JJK: Cursed Reincarnation

Mother's POV

Fujiwara's mother, Tomoko Fujiwara, sat down at her table after a long day of tending to the crops on her field. A relaxation well deserved. While she basked in her small rest, she was thinking about her greatest source of pride.

I'm happy he can experience the festival at least once.

She quietly reminisced about her memories of the Winter Festival. She remembered playing with her friends. Dancing to the music that the people played. And then there was the best part of it all, a beautiful fireworks display at the end.

Usually, those trading would only experience the fireworks from afar, decaying the beauty of the spectacle. It wasn't the same as seeing the fireworks upfront. It was worlds different in fact.

When Fujiwara came of age, Tomoko decided to have him help her trade during the festival. Fujiwara didn't mind any time she asked, but there was something always eating at her for asking such a thing from her son.

Each year, Fujiwara was always helping her with this task. And each year, he was denied the chance to truly experience the Winter Festival. It slowly ate at her for that. After all, how was a child meant to refuse after their mother asked them for something?

It ached her even more when he came up to ask her if he could go, as it reminded her that she didn't give him much choice upon going to the festival. It showed her that the boy had an interest in the festival all along, but was refused. 

One of the last things she wanted to do was deprive Fujiwara of this.

"Haaa…" Tomoko sighed as she stewed in the thoughts spinning in her head. The thoughts that made her feel guilty soon grew to accuse herself of things that Fujiwara would never want for her.

Am I a bad mother?

Her thoughts piled up, building something in her head. As she went on, An image of a man entered her mind, recalling someone that she wanted to forget. A gaze that was a stark contrast from any of Tomoko's current thoughts.

That same overzealous and frenzied gaze looked back at her. It was like looking at him in real-time.

Oh, the tragedies that man continued to cause. It never stopped haunting her.

Was he… right…? 

That man… she felt as if she was still within his shadow.

"WHAT?!?!" Fujiwara yelled from another room.

Much like her son usually was, she was deep into her thoughts. And just like him, something snapped Tomoko out of it. With only one word, Fujiwara broke apart that memory she had recalled, allowing her to put it aside for now.

Tomoko immediately went on high alert. She stood up and ran to Fujiwara's room. She opened his room door and pushed it open with all her might. "Yoshiro! Are you ok?! Are you hurt?!" Tomoko asked, rushing over to Fujiwara, who seemed pale and had traces of shock all over his face.

"I- I'm fine, mother. I just… remembered something important. That's all." Fujiwara answered, a mix of confusion and shock entangled within his words.

Tomoko notices it. She sees the boy was distraught. He looked just like her a few moments ago. For that alone, she wanted to push a little farther to see what ailed him. To help Fujiwara.

In the end, it was her trust in her son that stopped her from doing that.

If she truly wanted to go further, it depended on Fujiwara saying he wanted her aid. Nothing more and nothing less. She didn't want to place any more pressure on her son

"Alright… if you need me, I'll be in the other room." Tomoko finished off before leaving his room and sliding the door closed. There was still worry brewing within her, but she was able to hide it much better than Fujiwara. But even through that, she couldn't help but feel tense.

It was as if whatever her son was dealing with, it was his most tremendous obstacle yet.

…

…

…

Fujiwara's POV

SHIIIITTTT!!!

Fujiwara's mind felt like it was being put through hell. His first mission to start with and it was already madness.

[A being made of Cursed Energy is hiding within the village, hiding until the Winter Festival begins! ]

[Exorcise it before it hurts anyone!]

[Reward: ???]

[Upon Failure: -10 in all stat points]

He would've thought of exercises as his first quest, or helping the people in the village, or just something that fits with the life he was accustomed to. But a cursed spirit at his current strength? That was practically a death sentence.

Cursed Spirits couldn't be exorcised without Cursed Energy. That was a fact. Fujiwara absconded the idea of unlocking his Cursed Energy long ago. It wasn't looking like anyone else in the village was a sorcerer or had a Cursed Tool. 

Even Toji Zen'in needed a cursed tool to kill the curses that would attack him. He had a whole inventory dedicated just to cursed tools. All Fujiwara had was his raw strength and what could be considered a 10th-degree black belt due to his knowledge of Jujutsu.

Granted, he could probably kill any person in his path with his strength alone, but a Cursed Spirit was like putting an ant up against the average human. It didn't matter how hard the ant could sting, the human would still win at the end of the day.

This quest, in every sense of the word, was impossible for him.

Unless he got access to Cursed Energy, everyone was sure to die.

Wait…

No one in the village has Cursed Energy. And it said I had to stop it before it hurt anyone. Not before the festival began.

If someone out there brings a Cursed Tool to the festival, I can get a weapon and kill the thing!

Even if I can't find one, I think I can stall it for a while until it retreats for the next day! I can make sure no one dies!

I CAN DO THIS!

"I CAN WIN!" Fujiwara put his mouth over his hands. He accidentally thought out loud. He didn't want to alert his mother anymore. "I mean, 'ⁱ ᶜᵃⁿ ʷⁱⁿ'!" Fujiwara whispered.

Sure, he had small amounts of time. It was damn near the equivalent of having two minutes to figure out how to drive a car. But he had a shot.

He grew up with these villagers. He sure as hell wasn't gonna let a cursed spirit take them from him.

Plus, -10 in all his stats would be a bitch and a half.

[3 Days Before Winter Festival]