Jujutsu Kaisen: Nanami's daughter, Noriko.
BY: RENEE PHYLLIS
Chapter Five
"Eishu Detention Center"
"Our window confirmed the existence of the Cursed Womb, approximately three hours ago. When the evacuation rate reached 90%, we sealed off the facility upon evaluation of the scene", Noriko, Megumi, Yuji and Nobara were dispatched and sent on a mission in the Eishu Detention Center. Kiyotaka continued on explaining the instructed action you will be doing inside. When Noriko looked at the outside of the building, she felt a sensation she is familiar with. The same sensation she felt when she was a child. It sent shivers all over her body and she hissed at the pain and chills she was feeling. "Residents within 500 meters have been evacuated", Kiyotaka continued. "I have a question, Mr. Ijichi? What's a window?", Yuji interrupted, asking for a stupid question and Noriko slightly laughs, but hides it. "A window is an authorized personnel who can confirm curses by sight. However, they are not sorcerers", he explained and Noriko stopped herself from laughing. She didn't even know why she was laughing, maybe it had something to do with how Yuji asked it. "Oh, I see", was all Yuji could say. Kiyotaka Ijichi continued on explaining all the needed information for the four first-year students. "Inside Dorm 2 of this detention center, there are five prisoners left with the Curse Womb. If the Cursed Womb manages to mutate, we predict that it will become a special grade cursed spirit", so that's why Noriko felt uneasy. Special Grade or not, she felt a strong pressure just by looking at the building. It was as if a monster house you can never get out of. "I'm sorry, I still don't know anything about this special grade stuff", Yuji was the cutest when he's clueless, but Noriko did not think so. She was too focused on the energy she was getting inside the detention center. Every part of her body, every muscle, every cell, and every hair, was terrified. How could this be? She thought to herself. She felt weak and embarrassed. As Megumi and Nobara sighed at Yuji, Noriko's gaze was fixated on the surroundings of the building. Kiyotaka explained the different kinds of curses, from grades and special grades. Megumi noticed a change in Noriko's appearance and asked her if she was okay. "Yeah, I'm feel fine", she lied. She wasn't fine. Never in her life, where she wanted to see her father and let him protect her – she was definitely missing her dad. This was different. She loves fighting, but this seemed a little extreme.
After explaining what grades and special grade curses are, Yuji told Kiyotaka that that seemed dangerous. Oh, it is. "Usually, they would dispatch Jujutsu Sorcerers with an equal level to the Cursed Spirit. In today's case, it would have been someone like Gojo-sensei", Megumi said. "Well, where's Gojo-sensei?", Yuji asked.
"He's on a business trip".
"What?".
"First of all, someone with his caliber shouldn't even be wasting his time in a high school".
"Unfortunately, we're always understaffed in this line of business. After all, Jujutsu Sorcerers are rare. Sorcerers often have to manage tasks beyond their own capabilities. However, this is an emergency case. Fighting is strictly forbidden. If you ever encounter a special grade cursed spirit, your only choices are to-", Kiyotaka was interrupted by the girl who stood behind Megumi and beside Nobara. "Escape or die", she said and it looked like Yuji and Nobara got a little spooked out. All of them looked at her, but her expression remained as her usual one. She wasn't trembling anymore, or at least she felt she wasn't. This is no time to be a baby. be a baby. Remember what your dad taught you. She kept saying to her head. "Please heed your fears. Your mission is to confirm and rescue any survivors", Kiyotaka says. Suddenly, a woman spoke, asking about her son who was in the detention center. All of the students' gazes went straight to the woman begging for information. Noriko's thoughts were interrupted as she was pulling herself up, but then, got dragged down seeing a helpless mother asking for her son. She has never met hers, but certainly, her mother would do the same if she were in the scene. Noriko wished she could help the poor woman. Yuji looked hurt, after all, he wanted to at least give people a fighting chance or at least have the proper way to die. He was determined – he became determined – in finding the woman's son named, Tadashi. "Fushiguro, Kugisaki, Kento, let's rescue them", Yuji looks at his classmates as they all nod in unison and prepared for battle – or just in case. Megumi had his cursed technique, Noriko had her bow and arrow, her cursed technique ready as well, Nobara had her nails and hammer and Yuji had his fists ready.
They entered the facility and Kiyotaka sealed the whole area with a veil. "What's happening?", Yuji asked excitedly like a child. "Mr. Ijichi is putting up the veil, to conceal us from the outside world", Noriko explains. "How ignorant", Nobara spats out, her arms crossed. Before entering through the door, Megumi summons his white divine dog as guide. Yuji happily pets it and compliments the dog which Noriko found cute. She smiled softly, not noticing a certain Nobara Kugisaki looking at her. "Ehem!", she fakes coughing and smirks at Noriko passing her. They opened the door. "Let's go", Megumi says. They ran, but Megumi stopped them. "Wait", he exclaimed. When they saw what Megumi was looking at, they all gasped. The floors seemed tall, but the building wasn't tall itself. How could this be? "It's an innate domain created by the curse", Noriko gritted her teeth. Nobara and Yuji looked at her. They could see fear in her eyes and that made them even more scared. "Noriko, the door", they all turned towards the entrance that has now disappeared. They were so focused on the innate domain that they had forgotten to check their surroundings. Nobara and Yuji were now terrified. "Don't worry, the dog can remember the scent of the entrance", Megumi says and the two goofy-like twins lunges towards the dog, praising it.
"Oh how lovely", the two said at the same time.
"You're a good boy".
"Such a good boy, I will surely feed you some delicious food".
"Come on guys, be serious for a moment", Noriko demands and Megumi puts his right hand on his forehead, his left on his hips, sighing so loudly. "You're so reliable, Fushiguro. With your help, we can save everyone, including ourselves", Megumi looked at Yuji plainly. Noriko saw her friend easing up. Yuji definitely has a way with words.
They continued moving forward, until they reached what looks like a big pool with no water – though it had a doorway leading straight to it, so it wasn't a pool. They only followed the dog and its instinct and sense of smell. They walked as cautious and careful as possible. When they saw a dead body, Yuji immediately ran to it. "Yuji!", Noriko tried to stop him, but he slipped right under her touch. His eyes widened as he saw one of the bodies missing its other half. "I guess it's safe to say, there's three people", Megumi says. Yuji further investigates who it was and he gritted his teeth upon seeing what the body's name was. Tadashi, it said. He remembered the guardian that went by, asking for his son. He felt a hit right through the heart. "I'm taking this body back", he announced so confidently. This did not sit well with Megumi. It was interfering with their mission to confirm and rescue. "What?", Nobara questioned. "It's the woman's son", Yuji argued. "But…", Nobara tried to convince him otherwise, but there was no changing Yuji's mind. "His face is still recognizable. Telling her that he's dead without showing the body, his mother wouldn't accept that", for Noriko, Yuji had a point, but also, their mission should be prioritize. Megumi angrily pulls him aside, using the hoodie on his uniform. "We have to confirm the status of the remaining two people, so leave that body here", they soon started an argument that would distract them from what's coming next. "You're kidding right? The path we came here from disappeared. There's no chance of coming back later", Yuji exclaimed. "I'm not saying we're coming back. I'm saying we should leave the body behind", upon hearing this, Yuji had thought that Megumi was heartless. He wasn't, in fact, he was just following orders. "I have no intention of bringing back a corpse of someone I never intended to save", Megumi shouted at Yuji. Now, Yuji held Megumi by his collar, face-to-face with him. "You didn't intend to save them? What do you mean?", Yuji asked with a hint of both anger and disgust. "Guys, that's enough", Noriko tried to stop the two idiots from disrupting the mission. Of course, she had no luck as they continued to squabble some more. "This is a juvenile detention center. Jujutsu Sorcerers receives information on the crime scene in advance. Tadashi Okazaki. He was driving without a license and assaulted someone, why would I save a criminal?", Noriko could not take it anymore. "You always wanted people to have the right kind of death, but what if that someone you save take's someone's life later?", Megumi had a point. There's no right death, nor good or bad people. People are what they are. Vile, manipulative, stupid, and all of the above. "Then why did you save me?", Yuji asked the spiky-haired boy and he remained silent. "Geez, enough already", Nobara says as she stomps towards the two, but then disappears, falling into a pit hole, created by a curse. Noriko was busy as she pulled the two away from each other, coming in between them. "Kugisaki?", Yuji says, confused of what just happened. Impossible, how could the divine dog not detect that? Megumi thought, but then as he turned to the divine dog's position, only its head remained. The two boys gasped, seeing the other girl disappear and the dog that had no body. "Itadori! Run and find the survivors, Noriko and I will-", Megumi stopped, feeling a presence beside him. Noriko's body became frozen upon seeing a curse, right in front of her very eyes. Staring at her, into her soul. Why is this happening to me? Why do I always end up facing a curse? She thought to herself, reminiscing what had happened in Yuji's old school. When prepared for the impact and shielded her friend, but then ended up facing Sukuna, their faces mere inches away from each other. Looking at the curse, it was hideous as hell and she felt like she was going to be sick, but she gathers up the courage to stay strong. All three could not move. "Never engage without a proper strategy and if you ever encounter a special grade curse, call me", how on earth will Noriko call her dad now. She knew he was joking then, but she did not anticipate that she will indeed face a special grade curse spirit with the looks of this. She clung to her pocket, but remembered that she left her phone. She felt like crying. Just then, Yuji swings the cursed weapon towards the cursed spirit. Noriko couldn't move a muscle and she gasped as Yuji loses his hand. "Itadori?", Megumi says underneath his breath. The cursed spirit planned to slash Yuji some more and Noriko pulls him away by his collar and protects him from the impact. "Megumi! Look for the survivors and Nobara. We'll take care of this. NOW!", she yelled at the boy whose body is frozen in fear. Megumi quickly runs and the two students continued to fight. The special grade cursed spirit wasn't using any sorcery, but pure cursed energy, it was strong than the average curse. Noriko had put a distance between her, Yuji and the cursed spirit. She instructed Yuji to stop the bleeding before battling. She shot arrows at the cursed spirit, but it seemed to be hopeless. She continued to do so and eventually she was able to hurt it, but just for a little while. "Hey Sukuna, you'll die if I die, right? So, help me", Yuji asked the living curse inside him. "I refuse. Even if I die in your body right now, I still have 18 souls left", Sukuna replied in amusement. "But what makes me angry is that I can't control so this body. So, feel free to swap, but if you do, I'll kill your friends, especially the one you're with, she seems to be strong and she's pretty, so I know I'll have fun once I get to her", Sukuna added threatening Yuji – knowing well that Yuji would do everything for his friends. Yuji finished his conversation with Sukuna. Noriko pretty much anticipated a close-range attack, but underestimated the curse's speed and when she was about to ready her bow, she was met by a punch that sent her flying, her back hitting the wall. Not again. This brings to much memories. She thought to herself, pissed off. Yuji had managed to stop the bleeding and helped her with the battle, but seeing her hurt, Yuji had to make the difficult decision. "Noriko", he said as he was on the other side of the room. She looked at him, breathing heavily. "Go help Megumi. He needs you more than I do", he said, more like pleaded and demanded. He couldn't risk anyone. This place probably has more than one curse and if she doesn't help Megumi, they might lose Nobara. "Are you crazy? A special grade cursed spirit is no joke, you can't just tell me to go", she shouted back. She gathers all the strength she could muster and stood up, readying her bow and arrow. She channeled her anger into her bow. "Please, Kugisaki needs your help", she could not believe that this man would rather die than let his comrades do so. "I'll be fine and if all of you are out, find a way to send me a signal", he added. "You're an idiot if you think you're fine if I leave", they continued to fight while talking. She needed a clear shot to at least be of help. She felt weak for the first time, well, no it's not the first time. Back to Yuji's previous school, the fight that happened there, was nothing like she'd expected. She thought she was strong, but she felt weak and when Sukuna appeared, she felt like the little girl she was before. Why? Why is this happening, now? I was fine, what happened? She thought to herself. She focuses on this one shot – it was full of cursed energy – and shoots the arrow straight to the curse's back which gave Yuji an advantage. "Go, now!", Yuji says, before giving Noriko a soft smile of reassurance. She hissed in anger before running, looking for Megumi and Nobara. She continued to run and felt her eyes tear up. She was actually worried for Yuji. There's no way he's going to survive and Sukuna, that darn man will not help him. She ran as fast as she could and erased all negative thoughts from her head. Everything will be fine, right dad?
A few moments later and she had found Nobara and Megumi. Nobara was badly hurt and needed immediate care. Noriko told Megumi send a signal to Yuji. His divine dog howled so loudly. "Please extend the evacuation zone to 10 kilometers", Megumi asks Mr. Ijichi. "What will the two of you be doing?", asked Mr. Ijichi looking from Megumi to Noriko. "We'll be here waiting for Yuji to come back", Noriko replies. "I see. I'll take Kugisaki to the hospital. You two, be careful", Mr. Ijichi droves off to the nearest hospital in the area to treat Nobara and the two waited for Yuji's return, but they predicted what meets them. "If something happens to him, you do know we have to-", Megumi looks at the worried girl on his side, arms crossed, looking at the horizon. "Deal with him. I know, he's our responsibility, after all, we didn't want him to die, did we?", she turns to Megumi and smiles at him as Megumi smiled back softly.
