"Jujutsu Kaisen: The Forgotten Clan"

Chapter 14: Next

"Way to stick it to Sir Shingo!" Satoru holds his left fist out. I smile and give his fist a light tap. The smile fades into a scowl while I turn my eyes to the door.

"What's the matter?"

"The way Sir Shingo brushed my question off does not sit right with me." I shove my hands in my pockets and shrug. There is nothing I can do about it now and should enjoy the evening.

After a quick celebration of our mission, my classmates and I retire to our rooms. I get ready for bed and fall asleep before eleven.

January 11th: 5:30 am

I pack up my bag and go to the hotel lobby for a morning cup of coffee hoping to have some alone time.

"Good morning." My head turns toward Suguru's melodic voice. "I thought I was the only early bird in our group until I saw you beat me to the punch. Mind if I join you?"

"Make yourself at home." I prop my left hand under my left temple and stare at my cup. A short sigh leaves my mouth.

"Long night?"

"You could say that."

I close my eyes, trying to block out the reoccurring nightmare involving Zyler. I open my left eye and look directly into Suguru's tomato-red face.

"My apologies, the wall looks nice." He looks at the table. "What made your night long?"

I smile and open my mouth, but nothing comes out. Suguru turns around to see what caught my tongue.

"You got sunburnt yesterday, Suguru?"

I take a deep inhale and a long exhale before picking up my coffee.

"Kindly refrain from bullying us, please. We were having a nice conversation."

"A nice conversation, eh? Come on, our chariots await."

Satoru pirouettes on his left foot, with his right arm waving freely. A small giggle escapes my lips making Suguru smile.

While fumbling for my keys, rotting flesh and rosewater hit my nose. I clutch my keys between my l right middle and pointer finger. My heart rate slowly rises as the front door opens. Nothing is in sight.

I keep my footsteps and breathing in check while heading for the bathroom. While focusing cursed energy on my occipital lobes, I close my eyes. There is no movement outside the bathroom door, the stairs leading up to my apartment are empty, but, the closet door in my room is ajar. I smile and brush my teeth.

Ten-Minutes Later

"If you attack, I will use this knife. Now sit down." I turn around to a grey-colored face with dead eyes. Her baby face is hallowing but, distinguishable. She looks at the blood by my elbow before walking to the front door.

I turn off the stove while placing the knife on the cutting board. My hand reaches for my neck, tracing the raised lines running between my jaw and neck. I gulp quietly while placing the blood by the door.

"Drink as much as you want. The food on the stove is for you too."

A wicked smirk forms on my face as I close the front door behind me. I look toward the street leading up to the apartment complex.

"Since the meeting did not go as planned, I will simply present Santa-Clara with this."

"What are you doing here, Zenin?"

"I should be asking you the same question Gojo. What is the curse manipulator doing here?"

"His name is Suguru. But someone like yourself can't be bothered to remember names. Right, Suguru?"