The Movie Room (Basement)
The "training room" was essentially a home theater in the basement of the dorms. It was filled with beanbag chairs, empty soda cans, and a distinct smell of popcorn.
Itadori Yuji was already there, sitting on a yellow beanbag, holding a larger stuffed bear that looked like it had seen better days.
"Oh! Arima-san!" Yuji waved enthusiastically. "Are you joining the movie training?"
"Apparently," Miyuki sighed, clutching the stuffed bear Gojo had given her. It was a pink rabbit. She sat down on a blue beanbag next to Yuji. Soseki immediately claimed her lap, curling up on top of the Cursed Corpse.
"Where is Gojo?" Miyuki asked.
"He said he had 'very important business' in Roppongi," Yuji said, opening a bag of chips. "Which means he went to buy mochi."
"Figured."
The movie started. It was a classic horror film—The Ring.
"Okay," Yuji advised, his face serious. "The jump scare is coming in five minutes. Keep your flow steady. Imagine your energy is like... a river. Smooth. Don't let the ghost make waves."
Miyuki focused. She closed her eyes for a second, visualizing the green, acidic energy inside her gut. It bubbled and hissed. It wanted to lash out. Contain it. Smooth flow. Like circulating blood.
On the screen, the creepy girl crawled out of the well. The music screeched.
Miyuki's heart jumped. Her energy spiked. The pink rabbit in her arms began to smoke.
"Calm down!" Yuji yelled, pointing at the rabbit. "It's sizzling!"
"I hate horror movies!" Miyuki shouted, trying to shove the energy back down. "This is illogical! Why doesn't she just unplug the TV?!"
"Logic doesn't work on ghosts!"
"It should!"
The rabbit didn't explode, but its left ear melted into a sticky goo. Miyuki panted, sweat dripping down her neck. She had stopped the explosion, but she had ruined the doll.
"That was close," Yuji said, wiping his forehead. "You have... really scary energy, Arima-san. It feels like battery acid."
"Tell me about it," Miyuki grumbled, staring at the melted ear.
They spent the next four hours watching movies. Yuji was a pro; he cried during the sad scenes and screamed during the scary ones, but his energy output remained perfectly stable. He was a natural talent, polished by experience.
Miyuki, on the other hand, melted three rabbits and set one beanbag on fire, slightly.
By the time the credits rolled on the third movie, Sharknado—Gojo's recommendation, Miyuki was exhausted.
"How do you do it?" she asked Yuji, leaning back. "How do you stay so stable?"
Yuji looked at the ceiling. "I guess... I just accept whatever happens. If I get scared, I get scared. I don't try to stop the feeling. I just make sure the energy doesn't care."
Miyuki looked at him. This boy carried the King of Curses inside him, yet he was so... uncomplicated.
"Acceptance," Miyuki mused. "Nobara said 'arrogance'. You say 'acceptance'. Gojo says 'intuition'."
"Everyone has their own style," Yuji grinned. "You just have to find yours. Maybe yours is... overthinking?"
Miyuki laughed. "Maybe."
The door to the movie room opened. It wasn't Gojo.
It was Ijichi, the nervous manager. He looked paler than usual.
"Itadori-kun, Arima-san," Ijichi bowed. "Sorry to interrupt."
"What's up, Ijichi-san?" Yuji asked.
"We have a situation," Ijichi adjusted his glasses. "A 'Window' reported a potential Cursed Womb appearing at a museum in Ueno. It's supposed to be a Grade 2 investigation."
The room went quiet. The crinkle of the chip bag stopped abruptly as Yuji's hand froze mid-air.
"Cursed Womb..." Yuji repeated, his voice dropping an octave. The cheerful atmosphere vanished instantly. For a second, a shadow passed over his face, a memory of rain, a detention center, and the feeling of his own heart being ripped out of his chest.
Miyuki saw his gaze shift inward, dark and haunted. He wasn't looking at Ijichi anymore; he was looking at a ghost from his past.
"Itadori-kun?" Miyuki whispered, sensing the sudden shift in his aura.
Then, Yuji blinked. He inhaled sharply, and the shadow was gone, replaced by a steely determination. He crushed the empty chip bag in his fist and stood up.
"Grade 2?" Yuji said, his voice firm, lacking his usual playfulness. He looked at his hand, then at Ijichi. "I can handle that. It won't be like last time."
"Actually," Ijichi looked at Miyuki nervously. "Gojo-san requested that Arima-san accompanies you. As an observer. To test her 'eyes' in the field."
Miyuki froze. "Me? But I just melted a doll's ear. I can't fight."
"You won't be fighting," a voice came from the hallway.
Gojo leaned into view, holding a crepe. "You'll be looking. The museum has a complex barrier. I want you to tell me how to break it without bringing the building down. Consider it a field trip."
"And if a curse attacks me?" Miyuki asked, standing up and dislodging Soseki.
"Then Yuji will punch it," Gojo pointed at his student. "And if Yuji fails... well, I'll be watching from the car. Probably."
"Probably?" Miyuki narrowed her eyes.
"Definitely. Maybe. Unless the line for boba tea is long." Gojo smiled. "Go get changed. Uniforms. And Miyuki? Bring the glasses. You're going to need them."
Ueno National Museum – 7:00 PM
The museum was closed. The massive stone building loomed in the twilight, silent and imposing. But to Miyuki, standing outside the police cordon, it was screaming.
Through her sunglasses, she could see the barrier. It was a dark, purple veil draped over the building like a shroud. It rippled with malice.
"It's ugly," Miyuki whispered.
"That's a Curtain (Tobari)," Yuji explained, adjusting his red hood. "It hides us from normal people. But there's another barrier inside. Can you see it?"
Miyuki focused. She pushed her senses outward, letting the Six Eyes dissect the energy.
Inside the purple veil, there was a knot. A tangled mess of cursed energy located in the East Wing. It wasn't just a barrier; it was a nest.
"The structure is compromised," Miyuki analyzed, her voice turning clinical. "The curse has fused with the foundation. If you punch the wall, the ceiling will collapse."
"So no punching?" Yuji asked, disappointed.
"No punching," Miyuki confirmed. "We need to sever the connection points first. There are three. One in the lobby, one in the dinosaur exhibit, and one..."
She squinted. The third point was moving.
"One is alive," she whispered.
"Alive?" Gojo asked, appearing behind them silently. "Good catch. That means the curse is mobile. It's shifting the barrier's focal point to protect itself. Smart curse."
He put a hand on Miyuki's shoulder.
"Lead the way, Arima. You are the navigator. Yuji is the muscle. I am the handsome supervisor. Don't die."
"I hate your pep talks," Miyuki muttered.
"Love you too," Gojo grinned. "Now, Emerge from darkness, blacker than darkness. Purify that which is impure."
The Curtain fell. The sky turned black.
Miyuki took a deep breath. She could feel the acid in her veins bubbling, responding to the threat. She visualized the river. Smooth flow.
"Let's go," she said to Yuji.
Together, the boy cursed by a demon and the woman with the eyes of a god stepped into the dark museum.