"Draw two," Sasaki says.
"I'll add another draw two. So now [Name] has to draw four," Iguchi follows up, throwing another card onto the pile.
You stare at the two cards left in your hand, and then you cast a glance beside you, over to poor Itadori, who's easily holding more than ten. Part of you wonders if you should be nice and spare him, since he's clearly suffering more than enough already, but then again, this is Uno.
Uno is just about as cutthroat as it gets.
"Sorry," you mumble, wincing a bit as you add another card onto the pile. "I still have a draw four card left... which means Itadori has to pick up eight cards in total. Also, um, Uno."
"No way!" he cries out, and you swear you see his soul leave his body.
Sasaki throws her head back and starts laughing.
"Man, Itadori, you stink at this! I swear you've placed last every single time we've played. It's actually kind of impressive how unlucky you can be sometimes."
"I haven't lost yet," Itadori stubbornly refutes, but of course, within the next round, you win, and Sasaki and Iguchi quickly follow suit.
You watch as Itadori's shoulders slump in defeat.
"Fine, now I lost," he sighs. Most people would probably be pretty frustrated seeing as he's lost more than four-or is it five games in a row now? In any case, Uno tends to ruin friendships and drive people insane, but since this is Itadori, it only takes a few brief moments of adorable sulking for him to perk up again. "Alright, well, I'm ready for the next round!"
Iguchi shakes his head. "Sorry, but no more. I'm starting to feel bad about beating you this badly."
"Really?" Sasaki blinks. "I'm having the time of my life."
"You don't always have to voice your intrusive thoughts aloud, Sasaki."
"We can play more next time," you say, gently patting Itadori on the shoulder. "And I'm sure you'll win a bunch then. Enough to make up for all the losses from today."
"Doubt it," Sasaki muses.
"Sasaki, that's seriously enough out of you," Iguchi sighs.
"Alright, fine," Itadori relents. He quickly glances towards the clock on the wall. "I guess it's about time for me to head out anyway. It'd be nice to get to the hospital early for a change."
More than a week has passed since you first awoke in this world, and during that time, you've spent pretty much every day hanging out with Itadori. It's quite literally a dream come to true to be able to talk to him like this. From the moment you discovered you attended the same school, you were already starstruck, but you figured you would only ever be able to stare at him longingly, from afar. Never in a million years did you imagine that you would actually become his friend.
Even though your friendship is destined to be cut short, you're determined to enjoy these blissful moments for as long as you can.
You and Itadori say goodbye to Sasaki and Iguchi, and the two of you walk out of the building together, stopping by a vending machine to grab some canned drinks. You crack your can open and sit down next to him, relishing in the fresh air paired with the cool liquid running down your throat.
"Visiting your grandpa again, right?" you affirm.
Itadori takes a big gulp, then nods. "Yeah. Same old, I guess. That's another reason why it's nice being part of the Occult Research Club. A lot of people have pestered me to join athletic clubs, but they run way too late. I wouldn't be able to make it down to the hospital in time for visiting hours. It just works out better this way. Plus, hanging out with those guys is a lot of fun."
"It's nice that you always make an effort to visit him," you say, smiling gently. "I'm sure he really appreciates the time he gets to spend with you. It must mean a lot to him."
"Well, I'm the only one he has left, so I'd feel really crappy if he had to spend every day all on his own."
"Still. Not everyone would make sure to visit every single day, like you do. You're really kind. You're a good person, Itadori."
You hold your smile as you take another sip of your drink, and you don't notice that Itadori is staring at you wide-eyed, at least, not until you turn and realize he's nearly breathing down your neck.
"Um," you say, feeling a bit embarrassed by how close he is, "y-yes? Is there... something on my face?"
Itadori scratches his neck. "Uh. This might sound like a bit of a weird request and all, but I was just wondering if... maybe you wanted to come with me today?"
"Come with you?"
"Yeah. To visit my gramps. Since we got to talking and all, I figured maybe he'd like to see someone other than me for a change. To be honest, I don't think he has much longer left. He's always snapping at me for visiting him, saying I shouldn't waste my time going to a depressing place like that, and that I should be spending time in clubs with my friends instead. Maybe he'll feel better if he sees me bring a friend along. He won't worry that I'm lonely, like he is."
You proceed to just stare at him, and although you didn't intend for your gaze to be unsettling, Itadori lets out a nervous chuckle and quickly shakes his head.
"Aw, man, what am I even saying? Sorry. That was kind of weird. I'm sure you wouldn't want to waste your free time going to a hospital, of all places. I didn't mean to try and pressure you into anything. Just forget what I-"
"I'll go," you blurt. "If you're sure you want me to come with you, then yes. I'd be happy to meet your grandpa."
Itadori blinks rapidly, clearly bewildered, but it doesn't take long for one of those ridiculously cute smiles to spread across his lips.
"Awesome! Thanks so much, [Name]. That's really cool of you. I feel like you're always the one doing me favors, even though it should be the other way around."
"It's not a favor," you reassure. You pause, smiling shyly. "I really like spending time with you, after all."
Itadori's smile shows no signs of disappearing, and together, you make the trip to Sugisawa Hospital, where his grandfather is currently admitted.
You have to admit, you feel a little nervous. His grandfather is his only remaining family, and naturally, you want to make a good impression. Even more so because you know that he doesn't have much time left. You may not be able to stay by Itadori's side once the canon plot begins, but at least for now, you'd like to put his grandfather at ease.
"Don't worry," Itadori reassures, smiling brightly. "He might seem like a crabby old man at first, but he's not actually that bad. I know he'll be happy to see me with a friend."
You smile back and quickly nod, and after a moment's delay, Itadori slides the door open.
"...you again, Yuji?" a gruff voice immediately barks out. "I thought I told you to quit wasting your time stopping by. Don't you have anything better to do? What about your school club?"
Itadori steps into the room first, rolling his eyes as if this kind of reaction is typical, but once you follow behind him and make your presence known, his grandfather's expression does a full one-eighty.
"Oh," he blinks. "Who's this now? Yuji, don't tell me... you finally managed to get yourself a girlfriend? Good going, kid. I didn't know you had it in you."
92
Itadori blushes a bit. but his embarrassment dissolves once he lets out a sigh. "Cool it, old man. Don't make me regret bringing her. This is [Name]. She's my friend. You always seem so worried about me not spending enough time with other people, so I invited her to come, and she accepted. Make sure to be nice to her, okay?"
"It's very nice to meet you, sir," you say, bowing your head. "I hope me being here isn't an inconvenience.'
"Itadori Wasuke," his grandfather introduces. You watch as he sits up a bit straighter in his hospital bed. "Hm. Are you sure you're not dating Yuji? You seem like you've got a good head on your shoulders. You've got manners, unlike this brat. Hey, Yuji. Don't be stupid. You don't want to lose a pretty girl like her to someone else."
Itadori rolls his eyes again. "It might be easier said than done, but try to ignore him. Sometimes I think he just says things because he likes hearing the sound of his own voice."
"See that?" Wasuke points. "Do you see how this ungrateful grandson of mine treats me?"
You bite back a chuckle. Naturally, you've already gotten a glimpse of what their relationship is like, well before meeting either of them in person. Wasuke may have a sharp tongue, but it's clear that he loves his grandson, and he wants him to have a good life. He wants him to be surrounded by people who care for him, and even though Itadori will face plenty of hardship in the future, the fact remains that he will have plenty of friends who are willing to stand by his side.
"Itadori's a really good guy," you say, lacing your hands together and smiling. "Everyone likes him. He's got a lot of other friends besides me. And I know he'll make countless more friends from here on out."
You pause to gauge their reactions. Itadori is blinking at you, perhaps a bit flustered by your sudden declaration, and Wasuke's expression hasn't really changed much, but you notice that his eyes are a bit wider than they were a second ago.
It's awfully subtle, but for just a brief moment, a smile rises to Wasuke's lips.
"Is that so?" he chuckles. "Thank you for saying that, young lady. I'll admit that it brings me some relief. I'm glad Yuji isn't just wasting the best years of his life tending to a sickly old man like me. If he's got friends like you who speak so highly of him... then I guess he must be doing something right."
"No way," Itadori marvels. "Did you just compliment me, gramps?"
"Don't get used to it."
"Still! You actually said something kind of nice for a change!"
"Alright, I take back everything I just said."
The two of them go back and forth like this for a while longer, and you're perfectly content to just stand there and watch. It'd be nice if Wasuke could stick around longer. It'd be nice if Itadori didn't have to lose the only family he has left. But without a doubt, Wasuke will live on in his heart, and you get the feeling that even when he passes, he'll be watching over him for a long, long time.
Wasuke clears his throat. "Seriously, though. If you don't act fast enough, by the time you know it, [Name] will be dating someone else. Don't live a life filled with regrets, kid."
"...gramps, come on."
Itadori:)
Hey, [Name]!
I think I found something pretty cool!
Meet me by the outer edge of school grounds, close to the fence!
You'll see me standing right next to a big wooden storage box!
Uh-oh.
You're not an idiot, so of course, you know what this means. The wooden box he's referring to is where Sukuna's finger was being kept. Up until Itadori found it, that is.
Which can only mean that soon-like, very soon-the main plotline will begin to unfold.
You nervously chew on your lip. Truth to be told, you want absolutely nothing to do with that stinky finger. You already know that everything will be fine until the Occult Club members remove the seal, but still. The whole thing just freaks you out, and it's way too scary to even fathom getting involved in.
While you struggle to come up with a reasonable excuse, your phone buzzes again.
Itadori :)
I promise it's really cool!
I mean, I don't actually know what it is, but it seems pretty neat!
Come here so I can show you :D
Balls. He's just too goddamn cute. It makes it downright impossible to turn him down.
With a heavy sigh, you text him that you're on your way, and you eventually get there, unsurprised to see him standing in front of the same storage box that Fushiguro was frantically searching at the start of the series.
Itadori grins widely. "Thanks for coming! Here, check this out. Have you ever seen something like this before? It looks kind of supernatural, doesn't it? I bet Sasaki and Iguchi would go crazy over this."
He proceeds to hold up a small, visibly old wooden box, and you gulp as he opens it up to reveal the cursed object inside-one of Sukuna's fingers.
Of course, he doesn't have the slightest clue what it actually is. It's completely wrapped up in the seal, making the object inside indiscernible. He probably wouldn't be grinning ear-to-ear if he knew it was some wrinkly old finger.
...then again, he swallowed said finger without even hesitating, so maybe he wouldn't actually care that much.
"Oh, c-cool," you say, doing your best to mask your discomfort. "Yeah, it definitely gives off that occult vibe. I'm sure the other club members would like it a lot."
"I really wonder what it's even supposed to be, though." Itadori frowns as he picks up the sealed finger-much to your horror-and leans in closer to get a better look at it. "Yep, I honestly have no idea. You got any theories, [Name]?"
Without warning, he tosses the cursed object towards you, and out of pure reflex, you lurch forward to catch it.
The second it falls into your hands, you experience a sense of dread that is almost too nauseating to put into words.
It's only for a moment, but the scene before your eyes changes. All of a sudden, you feel something wet sloshing around your feet, and you look down to find crimson liquid, red water, or perhaps-blood.
You try to choke out a few words, but no sound escapes your lips. You're understandably disoriented, so your gaze then pans upwards, and to say that you're terror-struck would still have been an understatement.
Right there, sitting on top of a pile of skeletons, is Sukuna.
It seems as though you've lost the ability to speak, but even if you could speak, you doubt you would have been able to find the right words. You're too
overwhelmed with fear to even think clearly, and right before you collapse onto your knees, just shy of a meltdown, Sukuna knits his brows together and leans forward.
"...who are you?"
You snap out of it with a gasp, only to find that you're still standing in front of Itadori, who has a worried look on his face.
"[Name]?" he frowns. "What's wrong? You don't look so good. Sorry, did I freak you out by tossing that thing at you? I probably shouldn't have done that. I get why you'd be startled."
He crouches down to pick up the cursed object, which you apparently dropped to the ground without even realizing it. You place a hand over your chest, exhaling shakily. Your heart is pounding relentlessly,and you feel dizzy, like you might pass out at any given moment.
Just now... that was Sukuna's Innate Domain, right? But how is that even possible? He hasn't even been incarnated through Itadori yet...
You swallow hard. That finger is completely sealed. Even though the seal is old enough to be torn off by even a regular human-like Sasaki, for instance-Sukuna shouldn't have appeared before
you. Or at the very least, you shouldn't have been able to see him.
Maybe it was just a strange vision. Maybe the shock induced some kind of hallucination, or something. None of this makes any sense in the first place. The fact that you've been transported into the world of Jujutsu Kaisen.
Itadori places the cursed object back inside the box, then tucks it into his pocket. "Sorry again for catching you off guard like that. Are you okay? You look a bit faint. That was my bad. You even mentioned before that you don't really like scary stuff, so I should have thought twice before doing that."
"I'm okay," you reassure, and it's true. You feel perfectly fine now. That sensation of choking up and being overcome with fear is already a thing of the past. It seems more and more likely that it was probably all in your head.
Yeah.
You must have just been imagining things.
Kokkuri, Kokkuri, please tell us... which creature is the school council president weaker than?!"
Ah. So, it's finally starting.
The question is all too familiar, of course, and as you allow the coin to be guided around the board, the word formed is exactly what you expected.
"What? A fish?" everyone laughs in response, and just like in the canon series, the door abruptly slides open, revealing none other than the student council president himself.
He starts berating everyone in the room, of course, but you're not really paying attention.
Instead, you gaze at Itadori with a wistful smile, realizing that after today, you will no longer be part of his life.
There's no place for you by his side. It's simply too dangerous, and even if you were strong enough, you can't risk upsetting the delicate balance of this world. Everything will unfold the way it's supposed to, which means that your role here, albeit small as it was, is over.
...or is it?
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