"Whew...~ What a ride."
Is what Kanoko first thought right after the previous screening has ended, slumping back on her chair.
Meanwhile, the girls are wondering what Hiroki's new life as a sorcerer has in store for them. Just how chaotic would it be? Would it better than the former life he previously had?
One thing for sure is that,
He is safe... at least, for now.
Their thoughts were driven away by the giant screen lighting up again.
"You may ask one question."
Ayumu - "M-May I ask next?" she held her hand up, going on with her question after receiving nods of approval from the other girls, "If we are gonna stay here for some time, what about if we get hungry? or... or need some sleep?"
"According to our schedule: you will be given a meal of your choice after the 7th episode and a room to take break accordingly."
"The same will be applied after the 24
th episode."
"Eh?!" The girls exclaimed except for Kaede, which she replied with a simple surprised expression.
Kanoko - "Twenty four god damn episodes?! We're gonna stay here for eternity!" she slumped back against her seat annoyedly, 'And the last two episodes lasted like... what? 20 minutes each?'
Ayumu - "That's long!" she shouted out loud, blushing in realization after receiving deadpan stares like before, "IMeanLongAmountOfTime-!"
Nao - "So all of the previous events are just the beginning." she muttered in a serious facade.
Kaede - "As long as Hiroki is fine, I guess it's okay for me staying here for a while." she stated with an unsure smile.
The girls' thoughts were interrupted once more by the screen.
"Next episode starting..."
With that, they return back to their seat. Anticipating for what is next to come.
The first thing shown was a recap of the previous episode.
Yaga - "Satoru." he called with a satisfied smile, "Show him to the dorm. Explain the security and rules to him too."
Hiroki - "Hm?" he looks at him with promising; wide eyes.
Yaga - "You're in." he declared, "Welcome to Jujutsu Tech."
Ayumu - "I'm still surprised how he got in like that." she blinked in surprise.
Nao - "I assume it's because he is the vessel of the 'King of Curses' like Gojo mentioned... Well, at least that's what he calls it." she shrugs.
Kanoko - "Hm." she shrugs as a response before slumping back to her seat.
Hiroki - "Oh, Fushiguro!" he calls him out enthusiastically, "You're looking good for real this time."
Megumi - "There were a bunch of empty rooms, weren't there?" he looks at the approaching Gojo irritatedly.
Gojo - "I thought it'd be more lively this way, you know-" he tried to reasoned with open arms, but was cut off by Megumi himself.
Megumi - "Classes and missions are enough." he protested with folded arms, while Hiroki walk past the two and takes a peek to the black-haired teen's dorm. "This was an unwelcome favor."
Hiroki - "Woah, it's so organized here!" he commented joyfully, placing his hand against the door frame while poking his head slightly inside.
Megumi - "Back off." he hold the door of his room, "I just said you're not welcome!"
With force, he slam his door shut onto Hiroki's neck which in return, causes the teen to wince in pain.
Kanoko - "Anger issue, much?" she sigh with a sweatdrop.
Ayumu - 'Poor Hiroki...' she thought with a stiffled giggle, finding the scene quite humorous in its own way.
Gojo - "Well, it's all good!" he clasped his hand together, "More importantly, we're heading out tomorrow!"
Both Hiroki and Megumi looked at him with a hint of curiosity in their eyes.
Gojo - "We're gonna pick up the third first-year!" he declared, keeping a goofy grin on his face.
Kanoko - "The fact that the school only has three first-year is still pretty shocking to me." she stated, baffled along with the three others.
Just what kind of school did Hiroki attend to asides it being for Jujutsu Sorcerers? Which they still has not heard or seen much of yet.
A traditional train station can be seen under the daylight.
"The train bound for Shibuya and Shinagawa is now arriving on track 1." a female voice announced, "For your safety, please stand behind the yellow line."
It then proceeded to show off more parts of the Shibuya district, showcasing its' bright and colorful nature.
Lots of people enjoying their day with treats and desserts, before finally showing the name of the place; "Takeshita Street"
Ayumu - "Woah..." she murmured in awe.
Nao - "Takeshita Street." she repeated from what is on the screen, "That's in Shibuya."
Kanoko - "I've always wanted to go there with my friends but... Damn, just looking at it from here makes me want to go there now." she admitted, gripping her own forearm.
"Saori-chan." A female voice is heard, one belonging to a certain brown-haired girl, "I'm here."
The scene shows a brief montage of people walking around before panning back to the huge dense of crowd.
"I'm in Tokyo."
Ayumu - "Oh, it's that girl." she pointed out.
Nao - "She must be the third first-year student." she theorized, but she ponders to a certain thought in her head, 'Wait... Does that mean... she's going to be in the same class and potentially near Hiroki's dorm too?'
The scene cuts to Megumi and Hiroki waiting for the arrival of the third first-year
Hiroki - "How are there only three first-years?" he asked curiously, holding a blue popcycle while leaning against a railing, "Isn't that too few?"
What caught the interest of the girls in this scene are Hiroki's new attire. While Megumi are now back in his regular Jujutsu Tech uniform, Hiroki are also wearing one but with an apparent difference; that being his has a red hood with red sneakers.
Kanoko - "Looking good..." she whistled under her breath.
Ayumu - "He looks handsome in that." she muttered quietly with a faint blush.
Nao - "I-... I agree." she silently nods alongside Ayumu, who was placing both of her hands in-between her thighs.
Megumi - "Well, have you seen someone who can see curses before?" he asked, causing Hiroki to freeze in thought.
Hiroki - "Nope." he responded blatantly.
Megumi - "That just proves how small a manority jujutsu sorcerers are." he articulated.
Ayumu - "Ah, so they're only accepting people who can see curses? Let alone beat them?" she lean back against her chair.
Kanoko - "That's quite understandable, I guess." she nods lightly, still shook at the thoughts of the last Cursed Spirits' encounters from the previous screening.
Nao - "A quite terrifying thought, honestly." she added.
Hiroki - "Also, didn't you say I was the third?" he asked once more.
Megumi - "Their entry was decided a while ago." he clarified, "That's what our school's like. Everyone has unique circumstances."
Nao - 'And Hiroki's no exception.' she thought.
The teens' attention were switched to the sound of a certain blindfolded sorcerer walking up to them.
Gojo - "Sorry for the wait. Oh?" he quickly apologized with hands up, and he instantly switches his gaze toward Hiroki, "Your uniform made it in time, I see."
Hiroki - "Yeah, it's a perfect fit." he gives a thumbs up, "Though, it's slightly different from Fushiguro's. It's a hood, for one."
Gojo - "That's because the uniforms can be customized upon request." he explains, keeping his iconic smile.
Hiroki - "Eh?" he asked surprisingly, "But I never put in any request."
Gojo - "I was the one who put it in the custom order." he answered.
Kaede - "While looking irresponsible, he seems like a nice teacher." she smiles wholeheartedly, glad that her son stumble upon someone like Gojo for the time being.
Kanoko/Ayumu - 'Not like my teacher.' they sighed, remembering the time when they got scolded by one dislikable teacher for not doing their homework.
Hiroki - "Whatever, I guess." he shrugs it off, hand still on the hood of his uniform.
Megumi - "Be careful. Gojo-sensei has a tendency to do something like that." he looks up at his own sensei, "More importantly, why are we meeting up in Harajuku."
The scene cuts back to a huge dense of crowd walking and chatting, the trio being in the middle of the crowds.
Gojo - "Because it's what she asked for." he shrugs.
Hiroki - "Hey, popcorn! I want some!" he pointed excitedly.
Kaede - 'Despite everything that has happened, he still attains that happy voice we all know and love.' she smiled sweetly.
This drives her to be even more determined to find Hiroki and ask for his forgiveness. By all means, she does not deserve any. Even she understood it herself. But she wants him to know that she is truly sorry for what she did.
For abandoning her own son, whom she raised and taken care of her entire life.
In another part of the street, we can see a guy dressed in a well manner walking up to a woman with a nervous smile.
Guy - "Oh, hello there. Are you on the clock right now?" he asked, attempting to hide his desperate.
Woman - "No, I'm not." she dismissed uninterestedly.
Guy - "You see, I'm looking for potential models." he pulls out a business card, "This is who I am. Would you be interested?"
Woman - "I'm in a hurry right now." she dismissed once again, tone cold and annoyed.
Guy - "Just hear me out...!" he tries to reach out to her, but she inevitably leave him alone.
Kanoko - "Jeez, this guy can't take no for an answer." she crossed her arms.
Nao - "Desperate times calls for desperate measures, they say." she commented.
Before the business modeler guy could leave, he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder from behind.
That being... the brown-haired girl from before.
Girl - "Hey, wait up." she pointed at herself, "What about me?"
Guy - 'What about her?!' he thought to himself with sweatdrops.
This causes Ayumu, Nao, and Kanoko to sweatdrop.
"What a quick change of attitude." is what they thought.
Girl - "For the modeling gig, duh." she crossed her arms while looking at the slightly uneased business modeler, "I'm asking what you think about me."
Guy - "Oh, um, I'm in a hurry at the moment..." he quickly excuses himself and walk past her, but was quickly halted by the brown haired girl again.
Girl - "What the hell?" she asked, obviously annoyed, "Don't run from me! Come out and say it!"
Guy - "I'm sorry, please let me go!" he apologized while trying to run away, keyword "tried" as he was still held by the girl.
Kaede - "Oh, she's a lively one." she commented while resting her palm on her cheek.
Kanoko - 'Does she mean in a good way or an erratic kind of way?' she sweatdrops.
Meanwhile, Hiroki and Megumi, who saw the entire thing simply stands in silence, watching the humorous scene plays out.
Hiroki - "We're gonna talk to her?" he asked, breaking the silence.
And then it shows Hiroki holding a strawberry crepe and a popcorn while wearing 'ROOK' sunglasses.
Hiroki - "This is kind of embarrassing..." he commented with a light sigh.
Kanoko - "Heh." she snorted, "Yep, looking good alright, little brother."
Ayumu - "Cute!" she smiled innocently.
Nao - "I feel like that's what you always said about him..." she sigh while looking at Ayumu with a defeated smile.
Ayumu - "Well, isn't he?" she pointed at the screen with an open palm.
Nao - "I-" she went silent, before returning back to her seat and chose to not answer Ayumu's question. Either she is trying to deny it or she is too embarrassed to admit it.
Megumi - "So are you." he scoffed, looking at Hiroki from the side.
Gojo - "Hey!" he calls her out loud before waving, "Over here!"
Girl - "Damn, what's up with that blindfold?" she asked herself curiously from the distance.
Nao - 'Well, everyone would thought of that when they first saw him.' she thought, silently agreeing with the brown-haired girl's statement.
Putting her stuff in the locker and locking it, the brown-haired girl stands up straight before looking back at the three males.
Gojo - "Okay, once again." he pointed at her with an open palm, his free hand in his other pocket.
Nobara - "Kugisaki Nobara." she introduced briefly, "Be happy, boys. I'm the one woman in your group."
Kanoko - "The group has formed, if I guessed correctly." she crossed her arms over her chest.
Though, Nao seems to be looking at the screen with a frown. Some kind of feeling had developed in her heart... jealousy, perhaps? It is quite hard to tell, so she chose to stay silent and observe.
[ "KaiKai Kitan" by Eve ]
The intro plays out.
While unexpected, they shrugs it off and waited until the intro ends.
Kanoko - "The song gets progressively better the more I listen to it." she commented.
Kaede - "Maybe you're right, dear." she smiled alongside her daughter, though, she still kept her composure in her seat.
Ayumu - "I agree!" she kept bopping her head to the beat of the music.
Though, now that all of the tension had seemingly disappeared. Nao seems to be able to focus more as to what is happening in the intro.
And suddenly, caught something she failed to notice the previous two openings and ending.
Nao - "Wait..." she muttered quietly, squinting her eyes a little while looking at a certain blonde in the screen, 'Is that... dad?'
Kanoko - "You said something, Nao?" she asked confusingly at her seat, which brings Ayumu's attention to Hiroki's (ex-)girlfriend too.
Nao - "N-Nothing." she stuttered, looking back at the screen to avoid suspiciousness.
Kanoko - "... Okay?" she looks back at the screen in suspicion, but chose to say it was nothing.
And with the intro ending, they switch their attention back at the screen, prepare themselves for what is coming next.
Nobara - 'Stare...' she thought in her mind, squinting her eyes at the two boys.
Kanoko - 'Creepy.' she commented internally/
With the judgemantal gaze they got, Hiroki was the first to speak.
Hiroki - "I'm Itadori Hiroki." he pointed at himself with a smile, "I'm from Sendai."
Megumi - "Fushiguro Megumi." he announced briefly.
This causes Nobara to irk.
Nao - 'It doesn't seem like she's too pleased.' she quirked her eyebrows.
Inside Nobara's mind, we can see that Hiroki's face looks comically distorted.
"He looks like a potato. He's definitely the type that ate his own boogers as a kid."
This earns a snort from Kanoko and Ayumu. Meanwhile, Nao only lets out a comical blank stare.
Kanoko - 'Damn, not holding back on that one.' she crossed her arms, silently chuckling.
Kaede - 'Well...' she smiled simply, finding that sentence quite ironic.
She saw Hiroki doing exactly just that as a kid, in which she has to intervine every time.
Glancing at Megumi, his face appears comically modified such as Hiroki's.
"And only a name here? I can't stand high-and-mighty dudes. I bet he likes setting oil-slicked gulls on fire."
In the end, she lets out a disappointed sigh.
Nobara - "I always get stuck with unfortunate circumstances." she stated.
Ayumu - "Isn't she a little too quick to judge?" she asked with a confused smile.
Nao - 'She looks like she's not onto him, so... I shouldn't worry much.' she commented inside her mind.
Hiroki - "She took one look and sighed." he commented, eyebrows furrowing in disappointment.
Megumi - "Are we going somewhere from here?" he asked his fellow blindfolded sensei.
With a chuckle, he looks at both Megumi and Hiroki in which the pink-haired boy switched his attention to his teacher as well.
Gojo - "We do have all three of you together." he stated, "Not to mention, two of you are from the countryside."
With a smirk, Gojo lowers his head slightly.
Gojo - "So of course we're going on a tour of Tokyo." he announced.
Ayumu - "Ooo! Tokyo!" she exclaimed excitedly on her seat, "I've always wanted to go there!"
Kanoko - "Just how much money does that blindfolded guy have anyway?" she crossed her arms, asking with a confused look.
Out of nowhere, a scene consisting of chibi Hiroki, Nobara, and Gojo moves excitedly over the background of Tokyo.
"Tokyo! Tokyo! Tokyo!"
With their chibi selves disappearing, both Hiroki and Nobara comes close to the screen with star-gazed eyes. Placing own palms against each other.
"We love Tokyo!"
This caught the girls off guard, some are even quite stunned to speak.
Kanoko - "Uh... what?" she furrows her eyebrows confusingly.
Ayumu - "Well that's... unexpected?" she side-glanced at the others with a forced smile, but her face turns into slight fear with a bit of confusion as she suddenly felt dark energy from her side.
Meanwhile, Kaede simply stares at the screen. Some part of her are still confused as to how her own son is still acting so cheerful despite all of the things happening in his life.
But another part of her is relived by that.
Kaede - 'Hiroki... You too innocent and kind for this world.' she lets out a shaky smile, 'I don't think I need your forgiveness anymore, just make sure to be safe in your next life.'
She has fully accepted the consequences of her action. Either way, she is in part of who drives him away. If she has not done any of those things, Hiroki would still stay by her side.
But seeing how Hiroki is comfortable with his new life, she does not care anymore. A forgiveness would distinguish her from her guilt, but she acknowledge she does not deserve it. So she is more than willing to let her own son go.
Though, something has been bothering Kanoko... and that is,
The death glare of Nao, staring intently at Nobara on the screen.
Kanoko - "Uh... Nao? You alright there-" she was cut off.
Nao - "I am." she answered immediately and sharply, still staring at the screen with dangerous aura around her.
Ayumu - "I-Is she okay?" she asked while hiding behind Kanoko, completely off from her seat.
Kaede - "Oh my, looks like someone is jealous." she commented with her palm on her cheek.
Kanoko - "Let's just... leave her be." she looks forward with folded arms, attempting to ignore the strong wave of jealous energy.
Megumi comes from behind with a confused frowning expression, muttering: "Huh?"
Nobara - "TDL! I want to go to TDL!" she exclaimed excitedly, being besides Hiroki who is hugging his sensei.
Hiroki - "Idiot!" he pulls back and looks at Nobara with a determined smile, "TDL's in Chiba!"
Hiroki then posed exaggeratingly, causing Nobara to look at him with an annoyed face.
Hiroki - "Let's go to Chinatown, sensei!" he says excitingly, breaking from his pose when Nobara argued.
Nobara - "Chinatown's in Yokohama!" she huffed.
Hiroki - "Yokohama's part of Tokyo!" he protested, now fully facing toward Nobara, "Don't you know that? Look at the map!"
Ayumu - "Didn't they like... hate each other?" she asked with a confused smile.
Kanoko - "Hate is a strong word. Dislike? Maybe." she responded with a shrug.
Nao - 'She's too close to him...' she muttered, still glaring at the screen.
Nobara - "The hell?! Quit spouting nonsense!" she fumed, clenching her hands into a fist.
Gojo, who witnessed the entirety of the scene simply grin in amusement.
Gojo - "I will now announce our destination."
This causes Hiroki and Nobara to crouch down in preperation, letting the imaginary drum rolls end.
Kanoko - 'Not even few minutes in and they're already acting like they've known each other for years...' she sweatdrops, looking at the dynamic between Hiroki and Nobara.
Nao - 'I don't like her...' she thought, still staring at Nobara.
"Roppongi!"
Hiroki / Nobara - "Rop-pon-gi?!" they both repeated facing toward eachother, face close with eyes full of stars and excitement.
Nao - 'Too close... Too close... Too close...!' her glares intensifies, eyes twitching a little with a forced smile.
But all of the excitement immediately dies down with the screen cutting to all four of them standing in front of an abandoned building,
Gojo - "There's curse here." he informed shortly, causing Hiroki and Nobara to whine besides him and the already-tired-looking Megumi.
A moment of silence were broke with the chuckle of Kanoko... and then Ayumu.
Kanoko - "Oh, well damn me." she chuckled in sarcasm a little more before calming down with a smile.
Ayumu - "Poor them..." she stiffen a giggle.
Though, this comical scene instantly get rids of Nao's death glares and stare back to the screen normally.
Nao - "An abandoned building?" she muttered, curious.
Hiroki / Nobara - "YOU LIAR!" they shouted.
Hiroki - "This isn't even Roppongi!" he place both his palms on his face in frustration.
Nobara - "You were toying with us country folk!" she pointed, clearly pissed off.
The frustration of both Hiroki and Nobara caused amused laugh from Kanoko and Ayumu, even Kaede too. Although, not to an extent at that of the two girls.
Kanoko - 'I almost feel bad for Megumi being the only introvert with two extroverts... Almost.' she thought, keeping a smile.
Gojo - "There's a big cemetary nearby." he explains, "The double whammy of that and an abandoned building brought out a curse."
Hiroki - "So they really do pop up more often around graves." he asked with hands in his pockets, ignoring Nobara who is still complaining behind them.
Megumi - "The issue isn't the cemetary itself." he informed, looking at Hiroki, "It's the fact that people associate cemetaries with fear."
Hiroki - "Oh, it was the same for schools, too, isn't it?" he asked back.
Nao - 'Oh, right. Because curse originates from negative emotions.' she thought on her seat.
Now that she thinks about it, has she alongisde others ever been surrounded with curses before during those time with Kokujin? Lust would count too, right?
They must have, and it is a miracle they have not encountered one let alone see one in person.
Nobara - "Hold up. He didn't even know that yet?" she walks back with confusion.
Megumi - "To be hnoest..." he glances down to the ground.
A brief moment of flashback, showing Hiroki swallowing Sukuna's finger in one bite.
GULP!
Nobara - "He swallowed a special-grade cursed object?!" she proceeded to back away from Hiroki, crossing her arms, "Gross! Unbelievable! That's so unsanitary and disgusting!
With that, she crossed her arms in an 'X' sign with a humorous disgusted expression.
Nobara - "No way, no way, no way, no way!" she muttered in a low but high-pithced voice.
This, of course, causes Kanoko, Ayumu, and Nao to let out giggles.
Kanoko - "You're telling me?" she jested, smiling out of both amusement and agreement.
Nao - 'I mean, who wouldn't think it is?' she snorted.
Ayumu - 'She's not wrong...' she pouted.
Hiroki - "What?!" he asked, slightly offended.
Megumi - "I'm with her." he deadpans at Hiroki.
Kanoko - "Same here, bud." she nods.
Gojo - "I want to know what all of you are capable of." he explained, "Just think of this as a field test. Nobara, Hiroki, you two go exorcise the curse inside that building." he ordered, earning a 'geh' from Nobara.
Ayumu - "Ah! We're gonna see Hiroki fighting in action!" she stands up excitedly, hands bawling into a fist.
Kanoko - "Calm down, would ya? He still don't have those power to exorcise curses yet." she placed her own fist on her cheek.
Ayumu - "... Oh. Right, right..." she sit back down sheepishly.
Kaede - 'Oh dear...' she furrows her eyebrows, a little too concerned about the thoughts of Hiroki fighting those... things.
Hiroki - "Huh? But I thought only curses could exorcise curses, right?" he recalled, earning a side glance from Nobara, "I can't use any Jujutsu yet."
Gojo - "You're basically half a curse already." he pointed at his fellow pink-haired student, "There's cursed energy flowing throughout your body."
Nao - "Right. That's true. There's... Sukuna." she muttered silently.
Kaede - "Also the reason why he has an execution under his name." she frowned.
Gojo - "Though controlling that energy isn't something you can learn overnight," he walk closer before pulling out a weapon, "So use this."
Grabbing it, Hiroki lets out an excited sound while inspecting his new weapon. It is a combat knife with a black fur guard and a brown handle. A wide-edged blade with two holes and bandages at its base, perfect for close-quarter combat.
Gojo - "It's the curse tool, Slaughter Demon." he declared, "It's a weapon imbued with cursed energy. It'll work on curses, too."
This earns a surprised looks from the girls. Now they are imagining how Hiroki would wield something like that in real battle.
Kanoko - "Damn, that looks nice..." she commented in awe, 'Big question is; can he use it?'
Despite knowing Hiroki is good at hand-to-hand combat, never once have they seen him wield a weapon before.
Nao - "He said it will work on curses." she repeated, "Which means Hiroki can exorcise curses now?"
Ayumu - "So cool!" she muttered in amazement.
Nobara - 'Lame.' she commented bitterly, side glancing at Hiroki unsheathing his blade back on its holster before walking onto the building.
Gojo - "Oh, one more thing." he called Hiroki, stopping the boy in his track, "Don't let Sukuna out. If you use him, you'll get rid of all the curses nearby in a flash, but you'll also drag everyone around into it."
Hiroki - "Got it, I won't let Sukuna out." he reassured with a thumbs up.
Ayumu - "D-Drag everyone around into it, too?" she repeated, "Is Sukuna THAT powerful?"
Kanoko - "I guess so, besides," she crossed her arms under her breasts, looking at the screen in interest, "This is a test for Hiroki, not Sukuna."
Nobara, who is right in front of the building's main entrance looks back in annoyance.
Nobara - "Hurry it up." she complained.
Hiroki - "Alright, alright..." he responded in a low tone, running toward Nobara.
Gojo - "Go on, now!" he trails off, watching as Hiroki and Nobara enters the building.
Kanoko - 'There he goes...' she trails off alongside Gojo on the screen.
Kaede - 'Please be safe, Hiroki...' she silently pleaded.
Opening the garage-like entrance, the two went inside to find themselves in dark corridors of the building with worn-out concretes all over the walls, ceilings, and floors.
Hiroki is first to walk around a corner before pressing his back against the wall,
Now with both Hiroki and Nobara inside the building filled with curses, the atmopshere becomes more tense which causes the girls to sit at the edge of their seat.
Ayumu - "It's all scary again..." she commented, slightly quivering in her seat.
Nao - "It's because they're in a line between life and death with curses possibly appearing from any corner." she added.
Outside, Gojo is seen crouching down with Megumi sitting next to him.
Megumi - "I think I'll go, too." he looks at his fellow sensei.
Gojo - "Don't push yourself." he lower his head, "You're still recovering."
Megumi - "But someone needs to keep an eye on Itadori, right?" he remarked.
Gojo - "True." he nods in agreement, "But the one we're testing this time is Nobara."
Ayumu - "Ouh... So it's not Hiroki the one fighting?" she sighed disappointingly.
Kanoko - "Just wait for it, Ayumu. Who knows if Hiroki will join in?" she shrugs, causing Ayumu to look back at the screen attentively.
Back inside the building, Nobara can be seen walking up the stairs with Hiroki following behind her.
Nobara - "What a pain." she complained with a scowl, "Why do I have to deal with curses after coming all the way to Tokyo?"
Hiroki - "Huh?" he asked confusingly while stopping in his track, causing Nobara to stop mid-way too, "Didn't you come here to exorcise curses?"
Nobara - "Let's save some time and split up. I'll start from the top floor and go floor by floor. You start from the bottom." she explained while looking down at him, "Let's get this over with quick and grab some sushi from Ginza."
Kanoko - "Isn't she taking the situation a little too lightly?" she asked.
Nao - "It's either she's very brave or she has not dealt with curses before." she shrugs.
Hiroki - "Hold on a minute. Let's take this more seriously." he cautioned, "Curses are dangerous, you know."
Nao - "Exactly." she nods, even through the screen she still agrees.
Ayumu - "You wouldn't want to deal with those creepy guys alone..." she shivered, still remembering that giant rugby curse from the previous screenings.
Instead of reconsidering her action, Nobara sneers at the pink-haired guy over her shoulders before running back downstairs and kicking the boy's leg hard, causing him to fall comically to the ground.
This causes the girls to flinch.
Ayumu - "Ouch..." she muttered in an instinct.
Kanoko - "Does everyone has tendencies to hit Hiroki or something?" she sweatdrops in confusion, 'First it's Urhcin, and now her?'
Ayumu - "B-But he's trying to warn her?" she looks at Kanoko and then Nao, in which she got a clueless shrug from Nao.
Nobara - "I don't wanna hear it from someone who was a normie until recently." she huffed before turning back and continue storming upstairs, "Now get moving!"
Hiroki - "Your emotions have been all over the place today!" he sit back up and look over his shoulders.
Kanoko - 'No kidding.' she shook her head, 'Maybe I'm right, she's one of those erratic ones.'
Nobara - "This is why girls don't like you!" she fumed, continuing her steps.
Hiroki - "How do you know they don't like me, huh?" he asked annoyedly, but soon gave off a defeated look once he heard Nobara's out of reach.
The girls could not help but find Hiroki's question strangely ironic. While Kanoko and Ayumu silently chuckled, Nao and Kaede just stay quiet at their seat in awkwardness.
Hiroki proceeds to stand up.
Hiroki - "I bet you're not even popular either." he grumbled while lowering his face, "Bitch."
This causes Kanoko and Ayumu to look back at the screen with wide; shocked eyes. Much like Kaede but mostly not too surprising for Nao.
Never would they have imagine Hiroki swearing, let alone hear one. Especially for Kaede. Kanoko is completely different since she has accustomed her life to swearing, but Hiroki never swears in his entire life.
Kaede - 'Language...' she scolded silently with a subtle frown.
But then, Hiroki's eyes widen upon feeling a presence suddenly appearing above him.
Kanoko - "Wait... WATCH OUT!" her eyes widen in realization, gripping the arms of her seat.
Ayumu - "From above!" she immediately covered her own face in fear.
In a quick thinking, Hiroki unsheathe his blade and slice off the curse's incoming claw strike in a split second before jumping back to give himself distance.
Seeing nothing happened to Hiroki, they let out breath of relief. Although, they are still on the edge of their seat.
Kaede - 'He's fine...' she thought while calming down.
Kanoko - "Crap." she frowned, "Those things can hide in walls and ceilings too?"
The curse drops down from the ceiling with a loud thud before standing up with its four legs.
Curse - "Do you... need a receipt...?" it asked with twitching head.
Nao - "Freaky..." she commented with grimace in her face.
Ayumu - "You can do it, Hiroki!" she pumped her fist.
Kanoko - "Go get 'em, little bro!" she leans forward a little on her seat.
Kaede - 'You can do it, sweetie...!' she silently cheered.
Hiroki put up an attack stance, the curse's purple blood dripping down his blade.
Hiroki - 'It's a curse!' he cautioned to himself.
With an incoming strike of its other Mantis claw, Hiroki moved to the side before slicing it off. He slides under and glide his blade against the curse's belly.
Kanoko - "Damn!" she yelled in amazement.
Nao - "I-Is Hiroki always this agile?" she asked in slight intimidation.
He went on and sliced off two of its leg to knock it off balance before jumping into the air, performing a flips mid-air and bringing his blade down to its head.
Killing it on spot.
The performance of Hiroki left the girls not only speechless, but also breathless. Never once in their entire life has Hiroki did such a thing with such skill and precision.
Ayumu - "Woaaah..." she murmured in awe.
Nao - "F-For a first timer, he isn't that... bad." she commented, shivering slightly in intimidation.
Kaede - "Well, Hiroki can sometimes be full of surprises." she shrugs, still remembering Hiroki performing flips with ease.
Once the curse finally stops moving, Hiroki lets out a relieved sigh.
Hiroki - "Hm." he nod to seemingly himself with a proud smile, "I've got some moves."
This causes Ayumu and Kanoko to giggle slightly.
Kanoko - "You really can, little bro." she nod her head with an amused smile.
Ayumu - "awesome...!" she muttered, still awestruck.
Pulling his blade out of the curse's head, blood gushes out as it cuts back to Gojo and Megumi.
Gojo - "That Hiroki guy." he marked, "He's missing a few up there."
A flashback of Itadori fighting off the rugby curse is shown.
"These things that come after him, take the forms of bizarre-looking creatures."
"And he doesn't hesitate in killing them at all."
Kanoko - 'To be completely honest, if we ever encounter something like that. We shouldn't hesitate on killing them too.' she shook her head.
Gojo - "And it's not like he's been familiar with curses for a long time, like you." he mentioned, "This is a boy who used to live a normal high school life."
Kanoko - "Again, crazy." she press her back against her seat in disbelief.
Ayumu - "I-Is Hiroki really this talented?" she asked, awestrucked.
Even though Hiroki was just a regular high school student, he was surprisingly quick to adapt to his new surroundings filled with dangerous curses that could possibly end his and his friends' life.
Not to mention he was already abnormaly strong, even before being a sorcerer. Hiroki is not only full of surprise but also full of mystery, is what they thought.
The scene cuts back to Nobara walking inside a room, only lit by the light from outside through the window.
"Plenty of Jujutsu Sorcerers, even talented ones, give up in frustration."
"Because they can't conquer their fear and disgust."
The scene briefly cuts back to Megumi with a deep-thought expression before immediately switching to Nobara with an analytical face, scanning the room with mannequins.
"So today, I wanna see how crazy she can get."
Nao - "Oh right, this is also a test for Nobara too." she recalled.
Kanoko - "'Wonder how she'll plays out." she folded her arms and watched the screen in interest.
Ayumu - 'Mannequins...?' she thought in confusion.
With a sigh, she put up a more serious facade.
Nobara - "Hey, you, curse." she calls out sternly, but to no response, "I mean you, mannequin in the center. Is that you idea of hiding?"
Ayumu - "How can she tell?" she asked in confusion.
Nao - "Maybe she can tell them apart by sensing the curse's presence?" she theorized.
Nobara then took out her weapon; which are nails and a hammer.
Nobara - "If you won't come out, I'll just exorcise you right there." she threatened.
Nao - "Hammer?" she tilt her head in curiousity.
Kanoko - "As silly as it sounds, she looks pretty badass with it." she shrugs.
Although, one thing in mind: What can she do with it?
The scene cuts back to Megumi and Gojo.
Megumi - "But Kugisaki is experienced, right?" he recalled, "Little late for that now, isn't it?"
Ayumu - "So she has dealt with curses before." she repeated, making an 'o' shaped mouth.
Kaede - "She must be a really reliable companion as Hiroki's teammate then." she smiled with her palm on her cheek.
Nao - 'I still don't like her...' she grumbled quietly.
Gojo - "Curses are born from human minds." he recalled, "So their strength and numbers grow in proportion to the population."
Nao - "Ah, so there are actually fewer curse back at our hometown compared to a city like Tokyo?" she repeated, finding the rarer probability back at her hometown intriguing, 'Maybe that make some sense as to how we haven't seen any before, let alone encounter one.'
Kanoko - 'Yeaaaaah... Maybe not going to Tokyo is a good idea for now.' she sweatdrops.
With cursed energy imbued, she threw two nails directly in front before swinging. While at it, the end of the nails magnetically attatched itself to the hilt of her swinging hammer as she sends thme flying toward a specific mannequin's head.
Kanoko - "Woah!" she exclaimed, amused.
Ayumu - "So fast..." she widen her eyes.
Kaede - "She's really good with her hammer." she blinked in awe.
However, it somehow holds itself up to prevent falling behind.
Ayumu - "... Eh?" she tilt her head in confusoin.
Nao - "It's... It's alive?" she muttered with tension in her voice, 'Wait, it's imbued with a curse. She mentioned it before.'
"Do you think Nobara understands... that curses in Tokyo are on a different level than those in the countryside?"
The mannequin's head shakes a little in which a pair of grostique looking eye appear on the right side of its head.
This causes all the girls to widen their eyes.
Kanoko - "It's a curse..." she frowned.
Ayumu - "It grew an eye!" she exclaimed, almost closing her face again.
Nao - "A hammer and nails would not be enough to exorcise it." she theorized, her expression more tensed than before.
After the title flashcard ended, the scene cuts to the name "Kugisaki" written on a stone.
It cuts to Kugisaki standing right in front of her house, still in her uniform but with a pink copper this time as she walks away after a brief moment of silence.
This caught the girls off guard.
Ayumu - "Wait, what happened? Wasn't she about to fight curses just now?" she asked, genuinely confused.
Kanoko - "Hold on, no. This is just a flashback I assume." she guessed.
It briefly shows a damaged car with writing all over it, crowds back at Takeshita Street, and then back at Nobara deepening her frown at the curse.
The mannequin then tilt it's head as it grows three more eyes, in which each of them moves in an abnormal way.
Kanoko - "Eugh..." she grimaced in disgust, "Are all curses gonna be as an abomination as... whatever that thing is?"
Ayumu - "More eyes..." she muttered out, curling her legs up to her seat.
She has a strong dislike in horror, no matter movie or not; fake or not.
It is the reason why she chose to partake in Martial Arts alongside Hiroki in the first place, in order to defend herself against whatever horrors are out there; figuratively or literally.
So that she could defend herself without needing Hiroki's help, as she feels like she would be a burden everytime she is under Hiroki's protection.
With the mannequin curse finally awake, it starts to gets back up and starts advancing itself toward Nobara at a rather slow pace.
Nobara - "You might wanna pull those out..." she suggested, placing her hammer head on her other shoulder.
With a snap of her fingers, the two nails that are attatched to the curse's head began to shake violently in which the curse tries to fight it off.
Nobara - "... or my curse energy will flow onto you." she explained, watching the curse's head explode into pieces before dropping dead.
This took the girls to surprise.
Kanoko - "Holy damn." she widen her eyes, fully surprised this time.
Nao - "So if her nails are in you, you're pretty much screwed..." she shivered at the thought of her body parts exploding.
Ayumu - 'So cool yet so scary!' she stated in her mind with a fearful smile.
With victory on her hand, she leans forward with a proud smile.
Nobara - 'Nailed it.' she giggled.
This causes Ayumu and Kanoko to let out a chuckle.
Nao - 'This girl's annoying me...' she twitched her eye with a forced smile.
But then, sudden noise comes from the other side of the room which shook Nobara slightly. Opening her eyes, she saw one of the planks behind the boxes fell.
What is behind the box is... a frighten child cowering in fear.
The girls let out a confused expression much like Nobara.
Nao - "A... A kid?" she tilts her head in confusion.
Kanoko - "What a kid doing there?" she asked cluelessly.
Kaede - "Poor boy, he must have probably hid because of that curse." she sighed with a sorry expression.
Nobara - "A child?" she asked, before sighing, 'Must have snuck in for some fun and encountered the curse.'
She approach the child and crouch slightly, earning a terrified noise from the kid.
Nobara - "Hey, it's alright now. Come out." she assured in a more calmer tone.
However, the kid instead silently shook his head as a response, causing Nobara to let out an exaggerated distraughtful "Eh?!" with a comical disbelief expression.
This causes Kanoko and Ayumu to giggle slightly, and this time Nao joins in too.
Kanoko - "After seeing what she juts did to that curse, of course he's gonna be scared too." she shook her head with an amused smile.
Standing back up, Nobara then turns around with a noticeable fake-sad smile.
Nobara - "I guess it's true that kids don't warm up to beautiful women." she claimed, "Guess I'll call Itadori."
Kid - "Wait!" he shouts, causing Nobara to look back, "Don't leave me here!"
Just as he gets out of his hiding spot and extend his arm to her, a curse shaped like a ball that is standing roughly the same size as a regular teen phases through the wall and grabs the kid by his head.
This took the girls to a storm of surprise.
Kanoko - "Hey, wait!" she shouts in an instinct.
Nao - "A-Another one?!" she stated in shock, eyes wide.
Ayumu - "Behind!" she tries to call out to him, even though she knows it will do nothing.
Nobara attempted to think fast and swing her nails to the curse's head, but it was all too late as the curse already held the kid hostage.
Meanwhile, the curse holds a mischevious grin while bringing its sharp nail on the side of the kid's neck, threatening them silently.
The atmosphere turned tense once more.
Kanoko - "Even as a curse, they can still be cowardy..." she narrowed her eyes in annoyance and frustration.
Ayumu - "I can't watch..." she place her hands close to her face again, waiting for any worst case scenario.
Nobara - 'It's taking him hostage?' she thought, watching as the tip of the curse's pointy nail draws out drop of blood down the kid's neck, 'This curse has intelligence?!'
Nao - "Huh? Normally they weren't smart?!" she asked, surprised about the new-found information about curses.
Kanoko - "Smart, my ass!" she growled, "That thing's just a pussy!"
Kaede - "Kanoko, please quiet down." she deepen her frown, making Kanoko hold herself back.
"When I say "level", I don't mean the amount of cursed energy they have."
The scene cuts back to Gojo and Megumi outside once more.
Gojo - "It's their cunning." he informed with a grin, "Monsters that have gained wisdom will often force cruel choices upon you..."
"With the weight of a human life in the balance."
Kanoko - "Crap... What now?" she clench the arms of her seat.
Best chances are, Nobara might need to at least make it so that she is not threatening. Either by backing off or dropping her weapon.
They still do not know if curses could talk the same language as humans do, but they can tell the curse is able to indicate which oppose a threat or not.
Nobara - "Damn it, damn it, damn it! Damn it!" she cursed, looking at the curse's pleasing eyes with hatred, 'The curse isn't even all that strong! Grade 4! Maybe even lower, like a low grade 3!'
Ayumu - "G-Grades...?" she muttered in confusion.
Nao - "They're ranked based on how strong they are?" she questioned at the line of stress and curiosity.
Kanoko - "If it's that weak, just hit it with that hammer ability or whatever!" she fumed.
Ayumu - "But the child will die if she did!" she shook her head in disagreement, in which Kanoko could not protest in return.
Nobara - 'But it's aware of that. That's why it chose to take a hostage!' she clenched her teeth with a sweatdrop, 'Calm yourself down. If I die, the child dies, too. But if the child dies, I won't die.'
That makes the situation even more tense than it already is.
Now that they think about it... Is this how it feels like being a sorcerer? Is Gojo right all along? Jujutsu Sorcerers will witness, even face horror itself.
Just... how would that affect Hiroki as a whole? Not physically, but also mentally.
Nobara - 'Logically speaking, it's better if I survive, at least!' she tighten her grip on her hammer.
In the end, she dropped her hammer, and then nails, and then her pouch before holding her hands up as a sign of surrender.
Nobara - "I'm unarmed" she stated, "Let the boy go."
Nao - "She... She unarmed herself..." she blinked in surprise, but her face becomes serious once more, 'Did she make the right choice, though...?'
Instead of letting the boy go, the curse cheekily chuckled at her futile attempt.
Nobara - 'I'm such an idiot!' she cursed inside her mind, 'See? I'm not letting him go at all!'
Kanoko - "Then why the hell did she do that in the first place?!" she scowled in a low; growling tone, which the girls unfortunately have no answer to that.
She then hold her head low, looking at the ground with a defeated expression.
Nobara - "I wish I could have seen Saori-chan one last time.' she murmured.
Ayumu - "Just... Just like that?" she asked empathetically, expression saddening 'This is how she's gonna die?'
Either way, those words coming from Nobara feel like a goodbye more than anything.
But then...
PUNCH!
Someone punched a hole through the wall behind the curse, just missing it by few inches. This caused Nobara and even the curse to look at the fist with wide; shocked/surprised eyes.
The sudden fist busting through the wall caught the girl off guard they slightly jumped.
Kanoko - "W-What the hell...?" she questioned confusingly.
Ayumu - 'That looked like...' her eyes widened, "Wait, Hiroki?"
Kaede - "Is it... you, son?" she stare at the screen with hope.
Nao- 'O-Oh, right... I almost forgot about him.' she thought, staring at the screen with wide eyes at Hiroki's (fist) unexpected appearance.
Then, a voice can be heard behind the wall... that belonging to Hiroki.
Hiroki - "Huh? I missed?" he questioned, his fist making confused gestures.
Before then, Hiroki literally bust through the wall which surrounds them with dusts. The curse, out of fear, attempted to end the child's life but Hiroki was faster to think, for which he unsheathe his blade mid-air to swiftly; yet expertly slice off the curse's fingers and hand.
Kaede - "Hiroki is there!" she smiled in relief.
Although, they still could not help but stare in awe at another insane feat Hiroki had accomplished. Well, at least for their parts.
Ayumu - "B-Break through walls too?!" she jawdropped in slight fear rather than awe.
Kanoko - "Should we even be surprised at this point?" she sighed, crossing her arms.
Nao - 'He makes Kokujin look like a rat in comparison.' she thought, in awe of Hiroki's superhuman strength.
Now that Ayumu thinks about it, she was quite grateful Hiroki didn't punch her THAT hard during their Judo match back at school.
He grabbed the boy before kicking the curse away, causing both him and the kid to land few feet back at a safer distance.
Hiroki - "You okay?" he asked with a reassuring smile,earning a now-calmer nod from the kid.
Kanoko - "Way to go, little brother!" she cheered with a proud smile.
Kaede - "Oh, Hiroki..." she smiled, 'No matter what we said about you before, you always stay positive and chose to help others...'
Sitting back up, the curse waste no time and immediately backs off into the wall before slowly phase through it, leading itself to outside in an attempt to escape.
"Hey, wait!"
"That pussy!"
"Get that thing, Hiroki!"
Hiroki - "It's getting away!" he shouts.
Nobara - "I don't think so!" she opens the outer uniform and grab a straw doll she hid, "Itadori! Give me that arm!"
Both Hiroki and the kid besides him look at the curse's chopped hand simutaniously.
Hiroki - "Huh?" he muttered in confusion.
Ayumu - "Hand?" she repeated.
Nao - "What is she gonna do with it?" she asked confusingly.
Outside, the ball-like curse can be seen jumping out from the building's last floor. Meanwhile, Gojo and Megumi stare up at it from the ground level.
Kanoko - "That thing looks ridiculous..." she chuckled slightly in amusement, finding the way the curse escaping funny.
Megumi - "I'll exorcise it." he stated briefly.
Gojo - "Hold on." he smiled, earning a confused expression from Megumi.
Back with Nobara alongside Hiroki and the kid, the brown-haired girl throws her straw doll on the curse's chopped hand.
Kid - "A straw doll?" he asked, hugging Hiroki with a fearful expression.
Hiroki - "Creepy..." he commented, also with a comical fearful expression.
This causes the girls to let out giggle; finding that even in the midst of all this, there are still humorous scenes such as this one.
Crouching down, she aimed her nail imbued with cursed energy.
Nobara - "Straw Doll Technique:-" she muttered, letting the nail fall.
Immediately right after, she slams it down at the strawdoll with her hammer.
"-RESONANCE"
Back with the curse, it felt a sharp pain in it's heart in which, out of the blue, multiple spikes emerges from the inside that instantly evaporates the curse into dust that blows through the wind.
This instantly earned shocked expressions from the girls, for which they did not expect that at all.
Kanoko - "D-Damn..." she muttered in intimidation, "That was..."
Ayumu - "T-Terrifying..." she shook on her seat.
Nao - "S-So her ability is somewhat related to something like voodoo." she narrowed her eyes.
Back on the ground floor, Megumi and Gojo stares at the spot where the curse die.
Gojo - "Nice." he commented with a smile, "She's crazy all right."
Kanoko - "Crazy is an understatement." she sighed.
Ayumu - "So does that mean... they won?" she asked, her smile returning.
Back at the top floor, the curse's hand disintegrates until what is left behind are pulp of its purple blood. Nobara can be heard panting as she raise her head up with a noticeable sweatdrop.
Nobara - "We won." she stated.
The girls cheered at this, with two obviously showing it than the more quiet/mature ones.
Nao - 'And it's all thanks to Hiroki, too.' she thought, adding more reason to the list of what she likes about Hiroki inside her head.
Kaede simply remain silent, but she smiled to herself. Knowing that her son is able to handle curses well enough, she no longer has doubts about him defending himself in this new world of his.
Out of nowhere, the scene cuts to a view of spacious farm fields next to town with soft music in the background.
This took the girls to surprise, but they were not complaining. So they remain silent on their respected seats.
A brief moment shows a sign, reading: "This bridge is dangerous due to deterioration from age and can no longer be used."
Someone kicked a rock while walking back home, mainly out of boredom as then, a girl voice belonging to Nobara narrates.
"When I was first grade, Saori-chan moved to our village from Tokyo."
Kanoko - "So we're gonna learn about her past." she crossed her arms.
Ayumu - "That's her?" she asked, expression softening.
Kaede -"She's adorable." she commented with a sweet, motherly smile.
Nao simply watches with an unreadable expression.
A young Nobara with red tracksuit can be seen picking up the rock before looking back up with a curious look on her face, watching a long-brown haired girl whose name is "Saori" walking past her with a smile.
Before continuing up the stair, Saori glance back at her with a more genuine; kind smile.
"She was as cute as a doll,-"
This causes the young Nobara to smile back.
"-and as kind as a nun."
The scene brings warmth to Kaede's empty heart. Seeing two children smiling brightly brings her somewhat a comforting feeling.
It not only reminded her of her childhood, but also Hiroki when she last saw him smiling so gleefully.
Next scene shows the two sitting at a bench with young Nobara holding a christmas sticker book, in which they look up at the sky when they notice it started snowing.
"Yet..."
The camera cuts to the sight of Saori
"... Saori-chan was ostracized by the villagers."
Despite being strangers in their perspective, they could not help but feel bad.
Ayumu - "Poor her..." she whispered sympathetically.
Kanoko - 'For what reason, anyway?' she asked inside her mind, in need of answer.
A scene showing the locals discussing themselves while Saori and her mother watches them from the distance.
""She thinks country folk are dumb" they said, letting themselves getting paranoid,-"
Then another scene shows two guys holding shovel with disdainful look, walking away from Saori house's outdoor in which they purposefull trash with hordes of snow.
"-and in the end...-"
It cuts to the local disucssing some more with a sign: "We Protest the Kitagawa Highway Extension!"
Multiple fingers pointing as a sign of oppression, lots of false rumors from bad mouths.
"-they drove her out."
The scene cuts back to young Nobara in her thick; pink jacket, standing under the snowy day in front of Saori house with no trace of Saori whatsoever.
Taking a glance to her side, she noticed a sign that says: "Home for Sale"
This caused the girls to frown. So they drove them away because... they felt like it?
Although, they can not complain. The situation regarding Saori and the village are mostly similar to them with Hiroki.
They were the one who drove Hiroki away because they feel like he is nothing more than just a burden. A distraction to their lust-driven life with Kokujin.
Useless, is what they remember of what comes out of their mouth.
Just the mere thought of that brings huge pain in Kaede's heart more than the others', since Hiroki is the last thing her husband gives her before he passed away.
No matter how many "sorry" muttered out of her mouth, no matter how many times she plead for forgiveness, it will all be useless when she is not saying them to Hiroki... or even... her husband.
The camera switches back to Saori parent's broken van, damages that are obvious from blunt object like a baseball bat with writing all over it.
"Calling it sickening wouldn't be enough."
The screen transitions to the inside of Saori's house, camera focusing on the in-door lit campfire.
Snacks and Drinks are present on the table as young Nobara and Saori sat down on their bean bag.
"She brought all these homemeade sweets I'd never heard of and said, "The one from the bakery are even better," with a smile as she treated me to them."
"If I had stayed in that village..."
Ayumu - "Even if they're not related, they still have deep connections with each other." she smiled whole-heartedly.
Kanoko - "That's... pretty wholesome, honestly." she beamed alongside Ayumu.
With the flashback ending, the screen instantly switch back to Nobara's strawdoll on the concrete floor, the curse's blood still present but slowly disintegrating each seconds.
Kaede - "Ah, we're back now." she stated briefly.
Hiroki - "This is why I told you," he coached, "it's dangerous to go alone and you need to take it seriously!"
Nobara - "You never said it was dangerous to go alone!" she complained with a scowl.
Hiroki - "I... didn't?!" he stare back at her dumbfoundedly.
Both Ayumu and Nao giggled a little.
Kanoko - "So she's what they call a tsundere." her unreadable smirk drop down to her chin in a comical manner.
Kaede - "Mhm, that's what makes her lively." she nod with a sweet smile.
Nobara - "And what have you been eating that lets you punch through a wall with your bare hands?!" she asked while pointing at the hole in the wall.
Kanoko proceeds to join in the laugh with the two.
Ayumu - "We're wondering the same thing too." she nods.
Kanoko - "Next thing we know, he's part of a secret experiment or something." she stated sarcastically, shrugging on her seat with rolled eyes.
Hiroki - "It wasn't reinforced concrete!" he points at the hole too.
Nobara - "Even if it was, that'd still be impossible for most people!" she argued.
Meanwhile, the kid looks up with a nervous smile and a sweatdrop dripping down his cheek.
Nao - "I feel bad for the kid... you know, for being stuck with these two." she sweatdrop, in which the other three could not help but to agree.
Hiroki - "Most people...?" he shook his head, switching his attention back at Nobara, "You know, you asked me plenty of questions already, but why did you come to Jujutsu Tech?"
Nobara - "Why?" she hold her head down with a deep; thoughtful expression, "Because I hate the countryside, and I WANTED TO LIVE IN TOKYO!" she points at herself with her thumb.
Hiroki - "HAH?!" he jawdropped with a comical shocked and offended expression.
Kanoko - "Bahaha!" she laughed at Hiroki's reaction.
Ayumu - "His face!" she snorted.
Nao - "Well, technically she's not wrong but... Hiroki thought that she was also referring to him too." she sigh with a smile.
Nobara faces away with an innocent smile, grasping both her hands next to her face.
Nobara - "This was the only way I could move to the city without having to worry too much about money!" she explained, imaginary sparkles surround her face.
Hiroki - "You can risk your life over that?" he lean to the side with a comical sweatdropping frown, for which Nobara simply stick her tongue out.
Nao - "Jujutsu Sorcerers can really be unpredictable, I guess." she muttered.
Nobara - "I can." she answered, erupting a surprised expression from Hiroki as she looks back at him with a more genuine smile, "After all, it means being true to myself."
The screen then slowly shifts back to her old village, with the voice of Nobara narrating in the background once more.
"If I stayed in that village, I'd be as good as dead."
It briefly shows a couple more flashback of young Nobara and Saori enjoying their moments before shifting to the view of Tokyo from above.
"Saori-chan, I made it to Tokyo."
Entering a bakery, her face lit up when she saw racks of sweets and desserts behind the glass counter.
"If we ever met here, take me to that bakery you mentioned."
Even if her motivation is not as high or insane as that of Hiroki's, they could not help but somewhat comprehend her reasoning.
It is not anything too crazy, or absurd. Rather... understandable.
Ayumu - "So she move out of her town and join Jujutsu Tech to find her long-lost best friend?" she questioned, her eyes full of admiration.
Kanoko - "And meet at the bakery they mention?" she slump back on her seat, "Talk about a sweet reunion."
The scene switches back to Nobara reaching out her hand to rub the kid's head in comfort.
Nobara - "So as far as that goes, I'm grateful to you, too." she stated, looking back at Hiroki, "There wouldn't have been a bright future if I had died or if I had been the only one to survive."
With a smile, Nobara gave him a quick but genuine: "Thanks" before walking away.
Hiroki - "Well, having a more serious reason doesn't make anyone better than the rest." he commented.
And then, Nobara spreads her arms open with a comical mischievous expression.
Nobara - "Hey, I've given you my thanks, so it's all over! We're even now!" she concluded with a cheeky chuckle.
Hiroki - "What's wrong with her?" he asked himself with a confused and defeated expression
Ayumu and Kanoko simply lets out small chuckle.
Nao - "Aaaand back to her sassy self." she sigh defeatedly.
Kaede - "'Seems like these two will be well acquainted." she commented, "They get along quickly."
Timeskip few moments later, the screen pans from the sky to show the sight of Megumi and Gojo looking at the kid whom Nobara and Hiroki had saved.
Kid - "I live over there! Thanks again!" he pointed at a certain direction before running back home waving, in which Gojo waves back in return.
Ayumu - "That's it for the day, huh?" she questioned, finally at ease.
Nao - "Honestly, it went better than I expected." she admitted, impressed.
Both Hiroki and Nobara is seen waiting while her foot taps impatiently on the stone stair.
Nobara - "Did you know I get into a foul mood when I'm hungry?" she asked.
Hiroki - 'When are you not ina foul mood?' he thought while looking away uninterestedly.
This erupt a laugh from Kanoko and Ayumu once more.
Kanoko - "Well, he's not technically wrong about it." she commented, earning nods from Ayumu.
The voice of their sensei calls out to them, quickly gaining their attention.
Gojo - "Good Joseph!" he raise his hand up with a smile, walking up to his fellow students with Megumi behind him, "We made sure the kid got home."
Ayumu - "Ah, Gojo and Fushiguro is back!" she mentioned.
Kanoko - "Urchin~!" she beamed, slouching back on her seat.
Standing up, the two put up a stance in preperation for something.
Gojo - "Now, shall we go grab some food?" he questioned, putting a finger up.
Fork and Knife clanging, both Hiroki and Nobara posed in imaginary luxurious clothings with their own preferred food glistening in the background.
Hiroki - "Steak!" he grins wickedly.
Nobara - "Sushi!" she smiles alongside him.
Kanoko - "I just can't get over by these two's dynamic. One time they're arguing, and then they look like best friends, back to arguing, and now they look like couples or something." she commented.
Unknown to her, Nao secretly got jealous again at the mention of "couple".
Gojo - "Leave it to me!" he sends thumbs up to the two teen before pointing at Megumi, "And you, Megumi?"
Megumi is seen paying no attention while scrolling through his phone, in which Gojo leans besides him with a comical; confused smile.
Gojo - "Okay, let's go." he said while bringing Hiroki and Nobara to walk alongside him, knocking Megumi out of his daze.
Kanoko - "Oh... Haha!" she laughed humorously.
Ayumu - "Womp womp." she commented with muffled giggles.
The sight of Tokyo is viewed from the sky, the sun setting through the mountains.
Nobara - "Oh, I forgot about my biggest haul of the day." she recalled,switching her attention towarad Hiroki while still walking up front, "Hey, you, go fetch my things."
Hiroki - "Huh? Why should I do it?" he asked, "I thought we're even."
Nobara - "We won thanks to my cursed energy." she noted, "Got any problem with that?"
Hiroki - "What about my raw strength?" he recalled.
Nobara - "Your monstrous power from eating weird shit?" she asked, still baffled at the thought of him swallowing a literal cursed finger.
This erupts a laugh from the girls.
Kaede - "Still not over it, I see." she smiled gleefully.
Kanoko - "I mean, not just her. Us too." she shrugs, lowering her laugh.
Hiroki - "It's not just that!" he pointed at Nobara before walking backward, facing toward Megumi and Gojo, "Right, Fushiguro?"
But after taking a good look on his face, it appears he has a grumpy expression.
Nao - "Someone's feeling under the weather." she tittered.
Kanoko - "Grumpy Urchin." she described with a snicker.
Hiroki - "Huh? What's the matter, Fushiguro?" he questioned, confused.
Megumi - "Nothing." he answers briefly, still looking away.
Gojo - "He's pouting because he doesn't get to join in." he explained, keeping his hands in his pockets.
Nobara - "Puh! What a child~!" she muffled her giggle by closing her mouth, causing Megumi to deepen his embarrassed frown.
And to conclude everything, the screen fades out to black with the sight and sound of Hiroki's laughter.
The girls lets out a soft smile, it is been a long time since they had heard that lively laugh of his.
Kaede - "Oh, son..." she smiled, almost tearing up to see Hiroki doing just fine, even without her.
If she ever met Gojo, she will thanked him over and over again.
Ayumu - "They look like they're families." she remarked with a beaming expression.
Kanoko - "No kidding." she nods in agreement.
Nao - "Uh... Girls?" she calls them out, switching their attention back at the screen.
Surprisingly for them, the episode has not ended yet. So they return back to their seat and listen..
Texts appear on the screen with a male voice narrating:
"LOG: JULY 18"
"WEST TOKYO CITY"
"EISHUU JUVENILE DETENTION CENTER"
The screen cuts to show a building from outside, music becoming more cryptic.
The sudden change in mood brings discomfort and unease to the girls.
Ayumu - "I-It's not over?" she asked quietly, tensing up at her seat.
"In the sky above the exercise yard."
The camera slowly pans to the sky, in which guys could be heard from the background.
Man 1 - "Hey..." he muttered, feeling uneasy, "What's that?"
One of the guy, presumably the oldest look up with his palm over his eyebrows. Trying to make sense to what he is seeing.
Man 2 - "What?" he asked, not seeing what the other guy is seeing.
"Unnamed Apparition of Potential Special Grade"
"Its curse womb was witnessed by several non-jujutsu sorcerers."
Ayumu - "A... what now?" she tilt her head.
Nao - "Special grade." she raised her eyebrows.
Kanoko - "Curse womb." her face scrunched slightly in disgust at the mere thought of that.
They still remember Nobara once mention Grade 4 and 3 Cursed Spirit, for which they are already dangerous for their most part.
But Special Grade? Even without knowing how any of these ranking system work yet, a special grade must be a very specific and rare phenomenon.
Besides, they still remember Sukuna, a special grade curse as well as the king of curses, easily kills off lower grade curse as if it was nothing.
The screen switches back to the guys standing at a certain area of the place.
Man 1 - "That up there! Looks like an egg!" he pointed at the sky.
Man 3 - "What are you talking about?" he questioned, genuinely perplexed.
Once the screen finally pans to the sky, the viewers eyes were met with the sight of...
What they call a curse womb, a transparent egg floating in the sky with an undeveloped baby inside, one that has its body distoreted; matching that of a curse.
The girls widen their eyes in shock and disgust. They could not help but feel something rising up from their stomach.
Ayumu - "W-What is... that?" she asked, shocked beyond belief.
Kanoko - "Jeez, these things will never fail at making me wanna throw up." she shivered.
Nao - "That... That's what they call a curse womb...?" she recalled, hand shaking slightly.
"Due to the emergency nature..."
"... three Jujutsu Tech first-years were dispatched to the scene..."
Kanoko - "Huh? Hiroki alongside with Kugisaki and Urchin is gonna take care of... that thing?" she questioned, almost not believing it.
Ayumu - "It... looks like that's the case." she nods.
"... And one died."
That alone causes the girls to stay stood silent at their seat. Just that sentence alone brings paranoia and anxiety down the girls' spine immediately right after.
Kaede - "... Eh?" she murmured, eyes wide in genuine; pure shock.
Ayumu - "D-Die...?" she asked, shivering.
And with that, the music fades out which marks the end of the episode.
[ "LOST IN PARADISE" by ALI ft. AKLO ]
The Outro plays out.
Despite the bombastic and cheerful music of the ending, they are still at the edge of their seat. Wondering... Who could have died?
Kanoko - "Who... Who is going to die?" she asked, tense at the edge of her seat.
Nao - "It's... either Megumi or Kugisaki." she guessed with a deep, thoughtful expression.
Ayumu - "H-How can you be so sure, Nao?" she asked, confused.
Nao - "Hiroki has Sukuna. Remember what Gojo said, if Hiroki dies then the curse will also die alongside him. Besides, this is the King of Curses we're talking about." she explained, "I hightly doubt"
Kanoko - "So... Fushiguro or Kugisaki?" she place her hand on her mouth in deep thought.
Ayumu - "I-... I might have to go with Kugisaki." she guessed.
Nao - "I agree." she nods, "We may not know Fushiguro's full capabilities yet, as well as Kugisaki's, but something tells me he is more experienced."
Kaede - "Son... Please be alright." she hoped silently, stressing ever so slightly.
Yet again, with Nao having full attention to the intro and outro, her mind still lingers to the sight of a certain blonde guy on the screen.
Nao - 'That's dad, right? I haven't seen him for years, but... he looks like him...' she thought inside her mind.
But she is still confused, what is her dad doing there? Did he took part of being a Jujutsu Sorcerer?
Her deep thoughts were shook by the outro finally ending, they thought it was finally over... but then-
Out of nowhere, chibi Sukuna is seen lying on his side while lazily yawns, with the text in the middle and multiple voice narrates:
JUJU STROLL
This caught the girls by surprise once again.
Kanoko - "It's still not over?" she huffed annoyedly.
Kaede - "Oh, what is this?" she asked curiously, tilting her head slightly.
Nobara looks up with an exaggerated serious expression.
Nobara - "Itadori. I'm going with paper." she stated stoicly.
In return, Hiroki looks back at her with a serious facade in an attempt to hide his obvious nervousness.
The girls stare at the screen, quite dumbfounded and baffled at the mood swing.
Kanoko - "What are they doing?" she asked in a low tone, bewildered.
Nao - "A game, it seems?" she guessed.
Both of them posed in an exaggerated manner while Megumi and Gojo stares at them in the background.
Hiroki & Nobara - "ROCK-PAPER-SCISSORS!" they roared.
Nobara shows a rock while Hiroki chose scissor, marking the loss of Hiroki and the victory of the celebrating Nobara.
Nobara - "Oh yeah!" she cheered while clenching her fist.
Kaede - "A... rock-paper-scissor?" she blinked.
Kanoko - "What an idiot." she jested, watching Hiroki lose the simple rock-paper-scissors game, "Only a beginner would fall for that trick."
Ayumu - "Poor Hiroki." she form a smiling pout.
Gojo - "Sushi, huh?" he noted while looking at his phone, "Guess we can go to the usual place in Ginza."
Nobara - "Ginza! Ya-hoo!" she cheered while jumping in excitement.
Ayumu - "Ohh... So they're competing to decide which food they're gonna have?" she remarked.
Nao - 'Quite immature in my opinion.' she smiles tiredly.
Hiroki - "I want a revolving Sushi!" he stated with a smile, already recovered from his defeat.
However, he received an unexpected; scowling look from Nobara up close.
Kanoko & Nao - "Creepy..." both of them described in unison.
Nobara - "Ugh! Itadori, you're such a..." she scoffed, "Ugh! Fushiguro, say something to him!"
Megumi - "I'd rather get something that tastes good if we're going." he clarified firmly, "Gojo-sensei's paying anyway."
Kanoko - "Urchin seems pretty chill for whatever." she commented.
Nao - "He looks like the quiet type kind of guys, anyway." she shrugs.
Hiroki - "Revolving Sushi is its own thing, just like how yakisoba and instant yakisoba are different things!" he debated, making gestures with his hands at the huffing Nobara.
Nobara - "and I want to eat Sushi." she sigh tiredly.
Hiroki - "Sushi's just a meal, but a Revolving Sushi's a leisure activity!" he reasoned, "Like a Theme Park! Or TDL!"
The girls sweatdrop at the sight of Hiroki and Nobara arguing, almost like two child debating which candy tastes better.
The only quiet guy in the group yawns as Hiroki points at Nobara.
Hiroki - "Also, Kugisaki, you said you were from the country too, so have you ever been to a revolving sushi place?!" he considered, causing Nobara to lean back.
Gojo - "My favorite is Sushi Go," he opined, grabbing his chin in a thoughtful manner, "But I'd go with Splendid Sushi for someone's first time."
Hiroki - "You got it, sensei." he leans in from the side with a dumb smile.
Nobara - "Hey, no one said we're going yet." she sweatdrop with squinted eyes.
Nao - "Hiroki's really dedicated into having that revolving sushi." she tilt her head with a confused smile.
Kanoko - "Couldn't blame him, to be honest..." she muttered, still remembering the time when Hiroki would go on ranting about how magnificent revolving sushis are.
With the song more dramatic, Hiroki stares intently at the tensed Nobara.
Hiroki - "Kugisaki, listen closely." he stated in a more serious tone, "At Splendid Sushi, the sushi comes to you on a bullet train."
Nobara - "Wha...?!" she gasped at the thought, now changing her mind.
In a trimpful song, all of them are already in a green taxi riding to their destination.
Hiroki - "Driver, this girl's never had revolving sushi before." he stated, his hair blowing through the wind, "Take us to the Splendid Sushi with the huge-ass parking lot along the interstate!"
And with that, the episode finally concluded with the sight of Hiroki sticking himself out of one of the car's window with an excited smile.
And that wraps it up!
(Any criticism and/or questions are always welcomed!)