3 Chapter three: Kyoto.

Chapter three.

[December 25th, Year 2016]

Winter break was always a welcome change, and the long days of holiday relaxation were, for most students, a time to unwind, take a breather and get some much-needed rest. However, for a certain blonde high school student, his winter break had just taken on an unexpected, his gaze locked onto his phone as a message arrived.

'Merry Christmas, Jun-kun~.' It read. 'I hope you are having a nice break so far. I know, I know, we agreed to keep our interactions to a minimum until everything is settled, but I couldn't help myself. That, and I was wondering, are you free today? I might just have a job for you. Let me know.'

''...'' Releasing a soft sigh, Jun's fingers hovered above the keypad, contemplating his response. "A job on Christmas Day?'' he murmured, his eyes drifting to the window, where the sunlight peeked through the clouds, casting a pale glow across the room. ''Now he's got me curious.'' He twirled a strand of hair around his finger, a habit of his when he was thinking. "Only one way to find out, I guess."

'I'm free.' He tapped out. 'What's the job?'

'Perfect.' A response arrived a second later. 'I'm outside, so hurry up.'

''... What?" Jun muttered, blinking as he peeked through the blinds once again, this time, focusing on the street below. A black car was parked just outside, its windows tinted, and a familiar figure standing next to it. Even from a distance, he could recognize the distinctive hair, the strange bandage over the eyes, and the dumbass smirk plastered on the man's face.

''... Seriously?''

[ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ]

"Hey, Jun-kun!" Gojo greeted with a wide grin as the high school student walked up, looking a bit puzzled. "Long time no see! How's it going?" He eyed Jun, noticing the change in his hairstyle, with his usually tied blonde hair flowing freely under a black beanie, and a casual light grey jacket and jeans completing his look.

Jun rolled his eyes playfully as he waved off the greeting. "Cut it out, Satoru. We just met up like what, two weeks ago?" he remarked. "And didn't you get an earful from the higher-ups for texting me non-stop? Or so you told me." Gojo chuckled, his smile never faltering.

"Earful? Nah, just a minor hassle," Gojo replied with a dismissive wave. ''Those guys are more bark than bite, believe me. And hey, what's so wrong about checking in on a future star student? It's all part of the job, as far as I'm concerned." Gojo grinned, patting Jun's shoulder. "So, pumped for your first big mission?''

''First mission, huh?" Jun repeated, a hint of amusement in his voice. ''So, where are we going?"

"Before we dive in, there's a few people I gotta introduce," Gojo said, nodding towards the car. "Brought someone along, an apprentice of mine, so to speak – a promising young sorcerer, full of potential, just like you." His voice was tinged with excitement. "And we've got our trusty driver too, to make sure we're right on schedule."

Before Jun had a chance to respond, Gojo threw open one of the car's back doors with a flourish, revealing a male teenager sitting on the inside. Jun took a good look, his gaze taking in the boy's features. Short, dark hair framed a serious face, and a pair of sharp dark blue eyes looked up at him, studying him with a slight frown.

He was smaller than Jun, and probably a year or two younger, dressed in his middle school uniform, which consisted of a tan jacket over a white dress shirt with black pants and white sneakers. "You must be Furukawa-senpai." He stated, his tone polite, a stark contrast to Gojo's overly casual attitude. ''I'm Fushiguro Megumi, nice to meet you.''

''Megumi, then?'' Jun offered a hand, flashing him a grin. ''Call me Jun, I'm not big on formalities." Megumi's gaze shifted to Jun's hand, his brows twitching ever so slightly at how casually Jun was speaking to him. "Right," he said, taking Jun's hand and shaking it briefly. "Jun-senpai, then. It's a pleasure."

''I said Jun's fine!" / ''...''

''Heh.'' Gojo supressed a chuckle, leaning on the door frame as he watched the exchange. ''You kids are too cute, getting along already.'' Megumi frowned slightly, shooting Gojo a glance. ''... Ah, that's right. I almost forgot." Straightening up, Gojo opened the driver's door, his grin widening as a middle-aged man poked his head out. ''Here's our trusted driver, Ijichi-san. Say hi, Ijichi-san!''

''Right.'' The man, whose glasses and suit made him look like an office worker, stepped out of the car, bowing slightly. ''I am Ijichi Kiyotaka, assistant director at Tokyo Prefectural Jujutsu High. Gojo-san has briefed me on the details of this mission, and I am here to make sure you arrive on time and provide assistance should the need arise.''

"Hold up..." Jun paused, his tone a mix of surprise and realization. "You mean to tell me you guys drove all the way here from Tokyo?" He turned to Gojo, his expression a mix of incredulity and amusement. "And you, with all the heat from the higher-ups for dropping by so often, decided to come anyway and drag two others with you, on Christmas Day, no less?"

"Yup!'' Gojo replied with a cheerful nod. "Merry Christmas, everyone!"

''...'' / ''...''

[ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ]

''I'll ask again.'' Jun spoke up, glancing towards the front seat where Ijichi and Gojo sat. Megumi was next to him, but he had been mostly quiet, keeping to himself. "Where are we going?" His fingers tapping idly on his knees, the only information he had received was that he was going on his first 'mission,' and the fact that he would be traveling all the way to Kyoto, but the specifics of it were still a mystery.

"As I said, we're heading to Kyoto.'' / ''But where in Kyoto?''

"I...'' Gojo pointed to himself. ''... am going to our sister school, also known as Kyoto Metropolitan Curse Technical College" He said, his head tilted back, a lazy smile tugging at his lips. "I need to have a word with the principal there, he's one of the more conservative higher-ups and has a lot of say in your case." He continued. "I figured I could scare him a little bit, get him to see things my way. But you know, I'm a busy guy, so I thought, why not kill two birds with one stone and have you two meet and do a little test run in the meantime?"

"You sure intimidating him is the best approach?" Jun inquired, frowning slightly. "It's my head on the line here.'' He reminded the man, his voice laced with a hint of suspicion. "I'd rather not take the blame for something I didn't do." Megumi, who had been listening silently, shifted his attention, his gaze moving from the window to Jun.

"Don't worry, Jun-kun, I'm the strongest sorcerer there is." Gojo reassured him, waving a hand dismissively. "I'll make sure no harm comes to you." His tone turned smug. "I'll take full responsibility. So just relax and enjoy the ride, we'll be there in no time. I'll explain everything on the way."

''You didn't answer his question." Megumi chimed in, his expression stoic as he rested his face on his palm. "Where are we going?"

"Ah, right," Gojo said, pausing as if just remembering something important. "Here's the deal: you guys are heading over to Doshisha University. There's been a weird bunch of deaths there recently. Normally, the students from our sister school would handle it since it's closer to them, but I figured this would be a great chance for you two to team up and get acquainted so..."

''Doshisha University?'' Jun whispered, taking out his phone as he did some quick research. ''Isn't that like, a super prestigious place?'' He scrolled through the images, his brows rising at the sight of the massive complex. ''Huh, nice.'' He glanced towards Gojo. ''So we are going there to take care of some curse, then?''

Megumi's fingers wrapped around his own phone, doing his own research. ''There've been three deaths at Doshisha University in the last two weeks. All students. Two guys and one girl. Ages ranged from 19 to 21. Each one was found in different parts of the campus, but they all had, and I quote, 'the same eerie look on their faces – like they saw something horrifying right before they died', according to the reports.''

He flipped his phone, showing the screen to Jun. "Time of death for all three was estimated to be around midnight, give or take an hour. No signs of struggle, no obvious injuries. As for the cause of death, they are listed 'chemical asphyxia' so the curse we are probably dealing with has something akin to an asphyxiant gas or something along those lines."

''Hm...'' Jun leaned in, his finger hovering over the screen. ''But what about the 'eerie look on their faces' part? If we are suspecting an asphyxiant gas or whatever, the deaths should have been relatively peaceful. Not something that would give the victims such a horrifying expression. I guess if they happened to see the cursed spirit in questions, that would somewhat explain it, but that's not possible since cursed spirits are invisible to most people.''

"Actually, it's not uncommon for people to start seeing curses when they're in danger, even if they usually are unable to," Megumi explained, his eyes moving back to the screen. "This is just a theory, but those students might've caught a glimpse of the spirit and freaked out. And considering they all ended up gasping for air, that's more than enough to scare anyone, don't you think?"

''Makes sense.'' Jun said.

''Hehe...'' A chuckle slipped out, causing both Jun and Megumi to look up. Gojo was grinning, his orbs fixed on them. ''Sorry, sorry, don't mind me. Keep doing your thing. You guys are getting along so nicely, and I didn't even have to intervene. It's so refreshing to see, especially when Megumi is involved."

"I don't like that smile of his." / ''Me neither, it pisses me off.''

"I'm right here, you know."

[ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ]

''We are here.'' Ijichi's announcement brought an end to the car's idle chatter. The vehicle slowed to a stop, and the assistant director turned to face the duo of passengers, Gojo no longer sitting with them. ''The university is a bit farther away, but we might want to walk from here. I'll lift the veil once we get into the main building."

''A veil?'' Jun asked, rubbing the back of his neck, finding it a bit sore from the long ride.

''A barrier that hides things within its area from the outside world and draws cursed spirits out.''

''Ah, I see. That sounds useful.''

"Let's get going then!" Jun said with a hint of excitement, already making his way towards the university. "You coming, Megumi?" He gave the boy a friendly nudge on the shoulder, causing Megumi to startle slightly and glance up at him with a slight frown. "Hey, just curious, what has Satoru filled you in on about me?"

Megumi shifted, brushing Jun's hand off his shoulder more out of reflex than annoyance. "Not much, really," he answered. "You're Furukawa Jun, you possess an Innate Technique which grants you the ability to create cursed spirits. He has also mentioned that your cursed spirits are able to think and act on their own, but that's about it.''

Jun tapped his chin thoughtfully. "We should probably swap notes on what we can do, you know? I'm clueless about your fighting style, and planning any moves is kinda tough without knowing what you bring to the table. Might sound a bit forward, but we gotta sync up our skills, or I'm just flying solo here."

"I was just about to suggest that.'' Megumi replied with a nod, his fingers coming together. ''I use shikigami summoning, I need to make different hand signs to bring them out, so having my hands free is preferable. I imagine our fighting styles are somewhat similar, even if the nature of our techniques is different, so close combat is not exactly our strong point.''

Ijichi followed behind the duo, his hands fidgeting in front of him as he listened in to their conversation, sweat dripping down his brow. 'I am glad the two are getting along, but Gojo-san should've explained the situation in detail before leaving them, I get both of them are supposed to be promising young sorcerers, but...' He shook his head, sighing internally. 'Gojo-san is so irresponsible...!'

''How many uh, shikigami, did you say, can you summon?" / ''Two Divine Dogs, useful for tracking, but they can handle their own in a fight, Nue, a powerful lightning bird capable of using its wings to create lightning strikes, Gama, quite weak but decent for support, and... Well, it's a recent addition but Orochi, a large serpent, is probably my strongest one so far. What about you, senpai?''

''Ah, I mean...'' Using his hands as if he was counting, Jun frowned as he ran out of fingers. ''I guess somewhere between thirty and forty, I haven't really counted. Most of them are pretty small and weak, though, so if I narrow it down to the ones that are strong enough to be considered useful, we are looking at eleven, maybe twelve at most. That's just off the top of my head, though.''

''I guess the strongest would-''

The trio had just reached the main entrance, the campus stretching out before them, the trees bare from the cold weather, their branches reaching up towards the sky like claws, almost as if they were trying to grab the dark clouds looming above, the path to the main building right in front of them. ''Ah, we are here.''

Two steps later, Jun came to a sudden halt as the trio noticed a uniformed security guard near the entrance. The guard, a middle-aged man with a stern but watchful expression, wore a practical navy polo shirt and matching pants and a badge with the university logo on his chest. His posture was professional, with a radio clipped to his belt and a set of keys jangling softly with each movement.

As they approached, Jun whispered to the black haired teenager, "Talk about a tough way to spend a holiday. Standing guard at a nearly empty university on Christmas Day? That's commitment." Megumi shot him a quick, admonishing glance, signaling him to keep it down as they neared the guard. "Lighten up, Megumi. It's Christmas, not a funeral. Loosen up a bit!"

"Good evening, sir." Ijichi was the first to greet the guard, flashing a polite smile as the man nodded in acknowledgment. "I...'' Whatever the assistant director said didn't register for Jun, his mind wandering as his eyes drifted away. The campus seemed peaceful enough, the light wind causing the trees to sway ever so slightly.

'Huh... I knew this place was a big deal, but didn't expect it to be this massive.' Jun thought, eyes wandering over the sprawling university campus. 'Still, what's with all the negative emotions floating around here?' The blonde frowned as Megumi followed his line of sight, a confused look on his face. 'Makes sense, I guess, with all the dreams crushed by those rejection letters every year.'

 "You picking up on something, senpai?" Megumi's question pulled Jun back from his thoughts, his gaze shifting back to the security guard and the assistant director. They were now a few feet away, deep in discussion, or more specifically, Ijichi was explaining something, while the guard nodded in understanding. "You seemed a bit zoned out there."

"Ah, sorry about that.'' Jun replied, turning his attention back to Megumi. "I just tend to pick up on negative emotions more than most. Comes with the territory of my technique, you know? Sort of a side effect." He shrugged slightly. "And yeah, you could say that. Lots of negative energy, not exactly ideal for a peaceful campus, I suppose. But we can talk about that later. Let's go, they are waiting for us."

[ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ]

''I'm surprised we got permission to go in without much trouble.'' Jun mused, taking off his beanie as his fingers worked on tying his hair into the usual ponytail. Megumi, Ijichi and himself walked the hallways of the university, allowed to investigate the campus at their leisure thanks to a brief discussion with the guard, who, after checking his list of approved individuals, was quick to let them in.

''We get access to crime scenes fairly easily thanks to the government's backing." Ijichi informed him, walking just a few steps behind the duo. "When a curse is involved, jujutsu sorcerers are usually the first granted access to the scene. However, we are still a secret organization, and the details surrounding our work are kept out of the public eye, so it is best not to attract unnecessary attention even if we have permission to investigate."

''Hm...'' Jun hummed, nodding absentmindedly. "So, why don't we just get this show on the road?" Jun suggested, casually placing a hand on his hip. "We know the cursed spirit shows up late at night, right? I mean, sure, we could hang around and wait to jump it when it pops up, but if using that veil thingy can lure it out, might as well save ourselves the trouble and force it out."

''That's the idea.'' Ijichi replied, adjusting his glasses as he gestured for them to follow. ''Considering what I have heard from Gojo-san, you two should be able to cover a lot of ground with the help of your techniques. I'm taking you to the location where the second victim was found, it's the one closest to the center so it would be best to do it from there. You can send some of your, uhm, creations to search the area, if that's alright with you two.''

''That works for me.'' / ''Same here.'' 

''I'll leave as soon as we reach the location of the second victim, then I'll head back to the entrance and lift the veil. The security guard I talked to should be asking the few staff members still around to stay clear of the main building, so no non-sorcerers should cross your paths. Still, if you run into any, please do your best to keep them safe.''

[ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ]

Jun and Megumi stood next to each other, having split up with the assistant director as he headed back to the entrance. Having just exited a deserted corridor, the pair stood outside the building, facing the courtyard, their voices echoing across the quiet campus, a few stray rays of sunlight filtering through the clouds.

''So...'' / ''Hm?'' 

''I know we need to wait until the veil is lifted, but..." Jun said, sitting under a tree, his fingers tracing patterns into the dirt. "How should we split up our forces? I can cover a lot of ground with my curses, but I don't have any that can fly, so maybe you can do the aerial surveillance while I cover the ground?''

"Sounds like a good idea." Megumi agreed, nodding as he leaned against the trunk, his gaze shifting down to the blonde. "I could have my Divine Dogs do a perimeter sweep while Nue does a wider search, but that would leave me a bit exposed in terms of firepower, so perhaps we shouldn't divide our forces too much.''

"Agreed.''

''Senpai.'' Megumi called, catching Jun's attention. ''Can I ask you a question?'' Jun, who was still drawing something on the ground, glanced up, an eyebrow rising slightly at the question but gave a quick nod nonetheless. ''I'm sorry if this is a touchy subject, but I was wondering, why is it that you want to join Jujutsu High?''

''Ah, that.'' Jun replied, letting out a soft chuckle. ''If I'm being honest, I'm not sure I do want to. Satoru just kind of... dragged me along, I guess. I've always had these powers, and I never really had a plan beyond figuring things out as I went, but he sort of offered me a path, a chance to hone my skills, learn more about what I can do, and well... the money helps too, I suppose."

He shrugged. "You?''

''...'' Megumi was silent for a moment. "I-''

From the sky, a dark, viscous substance started to descend, reminiscent of ink dripping into water. It spread outwards and downwards, gradually forming a colossal half-sphere that encased the area as the material of the barrier seemed to ripple and flow, creating an ominous wall of black.

''... I sure hope that is what a veil is supposed to look like, otherwise we have a real problem on our hands.'' Jun muttered, staring up at the strange structure, the light fading as it cast the area in a blanket of darkness. Standing up, Jun took a moment to brush off his clothes before he turned to Megumi, who nodded, a silent agreement between the two.

It was time.

''Nue!'' Megumi's hands formed a sign that resembled the shape of wing, his voice echoing across the courtyard. The ground distorted as a pitch-black circle opened and a creature emerged, a large owl-like creature with orange feathers and a white mask-like skull, with massive wings, two sets of talons and human-like teeth.

''Bakeneko.'' Jun called, his palm touching the ground as a portal appeared, the cursed spirit emerging a moment later. Its body was reminiscent of a black cat with, oddly enough, a napkin on its head, but perhaps what was most striking was the way it stood on its hind legs, the long tail swaying as the creature tilted its head, its ears twitching slightly as it stood like a person.

"Find me a cursed spirit!" Jun ordered, his tone firm. Bakeneko's ears shot up in attention, but it tilted its head, its face etched with confusion. It pointed a claw at itself, its eyes wide as if asking, 'Me?' Jun rolled his eyes, a mix of amusement and exasperation in his voice. "No, not you, you doofus. I mean a different cursed spirit, a strong one. One that's not part of our gang. Now get moving, chop-chop!"

Bakeneko sprinted off, the curse running on its hind legs, breaking into a run that would make an old cartoon character proud, arms flailing wildly as it left a trail of dust behind, its tail swinging through the air with a flair that almost seemed exaggerated. "I've had that furball around for ages" Jun commented to Megumi, who was watching Nue take off. "He's kind of got the hang of following orders. But, you know, he's not exactly the sharpest claw in the paw.''

Megumi watched Bakeneko disappear into the distance, his gaze drifting towards Jun who brought his hand forward once again, several new 'holes' forming on the ground. ''Dodomeki, Hikeshibaba, Nuribotoke!'' From the swirling darkness of the portals, the first to emerge was Nuribotoke. It had the appearance of an eerie, animated corpse, its skin darkened as if lacquered, giving it a grim, reflective sheen.

The figure bore a grotesque resemblance to a Buddha statue, but twisted, macabre, with eyeballs that dangled unsettlingly from their sockets. Its body was bloated, reminiscent of a fat priest, adding to its ghastly demeanor. The creature moved with a slow, ponderous gait, as if it were struggling to move under the weight of its own swollen form.

A few steps behind, another one emerged. Dodomeki, a figure that seemed at once both human and utterly otherworldly. It was a woman clad in a traditional kimono, adorned with intricate flower patterns that added an eerie beauty to her form. However, her arms were grotesquely elongated, covered in hundreds of tiny, blinking bird eyes, which seemed to watch everything at once.

The last one that stepped out, Hikeshibaba, was the visage of an old woman turned into something far more sinister, her features were aged and wrinkled beyond recognition, a set of beady, soulless eyes set within hollowed eye sockets, and a tangle of wild, grey hair that resembled the tangled roots of a tree. 

"You, head east. You, take west," Jun directed Dodomeki and Hikeshibaba with firm gestures. "And you, go north," he said, pointing at Nuribotoke. "Spread out, comb through the area, and track down a strong cursed spirit for me. No engaging, just lead it back here. I'll take it from there."

The three creatures dispersed without a sound, and Megumi, who had been silent until now, spoke up, his gaze following the three. "I didn't expect them to be that strong, two of them are at least Grade 2." He commented, causing Jun to chuckle. "Are all of your curses based on famous folktales?"

''What can I say, I'm a sucker for horror stories." Jun said, his fingers intertwining behind his head. ''The scarier, the better. It makes the task of creating them a lot easier when I've got an actual concept to base them on, instead of just, I don't know, making up random stuff on the spot and well, it's a nice way to pay tribute, don't you think?'' 

''You are not what I expected, senpai." / "Oh? And what were you expecting exactly?"

''Someone less...'' Megumi hesitated, as if wondering whether he should continue. ''... laid back, I suppose, less outgoing and cheerful.'' Megumi admitted. ''When I heard about someone with a technique like yours and what you did in Osaka, I thought they would be a lot more intense and serious, considering the implications, but you seem quite approachable.''

''I'll take that as a compliment." Jun said, offering Megumi a casual salute. ''I didn't do much in Osaka, just you know, aside from the fact that I created a bunch of cursed spirits, I mostly stayed in the shadows and kept an eye on things from afar. My curses were doing the heavy lifting, and I was just giving the occasional directions.''

"You may think that, but from what I was told...'' Megumi began, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. "Whatever you did in Osaka... it was a pretty big deal. Even some of the veteran sorcerers were taken aback when they heard about it from Gojo-sensei."

"Heard about it? You mean this is common knowledge now?"

"Yeah, seems like it," Megumi replied. "Word got around after that meeting. Could've been one of the higher-ups that opposed your recruitment leaking it out or just Gojo-san being himself – you know, not exactly the type to keep things under wraps. He likely told everyone who'd listen and then some."

''...'' A long sigh escaped Jun. ''I swear, that guy... I don't know what I was thinking, trusting him."

[ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ]

"Well, then," a deep voice echoed within the veil, drawing attention to its source. Perched on the edge of the main building sat a tall, slim figure, exuding a calm, commanding presence. His long black hair was tied up in a man bun, with strands elegantly cascading down his back. Thin, sharp, and perceptive black eyes scanned the area, his bangs occasionally drifting over his left eye.

He was dressed strikingly: a gold-colored kāṣāya elegantly draped over traditional black yukata robes. The outfit was completed with white tabi socks and zōri sandals, contrasting yet highlighting his blend of traditional style and individual flair. His earlobes were adorned with large circular earrings.

"I was starting to wonder if he'd ever show up," the voice continued, his expression subtly shifting to a sly, amused smirk while one leg swung leisurely back and forth. "I must admit, my patience was wearing thin. Unleashing cursed spirits across the country while making sure to leave no residuals behind was quite the chore."

''But it worked out in the end, didn't it? Satoru sure hasn't changed since our old days. Still a reckless, self-assured fool." The stranger let out a soft chuckle, his shoulders shaking slightly as he spoke, a hint of nostalgia in his tone. ''I bet he has been dying to see what this kid is capable of, just like me.''

''...'' A wide, almost maniacal grin stretched across the man's lips, his tone taking on a teasing, lilting cadence as he spoke. ''I have been looking forward to meeting him since I heard the news. Ah, the anticipation is killing me!" Geto Suguru's gaze shifted upwards, his eyes shining with anticipation. "Now then, Furukawa Jun, shall we dance?"

End of chapter three.