With a tired yawn, a woman entered the infirmary wearing a medical coat, twirling a scalpel in her hand and with a lollipop in her mouth. The woman had dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep, perhaps due to her work, and her brown hair extended just past her shoulders.
The woman was Shoko Ieiri, the doctor at the Jujutsu school in Tokyo, and one of the few people who could use reverse technique to heal others. Satoru Gojo could use it to a certain extent, thanks to Shoko's teachings, but it couldn't compare to what she could achieve.
A smile appeared on Shoko's face as she recalled her friend's words during the teaching.
—-Shoko-chan, I don't understand anything you're explaining!
A small laugh escaped Shoko's mouth, making her wonder if she was really as bad a teacher as she thought.
The doctor's mind began to recall the reason for her early morning visit to the infirmary. It must have been between 3 and 2 a.m. Normally, she started work at 5, but she was surprised by the Zenin sisters carrying a man who was bleeding profusely from the mouth.
...
KNOCK-KNOCK
Shoko looked at her room's door while adjusting her chair. She had been studying some human anatomy charts and should have been asleep at this hour, but she couldn't resist the urge.
Who could be calling me so late at night? I don't remember anyone being assigned a mission recently...
KNOCK-KNOCK
Shoko got up from her chair and checked the time on her room's clock.
12:00
Shoko sighed as she walked towards the door, accepting the responsibilities of her job.
I don't get paid enough...
KNOCK-KNOCK
KNOCK-KNOCK
KNOCK-KNOCK!
Shoko blinked as she realized that the knocks on the door were getting louder and more desperate, prompting her to quicken her pace.
"What's happening?" Shoko tilted her head when she saw Maki and Mai Zen'in carrying a man who was bleeding heavily from the mouth.
"HELP, PLEASE!" Maki shouted in panic, causing Shoko to blink at the situation.
...
Thinking back, Gojo-chan mentioned something about someone entering the Jujutsu school, but Shoko didn't pay much attention.
What caught the woman's attention was the fact that she couldn't sense any cursed energy. Even people with no talent usually had some cursed energy, but this man had none.
As Shoko examined the man's condition, she only found a cut behind his ear. Apart from that, there were no other injuries. The doctor deduced that the cause of the bleeding was internal hemorrhage. Regardless of the bleeding cause, the use of reverse energy would heal any issue. However, what surprised Shoko was that the man's bleeding stopped on its own, and the cut behind his ear closed, leaving the doctor confused.
Shoko was too tired to question what had happened at that moment. Without sleeping for almost 24 hours, she just left the man in the observation area of the infirmary and decided to take a nap.
...
The woman twirled the scalpel in her hand, entertaining thoughts unworthy of someone assigned to heal others.
I've never met someone without any cursed energy, and judging by the way he healed, I don't think he'd mind if I took some samples for study.
A mischievous smile appeared on Shoko's face as she turned the corner, reaching the observation area. However, it seemed that her plans were dashed the moment they were conceived.
'Tsk' Shoko clicked her tongue in disappointment when she saw the man awake and stretching.
What a letdown. I hoped he would take a bit longer to wake up. Oh well, better luck next time, I suppose.
Shoko was about to open her mouth to get the man's attention as he stretched, but she noticed something.
?
Maybe I'm imagining things due to fatigue, but did he gain muscle mass?
When the man arrived at the infirmary, Shoko had already noticed his well-developed physique. But now, it seemed like his muscles were larger and denser...
John noticed someone observing him from behind and turned to see who it was.
Shoko blinked when she was noticed and disappointingly put away the scalpel as she approached the man.
"It looks like you've recovered well." As she got closer, Shoko noticed that the man in front of her was a few inches shorter than her, maybe 2 or 3 centimeters; the doctor couldn't be sure, and fatigue wouldn't help in that kind of conclusion.
The man observed her for a few seconds, perhaps analyzing her.
"You... are the one who took care of me?" Shoko shivered when she heard the man's rough voice, not expecting something like that. He seemed tired.
"Oh, I'm in charge of the medical area at the Jujutsu school. So, yes, I guess you could say that..." Shoko noticed the man put his hand on his chin thoughtfully and looked at her.
"Thank you. Sorry for not introducing myself; it's rude of me. My name is John." Shoko licked her lollipop with John's introduction.
She noticed that the man's fingers were trembling a bit. The reason for such a thing could be anything—fear, nervousness, embarrassment—but for some reason, Shoko could only think of one conclusion.
Stress.
Shoko licked her lollipop, twirling it in her mouth.
"I'm Shoko Ieiri, nice to meet you, John-san." Shoko noticed that the man placed his hand near his leg, trying to hide the tremor in his hand.
Did he notice that I noticed?
"You should be resting, John-san. You seem tired." Shoko didn't wait for the man's response; she gently touched his arm and guided him to the bed.
The woman's sudden move surprised John, but it didn't make him resist.
"Wait, Shoko-san. I'd like to ask something." Shoko stopped when she heard the man's question, but she didn't remove her hand from John's arm, which caught his attention.
John noticed the dark circles under the doctor's eyes and the twirl of the lollipop in her mouth, making him wonder if she had any bad habits, perhaps a former smoker?
"What is it, John-san?" John just stared into the woman's tired eyes as if Shoko were peering into his soul.
"Be honest with me, what did you see when I arrived?" Shoko continued to look into the man's eyes while twirling the lollipop in her mouth with the tongue.
"Well, to be honest, John-san, I didn't do anything. You healed yourself, but I wonder how you did that without any cursed energy?" For some reason, John saw the woman in front of him as a white rabbit with red eyes, watching him all the time.
"I..." John stopped talking when he noticed something strange. Shoko's hand was holding the back of his hand, which made John widen his eyes in surprise.
?
When she...
Shoko held the man's hand and lifted it close to her face, observing and feeling the tremor in his left hand.
"You shouldn't hide your health problems from a doctor, John-san. I can't help if you don't help me." Shoko looked at the trembling hand and then back at John, who just averted his gaze.
"Your body seems to be in a state of high stress, and judging by how cold your hands are and being awake at this hour of the night, it must be preventing you from sleeping. Was that why you were stretching to distract yourself? And I'm not even considering the fact that your breathing is slower than that of a normal person... are you having trouble breathing?" John was paralyzed with the woman in front of him. Shoko didn't pose a threat, but for some reason, she scared him.
She was highly analytical and knew how to use words and situations around her to get what she wanted. It was a social skill challenging to attain, and it frightened John.
These were the kind of people who won fights without even lifting a finger to fight.
"Now I wonder... what did you do to end up in a condition like this?" Shoko bit the lollipop until it broke.
John made an attempt to pull his hand away, but Shoko didn't let go.
"Shoko-san, can you do me a favor? If you don't want to, it's okay..." Shoko stared at John for a few seconds without releasing his hand, perhaps a way of not letting him escape her inquiries.
"If it's reasonable, I don't mind, John-san." John looked into Shoko's eyes.
"Don't tell anyone what you saw, at least not now..." Shoko tilted her head, wondering what the man in front of her wanted with this. But before the doctor could question, someone entered the room in a rather extravagant manner, almost tearing the door off its hinges.
"JOHN! I heard you got injured during the mission given by the bad guys. Don't worry, Gojo-chan is here to take care of your wounds!" Satoru Gojo entered the room dressed in an incredibly short and tight nurse outfit, bright red lipstick, and tied-up hair. The outfit looked like something stereotypically used in adult films, so revealing and absurd that it made Shoko release John's hand and stare with her mouth open, trying to describe what her eyes were seeing. John displayed the same reaction as the doctor.
"Uh, John, why are you naked?"
Cursed Artifact Search
-4-
With the sunrise, Megumi Fushiguro was already awake, clad in black loose clothes that barely fit his frame. Yawning, he walked slowly towards the kitchen, his thoughts lingering on what happened yesterday.
For some reason, Sukuna appeared on Itadori's cheek, uttered a few surprising words, and then disappeared. Itadori and Nobara didn't understand what happened; perhaps the Curse King did it just to mess with their heads? Anything coming from Sukuna was a reason for caution.
Megumi shook his head, trying to clear these thoughts.
Too early for this...
As he turned the corner, something caught his attention: Maki and Mai Zen'in. The two girls stood in the hallway, with Maki sitting and holding her legs, murmuring something inaudible from the distance. Mai leaned against a support beam, looking at the ground. The fact that their clothes were soaked in blood made Megumi run towards them.
"Zen'in-Senpai! What happened?" Upon hearing Megumi's voice, Mai turned her face to look at the boy.
Maki paid no attention, as if she hadn't heard anything.
"Ah, Fushiguro. What are you doing here on such a lovely morning?" Megumi raised an eyebrow at Mai's sarcasm.
"I... live here. What happened to both of you?" Megumi glanced at the blood-stained clothes of the Zen'in sisters.
Mai looked back at the ground as if lost in thought, and Maki didn't respond.
"I had forgotten... you live here..." Mai spoke aloud, but it seemed like she was somewhere else in her mind.
Megumi sensed that something was not right; the atmosphere was heavy, especially with Maki, who hugged her knees while whispering words that Megumi couldn't hear due to the low volume.
"Zen'in-Senpai... are you okay?" Megumi was getting worried about his senior's unusual behavior; this wasn't typical of Maki's personality.
"Don't worry; the blood on our clothes is not ours..." Megumi looked at Mai and blinked, not understanding what the girl meant.
If the blood wasn't theirs, then whose was it?
But Maki's whispers grew louder, more audible.
"It's my fault... I shouldn't have gone... maybe they're right... I shouldn't have tried to be a sorcerer..." Megumi blinked at what the girl said, not understanding her meaning.
Mai didn't like what she heard from her sister.
"Maki, stop it. It wasn't our fault. Besides, Shojo Ieiri is taking care of John's condition. Everything will be okay!" Mai opened her arms, raising her voice, as if trying to make a point.
Maki finally looked at her sister with tired, red-eyed eyes and dark circles.
"If I hadn't gone... if we hadn't gone, none of this would have happened, and John-Senpai wouldn't be in this state..." Mai recoiled and leaned against the support beam.
"It's our fault... ours." Maki hugged her knees even tighter, while Mai looked up at the ceiling.
"It seems like you really got attached, like glue on fingers." Mai sighed while looking up. She also felt guilty, but she wouldn't admit it.
Megumi blinked at the information he heard.
So the blood on the girls' clothes was John's... they went on a mission to exorcize a curse?
Before Megumi could ask more questions, a group of students arrived, drawing the attention of the three.
A panda walking on two legs with a bamboo stick in its mouth and a gray-haired boy wearing a black uniform and a mouth tattoo.
"Man, I'm tired. Didn't expect this mission to give us so much trouble," said the panda while chewing the bamboo, and the student accompanying him just nodded.
"Salmon, Salmon..." the student said while stretching his arms.
When the two noticed Maki sitting on the ground covered in blood, they immediately ran towards her, practically pushing Megumi aside.
"Hey!" Megumi almost fell to the ground but managed to regain his balance.
"Maki, who did this to you? Tell me, and I'll make them pay, eat their liver while they're still alive!" The panda said, kneeling and looking at Maki, and his companion agreed.
"Salmon, mustard sauce, Salmon!" The student shouted beside Maki.
Maki looked from one to the other and made an expression that surprised everyone.
"Wait, are those... tears?" The panda said in surprise.
"It was my fault! My fault!" Maki felt guilty about what happened to John. He accepted to take her without questioning, and as a consequence, John paid the price for it.
Everyone blinked in surprise; never would someone with Maki's personality cry.
...
"Maki, why are you following me all the time?" John stopped in the corridor, confronting the girl who stuck to his heels like glue.
Maki stopped abruptly and scratched her cheek.
"Well, I was thinking if you could train me..." John blinked at what the Zen'in girl said.
"Train you, why?" Maki seemed a bit nervous as she looked down.
"Well, we are similar, both without cursed energy, and both Jujutsu sorcerers... I was thinking you could train me. You were amazing fighting against Professor Gojo. I can learn a lot from you... well, if you want to train me, of course..." John noticed that the girl was embarrassed by the request; it seemed that Maki wasn't the type to ask for help.
But John felt that something was missing.
"You're hiding something from me, aren't you?" John crossed his arms, looking at the girl.
Maki looked down and sighed.
"I want to be recognized by my family, and that will only happen if I become strong." John looked at the girl for a few seconds and scratched his head.
"So, you want me to train you for approval? Maki, why do this to please people who don't care about you?" Maki's eyes widened, and she took a few brisk steps toward the man. Then, the Zen'in girl spoke.
"You don't understand... I have to do this... because if I don't, what is left for me?" John looked at the girl for a few seconds and sighed at her response.
"Alright, Maki. I'll train you, but with one condition." Maki raised her head and looked at the man in a black Yukata.
?
"What is it?" Maki asked in doubt.
John looked into Maki's eyes and spoke.
"Give up trying to get approval from your family. They won't accept you, even if you become stronger. If you want to be stronger, do it for a better cause, not something that's not worth it." Maki blinked when she heard the man's words, it seemed like the Zen'in girl was trapped in the man's gaze.
Should I really forget about this idea of seeking my family's approval?
But if I do that, what will be left for me?
...
Toge Inumaki and Panda looked at each other, unsure of what to do. They had never seen Maki complain of pain, let alone cry.
"And now, what do we do ?..." Panda scratched his head.
"Salmon..." Toge tilted his head to the side.
-4-
Yuki Tsukumo had just returned from a mission assigned by the high-ranking officials of Jujutsu, and she was heading towards the infirmary. She had received information that John had returned from his mission injured and was under observation, prompting the special-grade sorceress to cut her mission short and visit the man.
Yuki didn't expect to stay for long—just a quick visit before hitting the road again to continue her research on the soul. However, something, or rather someone, caught her attention.
Her focus was immediately drawn to the man she had encountered before—John. From the moment she met him, Yuki found all his actions intriguing. He seemed defensive around everyone, including herself. His lack of motivation for physical strength also didn't go unnoticed. When he effortlessly lifted Yuki, who weighed almost 70 kg, with one hand, it only heightened her curiosity. John, being 15 cm shorter than Yuki, added another layer of mystery to the situation. Moreover, John showed no signs of cursed energy, intensifying Yuki's interest.
But what truly intrigued Yuki was what John revealed to her...
"Yuki, I know the reason I have more curses than usual..." John's sudden stop and gaze toward her made Yuki and Maki's eyes widen in surprise. Despite initially thinking John was joking, the expression on his face confirmed he was speaking the truth.
Yuki blinked in disbelief but decided to give John the benefit of the doubt. The information revealed left the special-grade sorceress in contemplation.
Deciding not to dwell on it too much, Yuki cracked her neck as she walked towards the infirmary. She had to admit that the reasons she listed were not the only factors sparking her interest in the foreigner. Yuki couldn't deny that she liked John's appearance. His somewhat antisocial personality intrigued her, and she observed that John had trust issues. Perhaps, with time, he might give her a chance to earn his trust.
Yuki blushed with embarrassment at admitting to herself that her interest in John was, in part, driven by more carnal aspects. His exotic and striking appearance captivated her, and even though Yuki had traveled abroad, she hadn't encountered many people due to constant road travel. When she arrived at Jujutsu High, John simply stood out.
Refusing to delve further into her thoughts, Yuki mumbled to herself, "Gaijin... Hunter? Or something like that." With a hand on her cheek lost in thought, she turned the corner.
"Well, there's nothing I can do. I won't fight against my preferences," Yuki said as she opened the infirmary door, reaching the observation area. "Thinking about it... Gojo also showed interest in John, and that Zen'in girl seems stuck to him like glue. But it seems John doesn't pay much attention to her," Yuki thought out loud as she arrived at the door.
Deciding not to dwell on it further, given her own flaws, Yuki entered the observation room with a smile, speaking loudly and cheerfully.
"John, I heard you got injured on your mission. I'm here to comfort you with my presence!" Yuki declared with enthusiasm, only to have her mouth shut instantly at the sight that greeted her.
"Come on, John, you have to eat to recover quickly," Gojo sat on John's left leg with a tray of food, dressed in an outfit best left unmentioned.
"Gojo-chan, please let the patient recover," Shoko Ieiri sat on John's right leg, rubbing her eyes, fatigued from Gojo's antics.
"But that's what I'm doing, Shoko-chan, helping John recover," Gojo retorted with a smile, attempting to feed John with a spoon, but he wouldn't open his mouth.
Shoko sighed, wondering how everything ended up in this situation. After arguing with Gojo for a while, the tired doctor found herself sitting on John's free leg.
John sported a Poke expression, staring ahead with little interest, while Shoko provided him with a hospital short. His attention seemed to focus even more on the wall when he felt a breath on his neck.
Shoko Ieiri succumbed to sleep, resting her head on John's shoulder, using his trapezius muscle as support.
The rhythm of Shoko's breath made contact with John's neck, but he chose to ignore it.
"Wow, she fell asleep... that's not something I expected to see," Gojo expressed his surprise, considering Shoko was someone who hated sleeping and tried to stay awake as much as possible.
John noticed someone was looking in his direction and turned to see Yuki Tsukumo observing the unfolding scene.
John blinked and finally opened his mouth after a long while.
"Help..." Gojo glanced at the door following John's gaze.
"Oh, Yuki-chan! Decided to join us?" Gojo spoke with the least concern in the world, but it seemed Yuki didn't agree with the six-eyed woman's enthusiasm.
Yuki Tsukumo observed the situation with puffed-up cheeks and a pout.
-4-
In a public square, where children played carefreely, a group of individuals perched on rooftops observed the playful scene.
"Eh, they seem happy playing down there..." spoke Mahito, a special-grade curse, sitting cross-legged with a sinister smile on his face.
Before Mahito could take any action, he felt someone's hand stop him. He scowled and looked to see who it was.
"Ah, Hanami, why did you stop me?" Mahito pouted as Hanami made him sit back down.
"We should wait for Geto," Hanami replied, gazing at the public square, specifically at the flowers.
Impatient, Mahito huffed, "Geto disappeared a while ago, so why should we..." Mahito stopped talking when he noticed something.
"Hanami... did you just speak normally?"
"Wait... could you always speak normally?" Mahito looked at Hanami with curiosity as he crossed his legs on the rooftop.
Hanami didn't respond; instead, he continued staring at the flowers.
A smile appeared on Mahito's face as a thought crossed his mind, "Jogo is going to be furious, you know?"
A shiver ran down Hanami's spine at the thought of the volcano-headed curse screaming in fury.
"Speaking of Jogo, where is he?" Mahito stretched and lay down without a care in the world.
"Geto informed us that plans have changed and sent Jogo and Dagon on a mission," Hanami's words made Mahito raise an eyebrow.
"Plans changed? What do you mean by that?" Mahito sat up and looked more closely at Hanami, who was by his side.
"I don't know... Geto didn't reveal much about it, and the notice came from one of his curses," Mahito blinked, but before he could inquire further, the person they were waiting for arrived.
"Oh, Geto~ you finally came, I was..." Mahito turned his head with a smile, but the smile vanished instantly as he observed the man's condition.
"Wow, what happened to you?" Mahito stood up, examining Geto's deplorable state.
The man's upper Buddhist robe was completely destroyed, his body covered in dried blood that Mahito presumed to be the blood of sorcerers, and his hair was thoroughly disheveled. Strangely, there wasn't a visible wound on him.
Hanami just tilted her head while observing the man.
"Come on, we need to set the stage," Geto walked, standing in front of the two disaster curses.
"Stage?" Mahito repeated.
"Stage?" Hanami repeated.
Geto's shadow moved close to Mahito and Hanami. It took the form of two hands and grew until it reached the two disaster curses. The palms of the shadow's hands opened, revealing various objects.
"Cursed artifacts?" Hanami picked up some objects, examining them with curiosity.
Mahito just observed the objects from one side and then the other but didn't pick any up. Turning his gaze to Geto, the humanoid curse decided to ask.
"Do these things have souls of other Jujutsu sorcerers?" Mahito picked up an object and twirled it in his hand like a toy.
Hanabi looked at Mahito for a few seconds and then at Geto.
"Now that Mahito mentioned it, I'm feeling it too..." Hanami thought out loud.
"And I can sense that the souls of these objects aren't complete, but they are still strong... stronger than me, Hanami, and even Jogo. What are you planning, Geto~ ? I think you intended to use these later after sealing Satoru Gojo, but..." Mahito stopped talking when he noticed something.
"Jogo and Dagon are doing the same thing we're about to do with the cursed paintings," Geto said while adjusting his messy hair. "You'll follow the attraction force to the objects and the people the objects 'choose,' make sure to send them and infuse a bit of cursed energy so that the soul transfer process will occur. Even with just traces of the soul, when the objects take over the user's body gradually, the fragmented souls will restructure."
Geto looked at the two curses. "Satoru Gojo and Yuki Tsukumo won't be our only problems, and judging by how things are going way off track, I think Yuta Okkotsu might end up joining as well."
Mahito took a few steps back until he stood beside Hanami, and the two exchanged glances.
"Eh, you're making us worry about so many special-grade sorcerers, Geto~" Mahito said nonchalantly, playing with the objects in his fingers.
Geto smiled while watching the children play in the corner of his eye.
"Let's say we have to level the playing field; this will be just a smaller scale than I expected, but it will do," Geto observed the parents of the children calling them to leave.
Mahito just shrugged, not caring too much.
"As long as I can kill Yuji Itadori, I don't care what happens," Mahito said, watching Hanami prepare to leave.
Hanami looked at Mahito, "Let's go, Mahito."
Mahito blinked, sighed, and joined Hanami's side, smiling.
"How about we bet on who can find more users first, what do you think..." Hanami had already disappeared, leaving Mahito to shout in surprise.
"Hey, Hanami, that's unfair... Hanami!" Mahito vanished from the rooftop, leaving Geto alone.
I didn't expect it to start this early... but I guess it shouldn't be big enough to call it the Culling Game.
Just a small game.
I can't risk it after what happened...
This small game will serve to test the waters.
-4-
John looked at Gojo, who had a silly expression on her face, making John feel the urge to punch the woman; it was a stupid smile indeed.
Gojo and Yuki walked alongside John through the corridors of the Jujutsu school. The group left Shoko sleeping in one of the beds in the infirmary, and then the small group decided to grab something to eat.
Yuki pouted while looking at John, making him sigh at the woman's attitude.
"Is there any reason why you're upset, Tsukumo?" John said, looking at the blonde woman.
Yuki just crossed her arms, still showing a pout on her face.
"No... it's nothing... womanizer!" Yuki Tsukumo began speaking quietly, but in the end, she made a point to speak loudly.
John scratched his head with the woman's attitude. "Didn't I tell you it wasn't my fault? Besides, why does this affect you so much?"
John looked at Gojo, who was just wearing a cynical smile, looking at the foreign man with her blue eyes, causing an unpleasant throb in John's head.
"Are you enjoying my suffering?" John whispered to Gojo, who just laughed.
"Me? You're hurting me with these accusations, John~" Gojo placed her hand near her heart with an expression that wanted to cry, but she still had a smile on her face.
The group turned the corner, approaching the courtyard.
"Well, if you dress like a slut, it's expected to act like one..." John said without concern, which made Yuki snap out of her bad mood and laugh at what the foreign man said.
"Hey!" Gojo said indignantly.
John stopped when he noticed a group of students nearby; this made Yuki and Gojo stop as well.
"It seems there's a commotion," Yuki said, observing the students.
"Seems like it..." Gojo commented, not knowing what was happening.
Mai, who was leaning against the wall, noticed Gojo and John, making the girl blink in surprise.
"Maki, I think you'll want to see this." Mai leaned against a support beam with a more relieved posture.
Maki looked at her sister with doubt, and following Mai's gaze, Maki's eyes widened.
"Maki?" Panda followed the girl's gaze and saw a woman and a man he didn't know.
"Salmon with mustard?" Toge tilted his head to the side while watching in curiosity.
Nurse Gojo took a few steps forward, placing her hand on her waist as she spoke.
"So, can someone explain to me what's going on?" The moment Gojo shifted her weight to one leg, the woman's short dress became more apparent, making the boys blush at the scandalous outfit.
Before anyone could answer, Maki practically flew towards John's body, clinging to him like a squirrel and showing no intention of letting go.
?
The foreign man practically didn't move from the ground, but Maki seemed determined not to release him.
"Womanizer..." John heard Yuki Tsukumo speak again, but he decided to ignore it.
"Now is not the time," John tried to pull Maki off his torso, but without success, which surprised the foreign man, as his physical strength was not common.
"Maki... can you let go now..." The girl didn't respond, just moved her head from side to side, showing a sign of denial.
...
"You thought I was dying?" John questioned the girl, who just nodded her head up and down on his chest, a sign of affirmation.
"And you don't intend to let me go, right?" Maki moved her head up and down in agreement, making John sigh in defeat.
The foreign man just walked toward the kitchen but stopped when he noticed something... peculiar.
"A... Panda?" John was surprised to see a panda looking at him.
"Hello!" The foreign man's mouth opened in surprise.
"Did this Panda talk?!" John thought aloud.
"You get used to it," Mai said sarcastically, making John shrink and scowl.
"I don't want to get used to it..." John said with a scowl and then looked at the group of students, "Can you help me with her?"
Panda and Toge blinked while looking at each other and decided to approach and try to remove Maki from the man, but...
Maki turned her face and looked at her two friends, making them step back.
"Better not... she's in a terrible mood right now..." Panda said with a sweatdrop on his face.
"Mustard..." John looked at the gray-haired student with a mouth tattoo.
Did he say mustard?
"Has she been like this for a long time?" John looked at Mai, who just sighed.
"No, just a few minutes. To be honest, I knew Maki wasn't talented as a sorcerer, but I didn't think something like this would happen. It reminds me of when we were kids..." Mai said with a smile, teasing her sister.
Maki, upon hearing this, only moved one of her arms from the man's torso and showed her middle finger to Mai, who just smiled.
"I love you too, sister," Mai said while waving her hand from side to side.
John noticed the Fushiguro boy approaching.
"I heard you were injured on the mission, how did it happen? It must have been something serious considering the blood on the girls' uniform," John looked at Megumi with expressionless eyes.
Man, kid, your first words to me this morning are focused on breaking my legs!
"Well... you know..." John was having trouble speaking, and Gojo and Yuki approaching didn't help much. Still, it seemed that Mai didn't mind the foreign man's discomfort and decided to speak for him.
"John-Senpai used a domain expansion," John closed his eyes with the desire to smack Maki's younger sister.
?!
"Darn, kid..." John whispered, making Megumi tilt his head in doubt about what the foreign man was referring to.
"Oh, he used it, huh?" John felt Gojo's breath beside him.
"Why didn't you tell us, John? We have a lot to talk about, don't you think?" Yuki was on the other side of John, leaning her hand on the man's shoulder.
Maki lifted her head to look at the man's face, which showed an expression of fatigue and defeat at the moment.
Megumi, Panda, and Toge just stared, not understanding why the atmosphere became awkward.
-4-
John, Satoru Gojo, Yuki Tsukumo, and Masamichi Yaga were in a dojo, sitting around. Numerous stuffed animals surrounded Yaga, and it seemed like the man was constructing one more.
John wanted to inquire why the man was working on stuffed animals, but at this moment, the foreign man knew that asking wouldn't help.
The two special-grade sorcerers had taken the man to the director of the Jujutsu school, deciding to question the foreign man about the information revealed by Maki's younger sister and report that the assigned mission had been successfully completed. However, it seemed that the information had already reached the director.
"AN ENTIRE PORT?! WHEN WE ASSIGNED YOU THE MISSION TO TEST YOUR SKILLS, WE DIDN'T EXPECT YOU TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS! DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE ATTENTION THIS BRINGS?" Gojo, Yuki, and John cringed at how loudly Masamichi Yaga had shouted.
"He seems to be angry..." Gojo whispered, and Yuki just nodded, agreeing with the white-haired woman.
"Moreover, how did you do that?" Yaga took a deep breath and removed his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose.
Before John could respond to the director, Satoru Gojo spoke first.
"It seems John here used a Domain Expansion." The foreign man turned to look at Gojo with a scowl, but when he looked at the blindfolded woman, he saw a serious expression, which caused a strange feeling in his stomach, as John was accustomed to Satoru Gojo's playful attitude.
Yaga blinked upon hearing Gojo's words and looked at the foreign man, putting his glasses back on, the director was a bit confused.
"Wait, didn't you say he has no cursed energy?" Yaga looked at Gojo, questioning the woman.
"Yes, I've checked multiple times. John's existence violates Jujutsu's own rules. Exorcizing curses without cursed energy, using a Domain Expansion... canceling a Domain Expansion." Hearing the last words from Gojo made the foreign man's eyes widen in surprise.
"How did you..." John felt a hand on his shoulder, and when he looked, it was Yuki Tsukumo.
"We noticed, John. Me and Gojo. You know it's not common what you did; in fact, what you did is quite absurd." John just shifted his gaze, staring at the ground.
"Domain Expansion? Gojo... explain," the woman with white hair sighed, knowing she would get a scolding from the man.
"Well, maybe or maybe not I challenged Sukuna to a fight, and maybe or maybe not the 'King of Curses' used a Domain Expansion... but it's just an assumption, we don't know if it really happened." Gojo touched one finger to another while shrinking more and more as she spoke.
Yaga looked at the woman with wide eyes, but instead of yelling at Gojo for the recklessness, the director just shook his head, changing his mind about giving the woman a slap on the head.
"I'll talk to you later about this. And you!" John shrank with Yaga pointing a finger at his face.
"Me?" John, for some reason, felt naked with all the attention he was getting, and the fact that he was only in a hospital gown didn't help to improve that feeling.
"Don't you want to tell us something?" Yaga looked at John through his dark glasses.
"I?" John, for some reason, felt exposed to all the attention and the fact that he was only in a hospital gown didn't help improve that feeling.
"From where I come, it's not common to have people with cursed energy. We use other sources of fuel called 'Nen'." Gojo blinked with the words of the foreign man, wondering what he meant by where he comes from.
"Your home, you mentioned that in the hallway. That you were forced to come here, expelled," Yuki spoke, recalling the explanation John gave to her and Maki.
"Expelled? You mean from another country?" Yaga tilted his head.
John scratched his cheek, "No... I'm not from here. I guess the correct term is a parallel land, a similar yet different place. A different dimension."
Gojo, Yuki, and Yaga blinked in disbelief; the director cleared his throat.
"Young man, this is something serious. Please, it's not the time for lies." John rolled his eyes, knowing something like this would happen, but Yuki decided to respond for the foreign man.
"Director Yaga, I don't think John is lying, and what he demonstrated wasn't Jujutsu." A sweat drop appeared on the director's face.
"Wait, are you serious? Sorry for my disbelief, but I can't just believe something so absurd." Gojo raised what seemed like a reasonable question.
"So, you use this 'Nen' as fuel instead of Jujutsu? I've never heard or seen anything like that. Can you demonstrate?" John noticed that the woman didn't believe 100% in his words, but she was giving him the benefit of the doubt.
"I can't use Nen, so it would be impossible. You are looking at the least talented person in the world. I've never had talent for something like that." Gojo blinked in surprise, wondering why he would tell such an unbelievable piece of information if he couldn't prove it.
Yaga rubbed the back of his neck and sighed, "Let's say your story is real. If you can't use Nen, how did you cancel a Domain Expansion and use one?"
Yuki looked at John, agreeing with the meaning of the director's question.
"Oh, sorry, I should have explained better. I wasn't born with the ability to use Nen, but my frustration didn't make me give up. So I developed another way to use the benefits that Nen can bring, using a different type of fuel. Each Nen user has their affinity; it's a complex system, and it would take a while to explain everything. So I'll get straight to the point. I was born without Nen, which by definition makes me someone without any kind of affinity. But there's a silver lining; theoretically, I'm like a blank canvas waiting to be painted. I used this to my advantage, being able to cancel techniques from people as if I were an antibody, in exchange for using my life force. Being born without Nen and breaking the rules granted me a gigantic physical capability. Theoretically, a hunter in my world would be impossible to achieve this level of physical power without using Nen to enhance their abilities." John tried to explain in the simplest and most straightforward way possible, hoping it wouldn't be confusing.
...
The sorcerers remained silent for a few seconds, processing the amount of information that had been exposed. After a while, Satoru Gojo decided to break the uncomfortable silence in the room.
"You... said that you nullify techniques, right? But you didn't explain how you used a Domain Expansion." Oh, I almost forgot to reveal one of the most important pieces of information.
"Sorry, my mistake. As I mentioned, think of me as a blank canvas waiting to be painted, and that's how my technique works. When I nullify a technique, the information is recorded in my soul, allowing me to use it. However, I can only access the information at the moment of use. If I only go through the process of nullifying the technique, I still remain unaware of what it does or any general information the original owner may have," Gojo's mouth hung open as if pondering something. Yuki spoke, drawing the man's attention.
"So, as fuel to use the techniques recorded in your soul, you use your own life force?" John sighed and nodded in agreement with the blonde woman.
"Yes, as I said, I'm not talented. So, I have to use what I have in my arsenal. There are pros and cons. Technically, I can use any technique I nullify, excluding cases of complementary techniques. But once I use it, I can no longer nullify the same technique, as my soul recognizes it as a part of me. So, I have to think carefully if it's worth using, considering that if someone tries to kill me with a technique I nullified and used, I won't be able to nullify it again. Aside from that, it's stressful for my body, and depending on the complexity of the techniques I use, it can put me in a serious life or death situation," Yuki became genuinely interested in what John said, as she spent her life traveling the world studying soul properties.
"So, by nullifying, you can use other people's techniques. Wait?! Does this include Domain Expansion?!" Yaga practically shouted in realization with the information John provided.
The foreign man shrank again with the director's loud voice. "Well, theoretically, if I nullify it, I can use it. Well, if my body can withstand the stress. After I used Sukuna's Domain Expansion, it caused internal bleeding, so I have to be very careful."
Yaga blinked repeatedly, struggling to believe it. "Using someone else's Domain Expansion is..." The director scratched his chin, thinking out loud.
Gojo became curious and decided to test what John had revealed. "Can you show it? Nullify one of my techniques?" John blinked and nodded.
"Yes, I can. Do you want me to give a demonstration?" Gojo just nodded, causing John to stand up.
Gojo pointed her finger in a gesture resembling a gun. "Wait, Satoru!" Yaga snapped out of his reverie when he saw Gojo use the Reverse Cursed Technique to create a red sphere on her finger.
Reverse Cursed Technique: Red
The reverse cursed energy sphere flew towards John, who simply extended his arm and caught it as if it were a baseball. However, as soon as the sphere touched the foreign man's hand, the Red cursed energy dissipated.
Yaga removed his glasses in disbelief, "So, it was true..."
John pointed his finger upwards in a gesture similar to what Gojo had done, and a Red sphere formed at the tips of the foreign man's two fingers.
Gojo walked slowly, surprised by what she saw. Upon reaching John, the woman analyzed the Red sphere and noticed that it was the same as her technique, but there was something different.
"The sphere is smaller..." Gojo said aloud, realizing that the size was smaller than expected.
"I can only extract 80% of the original power, so it's not a good idea to try to compete in power with the original owner," Gojo saw the red sphere disappear, and when he looked at John, he noticed that the man's nose was bleeding a bit.
John noticed the woman's gaze and moved his hand to wipe away the blood, but it seemed that Yuki had been faster than the foreign man.
"Here, take this," Yuki Tsukumo offered a tissue for the man to clean the blood flowing from his nose.
John took it and thanked her while cleaning the blood. "Thanks"
"I don't know what to say or think... another dimension? Is that really possible?" Yaga scratched the top of his head, doubting his own sanity.
John just sighed, "Believe it or not, I'm here, so..."
Gojo put on a smile that made Yuki and John raise their eyebrows.
"Hey, old Yaga, doesn't something like this make John a special grade sorcerer? A sorcerer without cursed energy who can use cursed techniques from others." Now thinking about it, maybe John's technique was more effective than Yuta's, as the second-year student needed the vengeful cursed spirit Rika to copy other cursed techniques and it lasted only 5 minutes.
Yaga stopped and thought for a few seconds, "You're right... and why do you have that stupid grin on your face?"
Gojo just ignored the director complaint and approached the foreign man.
"Let's be best friends from this day on, stuck at the hip, sharing the same bed, sharing each other's body... Hey, don't push my face like that!" John was confused by the sudden change in the woman's attitude.
John noticed Yuki leaning on his shoulder, "She found out that you're strong... seems that makes her a bit excited... womanizer!"
John blinked in surprise, and the fact that Yuki's eyes were shaded didn't help the situation.
Before John could say or do anything, Director Yaga noticed something, especially the clothes Gojo was wearing.
"Gojo, is there any reason you're dressed like a slut?" Yaga looked at the incredibly tight and obscene nurse outfit the woman was wearing.
"Hey!" Gojo shouted in indignation.
-4-
The sounds of footsteps echoed through the area as the man tried to escape, being pursued by someone without knowing the reason. Everything led him to the choice to run, but it seemed his respite came to an end when he found himself in a dead-end alley.
The man didn't know why he was being hunted; he was just a normal accountant. However, it seemed his pursuer didn't care about that.
"Hm, Hm, hm~" The pursued man walked slowly while humming a tune, making the hunted man even more nervous.
Pressing his back against the wall, unable to run any further, the accountant decided to confront the person chasing him.
"W-What do you want?!" The man shouted in fear.
Mahito looked at the human as he walked slowly, pulling an object from his pocket.
"To be honest, I don't know why I'm doing this. I didn't pay much attention to Geto's explanation, but..." Mahito glanced at the frightened man with a depraved smile on his face.
"I want to see what will happen..."
…
The stage for the little game was beginning to be set. The children were getting ready for the performance, and the adults were ready to watch.
It's not something you want to miss, is it?
After all, adults have to watch over and take care of the children.
The Hide and Seek Game stage is starting.
