WARNING : I am not a native speaker. One of my reasons to re-write this fict is because I want to practice my English even just a little. So, read it with a grain of salt and please enjoy yourself.
—OoOoO—
Jujutsu Kaisen by Gege Akutami
Oregairu by Wataru Watari & Ponkan8
Genre : Supernatural, Action, Freindship, Slice of Life, and Little Bit Romance
Summary : Not the romantic comedy of youth that he experienced, not the quiet and normal life of youth he had. He never missed his day-to-day cursing his strange and annoying life. He is Hikigaya Hachiman and this is all his complaints as a jujutsu sorcerer.
Chapter 17: A Curse That Lies in His Words.
—OoOoO—
"It's been a week, and when are you going to kill Hikigaya Hachiman, Geto Suguru?"
A young girl with long hair tied in a ponytail did not hesitate to express anger at a man who looked like a monk. Even if by his side was a vengeful spirit, Hijikata Toshizo, she didn't care at all.
"There's no need to rush. We just need to enjoy the process step by step," replied the man casually.
"What you say? He killed Quanxi ruthlessly, and you should be held responsible for this!"
"You know, don't you, that neither I nor Hijikata can fight recklessly or our location will be exposed?"
"Nonsense! Didn't you just meet those special grade cursed spirits this morning? Just use them, damn it!" shouted Pingtsi.
Geto just smiled lightly. He didn't show any offended face at all. To him—or at least something possessed on Geto's body—who had lived for thousands of years, getting angry over the whimpers of a half-baked teenager like Pingtsi was shameful.
On the other hand, he knew very well why Pingtsi was so angry. For her, Quanxi was not just an idol of the heart but a saviour and a guide. And losing Quanxi would be a heavy blow for her.
"They are our precious alliance. We need them to seal Gojo Satoru," Geto replied without losing prestige, "Besides, if you're really in a hurry, why don't you try killing Hikigaya-kun with your own hands?"
Pingtsi fell silent without being able to answer. As much as she hated Hikigaya Hachiman, Pingtsi had to admit that he was on a very high level. Moreover, when he activated the Cursed Technique Reversal, Hikigaya Hachiman indeed became a being beyond reason.
With her cursed technique, Pingtsi could dissect the secrets of her opponent's cursed technique. In fact, Pingtsi could spot the weakness of her opponent's technique. Her Cursed Energy Stalker also allowed her to see deep into a curtain. With this ability too, Pingtsi could find the best route to escape when she was surrounded by jujutsu sorcerers from the association.
Unfortunately, when she saw Hachiman's technique reversal, she found that Hachiman's physical form had disappeared. However, at the same time, she could also see that Hachiman could exist anywhere within a particular scope. However, that was not the objective reality.
"I can't. He, Hikigaya Hachiman, that bastard is too strong."
Hearing that hushed answer made a smirk appear on Geto's mouth. He didn't really see how the fight was going. However, inside Quanxi's body was Muta Kokichi's small robot and Hijikata Toshizo's shikigami watching from a distance. From their reports, Geto could conclude that Hikigaya Hachiman's cursed technique had evolved into something very troublesome.
Geto Suguru looked up at the room's ceiling where the three of them were. The lighting was dim, with different coloured lights flashing alternately. Instrumental music filled the void between them. While Hijikata, who sat next to him, just enjoyed the spectacle of the two sorcerers in silence.
"Then how about my offer? Want to accept it?"
Geto took something out of his pocket. It was a preserved piece of the brain about the size of an adult human thumb. At first glance, it did look like a piece of the brain. However, to sorcerers, it was not an arbitrary object.
"Eating a cursed object? Eww, I'm not an idiot you can fool."
Geto smiled and replied, "Not all cursed objects will make you lose your identity and turn into another being. Basically, it all depends on the match. And this cursed object used to come from a part of the brain of a person possessing a cursed technique similar to you. So, your chances of surviving and obtaining her power are very high."
Pingtsi initially doubted the heretical sorcerer's words. Even though she wasn't a strong sorcerer with a lot of experience, Pingtsi knew the side effects of consuming cursed objects. Unfortunately, her belief was shaken after she heard the news that there was someone who could still maintain his consciousness after eating one of Sukuna's fingers.
The girl's brain was now working with maximum power. She used her total concentration to consider all possibilities. However, the dimly lit room with colourful lights flashing alternately following the beat of the music made it hard to think.
"Oh my God, can you turn the music down just a little bit?" she shouted to the two creatures, "Besides, why would a world criminal like you just relax in a karaoke like this?"
Geto just smiled nonchalantly while sticking his tongue out. He shrugged his shoulders and hands, his left hand holding a microphone and his right holding a piece of brain. On the other hand, Hijikata completely ignored the girl and focused more on enjoying what was served before him.
"Come on, we've just been negotiating with those three disaster-cursed spirits from the morning, haven't we? The mountain-head had even burned down the entire cafe. So, there's no harm in relaxing a bit at karaoke, right?"
"What are you? Are you a pubescent teenager or something?" replied Pingtsi, who was at a loss for words.
"Karaoke can reach all ages. It doesn't matter young or old," Geto replied, holding out his microphone, "Try a song. The next is a song by ONE OK ROCK. It should suit a taste of a kid your age."
"You are a weird old man."
"Stop whining, you damn brat. Don't you know just being with this person all the time makes me sick?" shouted Hijikata.
The girl's gaze shifted to Hijikata, who had been silent all this time.
"I don't want to hear it from a cursed spirit that eats a dish topped with full of mayonnaise. Besides, why is a cursed spirit like you so obsessed with mayonnaise?"
Hijikata ignored the girl's words while Geto laughed loudly. He, who had seen all sorts of cursed spirits, was also surprised by Hijikata Toshizo's behaviour in favour of mayonnaise. Cursed spirits eating humans were natural. However, the cursed spirit who ate mayonnaise the first time he had encountered it.
The word "anomaly" was appropriate for Hijikata in all aspects.
"Why not? Mayonnaise is the greatest invention in culinary field," replied Hijikata.
"Fuck off, I'm tired of your bullshit," Pingtsi said as she left.
"About the cursed object, think carefully about my offer," Geto replied before Pingtsi opened the door.
Those words made her pause for a moment. What Geto has to offer would take root in her head. After a few seconds of silence, the girl left them alone.
"Kid these days really lack of morals dan respect for adults. If she was in my era, her parents would sell her to the brothel instead."
"Heh, it's weird hearing such rich words from a cursed spirit like you."
"I maybe am a cursed spirit, but my soul still a samurai and my path belong to my lord."
Geto just smiled. Hijikata was the first vengeful spirit he knew that didn't lose his senses even after becoming such a creature. His logic was still intact even though he was deprived of avenging his lord.
"Saying that it would be fine to eat a cursed object, do you think she would just be fooled by your words?" asked Hijikata.
Geto chuckled and replied, "It's not about her getting fooled or not. As a jujutsu sorcerer, she knew what would happen if she consumed a cursed object. However, a jujutsu sorcerer was still a human. And like any human who falls into despair, she will not hesitate to sell her soul to the devil."
Hijikata felt a shudder when he saw how cold the person next to him was when taking advantage of others. He was aware that he was also being used by Geto Suguru. He also knew that Geto would do something at the end of their plan. However, it didn't matter to Hijikata.
At least, until the time they were about to stab each other, Hijikata would allow himself to be taken advantage of while simultaneously riding Geto's plans for his own benefit.
—OoOoO—
Monday, 25th of June, 2018.
"How are you? How was your training? You didn't skip club activities today, did you?"
In the afternoon, when the entire lesson was over, Hachiman leaned forward against one of the windows in the corridor. He opened the window, allowing a breeze into the corridor. His face was wrinkled, more wrinkled than usual, and his eyes looked despondent.
"I am fine, I guess. And which do you mean? You give me too much training menu. And yes, if I could, I would like to skip the club today."
Hachiman was seen talking to himself while watching the view of the students from the window. Even so, if you take a closer, there was a pair of earphones in his ears. The one talking to him from the other side was his mentor, Hiratsuka Shizuka.
"It's good that you're okay," Hiratsuka retorted, "Speaking of training, I honestly have no interest in teaching you Domain Expansion anymore. At this rate, your domain will definitely be perfect soon. So, what I mean is my suggestion last Friday."
Hachiman hesitated to answer her. However, he decided to tell the truth.
"It sucks. I mean, I do understand the concept, but I really don't know what to do. Besides, because of the things that happened in the last two days, my concentration has become a little messed up."
"Some things happened?" Hiratsuka asked curiously.
"Ah, no. It's just a trivia matter."
Some things Hachiman meant were his meeting with Haruno at Chiba University and his date with her yesterday. He hadn't told Hiratsuka that he actually knew Haruno. He also hadn't told his teacher that Haruno had suspicions about him. And, of course, he was also reluctant to tell her that the two of them went on a date yesterday.
There were several reasons that Hachiman hadn't told her. The main reason was Hiratsuka, who was currently out of town on official business. From what he deduced, Haruno was Hiratsuka's acquaintance. Out of respect for his teacher, he wanted to tell her face to face that Haruno had a very dangerous curiosity and said he wanted to let go of Haruno.
Another reason that prevented him from telling Hiratsuka was Haruno's decision to go to the haunted tunnel in Narita. Judging from Hiratsuka's character, that woman would immediately go to Haruno's place. He didn't know what she would do later. But, for sure, Haruno's suspicions would undoubtedly be directed to Hiratsuka if that happened.
That way, the more Haruno knew that the people around her were involved in the jujutsu society, the more dangerous her position as an ordinary human would be. Basically, Hachiman just didn't want her to get involved with the jujutsu society any further.
Hiratsuka's sigh was heard through Hachiman's earphones.
"Whatever. So, what part did you not understand from my explanation?" asked Hiratsuka, back on topic.
"In the hydrogen section. I mean, I know that hydrogen is the most abundant element in nature. However, that doesn't mean we can simply fuse two hydrogen atoms, does it?"
Hiratsuka sighed at the teenager's reasoning.
"Look, Hikigaya. Have you never heard about the quantum tunnel effect phenomenon? You are a bookworm, you must have heard of it, right?"
Hachiman was silent for a moment.
"Honestly, I hate everything to do with quantum theory, but yes, I know it."
The quantum tunnel effect was one of the phenomena in quantum physics that overturned the laws of classical mechanics because this phenomenon violated the law of energy conservation.
In short, the quantum tunnel effect or quantum tunnelling was a state in which a particle managed to penetrate a wall or potential with higher energy than the particle's energy.
The simplest example of quantum tunnelling was something like this. Suppose we had to climb a mountain and down a valley to get to the other side of the mountain. Of course, we must have a lot of energy to climb and reach the other side of the mountain. However, if at the mountain's foot there was a tunnel that connected one side to the other, we don't need to spend a lot of energy just to get to the other side of the mountain.
Of course, quantum tunnelling was not that simple. However, this was the easiest way to understand the basic idea of the quantum tunnel effect. In its application, quantum tunnelling could occur because of the law of wave-particle dualism.
Quantum tunnelling eventually became one of the reasons Erwin Schrodinger could create a formula that changed the face of the theory of quantum mechanics, which became known as the Schrodinger Equation. Furthermore, the Schrodinger Equation was also applied to solve one of the problems in the universe, namely the hydrogen fusion reaction. Which was then widely referred to as the Schrodinger Equation for the Hydrogen Atom.
"So, what still keeps you from doing it?" asked Hiratsuka.
"Well, in theory, quantum tunnelling can indeed allow a particle to penetrate walls. However, that doesn't mean you can do it easily. Moreover, how can I use quantum tunnelling to fuse the two hydrogen atomic nuclei, if I can't collect the hydrogen atoms in one place myself?"
Quantum tunnelling experiments were generally carried out by placing electrons in one box and insulating the box into two parts.
This experiment was initially used to narrow down the probability of electron location by utilising the wave function and the box's volume. However, as you shrink the box, the chances of finding an electron outside the box increase to one. This happens because there was a possibility that electrons would penetrate the box or potential.
In other words, quantum tunnelling was a natural phenomenon that could occur, even without human intervention.
The same was true for hydrogen. When one wanted to collide with two hydrogen atoms, the two atoms would logically repel when referring to the law of the electromagnetic field. Why? Because the positive pole would repel each other if it was met with another positive pole.
In short, if you brought an atom's nucleus—which contained protons or positive charges—close to the nucleus of another atom, a repulsive force was bound to occur. The repulsion between atoms was what hindered the collision process of atomic nuclei. To do so, the atomic nucleus must be able to overcome this repulsion.
This repulsion was greater when the distance between the nuclei was closer. However, if the distance between these two atoms was very close—more than the critical range—then the attractive force from the strong nuclear force could overcome the repulsion between the two nuclei. This close distance was about 10^-15 m, or one trillionth of a millimetre, and would be referred to as below the critical range between atoms.
Usually, the magnitude of the potential energy generated at the critical range between atoms was 1000 keV (kilo electron volts). So, to penetrate this critical range, an atom must have a kinetic energy greater than the sum of the potential energies. But, unfortunately, hydrogen atoms only had an energy of 1 keV or 1000 times less than the potential energy that must be penetrated if the hydrogen atom wanted to fuse with another. And the energy of 1000 keV was referred to as the potential "wall".
In classical mechanics, this problem was impossible to solve. However, this problem could be solved by exploiting the phenomenon of quantum tunnelling.
In quantum mechanics, the exact location of a particle cannot be known. The only thing that could be known was the particle's location probability as measured using the wave function. Departing from this theory, we could also find the probability of a particle in the critical range. Thus, the fusion reaction of a hydrogen atomic nucleus with another hydrogen could occur.
This probability would increase as the energy of the particle increased. By comparing it with the energy distribution of a collection of particles, one could also calculate the energy range in which the nuclear fusion reaction was most likely to occur.
Hiratsuka had to be patient with Hachiman's complaints. After all, she knew that theory was always easier said than done. As a mentor, her job was not only to give her student ideas but also to help him when he was stuck.
"When you activate the Cursed Technique Reversal, you enter into a state of superposition, don't you? That is the state of the quantum world, where your body is in two states at the same time."
Hachiman listened to his teacher's explanation carefully. Sometimes his eyes would scan the football field through the window he leaned against. And when he saw some cursed spirits, he would take a small marble from his pocket, which he had imbued with the cursed energy, and then he shot at the creature.
"When you're in a superposition, that means you're in the same state as the particles and atomic nuclei, right? Since you're in the same state as them, you should be able to sense the presence of the particles, right? At this rate, you should be able to find the probability of quantum tunnelling even if you don't perform a series of experiments like scientists do."
Hachiman pondered carefully and entered the words in his brain.
When he activated his technique reversal and was in a superposition state, Hachiman felt that all of his senses had become sharper. He couldn't see it clearly, but he could see the energy mist surrounding the entire place around him. More importantly, new information flowed into his brain, but it was abstract information he couldn't put into words.
"Hikigaya, our brain structure are different than normal humans. When our cursed technique awakens, our brain will mutate to be able to use the cursed technique properly. The stronger our cursed technique, the more changes to our brains will need to be made to compensate."
Hachiman remained silent because he knew his teacher still had unfinished words.
"Among the various derivatives of using positive energy, Cursed Energy Reversal is a rare and unique evolution. It shows that your technique has progressed to a very high level, and opens up new possibilities that you might never have imagined."
"I know. However, this ability that you want me to master, feels like something only Gojou-sensei can do."
"Hahahahaha!" Hiratsuka laughed loudly from the other side of the phone, hurting Hachiman's ears because the earphones were firmly attached.
"You know, this was actually an old idea I had when I witnessed Gojou-san's eye abilities first time. However, he was reluctant to do so because he felt he did not need this ability," continued Hiratsuka.
"That's understandable, though. You don't need it if you have very high efficiency like him, whose energy consumption alone is close to zero."
"Yeah, he's an incredible genius bastard, after all," said Hiratsuka.
Before Hachiman was about to retaliate, Hiratsuka preceded him.
"The point is, until I see the evidence that this ability really can't be realised with my own eyes, I don't accept any excuses. Trust in your own talent, Hikigaya, and trust me as your mentor as well."
Hiratsuka was silent for about three seconds before finally continuing.
"Humans have about 9 to 10% hydrogen of their total body weight. And if this technique, imitating the hydrogen fusion reaction in your body is successful, you will totally become the next big shot after Okkotsu Yuta."
Hachiman sighed and gave up on arguing with Hiratsuka. What she said was true. For him to be worthy of the title of special grade, he needed more than the Reverse Cursed Technique and Domain Expansion. So, if he wanted to be in a league where no one would dare bother his family, he had to do something even crazier than he could do now.
"I understand."
Hiratsuka nodded and smiled sincerely at her student's resolution. Unfortunately, Hachiman couldn't see how proud she was now of having a student like him.
"By the way, is there something you want to tell me?" asked Hiratsuka.
His mind flashed back to the figure of the woman he had spent two days with. He thought again about telling Haruno's current condition. However, he again pushed the thought aside.
"Nah. Nothing special except for Komachi who won the 10,000 Yen shopping voucher raffle yesterday."
"Glad to hear then. I leave the school to you and Isshiki, okay? See you later."
Without waiting for a reply, Hiratsuka ended the call. Hachiman just sighed, witnessing the uniqueness of his teacher.
However, his thoughts now turned back to Haruno. Usually, he didn't want to help people who were not ready to be helped. Based on her recklessness, Hachiman thought of Haruno as someone who wasn't ready to be helped. In other words, there was no reason for him to get involved with her further.
However, every human being had exceptions, likewise with Hachiman. A strange urge inside him—which he didn't like and tried to deny—forced him to confirm Haruno's condition on D-day.
He knew the abandoned tunnel in Narita Haruno was referring to, because the story had been famous among Chiba netizens a few months ago. However, when he and Hiratsuka checked, there was nothing significant there. In fact, they even checked it twice at different times.
Because of that, Hachiman decided to go. And, of course, Haruno agreed because she thought she might get something new if Hachiman was with her. However, if something happened later, Hachiman couldn't take immediate action because Haruno and her friends were there. Therefore, he needed someone who had speed, accuracy and was also good at hiding to help him.
Hachiman knew who was the right person for the role. Now he moved his thumb vertically on the phone to find the person's LINE, so he could contact her immediately. After finding it, he tapped on contact information and called her via LINE.
The ringing sound continuously rang through the earphones. However, until the last ring, there was no answer from the person he had called.
"This damn gorilla, she must be busy building up those stupid muscles in the gym right now," Hachiman cursed.
Knowing that calling her again would be a waste of time, Hachiman decided to just send her a voicemail instead.
He tapped and held the microphone icon and brought the smartphone to his mouth.
"First, don't get me wrong. It's not because I need your help, I'm having a hard time, or anything, okay? However, if you're bored and free on Wednesday, you can come with me."
Hachiman took a deep breath and let it out before finally continuing again.
"So, if you're interested or something, you can reply to this later, Maki."
After he finished saying what he wanted, Hachiman let go of the microphone icon he had been holding on to. The voicemail was sent, and now he just had to wait for Maki to check it.
Just as he was about to turn around to go to his clubroom, he again saw a small cursed spirit, only the size of a human arm, flying across the school grounds.
Hachiman took a small marble from his trouser pocket. With great accuracy, he flicked a marble at the cursed spirit until it poked a hole in its head. It was a weak cursed spirit, probably only at the third-grade level or below.
Cleaning Sobu High from cursed spirits was one of his routines. Originally, this was an activity that Hiratsuka had been doing for years alone. The reason why Sobu High has produced many outstanding students in recent years was also because of Hiratsuka's involvement. Therefore, a conducive learning atmosphere could be achieved without cursed spirits in the school environment.
After confirming that no other cursed spirits existed, Hachiman decided to leave. Unfortunately, something bothered him again. However, this time it wasn't a cursed spirit but a girl who lightly hit Hachiman's back with her bag.
"Hikki, didn't expect to meet you here. I thought you had gone to the club," the girl said in a shrill voice.
"I got a call from an acquaintance. So, I can't go straight to the clubroom," Hachiman replied dryly, "What about you, Yuigahama?"
"I just got off the football field on some business."
"Ooh."
Yui grumbled at Hachiman's short and unintentional reply. The girl still couldn't understand how there was someone who was as passive as Hachiman but not nervous at all when talking to her.
Yui didn't want to get a big head. However, she had a lot of experience with reclusive people like Hachiman. From all her experiences, they were always nervous when talking to Yui or other popular girls. She thought that was natural because those who lived in such a closed environment were not used to interacting with someone.
However, Hachiman was different. He hardly interacted with other students, but he didn't look intimidated even when talking to Miura. Although he often said silly words, it was not uncommon for Hachiman to show cool actions when they completed their requests.
"So, want to go to the clubroom together?" asked Yui, to which Hachiman nodded.
—OoOoO—
Miura Yumiko, along with Ebina Hina, had just exited the special building of Sobu High. The two girls were at the edge of the football field and walking toward the school's side gate. However, the blonde girl seemed to feel a living thing flying above their head.
Miura reflexively walked while raising her head. However, there wasn't anything out of the ordinary that she could see.
'Maybe it's just my feelings.'
The girl did not bother and looked ahead. However, once again, she felt something flash a few meters above her head. Unlike the previous one, she didn't feel it was a living creature that flew. The one just now was more like a projectile thrown, or perhaps fired, from the school building.
Miura turned around and looked at the building. There were a lot of open windows. Most were windows from the club room, but a few were from the corridor windows near the stairs.
Of course, many people would be leaning against the windows, so it would be impossible for her to find out who "threw" something just now. In fact, almost all of them were faces she wasn't familiar with at all.
If there was a familiar face, only Yui was seen talking to her classmate, Hachiman. Apart from those two, she knew nothing.
"Anything wrong, Yumiko?" asked Ebina Hina, who was already two steps ahead of her.
Miura shook her head slowly and replied, "Nothing. Lately, I just often feel like I'm being watched."
"Eh? Isn't that dangerous? Didn't you go to the police or something?"
"Nah. I thought it was just my feelings. I just often feel watched when I'm in the room alone. I mean, there can't be a stalker in my room, right?"
Ebina smiled enthusiastically.
"Could it be a ghost?"
Miura sighed, seeing the antique reaction of her friend.
"Do ghosts really exist in the first place?"
Ebina laughed softly. she was constantly trying to tease and scare her blonde friend. The interaction between the two attracted the attention of other students around them. Because basically, Miura Yumiko was one of the belles of the school.
—OoOoO—
"Yahallo!"
The greeting that made the ears want to bleed was heard. Yukinoshita Yukino, the only person in the room, raised her head and pointed it toward the only door. She found two people entering the room, one cheerful girl who gave the stupid greeting, followed by the dishevelled-faced boy.
'If I keep hearing that stupid word, I'm afraid it will attack my mental health,' Hachiman grumbled in his mind.
The two teenagers who had just entered the room went to their respective seats. And when they were about to sit down, Yui suddenly shouted.
"Ah, I forgot to return Yumiko's power bank."
Her words caught the attention of her clubmates. However, neither Hachiman nor Yukino wanted to respond. Hachiman probably thought it was unimportant and had nothing to do with him. Whereas Yukino didn't know how she should react to her friend.
Yui immediately put her bag on the table and opened it. It didn't take long for her to find what she was looking for.
"Yukinon, Hikki, I'll catch up with Yumiko and Hina for a bit. I hope they're still not too far from school."
Without waiting for a reply, the girl dashed toward the door and disappeared.
Hachiman didn't care. Such trifles were none of his business and would not affect anything in his life. Instead, he took a book from the bag he had placed beside the table and read it. According to him, reading a novel or any book was far more meaningful than dealing with Yui's behaviour, even if what he read was a generic isekai novel.
"Cough!"
His composure was slightly disturbed when he heard the ice princess deliberately coughing. However, he paid no heed to that.
"Cough! Cough!"
Once again, his concentration was slightly disturbed when Yukino deliberately let out that strange-sounding cough. However, Hachiman still tried to ignore it.
"Cough! Cough! Cough!"
Hachiman closed his book and sighed with his eyes closed. Yukino's strange behaviour finally gave him up, and the black-haired girl got his attention.
"If there's something wrong with your throat, get out of here, you crazy woman. Do you want to spread your virus or something?"
The sarcasm thrown at her face made Yukino want to retaliate twice as much. However, the girl strongly resisted her urge to verbally wage war against the rotten-eyed teenager. If it weren't for the curiosity that arose after she accidentally saw her older sister's selfie with him, Yukino probably wouldn't have held back for now.
"Yesterday, what were you doing and where were you?"
Hachiman's eyebrows rose at the sudden questioning of Yukinoshita.
"What's this? What stupid game is this again?"
"Just answer my question," Yukino replied sharply.
Hachiman had an uneasy feeling. He was not a stupid boy, and he knew what Yukino meant. There was a possibility that Yukino knew about his date with her sister. However, Hachiman's question now was, how could that girl know?
'Haruno-san couldn't possibly tell her, right?'
Hachiman immediately dismissed the prejudice. Even though they had only met at least four times, Hachiman couldn't imagine Haruno telling her. Although he hated to admit it, Hachiman couldn't deny that he and Haruno had some things in common.
That's why He was not telling Komachi anything about his date with Haruno. Hachiman was also pretty sure Haruno didn't tell Yukino anything.
"I did a lot of things, like slept and played games, and sometimes watched poor corporate slaves about going to the hell in the Sunday. And yesterday I was in Chiba Prefecture. If you don't know where it is, it's in the Kanto region, next to Tokyo, the country of Japan, and—."
"Stop the bullshit, shall we?" Yukino interrupted quickly, "I accidentally saw your selfie yesterday with nee-san. So, don't think I don't know."
Hachiman didn't expect Haruno to lower her guard so someone else could peek at her from behind. However, for some reason, he was not surprised when Haruno's guard dropped on several occasions.
"I thought you weren't interested in nee-san, that's why you don't want me to give her your contact number."
"Well, it's not what you think. I only have an appointment with Haruno-san, that's all. Besides, we don't even exchange LINE or emails."
Hachiman really didn't want to exchange contact information with Haruno. They made promises using the conventional method, which was only verbal promises. The time and place had been agreed upon, and they had to meet at that place and time. The same goes for this Wednesday. They had promised to meet at the mouth of the abandoned tunnel in Narita City on Wednesday at five o'clock.
Promises that were only based on word of mouth and without any other media that could be used to follow up on the situation were prone to one party breaking the promise. However, Hachiman didn't mind if it turned out that Haruno broke their promise. Because at least he didn't have to deal with her.
Whereas the way Hachiman sent yesterday's photos to Haruno was relatively easy. He uploaded all her pictures into google drive, wrote the drive link on the paper manually, and then handed it to Haruno. He didn't care if Haruno found it troublesome or something. He had already given Haruno access to the photos, and he assumed that his responsibilities were over at that moment.
Yukino sighed while massaging her head, which wasn't dizzy. She knew that there were still things her interlocutor was hiding. However, that was not her place to force him to continue speaking.
"Look, I don't mean to interfere in your personal affairs or to speak ill of my sister," Yukino said calmly, "It's just, onee-san is a difficult woman to deal with. You might have noticed that onee-san gets bored easily. So, I suggest that you rethink your relationship with onee-san."
"I told you, didn't I, that my relationship with Haruno-san isn't like that?"
"You might say that, but your pathetic criminal-like appearance seems as you will misunderstand if a beautiful woman approaches you."
"What do you mean? Do you think I'm an unstable middle schooler?"
Hachiman didn't blame her. In fact, Yukino's words reminded him of his middle school days, when there was a girl who was nice to him, and he thought she liked him. The only thing that embarrassed him was when Gojou discovered it and teased Hachiman a lot.
It was both a valuable and embarrassing experience for Hachiman because, until recently, it was still used by Gojou to make fun of him.
Yukino sighed at Hachiman's stupid reaction.
"I told you I was just suggesting that you should rethink your relationship with nee-san."
"And as I said, Haruno-san and I don't have that kind of relationship," replied Hachiman, who was irritated with Yukino's insolence.
However, the girl did not swallow Hachiman's words. she had been living with her older sister since birth. And, of course, she knew what her sister was like. Seeing Haruno smiling sincerely as she looked at the photo of the two of them, Yukino couldn't believe there wasn't anything between them.
On the other hand, Hachiman, who didn't know the background of Yukino's stubbornness, started to think weird things.
'Wait, don't tell me she's jealous?'
Yukino gave him a cold gaze as if she could read his mind.
'Right. There's no way this damn bastard is jealous of me.'
Hachiman let out a long sigh. He didn't know anymore what he should do to clear up this misunderstanding. He really didn't mind other people labelling him like anything. However, he didn't like it if there was a misunderstanding about his romantic relationship with someone else.
"Listen. I don't care if you believe it or not. To be sure, I have absolutely nothing to do with her. I do have one more business with her, but that will end on Wednesday."
Hachiman recalled his promise to come with Haruno and her friends to the abandoned tunnel in Narita City. And that reminded him to check his smartphone to see if Maki would help him or not.
With a single breath, Hachiman resumed his words.
"After all my business is done, I won't be seeing Haruno-san again. It would even be better if Haruno-san disappeared from my life and never had anything to do with me again."
That may sound very rude and impudent. However, Hachiman could not help. He no longer wanted to escape the urge to continue to be involved with Haruno's life. However, it was something he could not materialise.
He was a sorcerer, and Haruno was an ordinary human. They both live in very different worlds. He could indeed live in the same world as Haruno. However, a normal human like Haruno had very little chance of surviving sanely in the jujutsu society.
That's why Hachiman needed to draw a clear line to delimit him from that woman. In the end, on top of his desire to be involved with Haruno came the desire not to let her fall into this rotten jujutsu society.
—To Be Continued—
Author Note: I won't have much to say here. If you noticed, yesterday's chapter had the title "A curse that lies in her words," it refers to the bet that Haruno made on Hachiman. Meanwhile, this chapter is titled "A curse that lies in his words", referring to Hachiman's words, who hoped that Haruno would disappear from his life after Wednesday tomorrow.
Then, I hope my explanation about Quantum Tunnelling doesn't confuse you. I tried to summarise my subjects in the 5th semester as best I could, so I could include them in this chapter. I want to point out that Hachiman is still practising even though I don't show it directly.
The last one is Miura. With this, I declare that Miura is the next character after Haruno, who will be directly involved with the jujutsu society. But don't worry, I'll make Miura's approach different from Haruno's.
So, what do you think about this chapter? And thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed. Please leave your review for this chapter because your review is my encouragement. See you in the next chapter and stay safe.