The Priestesses' Voice | a Jujutsu Kaisen fanfiction

09

Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical College, Tokyo, 2018

Noriko groaned, dropping her head back and staring up at the ceiling above her. The light was harsh and white... and it was already starting to give her a headache. Apart from the crisp clacks of keyboard keys, the room was silent. She began to swing her legs.

"What do you mean I can't go?"

"I just told you that you had heart arrhythmia and your main concern is not being allowed to go on an exorcism mission?" Shoko Ieiri scolded, glancing over her shoulder to the student - who nodded vigorously. "I'm talking along the lines of ventricular fibrillation - you do realise you could drop dead at any moment?"

The black-haired girl blinked for a second before shrugging nonchalantly. It wouldn't be 'any second', she mused internally, Shikishi would surely give her some kind of sign for when she'd begin to run out of time. She'd - or they - or whatever - had used the word 'cursed' and in her experience (which was a lot of romance/mystery novels), that usually meant there was something that could be done to break it. All she had to do was to figure out what it was.

Noriko sort of felt like one of those teenage detectives in some manga she'd picked up from the local convenience store and suppressed a squeal. Much more exciting than returning lost items and banishing minor curses amongst the shrine grounds - it was her first real big fish. The mystery of Shikishi's curse... perhaps if sorcery didn't work out for her she could always write a novel on it.

"Miss. Kamo!" The school doctor snapped her fingers in front of her students face, drawing her out of her thoughts. "Were you listening to me at all?"

She shook her head.

"Well, as I said, I've already tried Reverse Curse Technique and it's variations on you to no avail - which indicates that this something serious. From the looks of it, it could be Brugada syndrome, but I'll have to recommend you to the local hospital for an ECG. I've contacted a hospital in Kyoto for your mother's records as it's highly likely this could be hereditary." Elaborating, the doctor slumped in her chair, dropping the clipboard into her lap. "Please refrain from all strenuous activities, any excessive use of your cursed energy, and if you develop any of the following: shortness of breath, palpitations, dizziness, or a fever, please inform me. I'll prescribe you some antiarrhythmic medication to keep your pulse steady, however, if my theory is correct, you'll be moved onto Quinidine by the hospital."

Noriko buttoned up her white shirt again, peeling the sticky pads off her chest and watching the monitor beside her fall into a flatline. Pushing herself off the bed, she gathered up her items, pulling a lavender-coloured hoodie over her head and untangling her ponytails from within it. Ieiri scribbled something down on a scrap of paper before unlocking the top draw at her desk. Reaching for a bottle of pills, she jotted down a name on the cylinder before handing it to Noriko - who gave it a once over before chucking it in her schoolbag.

"Once a day, with a meal." The older woman instructed, giving the girl a steely look as she began to leave the infirmary. "And I'll arrange an appointment with the hospital for the ECG; Gojo will probably let you know when - he should be back tomorrow."

Noriko threw a lazy hand over her shoulder, turning down the relatively empty hall. Gojo was out on 'business' and so were her classmates, which meant there was no one exactly to keep tabs on her. She headed back to her dorm and began to shrug off her uniform once she was finally in her room. Pulling off her hoodie and shirt, she slipped on a baggy graphic t-shirt and began to unfurl the bandages that kept her long ponytails... well... contained. Noriko simply pulled her lose hair up into a high pony, smoothing out her bangs, and pulled on a short skirt.