Becoming Sukuna

"Thanks for the useless lecture, Hachiman," Yukino Yukinoshita said, her eyes carefully scanning the surroundings. "If only you could stop shaking your leg out of fear."

"I'm not scared, just nervous," Hachiman Hikigaya retorted, his voice sharp. "Aren't you shaking too?"

"I'm nervous as well."

The two fell into a brief silence. After a moment, Hachiman awkwardly tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Let's just drop this topic."

"Agreed," Yukino nodded in agreement.

After they entered the building, Sukuna immediately went silent, and no matter how much Yukino called for him, he didn't respond. It was clear that he had made up his mind not to help unless it was absolutely necessary.

"We thought we were hitching a ride with a powerful ally, but it seems we just invited someone to watch the show."

The first floor of the office building was an empty hall. All the furniture and decorations had been moved, leaving only faint traces where the furniture had been dragged across the floor. Dust and stains covered the ground, and there was no sign of any cursed spirits.

"Shall we go upstairs?" Yukino asked.

"I guess we don't have much of a choice," Hachiman shrugged nonchalantly. "Unless you think Sukuna will let us escape?"

"And according to classic horror movie logic, the place we entered might already have disappeared... What if we can't leave at all?" he added with a touch of dark humor, but his eyes kept flicking toward the open glass door. "Good, nothing cliché or deadly has happened."

"Well, let's head to the second floor then," Yukino said, taking a deep breath. She clenched her fist, as if giving herself a pep talk.

"Right," Hachiman nodded, but then he noticed she had stopped, standing still in place. "What's wrong?"

A few seconds later, he saw blue-green cursed energy enveloping Yukino, her body surrounded by the energy like flames.

Having successfully activated her cursed energy, Yukino's anxiety and nervousness eased somewhat. She explained, "I can control my cursed energy now, but I'm still not skilled enough."

"If I wait until the battle starts to try, it'll be too late."

"I see." Hachiman nodded in understanding.

"Can you do it?"

"Well, I can barely manage."

After receiving Sukuna's advice the previous day, Hachiman had locked himself in his room and practiced all night, even causing strange noises that annoyed Komachi. But he had finally managed to catch up with Yukino's progress.

Before long, blue cursed energy enveloped Hachiman as well. He kept the cursed energy burning, even though it was a bit of a waste of energy. But compared to freezing up for a few seconds in a sudden battle, possibly getting injured or even dying, this was a much better choice.

"It's too quiet."

Carefully stepping onto the stairs, the narrow stairwell echoed with their footsteps. Yukino felt a chill run down her spine as the echoes bounced back at them.

"What if we can never reach the second floor, or the stairs keep looping, trapping us here forever?" Hachiman muttered with a hint of unease.

Yukino's body trembled slightly at the thought, and she quickly snapped, "Please, be quiet!"

"...Sorry." Hachiman apologized softly, feeling guilty for making her more nervous.

Fortunately, the situation didn't escalate like Hachiman feared. They made it to the second floor without incident.

Unlike the spacious first-floor hall, the second floor's corridor felt narrower. As evening deepened, the building grew darker. With no electricity, only the faint light of the moon illuminated their path, and their shadows stretched long and eerie as they moved through the dark.

This sudden change made them both more alert.

However, the hallway remained eerily silent, and the cursed spirits that should have appeared were nowhere to be found. It was this uncertainty that bred fear.

"Hachiman, please keep an eye on the rear."

"I know."

Back to back, they carefully made their way through the hallway. Not long later, they exited the corridor and arrived in the office area, which was just as empty as the first floor. Only a few support columns stood, isolated in the vast, hollow space.

"There's nothing here either?"

Just as Hachiman started to relax, Yukino's sharp gaze fixed on the darkness ahead. "Wait, something's coming."

A heavy breathing sound emerged from the darkness ahead. It came from a narrow passage leading to the floor's restrooms.

"No… No, please… don't deduct my salary…" came a hoarse voice, sounding as if it were coming from an old wind box.

A grotesque figure stumbled out of the shadows—a bloated mass of flesh with a head resembling a fish. Its large, lifeless eyes eerily resembled Hachiman's own dead-fish eyes. The creature's limbs were reduced to thin, sponge-like sticks, and it wore a tattered, decaying suit that seemed to be fused with its body. A number of grotesque, pulsating lumps of flesh grew from it.

"I... I'll never... work again... I swear..." The cursed spirit mumbled, its fishy mouth opening and closing. "Please... don't deduct my salary..."

The sight of the creature made both Hachiman and Yukino grimace in disgust.

The cursed spirit in front of them was far worse than the cursed dog Yukino had encountered back home. After seeing this, it was likely that no fish would make its way to Yukino's dinner table for the next two weeks.

"It's disgusting, but in a weird way, it's also kind of pitiful." Hachiman tugged at his mouth in an uncomfortable smile, his eyes betraying a hint of sympathy for the cursed spirit.

"Do you feel a connection with its dead-fish eyes, Mr. Salty Fish?" Yukino teased, the tension easing now that they knew the enemy was weak. "Guess this is why I decided I'll never work—if I did, I'd probably end up like that."

The sight of the cursed spirit solidified Hachiman's resolve: he would never become a part of the corporate world. 

"What should we do now?"

Yukino Yukinoshita asked, staring at the cursed spirit stumbling toward them, her face etched with hesitation.

Although the enemy before them appeared weak, its repulsive appearance made it difficult to summon any desire to fight. Moreover, neither of them was armed, which meant they would have to face the creature unarmed.

"Run?" Hachiman Hikigaya quipped, attempting to ease the tension. Like Yukino, he would first have to overcome the mental block before even considering landing a punch on a monster covered in grotesque lumps.

As the two hesitated, the enemy continued its relentless advance.

The fish-man cursed spirit staggered instinctively toward the two sources of cursed energy it had sensed, its movements jerky and unnatural. Suddenly, its movements froze as if it had locked onto a target within its shifting range. The creature, once moving sluggishly like a zombie, abruptly lunged toward them with a hoarse scream.

"W-wages!!!" Its lifeless eyes suddenly sparked with a strange gleam, as if the fish-man had found a new purpose, rushing toward a gleaming future, saliva flying as it ran.

"What the hell are we to this thing? Some kind of saviors?!" Hachiman yelled, trying to bolster his own courage.

Though the fish-man cursed spirit seemed weak—and it truly was, far less formidable than the cursed spirit Yukino had encountered at home—when the grotesque creature opened its mouth, filled with sharp teeth, and charged with a roar, the first sensation that struck them was pure, instinctual panic.

Yukino took two steps back, her expression uncertain as she weighed her next move.

Hachiman stepped forward, despite having earlier suggested that Yukino take the lead. His actions contradicted his words, revealing that his instincts had already taken over.

The fish-man cursed spirit wailed and howled, charging at them, now only five meters away. 

At that moment, Sukuna unmuted himself and sighed.

Sigh...

Accompanied by a sigh full of disappointment, Yukinoshita Yukino's mind went completely blank.

It felt as if time had come to a halt. In that instant, memories wrapped in bubbles flashed through her mind.

"Think more about the essence of cursed energy, and you'll understand why you failed just now. Mastering cursed energy isn't as simple as you think. But you're far better than Yukinoshita, after all—she still hasn't succeeded up to this point."

"You can always take control of your body again, so what are you afraid of? Hesitating won't get you anywhere!"

"Tsk, in the end, you still have to rely on others."

"Yukino, when you have something to say, say it straight—don't act all shy! You're the daughter of the Yukinoshita family!"

Sukuna's words, her sister's, her mother's—they were like arrows, piercing deep into her heart.

Is this really who I am? Am I really that weak?

Just as Hikigaya Hachiman was about to surpass Yukinoshita Yukino, she suddenly moved.

It wasn't retreating; it was charging forward!

Perhaps it's exactly as Sukuna, her sister, and her mother said—she was a girl prone to conflicts, indecisive about many things, and weak due to her habit of relying on others.

But that's okay. I've accepted my weakness. Now, all that's left is to change.

I can't accept Sukuna's disappointed sigh. I can't accept what my sister said about my dependence on others. I can't accept what my mother said about my weakness.

At the root of it all, I refuse to disappoint myself!

I move forward! I'll face the ugly monster charging at me!

Fight! Then, I'll make Sukuna take back that disappointed sigh!

What Yukinoshita lacked wasn't the power to defeat the enemy, but the small bit of courage to face the enemy without fear.

I remember Sukuna once saying that my body had gradually transcended the limits of an ordinary human and reached a higher level. At the time, Yukinoshita Yukino couldn't fully understand what he meant.

But now, she gets it.

So slow.

After gathering the courage to fight, the world seemed to shift. The cursed spirit's movements appeared to slow down dramatically, its every motion clearly visible.

Yukinoshita's movements were far quicker than the cursed spirit's. In the blink of an eye, she closed the five-meter gap. The cursed spirit swung its claws at her, its dark claws clearly reflected in her deep blue eyes.

Just as Yukinoshita was about to be wounded by the cursed spirit's attack, Hikigaya Hachiman's pupils contracted, his heart skipped a beat, and he urgently called out, "Hey! Yukinoshita… huh?"

Before he could warn her, he saw her swiftly dive, dodging the cursed spirit's attack. It wasn't a textbook boxing move, but an instinctive reaction from her body. The cursed spirit's claws barely grazed the top of her head, causing Hikigaya Hachiman to gasp in shock.

Having dodged the cursed spirit's attack, it was time to counter.

Yukinoshita Yukino didn't use any Aikido techniques her mother had taught her; instead, she threw a simple, straightforward jab, clean and decisive.

She twisted her body, pulled back her fist, and then unleashed it.

Her punch, imbued with blue-tinged cursed energy, slammed into the cursed spirit's fish-like head, sending the claws deep into its soft flesh. Even its bulging eyes popped out from the force of the blow.

The disgusting, slimy sensation of the flesh under her skin didn't bother her. Her mind was flooded with a thrilling, exhilarating feeling, as if she'd poured all her negative emotions into that punch. After landing it, her whole body felt relieved.

The cursed spirit was sent flying, rolling twice before slamming into the wall. Dark purple blood erupted from its body, splattering onto the cement wall, blooming like a dark flower.

"Ah?" Hikigaya Hachiman's mouth hung open, disbelief written all over his face. "It's over?"

Did Sukuna come out to finish it for her?

However, the second set of eyes, the sign of Sukuna's possession, didn't open. Despite the disbelief, Hikigaya Hachiman had to admit that it was Yukinoshita Yukino herself who had performed the action.

Panting after delivering the punch, Yukinoshita Yukino's chest rose and fell rapidly—not from fatigue, but from the excitement bubbling inside her. A smile unconsciously spread across her face.

Could it be that deep down, Yukinoshita actually had a fascination with physical power?

Looking at the smile on her face, Hikigaya Hachiman couldn't help but silently think, it seems like not only Sukuna, but Yukinoshita herself shouldn't be underestimated.

How about it? After defeating the cursed spirit, Yukinoshita Yukino thought to herself, can you take back that disappointed sigh, Parasitic Lord?

Sukuna hummed in response without saying a word, and Yukinoshita didn't pay much attention, assuming he was just throwing a tantrum, unwilling to give her proper praise.

"It seems like it's over," Yukinoshita Yukino said with a smile, flipping her hair as she turned around. "I've taken care of your kind. I hope this doesn't make you too despondent."

"Of course not," Hikigaya Hachiman replied sarcastically, his eyes half-lidded. "Now that the cursed spirit has been exorcised, can we leave?"

As Sukuna had said, the third-level cursed spirit was indeed weak… Or was it really that simple?

"Hey... stick around... work overtime, okay? Overtime... unpaid..." Suddenly, a large hole was smashed in the ceiling, and an ugly, monstrous head poked through.