"Oh right. Ciel was here earlier, but she left already," Gojo informed as Yuuji, all dressed up, sat at the edge of the autopsy table. They were waiting for Yuuji's stuff to be collected and returned to him, as well as getting the boy something to eat. It's been some time since the boy had "died" after all.
"Ah-! She was here?!"
"Don't worry. You were covered up, so she didn't see too much. She was the one who carried you over to us along with Megumi-kun. It would have been funny to see their reaction at your "miraculous" recovery. And get a lot of Ciel's co-workers' teeth grinding."
Gojo would honestly pay money to see that. Yuuji looked relieved that his towel had been on as Ijichi came back and brought him his cell phone. The black-suited, spectacled man looked incredibly pensive, as if Yuuji was going to bite into his neck any second. There was even a scent of garlic rubbed on the man's suit as Ijichi handed two sandwiches and a water bottle to Yuuji. Gojo smirked in amusement.
"Now I know what you immediately want to do," Gojo said as Yuuji began eating his sandwich. "You want to pull off the greatest scare prank of all time on Fushiguro and Kugisaki. Everybody laughs, cries, and we all get back into the swing of things. But you're gonna have to hold off seeing those two for now."
"Huh? How come?" Yuuji asked in-between bites. While pulling the "Boo! I'm alive!" act hadn't been his first idea, it definitely was a tempting one.
"To start with, we need to work on getting you stronger first. While we do that, you'll still be 'dead' on record."
Gojo had requested Ieiri to leave her report of Yuuji's status as "deceased", and quite tersely suggest Ijichi to not speak a word of Yuuji being alive to anyone. No doubt that as soon as the higher-ups hear of the boy's resurrection, they'll immediately start planning their next assassination attempt. Gojo intends to have Yuuji learn cursed energy and be able to defend himself, should something like what happened at the detention center happen again. He also hadn't forgive the back-door conspirators for taking away a young person's life so cruelly, so in meantime, Yuuji will be out of sight until the Kyoto Goodwill Event comes around the corner.
It's a bit ironic how Gojo's now making an effort to hide Yuuji, after telling Ciel a while ago that there was no point in hiding him. But, well, the circumstances have changed. Now with everyone believing the host of Sukuna is dead, it'd be easier to keep the boy under the radar.
"I'll explain the details later. For now, get your stomach filled up. We'll be taking a little trip," Gojo waved at the boy, "I'm going to make a few calls first. I'll come back for you and we can get moving then."
"...Wait, sensei. I have to tell you something."
Gojo stopped before he would step towards the door. Setting aside the half-eaten sandwich, there was guilt in Yuuji's eyes as he clasped his hands together, his fingers gripping over his knuckles. "That night, when I lost control... I killed people."
Ijichi flinched. Gojo remained attentive, expressing nothing as Yuuji stared down at his own hands, the disgust visible in his expression and tone. The strength in his heart wavered as the high of coming back to life finally died down, and the weight of recent events slowly crushed into him. "Not only that, but I... I've-!"
His fists trembled as he remembered the taste of warm iron on his tongue, down in his throat and filling his stomach. A dozen hearts consumed in one sitting, some hearts smaller than others. He wanted to throw up right here and now. The sandwich with its cheese and meat doing nothing to erase the memories of eating human flesh.
Gojo walked up to Yuuji and grabbed the boy's shoulder, pulling his student out of his nightmarish memory. "I know. Megumi and Ciel told me."
He then joined his student's side, sitting upon the edge of the table. "You didn't kill those people. Sukuna did. Even if he didn't, there wasn't anything you could have done to save them, not even if I was there."
Yuuji's face strained. His heart pained upon hearing that statement. The pleas and insanity of those melted victims. The children who were begging for their parents. He wanted to cry for those people, but Gojo's firm hold of his shoulder kept him strong as he heard from his teacher.
"The real perpetrator was the vampire who'd been hiding there," Gojo said. "Whether you would have gotten out unscathed or not, they were going to die regardless."
"...I still ended up eating their hearts. There were kids there, sensei," Yuuji stressed, a bile in his throat that he wanted out, but he managed to swallow it back down, though it only brought back the unpleasant sensation of that nightmare he lived through. "I almost killed Megumi also, and Ciel…"
"I know." Gojo tightened his grip on Yuuji's shoulder, "It wasn't your fault. You never should have gone into that detention center to begin with."
Yeah, Gojo is definitely going to exchange a few strong words with the ones who gave this mission to his class. If he's lucky and determined enough to find them. Not that he'll ever reveal to them what Sukuna ended up doing in that place.
"You weren't in control. That's why we're going to help you refine your abilities," Gojo stated, "From here on out, things are only going to get tougher. But if you want to avoid what happened a second time, then put all that energy into your next move to make sure it doesn't. And as long as I'm around, I'll be sure to put that curse inside you in his place if he decides to act up again."
"…Is the school really going to accept me back? Even after…" Yuuji's eyes turned sullen as he stared down at his hands. The blood that had been there, between his teeth and under his nails. Even if those people were going to die no matter what, it was still Yuuji's own hands that did the deed.
What would you do if you're the reason for their unnatural deaths? Would you still raise your head and call yourself a sorcerer then?
Ciel's words came back to haunt him, and he felt his spirit tremble. Should he even call himself a sorcerer still? After acting no different than a monster?
"No one else knows what Sukuna did," Gojo gave a look over his shoulder at Ijichi. An undeniable 'you better keep your mouth shut about this too', and Ijichi had no choice but to comply with a relenting bow of his head, essentially giving up on ever opposing the sorcerer over anything.
"As far as everyone else is concerned, Ciel's the one who executed those people."
Yuuji's eyes widened, looking back at his teacher who was staring up at the ceiling.
"It's something that people in her line of work are expected to do when faced with 'lost causes'. She probably got rid of all the evidence by now."
"That's not right," Yuuji suddenly said, the self-disgust in his eyes replaced with concern over the executor in discussion. "Won't they just see her as a murderer?"
He doesn't want her to carry that over her shoulders. She didn't deserve that. She wasn't like that at all!
"It wouldn't be the first time she had to do it," Gojo said. "She's the one who told us she did the deed anyway, and her people aren't going to let anyone else find out the truth. I don't even think they know the truth."
Yuuji's face strained when he heard that, looking away as he remembered the wavering face of Ciel at the melted victims' condition. He honestly did think for a moment that she had been too cold when she told his class to just abandon those people, but that wasn't the case at all, and he felt ashamed for thinking otherwise.
"It wouldn't have been easy for her if she killed them," Yuuji said in a somber voice.
Gojo looked at the boy for a moment, then a soft smile came to him, "Yeah. I did tell you she was a softie at heart."
Yuuji tightened his grip between his hands. "I realized just how weak I really am. I couldn't do anything."
The scene of Ciel getting killed by that cursed womb right before his eyes, and the endless attacks she had to endure from Sukuna. The cursed king's stab through Megumi's back and out his stomach, using Yuuji's body to do so.
"I couldn't save anyone. How I am now, I won't be able to look any of those guys in the eyes."
The last moment of the people he's hurt. Their comforting words. Ciel's firm hold of him and Megumi's kind expression. Yuuji was determined to not let anything happen to those people again, Kugisaki and every other innocent folk including. He hopped down from the dissecting table.
"Whether it's curses or vampires, I don't want to lose to anyone ever again."
He turned to his teacher. "Sensei, please teach me to be 'the strongest' like you."
Gojo hears the unwavering resolve in the boy's voice and eyes, and he smiled even more, "You came to the right person to ask that."
The teacher stood up from the table as well, "Alright then, Joshua. The first thing we'll be doing is to get you to a 'secret base', with a special training room and method just for you. We'll get started on the basics of sorcery then."
"Yes, Sensei!" Uplifted, Yuuji at once took the two sandwiches and started eating them eagerly, though carefully as well so not to choke on them.
Gojo held his grin at the boy's spirited self before he instructs Ijichi to continue looking after Yuuji - much to the spectacled man's unenthusiasm and stomach problems - and then leaves to take care of some business over the phone.
He stops right at the door when something came to mind, "Oh, by the way..."
Gojo looked back at Ijichi and pointed at his ears. Befuddled, Ijichi pointed at himself before realizing Gojo's meaning, and he defeatedly sighed as he covered his ears, inserting his fingers through the earholes and blocking all sounds in the morgue. Probably better this way for the sake of Ijichi's stomach and heart for whatever the strongest sorcerer intended to talk to Yuuji about.
Gojo then turned back to Yuuji once more. "Did something happen while you were 'dead'?"
"Hm?" Yuuji said, cheeks full of food.
"Don't talk with your mouth full. Anyway, did you and Sukuna happen to chat? Like maybe he did something to fix your heart? A contract or anything like that?"
"Ah..." Yuuji said after a swallow, looking down at his nearly finished sandwich, the first one anyhow. "Yeah, I think we did talk about something, but... I can't remember."
"...I see."
That's probably something Gojo will have to look out for.
"Ura-Harajuku?! Where's Ura-Harajuku?! Is it underground?!"
Nobara Kugisaki held shopping bags as she looked around the busy streets of Shibuya. Wearing a black, sleeveless dress and a cute, pink scarf around her shoulders. It's been some time since she's recovered from that mess of a mission at the detention center, and after several intense training sessions with her upperclassmen alongside Megumi, she'd been needing a load off her shoulders. So Nobara decided to finally explore Tokyo in all its promised attractions - in the daytime, of course. Vampires don't come out during the day, right?
After getting a bit of joy shopping around the district, she'd been wanting to visit the "Cat Street" of Tokyo that she's heard plenty of cool things about (that name should also mean there are plenty of cats to pet too, right?). However, being a girl who just got out of the countryside, she has no idea where the street was, or where she would even start to look for it. So here she was, standing like a lost, confused tourist with plenty of energy to spare.
"Kugisaki-san?"
Nobara's head perked at her name being called, and she turned around.
"Ah-! You're-!"
Nobara instantly recognized the girl with short blue hair. Ciel wore her glasses this time, along with her school uniform like the day they first met at Gojo's entrance exam. In Ciel's arms was a bouquet of flowers in white and violet varieties, wrapped in a white paper wrapping. It looked like she just came out of a flower shop not too long ago.
"Ciel!" Nobara said, recalling the name quickly. "Ah, I mean, Ciel-senpai. Or..."
"It's fine," Ciel said kindly, smiling at Nobara, "You can just call me Ciel. I prefer others to use my first name anyhow."
"Oh, yeah? Alright then," Nobara said. It's been a while since she last saw this girl. The last time being at the detention center when Yuuji... died.
"Sorry if this is presumptuous of me, but are you looking for something? You seemed to be lost," Ciel asked.
"Ah, yeah, actually," Nobara said, turning to Ciel fully. "I was trying to figure out where Ura-Harajuku is. It's my first time in Tokyo and I haven't really gotten used to living here yet."
"I see. I can lead you there if you want," Ciel offered. "I'm pretty familiar with the area. It shouldn't take us too long."
"For real? That'd be great!" Nobara accepted with relief. Ciel sure was nicer here than she had been at the detention center, though it was likely just her professionalism at work. Nobara wasn't really sure what to make of this girl considering all the secrecy about her, but she would rather not keep on wandering out here like an idiot while carrying these shopping bags.
"Oh, but is that fine?" Nobara asked as she looked at the bouquet of flowers in Ciel's arms. "It looks you're on your way to somewhere already."
"It'll be fine. There's really no rush for me," Ciel said with a bright smile. "And to be honest, seeing you look so lost in the middle of the street, I'd feel bad if I just left you here. I was actually planning to get something to eat. I'd be happy to treat you if you'd like."
This girl is a saint! Nobara internally cried. Now that Nobara thought about it, she does feel a little peckish.
"Is there a preference you have?" Ciel asked.
"Well..." Nobara thought it over for a moment, "I do like baked sweets."
Ciel's face visibly perked at that, "Really? I know just the perfect place to bring you then."
With that, Ciel began to lead Nobara through the busy sidewalk. "Back at the detention center," Ciel began, "I've heard from Megumi that you were injured after we were separated. Are you doing alright now?"
"Oh, yeah. It was nothing," Nobara waved off. "I just got punched in the eye and had a small concussion. But I walked it off after a day."
"I see. That definitely sounded like it hurt, although it's almost a relief to hear that that's all those curses did to you. I'm glad to see that you are doing fine now."
"...Actually, it was your partner who punched me."
"Eh?"
Ciel stopped in place upon hearing that startling info. Nobara stopped with her.
"D-did she?" Ciel said, "I... I see..."
She sighed disappointedly at her pupil's behavior and gave Nobara an apologetic smile. "I'm so sorry. I suppose Noel panicked after being faced with monsters she's never confronted before. Then again, she does have a tendency to simply mow her way through everything. Not bearing anyone else in mind."
Ciel then reached her hand out for Nobara's face, "Does it still hurt? I could help ease it. It's the least I can do to make up for Noel's carelessness."
"Ah, no, it's fine now. Nothing but a good ole fashioned ice pack to help down the swelling," Nobara said, wondering what Ciel had in mind. Does she carry a med-kit in her school bag or something?
Ciel looked surprised to hear that, "Didn't they bring you to a healer?"
"Hmm. I think I did hear something about there being one at school, but she was kind of busy back then."
Ciel was taken aback. There hadn't even been a healer on standby? And yet the sorcerers were still willing to send first years to that Special Grade case? It truly was a death sentence, but not just for Yuuji, for all of Gojo's class. Just how many enemies does that man have?
Had Nobara's injury been more severe… Ciel considered with a hidden tentativeness inside, Or had I not been there, and if Sukuna fought with Megumi, wounded him…
Nobara and Megumi would have died. A complete erasure of Gojo's entire class, and it would have all been intentional.
"They also told me it wasn't anything that serious, just had to keep myself awake is all," Nobara added as she held the side of her face. "It's a good thing I didn't get a scar after that. I think I'd rather die than lose my natural beauty."
Ciel was once more taken off guard by Nobara, and she was quick to admonish her, "Now don't talk that way. I think even if you were to get a scar, you'd still be able to attract all sorts of boys."
"Eh- Really?" Nobara asked, surprised by the sudden delivered compliment.
Ciel stated affirmatively with a nod of her head, "Of course. Perhaps even other girls if that's your interest. Though, you are wearing make-up right now, so you could just simply cover it. But I think you would still have a good chance with someone who might see you more than your beauty's worth."
"Nah. I'd rather feel and look beautiful than just feel it," Nobara said bluntly, causing Ciel to nearly trip with just her words alone. "But! You got a point. Even with a scar, I can still make myself look good in this dress."
She shows up her stylish wear with a swipe of her hands, acting as if sparkles surround her. "If only the recruiters around here could see it like you do. Their beauty standards are clearly skewed if they can't tell a goddess when they see one."
"I-is that so?" Ciel offered an awkward smile, though she admired the sort of confidence Nobara was exuding. "Well, that's certainly hard to argue…"
"Right?!" Nobara openly shouted, startling a few passersby. "Have you ever been picked up by anyone? Recruiters or other guys? You've got a really good look, especially without your glasses on."
"Ah. Well…" With the topic shifted onto Ciel, she took a moment to ponder over her answer.
"Oh, right! You're a nun," Nobara realized, shifting her hold of the shopping bags. "I'm guessing that kind of stuff isn't allowed. You can't even really date anyone. Ah, wait, but Gojo-sensei said something about you not being a real nun?"
"Mm. Maybe not entirely…" Ciel said slowly, not embarrassed by the topic, but rather the answer that she'll give. "If it was an undercover assignment, then regardless of the job, some exceptions can be made. Relationships aren't also disallowed in the church, and I suppose I do get approached by a lot of boys at school. Girls including, now that I think about it (Nobara: Whoa! Both teams, huh?). There is this one boy in particular. He's a lowerclassman and likes to sit at lunch with me at every chance he gets. It's pretty clear that he likes me, but I'm not that interested in him."
"Isn't that just harassment at that point?" Nobara asked, lifting her clenched fist that looked ready to punch someone. "Want me to have a talk with him?"
"There's no need," Ciel calmly stated with a smile. "I'm quite capable of handling him myself. In any case, he's harmless. He's mostly ever nearby because he's close friends with another student I'm acquainted with. So we come across each other from time to time. He does get a bit troublesome and even lazy, so I often have to reprimand him."
"Geez. He sounds like a total tool," Nobara assessed. "Why are you putting up with a guy like that?"
"Well, it's a senior's duty to look after their juniors. And despite how Inui-kun is, he's not so bad," Ciel said with a friendly expression, "Even all his ex-girlfriends only have good things to say about him."
"Hold up, he had girlfriends?" Nobara openly blinked at Ciel, unable to tell if that's a good thing or a bad thing. "…Is he rich?"
"Hmm. To my knowledge, he's lived a fairly average homelife," Ciel said. "I suppose he just has that charm about him. Though, unfortunately, he isn't my type."
Damn, now Nobara's curious. Although, if he's in any way smelly then it's a deal breaker – along with a list of other criteria she's looking for in a guy. "Huh. So there is a type of a guy you like. Your church allows you to date?"
"Well, us executors have dangerous jobs. Even if we took a Celibacy Oath, there's plenty of pent-up frustrations that many of our members like to release in some way," Ciel shrugs while also giving quite the suggestive look before facing ahead of them.
"…Oh." Like, whoa. Nobara didn't expect that. A bunch of Holy figures secretly struggling with their, ahem, carnal desires. She didn't know why that was so hard to believe. They're humans too. Just thinking about it though feels so taboo, like finding a spicy-romance book sitting on a shelf, and Nobara's both embarrassed and tempted to turn the page.
"I've known many who married and even had children," Ciel continued, "So it's not really forbidden as long as it doesn't get in the way of our duties."
"I see…" Nobara said, admittedly interested. In that case, Megumi might have a chance after all. Wonder if I should put in a good word for him?
Though it's kind of a dick move considering how obvious Yuuji liked Ciel, and it hasn't even been that long since he… Dammit, Nobara's getting sad again. She wanted to at least honor that guy's last wish of living a long life, but what's the point in that if Yuuji was the one who ended up dead before he even made it to his sixteenth birthday?
"You seem awfully curious about my love life." Ciel's sudden statement pulled Nobara out of her sullen thoughts. "Don't tell me… Are you hitting on me?"
Nobara spat at the air, completely taken off guard by the suggestion. "Whoa, hold on! That isn't it! I'm into dudes! I swear!"
Ciel chuckled at Nobara's reddened face. "I'm only teasing, though I'm glad to see you're still full of energy."
"Ah…" Nobara's eyes widened. Did she noticed how I was feeling just now?
Suddenly, Ciel took hold of Nobara's hand. "We're almost by that bakery I mentioned. Just a taste of the sweets they have should be enough to keep you smiling."
The blue haired girl then pulled Nobara along. Nobara regarded Ciel's warm expression for a moment, and a genuine smile came to her. "I'll be holding to you on that!"
She quickly caught up beside the executor as they drew close to the bakery near the street of Ura-Harajuku.
"No way! Your dad owns a bakery?" Nobara exclaimed as they sat inside a bakery store. The warm sweet fragrance of baked goods and candy-chocolate in the air.
"Yes. It's where my love for baking comes from. I even know several family recipes by heart," Ciel boasted in a cheerful voice. "It's become a habit of mine to visit all the bakeries here in Tokyo, so I'm really glad I was able to take you to one. I'll admit, it's been a real mouth-watering experience."
Ciel takes a bite of the lemon loaf with white icing. Sweets and freshly baked breads were platted on their shared table. Nobara ordering macaroons and a few croissants with one chocolate covered.
"Can you make all kinds of sweets?"
"Of course. Cakes, cupcakes, sweet breads," Ciel listed off, "Croissants, pastries. I can bake all sorts of things."
Wow, Nobara thought. The pastries in Tokyo are already good, I wonder what French pastries would taste like?
"I had a friend who knew how to bake too," Nobara said as she stirred her iced-coffee with the straw. "Her name's Saori. She used to live in my village and gave me and my friend all kinds of sweets she made herself. She always said though that the sweets in the city were even better, but I think she was just being modest. These cakes are good, don't get me wrong, but I would give anything if I could try Saori's baking again."
"She used to live in the city?" Ciel asked curiously.
"Well, she's already moved back to it, after our village drove her out," Nobara explained with a bitter tone full of resentment, the anger in her expression clear. "She's so nice you can compare her to the Virgin Mary. Me and my friend would always go to her house and hang out. But the rest of the villagers don't see her the same way we did. They think all city folks are too uptight, that she thinks she's better than us countryfolks, or that we're all dumb in her eyes. The harassment got so bad that her family ended up moving away."
"That's terrible!" Ciel said, appalled by such a cruel and hostile treatment. "I myself used to live in the countryside, but all my neighbors would have welcomed anyone regardless of where they used to live."
"Then your home is already a whole lot better than mine ever was," Nobara said, sipping her drink. "That's why I couldn't stand living there anymore. I got out the first chance I got, and now I'm here in the big city."
"I see, but what about your family or friends?" Ciel asked.
Nobara shrugged, "I left everything behind. No matter what connections I have there, I think I'd go crazy if I just swallow up what happened to Saori and went on with my life in that village. I was terrified that my mind would have been warped like those people."
"I see..." Ciel looked sad to hear that, the thought of leaving's one beloved home, yet she understood the reasoning behind it. She soon gave a warm smile to Nobara, "Well, I'm glad that out of all those people who sadly couldn't open their hearts to outsiders, you were a hidden gem in Saori's life."
"Ah..." Nobara blushed at the comment, sipping her drink. "Yeah? Well, I hope so..."
"Do you think that Saori could be living here in Tokyo?" Ciel then asked.
"I'm not sure..." Nobara said, frowning, "She never told us where she moved, or that she was going to move at all. Her family just left without another word. I mean, after getting their car vandalized and graffitied with the worst kind of insults you can imagine, they must have been scared for their own safety."
Ciel was startled by the brutal nature of such bullying and discrimination, frowning as well. She ought to give a piece of her mind for such behavior, especially if those villagers honestly thought that Saori's family was the one to discriminate them first.
"But if she is living here in Tokyo, then I want to find her," Nobara said with a smile, a glint of hope in her eyes. "Even if it's for the last time, I want to be able to see her again. She meant a lot to me as a kid, and I just want to thank her for all the fun times we've had."
Ciel took in Nobara's words full of genuineness and longing, a pondering look in the executor's blue eyes. "Do you know Saori's full name? Maybe you might be able to find something from that?"
"Ah... well..." Nobara looked sheepish. "It's been a while, and as a kid, I wasn't too focused on people's full names. Damn, I really wish I could have asked."
"I see," Ciel said, offering another idea however broad it was. "In that case, if Saori mentioned how the bakeries in the city were good, then if she's living here, I could keep an eye out for her."
"Huh? Really?"
Ciel nodded, "I'm also pretty good at investigating, so maybe I might be able to find something, although it'll probably take a while. But seeing as how much of an influence Saori has been in your life, I would be happy if I could help you find her."
Nobara stared at Ciel for a moment, then suddenly grasped at Ciel's hands, "Seriously?! Like, are you being serious?!"
Ciel, though startled by Nobara's grasp, nodded sincerely, "Of course. Rest assured, I will not rest until you see Saori again."
Nobara beamed at Ciel's promise. "Thank you! I'll owe you big if you can do that!"
"You wouldn't owe me anything," Ciel offered, smiling brightly at the other girl, "Just seeing you happy is more than enough for me."
She really is a nun! Nobara once more sobbed in her heart. Ciel really does remind her so much of Saori, and if Ciel can find her, Nobara hopes deeply that all three of them can hang out together.
"If you find anything, let me know, okay?" Nobara asked enthusiastically as she retreated her hands from Ciel's, "I'd also want to introduce you to her. I'm sure she'll love getting to know you."
Nobara then began to imagine that scenario, sighing to herself with a smile, "Ah, I wonder how Saori's doing now? Maybe she got together with someone? Or..."
Ciel's expression softened at Nobara's beautifully eager face. The executor sipped her bubble-tea as she filed away the name Saori in her mind. It'll be tough without a full name, but if she can trace back to Nobara's village, which she'll have to ask more about, and then look into all the families who have lived there or moved in, there might be something Ciel can uncover. She'll have to make some calls and ask for some favors, but Ciel is confident that something will emerge.
"Hey, do you want to walk around the city with me?" Nobara asked, surprising Ciel out of her pondering. "I can come with you wherever you're dropping those flowers off."
"Oh, well that would be wonderful, but..." Ciel hesitated and looked at the bouqet of flowers sitting on another chair with them, "You might not like where I'm planning to go."
"Why not? Is it a cemetery? I'm not afraid of things like that. Well, vampires are another story, but if you are going there, I'll definitely have to come with you. There might be some curses there that could latch onto you."
"That is true..." Ciel stated, "It's not a cemetery I'm heading towards though. These flowers... they're for the detention center."
"Ah, oh..." Nobara uttered, looking at the flowers as well. "I see..."
"Yes, there's plenty of bad memories there. I don't want to trouble you with all that," Ciel said with a kind smile.
She especially can't let herself bring Nobara along after trying to cheer her up. It's obvious that Nobara was still grieving the loss of Yuuji, and though Ciel felt that she shouldn't let herself indulge too much in Nobara's openly kind, if a bit fierce nature, she felt obligated to give Nobara some semblance of peace. A recompense after being the one to kill Nobara's classmate, after all.
"You wouldn't trouble me!" Nobara asserted. "Sure, a lot of messed up stuff happened there, but it just comes with the job, right? If you're going there, then I'm for sure coming with you."
Before Ciel could interject, Nobara lowered her head, staring into the cold drink in her hand. "I never thought about doing it, but maybe I should at least give my respects... Especially for Itadori."
Guilt reigned Ciel's heart, and her expression betrayed a little of her emotion.
"I also heard what happened after I left," Nobara added, a show of her own guilt in her face. "I'm sure if I had been stronger, I could have helped you and Fushiguro fight Sukuna."
"Don't feel responsible for that!" Ciel quickly responded. She had been slightly loud and drew a few attentions from the customers and staff. A little use of her suggestion spell, however, had their attention turn elsewhere. "I would have insisted you two to leave. Not only that, but you shouldn't feel guilty on my account..."
Ciel's eyes lowered, feeling the weight of her actions on her shoulders like never before. It was strange. She never had trouble keeping herself steeled, not for a long time. It's just that Nobara had been so cheerful and friendly, Ciel just couldn't help but feel bad.
Nobara noticed her expression. "You shouldn't feel guilty either. You did everything you could. Not only saving Fushiguro, but also the rest of the city. You even helped Itadori find peace."
Despite Nobara's consoling words, the guilt seemed to grow heavier in Ciel. This... this has never happened to the executor before. Granted, she never thought she would be put in this position, but had she truly let her guard down so easily? But how? What could have...?
You're a good person too, Ciel.
The face of Yuuji Itadori came to mind, that innocent boy who did nothing wrong. His last words to her, requesting her to live a full life as he could not. His life robbed by that atrocious curse.
It was such a tragic request, enough for anybody to be in tears over it. But Ciel remained strong. There was no use in crying, and in any case, it was a request that she cannot nor intend to fulfill. Not even for that sweet boy. Not while she remained an executor.
And not while she carried the greatest sins on her back.
There was a sudden screech of the chair. Ciel looked up only to be pulled by the arm, Nobara bringing her to stand.
"Let's go. Maybe I should buy some flowers along the way too," Nobara suddenly said, smiling at Ciel. "We can check out Ura-Harajuku then. There's an art museum I've been wanting to visit there. Uh, just to be sure, it's not underground, right?"
Ciel blinked bemused at Nobara, and unable to hold it back, she let out a chuckle. "No. It's not. But don't worry..."
With some deliberation, and an acknowledgement that if she allowed this fellow countrybumpkin to wander Tokyo, Nobara will undoubtedly get lost again, Ciel decided it was her responsibility to not leave the first-year sorcerer to fend for herself. She wrapped her arm around Nobara's.
"I'll be your personal guide through this city," Ciel declared. "It's been some time since I've lived here, but I'm fairly confident as to know where everything is."
"Then there's no way I'm letting you go now!" Nobara grinned widely, taking her chocolate croissant from the plate and pulled Ciel towards the front of the store with a point of her outstretched arm. "Come on! Let's take this city by storm!"
Caught by Nobara both physically and through spirit as well, Ciel smiled as she quickly picked up the bouquet and went along with Nobara.
Junpei Yoshino had a mindset that only certain people should be allowed to roam free in this world. There was the innocent who were persecuted by those stronger, and there was the strong who could eradicate those that prey on the weak. Junpei didn't think himself righteous or spiteful, but if he were given the choice to press a button that could kill all those who hated him, he wouldn't hesitate to press it.
The same, however, can't be said for those he himself hated. It would be wrong to kill others based on that. If anything, he justified his reasoning of that being self-defense. If people hate him, then he shouldn't care how their lives ended up.
Strangers on the other hand, he neither liked nor disliked them. For anyone he's never met before, there was no connection between unknown people. Even if something tragic were to happen to them, he might feel a little bad, but it would have been shallow. But should that stranger become a friend of his, then of course he would not only feel empathy, but they would be someone he would like to see every day. Someone who could make him feel like he wasn't a big piece of shit that should have never been born in this world.
There was no empathy for strangers he's never known, but there was such a thing as survival instincts, and Junpei had none of that as he ran after the man of stitches, who transformed those high school bullies of his into inhuman figures. It happened in the movie theater. The bullies were being obnoxious and loud, interrupting Junpei's watch of the film as he sat near the back, thankful that they didn't notice him but not so thankful for how rude they were being.
Then all of a sudden, that man with stiches and patches all over his body appeared and walked up behind those guys, and Junpei saw everything. The man, completely unnoticed by those bullies, grasped their heads. Their faces were not only distorted, but it was their entire skull as well. Their bodies becoming nothing more than mangled, unrecognizable corpses. It was hard to imagine these assholes to have been the very humans that tormented Junpei at school.
And as for the person who did the deed, he couldn't have been human either. Junpei was always a strange kid, even he can't deny this. He could see things that others can't, and he wondered if that guy was anything just like those 'ghosts' he always caught glimpses of in abandoned buildings and on other people.
He had to follow that man. Junpei had to know how he was able to do what he just did. How it was even possible to do that to another person. He spotted the man moving through the crowd – so many people unable to see him as Junpei could, as if the man wasn't even there in their minds or reality, no matter his strange appearance and stitched body.
The man suddenly turned his attention to an alleyway, and he waltz right into it. Junpei wasn't that far behind, and he went in after, leading himself deeper into the alley.
He stopped at the edge of a dumpster, however, when he spotted the man having suddenly halted in the middle of the back alleyway. Did he noticed me?
No, the man of stitches had his focus at something else. Junpei ducked behind the side of the dumpster, holding in his breath to avoid its putrid stench, and pushing back the awful memory of getting his head shoved into a trashcan once.
"So you're the vampire who's been making so much of a ruckus lately."
Junpei flinched at what the man of stitches said. He moved his head behind the dumpster to see what the man was talking about.
…and he realized then that the putrid smell hadn't been from the trash, but the blood that was splattered all over the ground.
Junpei's breath hitched. His heart stopped for a moment when he recognized a pair of bodies lying in the darkness of the alleyway. Pools of blood underneath them, and more splattered on the walls.
Looking at the scene a little longer, a scene that all the horror films he's watched fail to truly capture, Junpei finally noticed that there were more bodies that stood in front of the man of stitches. A taller figure seemingly embraced by a shorter one.
"You know, you've been giving me a lot of trouble with what you're doing."
The man of stitches sounded his genuine annoyance, absolutely unperturbed by the bloody scene before him. The 'vampire' merely blinked at him, and released her fangs from the neck of her victim.
Junpei jumped when the body of a male slumped to the floor, and the perpetrator fully revealed themselves. A... A girl?
She wore a school uniform that was different from the ones at his school. A yellow sweater with a red bow at her chest. A light black skirt and black socks with buckle-like shoes. Her hair a warm-brown color like chestnuts, with ponytails tied on both sides of her head, and her eyes a brilliant red as the blood on her mouth and fingers. The weapons used to tear through the throats of her victims here with ease.
The girl, Satsuki Yumizuka, licked the blood from her fingers, eyeing at the man of stitches curiously, and giving a somewhat dull response, "…Oh. Have I?"
"Yes," the man of stitches, Mahito, answered with an irritated grin. An angry vein visible at his temple for her nonchalant attitude. "You have."
The two inhumans of different species faced each other calmly, as the hidden boy behind them observed with increasing fascination. His path intertwining with theirs and thus, sealing his fate.