Just then, a loud feminine voice pierced the air. "Hey! You! What about me?"
We turned to see a girl about our age, orange hair blazing and an athletic physique. She wore the same dark blue uniform as us, though hers was customized – cropped jacket, knee length skirt instead of pants. One hand was planted firmly on a nervous-looking older man's shoulder.
"...for that modeling gig. I'm asking what you think about me?" she pressed, oblivious to the scene she was causing.
The man gave a weak laugh. "Sorry, I-I'm in a hurry..." He tried to squirm away, but the girl's grip tightened.
"What the hell? Don't run away, tell me what you think!"
Itadori blinked. "Uh, she's the one we have to talk to? This is real embarrassing..."
Gojo called out, "Hey! We're over here!"
The girl whipped around, startled. As her eyes landed on our group, a flicker of recognition crossed her face. She released the poor man and stomped towards us, her cropped uniform jacket rippling with barely contained energy.
Nobara Kugisaki, huh?
Nobara's eyes swept over us, her lips curling into a smirk. "Nobara Kugisaki. You should be honored."
I raised an eyebrow. This girl had confidence in spades.
"Akuma Kantaro," I said, keeping my voice neutral.
Itadori bounced forward, grinning. "Yuji Itadori, from Sendai!"
Fushiguro barely moved. "Fushiguro," he muttered.
Nobara sighed, her shoulders sagging. "This is what I get to work with? Great. Just my luck." Her gaze lingered on me for a moment. "Although... it might not be so bad."
Itadori scratched his head. "Hey, uh... she took one look at us and sighed. That can't be good."
I shrugged. "Maybe she's just overwhelmed by our collective charm."
Fushiguro cut in. "Are we going somewhere or what?"
Gojo clapped his hands together. "I finally gathered my four students, and on top of that, half of them are from the countryside," he said, grinning like a kid in a candy store. "So of course, we'd go... sightseeing in Tokyo!"
Nobara's eyes lit up. "Now we're talking! I've been dying to check out Shibuya."
I glanced at Fushiguro, who looked like he'd rather be anywhere else. "Thrilling," he deadpanned.
As we started walking, I hung back, watching the others. Itadori was chattering away to Nobara, who alternated between looking interested and rolling her eyes. Fushiguro trudged along, hands in his pockets.
Nobara carried herself with the kind of confidence that either came from skill or delusion. Time would tell which it was. But there was something in the set of her jaw, the way her eyes darted around, taking everything in – she wasn't just here for fun.
We reached a busy intersection, neon signs flashing overhead. Gojo spread his arms wide. "Welcome to the heart of Tokyo, kids! First stop: Shibuya Crossing."
Nobara pushed past us, her eyes wide. "This is insane! Look at all these people!"
I stepped up beside her. "First time in the big city?"
She shot me a look. "Obviously. But don't think that makes me some country bumpkin."
I held up my hands. "Wouldn't dream of it."
The light changed, and we surged forward with the crowd. I kept my senses alert, scanning for any hint of cursed energy. Old habits die hard.
Gojo's voice snapped me back to reality. "Alright, kiddos. Pop quiz time!"
Fushiguro groaned. "Seriously?"
Gojo grinned. "Come on, it'll be fun! I want each of you to tell me what you see. And I don't just mean the obvious stuff. Use those jujutsu sorcerer senses of yours."
Itadori squinted. "Uh... lots of people? And cars?"
Nobara elbowed him. "He means look for cursed stuff, dummy."
I closed my eyes, reaching out with my senses. The city thrummed with energy, most of it mundane. But there, beneath the surface...
"There's a current," I said, opening my eyes. "Like an underground river of cursed energy. It's faint, but it's everywhere."
Gojo nodded approvingly. "Good catch, Kantaro. Anyone else?"
Fushiguro pointed to a building in the distance. "There. That skyscraper with the weird antenna. It's giving off a different kind of energy."
"Ooh, ooh!" Nobara waved her hand. "I see it too! It's like... sparkly? But in a creepy way."
I raised an eyebrow at her description, but she wasn't wrong. The building did have a strange aura about it.
Gojo clapped his hands together. "Not bad, not bad at all! You've all got good instincts. That building houses a powerful barrier, by the way. It's one of the many ways we keep Tokyo safe from major cursed outbreaks."
Itadori's eyes were wide. "Whoa. So there's stuff like that all over the city?"
"More than you'd think," Gojo said. "But that's a lesson for another day. Who's ready to go somewhere exciting?"
Thirty minutes of weaving through Tokyo's bustling streets later, we arrived at our destination. But it wasn't quite the neon wonderland I'd been envisioning. An abandoned building loomed before us, its crumbling facade shrouded in an unnatural stillness, casting a somber shadow over the vibrant cityscape. This doesn't look exciting
"Why are we at an abandoned building?"
I caught Gojo's smile out of the corner of my eye. Something about it made me uneasy.
Fushiguro broke his usual silence. "Ah, I know what's going on. There are curses here." A smirk flickered on his lips – a sight I never expected to see.
Itadori gasped, pointing an accusing finger at Gojo. "You liar!"
"Sensei, it's a cruel move to toy with country folk!" Nobara added, looking disdainfully at gojo.
Feigning ignorance, Gojo replied innocently, "What? This is Exciting!" He continued, "there's a big cemetery nearby. That, plus an abandoned building, practically guarantees a curse outbreak."
"So they pop up more around graves?" Itadori asked.
"It's not the cemetery itself," Fushiguro explained, "it's the fact people associate cemeteries with fear and uneasiness. Those negative emotions act like fuel for curses."
I think I get it. "So it's the same for schools, right?" I asked. "All those stories and rumors about ghosts and spirits lurking in classrooms..."
Nobara cut me off with a grimace. "Hold up, you guys don't even know that yet?"
Fushiguro deadpanned, "To be honest..." He gestured towards Itadori. "...he swallowed a special grade cursed object."
"Gross! That's so unsanitary and disgusting!" Nobara exclaimed, wrinkling her nose.
Gojo's voice sliced through our bickering. "Time for a field test. I want to see what you two can do." He pointed at Fushiguro and me. "You guys, sit this one out."
Fushiguro grunted, clearly not thrilled, but slumped onto a nearby bench. I shrugged and leaned against a graffitied wall. Might as well enjoy the show.
Itadori scratched his head. "Uh, sensei? I can't really use cursed energy yet. How am I supposed to fight?"
Gojo grinned. "You're basically half-curse already, kid. But I figured you'd need a little help." He whipped out a nasty-looking machete wrapped in dirty cloth.
Itadori's eyes went wide. "Whoa..."
"Meet 'Slaughter Demon,'" Gojo said, twirling the blade. "Cursed energy infused, perfect for slicing and dicing spirits."
"Thanks, sensei!" Itadori bowed, then grabbed the machete. He swung it around, nearly taking off Nobara's ponytail.
"Watch it, you idiot!" she yelped, ducking.
I smirked. This ought to be good.
Nobara planted her hands on her hips. "So, what do I get? Some badass cursed weapon too?"
Gojo shook his head. "Nope. You've got your own technique, right? Time to show it off."
She huffed, but I caught a glint in her eye. Girl was itching for a fight.
"Alright, kiddos," Gojo clapped his hands. "Your mission: clear this building of curses. Work together, don't die, and try to have fun!"
Itadori pumped his fist. "Let's do this!"
As they headed for the crumbling entrance, I called out, "Try not to get possessed!"
Nobara flipped me off without looking back.
I leaned against the wall, watching Itadori and Nobara disappear into the abandoned building. Part of me itched to follow, to earn some money against whatever lurked inside. But orders were orders.
"So what's the real reason you didn't let us participate?" Fushiguro asked Gojo, his voice tight with barely contained frustration.
Gojo tilted his head, considering. "Itadori... he's a little crazy, right?"
I snorted. "Yeah, he ate that cursed finger without a second thought."
"Right. But that's not quite what I meant." Gojo's usual playful tone vanished. "Curses don't hesitate. They're pure brutality. Most humans never learn that – fear gets in the way. But Itadori... he didn't flinch. Three days in this world, and he's already acting on instinct." His gaze shifted to Fushiguro. "Unlike some who've been training for years."
Fushiguro looked away, jaw clenched.
"I want to see if Nobara has that... recklessness," Gojo continued. "The kind that keeps you alive when logic says you should be dead."
I raised an eyebrow. "And me? Why am I sitting this one out?"
Gojo grinned. "You? This would be child's play. I've seen what you can do, Kantaro. A mission like this? You'd clear it in seconds."
"Fair enough."
Fushiguro's eyes narrowed. "How exactly did you see Kantaro's skills? He just got here."
Gojo's grin widened. "Now that's an interesting story..."
Before he could continue, a muffled explosion shook the building. I tensed, ready to spring into action.
"Relax," Gojo said, waving a hand. "They've got this. Probably."
I forced myself to settle back against the wall, but kept my senses alert. Whatever was happening in there, those two better not screw it up.