceed with caution." Nanami spoke. "Let's search the area here first before going up. See if we can find survivors or possibly an exit."
"Okay." Hachiman answered with a nod. The two sorcerers searched around the convenient store and the entire first floor, but so far they found nothing but blood, destroyed products and materials, and corpses. That was until Nanami looked behind a pile of rubble and found an old lady sitting on the floor as she covered her head with both hands. She had short white hair that reached her neck and wore a beige cardigan over a green, short-sleeved V-neck dress.
"Are you alright?" The professional sorcerer asked in calm concern. The old lady didn't speak as she cowered in fear.
"I searched on my side, but there's not-" Hachiman approached Nanami and then stopped after seeing the frightened elder.
"Please don't be afraid. We are here to help you." Nanami reassured her, which worked, albeit in little effect. "Are there any survivors besides you?"
"... T-The top floors." The old lady answered. "I saw Shina-chan carrying Yoshi-chan to the elevator. They went before us faster and left us behind."
"So they went up." Hachiman mumbled.
"Please don't hate her..." She pleaded and displayed her genuine feelings towards the housewife's action. "Those people... just died so suddenly. They were stabbed and torn to pieces... We didn't understand... what was happening. Shina-chan did what a mother could do best... Please save them..."
"I see..." Nanami said, and the two sorcerers stared at each other for a moment before making a move. He reached a hand to the old lady to help her. "It is not safe here. Come with us..."
"Just don't mind me..." However, she refused, thinking she would be a burden to them. "I'm just a withered woman living in borrowed time... Saving two people that have decades more of their bright future is more important than someone like me."
"We can't do that." Hachiman spoke in a calm tone. "You still have something to live for. So please come with us."
"... You look so young..." The old lady mumbled as she looked at Hachiman. "Thank you..."
"Thank us after we get you all out of here." Nanami responded, and they all walked towards the elevator. The old lady only looked down to avoid seeing the horrific remains of the innocent souls while walking. They went inside the elevator and Nanami reached for a button, but the button for the fourth floor pressed by itself.
"It seems they're leading us towards them." Nanami said while checking the time on his wristwatch.
"Or maybe they're treating us as tourists. The fourth floor is always the first to go in this tower." Hachiman just stared at the door, waiting for it to be opened while keeping his guard up in case an attack would come.
The Chiba Port Tower is 125.1 meters tall (410 ft.), but it only has four stories. Visitors always go up from the first floor and immediately to the fourth floor. Then they go down to the third floor and second floor. After that, they can go down the first floor from the second floor with the elevator again.
The first floor is where the convenient store, the kids and games corner, and stands are.
The second floor, which is at a height of 105 meters (344 ft.), is the "Lover's Promenade". It is mostly for couples, and there is also a special wall painting called the "Aqua Fantasy" in which after sunset, it will light up by a black light and the mysterious submarine view will look three dimensional.
At a height of 109 meters (358 ft.), the third floor is the view coffee shop called "Café La Plage". Visitors can relax while having a magnificent view of the scenery.
Lastly, the fourth floor is the main observation floor, which has the best viewpoint of the tower at the height of 113 meters (371 ft.)
"This situation is more dangerous than we thought. Our best option is to find an exit or exorcise the curse that cast this domain..." Nanami analyzed their current predicament. "But there is a chance we may face a special-grade curse. Should that be the case, then we will prioritize escape. I may have to break my binding vow as well for that worst-case scenario."
"Excuse me, I forgot to ask: Who are you people?" The old lady asked in curiosity. The two sorcerers looked at each other for a moment until Nanami spoke.
"We're the ones who will help you in dealing with this predicament. Please, rest assured." After his response, Hachiman noticed something strange about this elevator.
One: The elevator was larger than normal.
Two: There were no windows. The tower had an open space between the first floor and the second floor so visitors could enjoy the view of the sea while riding the elevator. There were only rotten walls filled with moss surrounding them.
Three: There was no ceiling.
Four: It was moving slower than a normal elevator.
It was as if this was a stage in a video game. That thought caused his cautiousness to grow, and he looked around until he sensed cursed energy below the old lady's feet. He quickly dashed towards her and carried her away from that spot. In that split second, a large, black disfigured head rose from the spot she once stood as it opened its mouth wide and closed it immediately. If Hachiman was a second too late, the cursed spirit would've eaten her whole.
"W-What is it? Is something wrong?!" She asked in confusion because she couldn't see curses.
Hachiman gently put her down and rushed towards the head with "Obscuring Stream of Malice". The head was cut into four large pieces as he was on the other side of the platform. He slowly sheathed the blade, preparing himself for more danger to come. Six more cursed spirits came from above, and he immediately cut three in half the moment they landed.
"New Shadow Style: Original..."
Hachiman's blade was pulled out, and then he slowly sheathed it again while approaching the curses. When one cursed spirit tried to attack him, he spun and went behind it. Two others rushed towards him and he just remained calm and walked at the same slow pace. Once he was a few feet closer to one cursed spirit, he gracefully moved behind him in a blur with a twirl of cursed energy, and did the same to the next one. Both of their heads were decapitated, and they received a couple of cuts throughout their body.
"... Maleficent Wind's Rhythm!" Hachiman let out a deep breath and relaxed his shoulders. However, it wasn't the end as a green, humanoid cursed spirit appeared behind him. Fortunately, Nanami was quick enough to react and kicked its head. The cursed spirit tumbled away until it hit its back against the wall.
"I... don't understand. Is there really something...?" The elder's confusion grew and fear began to resurface.
"Just stay behind me." Hachiman said while standing in front of her. He watched as Nanami fought against the curse. It appeared to be at the same height as Nanami, and its hands had no flesh, only bones. The fingers on its right were long and razor sharp, while the left had a larger palm. Nanami and the cursed spirit were evenly matched, as the latter could keep up with the former. The cursed spirit swung its right claw to cut him, but he ducked down to evade and then moved for a counterattack. It responded by guarding with its massive left palm, but he already saw the line and struck at the 7:3 ratio spot accurately. The result was only a small crack in the palm.
"It only took just that?" Hachiman thought in bewilderment. "The defensive capability of that palm is strong enough to withstand Nanami-san's Ratio Technique. Along with that high cursed energy output and speed..."
A sword and a shield... This curse is like a warrior." Nanami commented in his mind while tilting his head to his right to dodge a piercing attack from the cursed spirit. He then tried to go on the offensive, but it was quick enough to swing its claw to his left, aiming at the neck. He bent back to successfully dodge and then blocked an upper swing to his right with the cloth-covered blunt sword. "It has the reach advantage and its strength is equal to mine... No, stronger than me by a miniscule. In that case..."
Nanami jumped back and took a deep breath. He slightly loosened his tie as cursed energy enveloped him.
"He broke the vow." Hachiman noticed.
"I can finally go all out, but at the cost of Overtime's benefit, which is to increase my power after working past my official shift." Nanami posed a stance, and the cursed spirit did the same by pointing the long sharp fingers at him. They slowly approached each other until Nanami made the first move.
He struck the long fingers away and decapitated its right arm with his Ratio Technique in a swift motion. Although it lost its weapon, the cursed spirit wasn't finished. It hit him with a right push kick to his stomach and swung the large left palm to his head. Nanami casually dodged and went for its head. However, the cursed spirit moved its palm to block it. It swung a left roundhouse kick to his temple, and he tumbled away until he landed on his feet. What the cursed spirit didn't notice was that Nanami already saw the line to its left shin and managed to hit the 7:3 ratio at the same time the kick landed. Its foot was split in half and the curse fell, which was the opportunity Nanami took as he rushed towards it. That was a mistake, as the cursed spirit grinned and stood with only its large palm. It swung a kick to his left, and he ducked. The curse jumped with its palm and did an axe kick at his head, in which Nanami responded with a block. The cursed spirit fell face-first and grabbed its decapitated right arm to the wrist with its mouth. It swung the sharp fingers at him, and he parried it. Nanami then kicked its right shin so hard it bent, which caused the cursed spirit to lose balance entirely. While falling, the cursed spirit tried to swing its large palm at him, but he decapitated the left arm with the Ratio Technique and hit its head with the blunt sword. The cursed spirit tumbled and before it could recover, Nanami already finished it by cutting its neck, exorcising it successfully.
"Is it over?" Hachiman thought while holding the grip of his sheathed katana. The two sorcerers waited for a moment as if there were still more danger, but after a long silence, they relaxed their muscles and released a sigh. "How long will this elevator reach the fourth floor?"
"We just have to wait." Nanami responded.
"So those things... what are they?" The old lady asked.
"Things that will be eliminated." Nanami answered.
"Are there... more like them from other places?" She asked and the only response was silence in which she understood the message. "As long as there are people like you folks helping good people... I'm okay with that. Still, that monster looked really strange. Did it shed the bones of its hands and make weapons out of them?"
"In the end, it's not really- wait what did you just say?" Hachiman spoke until he noticed what the elder said.
"Hmm? The monster with the skeleton hands? I-I'm sorry, I was just trying to lighten-"
"You... can see them? You said you couldn't see those things when they killed those people."
"I didn't. It just happened a minute ago while this man is fighting."
"There are some rare occasions where people will see one when their life is in danger."
"Gojo said something about that..." He thought while holding his chin, and then looked at his hands. Damn, that technique cost a lot of cursed energy and I haven't fully mastered it yet. Sometimes, my body won't react automatically when cursed energy approached. and then it expands unnecessarily and expensively. I need to get a better handle at this... Maleficent Wind's Rhythm. Maybe I should pick a better name?"
...
Days ago, before Hachiman and the Yukinoshita sisters left Okinawa...
"My what?" Miwa asked Hachiman, who was lying in bed and eating a sandwich.
"Yeah, near the end of our fight between us two, you did something different." Hachiman explained after swallowing the contents in his mouth. "You drew the blade faster, and you just stood still as if you were actually waiting for me to come at you. The same thing when you fought that curse user. The moment he's within range, you stopped and concentrated differently."
"You're pretty observant."
"Is that creepy?"
"No, I think it's impressive!" Miwa praised with a glee. "It's something I came up with. Have you heard of a Simple Domain?"
"Simple Domain? I can safely assume that differs from a Domain Expansion..."
"Ahaha, that's right. It was supposed to be passed down through the Ashiya family and was forbidden to teach outsiders. But in the present, sorcerers like me can learn this technique. So what I do is I create a barrier under my feet and if anyone comes in, my body moves by itself. I automatically draw and cut the enemy faster."
"... Why does that sound familiar?"
"Maybe you learned it from your former mentor?"
"No, it's like I heard about something similar from a certain anime... I can't put my finger on it." Hachiman said while staring up at the ceiling.
"Eh, is there really?" Miwa asked in curiosity.
"I don't know, but then again... anime and fiction in general are bound to have the same elements as us with all the supernatural powers."
"That is true."
"Can you show me how you do it?"
"You want to learn it? Why?" When she asked that question, his mind went blank. He couldn't tell her he was actually working as a sorcerer, but in complicated circumstances.
"It's just that you were so incredible back there. I wanted to try at least once and uh... I would appreciate if you're the one who can teach me." He answered nervously. It was by far the worst and most suspicious reason he had ever come up with. It took all of his willpower to stop his eye twitching involuntarily. "Well, it's not like I can learn it on the spot, but-"
"Ehehehe~, I'm not that great. You're exaggerating!" Miwa said while chuckling and scratching the back of her head. As she was mumbling and twirling the strands of her hair, Hachiman looked at her with a deadpanned stare, as if he couldn't believe what he witnessed. Within his mind: "Seriously? That worked? Does she have a Yuigahama-level of idiocy?"
"Okay, I'll show you so look closely!" She said enthusiastically and stood right in front of him. With one deep breath, she did a stance by holding her sheathed katana close to her left waist, ready to draw. He sensed cursed energy gathering underneath her feet and expanding. "As long as I stand still, this domain can help me slice anyone in a flash."
"You need to stand still?"
"Yes. Sadly, you can only maintain that technique by doing that. If one of your foot move even slightly, the technique falls apart."
"Hmm... it's like you spread your cursed energy into the ground by using your feet."
"It's a lot more complicated than that."
"Can't you just cover your body with that barrier or something?"
"I mean... I'm technically covered-"
"No, I mean LITERALLY cover your body or coating your body if that's the more correct term."
"I... honestly don't know if that's possible. Again, it's a lot more complicated and the process of casting a Simple Domain requires practice and understanding steps."
"I see..." Hachiman stood from his bed." Can you teach me?"
"Sure, I guess. Wait, what about your injuries?"
"I'm fine, as long as I don't move too much. It's not like the technique involves movement, now does it?"
"Fair point. Well, it's not like this technique is hard for you to master anyway." Miwa agreed, and she taught him for a brief amount of time until she left the room after a call with Mechamaru.
Hachiman was alone in bed and still thinking about the technique.
"I think it should be possible... But it's even difficult to do the domain." He mumbled and stood up again to practice what he had learned. While squatting and moving his feet apart, he concentrated the cursed energy in him on his feet. After approximately 20 seconds, he had a frustrated expression and grunted. "This isn't it. I'm just imbuing my damn feet. The similarity in the process between imbuing raw, cursed energy and casting a technique is just small. Half of the process in casting this technique is the same as using a cursed technique. The other is where it's difficult... If I have to describe it using Gojo's 'electricity analogy', it's as if not only do I have to power up the appliance with electricity, I also need to press certain unfamiliar buttons and do other steps too. Not to mention, I'm still trying to get used to how it functions... No, I'm doing it wrong because I keep thinking it involves only my feet, but this one is the entire body. Yes, standing still is just a condition of sorts. Just like other cursed techniques, there is a certain catalyst to activate or even function well. In this case, it's myself. The real trick to it is my body releasing the cursed energy. Equally, or is there a certain part that needs more? I'll keep experimenting until I get it right... and then-"
"Wait, isn't this technique like En? Who's that character again from HunterxHunter?" (1)
...
"I should stick with the Simple Domain for now." Hachiman thought as he held his sheathed katana. "I'd rather not risk my life over practicing a new move. The situation we're in is dangerous... And here I am thinking so calmly after seeing all that horror... Stop it. This isn't your first time seeing people killed by something like this. This mental state isn't apathy towards the innocents, but just a stable mind. Just let it go... Don't ponder something that won't come back
"His growth spiked even more since his trip to Okinawa." Nanami thought while glancing at the young sorcerer. "What did he do to achieve such a spike?"
They heard a ringing sound, and the elevator stopped. The doors slid open, and on the other side was nothing but darkness.
"I don't like the look of this." Hachiman commented and felt an irritating sensation within his ears. "Ghh! My ears are itching again. I really want to get rid of these."
"But we have no choice." Nanami said as he walked towards the darkness. Hachiman followed behind while supporting the old lady. They slowly walked out of the elevator with caution and noticed the changes on this fourth floor. Outside through the glass windows were darkness and thousands of eyes of different sizes and colors staring at them. What shocked them weren't just the eyes, but the objects standing near the windows that were lined up as a fence. They were dead bodies stood like scarecrows, and they were two meters apart from each other. However, their arms stretched long enough to touch each other's hands. Those arms weren't elastic, but stretched to the point the flesh was all thin and the bones were visible. The corpses of men, women, and children were being used as a sort of decoration, or perhaps it was part of a cursed spirit's behavior. Their eyes also stared at the three people.
"No... Hika-chan... Suiko-kun..." The old lady slowly approached the dead bodies with trembling legs and teary eyes. Hachiman stopped her by hugging her from behind.
"It's dangerous to approach them." Nanami explained. "Who knows what those monsters did to them. It's possible one touch of it could kill us. I'm sorry, but we have to be cautious."
"They were just about to get married..." The old lady mumbled as she cried while the young sorcerer tried his best to comfort her. Suddenly, the two sorcerers' senses alerted them, and they responded by jumping away from their spot. Hachiman did so while carrying the old lady. After a millisecond of that quick action, the spot where they once stood exploded and two crosses made of twisted tree branches rose from the floor. More crosses rose and trailed towards the two sorcerers that separated each other. They didn't necessarily have a problem with running away from the mysterious attack, but the actual issue was how long would this last.
It had been exactly two minutes, and crosses of tree branches were still rising and attempting to impale them. After running side by side, the two sorcerers and the elder noticed a group of people standing still.
"What the hell are you doing?!" A man from the group shouted at them with both fear and anger. "Just stop running and let her go!"
Without hesitation, they stopped, and Hachiman put her down. The reason for their quick trust in that man was because of how the sorcerers analyzed the civilians' predicament.
One: They were only 5 civilians. If they included the old lady, then a total of 6.
Two: There were several dead bodies that tremendously outnumbered the survivors
Three: A cursed spirit stood in front of them
Four: The survivors just stood still in a line side by side
Those civilians still lived even with the red cursed spirit right in front of them, laughing. It had a human-like appearance, with the major difference being the large bumps that shaped like human faces on the stomach. Its face was swirly as if someone... or something twisted it beyond deformity. The hair above its head looked more like flesh. After waiting for a few seconds, the two sorcerers sighed.
"So what is that making you do?" Nanami asked.
"We're just following every movement that thing is doing." The man answered. "It really took us many people to get it. Then some people couldn't see that monster for some reason and... they didn't make it. If we don't follow, we'll get skewered right away and turn into a decoration."
"Its movement?" Hachiman mumbled while staring at the cursed spirit with hostility.
"Shina-chan!" The old lady shouted as she saw a familiar woman and a little boy next to her. The mother had long black curly hair and wore a plain yellow V-neck T-shirt, white pants, and kitten heels. Her son had black hair and wore a blue T-shirt, brown shorts, and white sneakers. Both mother and son looked incredibly exhausted and frightened.
"Chisa-san..." The woman named Shina said her name in a whispering and tired voice.
"Mama... I'm tired..." The boy said with teary eyes.
"Don't look away. Just don't and move when it moves." Shina said to her son. Both Hachiman and Nanami looked around to see if there was anything else out of place. Hachiman took one step forward and waited. The sound of his footstep caused the survivors to flinch and turned to the young sorcerer. He ignored them as he took another step forward to the laughing cursed spirit until he walked.
"Stop!"
"What the fuck are you doing?!"
Their cries were loud, calling for him to stop. However, those only reached deaf ears as Hachiman kept walking until the eyes in the windows blinked once with a glow on their pupils. The cursed spirit raised its hands up in the air and then the survivors followed suit. Hachiman wondered what it meant, but he didn't want to waste time. So he kept walking until it raised its right knee and the survivors followed suit. Nanami walked in front of the survivors to protect them. Meanwhile, The young sorcerer sensed something below his feet and jumped away as a cross made of twisted tree branches rose from that spot. More came up and trailed towards him. Hachiman only ran even faster towards the cursed spirit and used "Obscuring Stream of Malice" to close the distance and attempt to exorcise it. However, instead of it being exorcised, the cursed spirit jumped away to avoid his attack. The cursed spirit put down its knees and moved its arms down sideways at the same time. Again, the survivors followed suit. Then, Nanami was next to jump away and ran to avoid being impaled by the cross. After thirty seconds, the eyes in the windows rolled back their pupils and both the survivors and the cursed spirit stopped.
"Stop!" The same man shouted at them, and the sorcerers stopped. "You idiots! Just do what that thing does so we can live!"
"That doesn't sound right..." Hachiman thought. "How come Nanami-san and I didn't get the punishment right away? What if this is something else?"
"I noticed how those eyes blink at the same time the curse moved." Nanami had his own thoughts. "Earlier when we just arrived, those eyes blinked three times in a particular rhythm... What if..."
Hachiman saw the cursed spirit raised its hands again, and the survivors did the same. Meanwhile, he and Nanami walked forward once again and nothing happened to them. The cursed spirit then raised its right knee. The survivors followed, and the two sorcerers stopped. Nanami and Hachiman looked at each other as if they shared the same idea, and they both nodded.
"So that's how it is." Hachiman said while glaring at the curse as it put down its knees and moved its arms sideways. They hopped towards the curse and it screamed in fear. Nanami used his Ratio technique to create a weak point at its right arm and aimed his weapon at it while Hachiman held his katana firmly, ready to cut. They swung simultaneously, but the cursed spirit dodged. It managed to avoid Nanami's attack, but not Hachiman's, as it received a shallow cut on the left wrist. Hachiman clicked his own tongue in frustration, and as the eyes in the windows rolled their pupils back, they quickly ran after the curse. The survivors just watched in awe at their battle while the old lady intertwined both of her hands to pray for their victory. The cursed spirit focused its cursed energy to its hands and used them to block Hachiman's attacks while dodging Nanami's.
"It's as if it knows my cursed technique..." Nanami thought as he attempted to swing at its right leg where he created the 7:3 ratio weak spot there, but the cursed spirit moved its leg back to evade while blocking Hachiman's swing that aimed for the left side of its neck. Afterwards, it blocked another swing from Nanami that aimed at its shoulder. The cursed spirit jumped away and, after gaining enough distance from them, it raised its hands, which caused the eyes in the windows to blink with glowing pupils.
"That means the 'game' has started again." Hachiman thought as he and Nanami ran. The cursed spirit raised a right knee and the two sorcerers jumped. Nanami jumped further than Hachiman, so the former got to the curse first. He swung the cloth-covered blunt sword at the curse's head, and it responded by tilting its head to dodge and then palmed his left side. Hachiman followed and swung his blade down at its shoulder. The curse caught the blade in time before he could cut its right arm, but it still received a deep cut.
The malevolent spirit's cursed technique does involve the movement of its targets, but not exactly as the survivors thought it was.
Firstly, they're currently trapped in another Domain Expansion which belongs to that cursed spirit. It's incomplete and only covers the entire fourth floor. Of course, the survivors don't know that since they're non-sorcerers.
Those inside its incomplete Domain Expansion forces them to do three different actions or else they would face a penalty by being impaled by the cross of twisted tree branches and turned into a scarecrow. The cursed spirit's poses aren't actions the victims required to follow, but just its way of activating the cursed technique.
Nanami reached to that conclusion based on what they have done when they left the elevator. During the first blink, Chisa slowly walked towards the scarecrows in shock while Hachiman ran after her. Meanwhile, Nanami just stood still, so he assumed even standing counts as an action as proven once again during Hachiman's first initiative against the cursed spirit when Nanami stood still to analyze the situation. The second blink was when Nanami walked while the other two knelt on the floor as Hachiman comforted the crying old lady. The third, they continued the same action, and that was when the penalty began. The speculation was solidified after witnessing the battle as he joined the fray.
Hachiman reached his own conclusion during this battle.
As Hachiman swung the blade, the cursed spirit dodged and moved both arms to a cross after the young sorcerer ran after it. They didn't understand what they meant, and neither did the remaining survivors. The eyes in the windows turned red, and for some reason, Hachiman couldn't run anymore.
"What the hell?" He said while trying to lift his feet. He managed to take a step, and then another, until he walked. However, the thought of running never went to his mind. While he was distracted, the cursed spirit ran towards the survivors but Nanami quickly intercepted it with a blow on the right upper arm, particularly at the 7:3 weak spot he created. Its arm was cut in half. He continued to attack while the cursed spirit blocked them and sometimes dodged the ones that aimed at its 7:3 ratio spots. What the cursed spirit didn't give thought to was its cursed technique deactivated because of that injury it received from Nanami.
"Hold still-" The professional sorcerer was about to attack, but-
"You're dead!" Hachiman shouted as he finally ran and cut the curse's head off, successfully exorcising it. After sheathing the blade, he let out a sigh of relief while relaxing himself. Nanami approached him while adjusting his glasses and Hachiman noticed. "Sorry, give me a sec."
"We don't use the word 'kill' or 'dead' against curses." Nanami criticized. "Our work here is exorcism."
"Right... I'm sorry."
"Now, let's check the casualties."
"Casualties?" Hachiman repeated as he turned around to see two out of six survivors were dead. The two sorcerers quickly approached them and analyzed the current issue. A man was lying on the floor with a puddle of blood while a cross of twisted tree branches impaled a woman.
"The man died of losing too much blood." A young man answered with tears swelling up. He appeared to be the same age as Hachiman and wore a light blue polo shirt, chino shorts, and sandals. "He got grazed by one of those crosses that pops up on the floor earlier. The poor woman was too tired to move anymore, so when that monster raised its hands, she..."
"Are there any survivors besides you?" Nanami asked.
"I don't know... I don't think so." He answered while wiping the tears. The survivors found so far were now down to four: Chisa, the old lady; Shina and her son; and the young man.
"We have to go down the third and second floor." Nanami suggested to Hachiman. "The exit should be in one of them. Worst-case scenario: we would encounter the main threat."
"But the probability of that encounter is-" Hachiman spoke.
"-A guaranteed 100%." The professional sorcerer finished his sentence for him. "It is a worst-case scenario for two obvious reasons: It could be a special grade curse, and we have to prioritize the survivors. Cursed spirits can be cunning. They would be smart enough to use innocent people against us."
"So what is the plan?"
"You'll protect them while I deal with the curse when that time comes. If possible, find an exit for the survivors to escape."
"Is there a way to find one? The fourth floor tells a lot that the tower is a lot larger than normal, so searching high and low with cursed spirits lurking around is..."
"I don't know. Which is why prioritize on the survivors while I fight. Understood?"
"Yes." After that discussion, the two sorcerers led the four remaining survivors to the elevator. As they entered, the button was already pushed on its own. They were going down to the third floor... or rather...
The elevator fell, and they braced themselves.
Hachiman pierced his sheathed katana to the floor so he could use it to hold on, and Nanami held on to the sheathe. Shina and her son embraced Hachiman while Chisa and the young man embraced Nanami as the elevator kept falling. They were waiting for the expected crash, but the fall went longer than they thought. After a short while, the falling started slowing down until it stopped. Hachiman and Nanami slowly stood up, followed by the survivors as the doors slid open. The roman numeral for three was written on top of it, which meant the elevator took them to the third floor where the cafe was located. The two sorcerers walked out first to take the lead, while the rest followed behind.
When they entered the darkness, an enormous monster greeted them.
It was a dark blue cursed spirit with two heads on top of each other. One head raised its chin, looking up while the other was upside down and doing the same as the other, except it was inverted that their chins touched each other. Their mouths were puckered to the point the wrinkles stretched out on their faces. The eyes of the head looking up were dilated while the one looking down just appeared to be tired. Its body was like a deformity. From the abdomen to the back, its shape was spherical while the rest of the upper body was just wide and chubby. Its six arms were long enough to reach its pair of mantis-like legs. The round abdomen had small human-like limbs that continuously applaud and waved at them. Its six arms were cut into three pieces, each floating to form said limbs and the curse held a decapitated head with its upper left hand. Also, the cursed spirit's ears were that of an elephant.
"Just from the presence alone, I can already tell this curse is far stronger." Hachiman thought while pointing the blade at the cursed spirit with a drop of sweat on his cheek. "And I thought we would meet the final boss on the second floor or the last stage. This is too soon, don't you think?"
"And from the looks of it... It's special grade." Nanami thought while removing his tie. "This is not good. The civilians are in danger, and I doubt I can face the curse on my own. What should we-"
Before he could finish his train of thought, the cursed spirit raised two hands and created what appeared to be blades of raw, cursed energy. It swung them down, which caused a shock wave that ruptured the ground, scattering debris as the wave was coming towards them. Nanami carried the old lady, who seemed to be tired from the look in her eyes, and the young man while Hachiman took the mother and child, and they jumped away to avoid the attack.
"And it can create such destructive power just by using raw, cursed energy. I need Hikigaya-kun's support to deal with this." When Nanami landed on the ground, he noticed there was no one in his surroundings, including the two people he carried. What remained was a narrow hallway with white walls and golden torches lighting the way. "Where am I?"
"Uh... Oji-san..." Behind Nanami was the young man who was sitting on the floor.
"Nanami-san?" Hachiman called out to the professional sorcerer, but didn't receive a response. The only person with him was the little boy. The young sorcerer looked around and saw nothing aside from golden torches in a narrow hallway. He grabbed his own chin to think for a moment. "How did we get here? I only remember carrying the mother and son and jumped... I could understand a complete Domain Expansion with a guaranteed hit is an immediate problem, but this one is troublesome in a different way. Could this be a cursed technique? That curse looks like a mischievous type that toys with others since it separated us somewhere rather than just kill us on the spot..."
"Mama?" the little boy looked around with teary eyes. "Mama?! Where are you...?"
"We'll find your mother." Hachiman knelt on one knee and touched the boy's right shoulder in an attempt to comfort the child. "For now, just stick close to me, okay?"
"O-okay..." The boy accepted, but showed clear suspicion towards the young sorcerer since he was a stranger to him.
"I'm Hikigaya Hachiman. You can call me however you like."
"Hachiman?"
"Mhm."
"... Hachiman-niichan?" The little boy said with tilted head, trying to find the appropriate way to call him. "Hachi-nii?"
"Sure, let's go with that. And what's your name."
"Yoshimi." The boy named Yoshimi answered.
"Yoshimi, huh? Nice to meet you." Hachiman said, and the boy nodded with joy. The young sorcerer offered him a hand to hold, and Yoshimi accepted it. However, when Hachiman started walking, the boy didn't follow as he just stood still with pain in his expression and trembling legs. "What's wrong?"
"My legs hurt..." Yoshimi answered and Hachiman made him sat on the floor to check.
"They must be sore... Here." Hachiman turned around and offered him a piggyback. Yoshimi hesitated, but he wrapped his arm around the young sorcerer's neck as the latter held his legs. They wandered off in the mysterious and harrowing hallway, hoping to find just someone. After walking in silence, Hachiman spoke to start a conversation. "How old are you?"
"I'm six." The boy answered with clear exhaustion and forcefulness in his voice.
"So that means you're still in 1st grade, right?"
"Yes."
"You're doing well at school?"
"Yes..."
"That's great... Uh, what's your favorite subject?"
"PE."
"That's it?"
"Yes..."
"Are you the type to just play around than reading books?"
"How did you know?"
"You said you only like PE, so that gave me the idea. The rest were just luck... So, why don't you like reading?"
"Reading makes me sleepy."
"It is? I say it's even more fun than playing sports."
"Eeeeeehh~?" As the conversation went on, Yoshimi's uneasiness dissipated. The comfort the young sorcerer gave made him relaxed and felt protected.
"Shina-chan, are you okay?" Chisa shook Shina, who was lying on the floor unconscious, to wake her. After fidgeting her for a while, the housewife finally opened her eyes.
"Where...?" Shina looked around and noticed they were in the mysterious hallway.
"I don't know, but you have to move or else something bad might happen. I have a feeling."
"Chisa-san?" Shina noticed how Chisa's eyes appeared to be narrow and exhausted. Sweat was all over the old lady's face and she seemed to be wheezing. Shina just noticed the wound on her stomach and that made the former wear a worried expression. "You... don't look so good."
"Ahahaha... I should've just wait till my time is up on the first floor... but those two boys are stubborn. Why do youngsters these days force the elderly to tire themselves? We deserve a break, you know? Haha- Ghh!" Chisa tried to lighten the mood and laughed, but she coughed up blood.
"Just.. don't talk." Shina placed the old lady's left arm over her shoulders and helped her stood up. "You can't die here..."
"I don't have much strength to move my legs... Just leave me."
"NO!"
"Just worry about yourself and Yoshi-chan..."
"Yoshi...?" The housewife mumbled and bit her own lip. A look of frustration was in her face as she grunted. It was as if she was holding something in her until she snapped. "I DON'T CARE ABOUT THAT BRAT!"
New Shadow Style Original: Maleficent Wind's Rhythm
It is not actually an original technique created by Hachiman, but a secret technique that has been passed down through only the Big Three Sorcerer Clans. The technique's actual name is called "Falling Blossom Emotion" and it is used as a defense against domain expansions. It shrouds the user in an armor of cursed energy that counter-attacks the moment a domain's guaranteed hit makes contact. The cursed energy defends the user automatically, countering any attack with equal force to nullify it.
The Falling Blossom Emotion can also be used offensively through swordplay as demonstrated by Hachiman, and a sorcerer from one of the Big Three Sorcerer Clans uses it in such a way.
The procedures and specific training to learn the technique are unknown. Hachiman learned it while not knowing the sorcerers already created such a technique. He used Simple Domain as a basis and did further training with his cursed energy and movement. The technique may not be original, but his unique way of learning it is noteworthy.
TRIVIA
1) Hunter x Hunter reference. Seriously, I can't be the only one who kept thinking about Nobunaga when first seeing the Simple Domain
This arc is only two chapters long. After that, we will get to the larger arcs with other JJK characters in it. as well as the OCs too.
Please leave your opinions in the reviews as they will help me make this story better.
