Chapter 22

"SAM!"

"Good morning! Can I have the usual please?"

It was an odd notion, and yet, Kento Nanami was curious. He had been cooped up in the domain long enough. Sanso happened to announce he was going to get supplies and decided to get a feel for his new surroundings. After all, if they are living here, he better get use to the area.

But, what he really desired was a good meal.

He cannot complain about the cooking being done, however sometimes the atmosphere is just as desirable as the food.

Sanso was going, when Nanami asked if he could come along. He happily agreed and took him to the village. It was small, not modern to say the least, and yet, the people knew Sanso right away, but they called him Sam.

"Whose your friend?" one of the farmers asked.

"Kento Nanami, he's a good friend that will be living with my brothers and I from here on… by the way, where did everyone go?"

He was curious too, Nanami remembered walking through the village, and yet saw no one within. The place was now full of people, but… shouldn't some of them have died from the raid the elders tried to do?

"Funny you should mention that, you see, a few days ago, a shrine maiden had appeared before the monks. She warned them of an event about to come and told them to get the people out of the village. We didn't quite know what to make of it until the monks claimed she was the messenger of the great deity Ryomen Sukuna. We then packed what we needed and left until they were given the message to return once more. I swear to you Sam, I heard his voice! It sounded as if someone tried to take over his village and he roared at them to get out!"

Well, he wasn't wrong. Suiryu did shout at the attackers to get out…

Wait a moment… Nanami turned to Sanso oddly, but he merely waved off the glare for the moment.

"I'm glad everyone is okay. My friend here likes to eat and enjoys good food. Care to recommend a place to eat?"

The farmer paused but nodded. He pointed to a little house on the corner. "It may not look like much, but they make the best noodle bowl you will ever eat."

"Thank you! We'll see you again soon, okay?"

"Oh! One thing Sam… I have a favor to ask… if you are not busy. My farm… we need help." He suddenly sounded very humble. Sanso turned and gave his full attention back to him.

"Pigs again?" he asked.

"Yes, another swarm of them have come, can you…"

"Of course, I'll be there tomorrow with some friends and my brothers. We will clear them out. Same deal as before right?"

"Yes!" he stated. "Thank you"

As they left, Nanami turned and glared at Sanso. "Ryomen Sukuna… they believe he's…"

"Yeah, apparently this was a place where he first set up shop before becoming a living terror apparently. The people here revear him as a protector. Perhaps Kitsune used that to her advantage to get the people out before the attack…"

Kitsune?

Nanami shook his head of it all. He still has much to learn and yet, it appears it won't be easy.

Sanso smirked as he continued to bring him along, he even offered to get Nanami a noodle bowl as the farmer recommended but he refused. "It's quite alright, I am just merely here to observe our surrounding area…" he suddenly paused.

There was a delicate smell in the air that caught his attention. On his left, he saw a small stall, and it made coffee! Perhaps…

"SAM!" the coffee vendor shouted. "One for the road?!"

Sanso smiled but asked for two. "What do you like in yours?"

Nanami didn't anticipate on getting a coffee in a village likes this, even more surprising it was one of the best he ever had!

"You know everyone here?" he whispered.

"Yeah, you see, when brother… Yuuji was out and about. My brothers and I went off to explore the world a little. I wanted to see farmer markets and stuff like that, only to end up working at quite a few. I wanted to learn how to grow food for my brother Eso, he makes amazing meals with what I bring back. As of late, I found out I am very good a pest control. Mainly pigs. Those things destroy crops faster than a curse."

Curious.

He has heard of the curse wombs, mainly through the lessons from the school. But, he hasn't encountered them face-to-face like this. Sanso reminded him of Itadori. He has a child like wonderment and isn't afraid to help those around him. He's good at haggling too, able to get a good price or a fair trade on something. He was rather remarkable.

"I think we got everything, little brother was running out of spices for his meals." He explained.

Yet, as they returned to the mountain, Nanami kept looking back, but he paused when they passed a temple along the way. It was a humble looking place, which surprised him. "Sanso… is this…"

He nodded to him. "One of three," he whispered back. "One of them has a small statue of Sukuna in the temple, carved of wood, nothing more really. There's another that has a rather large statue of him. Then… there's that," he pointed to the hill that looked directly over the village. It was another statue, but he couldn't make out the features of it. "That's another one of Sukuna, it looks over the village as a protector."

"I wonder about this place, there is much more happening here than what we know, isn't there?" Nanami asked.

Sanso nodded. "You got that too huh? Gojo said the curse energy around here confuses him, the fact that there is a seal that limits one's power in in the ground. If this is truly a place Sukuna resided. Why was that in place?"

He began to think about it as well. It does seem odd to him, at the same time, it's a counter measure against those who would attack, especially other sorcerers. But the effect would be against him too, wouldn't it? No, a sorcerer could make themselves immune to such a thing… but he wouldn't weaken an opponent, he likes the challenge…

It made less sense in his mind, he was already getting a headache thinking about it.

"Say, Nanami… you helped train up my little brother, Yuuji right?"

"How exactly is Itadori your brother?" Nanami asked curiously. "Considering you and your siblings were born over 150 years ago…"

Sanso snickered. "We shared a parent." He said. "I don't know how aware you are of a sorcerer named Kenjaku? He possessed Kamo and used our mother. He then many years later did the same thing. But, he possessed Yuuji's mother from what he told Choso… so, we share a parent."

Nanami got a chill just thinking about it. A sorcerer had purposely…

But now it makes sense. His mind was already connecting the dots.

"I see…" he simply stated.

"Little brother got it worst than all of us put together I think," Sanso said as they made their way back to the domain. "I mean, at least with my brothers, we got to stay together. Despite the situation and not really being born in a sense… at the same time, what little brother went through, Yuuji suffered a lot. It still breaks my heart to hear what he went through and what he continues to endure. With you back, my mind is a bit at ease. Since… we came from Yuuji too, the same way you came from Suiryu."

Nanami froze.

"Was that how it happened? How I came back?"

Sanso nodded. "Yuuji did the same thing with us… it's the reason why I trust you as much as I do now. For we have some of his memories. I don't know a lot about you Kento Nanami, but little brother holds you in high regards, I shall do the same."

He was surprised but nodded. "I hope I live up to you expectations."