𝐄𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐

"Itadori Yuji, right?"

Itadori stopped talking with the cheerful receptionist, gazing at Megumi. Mika stuffed his hands in his pocket, fighting a yawn. "I'm Fushiguro from Jujutsu Tech."

"I'm Mika," he chirped, raising his hand and slipping it back in his pocket. "Can we have a word with you?"

Itadori blinked once before making his way over to them in the darker part of the lobby. He scratched the back of his head. "Uh, I'm in mourning right now."

"Sorry, but there isn't time," Megumi said curtly.

Mika nudged his partner's side. Megumi could be blunt a lot of times, but he was under a lot of pressure.

"You have a cursed object that's very dangerous," Mika said gently. He pulled up the picture on his phone. "Can you give it to us?"

"Oh yeah, yeah, I found that," Itadori exclaimed, recognizing the object. Mika sensed Itadori sat down on the back of the couch, almost nonchalantly. "I don't mind either way, but my senpai took a liking to it. What do you mean 'dangerous'?"

Mika opened his mouth to explain, but he was too slow. Megumi sighed and pulled out his own phone. "The number of unexplained deaths and missing persons within Japan exceeds 10,000 a year on average."

"What he's trying to say is most of those are because of curses, like the kind you picked up," Mika simplified. He knew Megumi was trying to act quickly, and so was he, but there was a chance Itadori may refuse to give them the object.

Mika gawked, dumbfounded, as Itadori laid down on the back of the couch like a lazy model. Was he really in mourning?

"I don't care if you believe in them or not," Megumi muttered, his brows furrowing with annoyance. "They're real. I'll go on."

He went on a spiel about how large pools of energy like schools, hospitals, etcetera held hardship, regret, shame. Those emotions were the sources of curses which was why most schools kept a cursed object as a talisman.

Placing a cursed object of greater evil is a deadly poison that keeps other curses away. But it was bad practice that only claimed to protect. Over the years, the seal weakened and it usually became bait to lure in and fatten other curses.

"The object you found is a dangerous one, classified as a special-grade," Megumi informed solemnly. "Hand it over before people start dying."

Mika heard footsteps and sensed Itadori getting up. He sensed no ill intent so Mika didn't bother taking his hands out of his pockets.

"Hey, I already said I didn't mind." He tossed the box and Megumi caught it. "So go tell it to my senpai."

Megumi opened the box, letting out a small shocked noise. "It's empty."

So we were following the taint, Mika realized. He grimaced. Things were about to get a lot more complicated.

Megumi gripped Itadori's shoulder tight to keep him from moving. Mika hurriedly intercepted before it could turn into something worse. Megumi wouldn't actually hurt an innocent person, but he wasn't sure about Itadori yet.

"Where's the contents, Itadori?" Mika asked seriously. He patted Megumi's arm, silently telling him to back off.

"I already told you," Itadori sighed exasperatedly. "My senpai...has...it."

"What?" Megumi and Mika leaned forward, seeing/feeling realization washed over Itadori. "What is it?"

"Actually, they were talking about removing the talisman from it tonight at the school."