"𝗕𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲, 𝗜'𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀."
Throughout her entire life, Iwakura Chihaya remained by Itadori Yuji's side. Despite being complete opposites, they had maintained a deep friendship for many years. As they entered high...
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"I'm here to see Itadori Wasuke," she stated in a strained voice, standing in front of the medical receptionist with dilated eyelids and dry mouth. The medical receptionist drew her brow, creating lines on her forehead with her lips slightly opened. She took a side glance at her colleague, who was sitting beside her eyes half closed before shifting her attention back to Chihaya.
"May I inquire about your relationship with him?" the medical receptionist asked, grabbing the phone before she dialled the phone number of Itadori Wasuke's room. Chihaya remained silent for a moment before responding to the question, "He's a... my family..."
—
Chihaya's voice shook as she said, "Grandpa..." She felt frozen, her body tense, and her eyes widened in disbelief.
"It can't be true, right? Yuji?" She looked at Yuji, who was clenching his fists and avoiding her gaze by staring at the floor, trying hard not to cry.
Before her lay the elderly man she loved, resting on a mortuary bed, lifeless. Fear washed over her like a heavy rain as she grabbed the edge of the bed, fell to her knees, and begged for him to respond, even though she knew deep down that he never would.
Yuji knelt behind her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and gently stroking her hair to comfort her.
—
Chihaya anxiously waited in the room as Yuji carefully signed the documents on behalf of his grandfather. Her heart and mind were still spinning from the shock of Itadori Wasuke's sudden death. Grief weighed so heavily on her that she felt utterly drained and immobilised, barely able to stand without Yuji's support. Though not related by blood, Wasuke had practically raised her alongside Yuji, taking care of her when her parents were too busy with work. Both of her grandparents had already passed away, making Wasuke's death feel even more personal.
Like Chihaya, Yuji was deeply devastated. Yet, he held on to the promise he made to his grandfather—to not cry, or else Wasuke would have been upset with him.
Suddenly, Chihaya noticed footsteps nearby, but she was too lost in her thoughts to focus on who was approaching. The footsteps faded and seemed to move toward the front desk, catching Yuji's attention instead.
"I'm Fushiguro from Jujutsu High. Sorry, but there's no time... The curse object you have is extremely dangerous. Hand it over right away."
"Cursed object?" Yuji asked.
"This. You have it, right?" Fushiguro pulled out his phone and showed an opened rectangular box that held the cursed object Fushigurou was referring to.
"Oh yeah! I found it. I don't really mind giving it, but my senpai have taken fondness to it. I'd at least like an explanation."
Fushiguro explained that over 10,000 deaths and disappearances in Japan each year are caused by curses fueled by negative emotions. Cursed objects, like the one Yuji found, act as talismans but eventually attract curses as their seals weaken. The one at their school was a dangerous special-grade item. When Yuji handed over the box, Fushiguro was startled to find it empty and demanded to know what had happened to its contents.
"Like I said! My senpai has it!" Yuji exclaimed.
"Where do they live?!"
"Not sure... somewhere over in Izumi District..." Yuji said before he went silent for a few seconds.
"What's wrong?"
"They mentioned something about peeling off the seal tonight at school." Yuji recalled.
Fushiguro had a frown on his face.
"What!? Is that bad?"
"Not just bad... They'll die!"
"Die... wait, are you joking?" Yuji inquired.
"I'm not! We need to go before it's too late."
"Wait— I just can't leave—" he glanced at Chihaya.
"No excuses! Come with me."
Before following Fushiguro's orders, Yuji approached Chihaya and explained the situation.
"Chi, I... I have to go for a while. Something serious is happening, and our seniors are in big trouble. They really need my help. You should head home... it's getting late. Your parents might start to worry—"
"I ran away."
"What?" Yuji asked, startled.
"I ran away," she repeated softly.
"Oh," Yuji muttered, unsure of what to say.
"We need to move, now!" Fushiguro called urgently.
"Chi, I really have to go—" Yuji began, his voice tense with panic.
Before he could leave, Chihaya grabbed his wrist.
"I'm coming with you," she insisted.
"It's too dangerous!" Yuji protested.
"I don't care. Let me come with you," Chihaya begged, tears welling up in her eyes. "You're all I have, Yuji. I can't bear to lose you too. I swear I won't do anything reckless. I'll help however I can, just... please, don't leave me."
"I don't even know what we're facing! If you come, you'll end up getting hurt!" Yuji warned.
"Even if I do, at least I'll know I was there to protect you and our seniors!" Chihaya insisted, her voice steady despite the tears.
"Itadori!" Fushiguro shouted again.
"Please, Yuji..." Chihaya whispered desperately.
After a moment of hesitation, Yuji squeezed his eyes shut in thought. "...Fine!" he relented, scooping Chihaya up into his arms. "Hang on tight, Chi. This is going to be one wild ride."
"I will..." she whispered back.
—
Hey everyone! I'm really sorry for keeping you all waiting. It's been a hectic year for me with a lot of responsibilities, and I've had to take on some extra work. I hope you enjoy this chapter! I'll upload the next one next week, so get ready! Thanks for your patience!
