Nobara can feel the white-haired sorcerer's stare on her as she leads the way back to the abandoned building. She can also sense the vast amount of curse energy that is emanating from the man and Nobara has to try her best to breathe normally and not show any outward signs that Gojo's presence is affecting her sensitivity.
The man is a walking bomb by the sheer amount of power she can sense in him.
His presence is suffocating.
Gojo Satoru is that powerful.
She can see why he is considered to be the most powerful special grade sorcerer by many.
As she walks ahead, her mind begins to work rapidly. She tries to find a solution to her dilemma. Since Gojo has sensed a different kind of energy from her, Nobara has no other choice but to replicate it, but she will use her nails to hide the real process behind her exorcism.
She can't reveal to the man yet that she can do magic. She'll have to lie about what kind of energy she is using. Perhaps even say that it is chakra that she is using, which she still has some but she rarely uses it.
She inwardly decides as she follows after the dark and chaotic curse energy on the third floor.
"How long have you used this new technique Nobara?" The white-haired sorcerer asks her as they both climb up the stairs.
"A while," comes Nobara's vague response as she glances at him.
"And your new technique is effective against the curse spirits?" The man prods further.
"Somewhat," Nobara responds evasively.
There is a pause as they continue to climb up the stairs with the most powerful sorcerer carefully following behind her.
"Judging from your action, I gather you are tracking the curse spirit upstairs," Gojo observes out loud. "I have read your file and I know you are sensitive to curse energy but not to this extent. It doesn't say in your file that you can differentiate curse spirits from sorcerers."
Nobara simply shrugs and says, "I never truly display the extent of my abilities to anyone, Gojo-sensei. So I didn't reveal much when someone came to my home to evaluate me from your school. I rather prefer to hide my true strength, which will give me the chance to disarm my opponents who will easily underestimate me if that is the case."
Gojo falls silent at her words and Nobara can guess where his thoughts have gone. He and she are the exact opposite. She knows that Gojo has done all his power to showcase all his abilities to others to instill fear upon his enemies and awe upon his admirers.
She also hears from the spirits how arrogant the man is and has a God-complex. Meanwhile, Nobara keeps her abilities under wraps because she wants to live normally and because she doesn't want to put a target on her back, especially to those on top of the sorcerer world.
However, she seems to have failed completely in that regard because now Gojo has become interested in her and what she is capable of. She will have to try to diminish his interest and pretend that she is nothing special.
Hopefully. She thinks.
"I can sense the curse nearby," Nobara tells Gojo, who looks at her through his blindfold.
"Can you tell what grade it is just by your senses?" The man asks her.
"Yes," Nobara reluctantly admits as they turn a corner in the dimly-lit hallway.
"What grade is it then?" Gojo inquires curiously.
"Grade 3," Nobara replies after assessing the dark curse energy she can sense nearby. "And it is headed this way!"
It doesn't take long for the curse spirit to show up and watches as a hairy curse spirit with a huge eyeball in the middle appears at the end of the hallway and heads their way with a screech.
Without hesitation, Nobara's hands shoot to her utility belt and take the nail and the hammer from it. The curse spirit is only three yards away from her when Nobara uses her hammer to launch the nail towards the curse spirit.
As the nail hits the curse spirit, she swiftly thinks, "Evanesco!" and watches as the curse spirit bursts into light right before it vanishes completely. Her nail falls harmlessly down on the floor the moment the curse spirit disappears.
"Interesting," She hears Gojo mutter and she turns towards him.
She observes as the man rubs a hand over his chin in thought.
"I have never seen an exorcism like that before," The man states as he looks at her.
"Well…that can be expected since I used a different kind of energy to exorcise the curse spirit. I call the energy chakra," She lies to him.
"Chakra?" Gojo asks in obvious interest.
"Yes," Nobara replies. "I have noticed that I have chakra after experimenting with different techniques."
"You shouldn't be experimenting with new techniques without supervision, Nobara," Gojo tells her with a note of disapproval.
"Don't worry Gojo-sensei. I am always careful," is her answer.
"Even still…it's best that you have someone to watch over you. So if you do some experimentation with new techniques, you should call me and I will supervise you. I don't want anything to happen to any of my students when it comes to practicing new techniques," Gojo advises her.
"Alright, sensei." She responds.
"Now, let's go and see if Itadori has finished exorcising the other curse," Gojo says to her as he pivots around and leads the way.
Nobara follows after him while a sense of relief settles over her when she realizes that Gojo believes her lies.
She can only hope that is enough to stop Gojo from nosing into her business for a while.
Nobara is determined to keep a low profile and she can only do that if she uses magic without Gojo and the others noticing anything.
.
.
.
Later, after making sure that Gojo and the others are far away, Nobara erects a barrier around her room so that she can speak to Sukuna.
And when Nobara delves into Sukuna's domain again, the King of Curses is already there waiting for her. Probably have been waiting for her for a while.
"How is your first day?" Sukuna asks the moment she appears into his mindscape.
This time she is standing over bones of the dead and Sukuna is sitting on his throne with a hand prop under his chin.
"It was troublesome. Gojo noticed me using my magic and I have to pretend that it's a different kind of energy that I am using," She admits honestly.
Sukuna doesn't look surprised about her admission.
"As can be expected from a special grade sorcerer," Sukuna says. "He would have noticed you using magic one way or another despite your efforts to hide it."
"I told him that the energy is called chakra and he somewhat believes me. However, why do I get the feeling that this is not over yet? I can tell that he will be keeping an eye on me from now on. He even told me to call him if I was going to experiment on new techniques so that he can supervise my progress," Nobara scowls in agitation.
"Look on the bright side, Nobara. If he spends time with you honing your 'new techniques', this will give you an opportunity to look for his weakness," Sukuna says. "More than that, you can go up and personal with your favorite sensei." Sukuna adds with a teasing grin.
Nobara rolls her eyes at his words.
"You already know that I don't want to draw attention to myself, Sukuna. And my movements will be limited if Gojo keeps a close eye on me," Nobara states. "I can't search for your fingers if Gojo keeps on checking me, especially when I am still not confident with my abilities."
Nobara watches as the King of Curses suddenly stands up from his throne and climbs down over the bones and walks purposely towards her.
The King of Curses pauses in front of her, where he suddenly and unexpectedly reaches forward to tip her chin with his hand and forces her to meet his eyes.
All of a sudden, Nobara can feel her heartbeat racing against her chest while an odd tingle settles on her stomach.
"Nobara-chan, stop doubting yourself and your abilities," Sukuna scolds gently as he stares into her eyes. "I know you can do anything if you set your mind to it... I trust you completely and your abilities. So you don't have to worry about Gojo discovering your powers. And if he ever finds out the truth, you have nothing else to lose, except your dislike for attention. I am sure your teacher will try his best to shelter you from the sorcerer executives, where they will certainly use you as their weapon if they find out about your abilities."
"Are you certain that Gojo will try to protect me from the sorcerer executives once he finds out the truth about me?" Nobara asks uncertainly.
The grip Sukuna has on her chin tightens and her breathing hitches when Sukuna slowly leans forward to whisper to her.
"Yes, he will, Nobara. Didn't your ghost friends tell you how Gojo hates the executives? I am sure your sensei will try his best to keep their filthy hands off of you once Gojo finds out what you truly are capable of. Just trust me on this, Nobara."
"Alright, Sukuna…" She whispers back.
"Good girl," Sukuna croons approvingly as he brushes a clawed finger against her cheek.
Nobara can't help but shiver.
Sukuna finally lets go of her chin and steps back away from her.
"What else have you learned today, Nobara? Did you also meet your classmates?" Sukuna asks as he retreats back into his malevolent throne, where he lounges upon it again.
"I did learn something today, Sukuna," she says to him.
"What is it?" Sukuna inquires curiously.
"It looks like you have a vessel now," Nobara informs.
"A vessel?" Sukuna asks, arching a brow.
"My classmate, Itadori Yuuji, swallowed one of your fingers and has become your vessel, Sukuna. I also heard that Gojo is letting Itadori live because he intends to collect your cursed fingers. He plans on killing Itadori once he has taken all the fingers, where it will end your existence completely." Nobara says.
"Is that so?" is Sukuna's nonchalant question as he props a hand under his chin.
"Yes," Nobara replies. "What do you plan to do Sukuna, especially now that you have a vessel?"
There is a short pause as Sukuna falls into silent contemplation.
"Give your classmate the rest of my fingers, Nobara. If I finally have a vessel, this can mean that I have a body to inhabit, which will allow me to resurrect myself again," comes Sukuna's excited words.
Nobara observes the grin on Sukuna's face and can't help but feel dread at the sight of it. The only reason she has been collecting Sukuna's fingers is because she intends to usher the cursed spirit to the next life, not because she intended for him to live again as a possible evil incarnate.
"How do I explain to Itadori about your cursed fingers under my possession? What should I tell him when I give him all your fingers?" Nobara asks carefully.
"Well, you can't give all my fingers at once, Nobara. Just give him one at first and tell him that you want to help him find the rest of my fingers, where you will give him my fingers one at a time afterward," Sukuna tells her.
"Are you sure you want to do this, Sukuna? Because Gojo intends to kill you, you know afterward…" Nobara tries to dissuade him, but knows deep down that it is hopeless.
"I know, Nobara, but I am sure that I can defeat your sensei…You don't have to worry about me because I intend to kill Gojo Satoru before he can kill me," Sukuna says confidently.
Nobara simply stares at him for a moment before she lets out a sigh, "If you say so Sukuna…it's your decision…"
"So give this Itadori boy my finger soon, Nobara…and tell me what happens afterward," Sukuna says to her.
"Alright, Sukuna," is her reply as she looks up at him. "I will give it to him sometime next week."
"Why next week when you can do it tomorrow?" Sukuna asks, scowling at her.
"Don't be impatient, Sukuna. I still need to plan how to go about giving a cursed finger to Itadori without raising too much suspicion. For certain, Gojo will be on me once he finds out that I have found one of your fingers and give it to Itadori."
Sukuna waves a dismissive hand.
"Don't mind Gojo. I'm sure he has far more interesting things to do than focus his attention on you," Sukuna responds.
Nobara shakes her head and says, "Aren't you a bit concerned about Gojo finding out my connection to you? Because if I don't plan this carefully, there is a great chance that Gojo will discover that I have been speaking to you for years somehow, which will make Gojo consider me as a possible enemy."
"Like I said, Nobara. I trust in you and your abilities. I am sure Gojo will not discover our connection this early on or even later."
Nobara stares at him in disbelief. She can't believe that Sukuna is treating this entire thing like a minor matter, when they can very well be putting their lives at risk.
Feeling frustrated, Nobara decides to say something before she will start yelling at the King of Curses.
"Fine," Nobara states as she glares at Sukuna. "I will do as you say, but don't blame me if something terrible happens that will impact our very existence."
"Nothing is going to happen, Nobara. Stop being so pessimistic," is Sukuna's amused answer.
"I am just being realistic, Sukuna!" She burst out. "This could very well blow right in our faces if we are not careful."
"Well, just be extra careful then, Nobara," comes Sukuna's exasperated response.
"I am!" Nobara retorts in agitation.
Sukuna chuckles and remarks, "You look so cute when you are all worked up, Nobara. It's a nice look on you."
Nobara flushes scarlet at Sukuna's words. "Shut up, Sukuna!"
"Alright, woman," Sukuna rolls his eyes at her.
"If you have nothing else to say to me, then I will be leaving." Nobara says, glowering.
"Just don't forget to keep me updated on everything, Nobara. That's all I ask," Sukuna says to her seriously.
"Of course, I will Sukuna," Nobara replies in a sarcastic tone.
"Hmn," the King of Curses mutters as he regards her carefully. "Then, I will see you next time, Nobara."
Nobara nods her head and says, 'Until next time Sukuna."
Thereafter, Nobara returns back to the real world, where she quickly dismisses the barrier around her room.
As she lay there in bed a moment later, Nobara can't help but feel anxious when she thinks about Sukuna's fingers and her intent to give them to Itadori. She can only hope that Gojo and the others will not treat her like an enemy by the end of it. Because Nobara has every intention to exorcise Sukuna before the King of Curses can become fully resurrected into a new body.
AN: Thanks so much for reviewing 1SL4ND3R and SumeragiByakuren! For my writing updates, you can check me on tumblr (bloomsburry-dhazel).