Jujutsu Kaisen: Nanami's daughter, Noriko.
BY: RENEE PHYLLIS
Chapter Three
"Ryomen Sukuna"
"I'm going to ask you why you're here, but you did a good job", Megumi says as he and Noriko walks to Itadori with the girl on his hands. "Why are you so stubborn?", Noriko asks, but Itadori dodges the question. "What are those creatures eating the curse so hungrily?", he looks at the black and white divine dogs and turns his face towards Noriko. She checked both students injured to see if they had further damage that might be healed right at the moment. Itadori looks at her while she touches the guy's neck checking for a pulse. "Your friends will be alright, it won't be a problem healing them", she said with a smile on her face, a slight smile, but it seemed to put Itadori to ease. She seems different for the girl I met earlier. She was more serious, but now she's calm. Itadori thought to himself. He turns to Megumi as he answered his question. "Those are my shikigami, can you see it? Normally, people can't see a curse. Only when you're in your deathbed or in this particular situation", Megumi replies. Noriko stands up from her sitting position and stands beside Megumi. "Oh, really?", Itadori said. "I've never seen a ghost before", Noriko laughs by this. "You're so clueless, it's funny", Megumi looks at her with a serious face. "Oh, come on, it is funny", she tried convincing the too-serious guy, but no luck or success. She rolls her eyes. "Aren't you scared?", asked Megumi turning his attention to Itadori who still had the girl in his arms. "I was really scared, but you know, humans will really die", Itadori looks down. Noriko was puzzled neither was Megumi. "What?". "So, I should at least let the person I know get the right death. Well, I don't get it either", he stands up carrying the girl and caught the finger that was falling from the girl's pocket. Itadori asks if what he was holding was the cursed relic they were looking for. Noriko said yes and Megumi nods. "It's a miracle she didn't get eaten together with it", Megumi says. Out of curiosity, Yuji asks the two uniformed individuals as to why someone would eat it. "Is it delicious?", he asks, stupidly. "It's a finger, of course it's not delicious, baka. It levels up your curse energy, so, it's dangerous. Hand it over", Noriko turns back into her serious self and was about to get the finger from Yuji, but then a curse comes out of the ceiling. Megumi pushes Yuji away yelling run to him; the divine dogs get ready in position and Noriko tries to slash it with her bow. A big blow blasted Yuji out of the way along with the two unconscious students. Yuji protected the girl, while the divine dogs protected the boy. Megumi and Noriko were caught by curse, her bow slashed its arm, but it was too thick to perfectly cut it. Her bow was laying on the floor. "Fushiguro, Noriko!", Yuji shouted. "Ugh, this is annoying", Noriko says in the middle of the curse's groans. Megumi tries to call forth his bird, but was pushed against the wall with full force. "Megumi!", Noriko shouts. She couldn't move, both her hands were stuck. As Megumi was struck in the back and weakened, his divine dogs disappeared. Noriko focused her curse energy into the arrow she had on her hand and stab it right in the curse's foot. The curse lets go of her and she quickly retrieves her bow. She tried to shoot it, but then it blows her away and she crashed on her back. Although she had a few trainings with her father, she wasn't ready for this battle. When she crashed, she hit her back and side very hard. She had a difficult time standing up and save her comrade. "Damn it", she muttered under her breath. Megumi and the curse were now outside of the building.
Yuji came to Megumi's rescue and tried fighting the curse off. Megumi shouted saying he will only perish, because he didn't have curse energy. Noriko ran outside and saw Sukuna's finger in between Yuji's teeth. "Baka! Give it to me! You'll be swallowed too", Megumi pleaded angrily, his face all bloody. Yuji recalled what Noriko said about Sukuna's finger leveling-up someone's curse energy. He thought that that was the way to save everyone. Noriko held the side of her rib. "Itadori, don't! You'll get poisoned. YAMERO!", she shouted running towards Yuji as he flips the finger and opens his mouth swallowing it. She stops on her tracks, overwhelmed with what was happening right before her eyes. Did he seriously swallow it? Ryomen Sukuna's finger is a special grade curse. It's a poisonous thing, he'll die? Both Megumi and Noriko couldn't believe what Yuji did. They couldn't move, too busy with their thoughts and disappointments. Their stupid what-ifs. They looked closely at Yuji and seemed to wait for something. He was about to get swallowed up, but then he deliberately blew the arms of the monster. Marks appeared in his face and hands, his whole body, and with one hand – not even touching the curse – he killed it, blowing it up into a million pieces and it disintegrates. Noriko felt a slight happiness and relief, but the fight was not over. Megumi and Noriko's eyes grew bigger seeing none other than, Sukuna. He looked scary as he laughed seeing the moon and admiring the era as he said so. Oh no! The worst what-if has happened. The Special Grade Curse is parasitic to him. Megumi thought. Sukuna stood up at the grills that was holding the bridge that connected the two buildings outside. He laughed and laughed, but then stops as he gripped with jaw and drags himself down. Sukuna seemed stunned and talking to himself, but it was Yuji to whom he was talking.
"Don't move. You're not human anymore", Megumi says in position and about to summon one of his shikigami in case of something happening. "Megumi, stop", Noriko said walking slowly towards them. "According to the sorcery law, Itadori Yuji. As a cursed spirit, you will be exorcised!", he positions himself ready. Noriko knew Megumi was right so she clasped her bow hard and took a cross out her bag. She focuses on her target and breath slowly. "Gomen nasai, Itadori", she says ready to shoot. "Wait! Stop! Nothing's wrong with me. More importantly, all of us are pretty beat up, especially Noriko, we all need to go to the hospital", in whole honestly, Noriko couldn't decide if it was Yuji or Sukuna talking, but she softens her hold on her bow and puts it down. Noriko looks at Megumi and knew right away that he was thinking it too, but he wasn't backing down. All of a sudden, Gojo appears asking what was going on, with his usual goofy-like self and bringing a bag, hands on his pockets. "Gojo-sensei", Megumi says startled. "Finally, you're here", Noriko raises her right eyebrow. "I wasn't planning on coming, but I couldn't leave little Noriko. Your father might kill me", he says waving his hand and looking at Noriko who had her arms crossed. "Wow, you're both roughed up. I'll show this to the second-year students", he says as he takes pictures of Megumi and Noriko, who was walking towards him. "Stop it, give me that", Noriko demands and reaches for Gojo's phone which he wouldn't give. Noriko pouts and Gojo laughs. "The higher-ups wouldn't stop nagging about the lost Special Grade Curse. I just popped by real quick after some sight-seeing. So, did you find it?", Gojo asks after sending the pictures. Megumi sat in one knee and Noriko stood behind him. Noriko looks at Yuji while Megumi looks down. "Excuse me, sorry, but I ate it", Yuji says raising his hand to get Gojo's attention and looked at him rather embarrassed. A long pause occurred. "Are you serious?", Gojo asks. "Yup". They all said in unison. "Hm", Gojo investigates Yuji by looking at him. He looks closely to Yuji, their face inches from one another. Gojo laughs upon saying, "It's combined with you, it's hilarious". Noriko gets down in one knee as she checks up on Megumi. She might be a little cranky, but she is deeply caring for other people – not taught by Nanami, he was rather detached than Noriko – she learned to be so when she was sickened by what curses do to people, though only to the people worth saving. "Is there anything wrong with you body?", Gojo asks the clueless Yuji standing. "Not really", Yuji replied and shook his hand, looking at his whole body. "Can you change with Sukuna?", Gojo questioned. "Is that safe?", from what Noriko saw, Sukuna is very powerful and dangerous as previously mentioned. She was worried that something might happen if Yuji switched with Sukuna. "Sukuna?", Yuji repeats. "The Curse Spirit you ate", Gojo replied to his question. Yuji puts his hand on his waist. "Well, I guess so", Yuji says. Once again, I am ignored. So much for being the best uncle in the world, Noriko thought to herself and puts an annoyed face. "All right, give us ten seconds and come back after, got it?", Gojo stretches his legs getting ready for Sukuna's arrival. "But-", Yuji gets interrupted with Gojo being all too proud of himself. "Don't worry, I'm invincible", he says as he interrupts Yuji. "Megumi. Hold on to this and you two, stay there", he commands and handed Megumi the bag he was bringing with him. Megumi asked what it was and he said it was a kikufuku from Kikusuian. "It's a Sendai delicacy. I especially recommend the bean whipped cream", he said in between his stretches. I can't believe he was shopping for souvenirs at a time where lives are at stake, Megumi was completely irritated. Did he seriously bought something while we were getting killed? I'm seriously telling dad, Noriko let's out an infuriated face, but then smirks. "It's not a souvenir. I'm going to eat on the way back home while I'm on the bullet train. Kikufuku is different from other souvenirs", Gojo interrupts Megumi's thoughts. While he was talking, Sukuna comes out of Yuji and jumps towards Gojo. Megumi shouts at his teacher and Noriko gasps seeing as they were about to get killed by the most powerful being in the world. She crisscrosses her arms in an X position and gets in front Megumi. Megumi held her by the uniform as she jumps in front of him and closed his eyes to cover it from debris and dust. She closes her eyes in preparation for the impact. When she opened her eyes, she was met by the eyes of Yuji, only it was Sukuna. Their faces a mere inch from each other. She could feel Sukuna's hot breath, which sent shivers all over her body. She swore she could feel her heart pounding loudly. "Besides, the whipped cream inside is exquisite", Gojo continued. Sukuna got so angry and turns around, wanting to slash Gojo. Gojo joins his hands together and disappears over and over again, Sukuna unable to get ahold of him. "My student and niece are here, so let me show off a little", Gojo says while in the back of Sukuna. He knew he could easily defeat Sukuna, being that he has only ate one of his fingers and might still be weak. Sukuna was now furious. They constantly battled each other without stopping. Megumi and Noriko remained in their positions not moving as they followed Gojo's orders – he was the teacher after all. Gojo holds Sukuna's hand, spins him around and then punches him, sending him flying and hitting one of the grills that held the bridge together. The school received a lot of damage from this fight. "No matter which era, Jujutsu Sorcerers are a pain in the ass", Sukuna conceded and then he went straight to Gojo, knowing perfectly that he cannot beat this man. Another blow was thrown by Sukuna. One more and the school would surely collapse. "Sukuna sure is scary", Noriko whispered. She never felt this scared ever since seeing that curse for the first time when she was young. Just by looking at Sukuna, she could feel her bones cracking out of fear. Megumi holds her hand and she looks at it, gasping softly. "Don't worry, Gojo-sensei is pretty confident, after all, he is 'invincible', right?", Megumi tried joking in the middle of a fight and Noriko manages to giggle.
Just then, the fight continued. In a blink of an eye, Noriko and Megumi transported behind Gojo. Noriko was surprised, shocked to be exact. "Even so, that doesn't mean much to me", Sukuna says confidently, thinking he might have been able to at least do some damage, but he was more shock than Noriko, seeing Gojo counting forwards, from seven, eight, nine and ten. After the ten seconds were up, Itadori comes back into his body, regaining control. "Oh, are you okay?", Itadori asks the white-haired man with his hands on his pocket. Amazing, he can really control it, Noriko thoughts. She was deeply stunned at how Itadori was still his usual self, regaining control over his body. He was indeed one-of-a-kind. "I can't believe it. You can really control it!", Gojo says almost shouting in disbelief and amazement. "But it's so annoying. I can hear his voice", Itadori complained. " And it's a miracle that he's only doing that", Gojo approaches Itadori and puts two fingers in his forehead which sent him to sleep. "What did you do?", asks Megumi curious. "I put him to sleep. If he isn't possessed by Sukuna when he wakes up, then he could be a vessel", Gojo replies. "Now, what shall we do with him?". Both Megumi and Noriko looked at each other. She sighs deeply and looks at her teacher. "Even if he's a vessel, according to the sorcery law, Itadori is subjected to death", Megumi announces. Noriko then speaks up. "We don't want him to die. I… don't want him to die", she said and looked more serious than she's ever been. "Are those your personal feelings, Noriko?", Gojo asks, seemingly teasing, but he was also serious. "Yes, Gojo-sensei. Please do something about this", she commanded. Her uncle chuckles as he carried Itadori on his back. "Since my precious student and my niece are asking, leave it to me!", he says excitedly.
Back to the room filled with paper, Gojo explained everything quite clearly from getting executed to having a condition. While Noriko was just waiting outside. Megumi insisted she rest, because she took a large damage on the side of her rib. She was fine, Nanami taught her a lot about self-healing – not that it will totally heal her. It would just help with the healing process – and she was doing fine than Megumi was. But she still accepted his offer and she was the first one to get back to campus like she always wanted to. Her father called, because apparently, Nanami got the news. "I'm fine, you don't have to worry about me. Plus, you're the one who sent me to school, so you are going to have to trust me", she said interrupting her father in between talks. He wasn't worried because she got hurt, he was worried, because Gojo promised she wouldn't get hurt, but he also understood the risks so he lets it go and just comforts his daughter. After the call, Noriko tries to sleep, but the memories of the fight kept coming back. From Itadori swallowing the finger to her face-to-face with Sukuna. Eventually, she drifted off to sleep.
Meanwhile, Gojo gave Itadori the second finger and without a doubt, Itadori controlled his body. "Pack up your stuff today", Gojo says opening the door. "Where are we going?", Itadori asks as Megumi revealed himself. "Tokyo", he replied. "Fushiguro! You look great", Itadori says with a thumbs-up.
"You think? After seeing this? You'll be transferring to Jujutsu High, where I attend".
"What? By the way, where's Noriko?".
"Back at the campus, she needed rest and her dad was pretty mad at him", Megumi points at Gojo and Gojo just smiles awkwardly. "Anyways, I forgot to mention that you're the fourth first-year student", Gojo shows his four fingers. "There are very few students?", Itadori was demented. Megumi explained that Jujutsu sorcerers were rare and they aren't a lot of them.
When they reached the school, Gojo explains everything he needed to know about the school and all about the Jujustu Sorcerers. He explains the curriculum, the missions, the education and all other things needed to be taught. Itadori was just a normal boy, living his normal life. If he didn't pick up the box from the instrument shelter, he might have been still a simple boy, but well, destiny took a wild turn and there he was meeting Principal Yaga.
