The loading screen seemed frozen as Qian sat at her desk with bated breath, anxiously tapping her fingers against the wood as she waited for the search to finish. She had submitted a bit of the blood sample her brother gave her to Tokyo's forensics department, and the system was running it through their database. While she hoped for a positive hit, her gut clenched at the thought of the result showing it… was in fact… Hayato. It just can't be true- perhaps, Mom, Dad, and Nii-san are just lying to me again… because the boy she remembered… he wasn't violent. He was kind,quiet… and… She swallowed a lump in her throat, the guilt she felt welling up in her stomach with full force. He just needed help.
Suddenly, there was a soft 'ding' and a prompt popped up on the screen: 1 Result Found. She could hear her pulse racing in her ears as she swallowed, her fingers trembling as she reached for the mouse to click on the "Confirm" button. As his face appeared, her eyes widened in recognition. Her chest tightened and she felt her entire body turn cold, her head pounding as she collapsed into her chair.
That's him. Black hair, dark, emotionless eyes reflecting nothingness- He was alive. This whole time, he was alive, and for some reason, he hated her.
She felt something on her cheek and she raised a shaky hand, feeling wetness on her fingertip as she touched her skin. She blinked as she realized her tears, her utter shock mixed with completely conflicting emotions. Happiness? Relief? Sadness? Betrayal? Melancholy? She choked as her tears continued to fall, dripping off her chin and soaking into the keyboard of her laptop. So many thoughts raced through her head: What happened to him? How did he survive? Why did he become involved in all this, why was he-
She released a shaky breath, rolling her fingers into a fist as she rubbed her eyes furiously. No, it wasn't certain that he's involved in this… not yet anyways. She looked over her shoulder, eying the refrigerator behind her. There's only one way forward, one way to find the truth and answer, once and for all.
She loosened her bun and ran her fingers through her dark locks to re-tie her hair back up, eyes shining in resolution. She pushed herself to her feet, heading across the lab to pull the door open. As the cold air rushed past her face, she exhaled, her breath releasing puffs of white as she reached in and pulled out the vial that her brother gave her. The- no, his- blood sample sloshed back and forth as she swirled it in her fingers.
She clutched the vial close to her chest, closing her eyes momentarily. Ha-kun… She shook her head vigorously, shoving the door open to head to her desk. No time to hesitate.
For the next few hours, she drafted and prepared her research, diligently scribbling in her notebook a series of experiments to ultimately test her hypothesis. Fear and anxiety grappled in the back of her mind, but both were shadowed by the overwhelming sense of responsibility- for those who remained missing, for the school, for her friends... everyone is counting on me, I'm the only one who can do this.
First experiment, she placed his sample in a dish. As she peered at them through her microscope, she could see the cells glowing with radiating cursed energy. Her pulse raced as she jotted the observations into her notebook, taking no pause as she then continued onto the second experiment.
Upon adding plant spirit specimen #3's cells to his sample, the unique observation was as follows: Hayato's cells remained unchanged, but the specimen #3's cells proliferated by a rate of approximately 10 cells/second. Result constitutes further investigation.
Third experiment: Added Gojo-sensei's blood to Hayato's cell sample. Negative. No reaction was observed.
Fourth experiment, she quickly moved to set everything up. Before her was a plate containing a fresh sample of Hayato's cells, and in her hand held a syringe containing Hinamori's blood. Her fingers clutched the syringe… she was expecting Hinamori's cells to absorb his energy, no question. But… if they changed form-
In her previous experiment, the woman's cells had only absorbed Satoru's cursed energy but did not transform in any way- signifying that she must only be able to transform into plant-like organisms based on similar plant-like cursed energy. Therefore, if they changed form as soon as they make contact with Hayato's cells… then…
There was only one thing to do… it was the last experiment after all. It'll determine his involvement in all this. There was only one possible outcome that would make sense of everything.
She glanced at the crimson liquid in the petri dish underneath the scope. Hayato… her gaze softened in sadness. Please, don't be involved in this. If he is… I…
Her thumb pushed the plunger. As soon as they landed in the dish and made contact with Hayato's cells, Hinamori's glowed brightly and began to multiply, taking on his cursed energy. Her throat tightened as their morphology also began to shift. While Hayato's remained the same, Hinamori's cells transformed into plant cells, appearing exactly like the plant spirits'.
It's… him. He's the source. She gritted her teeth, clutching the edge of the lab bench so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She bit her lip, her bangs shadowing her eyes. Why… why would he do this? Not only was he involved, but he was the one who is transforming people, the one who is capturing them and... He is the direct cause of all of this.
She squeezed her eyes shut, burying her face into her palms. The memories from her childhood came flooding back… she remembered his anger, his rage, the last time she saw him alive…
What do you know?!" He roared, pinning her to the ground. "You know NOTHING. NOTHING ABOUT THEM."
But before then, he was kind to her in his own way. Every day after school, on her way home, she would see him in that same spot, sitting on the swing set in their neighborhood park. She struggled with making friends with school, and he would always remain silent, simply listening to her. And during the times she treated his injuries, he would never tell her how he got them.
But some of them, she had a feeling, were because of her.
She quickly ducked into a nearby convenience store, gasping for breath as she kneeled behind the furthest aisle from the door. She peered out from a stack of boxes, seeing several boys her age race inside.
"Hey, lady, have you seen a pipsqueak run in here?" The biggest of the group asked the clerk behind the cash register.
"Uh…" The young lady glanced at the girl from the corner of her eye and Qian adamantly shook her head, placing a finger on her lips as she gave her a pleading look.
"What are you doing here?" Qian whirled around to see Hayato, his black hood barely covering his deadpan gaze as usual, holding a bag of chips in one hand.
"H-Ha-kun, um… I-"
"There she is!" The leader of the group was soon right next to her, grabbing her arm roughly and yanking her to her feet.
"O-Ow!" She cried, digging her heels into the tiled floor to try to pull away. "P-Please let me go!"
"What's wrong, gonna cry again?" The boy sneered, tugging her arm towards him. "Come on, cry little rich girl. Let's hear it, it's all you do!"
His grimy nails dug into her arm and hot tears began to pour down her face.
"Hello, police? T-There's a disturbance in my store-" Qian glanced up to see the clerk holding her phone against her ear, eying them with trepidation.
"Shit." He cursed and immediately released his grip. "Count yourself lucky, rich girl." He spat as he stalked out the store, his cronies following suit.
Qian gulped fearfully, taking off her glasses to wipe the tears off her cheeks with her palm. She deeply bowed to the clerk. "T-Thank you, onee-san."
"How long have they been doing this?" She realized she had forgotten Hayato was behind her. She turned around, rubbing her eyes as she sniffed.
"A-A couple of days now." She hiccupped. "M-My mommy picked me up from school because I wasn't feeling well a-and they started talking about how cool her car looked, and now they think I'm r-rich and keep asking me money but I don't h-have any… t-they don't believe me and now won't leave me alone."
From beneath the shadow of his hood, Hayato's eyes flickered to where the boys had left. Without another word, he went to the register, slapping a few coins on the counter before leaving the store.
The next day, the largest boy showed up to class with a large bandage around his forehead. Qian trembled in her seat upon seeing him. However, his swollen eye flickered towards her and he gulped in fear, stalking off to his own desk, refusing to give her a second glance.
During recess, neither he nor his buddies came towards her. After school, none of them followed her. They didn't the next day, or the subsequent days afterwards. When she would look at them, they would immediately turn and scramble away. The leader especially would turn pale, giving her a wild, terrified look.
"Ha-kun, thank you." She closed the first aid kit in her lap later that afternoon. There were clearly freshly torn skin and bruises all around his knuckles.
"For what?" He replied gruffly, stuffing his newly bandaged hand into the pockets of his hoodie.
"For… protecting me." She smiled at him. "You didn't have to."
"Hmph." He simply snorted, looking away from her.
Qian released a shaking breath, raising her head slowly in resolution. Maybe it is true, and that he has changed. The past is in the past after all- even though she considered him her best friend, people change. And… what he was doing was… unforgivable.
That's why he… She swallowed as she stood from her seat. He better have a good explanation. And she was going to get answers, one way or another.
But even if she did somehow find him, there was still the issue of the human captives that may or may not still be alive. And if he was using them as a nutrient source, how could she stop it?
Blood pounded in her ears as she imagined the agony they must be going through. Every parasitic interaction that exists is ruthless and painful on one side. Worst case, attempting to separate the two could result in the death of the host. Was there a way to remove one and save the other?
Qian furrowed her brow as she squeezed her eyes shut, massaging her temples as she shifted through her mind for possible solutions.
She sighed, leaning over her desk in defeat. It's no use. I got nothing.
And even if she was able to come up with an idea for the cure, would it be possible to fight and defeat him? Maybe just incapacitating him would be enough to get him to talk- but who would even be able to do that? Her brother's abilities are useful for sure, but he's encountered him before and he'd be ready to fight back. Though he hadn't battled any of the other sorcerers at Jujutsu High yet… especially the strongest.
She swallowed thickly, her heart skipping a beat as she thought back to the man who had captured her soul. Maybe Gojo-sensei could?
Her mind drifted further into the blue-eyed sorcerer- perhaps he could offer some advice, but Shoko mentioned he would be away on mission with the first years until the 15th.
Qian took out her phone to check the date, releasing a shy smile as she saw the time stamp on her home screen. It's the 16th…!
Cheeks warming, her stomach fluttered at the thought of seeing him again. The two of them had been so busy they hadn't had the chance to see each other, let alone speak about their… prior encounter… his strong muscular arms wrapped around her waist as he practically bent her backwards with his searing kiss… his tongue licking every sensitive part of her mouth…
SMACK. She shook her head vehemently to clear the memories, having slapped her own cheeks in shame. Since when have you become such a pervert? Bad, Qian. Focus. Palming her cheeks once more, she took a breath as her eyes wandered over her notes. Before she could second guess herself, she took out her phone, taking several pictures of her findings and jotting a few notes in her notebook. She then grabbed her bag and raced up the stairs, heading towards the staff's offices.