WARNING: some mentions of death here and there. Talk about cannibalism too. This is just not a good day for Sukuna lol 🤭 (but he deserves it for hurting my babies in the recent manga chapters).

Also, important news in the A/N so make sure to read that and not just the memes!

SHISUI WOKE UP BRIGHT AND early for the day. After freshening up, she walked over to the dining room where the rest of her family was already having their breakfast. She could practically hear the loud chatter coming from the room, but for some odd reason, it didn't sound like they were having their normal morning conversation... The voices sounded too loud and angry... And she was pretty sure she heard her and Sukuna's name being thrown around a couple of times.

She opened the door. Instantly, the whole room quieted down as everyone whirled their heads to face her.

"What... what were you guys talking about?" She asked awkwardly as she looked around the room. Nobody could seem to meet her eyes, aside from her younger nieces and nephews who were too young to understand what was even going on around them.

"..." Nobody was answering her.

Her eyes drifted off to her parents. Her mother looked conflicted, brows pinched with worry and her eyes wouldn't meet hers. Her father refused to even glance in her way. Wanting answers, she turned to her eldest brother instead.

"Ryu-nii," she called out to him. "What were you guys talking about? I, um... I heard you guys mention me and Kuna-chan's names..."

He grimaced. "Shisui, you should take a seat."

She didn't say anything against that. Wordlessly, she took a seat in the only spot left open which was across from him. She glanced around at everyone else, but they resumed eating as quietly as possible without looking their way. Only her parents seemed to be watching them in the corner of their eyes.

"There's been some rumors spreading around the village. Rumors concerning your friend." Ryujin began gently.

She furrowed her brows in confusion. "People are always talking about Sukuna. What's so different about now?"

"These rumors are different now, Shisui," he told her. "A traveler came through the village. He just came from Ota and he spoke about how a demon was born there. Sixteen years ago, the youngest son of Ryomen no Genzo was born after ripping his mother open from the womb and... and..."

"And feasting upon her body," Suiten finished for him. "Do you know what that sounds like?"

"Like a cursed spirit," she answered. "But that doesn't mean anything—"

"—Yes it does," he cut her off. "That baby was obviously Sukuna. The whole village fears him and this was just the push they needed to get rid of him for good now. Everyone is convinced that he's some wicked cursed spirit and human hybrid; a danger to the world that needs to be exorcised."

She straightened up immediately. "What?! That's not true at all! He's as human as the rest of us!"

"They don't believe that," Watatsumi shrugged. "And honestly, I can't blame them. That freak and his powers are abnormal. It wouldn't surprise me if he really is some cursed spirit hybrid creature."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You're just saying that because he defeated you in your sparring sessions. He defeated all of you," she emphasized, shooting the men in her family with an angry look.

Suijin scowled at her. "Enough, Shisui. You're only defending him because he's your friend. If the rumors are true, then he really does need to be exorcised—"

"—Shut up, Suijin!" She snapped. "The only reason you want him dead is because you're such a sore loser! Just because he kicked your ass a bunch of times doesn't mean he deserves to die!"

The older man angrily slammed his hands against the table and rose to his feet. His wife flinched away and their kids ran into her arms, terrified just from the sight of their father's rage.

"You can't speak to me this way, Shisui!" He bellowed. "This awful behavior is the reason why it's taken you so long to get married."

"At least I didn't have to buy my spouse," she sneered.

"Shisui!" Suiten snapped, trying to keep the siblings from fighting.

"Shut up!" She barked. "I'm leaving to find Sukuna. Don't get in my way."

She stormed out of the room the next second, leaving so fast that nobody could even voice out their protests. None of them did, however. They all knew how close the two were and that Shisui would always run to Sukuna's aide no matter what.

Sukuna, Sukuna, Sukuna, Sukuna, his name frantically rang in her head as she rushed through the streets of her village. She couldn't spy his familiar pink hair, but all around her were the scrutinizing stares of the women and children. She could even hear their poorly hidden whispers.

"That's the woman who's always with that monster."

"Isn't she promised to be married to the head of the Gojo Clan?"

"Do you think she's been helping the demon?"

"What if she's one too?"

The last whisper made her shudder. If people truly believed it, then they would come after her too, but right now, that was the least of her problems. Something was wrong with this scene.

The men were missing. Where had the men gone?

It clicked in her head. Shit! Don't tell me they went after him?!

With that thought in mind, she quickened her pace down the road she knew would lead her to Sukuna's house.

━━━━━━･❪ 💧 ❫ ･━━━━━━

Sukuna woke up to yelling. At first, he was about to turn over in bed, ready to ignore it because he assumed it was just his aunt arguing with Hideshi again, only to pause when he heard the fear in his aunt's voice.

"He's not here! Please—just leave already! I'm telling you he's not here!"

"Do you take us for a fool, woman?!" The man who snapped at her sounded nothing like Hideshi. It was someone entirely new. "I can sense his wicked cursed energy from within the house! Step aside or we'll make you!"

Sukuna quickly got off of the futon, irritated by whatever was happening. His day had barely started and it was already being ruined by whatever idiots were gathering outside his house.

As he stomped down the hallway, he spotted Hideshi leaning against the wall (being of no help whatsoever, but what was new?). The older man shot him a dirty look as he passed by.

"What the hell did you do now?" He hissed at him.

"Don't talk to me or I'll cut off your tongue," Sukuna scowled. He really didn't want to deal with him at the moment—or ever.

He pushed past his aunt and stood at the doorway, his brow raised. He was unimpressed with the sight he was seeing. There was a whole pack of men standing outside the front door. Some were non-sorcerers armed with swords and knives that would hardly put a dent on him while the others were sorcerers getting ready to use their techniques.

"You!" The man at the front of the horde shouted.

"Yes," he said dryly. "Me. What do you want?"

"We know what you really are, and we were right all along," the leading man sneered.

"Oh?" Sukuna raised a brow, not at all interested in what he had to say. The villagers made a lot of assumptions about him throughout the years and none of them were even close to being correct. "And what exactly am I?"

"That you are an abomination!" One angry villager chimed in. "A creature that goes against nature!"

Sukuna heaved a sigh. Oh great, he thought. Here we go again with the cursed spirit allegations. The amount of times he heard those accusations thrown at him could probably outnumber the wealth of the Gojo and Uchiumi Clan combined.

He opened his mouth, ready to make a sarcastic comment about the stupidity of their claims, but they weren't finished, and their next statement made his blood turn cold.

"And that you killed your mother while you were still in the womb, and ate pieces of her dead body seconds after being born." Another added, sneering in disgust. "Your existence caused a massacre to happen back in your village! Both of your parents' clans have been wiped out because of you!"

Beside him, he could hear Sumiko's breathing stutter to a stop.

"What are you saying?" Sukuna scoffed, trying to ignore how fast his heart was racing inside his chest.

All humor left him as his eyes darted between the villagers and his aunt. Sumiko had turned pale in seconds after the accusation and couldn't seem to meet his eyes.

Sukuna's face fell to an unreadable expression. He was aware that he had a very carnivorous appetite that went beyond what would be considered normal; no other kinds of foods could satisfy his stomach aside from meat. Not only that... but he remembered all those times he would stare hungrily at the sight of blood and the way his taste buds exploded with flavor when he had his first taste of an animal's raw flesh...

But to eat a human? He speculated that he had killed his mother with his claws—Sumiko's reaction to his questions only proved him correct—but to eat his own dead mother after he had killed her? He didn't want to believe it.

But as much as the thought scared him, it wasn't too far-fetched. He had questionable eating habits, a hunger for raw meat, and a thirst for blood. This meant that his abnormality wasn't a new development, it had been something he had been cursed with before he was even born.

He looked to his aunt, the only person who would've known this.

"Aunt Sumi." He said.

She didn't look at him.

"Aunt Sumi," he repeated, his voice almost pleading with her. She finally faced him. "Are they—are they telling the truth?"

Before she could answer, the angry mob started yelling at him.

"Of course we are!"

"The truth is out, demon! You can't hide anymore!"

"Let's exorcise him already!"

Sukuna prepared to defend himself, but hesitated. His technique wasn't exactly designed to immobilize people, it was designed to kill or horribly maim. He could always fight them off with his bare hands too, but he was worried about his aunt. She was defenseless and he wouldn't put it past them to attack her regardless of her status as a non-sorcerer. She was related to him and anyone related to him was a threat in their eyes...

He steeled himself. "Aunt Sumi," he started to hiss under his breath. "Get back inside the house—"

"—Out of my way, peasants!" An angry voice barked.

All yelling ceased as a small body shoved their way through the large crowd of people. Sukuna's eyes practically bulged out when he spotted the familiar head of blue hair coming closer.

Shisui?! He thought. Mentally cursing, he glanced over his shoulder at the front door, praying that Hideshi had gone back to sleep and wasn't listening in or worse, peeking through a window.

Shisui pushed the angry villagers aside until she finally reached the front of the crowd. Then, she planted herself right before Sukuna as if she was guarding him from them.

"There will be no exorcism today," she said firmly, voice raised loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Oh?" A non-sorcerer scoffed, brandishing his sword at her. "And why should we listen to you, woman?"

She smiled thinly, "This woman is of the Uchiumi Clan so you ought to listen to what I have to say."

Her words had an automatic effect. Everyone knew of the power and influence the Uchiumi Clan held, even those who weren't part of the jujutsu society knew to listen. They quieted down within seconds and weapons were lowered.

"Ryomen no Sukuna and his aunt are under the protection of the Uchiumi Clan," she announced to the stunned men gathered before her. "You are not to hurt any of them, especially on such baseless means that were generated through rumors. Return home before you make a fool of yourselves any further."

They all glanced at each other unsurely. The sorcerers reacted first, stiffly bowing to her before disappearing a second later. The non-sorcerers begrudgingly followed suit right after, storming away down the dirt road.

Once they were all nowhere to be seen, Shisui's shoulders finally dropped.

"Ohhhh gods," she groaned, turning around to face them. "That was terrifying! Are you two okay?"

"We're—we're fine," Sukuna uttered out. "But how did you know about—?"

"All the men were gone from the village, it wasn't that hard for me to piece together what was happening..." She trailed off, glancing between him and his aunt, who was staring at her in shock. "And I... I heard about... you know... the rumors."

"Rumors..." He echoed lifelessly. "Those aren't rumors. They're all true, aren't they?" He turned to Sumiko.

"W-what?" Shisui let out a small laugh that lacked any amusement. "No, that can't be it..."

"But they are," Sukuna said, his gaze never wavering from his aunt. "Everything they said about me was true, wasn't it, Aunt Sumi?"

She finally looked at him, her lips trembling. "It—it's true. My sister—your mother, Kotomi—was killed by you when you were still in the womb, but it was an accident."

"I already knew that, I had my theories," he shook his head. "But I'm asking about what happened afterwards. Is it true that I really ate her body like some sort of—some sort of mon—"

"—Don't say that!" She cut him off. "You were just a baby, Sukuna, you didn't know what you were doing!"

"What baby kills their own mother?!" He cried out. "What baby's first instinct after being born is to eat from their mother's corpse?!"

He began to storm towards her and Sumiko stumbled back, tears streaming down her face and her chin wobbling from the onslaught of emotion.

"Humans don't DO that, Aunt Sumi!" He bellowed. "But you know what does?! CURSES! Curses eat people! Was everyone right all along?! Am I really some sort of human-curse hybrid, a fucking abomination?!"

At this point, Shisui was starting to get a sick feeling. She suddenly felt cold and scared, as if someone had wrapped a blanket of miasma around her. Was this... was this cursed energy?

She could see cursed spirits, but she was no sorcerer. She couldn't detect cursed energy the same way the more experienced sorcerers could. But now she was beginning to feel something sinister in the air the more Sukuna continued to grow overwhelmed.

"I've spent all my life trying to become a sorcerer, trying to gain just a semblance of respect from the people here, but this whole time I was just one of the monsters that needed to be exorcised?!" He shouted, his hoarse voice becoming heavy with emotion.

"You are not a curse!" Sumiko was trying to tell him, but she looked sickly too. "Your parents were both humans, Sukuna! Humans who loved you very much, who—"

"—Who died because I was born," he finished.

How much misfortune did his existence bring? He didn't just kill his mother and ate pieces of her corpse like some sort of monster, his existence led to the complete slaughter of both his mother and father's families. Families that he never got to know because of the danger he brought them in.

Fuck, he really was a curse. They were all right about him. He brought despair to everyone around him. Who would be next to get hurt? Sumiko? Shisui?

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" He demanded. "About any of this?"

"Because I didn't want you to hate yourself..." She sobbed. "I'm sorry, Sukuna. I'm so sorry..."

Sukuna's face crumbled. He couldn't bear to look at either of the women anymore. Unable to handle everything being thrown at him, he turned away and fled into the forest.

"Sukuna!" Shisui called out to him fruitlessly. She cursed under her breath before turning her attention to the sobbing woman in front of her.

"Sumiko-san," she began in a hushed voice. "You should go back inside the house. I... I'll try and bring Sukuna back. It might not be safe for him to be out yet..."

Before she could go, the older woman grabbed her arm.

"W-wait," Sumiko said. "You're... you're the one who's been friends with Sukuna all these years, aren't you?"

She blinked in surprise. "He told you about me?"

Sumiko nodded in confirmation. She tried to smile, but another teary sniffle came from her. "Not all the time. I would try to ask him about you—I wanted to know about the girl who's been making my nephew so happy—but he would always be tight-lipped when it comes to you... I, ah, well, I'm sorry that we had to meet this way..."

Shisui, sensing that there was more to say, remained quiet as she watched Sumiko try to wipe her face clean with the sleeves of the kimono.

"Thank you for being Sukuna's friend," she said earnestly. "My nephew, he can be a little complicated and I know that the other kids in this village tend to stay away from him. So... so thank you for being there."

"Thank you for caring for him," Shisui returned softly. "Sukuna may seem upset with you now, but he does love you."

Sumiko swallowed thickly. "Please go find him, a-and make sure that he's safe."

She nodded in promise before sprinting into the forest.

She had a good feeling she knew where he would be.

━━━━━━･❪ 💧 ❫ ･━━━━━━

Sukuna was already well aware of her presence before she even revealed herself, but he kept his crimson eyes glued on the river waters.

"If you're here to take me back home, don't bother," he said numbly.

Shisui sat beside him. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

He said nothing, simply staring off into the water where his reflection laid.

He remained silent for the next few hours. He never spoke, but eventually he grew bored of the silence and began throwing rocks into the river. Each time, the rock would successfully skip through the water.

Shisui quietly joined him. She didn't speak a word either. She wasn't going to force him to talk, she knew he was distraught after everything that had happened and needed this time to organize his thoughts.

When the sun sank down and the skies turned dark, he finally spoke, "You lied back there, didn't you?"

"Hm?"

"I'm not under your family's protection," he scoffed. "They couldn't care less about my safety. Hell, I'm surprised they weren't amongst the mob that came to my house to kill me."

She grimaced. "You're... correct, as always," she sighed in defeat. "I overheard them talking about us this morning and asked them about it. When they told me about the rumors, I knew the villagers would try to hurt you so I left right away to go find you..."

"Your protection won't last long," he told her. "They'll realize eventually that you were just bluffing."

She already knew that would happen, but... "I'll figure out what to do next when it happens but for now, I'm just glad that you're safe."

"Why?" Sukuna suddenly asked her, his voice hard. He faced her, his expression cold and aloof, but she wasn't dumb. She could see the pain in his eyes.

"Why what?"

"Didn't you hear everything my aunt said about me? I killed my mother, I ate pieces of her dead body, I caused the deaths of my mother and father's families. Why would you still want to protect me after everything I've done?"

"You didn't do any of those things intentionally and the deaths of those families wasn't your fault," she began gently.

He balled his hands into fists, glaring at the distance. "I bring misfortune to everyone around me, including you."

"That's not true," she shook her head. "You make me happy. Your existence is the greatest fortune the world has ever given me."

Sukuna could feel a horrible sting in his eyes. He dug his claws deeper into his palms, wanting to push away the wonderful feeling blossoming in his chest.

He turned to her. "And what if everyone was right about me? What if I really am a curse?"

She smiled, "I'll still love you unconditionally."

His breath hitched.

She reached out, carefully prying his hands open so his claws would no longer be piercing deep into his bleeding palms. The warmth radiating from her skin seemed to sink into his.

"I love you," she repeated earnestly, voice tender, soft, and full of so much love that it made his whole body feel warm, as if he had been bathed in heaven's holy rays.

"You're my best friend, Sukuna," she continued. "You mean the whole world to me. I don't care if you're a human, or a cursed spirit, or a hybrid. I know who you are and I know you're not evil. You are kind, Sukuna, and all I want is for you to be happy... I'm sorry that everything's going to shit. You don't deserve this."

Those holy rays were gone and suddenly he felt like he had been thrown into a frozen lake. As heartwarming as her words were, being called her friend no longer sat right with him.

He didn't know what to make of this odd feeling, but he was certain of one thing: he loved her too. She meant the world to him just as much as he meant the world to her.

But he was hiding things from her. A dark secret that might push her away. But he had to tell her. Because if those things the villagers were saying had any merit, then this was something Shisui needed to know.

"Shisui..." He began hesitantly. "I... There's something I have to tell you."

"What is it? You can tell me," she said eagerly.

He gulped inaudibly. "Do you remember that day when... when you caught me eating that raw bear meat?"

She furrowed her brows, thrown off a loop of where this conversation was going. "Um, yes? What about it?"

He didn't answer right away. He kept thinking about his first taste of flesh and how amazing it was—how it was the best thing he had ever tasted, and then he thought of his mother. This horrible hunger for flesh had been with him since the day he was born. But how was he going to tell her this without scaring her?

He took a deep breath and decided to just go out with it.

"Shisui, I think I really am a curse because I—"

There was a snap of a branch and Sukuna craned his neck back, cursing himself for being so distracted. But when he saw who the intruder was, his eyes widened in panic.

It was Hideshi, and he was looking straight at Shisui with an expression of confusion... and then recognition.

"Y-you..." He said, pointing at her. "You're that... that brat from the Uchiumi Clan!"

Shisui shot him a lost look. "I'm sorry, I don't believe we've ever met before."

Sukuna quickly rose to his feet, eyes narrowed. "Hideshi, why are you here?"

Shisui rose up next, but he quickly kept her behind him.

"It was getting late," he answered, eyes never leaving Shisui's face. "So your aunt sent me to go get you... said that you'd be with a friend... and it's her." He pointed at her, finger shaking with anger.

"Sukuna..." Shisui quietly whispered, watching the man warily. "Who is he?"

"I always hear the villagers saying that you were walking around with some blue haired whore, but I never thought you'd pick this brat," Hideshi slowly walked forward.

Her wary expression quickly turned irate. "Whore? Who do you think you are?"

Hideshi let out a chuckle. "Oh, yeah. You're definitely that girl. Don't remember me, kid? I was the slave that used to keep your koi pond clean and you always fucked up my work. Remember that? You started bawling when I finally had enough of your shit, and because of that, I got flogged near death! But you probably don't remember that do you, because why the hell would you bother remembering a lowly slave like me?!"

"Slave...? Wait, I don't..." Shisui muttered to herself. Her brows were pinched in deep thought, but Sukuna wouldn't be surprised if she couldn't remember an event that happened almost a decade ago.

"Walk away, Hideshi," Sukuna ordered. "That incident happened years ago. Shisui was just a child."

"...Walk away?" He repeated quietly. "You think I can walk away from the bitch who gave me all these damn scars?!" He motioned to his back, where all the old whip marks still marred his skin.

"I won't repeat myself," Sukuna said seriously. "Walk away."

Hideshi stormed forward, but Sukuna didn't move a muscle even when they were face to face.

"Get out of my way, Sukuna," Hideshi growled. "Or I'll fucking kill you along with the bitch."

Sukuna's expression turned into a wicked glower when he heard the threat directed to Shisui.

"I warned you," he said darkly.

Not even a second later, Sukuna and Shisui found themselves sprayed with blood. It happened so fast that Hideshi didn't even react to it right away until he hit the ground. His mind registered the huge laceration that cut him from the top of his left shoulder, traveling down his arm and ending at his wrist, a second later.

He opened his mouth, screaming and sobbing as blood continued to spurt from the massive wound. Sukuna did nothing but stare apathetically as he watched the man his aunt loved writhe on the ground in agony.

Shisui gasped in horror, hand slapping over her mouth. She turned to Sukuna with wide eyes, but before he could say anything, he scooped her up in her arms and the two were gone from the scene in an instant.

━━━━━━･❪ 💧 ❫ ･━━━━━━

Sumiko waited, sitting anxiously at her spot on the dining table. The whole table was set for Sukuna's return home. She had a platter of his favorite meat, a jug of his favorite drink, and even some berries that he didn't really like but ate anyway because he claimed they were healthy.

All that was missing was him.

That was why she sent Hideshi to go look for him in the forest. She knew he was most likely with Shisui, so she wasn't too worried, but she did want her nephew back home since it was already dark out. She even had a plate prepared for Shisui too since she planned to invite the girl her nephew adored to eat with them.

But an hour passed and there was still no sign of Sukuna, Shisui, or Hideshi.

Suddenly, a series of knocks were heard from her door. She rose to her feet and walked over, feeling a pit of worry at the bottom of her stomach. It couldn't have been Sukuna or Hideshi since they never needed to knock—they lived here after all.

Could it be one of the sorcerers? Did they come back to try and kill Sukuna?

She gulped nervously, opening the door just a smidge. She relaxed when she saw a young woman standing behind the door.

"Can I help you?" She asked curiously.

"Sumiko-san, it's Hideshi! He's badly hurt."

Her face fell. "W-what?"

"Some people saw him hobbling out of the forest and he was bleeding a lot! His arm, it's—"

"—Take me to him," Sumiko hurriedly stepped out of the house.

The other woman just nodded and led her to the center of the village. There, she found a crowd of worried villagers circling around something. Sumiko hastily shoved through the crowd only to cry out when she saw Hideshi on the ground, his arm looking sliced up with one long, clean cut running down the length. He was sobbing in pain as another man tried to help him stand up.

"Hideshi!" She gasped. "Oh gods, what happened to you?!"

"I did what you asked and tried to find Sukuna," he said through gritted teeth. "But then he did this to me!"

Immediately, the hushed voices became more panicked.

"Sukuna did this?"

"Isn't he like an uncle to him? I can't believe that monster would actually hurt him..."

"He's gone too far! Someone needs to stop him before he goes after the rest of us!"

Sumiko paled at all the accusations being thrown around. Before she could speak up, another voice entered the fray.

"That's enough!" A white haired man shouted. Mutters of 'Gojo-sama' could be heard as the crowd parted ways for him.

"G-Gojo-sama, what are you doing here? Did you come here to exorcise the monster who did this?" One villager asked eagerly.

"No, I originally came here in hopes to visit my fiance," Junichiro replied, frowning pensively at Hideshi. "But I'll reschedule that. What are you all just standing around here screaming for? This man needs medical attention! Where is the doctor?"

The villagers scrambled to go find one, wanting to do nothing but obey and please the grand man that graced their village. Junichiro watched them act like fools through the white cloth of his blindfold, irked by how things were progressing.

It's taking this village way too long to get rid of him already! He inwardly fumed.

He already had Kei spread the rumors about Sukuna's origins in hopes that they would act together to kill the threat, but it was already nighttime and Sukuna was still alive. He had heard whispered complaints about how Shisui had ordered them all to leave Sukuna alone, apparently because he was under the protection of the Uchiumi Clan.

She had lied to them. Not only that, she had stalled Junichiro's plans to have Sukuna killed. How... annoying.

What a naughty little fiance I have, he thought in amusement. I should punish her for getting in my way. Later though, I wouldn't want to scare her off before we could even get married.

But Shisui was the least of his concerns. Right now, he needed to find a way to get rid of Sukuna. And fast, because he was getting dreadfully impatient.

Then, he laid his eyes on Sumiko and Hideshi. Sumiko was tending to the latter, who groaned in pain as blood poured out of the clean laceration.

An idea clicked into his mind.

Well then, he smiled to himself. Time to get my hands dirty again.

After Hideshi finally got himself checked up by a doctor, Junichiro pretended to return back to his own village, bidding goodbye to all those who fawned after him. Then, he hid himself in the shadows of the village, secretly stalking Sumiko and Hideshi as they walked back home, the latter slowing the pace down.

Sumiko released a heavy sigh once they were back in their house. "He's still not here..."

"Good riddance," Hideshi scowled. "I want that monster out of here. And did you know that he was friends with the same brat who nearly got me killed?!"

"What are you talking about?" She asked tiredly.

"The Uchiumi girl! The one who got me flogged! He was friends with her this entire time—argh...!" He grunted, holding his wrapped-up arm to his chest after accidentally jostling it.

"I didn't know she was the one," she said honestly. "But look... let's just... let's just talk about this another time, alright? Sukuna's still not back and you need to rest."

"I'm not sleeping here if he's gonna be around," Hideshi shook his head. "Not after what he did. He tried to fucking kill me, Sumi! Why would you want to keep him around?!"

"I doubt he did that for no reason," she sighed. "Can we just—"

"—The hell are you trying to say?!" He barked. "Are you trying to pin this on me?"

"No! Hideshi, please, can we just—"

"—Shut the fuck up, woman. You listen to me! I don't want that damn thing around here, you got that?!"

"He is my nephew!" Sumiko snapped. "I am not going to—"

A loud yawn interrupted their argument. They whirled around just as a blindfolded man stepped out of the kitchen with a knife in his hand.

"Do you two argue like this all the time?" He groaned. "Gods, I almost feel bad for Sukuna if he has to deal with you two everyday. Good thing I'll be doing him a favor by getting rid of you!"

Sumiko blinked in disbelief. "E-Excuse me? How—how did you even get in here? Who are you?"

His eyebrows raised in surprise. "Oh wow, you don't know who I am? You must not be up-to-date with jujutsu society! Then again, you're just a non-sorcerer so what would you know?"

"Get the hell out of my house!" Hideshi shouted.

Junichiro snickered. "Your house? I believe this is the lady's house, not yours. From what I heard, you're just leeching off of her."

"You—"

"—Enough chatting," Junichiro expertly twirled the knife between his fingers. "I'm going to kill you two now. Do me a favor and keep still, alright? I need these cuts to look like claw marks."

Before either of them could even scream, he struck.

— author's note —

I'M DONE WRITING FOR BOOK ONE!!! 🥳🥳🥳

I know it says 56/69 chapters but it's actually just 68 lol, the 69th chapter is for something else. We are almost at the finish line of Tsunami! I've started writing for the 2nd book too, but it's taking me forever to find a good title and summary ugh.