NOVEL NEXT Chapter 9: Chapter 9
Isamu walked through the abandoned warehouse with measured steps. His eyes scanned the room, flicking from shadow to shadow. Slowly, a black mist began to fill the space.
Ismau's trained 1st grade ears picked up the quiet pitter patter of bare feet on concrete. The foot steps sounded heavy but the speed at which they occurred made it sound like the cursed spirit was pretty fast on their feet.
As the mist filled the room, Isamu's vision was restricted to only a foot in front of his face. Isamu did not worry though, his heart not raising even the slightest bit. To tell the truth, he was not all that concerned or even focused on his current mission. His mind was else where.
Suddenly, a large, old looking hatchet came rocketing out of the mist, aimed directly at Ismau's head. Isamu ducked under the axe while reaching for the sword strapped to his waist.
"New Shadow Style: Simple Domain."
A circle of white light surrounded Isamu before quickly expanding, pushing back the black mist in the process. As the mist fell into the background, the cursed spirit controlling it was revealed to Isamu's sight.
It's was an ugly thing, like most curses were. It sort of resembled an old, fat, and ugly Japanese man wielding an axe and wearing only a pair of underwear.
"New Shadow Style: Batto Sword Drawing."
Isamu unsheathed his sword with nearly unparalleled speed and cut the spirit down in one clean motion. Isamu's blade started at the things hip before traveling upwards towards the curses throat. The blade cut through its neck with ease before doing the same to its skull.
Suddenly and without warning, the black mist disappeared as the curse slowly started to disappear. Isamu sheathed his prized sword once more, turning away from the disintegrating body of the curse as he did.
Even then, Ismau's mind was still on other things. On other people to be specific.
——
"You're late." Maki said. She didn't say it accusingly however, more like she was simply stating a fact. Isamu just nodded in response towards his girlfriend who was laying on his couch with her feet kicked up on the arm. "Whatever, I do realize you 1st grade sorcerers are busy, especially in the summer." Maki added.
Summer was always busy for any grade of sorcerer but especially for 1st grades. This was due to the people feeling worse and more negative during the winter which in turn made more cursed spirits in the summer.
"Well, at least you're not too late, or I would've beaten you into the ground." Maki said coldly.
'Then you'd kiss my boo boo all better right?' Isamu responded with a few signs.
"Maybe if you begged me to, or commanded me to." Maki responded and Isamu didn't miss the innuendo. Isamu just rolled his eyes and smiled.
As for what exactly Isamu was late to, it was a date. Maki and Isamu always tried to set aside a day or two every month as date night. It was always hard, between their lessons and mission their schedules almost never alined.
"We should get going before it gets any worse out there." Maki said, referring to the rain storm which had begun during Ismau's drive home. Isamu had another idea.
'Why don't we just stay the night in. I've been on my feet all day and I'm sure you have too. Let's just relax and not try to deal with any of the stress of finding a place to eat or what to order or whatever. Let's just find something to watch or do and enjoy each other's company.' Isamu suggested.
Maki wasn't adverse to the idea and came around with little convincing. That was how Isamu ended up cuddling on the couch with the ice demon of jujutsu high watching some cheesy horror movie with bad reviews.
——
Maki walked towards the duo sitting on the steps of jujutsu highs main building. They were chanting about something, the only thing Maki could pick up was the girl complaining about the heat.
"Sheeesh, you're more moody than usual Megumi." Maki said having noticed Megumi's tired eyes and overall sad expression. "What is this, a funeral?" She added.
"Zen'in…" Megumi began to say before Maki interrupted him.
"Don't you dare call me by my last-" Maki began before she too was cut off.
"Maki." Came a hushed tone. "Maki!" This voice repeated after Maki didn't respond. Once he had gotten Maki's attention, Panda continued. "He really did die. It happened yesterday! A first year boy."
"Fish flakes." Toga said, also informing Maki of her rude behavior.
"You… are… a little… late." Maki said through gritted teeth. "Now I look like a cold-hearted ice demon!!" She yelled at them as she stomped over, spotting Isamu standing behind a nearby tree, looking on with a smile.
"Well, you pretty much are!" Panda yelled back.
"Tuna mayo." Toga butted in, trying and failing to stop the argument before it could form.
When he failed to do so, Isamu stepped in and put a hand on Maki's shoulder. Maki calmed down as Panda stopped yelling as well.
"Who are those people?" Nobara, one of the first years, asked Megumi.
"Our schools upper class-men." Megumi responded to his classmate. "That's Zen'in. Out of all the students here, she's the best at using cursed tools." He explained while pointing at Maki who was talking to Isamu.
"That's Inumaki Toga. He's a cursed speech user. The only words he says are rice ball fillings." Megumi continued, now motioning to Toga.
"Next to Zen'in is Inumaki Isamu. He and Toga are from the same clan but are distant cousins. He too is a cursed speech user but he doesn't say anything outside of when he's using a technique. He's also the highest graded, a 1st grade, student currently at jujutsu high. Out of all jujutsu high students, including the suspended third year and the overseas second year, I'd say he's the third or second strongest." Megumi explained while gesturing to Isamu who was busy conversing with Maki with a string of hand signs Nobara had no hope of understanding.
"And that's Panda." Megumi finished, pointing towards the walking and talking Panda. "Okkotsu isn't here, he's currently abroad but he's definitely the strongest student in any of the jujutsu schools in Japan." Megumi added.
"You gonna elaborate on the Panda? Or is he, you know, just a Panda." Nobara asked. Megumi did not respond.
"Sorry about this… especially during these sad times. But we want you guys to participate in the Kyoto sister-school goodwill event." Panda explained their propose for coming to meet them.
"Kyoto sister-school goodwill event?" Nobara asked.
"It's a goodwill event with the other jujutsu school in Kyoto. But isn't it usually second and third years who participate?" Megumi calmly explained to Nobara before turning to Maki to ask his question.
"That idiot third year is suspended right now, and with Yuta overseas, we're a few people short so you two are in." Maki explained.
"What do we do at the event? Smash bros?" Nobara asked panda.
"Over the two days the event lasts, each principal from each school will pick an activity for that day." Panda explained. "But that's oversimplifying it. Every year follows the same pattern- the first day is the team event and the second day it the individual event." Panda continued.
"Salmon." Toga added.
Isamu tuned out of the conversation after that except to hear their confirmation that they were in.
——
"So, your boss wants to reverse the roles of curses and humans in this world?" A robed monk said to seemingly no one while sitting in a booth location at the back corner of a coffee shop.
"Not quite." The cursed spirit sitting in front of him said. The curse had pale gray skin but the top of his head faded into a brown color where the volcanic opening was. He had a single cycloptic eye, two openings on the sides of his head that served as ears, and black teeth.
"Humans are made of lies." It began. "There's always a flip side to the positive emotions they value so much. But negative emotions such as hatred or killing intent… those are the pure emotions. Which makes the beings conjured by these emotions, cursed spirits like myself and my allies…" it trailed off.
"THE PUREST FORM OF LIFE! THE TRUE HUMANS!" He shouted while slamming a fist into the table while the lava it his volcano head began to boil. "The fake ones should be burned away." He finished menacingly.
The monk sat unfazed throughout the curse's impassioned speech. He kept a smile plastered on his face the entire time, the smile of a sales man, or a con man. "But the reality is, you'll be the ones to be burned away if you try to defeat the jujutsu sorcerers." The monk said without a shred of fear.
"That's why we're asking you for help in defeating the jujutsu sorcerers." The curse continued.
"Before the war can begin, you must meet two conditions." The monk with a scar running across his forehead said while sticking up two fingers. "First, you must render Saturo Gojo incapable of fighting. Second, you must get Ryomen Sukuna and Yuji Itadori on your side." The monk said, putting down each finger as he listed off the curses conditions for victory.
"Isn't Yuji Itadori dead?" The curse, Jogo, asked.
"Ohh? I wouldn't be so sure…"