Chapter 2: The Search for the Beads
In downtown Tokyo, Yuji and his friends had searched high and low for the Beads of Hisako. They tried looking in any alleyways, scavenging through the streets and shops, and even derelict buildings in remote areas of the city. Alas, to their disappointment, they had not had any luck so far. The most frustrated of them all was Nobara, who was extremely determined to find the beads at any cost, and the others could hear her growling and muttering irately.
"We haven't found the beads anywhere in this city!" she groaned, clenching her fist tightly. "This would've been easier if we used Fushiguro's Divine Dog and Yamato's ofuda!"
"That's true, but we're preserving our cursed energy for now," Kanao said to her. "Just try to relax, please, Nobara?"
"No! No, I won't relax! Not until we finally locate the Beads of Hisako!" Nobara snapped, startling the strawberry blonde.
"Take it easy, will ya?" Kotori said to the brunette. "I get that you're frustrated like the rest of us are, but we're not giving up. Gojo-sensei's counting on us to retrieve the Beads of Hisako and bring them back to the school."
"Yamato's right!" Yuji added. "Giving up isn't an option for us, and we're not letting Gojo-sensei down! The city's residents could be in grave danger since cursed spirits could be attracted to the beads, wherever we would find them."
"Itadori's got a point," Megumi said, nodding in concord. "Right now, let's take a break. We'll focus on finding the beads afterward, so let's not worry too much about them, Kugisaki."
Though she was still fraught with frustration, Nobara knew that her classmates were right, and she had to keep her cool if she wanted them to succeed in finding the Beads of Hisako.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," she finally said to them, a small smile forming on her face. "Hey, let's eat at that sushi place over there!"
She pointed to a local sushi restaurant standing before them, bringing relief to the students. They were low on fuel, and sushi would be just what they needed to replenish their energy.
Kanao and Kotori were each feasting on hibachi and rainbow rolls, with green tea as their drinks of choice. They even shared the other's sushi, just to show how strong their friendship was.
"So where do you think we should look next?" Megumi asked, as he took a bite of a shrimp tempura roll.
"Maybe Harajuku?" Nobara suggested, after taking a sip of her green tea. "It's been a while since we were last there."
Whilst slurping on some ramen, Yuji suddenly glanced over at Nobara and the moment his ears picked up what she just said, and he couldn't help but feel nostalgic as he let out a happy sigh.
Harajuku…, he thought, as a flashback of their first meeting with Nobara began to play inside his head. Another flashback soon followed, featuring Yuji and Nobara's first mission to exorcise a curse in Roppongi and rescue a young boy who was trapped inside.
I can't believe we're going back to Harajuku. It has been so long since we were there.
In the midst of Yuji's reminiscing, he suddenly snapped out of his trance when he heard a familiar voice calling to him:
"Hey. Hey. Itadori!"
It came from Megumi, who had just finished his meal along with everyone else. They had to pay for their food, and Yuji sprinted over to them as Megumi then notified him:
"We're going to Harajuku, to continue our search. You ready to follow us there?"
"You bet!" Yuji replied optimistically.
Once they spent their money on their food, they headed out of the sushi restaurant and out into the streets, with Harajuku as their destination in mind.
The sun had begun to set by the time the students arrived in Harajuku, and they scouted the streets and any alleyways they could possibly find. They also tried some other shops and buildings; unfortunately, there was no sign of the beads in neither of these areas. They had reached a dead end, just like before!
"Damn it!" Nobara snapped, a red vein popping up on her head. "We still haven't found them!"
"We'll keep looking," Megumi said to her. "Just stay calm."
"This is going to take forever, Fushiguro! At this rate, we'll never find the beads! In fact, what if someone gets to them first and dies just after trying them on?!"
Though she could feel Nobara's growing vexation, Kotori remained collected, even when her ofuda had failed to pick up a signal earlier.
I understand how Kugisaki feels about this, but she's gotta try to stop being so negative! she thought of her, glancing over at Nobara shaking Megumi rapidly.
Yuji and Kanao each let out low sighs, feeling exhausted from all of the searching they did in the streets and alleyways. Still, they refused to give in, and they were both determined to find the beads, even if it would take them all night.
All of a sudden, Kotori felt a strong pulse vibrating throughout her, and she pulled out her ofuda from her bag. Her eyes widened in shock at the sight of one of her ofuda radiating a blue glow, indicating that it had just picked up a vast amount of cursed energy from nearby.
"What is it, Tori?" Kanao asked her.
"I feel a strong wave of cursed energy coming from up ahead," she said, pointing her finger north. "Follow me!"
She immediately took off, with the others pursuing her from close behind. They had to push through some civilians passing by them since they were in a hurry, and Kotori could feel her ofuda pulsating stronger and stronger the closer they were getting to the source.
"It's about time we pick up something!" Nobara boasted, as she took out her hammer and nails.
"Well done, Yamato," Megumi said to her. "Now we can get the job done."
"Let's hope so," Kanao replied to him, an uneasy feeling taking over her due to the growing presence of cursed energy.
By the time they finally arrived, the students were horrified to see the inside of the jewelry store, which had been taken over by the horde of cursed spirits. First, there was a Grade 3 spider spirit hanging down from above, followed by another Grade 3 spirit in the form of a fur ball with a malevolent smile, arms and legs. They had each captured customers, willing to use them as hostages as the sorcerers could hear the customers' desperate pleas for help.
Next, there were two Grade 2 cursed spirits that resembled a pair of onryos with long black hair and skin white as snow—and they had taken the shop owners hostage!
"Oh, no… cursed spirits!" Kanao exclaimed worriedly.
"And they've taken these people as hostages!" Megumi added.
"But that's not all…," Yuji pointed out, eyeing on the leader guarding the beads, which were encased inside a glass display. The special grade spirit turned out to be another Finger Bearer, similar to the ones they faced in the detention center and the Yasohachi Bridge.
"We've finally found the Beads of Hisako, and a Finger Bearer's standing in our way!"
"You know what that means," Kotori said, as she held out her additional ofuda.
"It's time to take on those cursed spirits!" Kanao answered, pulling out her fans and opening up halfway.
"Leave the special grade to me," Yuji said to his friends, as he valiantly stepped into the shop and gazed directly at the leader. "You take on the lower grade ones and rescue the shop owners and customers."
"Itadori…," Megumi said to him, placing a hand on Yuji's shoulder. "If you plan to use Sukuna, I'll have to give you the signal, just like last time. It's too risky using him with innocent civilians' lives at stake."
"I know, Fushiguro," Yuji said to his friend. "That's why I'm leaving the weaker ones to you. Get them out of the shop now. They'll probably take the hostages along with them."
"Got it."
"Hey! Cursed spirits!" Nobara taunted the spirits. "If you want to take us on, you'll have to do it outside."
"Follow us!" Kotori added, as the four students departed the store. The lower grade spirits soon followed, bringing their hostages along with them. Once the shop was completely empty, it was now just Yuji and the special grade spirit guarding the beads.
"Bring it on, tough guy," he said, smirking confidently as his fists began to glow blue. He had channeled his cursed energy into them, and he was surely ready to take on that special grade with the beads as the prize!
The Tokyo High students finally found the Beads of Hisako, but they have to get through the cursed spirits first! Will they be victorious? Find out in the next chapter!