JJK: Wheel of Time

"Ding-dong."

Shin Shuichi stood outside the Fushiguro residence, having rung the doorbell, with White Wolf crouching beside him. He had already planned a perfect "surprise" moment for when they opened the door.

However, after pressing the doorbell three times, no one came to answer. Confused, Shin took out his phone to check. It should be break time now, right? But since it was the weekend, maybe they had gone out?

After thinking for a moment, Shin decided to call Fushiguro Megumi. The phone rang twice before it was picked up, and before Megumi could even speak, Shin quickly asked, "Megumi, where are you? I'm back, but no one's home."

There was silence for a moment, and just as Shin was about to frown, Megumi's voice finally came through, "I'm at the hospital with my sister."

Shin's expression changed immediately. "What? What happened? Send me the address."

"It's nothing serious, she's just feeling a bit unwell—" Megumi started to explain, but Shin cut him off, and with a sigh, Megumi sent over the hospital address.

After hastily hanging up, Shin dropped off the gifts he had brought at home, leaving White Wolf behind. Then, he activated his technique and rushed toward the hospital. It wasn't far, and they had chosen a nearby hospital.

Emerging from an unmonitored alley, Shin hurried to the room Megumi had mentioned. He pushed open the door to the single patient room, where two people turned to look at him. Sitting on the bed was a gentle-looking woman—Tsumiki Fushiguro. She was speaking to the boy sitting beside her, Megumi, who had his familiar spiky hair and a look of surprise on his face.

"Shin, you got here fast!" Tsumiki greeted him warmly, gesturing for him to sit down. Seeing that she seemed to be in good spirits, Shin finally let out a sigh of relief before turning to Megumi.

"How did you get here so quickly? I only called you a moment ago," Megumi asked, still puzzled.

Ignoring Megumi's confusion, Shin took the apple that Tsumiki had been about to peel. Within moments, the apple was perfectly peeled and sliced, and Shin handed the neatly arranged slices back to her.

Finally, Shin turned to Megumi and asked, "What happened to Tsumiki that brought her to the hospital?"

Frowning, Megumi replied, "She hadn't been feeling well the past few days. I thought it was just a cold, but today, she suddenly collapsed at home. So, I brought her here for a check-up. But we don't have the results yet."

Now it was Shin's turn to frown. He didn't remember Tsumiki having any issues like low blood sugar. What could have caused her to faint so suddenly?

Tsumiki, while munching on her apple, offered some to Shin and Megumi as well. "I'm fine," she said with a smile, "The doctors didn't find anything wrong."

"Well, we'll wait for the test results. Tsumiki, give me your hand for a second," Shin said.

Obediently, Tsumiki extended her right hand. Shin took her wrist and used his Reverse Cursed Technique. Even though the issue wasn't clear, it wouldn't hurt to heal her first. If it were a physical injury, he could have reversed it immediately.

As warmth spread from her wrist through her body, Tsumiki felt as if she were basking in the warmth of the sun. The soothing sensation quickly dissipated the faint weakness she had felt.

Surprised, she exclaimed, "Shin, how did you do that? Is that jujutsu? That's amazing!"

Shin, now grinning with pride, drew a disapproving look from Megumi. The conversation turned light as Shin shared stories from Jujutsu High, making Tsumiki laugh. Although Megumi pretended not to care, he clearly listened intently.

When Shin mentioned his return and discussed Megumi's upcoming enrollment at Jujutsu High, Megumi showed clear dissatisfaction and opened his mouth to protest.

"Megumi!" Tsumiki said sternly, giving him a serious look. With a sigh, Megumi held his tongue and returned to peeling apples. Tsumiki, curious, continued asking Shin about life at Jujutsu High, and he answered every question.

They stayed at the hospital until the afternoon, waiting for the test results. When the doctor finally came, the results showed that everything was normal. The doctor suggested that Tsumiki's fainting might have been caused by exhaustion or something similar. Since Tsumiki seemed to be feeling much better, they decided to head home.

Back at the house, Shin made a pork bone soup with ingredients he had bought from the store. Tsumiki praised his cooking, while Megumi gave his usual sharp critique, prompting Shin to angrily serve him a second helping and watch to make sure he finished it.

"A mission? You're planning to take me with you?" Megumi asked, confused by Shin's sudden announcement.

"Of course," Shin replied confidently. "Gojo-sensei asked me to help you prepare. I figured practical experience would be the fastest way."

"What about Tsumiki?" Megumi asked, concerned.

Shin patted him on the shoulder. "Already taken care of. In fact, the help should be arriving soon. I'll take you on the mission, and someone will come to look after Tsumiki."

Just as Shin predicted, a professional caregiver soon arrived. The agency was known for its reliability and usually catered to wealthy clients, though the cost was steep. For Shin, though, the price wasn't an issue.

"Let's go. The sooner we finish, the sooner we'll be back," Shin said as they headed out.

As Shin Shuichi had said, a temporary caretaker soon arrived. The agency's services were highly professional, safe, and efficient, though they came at a steep price, typically catering to wealthier families. But for Shin, the cost didn't matter.

"Let's go. The quicker we finish, the sooner we'll be back."

Fushiguro Megumi glanced at the sky, which was beginning to darken, his expression slightly puzzled. "At this hour?"

With his custom-made case, which held three cursed blades, slung over his back, Shin called to White Wolf, and explained, "It's not far. If all goes well, we can wrap this up by tomorrow."

Indeed, it wasn't far. After paying a generous fare, Shin and Megumi reached their destination in just under an hour—a largely untouched forested area.

"Hey, you don't look like the type to be here for suicide. If you're here for some adventure, I'd advise you to turn back. A few young folks recently claimed to have seen ghosts around here, scared them half to death."

"That video… who knows if it's real or not."

After bidding farewell to the well-meaning cab driver, Megumi gazed into the eerie woods and asked curiously, "Is this one of those suicide spots? Is that why you're here? Or is it something tied to a legend?"

Shin stepped onto a narrow path leading deeper into the forest, his eyes on the GPS on his phone. Casually, he replied, "Not really. It's only recently developed that reputation. I got this assignment because some people who were exploring here ended up winning the bad luck lottery—they likely ran into a cursed spirit."

"The video they uploaded got quickly deleted, but not before it caught the attention of the 'Window'—our intelligence team. And because of the location, Gojo-sensei passed the job to me."

As Shin spoke, he played the video on his phone, one that could no longer be found online. The shaky, panicked camera movements conveyed the terror the person behind the lens must have felt, a fear so raw it almost seemed to seep through the screen.

Shin then pulled out the three cursed blades from the case and tossed the case aside, planning to retrieve it later. He handed the sword Onikiri to Megumi. "Here, take this for protection."

As the two ventured deeper into the darkening forest, the atmosphere grew increasingly sinister. Yet, for sorcerers like them, it wasn't something too daunting. Shin remained silent, as he usually did on missions, and Megumi, true to his nature, didn't talk much either. Their only sounds were the occasional crunching of twigs and leaves beneath their feet.

Suddenly, White Wolf, who had been walking ahead, stopped and adopted a cautious stance, staring into the distance. Shin noticed it too and placed his hand on the hilt of Doujikiri Yasutsuna.

"There's no cursed energy… it's not a spirit. So why are there people wandering around here this late?"

Thinking this, Shin signaled White Wolf to quietly move ahead while he and Megumi approached from the side. Soon, Shin spotted beams from flashlights flickering through the trees.

"Hey—"

""AHHH!"

Shin's sudden voice caused a chorus of terrified screams, making even Megumi furrow his brow.

"Wait… they look like people!"

Among the group of seven, a man who appeared calmer than the rest spoke up, and their flashlights quickly turned toward Shin and Megumi. Upon seeing the two young boys, the group gradually calmed down.

"What are you doing out here?"

Hearing Shin's question, a short-haired woman snapped angrily, "Shouldn't we be asking you that? We can't see anything out here, and we thought we'd run into…"

Her words trailed off as the man, who seemed to be the leader—a young, somewhat handsome guy—intervened with a more relaxed tone. "Please don't mind her. We're just here for some exploring, and my friends got spooked when they bumped into you two. I apologize if they came off rude."

"Ryo, they're not even carrying any lights, and they look like they're armed!"

Ryo's smile faltered slightly as he noticed the long knives the boys were carrying. And what was that… a wolf? Or a dog? His heart began to race, and he found it slightly hard to breathe.

"Don't worry about them."

Shin glanced at his phone and prepared to follow the navigation again. The group of seven, watching these two strange yet obviously human boys, began to recall the recent news and strange occurrences around the area. One of the women, with long black hair and considered the prettiest in the group, spoke up. "You're not heading to Yamagata Shrine, are you?"

Shin's steps halted. The shrine was indeed part of the mission's location, situated near the new "suicide hotspot." Yamagata Shrine was a small, local shrine that had stood for decades. According to the information, it was the shrine that had reported the disappearance of the explorers. Shin had planned to head there in hopes of running into the unknown target.

But instead, he had encountered this group of strangers. Sensing Shin and Megumi's silence as a form of confirmation, the woman continued, "It's already pretty late. It might not be safe for you to walk around by yourselves. Why don't we go together? We were heading to the shrine too."

Her suggestion caused various reactions from the others in her group. Despite Shin and Megumi's odd appearance, they were at least human. Plus, with seven people on their side, they felt a bit more secure. After all, who walks around with such large weapons? It seemed too conspicuous. If they had malicious intentions, they'd likely be carrying smaller weapons like pocket knives, right? Were these two boys just cosplaying and looking for some thrills in this eerie place?

And then there was the dog—or was it a wolf? Upon closer inspection, it was clearly a large husky. They had seen this popular breed online before, and it was just a big, goofy-looking dog. They felt a little embarrassed for thinking it was something more dangerous.

Perhaps out of a sense of goodwill toward the two teens, the group decided to invite Shin and Megumi to join them. Megumi remained silent, leaving the decision to Shin.

After a brief moment of thought, Shin agreed. After all, having nine people might make them more likely to draw the attention of a cursed spirit, which could prove useful. So, with White Wolf in tow, Shin and Megumi joined the group, and together they continued their journey toward Yamagata Shrine.

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