– Who is Sukuna? –
– From Mayu Ryomen's point of view –
"Mayu," Shoko began intensely, inhaling tensely, "... Do you know who... Sukuna is?"
A question.
And that single question threw the two of them off, as I immediately noticed. Both Satoru's and Shoko's attention turned to me. Calm, but silently simmering. As if it had been forbidden to speak that name. And me?
I looked down at my right hand, the one I had used earlier to pick up that finger from the cursed spirit. The one that still had the white bandage from my IV stuck to it.
A special grade cursed object?! No wonder the two next to me had just made acquaintance with Medusa.
"Sukuna?", I repeated darkly.
Shoko flinched almost imperceptibly, inhaled weakly, and nodded. Satoru, who still sat next to me, one leg bent on the bed and resting his arm on it, looked at me as if I had something to do with this 'Sukuna'. He studied me closely. He tried to read another chapter out of me.
Was that maybe... creepy?
"Isn't that the Sukuna? I mean, you don't seriously mean?! …", I began to panic slightly.
"Yes, exactly him!", Shoko replied, partially upset, leaning forward on her stool and folding her hands in front of her face.
Well, this was starting to make me uncomfortable. As if I had committed a crime and was now being interrogated.
If only I knew…
"Seriously, Shoko and Satoru," I looked back and forth between the two, "should I know this guy?! Like, Sukuna?!" and emphasized his name with air quotes.
They froze before their expressions immediately fell. They dropped three floors – about to the level of 'excuse me, what?!'
Uh oh! Did I say something wrong?!
"You don't know him?!", Satoru snapped at me louder than he intended and slammed his hand on the bed between us.
I flinched at first but had to suppress a laugh real hard – but that look of horror suited him surprisingly well.
"N-no," I stammered, "why should I know him?! You're acting like I had a thing with him or like he's some kind of king. King of curses or something."
"He is the King of Curses, Mayu," Shoko finally let me in on their secret.
"Oh," I was honestly surprised, pressed my lips together, and asked, crumpled, "seriously?"
"Seriously!" they both replied at the same time.
Oops! Who even allowed someone to place a deep fryer in front of me? No – under my feet? I furrowed my brow. This was more than strange.
"And you're afraid of him?!"
I scanned between the two again, examining.
"Please. I've seen worse," Satoru dismissed immediately, both dramatically and decisively, folding his arms across his chest.
Of course not. I should've known Satoru Gojo wasn't afraid of this Sukuna – King of Curses. But why did he seem even more tense than Shoko? He sat completely stiff next to me, and I could've sworn if I touched him now, he'd leap up like a startled cat.
Was I missing something? Did I know too little? Special grade cursed object… or had I–
…!
"Oh shit!" I suddenly realized, shocked, "I brought this Curse King to the academy?!"
I slapped my hand to my chest in guilt – at lightning speed. I didn't mean to! But both of them began to laugh out loud, albeit hesitantly.
That should've been my cue to take my feet out of the greasy deep fryer, right?
"Well, Mayu...," Satoru said amused, "others bring snacks. You bring weapons of mass destruction. But hey, at least now we've got six of his fingers."
"Gee, thanks," I muttered and leaned back against the wall.
"Besides, it's only his fingers," Shoko added, visibly relieved, "this monster must never be reincarnated!"
The shift in mood immediately settled heavily between us. I realized this was a tremendous danger. I certainly couldn't downplay it with irony or anything like that.
"How could someone reincarnate him?" I asked deliberately cautiously.
Which definitely wasn't the wrong move. Their expressions screamed: 'and if you even think about it, young lady!'
"By swallowing one of those fingers," Satoru growled threateningly and slowly leaned towards me, "if you ever even think about bringing that finger near your mouth, Mayu… then you're no longer my problem. Then you're my damn emergency."
Stunned, I focused on the flashing ice blue in his eyes.
"I don't even know if I should puke first or seriously wonder who came up with such a disgusting idea…"
"Believe me – enough people, just to get access to the most devastating cursed energy there is."
Ugh – the very thought was massively repulsive.
"The problem is," Shoko continued, "many can't handle that insane power. They're not suitable as Sukuna's vessel and will die a wretched death from a kind of cursed energy overdose. In mere minutes."
I got goosebumps. I shivered all over.
Were there really people that insane who wanted that ultimate thrill?! Sure, they were probably ignorant and naively believed they could benefit from the strongest cursed energy, but... for that price?
That was absolutely insane.
"So we've got six fingers here now?!" I thought aloud, "then four are missing?"
"Ten," Satoru corrected.
"What now? Fourteen?" I frowned as he nodded, "including his toes?"
"No. Fingers. Sukuna had four arms."
"What?! Who or what was he trying to please at the same time, please?!" I exclaimed.
No, I couldn't tame my irony – blame my vivid imagination.
Shoko immediately buried her face in her hands, her shoulders betraying her with laughter. Satoru, on the other hand, massaged his temples intensely, suppressing any sound of laughter.
"Okay, okay," I raised my hands in surrender, "sorry, but what kind of weirdo is this? Four arms, King of Curses… Did he have anything else special?"
"Two faces," Satoru said, eyes on the ground.
"… He's just getting creepier and creepier… And you just said it's better he doesn't get reincarnated. When did he live?"
"Around a thousand years ago," Satoru mentioned, "and he wiped out almost all jujutsu sorcerers and wasn't called the King of Curses for nothing. No one could stand against him. No one had been able to defeat him. His cursed energy is on a level that might match my own."
"So," I began to conclude with disgust, "this finger is about a thousand years old? Belongs to the King of Curses, who wiped out all sorcerers back then and now just wanders the world as a cursed object finger and could be reincarnated at any time?!"
"Exactly," Shoko confirmed, crossing her arms over her chest.
Now at least I could understand why they were so tense. Just the thought of what it must have been like back then sent a shiver down my spine. And getting acquainted with him? No, thank you. I could do without that. I could tell that Satoru, as always, was fearless and probably even superior to him despite the title, but still, I wasn't entirely comfortable.
And that wasn't just because of the immense, underlying atmosphere of fear that hung over us like a heavy blanket.
There was still something left unsaid. They were hiding something! Especially Satoru. We were talking about the strongest jujutsu sorcerer, sitting next to me on a high-voltage power line.
"Then let's hope no one wants to reincarnate Sukuna," I mused.
Defeated. I didn't feel like I could coax anything more out of them with further questions. Even if I wanted to—but something inside me screamed to just let it be.
I sat up to stretch and yawned in the process.
My strength had already been lying in my warm bed, fast asleep. And that's exactly where I wanted to go now. After this dreadful encounter with that cursed spirit—my own The Grudge cursed spirit—my self-staged emergency, and not to forget the ridiculously short night, which had drained a lot of my energy.
I placed my hand on Satoru's blood-smeared jacket lying next to me.
"I'll go wash this and then get back to bed. Catch up on some sleep. After our shared night. My mission and the emergency…"
Smiling faintly, I looked at Satoru. Just in time to catch him quickly pulling his blindfold back up from around his neck.
Did he just look at me in shock?! Or did I imagine that?!
But it wasn't my imagination. Satoru would've rather put on his dirty jacket and hidden his face in the collar. And Shoko? If her mouth hadn't been attached, it would have dropped to the floor. Loudly and with a crash.
"…? What's with you guys?!", I asked, perplexed, before it hit me, "...Oh! Ooooh!!"
I really hadn't thought that through.
Shared night.
I could practically hear Shoko's thoughts slamming into her forehead: 'You didn't?!', 'You were in bed together?!', 'Satoru and Mayu?!', 'Sex?!'
My fryer savior must still be stuck in traffic. How stupid…
I noticed my cheeks must've taken on a faint pink hue.
"Our shared night, huh? Tell me, Mayu – do you mean the version where I kept you awake… or the one where you begged to be allowed to sleep?"
What?!
I froze mid-movement. Gave him a horrified look! What the hell was wrong with him? We just had dinner?!
…!
That sushi bastard! Was he messing with me just because I mentioned a "shared night"? He really made everything easy for himself!
"Neither!", I began, deeply outraged, feeling the fiery blush creep over me, "We just–" he immediately cut me off.
"Just spent a night together. You're already looking warm. Cherry red suits you! If you want, we can pick up tonight where we left off yesterday!"
I became instantly more horrified.
Cherry red?! Kept awake? Begged for sleep?! Pick up?!
"You…" I was so stunned, I couldn't say anything.
And Shoko? With every word we falsely threw at each other here, she would have fallen off her chair from laughter and embarrassment.
"Say nothing, Mayu. I know, it was amazing – I rarely disappoint."
I pressed my hand over his mouth.
"Come on! Don't exaggerate! We just had dinner!", I laughed, nervous and speechless.
He took my wrist and placed it on his thigh.
"Sure, my cherry. Then why so red?"
Hey–
"That was my imagination!"
"Imagination, huh?", he chuckled, and I shook my head in shame.
2 to 1 for Satoru, to whom I'd just handed the crème de la crème on a silver platter. With my truth. Idiot!
"Was it at my place or yours? Or totally shameless in the bathroom?", he nudged my next thought train.
Sighing, I placed my head in my free hand and closed my eyes. This combination of fatigue, exhaustion, and Satoru was an ill-fitting bundle.
Speaking of the bathroom!
Hopefully! HOPEFULLY(!) he shuts up now!
That alone was already too much for my heart, but if he now brings up the scene from our shared bath, I'll shoot myself!
Shoko clutched her belly from laughing so hard and rejoined the conversation, catching her breath, "J-just dinner, huh~? I really don't know who to believe more. You or Satoru."
But we were instantly in agreement again.
We both pointed to ourselves at the same time.
"I'm serious! We just had dinner. In Ginza! Sushi! And talked about a lot of things, but nothing more! Satoru is telling a fairy tale!"
"Who just mentioned our shared night?!", he gloated triumphantly.
"Yes, me! But only because we didn't get home until the middle of the night!"
I glared at him. Horrified. Determined. Maybe also angry – after all, he'd managed to make Shoko unsure about what really happened.
Couldn't be better… For a first impression. With my future boss.
They were in on it. A well-oiled team. Allies.
Carefully, I slid my finger under the blindfold at his temple and pulled it back down around his neck.
His gaze rested on me. Sharp and grinning. Certain that he'd won this misunderstanding for himself.
That was a lesson to me!
"We just had dinner!", I grumbled, "and now I'm going to wash your jacket and disappear into my bed! If you don't tell Shoko the truth, you should be grateful I don't have cursed energy!"
His grin widened. So wide, it would've hurt if I were him.
That rascal! He's got something coming!
I got up from my seat, took the jacket in my hand—and was immediately stopped. By Satoru, who held onto the dark purple fabric.
"Let it go, I'll do it."
"N-no," I stammered and had no intention of letting go, "it's my blood, so I'll clean it. No, no objections! I won't tolerate them from you anyway. You storyteller!"
"Stubborn," he snorted, before we both started laughing.
"So are you."
He let go of the garment. He wouldn't have had another choice anyway.
"You're both stubborn," Shoko remarked. "No wonder you get along so well."
I rolled my eyes, but inwardly I felt that this little comment triggered something warm in me.
I opened the door, pushed it open with my hip, and turned back to the two of them – with raised finger.
"Just dinner!" I gave them both a pointed look in turn. "We only went out for dinner! Make that clear, Satoru! And Shoko – believe me! Your soon-to-be assistant! Not him!"
We all burst out laughing then, and I left the two of them alone in the examination room.
Once I arrived at the nearby laundry room, I placed the soiled garment into the large sink and let cold water run over it. Warm or hot water was always a disaster when it came to blood. It caused the protein in the blood to coagulate, which would have led to the large stain never coming out. Especially from clothes.
Dried bloodstains came out even better if you added salt to the cold water bath. It wasn't something I needed often, but for moments like this, I had stored salt in the hanging cabinet above the sink.
In the meantime, I checked the laundry baskets for other clothes I could stuff into the washing machine as well – a habit I had developed over the years when I used to live alone.
And indeed, I had a few more garments lying around, which I threw into the drum.
After a few minutes, I returned to the sink and carefully wrung out the jacket a few times. Always mindful not to rub the stained spots, as that would've only worked the blood in further instead of removing it.
Once hardly any red water came out of the jacket, I added it to the other clothes in the machine, turned it on, and left the laundry room to do its work.
Without a stopover, I headed straight to my sanctuary.
Quickly peeled myself out of my own soiled uniform, which I could've washed as well, but that would've meant I'd have to sneak through the halls as a naked ninja again. And I was in no mood for that right now.
I draped the uniform over the back of a chair, crawled into bed, and pulled on my sleep shirt.
Finally! Peace. Silence. And no more noise!
Just me and these miserable beasts called thoughts and memories, rushing toward me now.
I turned onto my side, looking out through the large window front to the garden. At the colorful patch of flowers and lawn. In the middle, a bench inviting for relaxation. Surrounded by numerous cherry trees that provided enough shade, but still allowed strong yellow sunbeams to shine through.
Randomly, I picked a point and started staring holes into it.
How was this day supposed to go anyway?!
I sighed deeply and tiredly.
Who could've guessed that today would spiral so badly out of control?
I had just barely escaped death. By a hair's breadth.
The very first time in my life – and honestly? It was unspeakably creepy and terrifying.
I had been as good as dead and somehow still made it at the very last moment.
I shivered. Hard and long.
The ironic part was that I used to love emergencies. Totally insane, but I loved the thrill. Staying perfectly calm in the midst of it. Keeping everything under control, giving sharp instructions, focused on saving the patient's life.
But today? Today I was the one who had needed help.
And that felt like shit. Really shitty.
Helpless.
I hadn't noticed any of it. As if I'd been fast asleep.
Dreaming? I hadn't. At least not that I could remember.
At some point, I vaguely reached the moment when it was 'time to wake up.'
I still remembered clearly how the familiar scent of disinfectant tickled my nose and triggered a flashback to my workplace in Shimoda.
Then I felt – strangely – that I was lying horizontally. That was when it clicked, and I startled awake.
In front of me: Shoko.
The same one whose immense tension visibly dropped at that instant. With the words, "Thank God – you're finally awake," she let her head and shoulders slump.
Groggily, I looked around. Sat up shakily on the examination table and shortly after got a rough explanation from Shoko about what had happened.
My vitals? Beyond good and evil – even I, in my entire professional career, had never seen such a critical emergency.
Which was probably for the best, because Shoko had also seriously told me I had almost ended up in the intensive care unit.
Barely, terrifyingly close to multiple organ failure. I had already kissed it breathlessly.
I pulled my legs closer to my body as my vision started to blur and I clutched the pillow beneath me for support.
I knew it had been close. But to now replay it all in silence – to really process it – scared me more than I liked to admit.
And there it was: the first tear, soaking into my pillow.
It could've ended for me today…
However Shoko had managed it, I would be forever grateful to that miraculous woman.
For saving my life.
Even if she'd vehemently denied it earlier – but how else had my condition stabilized?!
Where had that extreme state even come from?
Had the wound on my leg caused it?
No way!
Yes, it was damn large, hurt like hell, and was anything but shallow.
At first, I'd even suspected he'd poisoned me – but it hadn't felt like that either.
As I'd already mentioned, my fever hadn't felt typical. More like I was literally burning from the inside out. Fire, spreading everywhere.
But Shoko's guess – that it might have been my cursed energy – somehow sounded… possible?!
Still unlikely. Because I wasn't feeling any of that now.
But what else could it have been?!
I squished the blanket between my legs and turned even more onto my side.
Noticed that my eyelids were growing heavier and heavier.
Still, I glanced again at the red marks on my skin – on my arm.
More had spread across my entire torso, as I'd noticed earlier. Still warm and in varying sizes. But not painful.
What stood out was how rapidly my condition had shifted the moment I picked up the finger.
That was weird.
Now knowing it was a cursed object of the King of Curses made a cold shiver run down my spine again.
Not least because of how Shoko and Satoru had reacted.
It had to be because of Sukuna.
From that moment on, things only got worse for me.
The fact that he had appeared specifically during my first solo mission. Was that a coincidence?! Probably.
But could it have also been fate? Definitely – but why?
I had absolutely nothing to do with him.
I'd heard of this Sukuna today for the first time.
Besides, how would that have even been possible?
He hadn't been around for a thousand years.
And aside from all that – why me of all people?!
Shoko and Satoru had both been acting extremely strange. And when I say "acting," I mean it. Poker face or not, there was something in the air, something underlying that I just couldn't grasp. Something serious—and I didn't have the faintest clue what it was.
Exactly that feeling—I hated it! Not being allowed to know something. It made me curious, even though I was trying to get used to the fact that life was significantly calmer when you didn't stick your nose into everything.
Another weird detail that just occurred to me: I was the only one feeling unwell. Or was I?!
Shoko didn't have a fever. No dizziness.
Satoru hadn't had an increase in body temperature either. No decline in general condition.
And me? I had nearly died—and Sukuna's finger had been with us the whole time. In the room.
I didn't understand... Maybe because I had touched it and the other two hadn't?! Speaking of! Where was it, anyway? If Shoko had mentioned it earlier, then it must have definitely caught their attention.
Again, I exhaled with effort.
There were only two options, and one of them seemed rather unlikely.
Still in my uniform—or the two of them had already taken it wherever. Whatever the case, I certainly didn't want to come into contact with that cursed object again.
I closed my eyes, exhausted. Pulled the blanket higher over me, pushed my head deeper into the pillow, and let the topic of Sukuna rest for now. Because I had just been more than happy. Not just because I had won that damn fight to the death, but because I could finally begin working in my beloved field.
Forensic medicine!
Yes, that was a dream come true!
Even in the Jujutsu world, my heart leapt for it. It burned for it.
For days, this field had captured my eyes and my interest when I decided I wanted to work in healthcare.
Even if my career as a medical assistant had begun in general practice—paired with short stints in different specialties and later in a trauma surgery practice—I felt most at home in forensic medicine.
The place where practically no one ever ended up.
Of course, I had sent out applications for that too, "but none of them were interested in me," I yawned loudly and let myself be carried off to sleep a few breaths later.