Noroi's POV:
"Thank you for the food, Akari-san," I say while washing the dishes, my height reaching 4'3".
She smiles while sipping her tea at the kitchen table. "Noroi-kun, I'm going to head out in two hours to find you a teacher. Would you like to come with me?" she says gently.
I look at her while finishing the last plate. "I'd rather not, Akari-san. I want to rest for today," I say, thinking about trying to feel the blue energy again in the evening.
She sighs worriedly. "Okay, Noroi-kun," she says, a little deflated.
I feel a slight ache in my heart because of her tone, but I decide to ignore it.
2 Hours Later
Gojo's POV:
As we arrive, I groan in displeasure. "I was sooo bored, and the seats were shit," I say with annoyance as I look at Suguru.
"Satoru, stop complaining and stay alert. A special-grade curse is in this town and could appear at any moment," Geto says seriously.
"Haaah?!" I look at him. "I don't see any special-grade cursed ener—" I stop mid-sentence as I sense a spike of cursed energy, my Six Eyes catching a glimpse of the pillar of cursed energy in the center of the town.
"Satoru, did you see that?" Geto says with a serious and surprised expression.
"Yeah…" I say, seriousness entering my voice for the first time that day.
"Let's go, Satoru," Geto says as he starts running toward the center of town.
I stay silent as I follow him. Maybe he didn't catch on, but my Six Eyes can sense the subtle properties of cursed energy. That's the biggest amount of cursed energy I've ever seen in my life. But it doesn't have the properties of a cursed spirit's energy.
"Maybe it's just a curse user. A really strong one," I think with a frown on my face.
As we approach the source of the cursed energy, we see a wooden house bathed in it.
"Maybe it's a curse user," I say to Geto cautiously.
He frowns. "Let's see," he says as he approaches to knock on the door.
10 Minutes Ago
Noroi's POV:
After Akari left the house, I sat in the little yard, one of my arms supporting me while I rested on the ground and the other three hanging loosely.
"Let's see…" I mumble quietly. "That energy enhanced my physique, but I sense there's something more to it." Closing my eyes, I sink deep into thought. "And when I stopped feeling the negativity of my emotions, the energy stopped," I think as I focus on all my negative thoughts.
My cursed energy manifests as a great pillar of blue energy. I open my eyes, trying to maintain it without losing focus.
Suddenly, a knock on the door breaks my concentration, and the cursed energy dissipates.
"Tch," I let out a small sound of annoyance as I walk toward the door, irritated by the interruption.
When I open it, I see two strange teenagers in unfamiliar uniforms. One has white hair and black-tinted glasses; the other has long black hair tied in a bun.
"Who are you two, and what do you want?" I ask cautiously, frowning.
When they see me, their eyes widen in surprise, their mouths opening in awe.
After a moment of them staring at me, I say, annoyed, "What are you two looking at?!" my voice filled with irritation.
They snap out of their stupor, and the white-haired teenager starts talking.
"Ehhhh?! They dispatched us to deal with a little kid?" he says, annoyed.
"Four arms… two faces… a mouth in the abdomen…" the black-haired teen mutters in wonder, ignoring the other guy's complaints.
"I'm going to call the old man to see if this is a joke," the white-haired guy says irritably.
"Oi! Don't talk like I'm not here!" I shout, annoyed by his comments.
"Hahh?! Brat, we traveled two hours for a high-danger mission only to find a brat with extra limbs," the jerk says.
"Huh?! Who are you calling a brat, you blind jerk?!" I shout back.
"Hey, kid, who do you think you're calling blind jerk? I am not blind!" he exclaims, pointing a finger at me.
As I prepare to shout again, the black-haired guy speaks in a panicked voice.
"Satoru, call Yaga right now!" he says urgently.
"Huh? What are you so panicked about, Suguru?" the jerk asks in confusion.
"Just obey, Satoru!" he snaps.
"Okay, okay, geez," the bum responds as he calls someone on his phone.
The nervous guy snatches the phone from his friend's hands and puts the call on speaker.
"Satoru, did something go wrong with the mission?" a voice asks worriedly from the phone.
"Yaga-sensei, this is Suguru. Could you please describe the man you told us about—the one called Sukuna?" he asks hurriedly.
"Huh? Why would you want to know that now, Suguru?" Yaga asks in confusion.
"Please just answer the question," he insists nervously.
"Hm… Sukuna was a cursed user with four arms and two faces. He lived during the Heian era, about one thousand years ago—the golden age of sorcerers. He was challenged by thousands of sorcerers but was never defeated. Why are you asking this now, Suguru?"
The guy holding the phone freezes as his gaze falls on me.
Then the white-haired bum starts staring at me with an astonished expression.
"Suguru?" Yaga's voice echoes from the phone.
"Yes, Yaga-sensei. The cursed spirit report was wrong. We encountered a child with the same features as the Sukuna you described."
A heavy silence falls at the entrance of Akari's house as the two teenagers stare at me in shock.
"Sukuna's features… there was a man with the same body as me?" I think while staring at them.
After a moment, Yaga's voice comes through the phone again.
"What did you just say?" he asks in disbelief.
"A child with Sukuna's features," Suguru repeats.
"If that's true, try to convince him to come to Jujutsu High," Yaga says seriously. "I'll notify the higher-ups. He has to come, by all means."
When I hear that, my face darkens.
"By all means…" I repeat in my thoughts.
"Yes, Yaga-sensei," Suguru answers before hanging up.
The white-haired bum recovers from his shock and points at me. "You heard him, kid. Now come with us."
"Haah?! Why?" I snap back.
"Kid, we only want to talk with you about something. Please come with us," the dark-haired guy says gently.
"No way. If I leave suddenly without telling Akari-san, she'll be worried. And who are you? Why should I follow you two?" I ask.
"C'mon, kid, don't make this harder for us," the white-haired bum demands.
"Satoru, be a little more considerate about the kid's emotions," the bun-haired guy says disapprovingly.
"Yeah, whatever," he replies dismissively.
"How about you tell your mother you're leaving, and after that, you come with us?" the bun-haired guy suggests softly.
I sigh after thinking for a while and let them pass inside. "Akari-san is not my mother, but if I don't tell her, she'll be worried."
"It's okay. When we explain it to her, she'll agree to let you come with us," he says confidently.
"Okay," I say as I sit on the couch and gesture for them to sit.
Just as they're about to sit down, the sound of the door opening reaches our ears.
"I'm home," Akari says softly.
I immediately stand up to help her.
"Akari-san, welcome home. How did it go?" I ask as I guide her to the living room.
The two teenagers look at Akari, slightly surprised by her blindness.
"I couldn't find a teacher for you, Noroi-kun," she says with a disappointed sigh. "For some reason, people have been avoiding this old lady."
My heart aches at her tone.
"Akari-san, there are two teenagers here for me," I explain. "They're sitting in front of us. But I don't know if I can trust them, so I'll rely on your judgment."
The old woman looks surprised. "Young men, what do you want Noroi-kun for?" she asks suspiciously.
"We've come to conduct medical research on Noroi. We suspect he suffers from an illness that his father had," the bun-haired guy says gently.
Akari gasps. "Is this true, young man?"
"Yes, ma'am," he replies seriously. "So we need to take him to our hospital for further examination."
I know he's lying and want to tell Akari, but my curiosity about someone with the same body as me keeps me silent.
"Oh my God… If that's the case…" she says sadly. "He should accompany you."
"Thank you for your cooperation, ma'am," he says softly.
I gently hold her hand. "Akari-san, don't worry. I'll be back in no time."
She giggles softly. "Of course, Noroi-kun."
We walk toward the door, and I say my goodbyes.
"I'll come back, Akari-san. Don't worry."
"Goodbye, Noroi-kun," she replies sadly.
As we approach the train station, I ask, "Now tell me the real reason you're taking me."
"When we arrive, we'll explain everything. Don't annoy me," the white-haired bum says arrogantly.
"Idiot," I mutter under my breath.
He grunts in annoyance and keeps walking.
"C'mon, Satoru, don't let a kid get on your nerves," the bun-haired guy laughs.
When we reach the station, I stare at the train in awe.
"Whoa… I didn't think it was this big when Akari-san explained it to me."
"Have you never seen a train before?" he asks softly.
"No," I reply, not looking away.
"Quit yapping and let's go," the white-haired jerk says.
"Fool," I mutter again.
He lets out another annoyed grunt.
As we board and sit down, I ask, "So where are we going?"
"To Tokyo. To Jujutsu High," he answers with a smile.
"To the city?" I ask excitedly.
"Yes, the city. Have you been there before?"
"No. I've only heard about the big screens and black roads full of cars."
He laughs softly. "That's right."
"Hey, shut up. I'm trying to sleep," the white-haired bum says, now wearing a sleep mask.
"Bum," I mutter again.
He groans loudly but ignores me.
As the train starts moving, I stumble slightly from the sudden acceleration. After regaining my balance, I look out the window, amazed by the beautiful scenery rushing past.
"Beautiful…"