A few months had passed since the night my old life was taken, it's been hard trying to sleep, every time I close my eyes all I can see is my friends getting cut in half. It's been getting better though thanks to Naofumi and Bobu, even Ms. Haru helps me with coping with it. I'm guessing they've all gone through something similar.
I'd even taken up fighting classes to try and hone my physical capabilities. Surprisingly Ms. Haru hasn't taught me anything combat-related, mostly it's been, Principal Brown. He taught me about fighting with weapons and hand-to-hand combat. He says I'm a fast learner and my cursed energy control is surprising for a starter. He says I'm comparable to a grade 3 sorcerer when it comes to that. Even Bobu and Naofumi join in on combat lessons and I even think they learn valuable information. Principal Brown is so wise and his strength is crazy, even without imbuing his palm with cursed energy he can thrust me all the way across a room.
"You've gotten so much stronger kid! I'm surprised you wanted to take these many classes, I assumed you just wanted Cursed Energy training." He tells me.
"Jujutsu is so new and challenging, I don't wanna stay complacent and risk not getting stronger," I say to Principal Brown. He smiles and dismisses me from class. I run over to the dorms, take a shower, and put on a T-shirt, baggy blue jeans, and high tops. I was going to go spend the day with Bobu he wanted a "team-building experience." I meet up with them; Bobu was wearing an orange hoodie, dark gray sweat pants, and running shoes. And Naofumi was wearing a white shirt with red typing on it, black jeans, and running shoes also, he was also wearing his hair in a ponytail.
We walk out of the campus and into Chinatown, Bobu was insisting that we go there of all places since he'd never been there. Naofumi didn't care, he didn't really want to go either. Haru had to stay on campus because of a teacher workday. Bobu and I had an amazing time we took lots of pictures and ate lots of food. Naofumi didn't seem to enjoy himself he didn't take any pictures or eat that much either. He walked away halfway through the day.
"I'm going back enjoy yourself guys." He said with his head hanging low. I look at Bobu who has an agitated look on his face while eating food.
"What's wrong with him?" I ask Bobu. He shrugs and swallows his food, he never lasts long with stuff like this." He says in an agitated tone. I wonder what he meant by that but I figured that he was already in a bad mood so I just let him be. I soon hear a sharp noise calling me in towards a crowd. An eruption of black wavy hair springs from the crowd. I rush over and I see a tall woman with black long hair that flowed like water. She opened her mouth and a melody swept through the crowd. She took notice that I wasn't affected by her song and she dashes toward me with her freakishly long nails and attempts to swipe my face. I jump up and roundhouse her face sending her spinning into a noodle stand. The civilians snap out of the curse and flee the scene. The water portal opens and drops the rusty harpoon down. I grab it and rush to the stand, she leaps from the rubble and her nails grow instantaneously and she clashes with the blade. Sparks fly from the clash and I imbue my foot with cursed energy and kick her into another shack this time she flew through the stand.
"Come out sweet babies!" She sings. The ground bubbles and hands grab my foot from below. She clasps her fingers together and shouts.
"Domain Expansion: Lullaby of La Llorona!" The ground becomes water and I'm pulled under. I stab the hands and they don't break. The water portal opens once more and the Banshee reveals her face, she screeches at La Llorona and she begins to hold her head as if she'd gone hysterical. The domain is broken, and the hands shatter and I appear back to flat land. A staff whacks her face and slams her to the ground. It was Bobu.
"I can't believe I got tricked into a low-level curse like that!" Bobu says angrily. He puts his hand in front of me.
"Let me exercise her, it's the least I can do for you." He says angrily.
"Cursed Technique: Weapon Arsenal- Raijin Blade" He shouts. The staff is consumed by electrical cursed energy and morphs into a katana with a tag attached to the hilt. He surrounds himself with electricity and flexes his legs.
"I haven't fully mastered this weapon completely, but you get to be the first to get exercised by it! TAKE PRIDE IN THAT BEFORE I SLAUGHTER YOU! He detaches the tag and throws it in front of La Llorona. He teleports instantaneously to the tag, he grabs it and he sways it aside moving his body alongside it, he steps down firmly and slashes her head clean off. An electrical current sprouts from her head instead of blood. His blade returns to the knuckle duster state and his cursed energy depletes instantly after the onslaught. He stumbles and I rush over to him and I grab him before he falls. He was out cold, that technique was something else, I didn't even see him move. I hear footsteps rushing over and Naofumi comes to an immediate stop.
"Why is his cursed energy gone?!" He asks angrily. I look at Bobu who was out cold and I put his arm around me and I lift him up.
"He defeated a curse and he used a weird electric ability?" I tell Naofumi. He looks so relieved, he notices that he's showing me what he's feeling and he quickly tries to cover it up. He walks over to us and grabs Bobu's other arm and we carry him all the way to the institute.
"Principal Brown!" I yell and he quickly turns around and a posse of teachers follow him outside. They carry Bobu into an infirmary. Principal Brown and Ms. Inumaki check on me and Naofumi. I explain to him what happened during the fight.
"Salmon Roe!" Ms. Inumaki says impressed. Principal Brown smiles and ruffles my head.
"I'm just glad it wasn't a special grade curse or even worse; Shinzo," He says relieved.
I visit the infirmary and Naofumi is also there sitting, waiting for Bobu. I join him, he gets a little startled.
"Hey, why did you leave during the hangout?" I ask him. He looks away and begins.
"I'm sorry. I'm trying not to get attached too much to this group." Naofumi responds.
"What do you mean, we're a team," I say to him. Bobu begins to awaken.
"I can't get close because all too often I meet these amazing strong people, who eventually meet someone stronger." He says almost crying.
"I can't keep doing this... Even now I'm going back on my promise to myself." Now fully sobbing.
"HOW CAN YOU DO IT! YOU WAKE UP AND ITS LIKE YOU DON'T EVEN CARE THAT YOUR FRIENDS DIE!" He says angrily. I'm not angry, he's hurting, who's one to tell him how to feel.
"I WAKE UP EVERY DAY AND I REMEMBER THEM DYING TENGEN! SAKI! AND KURA SENSEI!!" He continues. And I let him, he needed to let it all go.
"HOW!! HOw!! How!! how..." he finally winds down and sinks down from his chair. I walk over to him and embrace him.
"I think about them all of the time... I'll never forget... Nothing is promised, not even tomorrow... I'll always have survivor guilt and so will you. We should grieve together, I think it'll make it a little better, don't you?" I talk softly. Bobu embraces both of us.
"Naofumi, we're not going anywhere ok? Now that I know, none of us are dying now." Bobu reassures Naofumi. We all sit and grieve together from now on; we'll fight, grieve, and weep together all the same.