29. A Nullified Inumaki
Training for the First Years starts right off the bat the next day. The competition day would be held in another 2 weeks. They need to train the First Years as much as they can before they are good enough to join.
And not die during the competition.
"Things gets rough in the competition," Panda said, scratching his chin with his great fluffy paw. "That's what we heard from the seniors anyway. We didn't get to join last year because of Okkotsu. He alone is good enough. Also, he scared the Kyoto students so much with Rika."
Nobara let out a loud war cry and rush right into Panda's open back. Panda side stepped her and chuckles when Nobara falls face first into the grass.
"Good one Nobara," Maki said. "But do it without the war cry."
On Fushiguro's side, he watches with amazement as Maguro avoided Inumaki's attacks swiftly without allowing him to touch a single strand of her hair. She had purposely let down her hair and tied them up in a long braid, to increase the chances of Inumaki catching her as well as training herself to remember pacing on a good distance between the enemy and herself.
And in this current case, Inumaki is the enemy.
"In my situation right now, Fushiguro," Maguro said in between jumps, taking care to speak quickly so as to prepare to jump the next time Inumaki strikes. "I am on defence- *avoid attack* at all times *jumps up into the air and landed behind Inumaki with a good distance* until I am needed in the fight."
Inumaki reaches towards her with his hand, knowing she will avoid it and added in a roundhouse kick towards the area he expected her to land in. She dropped straight down onto the grass and rolled away quickly before standing right back up in a stance to prepare another sudden attack from the off-white haired boy.
Who is now officially her boyfriend.
She smiled at the thought of him being her boyfriend. Yummy.
And till date, Inumaki didn't know how to tell her that at times, he can really hear her thoughts, and his ears heated up at her comment in her mind.
"This training incorporates all sorts of possibilities to avoid an attack. This will help to either buy your teammates time or buy yourself time to find an opportunity to run if your opponent is someone stronger than you," Maguro explained, before flipping backwards and away from Inumaki when he launched an attack at her from the sky.
Unzipping his high collar, Inumaki commanded with his Cursed Speech power, "Stop."
The effect was supposed to be immediate, and she is supposed to freeze, but she merely smiled at him and runs toward the tree.
Fushiguro blinked.
"She…" Fushiguro muttered in surprise. "She didn't…"
Wait. Was this the rumoured Nullifying ability of the Tsukigami clan?
He continues to watch in fascination as Maguro smiles brightly before taking off towards the stone steps. This must be it. She wasn't even fazed from Inumaki-senpai's Cursed Speech, which is powerful enough to earn him the Semi Grade-One Jujutsu Sorcerer's level. It was as if nothing even happened.
It was as if he just spoke out normally.
The training is to win by touching the tree nearest to the stone stairways. Nobara couldn't even leave the grassy plains of the training fields before Panda caught her foot and swings her in the air. Fushiguro smiled. Everyone knows how fast Inumaki is in speed and endurance. Maguro couldn't stand the chance to best him yet.
Grinning, the off-white haired boy chased after her in lightning speed and wrapped one arm around her waist before hoisting her on his shoulder like she weighted no more than a sack of potatoes, chuckling when she gasped in surprise. Shrieking, Maguro struggled on Inumaki's shoulder and tried to tear herself away from him.
"Toge-kun!" Maguro screamed, flailing around on his shoulder like a freshly caught Tuna as he held her steadily with a smile. Fushiguro thought his senpai looked as if he won a grand finale competition by holding Maguro on his shoulder like a trophy. "Toge-kun, let me down this instance! This isn't fair! I am already on the stone stairway! I've won!"
Inumaki brought her back to the grassy plains side and carefully sets the flailing Tuna on his shoulder down.
Her face was flushed red, and there's beads of sweat streaming down her temple. Maguro looked every bit like a steaming, angry Tuna.
Inumaki smiled. He pretended to pluck her nose with his index and middle fingers on either side of her nose and smiled widely behind his high collar.
"My win, Maguro," Inumaki said to her, brushing aside a stray hair that had fallen over her eyes despite her seething angrily at him. "You didn't reach the tree."
Maguro stomped on her feet angrily. "No! Panda said the steps! I am already on the steps! I won!"
Inumaki sighed with a smile. She really is a sore loser.
Cute, he thought in his mind.
"I am not cute Inumaki Toge-kun!" Maguro replied to his thoughts furiously. He laughed out loud at that retort. Too cute. Really.
"Panda," Inumaki called casually over his shoulder. "Maguro said she won when she steps on the stone steps. Wasn't it the tree we've agreed on earlier?"
Panda looked over them lazily and replied, "It's the tree, Maguro, not the stone steps. What good does it make if you won by stepping on the stone steps?"
Maki and Fushiguro fell into silence.
Nobara looked at the lot of them in confusion.
Panda on the other hand, was the last to realize what had just transpired.
"W-Wait!" Panda exclaimed with a stutter upon realizing the situation. He heard Inumaki speak. He really just spoke in normal conversation with him! The black and white Cursed Doll pointing one trembling claw at the Cursed Speech User and stuttered in disbelief, "You- You-"
Inumaki smiled. He felt a sudden rush to feel mischievous and smiled brightly at them. "Panda," he started, almost laughing out loud when Panda immediately cowers with his paws covering his ears. When he turns to look at Maki, she immediately covers her ears with her hands too.
He couldn't help it. He had been wanting to tease them for ages but refrained from doing so as he is afraid of accidentally hurting them.
Maguro stepped up to Panda and patted his large fluffy arms. "It's alright, Panda. I've nullified him, so he can speak normal for as long as he's near me," Maguro smiled widely at Inumaki, who tapped one finger on her nose. "Or until I deactivate my ability."
"You Nullified Toge? When? I thought you have to Cast your Cursed Energy out first to use your abilities?" Panda started, scratching his ears while thinking. "I remembered Gojo told you to cast them out with a few other choices, and you choose to sing."
"With that lovely voice too," Inumaki added, looking at Maguro and smiling widely. His Snake and Fang seal made him looked extra adorable, as if its winking at her.
"That's sweet of you, Toge-kun," Maguro said bashfully, pushing her hair to the back of her ear as she felt a blush coming up hotly from her neck. Maki and Panda looked at each other knowingly with a sort of shine in their eyes, as if deducing Maguro and Inumaki's relationship advancing to another level when she called him by his name. She didn't notice this and continued, "Strangely, for Nullifying, I don't have to do anything. I sort of just speak out the command then it happens."
She turns towards Inumaki and said, "Mukounisuru."
Inumaki felt a strange bubble leaving him, and once again he is back to his full power as a Semi Grade-One Cursed Speech User.
Maki and Panda looked back and forth at Inumaki and Maguro. "So," Maki spoke. "His powers are back?"
"His Cursed Speech is always there," Maguro explained, walking further away from Inumaki as she planned to have him test out his powers here. "They never disappeared. It was merely a sort of shield bubble that covered him when I use Nullify on him. This was my family's abilities; hence I do not need to use any Cursed Energy whenever I use it."
To test it out, Maguro spoke to Inumaki through thought and asked him to command her to do something. Inumaki smiled and hold out one hand towards Maguro, then said, "Come here."
