Two weeks have passed since Qian started her "job" at Shoko's lab. Her work mostly consisted of helping with paperwork and analyzing tissue samples obtained from cursed spirits, but she also learned how to treat wounds and perform basic medical care. Since she began, Shoko taught her all about cursed energy, spirits, techniques, users, and Jujutsu High. She couldn't believe it at first- it took a couple of days to wrap her head around everything.

"S-So…wait...if it takes someone with innate cursed energy to see things…why am I able to see cursed spirits?" Qian pondered out loud one night. She had been sitting in Shoko's office, and they had just finished discussing some of the recent data she acquired that day. The doctor opened a drawer and took out the bottle of whiskey.

"Well everyone has some little bit of cursed energy in them, but some humans who have experienced extreme trauma could develop the vision." Shoko shrugged, pouring herself a glass.

Qian flinched and looked down at her hands, playing with the loose strings of her hoodie. She immediately thought back to her best friend. "A-Ah, yeah that makes sense."

Shoko took a sip, regarding her solemnly. There was a brief silence. "Is that why you talk with a stutter?"

Her head shot up. "P-Pardon?"

"I mean, the trauma. Whatever you experienced." Shoko placed her elbow on her desk, resting her chin in her hand.

The teen blushed in embarrassment, pushing up her glasses as she looked down once more. "S-Sorry, it's a habit I'm trying to break…though…I guess it did start back then…"

"If you want to talk about it…" Shoko offered the bottle but Qian shook her head in a polite decline.

She shook her head. "N-No, thank you though. It's getting late and I should be getting home, I haven't gotten dinner yet."

"Fair enough." She took another sip, playing with the rim of her glass. "Well, thanks for this report today. Hopefully we'll be able to figure out what exactly these things are."

"O-Oh no, thank you so much for taking me in!" Qian protested, shaking her head. She tugged on her hair, which was tied in a loose braid, in deep thought. "I know it's…not typical…but this experience has been truly invaluable."

Shoko waved her hand in front of her dismissively. "Nah, don't worry about it. Honestly I really needed the help." She then picked up one of the reports Qian had written, scanning it's contents. "I just need to review these, but you can head home now."

"U-Um…"

The doctor looked up questionly. Qian wrung her fingers together, trying to figure out how to phrase her question. "S-Sorry, I just wanted to ask…so you told me that usually cursed spirits would disappear once Jujutsu Sorcerer's have defeated them right?"

"Right. But in the past month alone, various cursed spirits have appeared and despite being destroyed, their bodies don't disappear like normal." Shoko responded, taking a long sip of her drink.

Qian recalled the dark-haired boy mentioning something along those lines over the phone when she was attacked. "I-Is that bad?" She queried worriedly.

"Not sure yet, more like concerning." The doctor swallowed and let out a heavy sigh before pouring herself another glass. "The last time something like this happened was when we met a Curse User who was able to transform humans into cursed spirits."

Qian's blood ran cold, her pulse racing in mortification. "W–What!?"

Shoko nodded solemnly. "We were able to chase him off but…yeah, we're worried it's him again."

"So that's why you wanted me to also analyze those human tissue samples…and why they looked completely unusual." Qian concluded, cupping her chin in deep thought. "But the samples we took of these recent spirits are different, at least from what I've seen. I don't have the full analysis yet but the initial images definitely look different."

Shoko placed her glass down and rubbed her temples thoughtfully. "That's a relief. But still, the fact remains that they don't disappear like normal, meaning they're more than just pure cursed energy. So thus leaves the question: what are they?"

Qian was silent, unable to respond.

Suddenly, the door burst open, causing Qian to yelp and leap up in her seat in shock.

"YOO IEIRI-SENSEI! We found another one!"

The poor girl, trembling from head to toe, looked over her shoulder at the intruder. Upon recognizing the pink-haired teen from her previous encounter, she let out a visible sigh of relief, placing a hand on her chest in an attempt to sooth her rising blood pressure.

Meanwhile, Shoko groaned and slammed her glass on her desk. "Yuji! What have I told you about knocking?!"

Yuji himself, who had his arm straight in the air in greeting, stomped dejectedly into the room with a pout, poking his fingers together guiltily. "Ehh…but-"

"Sorry, sensei. He ran over before I could stop him." The dark-haired boy's head popped up behind Yuji's shoulder. He stepped around his teammate with his hands in his pockets and as his eyes traversed from Shoko to Qian, they widened upon recognizing the latter. "You-"

"O-Oh hello…" She gave an awkward wave and chuckled nervously as the teen's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"What are you doing her-"

A large shadowing figure suddenly flew through the door, causing the two students to face-plant onto the floor as it landed on their backs with a sickening thud. Qian yelped again and jumped back, her hips hitting the corner of Shoko's desk, practically hyperventilating from shock. Upon recognizing it as the body of another beheaded cursed spirit, she heaved another sigh.

"Ugh…these kids." Shoko muttered to herself, choosing to pour herself another glass. Qian looked at her mentor questionably before regarding the two downtrodden teenagers sympathetically.

"U-Um…are you alr-"

"I am NEVER. EVER. Carrying a disgusting thing like that again!" A shrill voice echoed from the hallway. The brown-haired girl from before appeared, stomping on the body, and consequently the two boys, angrily. Both of them grunted in pain.

"But Kugisaki…you lost at rock/papers/scissors… It's only fair…!" Yuji argued before his head was smacked back onto the floor by the girl's heel.

"And who's idea was it to do that stupid game, huh?" She growled, grinding her foot into his skull, an angry vein popping on her temple as a demonic aura formed around her.

Qian panicked, fearing for the poor boy's life, and raised a trembling hand. "U-Um…you're hurting them-"

"HUH!?" Her furious eyes snapped towards her and Qian paled nervously.

"Now, now Nobara. I think you've hurt them enough." A cheery voice quipped from behind, causing everyone to turn towards the door. Qian's eyes widened in a mix of disbelief and awe upon seeing his familiar silver-white hair.

Could it be-