Your Life As A Tokyo Jujutsu High Background Student

Chapter 57 - Borrowed time

The conversation with Shoko had left you deeply shaken. You truly, seriously didn't need Sukuna fucking shit up right now. Which meant he would absolutely choose now to fuck everything up. That's just how the ancient bastard operated – his entire brand was essentially "How can I most efficiently ruin someone's life?" with a side of "Let's add some trauma for funsies." You pictured him, perched on his throne of bones, cackling gleefully while plotting your demise. It was a disturbingly accurate image.

Days crawled by, and even you could recognize the steady deterioration of your mental state. Hallucinations of Sukuna began to plague you. His deep, mocking voice. His cruel, chilling laughter. The phantom pressure of his arms around you. His promise. "Mine."

This morning, the bathroom mirror had decided to join the "Let's Fuck With Spices" party. Instead of your usual reflection – tired, disheveled, but generally human – you found yourself staring at Sukuna's twisted version of you. Ancient markings flowed across your skin, crimson eyes gleamed with malice, and a smile stretched far too wide across your face, showcasing fangs that definitely weren't standard human dental equipment.

Your heart did a triple backflip into your throat. Any lingering traces of sleepiness evaporated in a puff of pure panic. You stood frozen, staring at the reflection for a solid minute as your brain struggled to reboot.

Okay. This was fine. Everything was completely, totally, absolutely fine. Just your standard Tuesday morning mental breakdown. Nothing to worry about. Definitely not spiraling into full-blown psychosis. Nope.

Hallucinations weren't new territory for you. You'd been down this road before (several times, in fact). You knew the drill, had a laminated checklist and everything. Taking a deep breath, you reached for your toothbrush, determined to go about your morning routine as if nothing was amiss.

The hallucination of Sukuna sneered at you, its voice dripping with contempt. "Pathetic. Everything about you is pathetic."

You blinked, your toothbrush hovering inches from your mouth. Oh, great. Now it was talking to you. Just great. Fan-fucking-tastic. Not just a visual hallucination, but an auditory one, too. Your brain was really pulling out all the stops this time. It was going for the gold medal in mental gymnastics.

First rule of dealing with hallucinations: Don't engage. Don't acknowledge them, don't feed them, and definitely don't argue with them.

You turned away from the mirror and focused on brushing your teeth. It was remarkably effective. A meditative form of aggressive hygiene. Brush harder! Destroy the plaque! Exterminate those little germ bastards!

"You thought you could run away from me? From your fate?" The not-really-Sukuna pressed on, as annoying and persistent as the real Sukuna. "Foolish little pup."

Gritting your teeth, you turned back to the sink to rinse your mouth, pointedly avoiding even a glance at the mirror. You did not see the glowing eyes watching you, the smug curve of lips, the sharp glint of teeth. If you ignored the demon in your mirror hard enough, maybe it would get bored and go haunt someone else's bathroom. Maybe Todo's. He'd totally vibe.

Suddenly, an odd sensation in your nose caught your attention. A warm trickle, the metallic scent of iron. Frowning, you swiped the back of your hand across it, only to freeze when you looked down. Blood. Bright red and undeniably real. The room tilted as a wave of dizziness crashed over you. Because this morning needed more excitement. You sighed and pinched your nose, willing the nosebleed to stop.

Mirror-Sukuna erupted into evil laughter. "You're mine, pup, whether you like it or not. I always get what I want." The voice echoed around you, too loud, too close.