Standing on mountain peak, the vast world beneath me and a flagpole taller than I am in hand, I feel my blood begin to sing in my veins and anticipation well within. The fight I'd been waiting for, finally here. I don't expect anyone here to be a match to Sukuna, but together?
My grin only widens at the thought that comes.
That I might finally lose.
I know that I won't, because I am The Strongest, but by kami do I so desperately wish to be proven wrong.
In order to aid that, I decide to follow on with what I started with the Yuki-onna and Kappa.
"For the next hour, I will forgo every aspect of the Ten Shadows bar Rabbit Escape in exchange for improving my ability to share the senses of Rabbit Escape."
Immediately, I feel the Vow take hold and lock away almost every aspect of my power. It's a restraining feeling, but one that only makes me smile.
That should be enough stacking of disadvantages, what with the weight in my shadow, my precarious geta and the limits of my Reinforcements. Hopefully, with all of this, I might actually be forced to learn something today in order to win.
Hopefully I can put forward my full effort under these restrictions and find myself pushed back.
It doesn't help that I'm pretty sure I've gotten stronger somehow. I really don't have a clear understanding of it, it's not like my output has improved or anything. But ever since laying with Tamamo, or perhaps more accurately, ever since I decided to just love and be loved by her, I felt like something has changed within me. Like I'm stronger in some imperceptible way.
I shrug. Magic wizard shit is weird. Can't predict it all.
Turning my eyes behind me briefly, I take note that Seimei seems to already be in the sky somehow. I can't see him, but I can certainly feel him looking down on us. The rest of my side is still making their approach at a mostly sedate pace.
Have they decided to let me have my fun or are they just biding their time? There is an hour to go still, assuming I don't loose the flag at any point.
Shrugging the thought away, I turn back to my front, feeling out the rapidly approaching presences with nought but glee. Twelve, if my count isn't mistaken.
One is rising into the sky like Seimei, but the rest are approaching me—well, the objective in my hand anyway.
Planting the flag in the ground, I take a moment to brush my hair back with both hands. I keep forgetting to cut it, so it's getting pretty long by now.
Collected to a point, I wrap a band of Cursed Energy around my hair, leaving it in a short ponytail, with only a few rebellious strands covering my face.
Picking the flag back up as I feel people starting to near, I tie it to my back and ensure it won't fall out before clasping my hands together in the shape of a bunny.
"Rabbit Escape."
With the way this game works, what I really should be doing is running around, trying to keep my distance. At the very least, I should let them come to me.
However!
That would be boring~.
So instead, as the tidal wave of bunnies explodes from my shadow and flows down the mountain like an avalanche, I stretch my arms above and behind, move on to a lunge stretch either side and jog on the spot a little, limbering myself up.
Then, with a grin stretching out across my face, I lock onto the largest presence that isn't me, and I move.
///
Ki no Tokibumi
///
As Tokibumi jogs up the steep mountain with his fellows, he allows himself to sigh as he brushes a hand through his long grey hair, trying to will it into composure even as it continues to refuse him.
"It feels a mite unfair," he comments over the wind rushing by as they run.
"You heard Abe-san," Nagayasu responds, his tone as cool as the blue of his hair; truly a man of the sea. "Have you ever known him to perceive false? If he gave that warning, then I can only assume that there is some truth to this Narauko being the next Michizane after all. Perhaps this Sukuna's presence was overstated?"
"I doubt such conclusions," Uma retorts, her plain features becoming something new as they drip with scorn. "If he were as impressive as Michizane was, then the rumours of his relationship with Kiyohara would be different."
Tokibumi resists rolling his eyes at that. Uma has always tried to compete with Kiyohara no Nagiko. Unfortunately, she simply cannot catch up. To be sure, Uma is likely among the greatest Grade One Sorcerers in history. She uses her Technique well, but she can only do so because of an affair with a Fujiwara.
The funny thing is that despite all of her competitiveness, the Kiyohara she so despises has never once even made the pretence of seeing Uma as a rival.
It's rather sad, really.
"I wouldn't worry overmuch," Fujiwara no Yorinaga comments, the final and youngest in this group. Well, there's Uro too, but she's in the air already. Nanami and the rest of the second-years are all elsewhere doing whatever. "Michizane was likely weakened as a Vengeful Cursed Spirit, and even then he fought with Sukuna, who is said to be an equal. At most, Narauko will only be at the level of an impressive Special Grade, nothing more."
Unlike the Jujutsu Sorcerers, they are all dressed in their Onmyōji robes and wielding only their weapons of choice. Yorinaga is the sole exception in that he only carries a Cursed Tool modelled after the 'fire lance' from across the sea, where the rest of them either have a bow or additional blades hidden in their robes beyond their main fair.
Tokibumi snorts and rolls his eyes. "Such bold words for a Grade One. If you want to face him yourself, feel free."
Yorinaga naturally doesn't respond with anything but a huff of air. He is at least smart enough not to point out how Tokibumi is also Grade One, because they all know that he is Special Grade in truth. Soon enough that will be official as well, which will do him nicely.
It's difficult to find a good wife when his Clan is so poor and he only a Grade One by title. As a Special Grade, he should have no issue appealing a marriage with a Fujiwara or Minamoto, which would certainly do his father proud.
His thoughts are interrupted by a spike of Cursed Energy, and they all snap to a halt in order to stare at the mountain above.
Today is a clear day without a cloud in sight. Such weather allowed them to see the peak of the mountain where it would normally be covered, even if trees and foliage made actually seeing the flag impossible.
Which makes it all the more interesting how a fluffy white cloud has just emerged from said peak, rapidly falling to engulf the mountain entirely.
"That is a lot of rabbits," Tokibumi comments, finding it all rather amusing even as he brings his bō staff to bear in front of him.
The rest of his party makes similar preparations, readying their weapons for immanent combat.
They all know what those Jujutsu Sorcerers are like. Aggression is in everything they do, so none present were expecting anything but the Jujutsu Sorcerers striking first. The only thing odd is that he would have expected Yorimitsu to have been there first.
Yorinaga startles a moment later, as if coming to a realisation. "He is not going to attack," the boy says, turning to the others with certainty in his tone. "This must be a smokescreen. He intends to fl-"
Grinning eyes.
Tokibumi moves without thought, every hair on his back standing on end as instinct alone drives him to brig his staff up in a block at almost the same instant that a tremendous force impacts him.
The crack of his staff being struck flashes over the air like thunder as a sphere of displaced air explodes from the point of impact, though Tokibumi only gets a moment to appreciate that fact before he is busy shattering a dozen and a half trees in a trail down the mountain with his back.
What the fuck?
Releasing a groan, Tokibumi pushes himself back to his feet, brushing off the debris of broken trees and bushes. His Positive Energy flows through him to fix up the scrapes and minor fractures.
What just happened?
One moment he was talking with the others as a cloud of bunnies fell upon them, and the next, he barely recalls glimpsing a blur reaching for him. The only thing that stands out is the near certainty that within that blur of movement, he saw eyes glowing with joy and lips parted in a wide smile.
"Where in Yomi did you get that twig?" An amused voice asks, and Tokibumi looks up to see none other than Narauko standing a short few paces away. "I broke my fingies punching it~."
The man is shaking his hand by the wrist as if sore. It isn't the first time Tokibumi has seen Narauko's appearance, but the large flag riding behind him is certainly new, seemingly replacing the scarf that he no longer wears.
'Only an impressive Special Grade' my ass, Tokibumi thinks with amusement and scorn in equal measure.
"It is an heirloom," Tokibumi responds, taking the moment's respite to check the locations of his fellows. Clear as it is that Narauko is stronger than they thought, he could likely do with the assist. Unfortunately, it seems only Uro is closing in without delay.
He probably has the rather absurd number of rabbits to thank for that. But at least the second-years aren't held up by rabbits, so maybe they could turn things around.
Well, assuming Tokibumi can't just win by himself anyway. But this isn't a battle to the death, what matters is getting that flag. He feels like that is the more challenging of the two.
"Mind if I ask something?" Tokibumi cracks his neck both ways, working out the kinks his recent tumble left him.
"Shoot."
Is that a consent? Tokibumi wonders, but contextually chooses to assume that it is.
"Not that I ain't flattered, but why me?"
Narauko sends him a grin that he finds weirdly friendly. Like, this may not be a true battle, but it is still a battle, right? He shouldn't look so fondly upon his opponent, what kind of a man looks upon enemies as friends even as they fight?
What a twisted individual, Tokibumi thinks to himself with both amusement and a small lingering sense of apprehension. A feeling he soon masters, for fear is no stranger to him. Shame will only come on the day that he fails to master his fear, as he always has.
"You felt like the least likely of you all to be taken out by a single punch."
Tokibumi hears the answer, and then he blinks and repeats it in his mind. Only after repeating it again does Tokibumi release a disbelieving laugh, feeling both amused and unnerved in equal measure.
"Are you to tell me that you targeted me specifically because you felt it the worse tactical decision to make?" He asks with a laugh, and for some reason he finds Narauko joining him in his laughter.
"Yeah! You're really sturdy~! Oh! Right, I'm Narauko, nice to meet you~!"
Does he even realise how incredibly insulting that is? Tokibumi thinks with more mirth than he has felt in a long while. If he were anyone else, he has no doubt that he would be wrought with wroth. Luckily, he has always been more kin to fear than anger, so instead he simply feels deeply unnerved instead.
To act as Narauko has done, is that not the same as saying that he and his fellow Onmyōji are of such little concern that he can actively sabotage himself and still find no concern for victory?
And he says it as if he means to compliment!? Tokibumi is not sure if his disbelief eclipses his fear or if his mirth eclipses his disbelief.
"Hah!" Tokibumi notices the way Narauko tilts his head as he fails to hold back a shocked laugh. Shaking his head, Tokibumi assumes a stance, pointing his bō staff at Narauko, who does not display any threat. Either more mockery or evidence that he knows not Tokibumi's Technique. "We have been underestimating you, Narauko. Seimei really could have been clearer. And my name is Ki no Tokibumi, a pleasure."
Narauko tilts his head again at that before shrugging. "My Cursed Energy is sneaky, I feel like I probably get underestimated a lot, no need to feel bad about it, Ki-san."
Tokibumi almost wants to cry at the misunderstanding. The way Narauko speaks is as if he has been living a delusion without anyone coming to challenge it. That thought actually makes Tokibumi think, has Narauko faced any Sorcerers outside of his classmates?
Everyone knows that he is new to this world, so is it possible that Narauko has only fought his classmates and Curses? Because if that were the case, then the only fights against Sorcerers he would have had would have been against first-years, who are basically trainees, and the likes of Michizane.
If the easy victories could all be explained as having been fighting first-years while every other fight has been against the absolute pinnacle of Sorcery, then Tokibumi could see why Narauko could end up how he is.
He really has no idea, huh?
It'd be funny if it wasn't so scary.
"Pay attention~," Narauko speaks again, and Tokibumi looks up to see the boy pouting at him, as if they are not standing on opposite sides of battle. "I'm going to attack again."
Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerers can be so absurd.
Not a moment later, he has no more time for thoughts as Narauko blurs into movement.
Jujutsu Sorcerers have always been their more aggressive kin, so Tokibumi was plenty prepared, and the very instant he saw Narauko's movements begin, he let his Technique loose.
Between one moment and the next, the bō staff in his hands became more of a tree trunk, shooting forward with speed near instant. Size Manipulation is an Inherited Technique oft thought weak, but in his hands, with his reserves of Cursed Energy? He has managed to make it something formidable.
Though, the choice to emulate the legendary Sun Wukong, known even across the narrow sea, with the use of a staff was an entirely a personal choice.
However, despite the speed with which his weapon grew, Narauko somehow manages to react in time, throwing himself down to his back likely on instinct alone.
Tokibumi's staff shrinks back down, bending to sharpen to a point at the underside to allow him to swing the weapon straight down in an attempt to split Narauko in twain. However, right before Narauko's back were to hit the ground, one of his hands does so first and he immediately bounces back up, spinning in the air both to avoid being cut and to throw a kick aimed at Tokibumi's head.
Too fast!
Barely managing to lean back in time to avoid being decapitated, Tokibumi reaches for the rubble behind him, grasping a random piece of bark which he then throws forward, using his Technique to enlarge the bark to twice the size of a manse.
However, he is granted no rest as the enormous slab of wood is immediately shattered into a thousand splinters, leaving Narauko once more rushing him with a grin.
Kami damnit I hate doing this, it is so damn uncomfortable, he thinks, yet does not hesitate.
Size Control seizes control of his body, and Tokibumi feels as the world around him grows ever larger as he himself shrinks in size to avoid Narauko's next blow.
Moving swiftly, Tokibumi places his staff below his feet and pushes Size Control in the opposite direction, enlarging himself and his staff even as his staff extends even further, launching him straight into Narauko.
In mere moments, Tokibumi grows large enough to tower over the surrounding trees, half as tall as the mountain they are competing on. His head rises above the peak as he stands atop the pillar his staff has become, Narauko held firmly within his grip.
Quickly casting his eyes to the tiny figures below him, Tokibumi rapidly locates his former party amongst the cloud of rabbits before twisting and flexing his muscles taut. His arm raises high, and he could not mistake the sound of Narauko's delighted laughter if he wanted to.
So instead, he simply swings his giant arm down, the limb igniting the air around it as it falls before he lets go, launching Narauko down to the earth like a meteor thrown by an angry God..
You lot can have him, he thinks, feeling not an ounce of shame in spreading misery. The exchange was only quick, but his decision is firm regardless.
I am not fighting that by myself!
///
Tachibana no Nagayasu
///
"He is not going to attack," Yorinaga says, and Nagayasu can only wonder if the boy is a fool or simply ignorant. They are facing Jujutsu Sorcerers here, they will obviously attack. To do anything else would be antithesis to their ethos as Curse hunters. "This must be a smokescreen. He intends to fle-"
Nagayasu's head whips to the side as a blur flies through their group and takes Ki with it, leaving only a storm of disturbed wind and a crack near enough to thunder in its wake.
What.
Nagayasu briefly turns to glare at Yorinaga, for the fool clearly has no idea what he is talking about. Then again, it is not as if he knew that Narauko could move so fast either.
That he could see the movement at all means that Narauko is still not fast enough to take Yorimitsu's Title, but that is a small comfort.
Glancing between the direction Narauko dragged Ki and the wave of rabbits descending upon them, Nagayasu turns then to Uma.
"Deal with the rabbits, we will assist Ki-dono."
"Do not tell me what to do," Uma scoffs, but she complies regardless, her arsenal of Cursed Tools rising to hover around her.
Tool Manipulation is a useful Technique when one has so many Cursed Tools on hand, and the multitasking potential combined with the wide area effect of the Tools in her arsenal leave Uma in a perfect position to deal with the horde of miniature Shikigami.
As she moves to intercept the wave of rabbits, Nagayasu turns his attention back to the fool Fujiwara next to him.
"Fujiwara. When we arrive, do not hesitate. Your Technique should make a decisive victory easy enou-"
Nagayasu's pupils shrink to pinpoints as his world slows down, reflex allowing him to watch in what feels like slow motion as a white rabbit flies a perfectly executed flying kick straight into Yorinaga's cheek, the impact causing his flesh to ripple and his body to be launched straight into the floor.
Snapping his eyes back to the mountain peak, Nagayasu is immediately confronted with the fact that Uma is, actually, in no way capable of stemming the unending tide of Shikigami. No matter that she is slaying them by the hundreds.
Sighing at the indignity of it all, Nagayasu rubs his hands together. Specifically, he runs his hands over the rings that encircle each finger and thumb. Weapons hidden in the guise of jewellery, for though it is not clear at first glance, Nagayasu has almost as many Cursed Tools at hand than Uma does.
Ignoring Yorinaga to suffer his own fate, Nagayasu turns cool blue eyes upon the encroaching swarm of Shikigami and soon enough there is little time left to think.
A bunny flies for his face in another flying kick, but unlike fool Fujiwara, he is not so incompetent to be laid low by a rabbit.
Nagayasu's hand snaps up and he swats at the bunny like the annoying pest that it is, and the very instant his hand comes into contact with the Shikigami, it dissolves into dust.
However, that was just the frontrunner, and he is given no time to rest as more and more bunnies charge him down.
Facing against rabbits that know martial arts is certainly among the stranger experiences of his life, but Nagayasu has little trouble swatting the annoying creatures aside. His every touch reducing rabbits to ash without challenge.
Unfortunately, he only has a limited number of limbs, and it doesn't take long before the sheer quantity of Shikigami begins to turn into a quality of its own.
And so, with another mental sigh, Nagayasu uses his Technique further.
It is an indignity to have to use his Technique beyond its base effect against mere Shikigami, especially of such low calibre. However, it would be an even greater indignity to be struck by such a Shikigami, so the choice is clear enough.
As the next group of rabbits throws itself at him, Nagayasu runs his thumb over the ring on his left middle finger and activates his Technique; Zero Phase.
Between one moment and the next, a staff appears in his hand, one that has a small drum at its head with two beaters poised above. Notably, the staff has a ring of metal welded onto its side through which his finger is already threaded.
Already in motion, the staff is immediately thrust into the earth, the impact causing the two beaters to flick down and impact the small drum, which in turn releases a powerful wave of thunder. The invisible force does not touch him, but its effect is clear as a dome clears of Shikigami around him, every rabbit near his person shattering into pools of ink.
Switching to Reverse Cursed Technique, Nagayasu inverses his Zero Phase, causing the staff to return to being a ring, and not a moment later he returns his Technique to default and another ring transforms into a war fan, one that he does not hesitate to swing.
As the wall of cutting air tears though hundreds of rabbits, Nagayasu takes a moment to look for the others. Only, his moment of distraction costs him as a rabbit slams into the back of one of his knees, sending him crashing down. Almost in the same moment he is pushed forward by a clutch of rabbits impacting his back, wrapping around his body by forming a daisy-chain via ears and teeth.
Scowling at the fact that rabbits brought him to a knee, Nagayasu flexes his Technique again, causing every rabbit touching him to dissolve into dust.
He jumps back to his feet, anticipating further assault only to be surprised by its lack, and when he looks around himself, he finds that he is surrounded by rabbits that are each looking at him with a queer intelligence. As if they are studying and analysing him, seeing through to his soul.
It would be an unnerving degree of attention from the eyes of a human, he has felt much the same standing before Kiyohara no Nagiko. But when it is instead hundreds of rabbits studying him as if he is a matter of scholarship, the sight becomes infinitely more unnatural.
Right as it seems that the rabbits are about to reinvigorate their assault, each and every Shikigami instead turns as one to stare up at the sky behind him.
Careful of trickery, Nagayasu turns only enough to check and finds himself only mildly surprised to see Ki towering over them all.
And then he sees Ki wind up his arm, and Nagayasu feels alarm bells start ringing within his heart. A concern that is almost immediately proven reasonable when Ki hurls an unidentifiable, but guessable, figure down at the earth. At him.
"Tsk." Having little time plan, Nagayasu allows his frustration to lead his choices and speaks quickly, knowing that Narauko can hear him speak through the Shikigami, even if he is not currently in a position to properly listen.
"My Technique is called Zero Phase. Its sole use is to return an object to a previous state; mending the broken by turning back time. By using Reverse Cursed Technique, I can do the opposite and turn time forward, placing an object in the state of its future."
His Technique was originally thought of as only 'decent'. It was only when he came up with the idea of forging useful tools with a ring added to them that this perception changed. For he can simply break the ring off of said tools and wear it, allowing him to at any point in time reverse the state of the ring to when it was a part of a whole.
But the larger the change he is affecting, the longer his Technique takes to activate. Hence his revealing of his hand.
As Narauko's form continues to hurtle towards the ground and the surrounding Shikigami climb over one another to form a tower with which to catch him, Nagayasu focuses instead on one of his thumb rings and activates his Technique.
It is almost too late, but the Vow empowers his Technique enough that right before Narauko would impact his Shikigami, an entire fortress snaps into existence around Nagayasu. Thick walls shield him from the aftermath of Narauko's landing and leaving him in darkness as its roof covers him.
As the earth tremors beneath him, Nagayasu snaps his ring off of the wall in front of him and uses his Technique on another ring, allowing a sword to form in his hand, one that can paralyze a limb just from a mere scratch.
Armed, and wearing a severe expression, Nagayasu lays his free hand on the wall in front of him and uses his Technique to push it farther back in time until the brickwork directly in front of him simply disappears in place of an open doorway.
He doesn't step out, much preferring to have a funnel available to limit the advantage of the rabbits' swarming tactic. Instead, he simply stares ahead at the cloud of dust in front of him and watches as it begins to fade away, revealing Narauko pushing himself to his feet.
As if being forced to fight a horde of rabbits was not insult enough, Nagayasu is treated to the sound of laughter, pure and full of out of place joy, like a child riding his father's shoulders.
"Man~! Ant-Man is so much more impressive in person~! This is so cool~!" The dust finally clears as Narauko's childish voice rings out, and then Nagayasu is finally able to lock eyes with the man who slew Michizane. Someone who he is only now acknowledging might be worthy of his title of The Strongest. "Eh? Is your Technique fortress creation or something~? Oh, I'm Narauko by the way, we haven't really been introduced."
Nagayasu's eye twitches at the cavalier attitude on display. As if this commoner has any right to treat him as if they are equal, strength be damned. Noble blood is worth more than any amount of Cursed Energy, an this monster has none.
"The battlefield is hardly the place for introductions," he responds, wary of potential sneak attacks. Such a thing would not be unexpected of a Jujutsu Sorcerer. Alas, Narauko makes no moves of aggression.
Frankly, he seems too full of joy to even be thinking of combat at the moment, constantly fliting his eyes from Nagayasu to the shrinking form of Ki above with clear wonderment.
Narauko turns his full attention back to Nagayasu only once Ki shrinks enough to be out of sight, a fact that is endlessly indignifying.
"Well, introductions gotta happen somewhere, right?" Narauko responds with a smile and a shrug. "And I have no idea who you are, so I'm just calling you blue-hair in my head right now, which feels kind of demeaning really, you know?"
It is an effort to keep his expression neutral as Nagayasu bears insult he has never faced before in his life. But he will not be brought to further lows by allowing this low-born mongrel to bring a rise out of him.
So instead of lashing out, Nagayasu simply takes a deep breath, even as his eyes turn as cold and glacial as the north sea, and responds in an equally frosty tone. "I bear the name Tachibana no Nagayasu. Now will you fight, or will you only talk?"
Nagayasu eyes the flag tied to Narauko's back as he speaks, plotting a way to take hold of it. The original plan being that Yorinaga would still Narauko long enough for either Ki or Uma to hook it away.
"Hmmm~." Narauko rocks his head side to side, holding a finger up to his chin. "I dunno~, you have a pretty defensible position there~. I think I'm going to-" Without even a word of warning, Narauko blurs into motion, and Nagayasu barely manages to flinch back in surprise before Narauko is in front of him, throwing a punch straight at his chest.
His sword is raised in time to block the blow, but that hardly helps him from being launched like a bolt straight into the opposite end of his fortress, cracking the heavily reinforced walls with his back.
What kind of body is that? Does he have Oni blood?
Every muscle across Nagayasu's back and arms burns, but Positive Energy quickly washes that away, and there is at least some satisfaction left at the fact that he managed to block with the blade of his sword. Normally a foolish action as it will dull the blade, but that is obviously not a concern for him.
More importantly-
"Woah, what the fuck?" Nagayasu pushes himself off of the wall to observe Narauko as the commoner waves his limp arm around with a weird degree of amusement. "Noodle arm~."
Fucking Jujutsu Sorcerers, Nagayasu scornfully thinks with a scowl, his normally cool composure cracking ever more at the insulting sight before him. Mad, all of them.
"Oh Canada!" Narauko abruptly yells, his eyes swiftly flicking from his limp arm to Nagayasu as he waves it about, a wide grin on his face as if Nagayasu is supposed to take some manner of meaning from the queer exclamation. "No? Oh, right, uh.. Yeah, never mind. I got so excited by Ant-Man that I forgot— Er, never mind. Ahem. Beware! Ye foe of blue hair! Ahem, sorry, I got embarrassed and now I'm just panicking and embarrassing myself even more, let's just get back to kicking the shit out of each other pretty please?"
"...Do you have an off switch?"
Narauko opens his mouth to joyfully respond, only to freeze and awkwardly withhold his response. Then, for whatever reason, the damned commoner glares at him with a pout as if Nagayasu were at fault for something.
Kami I hate this man.
///
Nanami Shiki
///
Meanwhile, separate from the rest of her fellow Onmyōji, Shiki watches with blank eyes as a horde of bunny rabbits charge her down like a rolling tsunami. But instead of bothering with a guard, Shiki simply raises her hands in surrender.
"Peace," she states, and she is gratified when instead of washing over her, the bunnies part in the middle and fall into a circle around her, seeming to wear inquisitive expressions for a bunch of rabbits. "Gojo-kun speaks well of you, Narauko-san. Participating in the next round will be enough for me to get what I want out of this farce, so there is no need for a conflict between us at this juncture."
A part of her half expected the rabbits to actually answer her for how attentive they appeared, which is why she is caught off guard when they instead begin to shimmy about as if dancing.
Her head tilts in confusion and her typically blank tone takes on a hint of hesitancy as she speaks again.
"Is.. that meant to mean an acquiescence?"
To her astonishment, the rabbits respond by nodding joyfully before moving on to begin a different dance, moving in unison in a Gigaku dance of all things, and for the first time in a long time, Shiki's placid expression breaks.
Helpless to stop it, a smile worms its way onto her face as a laugh leaves her throat at the sheer absurdity of what is taking place before her.
She isn't sure what is more bewildering, the vision before her or that she is even laughing at all.
Have I ever laughed before? She wonders, even as those unfamiliar peels of humour continue to leak from her lips.
Uncaring of the combat unfolding elsewhere in this mountain, Shiki allows herself a moment free of poise to simply clap and laugh as the troupe of dancing bunnies continue to amuse her.
///
A/N: He~llo! Dear readers!
And so the action begins, and we get the perspectives of each of the Onmyōji Special Grades and Special Grade hopefuls. Only Shiki is happy about this. Also, I rewatched Deadpool recently if that wasn't obvious at the end there :)
I've made reference to it plenty of times before, but I wanted this chapter to further highlight the difference between a Jujutsu Sorcerer and an Onmyōji. The kind of mindset one requires to hunt Curses for a living compared to the mindset of an Onmyoji, who would spend most of their time sitting around in manors and luxury simply waiting to defend against Curses drawn to the negativity that naturally flows from any collection of nobility.
In other words, all Sorcerers are at least a little crazy, but Jujutsu Sorcerers are the craziest. They also tend to die youngest, which is really part and parcel methinks.
Also, writing this, I realised that Narauko really does have a poor understanding of how strong other sorcerers are. Cuz like, he's only fought against his classmates, who are first-years, Sukuna, Michizane, and that one Inumaki guy that killed him for a bit.
As far as he is concerned, basically all Curses are weak, cuz none have ever posed a challenge, and his only other experience is with two Yokai who both stand near enough at the peak of High-class.
Bearing in mind that the entrance to Special Grade sits at around the start-middle of High-class. So Setsura and Kazuro are both stronger than most Special Grades. Those two against the likes of Ki no Tokibumi are like Jogo compared to a Finger Bearer. Meanwhile Narauko is like Sukuna compared to a Jogo.
The only other frame of reference he has is Nagiko, and her technique provides an absolute, so even if beating her is piss easy for him she can still pose enough of a challenge with that alone. (if he cared to win a decisive victory, all he'd have to do is blind her from an attack so that she cannot Understand it before it lands, I'm surprised so many people didn't realise that much)