Megumi was invited by Yoshino Nagi to dinner with them.
Obviously, he will not refuse. He even helped with the cooking, pondering if he should buy [Faerie Feast] next, he feels like he doesn't buy enough lures for his girls.
The dinner and talk went surprisingly smoothly, even with Megumi casually flirting with Junpei's mom here and there. The three laughed, with him showing his goofy side a little, and not even once did he comment about Jujutsu.
Something Junpei is grateful for.
"I think I'm abusing your guy's hospitality, it's time to go." Megumi says after he helped with the dishes
"Aah, and I was thinking that you would have a sleepover." Nagi says
"Ma'am, don't tempt me." Megumi smiles "Is Yobai still a thing?" He asks with an innocent face at Junpei.
"No!" He quickly denies it while his mother laughs loudly again.
"Too bad... Anyway, I'm going... But I will be close." He says words with different meanings to the two of the Yoshino family.
To Nagi is simply another small flirt, but to Junpei, he is saying that the issue is still not over.
...
Well past Midnight, it is very dark in the Yoshino residence.
In the living room, Yoshino Nagi slowly wakes up from an alcohol-induced nap.
"Uhn~ Now I will not sleep till morning..." She stretched her arms until he noticed something strange on the table "A finger?" She says out loud, unaware of the danger behind her.
Just above her nape, the mouth of a curse hovers, slowly opening... Many hands reach for Nagi's body, some cold fingers finally touch her arms, shoulders, and neck.
"!!" Nagi received the scare of her life at that moment, turning so fast that almost caused a whiplash, she saw a huge gaping mouth ready to swallow her. She can clearly see the disgusting teeth, tongue, and even the strands of saliva being stretched by the motion.
But then she feels a pull back, she sees the huge mouth closing with a chomp exactly where she was before, that bite would be able to eat her Upper body.
"Don't go around killing the only real milf..." 'Don't get in the way of my wish-fulfillment life! The genre is different now!'
Nagi was surprised to hear the voice of Megumi, as she fell into his arms... A completely necessary move on his part, of course.
She is even more surprised when the shadows of the room suddenly appear to gain life and shoots at the monster, binding it tightly.
"Don't worry, it can't hurt you anymore." Megumi says while keeping Nagi close to his chest... A completely standard procedure when saving women, of course.
"Wha-what is that? What is happening?!" She stutters, still a little in shock. Surprisingly, Megumi's presence centered her nerves enough for her not to freak out.
"It's a long story... But first... JUNPEI, COME HERE!" He talks with her softly, still holding her, before shouting at the ceiling.
"Is Junpei involved with this in some way?"
"Smart."
"...you can let me go, you know?" Even she is starting to blush at this point.
"..."
....
And they're back at the table, but this time there's no merry talk.
"...and that's it." Megumi says with a blank face after explaining the gist of the situation.
Obviously, he didn't explain everything. He threw Junpei a little under the bus, saying that he was connected with a curse, but also threw a bone by saying he was being manipulated.
He also obviously put away the finger of Sukuna that was used to attract the curse. He would eat it, if he didn't remember that this finger in particular was the key to Kenjaku stealing the rest of the fingers in Jujutsu High. There's some sort of tracking technique on it.
'Whatever... I will treat it as an investment.' It will also look like he is somewhat obedient to the Higher-ups
"Junpei..." Nagi says in Shock "Are you involved with somethin- someone dangerous?"
"I.. I don't know."
"He really doesn't." Megumi helps "He is just a novice in this world that was strung along by someone far more experienced."
"But he should know better than to trust a killer!" Nagi rightfully snaps a little.
"..."
"..."
After the outburst, she grabs her forehead somewhat in pain, maybe.
"I don't believe Junpei-kun is a bad person." Megumi starts "He is kinda disconnected to the world, then he saw people dying and doesn't feel much... Because of that, he believed that he was evil and was swayed. That's what I think... Humans are easily led astray when they think they find a place to belong, or someone who finally understands them. Cults prey on people like this..."
"..."
"What now?" After a moment of silence, Nagi asks
"Well, I would appreciate it if Junpei-kun leads me to the curse, we can get to the bottom of the matter this way."
"..."
"...and after that, Junpei can enroll in Jujutsu High School."
"!"
"He can do that?"
"Why not, he already awakened, it will be for the better that he knows how to use it. The salary is good too... Well, it's a dangerous job though, but I think I can keep him safe for the most part." Megumi explains "If he is too weak, or does not want to fight, we can put him on other duties." Like with Ijichi.
Mother and son look at each other
"What do you think, Junpei?"
"I... don't know..."
"You don't need to worry about your antisocial ass, by the way. Everyone there is strange, and there are so few people. Like, in my class it's only me and another girl... It's more interesting than High School too. Not many boring classes."
"Well, I know for a fact that you rarely go to school nowadays." Nagi addresses her son "I didn't mind too much because I trust that you're a smart kid that can find your way in something beyond academics."
Junpei looks at his mother with a sentimental look.
"That's beautiful... A supportive mother, never met one..." Megumi comments emotionally, but he suddenly smiles brightly "Maybe this is your calling, Junpei-kun... Come! This is your Jujutsu Academia!" He extends his arm.
"..."
"...is this a My Hero Academia reference?"
"Yes, but seriously I think you would fit there, and it's not like you will be enslaved. You can quit anytime. It's the 21th century, you're not swearing your loyalty to a feudal lord or something."
"Hm, maybe... I can give it a try."
"Nice~ Now, I really want to meet that curse." Megumi smiles darkly
.......
- The Next day -
"The sewers, huh?" Megumi comments while looking around, walking behind Junpei with his hands in his pockets.
"It's only one of the places that I know... I'm not even sure if..."
"It's okay, it's good enough." Megumi reassures him "And don't worry, I will talk first..."
He can still feel the conflict and doubt in Junpei.
He understands that it's too much for the poor fella, he is at the center of a terrible situation without the full information.
For all he knows, Megumi could be the one who orchestrated the attack on his mother. He lacks the basic knowledge to make his own decisions... Hopefully, this meeting can shed some light on the issue.
Megumi convinced him that it would be in his best interests to have the other two parties meet so that he could see the whole picture better.
"It appears that we are lucky, Junpei-kun." Megumi finally smiles while looking ahead. His gaze appears to pierce the darkness and see everything "Someone reasonably strong is here." He really can't keep the smile off his face
He walks past Junpei and enters an open space in the sewers, he can see some smidgens of blood, body parts, a lot of flies... It's a disgusting place even considering where they are.
"Junpeeei~~ Did you bring a friend?" An overly familiar voice greets him from a high position, hidden by the shadows...
"..." Megumi's jaw slowly starts to fall. 'I forgot that something like that can happen...'
The figure slowly walks out of the shadows. A familiar figure to any Jujutsu Kaisen fan, with long and straight grey hair, heterochromatic eyes, pale skin filled with stitches, and wearing something similar to a poncho over the naked torso...
... but there's a twist!
[Image Here]
'With Kirara being a male even though he is a femboy, I let my guard down...' Megumi sighs while seeing Mahito.
A Mahito with breasts...
Paying attention he can spot the most feminine characteristics, even though he should look androgynous... The pouty lips, eyelashes, small waist, and curvy hips...
'Well, even better.' He adapts fast, showing a smile full of teeth.
"Hitomi-san, I-I have something to ask you!" Junpei says nervously.
'Hitomi? Shouldn't it be Mahiko? Oh, the Hito(Human in Japanese) is essential! Okay then...' Megumi thinks useless things
"Go ahead, Junpei-kun. Ask anything~" Hitomi says with a friendly smile.
Her attitude is one of an upbeat girl who is easy to approach, it's not hard to imagine how Junpei fell for her tricks easily.
"So you're being groomed, Junpei-kun. I'm jealous..." Megumi can't help but comment
"And this is?" Hitomi asks, still showing a friendly smile.
Her eyes narrow in two crescents that would appear cute to any other person, but Megumi can see that she simply hides a certain glint in her pupils.
'She knows me...'
"I'm just accompanying Junpei-kun here. As emotional support..."
"Oh really?"
"Yes..."
The two smile, even though sparks fly in the air.
"..."
The tension grows with silence, and Junpei appears to be afraid of knowing the truth... He can't bear himself to ask. Is Hitomi, someone who suddenly appears to understand him a little, just using him all the time?
"If he doesn't want to ask, I will do it... Like when the homie needs a wingman." Megumi gets tired of waiting
"Ara~"
'Don't ara~ me' "I will be direct... Are you the one that lured a curse to kill Junpei's mother?"
"Yep, you can say that." The Human Cursed doesn't even miss a beat. She confirms the horrendous act while still keeping the carefree smile on her face.
That only surprised Junpei, because to Megumi that is completely in Character with what he knows.
"Bu-but... W-why?" Junpei asks with a trembling voice and wide eyes.
"Curiosity. I was curious to see how you would react to her death while having the powers to do anything..." She raises her shoulders in a casual shrug "Isn't that a very human thing? Curiosity..."
"You... You..." Junpei is speechless
"Nothing personal, Junpei-kun~ Teehee~" She hits her own head "Can you forgive me? Your mother is alive after all~"
Megumi puts his arm in front of Junpei, stopping him from attacking Hitomi
"Let me deal with it..." He steps forward while making a handsign to summon a shikigami to protect Junpei as a precaution.
"Two sorcerers in two days, I'm so lucky~" Hitomi exclaims
"Oh, so you met Nanami..."
"Yesh, wanna know what I did with him?" The human curse provokes
"No." But Megumi shows no emotions on his face
"...so cold~ Are you not worried?"
"Nah... I'm working to keep everyone alive, but I'm not omnipotent or omniscient... If they die, they die." He says blandly "I can't babysit them forever."
It's something that he already made peace with... Even if he takes care of the events where some character would've died. The same characters can die in a random event later. It's a dangerous world and he can't put all the characters that he likes in a house and lock them there.
He is already prepared to lose some acquaintances in Shibuya. Not his girls, obviously...
"Heh~ Sukuna's host is really different..." Hitomi narrows her eyes, preparing for the battle.
"We are the same..." 'Pfft' "I also only do what I want, and feel good saving some people. Egoistically saving them to spare myself of negative emotions... I'm not a hero. Just a guy that does what is the most fun... Right, Hito-chan?" He ends his little speech with a predatory smile
"Ara~" Hitomi gives back the same type of smile. The two start walking at each other "Why didn't you eat Sukuna's finger then? If you do what you want..."
"As if I'm gonna eat something you guys 'gave' to me... The fact that you can feel it is proof enough that I was right." He lies
The two get closer and closer, Hitomi is a close-range fighter, so she has a reason to shorten the distance. Megumi has the confidence that he will not lose to anyone in a fistfight... and he needs to Stamp his new pet too.
*Tap*
When their feet touch the ground at the same time and they enter each other's range, the first exchange happens at lightning speeds.
Hitomi sweeps at him with her arm that turns into a blade. Megumi casually leans forward to dodge, he notices her other hand approaching his face, and despite the dangers he grabs it.
Darkness covers his arm, creating a dark gauntlet protecting him from her Technique, their fingers interlocking with each other. Megumi even pulls her close by the waist.
"I would advise you to not try to touch my soul... Sukuna, you know? He can get jealous..." He gives her a roguish smile from their faces inches apart "You're cute enough to pass the HotxCrazy test..."
"Is that so? Wanna kiss?" And her lips stretch to become a huge needle.
Megumi leans his head to the side to dodge, but at the same time, spikes are growing from all over his body to try to perforate him.
He moves a little away and at the same time uses his arm to pull and then spin her, disorienting the curse enough to him to give a palm strike on her back *Boom* sending her flying into a wall.
"Your first backshot..." He chuckles while watching her stand up from the debris that fell on her.
"You're strong... Exactly what I want!" Hitomi gives him a crazy smile
"If you're trying to use me as a sharpening tool... Good luck with that." He disappears from his spot, reappearing upon her, his fist already on her face *Boom* burying her in the wall. "At least react a little, Hito-chan."
The Human Curse's body liquefies, escaping him and from the hole in the wall, before reforming behind him, her hand growing claws of ridiculous size, each a foot in length.
"Predicta- Oh, grey nipples..." She lost her poncho thing, distracting Megumi for a moment.
But it's obviously not enough to land a clean hit, taking a page from her book, Megumi "slips" away by sinking to the ground in a pool of darkness... Reappearing behind her, the shadows coat his arm, creating something similar to what Hitomi changed her body into a moment ago and *swish* slashing her legs with it.
Credits to her, she changed her legs into an animalist form a little before the attack hit her and jumped away. But that was only enough to avoid the cut to be on her knee, not on her feet.
She falls to the ground some meters away, ready to heal her legs, but she feels a shadow looming over her body. Looking over her shoulder she sees Megumi looking down at her with a mysterious smile.
"Where you go, I go~" He sings a little *Boom* Before punching her on the torso, giving her a second backshot, creating spider-web-like cracks around the impact.
He keeps his fist pressed against her back, only he knows that the Stamp is between his fingers... 3 seconds later... Success. He can let her escape now.
Hitomi's back starts contorting like something is beneath it, before her back turns into a lot of snakes that immediately try to bite Megumi's arm.
"Nasty..." He dodges, moving away.
"I can feel it..." Hitomi murmurs
"?" 'The Stamp?'
"I can feel that I'm close to something..." She continues while slowly standing up.
"..." Megumi's eyes get a little serious, he re-checks where Junpei is, to protect him from her possible Domain Expansion.
He also thinks if he should let her Domain hit him so that Sukuna can have some fun... Maybe he can test his own, and participate in his first battles of domains.
'I don't think she can push me enough to use that but this can help me solidify a little...' He considers, his hands inching closer to each other.
"BUT YOU'RE TOO SCARY!" She suddenly shouts and divides herself into a hundred different animals. Birds, rats, fishes...
"!" Megumi almost laughs at seeing her choose the best course of action, she is not the type that would sacrifice her life for progress... Mahito... Hitomi is a bully who preys on the weak.
Megumi makes a show of sweeping his hand with a lot of cursed energy and destroying a good half of the animals, but in the end, he lets her go...
"...well, that's it for today."
....
- Megumi P.O.V. -
"So you're alive, Nanami-san..." I say over the phone.
"Yes, it ended up in a draw and we two survived." He answers over the phone "You also met the curse, right?"
"Yeah..."
- Mahito(T6) (Jujutsu Kaisen) – 70:58:41
"...She escaped too. She can divide herself into countless small animals. I couldn't kill all of them." I lie
"That's worrying... She couldn't do it when I fought her."
"She is learning... But if she lost more than half of her body, she would probably go into hiding. So the mission was a flop, we only got information."
"That's plenty. When she reappears, you or Gojo can eliminate her for real."
What a nice guy Nanami is, but please don't... I have the perfect pet now. Kenjaku will have to find another curse to sacrifice and activate the Culling Game.
I'm not giving my Hito-chan to anyone.
"By the way, Nanami-san... I recommend you to not go after the curse. I think she can use Domain Expansion now..." I warn "So unless you somehow learn your own Domain or Amplification, you'll die."
"..."
"Well, bye for now... I need to talk to Gojo about enrolling Junpei-kun." I hang up.
I pause... Why doesn't Nanami know Simple Domain again? Not talent for that? Focus on his Innate Technique? Jujutsu Society hoarding knowledge? Couldn't Gojo demonstrate? Oh yeah, she is a horrible teacher...
I went through some pictures on my phone, I found what I was searching for, and sent it to Nanamin.
It's a schematic and explanation on how to make a Simple Domain.
"It's not because I can't babysit that I can't help indirectly a little more..." I put away my phone "It's his Fate on the wheel now. For Malaysia Nanamin, for Malaysia."
.....
Back to Jujutsu High, I walk with Junpei at my side.
"The uniform fits you well, because you're an emo kid." I joke
"Aren't you the same?" Oho, he is shooting back
"I'm cool and mysterious."
It was easier than I thought to enroll him... Well, maybe I shouldn't have expected any difficulty, after all, Gojo enrolled Yuta and Yuji. What is a little boy that was tricked by some Curse compared to those problem children?
"Fushiguro-kun... I..." He starts
"If you're gonna thank me or apologize, making the mood strange don't bother..." I interrupt him "You will kill my vibe."
I'm here to have a fun adventure, beating people up and collecting sexy babes. No time for mushy-mushy moments with dudes...
"Just don't waste your life and we're good." Imagine him dying after all the effort that I put into this.
"...okay." He looks at me for a moment before laughing
"But don't worry if something happens to you I will take care of your Mother ~"
"Dude! Another reason for me to not die!"
"That's the spirit!" I can always give another child to Nagi-san...
We finally reach the field where the students are training, we arrive just in time to see Nobara being tossed around.
"..." Junpei's mouth is a little open, well I guess seeing a Panda spinning around before throwing a JK is weird even to Jujutsu standards.
We are not being discreet so we're noticed quickly.
"Megumi, you're back." Mai greets me. The others waved their hands and got closer.
"Where have you been, Fuckerguro?! I need to go buy some training clothes!" The ever-pleasant Nobara shouts angrily
"Hm? Just go then..."
"You promised to carry my things!"
I bet she will buy much more than just training clothes.
"Whatever, let me introduce the new student... This is Yoshino Junpei, a recently awakened Jujutsu Sorcerer. I met him on my last mission..." I gesticulate at him.
Then I make the introductions from the other side.
"...and this is Panda."
"Hi."
"...aren't you leaving something out?" He turns to me unsure
"Ah, there's another second-year that's away, and the Third-years are suspended." I add, completely ignoring the Panda in the room.
Look, even Nobara is not saying anything, she is already in on the joke.
"New student, huh? Can he participate in the Goodwill Event?" Maki asks a bat on her shoulder, acting like a sergeant.
"No way in hell." I deny it quickly. Waving my hand in front of my face "Too weak..."
Wait... I am acting like Gojo now...
"Look at those bean sprout arms. If he runs a lap he will probably puke" I grab Junpei to show his sorry state "He has a technique, but his foundation is trash."
"Hey." Junpei tries to protest me manhandling him, or maybe it's how I'm roasting him?
"Too bad then. Enter in the field novice! We're gonna put you in shape." Maki says like a spartan, scaring Junpei.
As much as it would be funny to see, I need to protect my boy.
"Let him start tomorrow, he needs to acclimate himself." I stop her
"Whatever then..." She gives up easily
"And how did you meet him on the mission?" Mai asks perceptively, to meet him on the mission, it means an interesting story at least.
But that is personal, don't worry Junpei... I got you.
"His mother is hot." I say instead
"Dude!"
"Really?" Mai brows
"You really are into older women, huh?" Maki's eyes narrow at me. Wait... She is right. Even if for only one year, they are all older... With the exception of Nobara now.
"I only work with proof! Let me see pictures!" Nobara?!
"Here." I just show them a selfie I took with Nagi-san
"When did you take this picture?" Junpei asks in shock
"When she gave me her number..." I say to his horror "To keep an eye on you and all that..." As if, I will try for noods!
Everyone gets closer to look at her picture
"Oh~ Not bad."
"Salmon."
"She is young to be a mother..."
"A Milf, huh?"
"I don't understand human beauty standards."
"..." Junpei is still in shock. Poor guy, imagine having a hot mom...
After that, everyone made fun of him a little, good-naturedly of course. Just to put him in the group. It's kinda part of the process, if you take some bullying and be cool with it, you are in.
I observe the scene, they are laughing, Panda's arm around Junpei's shoulder...
That's nice. That's how Jujutsu Kaisen should be. A good school shonen manga... I did it. My first Victory against Gege.
I already made some positive changes to the world... Megumi 1 x Itadori 0.
And I'm feeling surprisingly nice, who would have predicted that?
Maybe I'm a good person deep down?... Pfft, nah.
Next step, Stamp Hanami, and let Mahito steal the fingers... And seduce Nobara and the Kyoto girls that are coming.
Ah yes, I gave away the finger that was a beacon, and surprisingly I discovered that they found another finger somewhere.
So Kenny created a backup in case of me eating the finger... Or maybe that finger has something extra to fuck me up? Like a tracker...
I'm glad I didn't eat it then. Next time that I find a finger, I will try to "cleanse" it before eating. Lesson learned~
.....
???
"So it's 2-nil to the sorcerers, huh?" A female monk comments while looking at the recovering Hitomi
The scenario is a beautiful beach, Hitomi is lying on a chair under a parasol with a tired expression.
"But didn't you run away too fast?" The monk asks
"If I didn't I would have died..." Hitomi breathes loudly "I was close, so close to death... I felt the inspiration! I could see myself opening my Domain... But I couldn't see myself winning." She says with a distant look
"Oh~?"
"Fushiguro Megumi is scary... There's something about him..."
"...Sukuna?"
"I don't know..." Hitomi shakes her head "I can have a good idea of someone's soul, the closer the better, we touched even though I couldn't use my hands... It was deep... Very deep... Dark Ocean Floor deep..." She tries to describe "I couldn't even reach Sukuna... Too deep..."
"..." The female monk narrows her eyes
"And he didn't even use a shikigami..." She suddenly throws a tantrum
"You're lucky, I heard he can't use his strongest one right now."
Hitomi gulps, the bad feeling doesn't go away... She felt like Megumi was playing with her. She was weaker(for now), running away should be considered a victory...
'But why do I feel like he won in some way? Is this pride?' The feeling of incongruence doesn't go away. The way he looked at her was strange, and his gaze shifted mid-fight too.
She shakes her head, next time she will wipe this feeling away... She can feel herself growing stronger, she is not at her limit. That fight helped her, getting so close to such overwhelming force...
"And the finger?" Hitomi asks to occupy herself
"Apparently he didn't eat it, the other one was wasted..." The female monk shrugs "We will take them back anyway..."
"Too bad he didn't eat it.
"Yeah, at this point in time, the little trick will have no effect. It's like we supercharged the finger to try to disrupt him, so with time it will lose the charge/effect and go back to normal."
"How in hell did you find Sukuna's blood to make that ritual to 'resurrect' the finger anyway? It was almost alive." Hitomi felt the piece of the soul pulsing inside the finger.
"..." The monk plays clueless, making a silly face with her tongue out while she looks away "Just a side project of mine."
"..." Hitomi narrows her eyes, she doesn't trust this human.
"Recover well... All of this only proved that we need Sukuna... And if he takes Fushiguro Megumi's body, we've practically won."
"..."
"Next time, instead of going alone, let's work together, okay~" She smiles cutely