First Mission

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"Where are we going?"

It has been several days since Gojo "blackmailed" me into joining this school, and not much has happened since then

As I'm still a minor, Gojo has become my legal guardian until I reach adulthood. While it's not the most pleasant feeling, having him as my guardian does come with its benefits.

He hails from one of the three great sorcerer clans of the jujutsu world, the Gojo Clan. This lineage boasts a prestigious history spanning over a millennium, dating back to the Heian Era. Alongside the Zenin and Kamo clans, his lineage grants him significant political standing within the jujutsu community.

In simpler terms, he's wealthy.

As my guardian, he is responsible for all aspects of my life, including providing for my physical, emotional, and financial needs until I reach adulthood. This means that, for now, I don't have to worry about money for another two years.

"We're going to meet with the principal" Gojo answered

"We have a principal?" I exclaimed, genuinely surprised.

"Do you really think that we are a shady organization disguised as a school?" Gojo chuckled.

"With the way you recruited me, I would probably say yes,"

"Fair enough. Ah, we're here," Gojo announced as we arrived at our destination.

The sight of large double doors greeted us as we approached. Again, the layout of this school didn't match the atmosphere of a typical school; it was more like a temple.

But since this was no ordinary school, I ignored the oddity.

As the double doors creaked open, Gojo and I stepped into the room.

The room was spacious, reminding me of a temple room, albeit without statues.

Inside sat a man. Tall, with a stocky build and tan skin.

For a headmaster, he exuded an intimidating aura, though that impression was shattered by the colorful dolls that surrounded him.

"You're late, Satoru," the man said, addressing Gojo. "You really need to work on that habit of yours."

"Well, you're just playing with dolls over there. You're not doing much either, so cut me some slack," Gojo retorted.

"That's Principal Yaga Masamichi," Gojo introduced, nodding towards the man.

"Sigh...Enough, is she the one?"

"I heard from panda that you took her directly from the hospital, you know that consider kidnaping right?"

"It's not kiddnaping if she gives her consent, but seriously though I will be the one who will take care of her, in fact I will be her guardian until she reaches adulthood."

"Fine, as long as you take good care of her," the principal conceded, his expression softening slightly. "Now then," he continued, rising from his seat.

"As you heard, I'm Yaga Masamichi, the principal of this school."

"I'm Ryougi Shiki," I introduced myself

"What brings you here?" Principal Yaga asked, his gaze piercing yet not unkind.

"To learn about curses,"

"But why Jujutsu Tech?" he probed further, instead of an interview, its more like interogation.

"You tell me. He brought me here," I said, nodding towards Gojo

"I mean, aside from that. What do you hope to achieve after studying curses and learning how to exorcise them?" he continued to inquire, his tone inviting deeper introspection.

"I heard you search for a certain cursed spirit. what if he was exorcized somewhere without you knowing? What do you do then?"

"..."

The room fell silent as Principal Yaga asked me.

The question lingered heavily in the air. What do I do?

My sole driving motivation at this moment is to find that man. Gojo mentioned that the cursed spirit that attacked my family is likely a special-grade cursed spirit, meaning they're not easily exorcised.

But what if that scenario becomes a reality?

What do I do?

Yaga suddenly make a gestrue and brought one of his puppets to life, the doll moving with an eerie resemblance to a normal person.

"Grrrr," the doll growled menacingly, its movements unsettlingly natural.

"They weren't dolls?" I exclaimed in surprise, taken aback by the revelation.

"Cursed corpses. They're dolls, infused with my curse," Yaga explained calmly, his demeanor unfazed by the sudden animation of his creations.

Without warning, the cursed puppet flew towards me with surprising speed, intent on attacking.

Reacting swiftly, I raised my arm to block the incoming attack, the impact sending a jolt of force through my body. Despite being a doll, its attack was heavy.

With a quick and decisive movement, I delivered a powerful punch to the doll's face, sending it flying across the room.

But to my surprise, the doll remained intact, it seemed that blunt attacks were futile against these puppets.

"A jujutsu sorcerer is constantly facing death, and not just their own death. Sometimes you must ignore those murdered by a curse to rend the flesh from it."

"It's not easy to imagine how you'll feel on the verge of death."

"Regret for the lives lost, for the innocents caught in the crossfire of curses, for the choices we've made, for the paths we've walked. Jujutsu sorcerers never die without regret."

Undeterred, the doll flew towards me once more, its movements relentless.

Realizing that brute force wouldn't be effective, I shifted tactics. As the doll approached, I waited until the last moment before reaching out and seizing it by the head with a firm grip.

With a swift motion, I tore the doll apart, ripping it limb from limb with ease. Despite its heavy attack, its was still a doll.

As I pondered Yaga's words, everything began to click into place. I don't remember much about my life, but I've even experienced dying once, so death isn't entirely foreign to me. If my journey is filled with regret, then so be it.

"There isn't anyone who doesn't feel regret. It's just a matter of conviction," I said, my gaze steady as i stared back at him.

"If you live your life as a sorcerer, that means you're ready to be killed, right? You shouldn't complain and regret being killed yourself."

"If I don't hold any regret in my choice, that means I must've made the right decision."

"I'm prepared for it all. Even if my chest hurts, even if I'm ripped apart, I won't let myself taste any regret."

"If I'm going to end up regretting it either way, then it'll still feel better to try and regret, than regret not trying at all."

As the pieces of the doll fell to the ground, Yaga's stern expression shifted into a satisfied grin.

"You pass," he declared, his voice resonating with a mix of authority and warmth. "Welcome to Tokyo Jujutsu High."

.

.

.

.

.

Three months has passed since I joined this school.

I have pretty much learned the basic of cursed technique and cursed energy. Gojo taught me about the basic.

I later discovered that he's hailed as the strongest Jujutsu Sorcerer in the modern era, thanks to his innate cursed technique called "Limitless." This ability grants him unparalleled control over space through manipulation of cursed energy at an atomic level.

Ordinarily, manipulating cursed energy at an atomic level is deemed nearly impossible. However, he possesses a unique eye, akin to mine, called the "Six Eyes." These eyes possess extraordinary properties—they can perceive the flow of cursed energy in extreme detail, and the ability to use that flow to read cursed techniques.

The eyes also allow for ultra-precise control over the user's cursed energy, which is indispensable for properly utilizing the Limitless technique.

The Six Eyes come with a drawback: they're a passive trait that Gojo cannot deactivate.

Leaving the Six Eyes uncovered for extended periods of time can fatigue the bearer.

To mitigate this, he often covers his eyes with a blindfold or glasses. But even with his eyes covered, he can still read the flow of cursed energy in his surroundings.

This unique ability enables him to detect objects that lack of cursed energy, allowing him to navigate his environment effortlessly even with his eyes closed

Unlike my eye, the Six Eyes had a previous bearer within the Gojo clan, leading to a wealth of records and knowledge regarding its intricacies. The clan's deep understanding of the Six Eyes grants them extensive insight into both its advantages and drawbacks.

The only downside for my eyes is that they cannot be deactivated. While they won't fatigue me per se, constantly seeing these "lines" can be bothersome.

While I'm not entirely sure of the true meaning of these " lines", for now, I think of them as weaknesses-something inherent to all things. However, I can't shake the feeling that they represent something deeper, something more than just weakness.

Feeling overwhelmed by the constant barrage of visuals, I sought a compromise. For the past three months, I struggled to ignore the lines, grappling with ways to cope with the flood of sensory input.

After a great difficult, I found a little trick to bypass the eye ability at will, I tried shifted my eyes focal point, making a subtle adjustment that gave me a momentary break from the constant lines.

it's more like looking past the outer surface and looking further inward and overlooking everthing else. Altough it was a little difficult to maintained this kind of new way of looking, but for a short while, I managed to move around without feeling overwhelmed by my supernatural perception.

For Several hours a day I kept at it, going through the motions over and over until I got used to this new way of seeing.

I would practice this daily for three months until it became as natural as breathing.

In between times, I've also been focused on is training in combat. Unlike other sorcerers, I don't have cursed energy, so there is no point for me in learning about cursed energy.

Under Gojo's tutelage, I've learned the basics of hand-to-hand combat and a variety of weaponry. However, I can't shake the feeling that Gojo used this as an excuse to avoid exorcism missions unless they involve special-grade curses or pose an imminent threat. But I digress.

Through extensive training and practice, I tried to improve my familiarity with a wide range of weapons, since my fighting style will be based around using weapons to substitute for jujutsu. However, among them all, I found that I particularly enjoyed wielding the sword.

Swish!

Currently, I was sparring against Zenin Maki, a member of the Zenin clan. She was somewhat of an outcast within her own family.

Like me, she had a heavenly restriction, but hers only made her cursed energy below average, unlike mine, which left me completely devoid of it.

Maki held a wooden spear, and I had a wooden sword, my choice for this training match. It had been a few minutes since we started.

Maki moved quickly and precisely, aiming her spear with deadly accuracy. She thrust the spear towards my ribs, but I shifted my weight and twisted to avoid it. The log slammed into my side.

I countered swiftly, closing the gap between us and delivering a powerful kick to Maki's midsection. My foot hit her stomach with a satisfying sound.

Thud!

We traded blows, our wooden weapons clashing loudly. With each clash, I focused on studying Maki's movements, searching for any weaknesses to exploit.

Pak!

Pak!

Pak!

Physically, I was stronger than her, but Maki had the advantage in skill. So, I relied on my speed to find openings. I anticipated her next move and used my agility to dodge her strikes, moving quickly to stay ahead. Every feint and jab she made was met with a dodge or block from me.

As Maki thrust forward, I sidestepped her attack and used her momentum against her. With a quick turn, I closed the distance between us.

Swish!

With a burst of speed, I aimed my wooden sword towards Maki's neck, stopping just short of touching her skin.

"Looks like I win," I remarked, a smirk playing at the corners of my lips.

Maki responded with a curt "Hmph," her expression unreadable as she begrudgingly accepted defeat. I couldn't help but notice a flicker of annoyance in her eyes.

What a grumpy woman, I thought to myself, amused by her response.

Yuta! Come here!" Maki called out, her voice echoing across the training ground.

Poor boy, it looks like it's going to be a one-sided beating. My condolences.

Turning away from the scene, I walked to where Panda and Inumaki were.

"It's impressive, Shiki. It's only been three months, but you've already managed to take a win from Maki," Panda added. "But don't take her the wrong way, She's just not great at handling people with that kind of personality"

"Salmon," Inumaki chimed in.

I still didn't understand how his vocabulary worked, I think it was his unique way of expressing approval, but I appreciated the sentiment nonetheless.

"But are you really okay living like this?" Panda's question out of nowhere.

"What do you mean?" I inquired, prompting me to tilt my head in confusion.

"It's none of my business, but think about your recent lifestyle. Sleep, wake up, train, eat, train... Isn't this a completely voluntary hermit lifestyle?" Panda pointed out

Well, if you say that it's a hermit life, I can't argue with that, but the word voluntary is important here.

When you think about it, my lifestyle here is like a student without any academic pressure? It feels like everyone around me is cheering even if I don't study and only purse my hobbbies.

Besides, swordmanship training was fun. She was able to progress quickly as she continuosly trained. She didn't know how long would this peaceful life would last, however, since she was given the free time to solely focus on swordmanship, it might be good to use it to the fullest.

Shiki thought so, but most people seemed to think differently.

"Hey, Hey Everyone!" Gojo came out of nowhere "How's it going?"

We watched as Yuta and Maki continued their sparring session. With each strike and parry, it became evident that Yuta's training had indeed paid off. His movements were more confident and his reactions were quicker.

"It's been three months since Yuta came to Jujutsu High. His movements have gotten a lot better." Panda remarked, noting Yuta's progress with a hint of satisfaction.

"Salmon."

"His personality is more positive now, too," Gojo added

"Really?" He's still the same little meek in my eyes. However, there's indeed a newfound determination in his eyes that couldn't be ignored.

"Salmon roe,"

"Maki looks like she's having fun, too. Before now, she didn't get to spar much with a fellow weapon—"

"Hmm?" I turned to Panda, sensing a shift in his expression. His serious demeanor caught my attention.

"Yuta! Hey, come here! Come on!" Suddenly, Panda called out to Yuta, interrupting their sparring session.

"Huh?" Yuta halted, turning to face Panda's call. "What's up, Panda-kun?"

"A super important discussion! Listen closely!" Panda whispered to Yuta; their conversation barely audibles from where I stood.

"Do you prefer big boobs or small boobs?" Panda's question was unexpected.

"Right now?!" Yuta's response was filled with embarrassment. "I've never really given it much thought... But I suppose I prefer them somewhat big?" Yuta admitted, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"Oh-ho?" Panda's reaction was mischievous, and he exchanged a knowing glance with me before turning his attention back to Maki.

For some reason, Panda's pitying smile irritated me, I was slighty annoyed.

"Maki!" Panda's voice rang out, drawing her attention.

"Huh?" Maki turned towards him, a puzzled expression on her face.

"You have a chance!" Panda exclaimed, making exaggerated love signs with his hands.

"What crazy idea are you thinking? I'll kill you!"

As they bantered back and forth, I approached Panda slowly, deliberately muffling the sound of my footsteps with each step.

Once I was behind him, I swiftly pulled his leg, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the ground with a loud thud. Seizing the opportunity, I lifted him up and hurled him in Maki's direction.

"Good job, Shiki."

Maki and I exchanged a glance before pummeling Panda to the ground with punches and kicks. Despite his protests, we just ignored it.

"Okay, Okay, gather round!" Gojo called out, commanding everyone's attention.

He then turned towards us, beckoning me over while addressing Maki and Panda,

"Maki and Panda, continue your training. Shiki, come here."

"Toge, you've been requested. It's a curse you're perfect for, go exorcise it quickly," Gojo instructed.

"Salmon," Inumaki responded.

"Requested?"

"Toge's the only 2nd grade sorcerer among us first-years. He's allowed to take missions on his own," Panda explained, shedding light on the situation.

"Wow, that's impressive," Yuta remarked, clearly impressed by Toge's capabilities.

"You go with him, Yuta. You'll be Toge's support," Gojo directed, assigning Yuta his role in the mission.

"Huh? Support?"

"Well, more like an observer, really," Gojo clarified, providing further context.

"What about me?" I asked.

"You and I are going together for a different mission," Gojo replied, Smiling slightly.

============

Gojo and Shiki sat side by side in the car, the engine humming softly as they navigated through the city streets.

Their destination was an abandoned mental hospital, a designated location for their mission. It was Shiki's first mission since she joined the school, so she didn't quite know what to expect.

"This is your first solo mission, so I'm going to give you a little briefing," Gojo spoke up, breaking the silence. "We're heading to a hospital where a curse has been conjured, and several poor teenagers have become trapped there."

"So, are you saying that they've been kidnapped by a curse?"

"Well, more or less like that,"

"We're here to exorcise the curse and save them, or if they're dead, retrieve them," he explained.

"Sounds simple enough," Shiki replied monotonously.

"..."

Gojo looked at Shiki silently, his expression undreadable.

"Ah, we've arrived," Gojo announced as they pulled up in front of the abandoned building.

The sight before them was eerie; the building appeared to have been abandoned for a long time, with vegetation growing in the cracks of the walls.

Gojo then began to chant an incantation,

"Emerge from darkness,

blacker than darkness.

Purify that which is impure."

And a dark, almost liquid-like substance dripped down from the sky to form a barrier wall in the shape of a half-sphere. The sky around them darkened as the barrier took effect.

"What is this?" Shiki asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"It's a veil," Gojo explained.

"It's a barrier that will smoke out the curse and keep you from being seen by those outside."

Shiki nodded, taking in the information.

"It does prevent non-sorcerers from being able to see any jujutsu or cursed spirit activity inside though."

"Although it's useless to you, since the veil doesn't work on you in the first place," he added with a playful smile. "Well, you're on your own from here on out. Now be careful not to die,"

============

Shiki walked through the empty corridors of the abandoned hospital, her footsteps echoing softly against the worn linoleum floors.

Despite the creepy atmosphere, Shiki remained nonchalant as she strolled down the corridor. Her eyes scanned the surroundings methodically, taking note of the peeling paint on the walls and the faint smell of decay that hung in the air.

Suddenly, amidst the quiet, she heard a faint noise echoing through the building. It was soft and distant, yet unmistakable in the silence of the abandoned building.

The eerie sobbing is echoing thorough the hall.

The sound would make an ordinary person's hair stood on end, but Shiki, instead of fear, a faint smile hung on her face.

Muffling her footsteps while approaching the sound of the sobbing, Shiki saw someone huddled at the end of the corridor.

She couldn't see the person face, with it being buried by their raised knee, but the long flowing hair and slender ankles implied that it was a woman.

Rather than give a cliché "are you okay?", Shiki drew her sword from her waist. Regardless of whether she spoke or not, the tears of the woman wouldn't cease.

"Sob, Sniff, Sniff."

"Save me"

Shiki chuckled. The firm grip of hes sword sent excitement thorough her fingertips. Clutching the sword, she extended her hand forward, it soared thorught the air, slicing the wind just moments away from piercing the woman forehead.

Clang!

A metalic sound reverberated thorugh the corridor as flesh and steel collided. The slender arm of the woman deflected the sword. Simultaneously the sobbing abrubtly ceased.

The silence was quickly broken by Shiki

"Get rid of the act, will you?"

With a sharp scream the woman jumped up, revealing the face that was previously covered by her knees. Her skin was withered and shriveled like a mummy, and from her empty eyes, maggots wriggle and fell.

The woman, or rather the curse, screamed again and rushed towards Shiki. The curse embedded in her screams preassured her, but she effortlessy scattered the intangible force into the air, as if brushing of dust.

The curse, with its long limbs flailing, suddenly came within reach of Shiki nose and swung its hand. Shiki who evaded the curse's sharp by simply turning her head, raised her pre-drawn sword and struck upward aiming for the lines around the shoulder.

"Eeek!"

Shiki kicked the chest of the monster, which screamed after losing one of its arms, and immedietly swung his sword.

Aiming at the lines around its chest, Shiki swung his sword. The monster shifted slightly, but it was too late; its movement inadvertently saved him from a fatal blow.

Clang!

The sword embedding itself in the monster's body made a sound of steel colliding echoed through the air as Shiki's strike missed the "lines,"

'Damn, it's tough'

With a lighting like speed, shiki aim for the the oppsite arm of the disoriented woman, she swung her sword directly at the lines and it was severed.

Then, he swung across its chest, leg, and finally neck.

In an instant the dismembered body of the curse fell to the ground.

Upon seeing the remains of the monster on the ground, Shiki turned away without hesitation.

============

Shiki searched every nook and cranny of the abandoned hospital, her steps echoing through the empty corridors. The task was daunting, considering the size of the building.

Occasionally, she encountered low-graded spirits in large numbers, their weak presence indicating why they came in a swarm. They do say that weaklings tended to gather together.

unfortunately, after a long search, she stumbled upon the gruesome sight. The severed heads of the victims lay before her, their bodies violated and ravaged beyond recognition.

It was a sight that would send chill for most people, but Shiki remained composed, her expression unreadable.

'How unfortunate'

she bent down and picked up one of the severed heads, a silent gesture of respect for the fallen. Then, without a word, she quietly left the room.

============

Leaning against the car outside the building, Gojo was waiting for Shiki.

"Welcome ba-" he began, but his words caught in his throat as his gaze fell upon what she was holding.

Shiki couldn't blame him for the reaction. After all, the sight of a girl emerging from an abandoned hospital, her arms cradling several severed heads, was enough to give anyone pause.

"What is that?" Gojo spoke up, his voice tinged with a mix of curiosity and disbelief, as he pointed at the head in Shiki's hand.

Shiki tilted her head in confusion. "It's their remains, of course," she replied matter-of-factly.

"Well, I did say to gather their remains, but... this is a little bit creepy, to say the least," Gojo remarked, his expression a mixture of bemusement and concern.

"I have a body bag in the trunk of the car. Put their heads in there first," Gojo instructed.

Following Gojo's guidance, Shiki carefully placed the severed heads inside the body bag. To an outsider, this scene would seem like it was straight out of a horror movie. Fortunately, their actions were shielded by the veil, ensuring that no ordinary people could witness them.

After paying respect to the corpses, Gojo turned his attention to Shiki.

"Now then, how do you feel after your first mission? Are you having a hard time?" he inquired.

"Honestly, it's a little disappointing. I had hoped for more, but the curse was too weak," Shiki replied

Gojo's expression shifted to one of amusement.

Really?" he said, sounding intrigued.

"You see, cursed spirits are an amalgamation of negative energy in one place, so their bodies are composed entirely of cursed energy. They can be hit by physical attacks, but they'll deal no damage regardless of how powerful the attack is. The general rule of Jujutsu is that 'Curses can only be exorcised using another curse,' and that applies to tools that have been imbued with cursed energy," Gojo explained.

Shiki's eyes widened in realization.

"Then let me tell you a little secret," he continued, a mischievous expression in his face.

"Your weapon is an ordinary weapon, without an ounce of cursed energy imbued within it, yet you still managed to take down a cursed spirit with it."

"What did you see with those eyes of your?"

"..."

He tricked her.

No wonder why he'd been solely responsible for teaching her the basic information regarding the Jujutsu world. He purposely left out the information about the cursed tool just to test her.

But why? Why waste three months' worth of time when he could have just asked if he really wanted to know? Did he really have nothing better to do?

All she could say was that it was a really Gojo thing to do.

"You could've just asked, you know?" Shiki sighed in exasperation.

"That's why I'm asking you right now. What did you see?"

"Lines. I see lines. They're everywhere. In buildings, in people, even in curses. All of them full of lines," Shiki explained, her tone thoughtful.

Shiki then walked slowly towards the barrier. Using her sword, she traced the lines in it and made a hole.

"As you see, every time I trace the lines of something, it will inevitably crumble, whether it's an inanimate object, a human, or even curses. I think of them as weaknesses. The inherent flaws in every object," she continued, her voice trailing off.

No, it's not just that.

It's something more, something deeper, but she couldn't quite grasp what it was.

"...Fascinating," Gojo remarked, his eyes gleaming with intrigue. "So are you saying that you swing directly at the lines in the cursed spirit to kill them?"

"Yes"

"That's quite an impressive ability you have"

Shiki shrugged nodded in response.

For now, representing the lines as weaknesses was enough for her. She wasn't sure if she fully understood the extent of her ability yet, but she was content with the progress she had made.

"Perhaps someday I'll uncover the true nature of this ability," Shiki mused quietly, but Gojo seemed to hear her thoughts.

"I have no doubt that you will," Gojo smiled knowingly. "Well then, let's head back."

With that, they turned away from the abandoned hospital as they drove back through the city streets.

[END]

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