Mayu Ryomen - English Version // Jujutsu Kaisen FF // JJK FF

-Dinner in Ginza-

-From Satoru's point of view-

Once we arrived in the bustling and noisy city center of Tokyo, we decided to take the train to Ginza to get to my favorite sushi restaurant. Despite the fact that it was already quite late in the evening, the various districts of the city didn't seem to want to go to sleep for a long time yet.

Bright neon signs together with the streetlamps and the many shop window lights made the area look almost like broad daylight. Loud laughter and cheerful conversations echoing from all directions did the rest, whereby I concentrated more on the conversation with my pretty companion than on picking up the few snippets of conversation.

"You came from Shimoda, if I remember correctly, didn't you?" I let my curiosity run wild as we walked hand in hand through the crowded streets.

And if I wasn't completely wrong, then I was. From the beautiful south-western part of Japan, where one beach followed the next. It was actually inconceivable to me that someone would simply turn their back on a real vacation region like this and move to the exact opposite. A big city that never seemed to sleep and offered no relaxation. Although, it was certainly nothing special when you had that around you every day.

"Yes, exactly. Lots of beach and sea. Peace and quiet and no action."

"Why?" I gave my thoughts a misleading expression, "I don't understand why you didn't want to stay in such a beautiful area. What exactly drew you to Tokyo?"

She smiled, "Believe me, it wasn't that easy for me either. But I didn't want to stay there just because of the beautiful area. It was the work and the city itself that drew me to Tokyo," she revealed, her eyes growing bright, "I know it sounds crazy, but Tokyo simply cast a spell over me while I was here on vacation a few times. Do you know Shimoda because you rave about it?"

"That sounds more than crazy... And incomprehensible. Yes, I do, I've been to the city twice for work to cast out curses."

Pretty crazy to know that I could have bumped into her there. And in Tokyo. As if it was fate - but I didn't believe in that.

"Really? That's funny," she beamed, "then we had to run into each other."

I looked down at her suspiciously, didn't comment on the sentence, which, unlike her, wasn't important to me anyway, and took the actual topic by the scruff of the neck again.

"And what about work? Didn't you have a nice job that you pursued?"

"Oh yes, even a very nice one that I was reluctant to leave behind."

...?

Did anyone understand this woman? Then please explain it to me...

At my completely perplexed expression, she couldn't pull herself together and laughed heartily.

"I can see exactly what you're thinking, Satoru. Yes, I've also turned my back on my beloved work. Before I switched to trauma surgery here, I worked in a GP practice for ten years. It was nothing special and sometimes rather boring, but I loved it. We were a big team of nine assistants and three doctors," she revealed as we turned into an alleyway that no longer had any of the glamour and attractiveness of the main street.

Here it suddenly became more uncomfortable and gloomy. The cheerful conversations were replaced by a gloomy atmosphere and shady characters, who were increasingly being haunted by ghastly ghosts. Mayu didn't dislike this at all, which is why she snuggled closer to me and wrapped her arms around me. Nevertheless, she kept her carefree smile and disposition and covered up the uncomfortable feelings that had instantly tried to take over her.

"Boring? Then how did you manage to stay there for ten years? What exactly were your duties?" I understood her scaredy-cat language and began to take her mind off things.

"Girl for everything," she smirked, averting her eyes to the side as we walked past a mischievous cursing spirit attached to a shady guy.

"I took care of administrative work and also worked at the registration desk from time to time. But what I enjoyed most was working in the lab, taking blood samples, performing ECGs and pulmonary function tests, as well as assisting with minor procedures. I really loved it, but it was time for something new. I needed more challenges and a new area to explore, so I started looking for a new practice here."

If that wasn't a case for Shoko. Hadn't she recently sighed about how much she wished she had an assistant in some situations? So I would have found an assistant bursting with enthusiasm for this profession. And let's be honest - I could well imagine that the two of them would have got on really well.

Mayu seemed to be a cosmopolitan person and Shoko could really use that in her dreary working life.

I could also imagine Mayu looking pretty hot in a smock.

"And at your last job?" I asked curiously, "Trauma surgery sounds bloody."

She laughed again, "Sure. But I was there for far too short a time to get to know the full scope of the practice. Unfortunately, I only sat at the registration desk. I would have loved to have been there and assisted in the surgeries."

"Can you see something like that?"

"Sure," she grinned broadly, my empty stomach twisting in all directions as I imagined bloody accidents.

This was definitely not for me. I was much better at seeing and dismantling badly beaten cursed spirits.

"So am I right in assuming that you would love to do this work again?"

"Of course," she confirmed exuberantly, "I really miss it, apart from training."

That literally called out for a visit to Shoko in the near future.

Once again, we walked past a guy who had a hideous curse spirit sitting on his shoulder, which was on Mayu's side. In the corner of my eye, I could see that it was trying to get its fangs on her, but she didn't see it because she was looking in the opposite direction again. So I quickly released my arm from her fearful grasp, flicked a tiny ball of energy charged with my red color reversal technique at it, while I put my arm around Mayu's shoulder and pulled her closer to me.

So hastily and inconspicuously that neither of them noticed how I expelled the bastard that was trying to get at my companion.

So my distraction of the curse spirits was more successful than I had hoped, even if it secretly annoyed me that I still didn't hear any curse power flowing through her. Hopefully I hadn't gambled too high earlier in terms of her still dormant curse power, which I was able to unleash.

"So, here we are," I rejoiced as we arrived at the restaurant and the dark brown wooden door opened for us.

We were immediately enveloped by the delicious aroma of the food, which made my mouth water. This made my appetite and by now my hunger skyrocket. We entered together and were greeted by the cozy atmosphere and one of the older employees.

"Oh, good evening, Mr. Gojo. Nice to see you again," he greeted me with a deep bow and in a friendly manner, "in female company today? Good evening," and bowed again to Mayu, who was standing next to me and did the same.

"Good evening, sir," she greeted him in an extremely friendly tone, beaming from ear to ear.

"I'm sure I can show you to your regular table," he guessed my unspoken wish, as we were also sometimes courted by the loud and unpleasant conversations of the other guests, and followed him through the traditionally furnished and fairly busy restaurant to the back area, where it was fortunately much quieter. There had been advantages to chatting to the waiters from time to time and telling them that I preferred it quieter.

In the corner of my eye, I could see Mayu looking around inconspicuously. Not to mention her eyes, which lit up again as she surveyed the attractively decorated restaurant.

As soon as we sat down on the comfortable bench at our assigned table, the waiter handed us the clear and well-organized menus.

"I'll come back to you in a moment and take your order."

We both nodded in confirmation and he turned on his heel. He had barely taken a few steps away from us, just as we had opened the menus, when Mayu took the floor.

"Wow. How beautiful it is here," she whispered enthusiastically, inspecting one of the fake cherry blossom branches that were attached in heaps to the countless dark brown posts. Hidden between the individual blossoms were warm white light globes that gave off enough light to create a pleasant brightness.

"You're so easy to get excited about," I remarked with a grin.

"Not at all," she grinned, embarrassed, while a delicate blush appeared on her cheeks and she concentrated on the menu again, 'you just have good taste,' she mumbled sheepishly.

Was it childish that I just found it overly sweet? And even if it was. Certainly, no one could read minds. It just made me happy that I had hit the mark with my choice. After all, I was also aiming to make Mayu feel comfortable. But it was no great feat with her either. So far, I hadn't discovered much that she didn't necessarily like - apart from the training, which she often grumbled about theatrically.

After the waiter had returned to us, taken our order and we had waited for the food, Mayu leaned back on the side of her seat, propped her elbow on the backrest and turned to me.

"You found out earlier where I grew up and how I came to live here in Tokyo. Did you actually grow up here in Tokyo?" she asked me curiously.

"No. I was born and grew up in Kyoto."

"Kyoto? And then you're moving to Tokyo too?" she sounded more reprimanded than surprised, "Kyoto had also been on my shortlist for where I would have moved to, but the practice in Tokyo that finally accepted me was quicker. So what drew you here?"

Sounded like she wasn't just addicted to Tokyo. I said yes - she was easy to get excited about.

"First and foremost because of the work. There are only two training centers for jujutsu here in Japan. One is here in Tokyo and the other in Kyoto."

Now it was she who looked at me in confusion, which I understood in the same way when she told me the same thing earlier. She had probably been looking for instructions for me in her mind. But I had just realized that we had taken the same path independently of each other. Was there perhaps this humbug called fate after all?

"You're probably wondering why I came to Tokyo then, aren't you?", I guessed correctly, "let me explain it in a nutshell. I wanted to escape my overbearing parents."

"Too overbearing?" she snorted, 'probably because of you, right?' she guessed more as a joke.

"Bull's eye," I confirmed with a grin as her features slipped away.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"Oh, I-I didn't mean to-" I quickly placed my index finger on her soft lips and shook my head.

"You're absolutely right, Mayu," I began and let go of her lips so that she could interrupt my explanation like everyone else.

"Among us Jujuzists, there are three clans made up of large elite families. One of them is the Gojo clan - my family. It's a mystery to me to this day, but they were among the strongest, although my parents aren't particularly talented when it comes to jujutsu. And then I came along. The one who masters infinity and possesses the six eyes through which I can perceive everything without exception," I playfully pointed to my blindfold, "I'm also blessed with immense cursing energy."

Strange? She hadn't interrupted me yet, whereas everyone else would have interrupted me long overdue, so I dared to continue. Maybe the point of interruption was yet to come.

"In other words, my parents achieved a higher status within the Gojo family, which meant that they went completely crazy. I was brought up strictly, had to abide by a lot of rules and was treated extremely special, which really got on my nerves. As a result, I occasionally - or rather, far too often - ran away from home and preferred to hang around outside. When I was at home, I suffered under the command of my parents and was taught Jujutsu every free minute. Well, at least the basics, because nobody was able to teach me my skills."

She was still sitting quietly and attentively opposite me and seemed to be literally hanging on my lips.

"And how did you manage to get so strong?" she even asked me a question that made me wonder at first.

Was this question more of a taunt or did she really want to know?

"Well, yes. I started reading up on various books from the Kyoto Academy. Then I tried out a few things and finally perfected it for myself," I let slip vaguely and raised my security wall.

That seemed strange to me. No one had ever taken an interest in me before. The realization that I was the strongest was sometimes simply accepted or even assumed that I had fallen from the sky like that and now this young jujuzi was sitting opposite me and asking me about myself...!

What was she trying to achieve? Was Mayu trying to look behind my facade or harm me, but I couldn't see how?

"Parents..." she mused absent-mindedly, "what happened next? You were still at home then, so when did you move to Tokyo?"

"... After my time at boarding school. After my teenage years, to be precise."

Was I tensing or was there a hint of pity on her face?

"That doesn't necessarily sound like you enjoyed a typical childhood..." she said much more cautiously, but again suspiciously. She probably didn't miss the fact that I had put up my wall, did she?

But there was nothing there! I read nothing but pure interest from her eyes. There wasn't a single spark of hypocrisy or mockery in them. On the contrary, she seemed to have been so captivated by the superficial tale from my childhood, as if she had been listening to an exciting report.

"That must have been difficult, wasn't it? In terms of your skills and training them. I mean, until four months ago, the concept of jujutsu was completely foreign to me and you've been teaching me ever since, which I personally find extremely difficult. But with you? You taught yourself everything. You didn't really have anyone real who could show you, explain or even demonstrate. Not like you did with me and you taught yourself everything. That's incredibly admirable."

She just admired me? That felt incredibly strange.

"No shit. That was a piece of cake," I smiled, waving off the difficult part of my past, "it wasn't always easy now and then, but it's no longer a problem."

"Impressive," she remarked thoughtfully, "how often did you despair when things went wrong or you didn't succeed?"

I furrowed my eyebrows in a flash, but only for a brief moment.

"... Often enough."

I didn't have to mention again that the whole thing seemed strange to me, did I? Who the hell cared whether I could manage my escape techniques? It was funny.

"I can well imagine that it was anything but easy. Partly because there was no one to show you properly. Could that have been the reason why you decided to become a teacher? In any case, I think it's really remarkable how you did it... I really have a lot of respect for you, Satoru. And that's not just because of everything you've learned."

I simply hadn't expected words like that, which made me feel small for a split second. Back to the little boy I had recently grown into, who had more than enough problems with his immense swearing energy and techniques. There were always short but intense phases where it had brought me to the brink of despair, but she didn't need to know that.

Just as I was about to respond, the waiter beat me to it with the full tray and Mayu sat back down at the table.

As soon as he had gone, the table was set with food and drinks and we were ready to start eating, Mayu's sweet voice broke the brief silence between us.

"Enjoy your meal."

"Thank you, you too."

Gone was my objection to that. I probably should have just let it be and left it at that. But I couldn't stop tiny little doubts from joining me on my shoulder - about Mayu. What was she trying to say?

"Tell me," she began after a while, after we had started eating, "you mentioned earlier that you were treated specially. So what's your current relationship with your parents like?" she asked, much more cautiously than before.

So now she wanted to know more about my parents? I noticed that the doubting spirits were tugging warningly at my shirt.

Where was this immense interest in me coming from?

"My relationship with them is and remains difficult. We hear each other from time to time, see each other even less, but that's all I want," I revealed meaninglessly, 'that may sound harsh -' "No. It's not. It doesn't," she was now the one who interrupted me nonchalantly, "you don't have to justify it. What you said about her earlier is enough. I can understand that."

"Understand?", I asked brightly and grabbed another piece of sushi.

Could I hope that she would now tell me a few overdue peculiarities about herself without being asked? Until now, I had considered it rather inappropriate to ask her about such personal backgrounds.

"Yes, that's right. It's no longer a secret that I can see curses," she mentioned with a grin, "I was treated strangely too. Not special, but really strange."

"That doesn't sound very good."

"It's not good at all. My parents, for example, can't cast curses, let alone see them. So they're so-called non-Jujuzists, as you taught me. What's more, they don't believe in such supernatural stuff, even though they are strictly religious."

What a contradiction, I smiled to myself. How could you believe in something you couldn't see, whereas you could still see curse spirits, depending on your rank? I already suspected which way this was going.

"Can anyone else in your family do that? See or cast out curses?"

She shook her head eagerly, "No. No one in my family. Not grandparents, aunts, uncles, nephews, cousins or siblings, because I don't have any. No one but me can see curses. That was ultimately the reason why they often accused me of bringing mischief into the family. It was also my fault that my parents didn't want any more children. They thought they could be just as screwed up as I was."

What?

It's a good thing I was sitting down, because that would have been the moment to sit down. Leaving aside the fact that it hadn't actually been possible to have curse powers or even curse energy without premonitions, but what kind of inhuman parents had they been? You don't throw statements like that at your child? Unless you harbored a certain hatred against them, which arose from profound causes.

"They didn't really say that," stumbled stunned across my lips.

"Yes, they did."

I could tell from her offended smile that she wasn't really happy about it. It was like the kind of slap you get when you've gone unspeakably over the top.

"But let's get away from that, Satoru," her sweet voice snapped me out of my state of shock and grabbed my hand, "I just wanted to explain to you why I can understand why you want to keep your distance from your parents."

"Don't you?" I referred to her horrible parents.

She laughed harshly, "Yes, of course. Work and the city are the real reasons why I turned my back on Shimoda. I just don't like to tell people because there are too many non-Jujuzists and I'd rather keep it hidden. But since you told me so much about your parents and I realized that I've basically been through something similar, I thought I could tell you about it."

So that's where her attention came from. She could slightly identify with me. So one doubt after another jumped off my shoulder until only a few remained. And it was more than understandable that she sometimes preferred work as the actual reason. I hadn't handled it any differently. I was crushed by the depressed atmosphere between us, which is why I quickly made it my mission to dispel it.

"Strictly religious, did you say? That's why you never wear a neckline," I teased her knowingly, which made her jaw drop and she took her hand away from me.

"What?! That's not true," she laughed, "it has something to do with class and the fact that I don't want people staring at my breasts all the time. Apart from that, have I ever worn anything more revealing?" she reared up in defense, which I found unspeakably cute and funny.

"Is that so?" I continued, to which she continued to get angry.

"Yes! Besides, my parents are religious and not me. They couldn't force that line on me."

"But they tried?"

"Of course they did. Countless times," she rolled her eyes generously, "it felt like there was no method that wouldn't change my mind. Attending church services, memorizing prayers, reading through the Bible and everything to do with faith and oh, I could write you a whole list about it, but I couldn't and wouldn't agree to it at all. They can do that however they want, but it was enough for me to see those strange curses."

I nodded in amusement and understanding, "... Sounds like you're the one of us who didn't get to enjoy a typical childhood, doesn't it?"

"I guess it's in the eye of the beholder, but yes, I didn't have the typical childhood of carefree play and wasn't allowed to pursue my own hobbies. I had strict rules to follow every day, just like you, but they started with my choice of clothes, followed a timed schedule set by my parents and ended with an early bedtime. My everyday life consisted mainly of school and learning, learning and more learning. And what I just forgot to mention was studying. When I didn't have to study, I was ordered to do household chores. This included everything my mother did. So cooking, cleaning, tidying up and the all too familiar rest. When that was finally done and there was still a little time before bedtime, I was allowed to play games or watch TV, although they told me what I was allowed to do. But that was a real rarity, as I'm sure you can hear."

I nodded silently, actually rather speechless - which I rarely was. But my vocabulary had just evaporated along with my good mood.

"Were you allowed to do anything at all?" I simply had to ask, as I had been discreetly shocked at how you could take your child under your wing like that.

She hadn't even had the slightest chance to develop in any direction. At least that's how it seemed to me.

"Almost not at all. Going out alone wasn't an issue between us until I got my first cell phone, which was in fifth grade, and they checked it meticulously every day. If I was allowed to play games of any kind, they checked them beforehand to see if they were for me and watching TV was even rarer than me being outside and even then they specified what I was allowed to see. They had to check and approve everything first, so to speak, before I could do anything. The only thing I actually enjoyed was that I was allowed to learn to play the violin. But apart from that, my childhood was more like a prison sentence that I had to serve."

"... Why?" I blurted out.

"I don't know, Satoru," she shrugged sympathetically, "maybe because I could see curses and that's why they saw me as the devil's work? I don't know."

Devil's work... How I had hated such people beyond words. Just because they hadn't believed that there had been those among us who could be curse wizards and Jujuzists. With their helicopter behavior, they could have done a lot of damage, which Mayu hadn't been able to detect, at least not yet.

She seemed to have a very strong sense of maturity and did not see this behavior as right or acceptable. But it could simply have been the fact that she was now a Jujuzist herself.

"Were friends allowed to visit you or vice versa?" I asked, clearly chilled, although I really had to be careful not to sound too patronizing.

"No and yes. It was more of a whim. If I was good, kind and did what I was told, I was allowed to visit a friend on Wednesdays or invite her over. Although that was also rather difficult. I only had two friends with whom I got on very well. As I mentioned before, I was considered weird. It's difficult for a child to be around normal people who can't understand that I was afraid of something invisible. I confided in one of them at the time, who thought it was rather cool and weird at first, but the older we got, the weirder it seemed to her and she eventually turned away from me."

"I know that all too well. People prefer to keep quiet about it because others can't handle it and finding someone like-minded has proved difficult."

She nodded in confirmation, a melancholy veil covering her face. If only we'd had the chance to get to know each other back then, she wouldn't have been completely alone with this shit.

"And your current relationship with your parents? Sorry, but I can't for the life of me imagine that it can be even remotely good."

"You're absolutely right about that. I can't even describe it as difficult. Tense is still too gentle and loving is completely out of place. Back then, I wanted to get out of that literal hell as quickly as possible and moved out of home when I was sixteen. Against my parents' wishes, of course, but what was keeping me at home? I could do anything, because I was pushed into everything and so I got my way for the first time with a lot of pain and suffering and left."

"Probably the best decision you could have made," I remarked sympathetically, "... When was the last time you heard yourself with them?"

As if she had seen a cursing ghost, she widened her eyes, immediately reached for her purse, dug out her cell phone and hunted down the last call entry.

"Oh no, that was two days ago. So I'll have to deal with them again tomorrow," she lamented.

Despite the fact that they weren't my parents, I felt exactly the same emotion as them. I would have been just as reluctant to call or even visit these people. Speaking of visiting.

"And when was the last time you saw each other?"

She exhaled with both melancholy and disapproval and rubbed her face with difficulty.

"Six months ago for my birthday and Christmas. In other words, I'll have to go and see her again soon. That was her condition for letting me move out so early back then."

God, poor thing. Couldn't I have taken that off her hands?

"... I'll go with you!" I suggested, and within the blink of an eye she looked at me, perplexed.

"You?" she blurted out in surprise, "you want to come with me when I go to visit them?"

"O-oh yes! I'll keep you company."

"Uh-... I-I..." she stammered, overwhelmed, "a-are you sure about that? You don't really know what you're getting yourself into, Satoru."

"But of course I do."

Once again, she gave me a tense and hopeless smile that said something like 'you're getting yourself into the biggest mess, but I thank you'. I skillfully ignored the burgeoning stomach ache I felt at the thought and thought much more about the fact that I should have considered it research. In my opinion, someone in her family should have been enriched in cursing energy.

And who knew if she hadn't been lied to by her parents over the years? Mayu didn't have the necessary experience to find out exactly that. That could have been one of the reasons for the radical upbringing. To hide something they were probably able to protect their daughter from. But then with such a hard way? Hardly likely. So that suited me just fine.

"All right," she admitted, surprised but still skeptical, "shall we get this over with next weekend? So not next weekend, but next week?"

"How long are you planning to stay there?"

She paused again, seemed to be trying hard to find the right amount of time and picked up another piece of the last remaining sushi morsels.

"One night at most. From Saturday to Sunday."

"Are you sure? I wouldn't mind two nights either."

"Two nights?!" she said, which I had already expected, 'will I gain something?' she was referring to the unbearably long time I had suggested with her parents.

"Yep. Time alone with me, where we can make out carelessly without anyone from the others getting in our way."

No more looking at the sad dumpling in front of me. I needed to get back to the fun, happy and jolly atmosphere between us.

With the piece of sushi in her mouth, she burst out laughing and put her hand over her mouth. Her shoulders shook before she burst out laughing.

"I have to admit that if I were as quick-witted as you, I'd have a suitable line for you right now, but I think it's enough that I'll just take you with me."

"I think so too."

There they were again, the cherry-red cheeks. It made me happy that she was able to inject a little humor into her unpleasant soon-to-be-parent visit. Hard to believe, but I had sometimes thought that I had already been punished enough with my parents and that it couldn't have been any worse... But Mayu's parents?

The phrase 'worse is always possible' deserved another medal in his collection. Of course, it could have been far more unpleasant, up to and including violence and deeply disturbing actions, but that had already been more than enough.

"Are you really okay with this?" she asked cautiously, placing her hand on my forearm.

"Of course it is. It counts as a short vacation."

"Short vacation... That's anything but relaxing. I'd rather meet hundreds of cursed spirits in a row and be more relaxed..." she grumbled dismissively, "but fine! I'll check with them tomorrow then, if I have to call them anyway..."

I grinned to myself. I was secretly looking forward to this encounter more than going on a ghost hunt, even if I had mixed feelings about it. Had they really been that weird?

By now our plates were empty and the last drink had been drunk. Gradually, the mood to leave began to set in, which was not only evident from the late hour, but the growing tiredness was also making me long for a cozy bed. I enjoyed every minute I could spend with Mayu today to the full. In a different way than before, which gave me the creeping desire to spend the whole night with her.

The waiter had already unobtrusively taken care of clearing the table and bringing us the bill. Of course, it went without saying that I had paid it, and she had the glorious idea of pulling out her wallet, even though I had invited her. That promised to have repercussions, even though I had more than clearly understood her intention behind it.

Enveloped and delicately taken in by the cool and refreshing summer night air, we left the restaurant behind us meter by meter and leisurely made our way home towards the subway, which we had used to get here. My companion was walking close in front of me and I looked at her with completely different eyes after this profound conversation. Suddenly and unexpectedly, she stopped in front of me and turned to face me, which almost caused me to run into her. That had been her part, which I had always secretly enjoyed.

"Thank you, Satoru. For the delicious meal and the lovely evening with you."

She held on to my upper arm, stood on tiptoe, and I wrapped my arm around her narrow waist to steady myself and immediately received a tender kiss on the cheek.

"Despite these depressing issues?"

"Of course. I'm not going to let that get me down."

This was exactly the impression she truly conveyed with her unwavering and sincere smile. We looked at each other urgently. Her hand now rested more on my shoulder, from which an enormous warmth penetrated through my snow-white shirt.

"Didn't that upset you too much?" because that wasn't exactly what I wanted.

"No. It didn't, otherwise I wouldn't have talked about it in such detail."

"I have one last question."

I gently brushed a strand of her lilac hair, which had been blown into her face by the gentle breeze, back behind her ear.

"I'd like several," she replied warmly.

"When exactly did you realize that you could see curses?"

"Always, actually, but I really realized that it was somehow different or forbidden when I was about five or six. Due to my father's work at the bank, he occasionally took curses home with him that had attached themselves to him. Looking back and now knowing which levels they are divided into, luckily it was only the 4th level, which I then threw away with toys to make them disappear. But they still scared me. And what do you do when you're scared of something? Especially small children?"

"They confide in their parents, their caregivers, where they seek protection," I answered her question, to which she nodded.

"And that's exactly what I did. I didn't know at the time that they couldn't do that and they treated me as if I had just done something really bad. Apart from my fear of this monstrosity that had wrapped itself around my father."

I pulled her closer to me and gave her a kiss on the temple. The behavior of these non-Jujuzists towards her was more than out of place, which made my inner rage boil. Mind you, I could understand their point of view, but I certainly didn't sympathize with it.

"Come on, let's go home," I mumbled against her soft skin, once again trying to suppress the feelings that had tried to take over me at the thought of her parents. So I grabbed her small hand, intertwined my fingers with hers and walked towards home, strolling and still talking.