CRESTFALLEN JOURNEY ; o.yuta

Girl of Steel.

First Years.
six — girl of steel.

"ITADORI YUJI IS MISSING A FEW UP HERE," Mika pointed a finger at her head. "He has no hesitation when it comes to killing these things that take the form of living creatures, albeit bizarre-looking ones, that try to kill him. And it's not like he's been familiar with curses for a long time like us, Prince. This is a boy who used to live a normal high school life. A guy who underwent a different upbringing from people like us."

"You've seen plenty of Jujutsu Sorcerers, even those with talent, give up in frustration because they couldn't conquer their fear or disgust, haven't you?" Megumi simply nodded at her.

"So today, Toru and I want to confirm how crazy Nobara is."

"But Kugisaki has experience." Megumi said. He remembered how Satoru told him that Nobara exorcised curses in the country side with her grandmother. "Little late for that now, isn't it?"

"Curses are born from human minds. So their strength and numbers grow in portions to the population. Do you think Nobara understands that curses in Tokyo are on a different level than those in the countryside?" Satoru asked this time.

"We're not sure if she has the strength to defeat curses here in Tokyo." Mika looked back at the building. "So this is a test specially made for her."

Meanwhile inside the building, Nobara watched as a cursed spirit took a boy as a hostage and pointed its sharp nails on his neck. 'It's taking him hostage? This curse has intelligence?!'

"When I say 'level', I don't just mean the amount of cursed energy they have." Satoru spoke again as he looked up at the building. "It's their cunningness."

"Monsters that have gained wisdom will often force cruel choices upon you with the weight of human lives in the balance." Mika added, and looked at Megumi. "Cursed spirits are like that, they will use every bit of your emotion and morals against you."

"Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it!" Nobara shouted, and looked up to glare at the cursed spirit who looked at her slyly. 'This curse isn't even all that strong! Grade three . . . maybe even lower, like a low grade four! But it's aware of that! That's why it chose to take a hostage.'

But a few minutes later. The cursed spirit was sent flying out of the building and it was falling towards the ground. "I'll exorcise it." Megumi said.

"Hold on." Satoru stopped him.

Nobara dropped a straw doll on the arm that Yuji had cut off from the cursed spirit earlier when he appeared to help her.

"A straw doll?" The hostage on Yuji's arm wondered.

"Creepy," Yuji commented.

Nobara took her hammer and raised one of the nails. "Straw Doll Technique: Resonance!" she hammered the nail to the straw doll and the three Sorcerers outside the building watched as the cursed spirit turned into dust.

"Nice." Satoru commented. "She's crazy, all right."

***

"Did you know I get into a foul mood when I'm hungry?" Nobara asked as she sat by the stairs with Yuji, while Megumi and Mika waved goodbye to the kid with Satoru.

'When are you not in a foul mood?' Yuji thought, giving her a side glance.

"Good joseph!" Satoru was in a livelier mood, as usual. Megumi and Mika stood beside him. "We made sure the kid got home. Now shall we go grab some food?"

"Steak!"

"Sushi!"

"Hamburger!"

"Leave it all to me!" Satoru was up to spoil his students. "And you, Megumi?"

They turned to the boy who was busy with his phone. "Okay, let's go." The five of them started walking, with Megumi and Mika at the back of the group.

"Oh, I forgot about my biggest haul of the day. Hey you, go fetch my things." Nobara was referring to her things inside the coin locker back at Harajuku.

"Huh? Why should I do it? I thought we were even." Yuji said.

"We won thanks to my cursed energy. Got a problem with that?"

"What about my raw strenght?"

"You're monstrous power from eating weird shit?"

"Not just that! Right, Fushiguro?" Yuji turned to Megumi who has been quiet the entire time. "What's the matter, Fushiguro?" he asked after seeing the look on the dark-haired male's face.

"Nothing," the boy replied.

"He's pouting because he didn't get to join in." Satoru and Mika said at the same time.

"What a child~" Nobara teased.

***

The sky was dark and cloudy, and light rain were pouring when the three first-years of Tokyo Tech stood in front of a Juvenile Detention Center. Beside them was one of the auxiliary managers, Ijichi.

"Our Window verified the curse womb three hours ago. Once 90 percent were successful evacuated, they made the call to seal off the center. Citizens within a 500-meter radius have been evacuated, as well."

"Ijichi-san, question." Yuji raised his hand. "What's a 'window' here?"

"A Window is a member of Jujutsu High who can see curses. They aren't sorcerers, though." Ijichi replied. "Let's continue. Detainee Block 2. At present, five detainees remain there with the curse womb. If this curse womb is the type that metaporphoses, we predict it will become a special-grade cursed spirit."

'Special-grade . . .' Megumi and Nobara were both focused.

"Hey so . . . I still don't really understand what 'special-grade' means." Yuji asked again.

"Then allow me to explain it so even idiots can understand." Ijichi took the liberty to explain since the other first-years didn't seem to want to.

"First, there's grade four. A wooden bat is enough for them. Grade three, if you have a handgun, you can rest easy. Grade two, it'll be a close call with a shotgun. Grade one, even a tank may be insufficient. Then there's special grade. Let's say you might be on even footing if you carpet bomb it with cluster bombs."

"That's real bad!" exclaimed Yuji.

"Normally a Jujutsu Sorcerer on par with the cursed spirit would take on the mission." Megumi said beside. "On a day like today, that would be Gojo-sensei or Mika."

"I see. So where is Gojo-sensei and Mika-senpai?"

"Away on a business with Mika."

"Huh?"

"They're not some people who should be loafing around at the school in the first place." Megumi reminded them.

"Don't expect any souvenirs," Satoru said when he was saying goodbye to Megumi a few days ago.

Mika was happily humming a song as she pulled her suitcase. "I'm going to meet him~"

"Unfortunately, we're constantly short-handed in this business." Ijichi told the first-years. "You'll often have to undertake missions beyond your power. The current case, however, is an abnormal one, and most urgent. Do not fight under any circumstances. If you encounter a special-grade, your options are to either run or die.

"Please just listen to your fears. Do not forget that your mission here is strictly the verification and rescue of survivors."

__________________ :)