It didn't take long for my grandmother to slam my bedroom door open. Despite her title as grandmother, she didn't look old. She had — well, has white hair, tied up in a ponytail, and deep auburn eyes that were currently darting around the room, probably looking for a Flyhead or another stray Curse. I had been looking in the mirror, but now my full attention was on her. When was the last time we spoke? She never called me after recommending me to Tokyo, and I never called her back. Why was it that she even wanted me to go to the Jujutsu school again? Did she gain anything with that?
"Tsk, Nobara!" She yelled, holding my shoulders and shaking me slightly. "What the hell were you screaming for? Are you hurt?"
While she looked for any injuries I might have on my head, I was considering how to even address this to her. I should probably keep quiet about everything, I'm still not sure what brought me back here, but who knows if it's undone by talking about it or not. Was it a cursed technique? A curse in itself? Whatever the cause, I needed to come up with a white lie that'd satisfy her.
"I had a nightmare," I started, and my grandmother raised her eyebrows, giving me a sideways look as she examined my arms. Grandma Himawari had a talent for picking up dishonesty. "... Where I died." So mixing in a little bit of truth should help out.
"Hmm." She didn't seem entirely convinced, but she did pat my head, then brought me closer for a hug. "Well, whatever it was, it was just a nightmare. Those can't harm us in the real world, dear. At least, they shouldn't."
I nodded my head, hugging her back. That faint smell of tea, flowers and cigars still clung to her clothes, and I breathed it in happily. It was good to know that, for once, the warm feeling in my chest really was nostalgia, and not a cursed technique about to rip my life away. "What's for breakfast?" I looked up at her, smiling genuinely. If I was given this blessing, I might as well make good use of it, and that of course includes eating as much as I can of grandma's food.
After hugging her, I rushed down the stairs, jumping on the handrail and sliding down to the living room. I felt so alive! Everything felt new. I had a second chance, and I wasn't going to waste it! I could talk with Fumi again and figure out where Saori's living. Maybe I could convince Fumi to move to Tokyo with me? Or at least maintain contact with her. I had so many plans, so many ideas and what-ifs that I felt filled with energy, ready to put all of my plans forward. Originally, I only joined the Jujutsu school because it was in Tokyo, but now I could actually prepare myself for it. I'm sure grandma would love to teach me what she knows about cursed energy as well.
Arriving at the kitchen, my stride was broken by the sights on the table. My eye twitched involuntarily, and I could feel something primal burning deep within me. "Grandma! Pickled vegetables? Really?!"
"They're lightly pickled vegetables, you brat! Also, shouldn't you brush your teeth before eating breakfast?"
"Ugh!" Okay, some things never change. She knows I hate these vegetables. Normal vegetables I can withstand, but why the pickles? Who in their right mind would think this is acceptable food?
Angrily rushing up the stairs, I head to the bathroom, brushing my teeth furiously. Hygiene is important, but now I have more important matters to attend to. First, skip breakfast, then meet Fumi and go to school, then ask grandma for Jujutsu help. Between those, if I can somehow figure out how I came back, then that's even better.
Another thing that's really been nagging at the back of my mind, but that I haven't addressed yet: Mahito.
What exactly was I going to do about him? I know his first appearance was after we... After we thought Yuuji had died. That also happened, didn't it? With the knowledge that a powerful spirit would be there, could simply training every day until that point be enough? Their professor wasn't exactly experienced at passing down knowledge, he was more of a "watch and learn" kind of guy, coupled with a little "trial by fire". And even if Yuuji does come out alive from that, would they then be sent to track Mahito? Would Nanami be sent alone, and if so, would he survive or would everything be different?
Too many variables. It was best to think of them one by one. First, what was important was getting strong enough so Yuuji wouldn't be alone against that Finger Bearer, and hopefully Sukuna wouldn't take over his body. Second, finding a way to naturally give everyone information about Mahito without them realizing I died before and came from the future.
... Actually, who would even come up with that? Only Yuuji, probably. Maybe professor Satoru, tops.
"Nobara!" My grandmother yelled from the kitchen. "Your friend is waiting for you outside!"
My friend... Fumi! I brushed my teeth faster, rushing to get the process done. It's been more than a year since I last saw Fumi, my last memory of her was when we both cried together over my leaving. I didn't want, at the time, to show her how I really felt, but I couldn't hold back the tears. Fumi has been my friend since forever, and she was the person I most missed in Tokyo. Well, that was not going to be the case anymore, at least for a few months. If I still couldn't convince her to come to Tokyo with me, that is.
Returning to the kitchen and rushing past it, I barely escaped the plate of vegetables grandma was trying to shove my way while I grabbed my backpack and threw it on my back. So my reflexes used to be better! I had to work to keep them this way.
"Aren't you going to -"
"No grandma! I've already told you I hate pickled vegetables!" I cut her off short, stopping by the door. Before opening it, a dark feeling made my stomach churn. I've died once, and I had regrets. A Sorcerer always dies with regrets? Yeah, maybe the first time they die. Nothing can fool me twice. Turning back to look at her glaring face, I smiled. "But I love you. See ya later!" I opened the door, leaving her somewhat surprised expression behind, and welcoming the curious look of my old best friend.
"Uhm... Good morning, Noba-RA!" I didn't give her time to ponder too much on the strangeness of what I did, even if her shyness wouldn't let her ask me about it herself. I will drown her in my strangeness! So what if I never got this emotional with her before, this is a new me, in a new past, doing the right things! "W-We'll be late for school..." She mumbled while I nuzzled her cheek with mine.
"School can wait, it's not going anywhere! How are you, Fumi? How did you sleep? How was yesterday for you?" I grabbed Fumi's shoulders, but she seemed flustered. Okay, maybe I'm going a bit too fast. Slow down, girl, you'll have plenty of time ahead of you to talk with her.
"Right... Well, it's funny that you asked. My father was talking about you yesterday," Fumi looked down at her shoes, then moved her eyes towards the path ahead, as if silently asking if they could continue walking while this conversation took place. "He was playing Smash Bros, right, and said it's been a while since you last visited to play with us."
"Well, how about tonight?" I started walking towards the school, and Fumi promptly followed. "I'd love to visit you and your family again!"
While Fumi and I walked, I took a good look at the farms and hills in the distance. How the sun rose and bathed them and the town in a golden light. The white, fluffy clouds in the sky that her brain liked to shape into random symbols. One of them even looked like the cursed energy swirl Jujutsu High always used. "Okay... I'll have to let my mom and dad know, but what about your grandmother? Shouldn't you ask her first?"
"I'm sure she'll be okay with it," I stepped a bit further than her, then turned and started walking backwards while smiling. "Besides, we have to make the best of our lives, and I can't let her forbid me from having fun!" I put my fists in the air, looking up as my smile grew wider.
Fumi giggled, smiling at my antics. "I still think you should let her know, but I'm sure my parents will be fine with it. They really like you." There she went, looking down at her shoes again. I stopped walking ahead, taking her hand and heading to school side by side with her.
"Well, I'm sorry I kept them waiting."
Fumi laughed quietly to herself again, but this time I wasn't quite sure why. "Heh, what's so funny?"
"Oh, I'm sorry... It's just... You were always so mature after Saori left, always trying to act more like an adult, but... You're so carefree today." She looked up at me smiling. It was hard to remember, but I was also stupid for forgetting that I'm not the same Nobara I was back then. Well, obviously, but that also meant I acted a different way. I wanted to be more like Saori, so I tried to copy the way she acted towards us with Fumi, but...
"I'm just feeling good, don't ruin my vibe!" I laughed with her, and it felt good. Being myself, and being open about who I was with the people I cared for, that's what I wanted from now on. I didn't need to force myself to be mature just to be like someone else. However, on the topic of forgetting important things, I realized I haven't checked a single calendar since I... woke up today. It's amazing how much the adrenaline can make you forget. I put my hands in my pockets, but I didn't find my phone there. Ugh, I forgot to take it in the rush to see Fumi.
"Oh! No, no, I didn't want to! Sorry!" She hastily apologized, but I just shook my head, still smiling at her. She smiled back, blinking a bit in wonder. "What are you looking for?"
"I think I left my phone at home... Hey, could you lend me yours?" As soon as I asked the question, she was already fishing it out of her pocket. "Of course." I thanked her, turning on the screen, and... noticing it didn't require a password. "You know, Fumi, you really need to protect your phone better." More importantly, however, was the date on the phone. March 3rd, 2018. So that meant I still had almost three months before I had to leave for Tokyo. "You know I worry that I might forget the password and lose everything in it..." She fiddles with her thumbs, suddenly finding the wall beside us more interesting to look at than me.
"Hey, Fumi," I raised the phone up high, and she looked back at me. "Smile!" I grinned, and she smiled as well. The picture was silently taken, and I lowered the phone so we could both look at it. We both seemed so... Joyful. I missed those days. Lately, it has just been non-stop worrying, planning, fighting... This was going to be good, and not just because I could change the mistakes we all made. I could rest, and enter that war well prepared.
"You have to send me this later." I commented just before we reached the school. Fumi nodded while I looked around. In the school gates, one of the faculty members was monitoring the student entrance to stop anyone that happened to be late. Inside, a few of our classmates waved, some said good morning, and the delinquent ones I tirelessly remember having beat up just looked away, avoiding both of us. Good.
Now, it was time for me to do what I did best. Completely ignore most classes, but without sleeping, or at least letting them know that I'm sleeping. I'm becoming a Jujutsu sorcerer anyway, so it's not like organic chemistry would help much. I mean, I guess the more knowledge I have the merrier, since there are all kinds of innate techniques out there, but I literally died yesterday, so I think I have the right to ignore organic chemistry.
My mind wandered to other things. First, I made a mental list of what I needed to do. I'd go to Fumi's home and beat her and her dad on Smash Bros. If I don't stay the night, I'll talk with grandma about starting proper jujutsu training. If I do stay the night, then I'll just ask her tomorrow. And for now I think that's all I can do. I don't know where Yuuji or Megumi are, let alone how to contact them, and Saori is already in Tokyo by now, so it's just grandma, Fumi, her dad that's terrible in Smash Bros and I.
I sighed wistfully, looking out of the window. The village was the same as always, with very few cars, mothers walking with their children to get God knows where, and the calm breeze moving the leaves on the trees that just recently grew back from a harsh winter. And I'm here, experiencing this all a second time. Admittedly, school sucked, but Fumi made it worth it. She made every activity they had together worth it, honestly. That time I dragged her to meet Saori, I knew that even if she wasn't a nice person, I'd still have a good time with my friend there. But oh well, look how that turned out.
Saori... Fumi... Whenever they come to mind, I can't help but smile. There's this fuzzy feeling in my chest now that I'm with Fumi again, and it's hard to ride down the excitement. She was the last person on her mind before... that, and now she was right here again, beside me, and I was able to make everything right.
And I'd start by beating her father on Smash Bros.
Kouin was hurrying back home. He read a few disturbing news about disappearances in the area, and he didn't want to be the next one. His mother, even if she didn't remember him well at this point, needed him to care for her.
The street was only illuminated by the lampposts, and the gaps of darkness separating each beam of light made him walk faster and faster to get home. Every time he had to dive back into the darkness, his body almost stiffened in fear. Fear of the unknown, both outside and inside the company. He needed to take more and more days off because of his mother's condition, and his employer expressed a growing dislike of that. He knew he'd be fired if this continued, but it's not like he could stop it in some way.
His mother needed him, and she came first. Certainly.
However, that still wasn't enough to quell his worries. If he did get fired, how would he feed both of them? She couldn't work anymore, and things were only getting more and more expensive. And by the end of this all, if his mother forgets entirely about him, would it have been worth it? Is this the life that he wants?
A few distorted flies buzzed around, landing on his shoulder. Kouin hunched, feeling a sudden pain on his back, but he didn't know where the weight had come from, but if he has to guess, it was probably from overworking or all this stress he was accumulating. It was horrible. It had gotten to a point he couldn't ever think of nice things without these problems coming to interfere. He felt horrible, but he did wonder if he truly wanted to go this far for his mother, or if it was just societal responsibility, or worse yet, a way to skip work. He really did hate that place, he hated his boss, and he hated everything about his current life.
Bumping against something in the darkness, Kouin excused himself, trying to continue his walk, but bumping on... whatever that was, again. However, it was just empty darkness. Nothing else. Even still, there seemed to be a wall of some kind, since he clearly couldn't continue ahead.
He felt cold, sweat dripping from his forehead. "Excuse me. I-I need to get through." He gave whatever that was a few seconds to listen and go away. He took a step in the direction of the next lamppost, and it seemed to have worked. No bumps in the night this time, so he continued with his effort.
His body was immediately crushed, crumpled, and devoured. It was never found, and the man was counted as the fifth missing person in the area.
The wide torso of the curse shifted, carried back by spider legs. Its face was lifted by a long, then neck, and it chewed in a way where it appeared as if it was drinking the corpse as well. The Flyheads that had landed on the man became a part of the meal.
It had four faces, one for each side of its head, and each with a different rudimentary painting of a face. Still, it seemed to move as it chewed, with the mask deforming and reforming together with the ink.
After its feast, it caught a scent, and turned to the direction of a few neighborhoods in the distance. The masks clacked, turning around in its face as it started heading towards the source of the smell.
"D...d-d-d...d-d-death..." It cried.