Chapter Text
So the thing about Yuuji is that, well, Yuuji doesn’t exist.
Itadori Yuuji is a work of fiction that she’s been running since she was a child, and she wished she could put it on her resume because it’s really an impressive show of her acting skills, but she has no idea how she’d format that onto a cover letter.
It started in elementary school. She was always too strong, too prone to fights, and too disinterested in dresses to ever fit in. Boys always called her a loser and a sissy, no matter how many times she pounded them into the ground, and girls always turned their noses up at her and called her a gorilla freak. She’s not entirely sure how she connected two and two together and decided she should just pretend to be a boy, but that’s her story and she’s sticking to it. In her defense, it’s worked out pretty damn well for her so far.
She cruises through middle school as Itadori Yuuji, introducing herself in front of a brand new class sporting the boys uniform and a floppy cut of pink hair courtesy of a pair of gardening shears the morning of. No one questions it. Not even the teachers, which is a little bizarre. Gramps thinks she’s just ‘going through a phase’, and frankly could care less what she wears or what pronoun other people call her by, so he doesn’t call the ruse. The school calls to talk about his grandson getting into fisticuffs, and he just snorts and tells them to fuck off, if his ‘grandson’ can beat those louts up that easily maybe they should stop picking fights with him.
Anyway, Yuuji-kun is the star of his middle school, and she enjoys it desperately. She’s always been great at sports, and this only proves truer as she grows. She shoots up like a bean sprout, taller than the boys in her class, and a thousand times more athletic to boot. She can shoot three pointers and almost touch her fingers to the rim of the hoop when she jumps. Her home run is legendary. People still talk about her sick banana kick. She breaks every single track and field record in the school. Girls flock to Yuuji with chocolates on Valentines day and love letters year round. It makes Yuuji uncomfortable, because for however much she might enjoy being a ‘boy’, she is, in fact, still a girl at heart. She still likes shoujo manga, adores idol groups, and pines after cute boys in class.
The only problem is, she can’t let anyone know. Yuuji is a star athlete, even if he refuses to join any sports clubs. He’s the cool bad boy who can throw down with the best of them, and still turns around and be the sweet and helpful school heartthrob who’s happy to carry your books or stay behind to help clean up. There’s no room in that persona for longing looks at accessory stores, or bottles of nail polish, or cute dresses. It’s… a little lonely. Yeah, she likes going to the arcade with the guys, but sometimes she wants to go shopping too.
Not that she has much to shop for.
Yuuji fools everyone into thinking she’s a boy so easily because she looks like one, too.
She’s almost 180 cm tall, lean and packed with muscle. Her face is still a little soft, almost girlish, but at fifteen that’s normal for boys still. She has hands that can easily palm a basketball and feet that will never fit into the dainty heels other girls wear. Her chest is still basically just as flat as it was at twelve. No wonder everyone assumes she’s a man.
It’s in the middle of this existential crisis— just a few days into her last year as a middle schooler, when every sports club is hounding her to join yet again— that Itadori Yuuji slips into a Liz Lisa store far away from her hometown in downtown Tokyo and manages to summon up enough courage to try something on. She’s far enough away that no one should recognize her, and she made sure her outfit was androgynous as possible, so people don’t think she’s like a pervert or something.
She doesn’t think anything will come out of it. She expects it to look awful on her.
She doesn’t know what she was expecting.
She’s curveless and has no chest. Her legs are so long the hem hits at an awkward length. The fabric is way too tight around her shoulders. She can almost hear the girls from elementary school laughing at her again, calling her too manly. Still, she didn’t come all this way just to fail like this, so she bravely opens the curtains of the dressing room to ask for a bigger size when she nearly topples over a poor hapless woman talking to the store attendant just outside it.
The woman is small and petite and exactly the sort of person that could pull off the dress she was currently trying to pull off. She’s mortified— she nearly flattened the woman and even now, easily towers over her like some kind of freakish giant.
The woman doesn’t see it that way, though.
Not at all.
She shoots up to her feet, waves away her apologies, and says, brightly; “Wow! You’re so tall! What’s your name?”
“Itadori— “ Yuuji almost slips out, ingrained habit at this point. “... Yuuki.”
“Yuuki-chan!” She gasps, delighted. “What a pretty name for a pretty girl!”
Yuuki stares at her in utter disbelief. Pretty? Her?
The woman ducks down to ferret around in her bag, procuring a somewhat crumpled business card with a rushed bow. “My name is Hirose Reiko, and I’m a manager for Blanc Group! Are you busy right now?”
☆
Yuuki still isn’t sure how it happens, but apparently she’s a teen idol now.
She thinks she looks ridiculous in every single outfit they put her in, but apparently she’s the only one. Reiko-san says she has legs that go for miles, a cute smile, and a perfect modeling figure. This is all news to Yuuki, who is fairly certain she has the perfect body for contact sports, not modeling. But Reiko-san insists, and Reiko-san is Yuuki’s manager now, so she supposes she’ll take her word for it.
Ojii-chan doesn’t ask where she gets the money for his upgraded hospital care. Yuuki is quietly relieved; she doesn’t think her grandfather will care either way, but it’s still a bit too embarrassing to put into words.
She went from being the extremely male star athlete of her school to a… member of an all girls idol group?
She’s still in awe of her life, honestly. Just how much weirder can it get?
(Spoiler: It can get much, much weirder.)
☆
Yuuki meets the legendary Nobuko Takada on a sunny weekend in Shinjuku, and almost immediately falls in love.
Meeting Takada-chan is… eye opening, to say the least.
They’re meant to be in the same idol group, but Takada has been in the industry a lot longer than Yuuki’s mere handful of weeks. She’s a darling of the industry. And at 180cm tall without heels, she and Yuuki are the same height. And shoe size. Yuuki is in awe. They have similar builds, too, but nothing about Takada looks awkward or ungainly. She moves like a ballerina, not a lineman, and that’s all it takes for Yuuki. She’s not sure if she wants to love Takada-chan, or be Takada-chan. Probably both.
Not only is she gorgeous, she’s also super nice too. She doesn’t laugh when Yuuki tells her she pretends to be a boy most of the time, that she’s good at sports and not much else, that she’s never worn makeup before. She just asks if Yuuki wants to be an idol, and Yuuki surprises herself by answering with a resounding yes. It’s not what she expected of life, but she’s warmed up to the idea. She wants to be an idol— and a good one, a famous one, like Takada-chan. She doesn’t want to feel awkward in her own skin anymore.
Takada-chan smiles as she confesses all this, and promises that they’ll both make this idol group great, together.
☆
ポプテピピック
POP TEAM EPIC
☆
Jii-chan told her, on his dying breath, to protect others. She was strong, he said, so she should do her best to help others who didn’t have her strength. Whether he was referring to her, frankly outrageous, physical strength or her strength of character Yuuki isn’t sure, but she optimistically hopes it was both.
She thinks its both, because she thinks an indomitable strength of will as well as a basically invulnerable physique is the only real way to survive Ryomen Sukuna.
It starts as a (somewhat) normal day for her.
Her idol group has a live show at the Tokyo Dome tomorrow, but for today, they’re just going over sound checks and logistics. Takada-chan is as calm and collected as ever, looking completely comfortable and at ease as she stares up into an empty stadium that can easily fit fifty thousand people. Maya-chan is sort of curled up on the ground and seems to be muttering some kind of prayer under her breath. Chisato-chan is somewhere between Takada-chan and Maya-chan— not quite entirely calm, but also not on the verge of a nervous meltdown. Yuuki is nearly vibrating out of her skin in excitement. Performing at the Tokyo Dome is every idol group’s dream! And they sold out within hours!
Some days she wonders if her Jii-chan would be proud of her and what she’s accomplished; other days she wonders if he’d be disappointed she didn’t continue her education. Days like today, she’s fairly sure he’d be proud.
“Taka-chan, Taka-chan,” she calls cheerfully into the mic. “Try a Taka-chan beam!”
Takada laughs heartily, and gamely bounds up to the front of the enormous stage to shout; “Taka-tan~!!”
It works in lightening the mood, and Maya slowly uncurls from her neurotic puddle and crawls closer to them.
“Your turn, Yuu-chan!”
“Eh?” Yuuki tilts her head. “But I don’t really have a special move…”
“What are you talking about?” Takada giggles. “You’re our pretty pink pastel charm!”
Yuuki blushes. “I meant that as a joke, ya know…”
“But it was so cute when you did it on the live stream the other day.” Takada points out.
“Ah, Taka-chan’s right!” Maya agrees.
Yuuki sighs, but gives it a shot. She skips up to the front next to Takada, takes a breath and stares out into the staggering rows of seats. “Hi everyone! It’s me, your pretty pink pastel charm, Yuuki-chan desu~ ♡” She throws up a peace sign for good measure.
Takada squeals and throws her arms around her. “Perfect, Yuu-chan! That was so cute!”
“Ahhh, you really think so?” She scratches her cheek, trying to play it cool even though her heart is beating out of her chest.
“Totally,” Takada says, and despite her upbeat tone Yuuki can still hear the seriousness in her voice. “You’re super, suuuuper cute, Yuuki.”
She’s been an idol for more than a year now, but Takada can still read her like a book. She still remembers her days as ‘Itadori Yuuji’, hiding her monstrous strength behind a male persona. She could never have believed she could be up on the biggest stage in the country as one of the cutest girls in a girl idol group back then, and yet here she was, the ‘pretty pink pastel charm’ of their group.
“T— Thanks, Taka-chan.” She means that, sincerely.
Takada hugs her closer. “Anytime, Yuu-chan!”
“Everyone,” Chisato calls, distracting them. She looks back to see the blonde near the back of the stage. “Sound check’s over— Reiko-san is calling us back now.”
With a nod, they all leave the stage to go over some more logistics for the day-of. It’s going to be a hellishly early morning start, and Yuuki is not looking forward to it. It’s not even six in the afternoon but she’s already so tired— she has no idea how she’s going to make it through the whole day tomorrow!
Fortunately, Reiko releases them all to return home and rest up before the big show. She gives the usual spiel; avoid caffeine, make sure to hydrate, don’t eat anything salty, and go to bed early. They all file out one by one until it’s just Takada and Yuuki left.
“Taka-chan?” Yuuki looks over her bag at her friend and fellow idol, who doesn’t seem to have even started packing up her bag.
“Eh?” She looks up from her phone. “Oh sorry Yuu-chan, you can head out without me! I think I want to practice some lines a little more on stage before I leave.”
That’s just like Takada-chan, to stay late just to make sure she nails her performance. Yuuki can’t help but be inspired by her, sometimes.
“Okay, don’t stay too late!” She waves in farewell, heading out the door.
The Dome is like a labyrinth inside, and once outside again she’s stunned by how dark it is in some of the unlit halls. Most of the technicians have headed home for the day as well, making the whole place seem hollow and positively cavernous.
Honestly, she doesn’t know what it is that makes her stop before leaving the building properly.
It was just… just a bad feeling. An odd feeling, like ice water poured down her spine. There’s something about the sight of twilight descending on the empty parking lots that makes Yuuki take a step back, towards the door. Something doesn’t feel right. Yuuki wouldn’t say she’s a naturally superstitious person, but she definitely believes in listening to her gut instinct.
She thinks there’s no harm in doubling back just to check on Takada-chan. The idea of the other idol being alone in the empty stadium doesn’t sit well with her.
It’s a decision that changes her life, for good or for ill.
☆
When it’s all over, it’s pretty apparent they’re not going to be able to perform here tomorrow.
She would have never expected to see half the stage destroyed in the aftermath of a monster rampage, but, well, there it is. And the monsters in question were very, very dead— by Yuuki’s hand. Or was it Sukuna’s?
She hadn’t meant to swallow that disgusting looking finger. It had just sort of… happened. It was flying through the air one moment, in her hand the next. It looked like the creatures were… fighting over it, or something. They all turned their attention to Yuuki, and Yuuki had no idea what she was supposed to do but fighting them off sounded like the only real option. She didn’t do too badly, if she did say so herself— although Reiko-san was going to birth kittens when she saw the bruises on her face— until she’d gotten caught in the swing of one of their giant tails and ended up being launched into the air. The finger flew from her grip; the tail wrapped around her in an unflinching grip. As the finger tumbled back to earth, she could see the monsters scrambling towards it. She’d meant to just lean back and catch it with her teeth before they could grab it, but instead she sort of just… swallowed it. The next thing she knew, Takada-chan was still crying, the place was a wreck, and all the monsters were a bloody mess strewn across the stadium.
Takada says Yuuki saved them both. Yuuki can’t really remember any of it, so she’ll have to take her friend’s word for it. Takada doesn’t really know what the hell happened, either, and so they sit together in the wreckage of what would have been their stage tomorrow, as day turns to night, and wonder what to do. Do they call their manager? Do they tell someone? But who the hell would believe them?
In the end, it’s taken care of for them.
A boy around Yuuki’s age named Fushiguro hops over the wreckage from the outside of the dome, flashlight in hand. He’s not alone; a pretty brunette in some kind of school uniform follows after him. Come to think of it, Fushiguro is in a school uniform too…
They ask Takada and her a lot of questions— Yuuki is of little help. Takada manages to gather herself enough to answer them in a surprisingly clear and level voice. That’s their fearless leader though; brave in the face of crowds and monsters.
“Do you have any idea how they were destroyed?” This comes from the girl, Kugisaki, who’s casting a scrutinizing look around the dome.
Yuuki freezes.
Carefully, Takada leans over and takes Yuuki’s hands, threading their fingers together. “I don’t really know,” she replies— which probably isn’t a lie. “But they were fighting each other the whole time… I don’t even think they really noticed us.”
Her heart is in her chest. She’s sure her face is clammy and pale as a ghost, but the two must just chalk it up to shock because they don’t seem to notice.
The boy, Fushiguro, crosses his arms with a frown. “Did any of them get away?”
“I— I don’t know.” Takada stutters out, the only sign of her nervousness. “We weren’t really watching the fight.”
“What were you doing then?” Kugisaki asks, incredulously.
“Hiding.” Takada deadpans. Kugisaki looks away, expression sheepish.
Fushiguro nods. “That was smart of you both. I’m glad neither of you are hurt. Was there anyone else here?”
The two girls exchange a look. Yuuki finally summons up her trademark courage to add; “I don’t think so. I was one of the last to leave— the parking lot was empty when I got out there.”
“You were leaving?” Fushiguro frowns further. “But you turned back?”
Cold sweat breaks out on her neck. “I— well—
“She was worried about me being alone here,” Takada cuts in. “So she came back to check on me.”
Fushiguro sighs, and fortunately, takes it at face value. “I see.”
“Yoohoo~ how’s it going here? Find the finger yet?”
Both Takada and Yuuki freeze up in fear as a new voice cuts through the air and a man literally appears out of thin air. Not even the ever unflinching Takada is unphased, making a tiny squeak of surprise as she jumps in her seat. Yuuki doesn’t fare much better; her heart feels like it’s going to beat out of her chest.
Finger. He said finger.
Fushiguro gives the newcomer a level look. “We have company, sensei.”
“Ara?” The man peers over Fushiguro’s shoulder— which seems redundant, because he’s also wearing a blindfold of some kind. “So we do! Hmm, you two look sort of familiar— do you work at the school?”
Takada and Yuuki exchange a glance. So they are students of some kind? This is rather bizarre.
Fushiguro palms his face. “No. They’re idols, Gojo.”
The tall, white-haired man— Gojo— slaps a fist against one hand. You can almost see the light bulb going off over his head. “Oh! Pastel Palettes, that’s right! Wahh~ how lucky! I’m a big fan!”
Both Yuuki and Takada exchange deadpan looks. Yeah. That’s not a surprise— he’s definitely weird looking enough to be one of their adult male fans, alright.
Fushiguro sighs.
“You’re a fucking embarrassment, sensei.” Kugisaki drolls, rolling her eyes.
“Rude!” Their sensei gasps. “I swear, the youth just have no respect these days…” He laments tragically, before entirely changing tact; “Well it looks like the excitement’s just about over here. Megumi, don’t you think you should escort these two out?”
Fushiguro groans, but doesn’t refute the command. He gestures to the two of them, looking put upon. “I’m sorry about his… everything— but he’s probably right. Is there anyone I can call for you two?”
“No, that’s alright, we have a driver who can pick us up.” Takada assures him, standing.
Yuuki does as well, still clinging to the brunette. Fushiguro starts to usher them towards one of the still-standing exits, when Yuuki stops abruptly.
Fushiguro looks at her questioningly.
“Umm… look I’m really not looking for specifics here,” she begins, biting her lip. “But can someone tells us what exactly just happened here? Those were monsters, right?”
The three exchange a glance. Then Fushiguro sighs. “Those were curses. They’re— supernatural monsters created by pools of negative human emotion.”
Takada gasps. “There’s more of them?”
“There are over 10,000 cases of mysterious deaths in Japan alone,” Fushiguro drones, sounding as if he’s parroting an overused speech. “Most of those are because of curses. They appear everywhere, but normally in places that attract negative emotions— think hospitals, schools, prisons.”
“Not stadiums,” Yuuki points out, quietly.
“Yeah, not usually. This was an… unusual situation.”
There’s an offbeat pause of awkward silence, as Yuuki weighs her next question.
She decides to just go for it.
“Finger.” She blurts out. They all stare at her. She flushes, but continues; “You mentioned a finger, earlier. That’s— that’s the thing they were all fighting over, right?”
“You saw it?” Gojo asks, playful attitude dropped in favor of urgency.
Yuuki nods, slowly. “Well, I think so. They looked like they were fighting over something small…”
Takada is watching her with big, luminous gold eyes. Yuuki steadfastly doesn’t look in her direction.
“Did you see which one ate it?”
So there is something to eating it… Yuuki’s stomach drops. Oh god.
She can’t manage anything else but a trembling shake of her head.
“It was small, this place was a mess, those monsters were fighting each other and Yuuki-chan and I were just trying not to get caught up in all of it.” Takada answers for her. Yuuki wants to sob in relief. Her senpai is always so reliable. “Sorry, but it was really hard to say.”
“Whichever one managed to get it probably killed the rest,” Fushiguro muses, more to his companions than to them.
“And then left?” Kugisaki finishes, frowning.
Gojo shakes his head. “Hmm, I wonder about that…” He taps his finger against his chin. “Maa, well. There’s no reason to hold these two up over the investigations.”
Fushiguro nods. “Don’t worry about having to come up with a story— we’ll do that for you.” He assures them. “Someone from the college will be in touch.”
☆
Yuuki lounges in her bath, alone with her own thoughts.
Or, well.
Not exactly alone.
She’s got a surly, grumpy, mean-spirited man who calls himself the King of Curses stuck in her stomach.
“Un-fucking believable…” The curse is grousing in her head. “A little wench like you, besting ME? The King of Curses? I refuse to believe it.”
“Well, believe it,” Yuuki counters, dryly. “Because it happened, and I’m not letting you out again after that mess you made earlier.”
“I saved your life, didn’t I?” He spits back.
“Sure, but then you were about to kill my friend and then wreak havoc upon the city.” Yuuki points out, unmoved. “Thanks for saving my life and all, but no thanks.”
“If you were truly that thankful, you’d offer me something in recompense.”
Yuuki frowns, lifting a foot out of the bathtub and examining her leg with a furrowed brow. She definitely remembered slamming it against a steel pole, earlier. But there’s not a mark on her, anymore. Was that usual for her? She never felt injuries for long, that was true. But a few hours was a new record, even for her…
“Like what?” She snorts, pulling her thoughts back to the surreal conversation she’s having with her new tenant. “A signed poster? One of my figurines?”
“One of your what?”
“Nevermind.” Yuuki shrugs. “I’m not doing anything for you, sorry. Not if it includes hurting other people.”
“What if I just asked you to find the rest of my fingers for me?”
Yuuki pauses, frowning deeper. She drops her leg back into the warm bath. “You want me to find your other fingers?”
“Yes.”
“How many more are there?”
“Nineteen.”
Yuuki blinks furiously. “... how did you have twenty fingers?”
“I had four arms.”
Sure, because that made just as much sense as everything else did today.
Yuuki sighs loudly, slumping into the water. “I mean, I’ll try my best. But it was just luck that I found one in the first place, you know.”
“One is all it takes,” the curse— Sukuna— says, with surety. “I’ll be able to sense the others when they’re near.”
Yuuki contemplates it. It sounds like a bad idea all around. Actually, it sounds like Sukuna is underestimating her. He didn’t really get to see her toss those other curses around like toys before she swallowed his finger, so she supposes she doesn’t really blame him. After all, he appears to have a very low opinion of women in general— he probably thinks if she eats another, he’ll be able to take over her body.
Yuuki smirks. He’s in for a surprise, for sure.
“Wellllll,” she drawls, trying not to sound smug. “If we happen to run into one, I guess I can do you this favor. But I have my own life and obligations, so I can’t just take off and leave to go find them.”
Sukuna growls in outrage. “Absolutely not! You’ll start immediately! Just who do you think you’re talking to here, you useless wench?!”
“Just who do you think you’re talking to?” She counters, unbothered by his tone. He continues to shout, but she just ignores him with a victorious smile, grabs her headphones, and cranks the volume up as loud as it will go.
☆
For such an angry rat bastard, Sukuna is hilariously fascinated by the world of idols.
He asks her endless questions, about everything. What are those candles (stage lights, and those weird glass black eyes that keep following her around (cameras), and why are the buildings so tall and shiny, what are they made out of? He apparently had been cut up and sealed for a thousand years, so Yuuki can’t really blame him for the curiosity. Plus, when he’s so focused on the world around him, he forgets to act all mean and angry.
And the best part?
He’s an absolute simp for Taka-chan.
“She is a stunning creature of pure perfection,” he acknowledges, sounding revenant.
Yuuki barely keeps it together, having to fake a coughing fit to cover her laughs.
Not that she disagrees, precisely, but she is curious what it is about Taka-chan that seems to draw him in. She does have a very great figure, and a cute face, and— according to Sukuna— she is of the perfect height and physique. Apparently he’s never seen a woman as tall as Takada (or Yuuki for that matter) before. Considering he was last alive during the Heian period, Yuuki doesn’t doubt it. No one in the whole world was very tall at the time.
On her part, Takada is extremely worried for her kouhai after last night’s events, but is somewhat placated by Yuuki’s assurances that she’s fine. When it’s just the two of them, she confesses that she can hear Sukuna in her head— but promises that’s it. He can’t take over her body again like he had last night.
Surprisingly, this makes Takada giggle. “That’s probably for the best.” She leans closer, whispering conspiratorially, “It would really be bad if you two switched on stage and we found out he had stage fright.”
Yuuki can’t help but let out a few snickers of her own at the mere thought. The fearsome King of Curses, trussed up in some cute frilly idol outfit, in front of a stage of adoring, screaming fans? Sukuna does not appreciate her sense of humor; still, the mental image works in turning him off the idea of attempting to take over her body without warning. He’d rather not be stuck wearing something like that.
Their manager calls them back to the studio soon after. Their concert might be postponed, but practice must go on.
And if Yuuki thought Sukuna was scandalized by the outfits, she clearly hadn’t seen his reaction yet to the dances.
☆
Surprisingly enough, she thinks she and Sukuna get along pretty well.
For all that he calls them weak and useless maggots, she’s fairly certain Sukuna has something of a soft spot for women and children. Not that she’d ever acknowledge it aloud, lest he go out of his way to disprove her theory (yeah, he was that kind of tsundere). As much as he dismissed them, he also seemed to find it beneath him to go after them himself. It had to be some kind of fucked up, bullshit curse-version of bushido or something; he sneered at curses who went deliberately after women and children, and thought them worse than trash. He deemed women useless, yet apparently never went out of his way to hurt them. He relished in telling her he’d killed plenty of women and children in his day, but Yuuki couldn’t help but notice they seemed to be more collateral damage than intentional attacks.
At any rate, he was still definitely a piece of misogynistic patriarchal trash, but she was working on that.
Slowly.
With one ground breaking punch at a time.
The first time he’d seen her launch a curse straight through fifteen concrete walls, he was so stunned she could practically see his mouth dropping open, and his head falling off his hand as he lounged on his silly skull throne. He definitely changed his tune about her being ‘weak and useless’ after that. He still thought her occupation to be nothing short of bizarre, and her choice in clothing scandalous, but at least he held her in some regard.
He even, begrudgingly, had started to acknowledge her value as a worthy vessel.
They stumbled upon his second finger after a meet and greet in Saitama. She remembered it clearly— they’d been passing over an innocuous bridge when Sukuna suddenly ripped her right out of her light doze. She made note of the location— the Yasohachi Bridge in East Saitama— and made her way out that way later that evening.
She wastes no time in destroying the mole-like curse hiding beneath the bridge, and actually manages to hold her own for a bit against the much stronger, finger-bearing curse hidden in the other curse’s barrier.
It’s much, much stronger than any curse she’s run into yet. Sukuna refers to it as a ‘special-grade’; apparently he himself also bears that title, although he insists they’re in entirely different leagues. And he’s right: he takes it out with barely any effort when Yuuki could only manage to dodge its attacks.
Much to Sukuna’s dismay, even with a second finger, Yuuki’s will remains as strong as her superior physical strength.
☆
Yuuki wakes up with a wide yawn.
She looks around at her surroundings. Where is she, and how’d she get here again? Ah, that’s right. She spent the night at Takada-chan’s place. They had gotten in late from a concert last night, and Yuuki just had no time or energy to drag herself all the way back to the dorms when Takada’s place was so much closer. She would have slyly prodded Sukuna about sleeping in the same room as his precious Takada-chan, but he was still thoroughly traumatized by the events of last night and was buried somewhere deep in her subconscious.
Serves him right after trying to take over last night, in the middle of a concert no less! He must have sensed the large, concentrated chaotic energy of the crowd around them and thought something interesting was happening. Interesting as in, the things that interest Sukuna, re: death, chaos, despair or some combination therein.
Instead he was beamed in the face by a passing stagelight turned up to megawatt voltage before he could properly open his eyes. Suffice it to say, he did not try to come back out again at any point last night.
Sukuna’s surprise appearance aside, the concert had been a resounding success. Yuuki wasn’t all that confident in her singing voice, but it was easy when she had three other girls with her to cover when she messed up. And the dancing? Ha, Yuuki had that part in the bag. She was the best dancer, hands down. Even the fans voted so!
In a surprisingly good mood for such an early hour, Yuuki decides to start cooking her and Takada some breakfast.
She’s just getting the rice cooker going when Sukuna finally emerges.
“Tell me it’s over.”
“It’s over.”
He lets out a low growl, a churlish eye and mouth appearing on her cheek. “What sort of nonsense even was that?”
“I told you, a concert.” Yuuki answers, surprisingly patient. Sukuna is impressively quick with all this ‘modern world’ stuff, very rarely needing an explanation for things he can suss out on his own. A phone, for example, was a novel concept to him but didn’t require much explanation on her part. At least for the actual calling part. The internet was still a work in progress. She’d explained a concert before, and even pulled up a video of one of their old ones to watch, but it seemed he still wasn’t clear on the topic.
“That was nothing like what you showed me earlier!” He denies, sounding harassed.
Yuuki giggles. “Well, of course not! That was just a recording from someone in the crowd, this was the real deal!”
“Never again,” he avows, disturbed.
Yuuki rolls her eyes. “Yeah, no can do.” She examines her nail beds as she waits for the frying pan to heat up. “That’s, like, half my job you know.”
“If you just let me do what I want, you wouldn’t need a job.” Sukuna returns, leering. “I could lay the world at your feet.”
“Don’t you mean, your feet?” Yuuki rolls her eyes again.
There’s a rustling sound from behind her. Then she hears Takada’s sleepy voice; “Ne, Yuuki-chan, have you seen my—
The peaceful, idyllic morning is rent asunder by an unholy shriek.
Takada points widely at her cheek, eyes nearly popping out of her skull, where Sukuna’s single manifested eye is staring at her with an equally wide and caught off guard gaze.
“Oh, Taka-chan, I guess I haven’t introduced you two yet!” Yuuki grins widely. “Taka-chan, this is Sukuna, the— uh, guy who’s finger I ate that one day.”
“What?!”
She rubs the back of her head sheepishly. “Yeah, apparently he was like, the King of Curses or something? Anyway when I ate his finger I activated his conscious, or something. So now he does this weird thing sometimes.”
“So that’s where those scars came from,” Takada says, blinking furiously.
“Yep!” Yuuki nods, then pokes her own cheek. “Oi, Sukuna, you going to introduce yourself, or do I have to do it for you?”
The mouth on her cheek opens and closes uselessly a few times. The eye blinks once, twice, and then the whole thing disappears.
Takada stares at it in wonder.
Yuuki chuckles. “Hmm~ I guess he was just feeling shy?”
She feels the mental equivalent of a punch to the gut for her insolence. Despite the pain, she regrets nothing. It was so worth it. Teasing Sukuna is the best part about having him around.
Takada, on her part, takes it all like a champ. It only takes her a few seconds to regain her bearings. She scratches her cheek, with an expression of distant confusion, as if she can’t believe she’s actually about to do this. Then she bows her head very carefully and says, “It’s nice to meet you, ah, Sukuna-... sama?”
If curses could squeal in glee like teenage girls in front of their favorite movie star, he would do it. When she points out to him that he’s acting like a fanboy, he drags her into their shared mental space just to decapitate her a couple times.
Still.
Worth it.
☆
They find the third just as serendipitously. Or, well, Yuuki thinks its coincidence— Sukuna is certain it’s anything but.
Pastel Palettes finally has their big concert at the Tokyo Dome, attracting thousands of their fans and launching them into the stratosphere of popularity. They’re album is a hit. Yuuki had never expected it to do so well, but it delights her nonetheless. She’s taken her grandfather’s words to heart— protecting those who can’t, and making sure that she’ll be surrounded by people when she dies.
“Surrounded by people?" Sukuna repeats, snorting. “They’ll have a day of national mourning for you at this rate.”
Yuuki perks up. “You think so?”
Sukuna doesn’t answer, too busy eying up the man next in line to shake her hand. He looks scandalized when Yuuki moves to hold out her hands to him. “Don’t touch that disgusting pig! He’s beneath you!”
“He paid to be here,” Yuuki replies, laughing. “And it’s just for five seconds.”
“Yuuki-chan, I love you,” the man simpers, and Sukuna gags in her mind.
Yuuki is also internally gagging, but she shows her indomitable spirit of will once again by putting on a blinding smile outwardly. “Ah, thank you very much~”
“Yuuki-chan, can you give me an introduction please?”
Yuuki blinks, then shrugs. It’s not a ‘Taka-tan beam’ or anything, but sure. She holds up the peace sign. “Hi hi~ I’m you’re pretty pastel pink charm, Yuuki-chan desu ♡”
The man swoons. One of the officiators comes by to gently push him out of the way for the next customer, a nice, dark-haired woman. But the man fights him off, saying he wants more time with Yuuk-chan.
Yuuki watches with a wince as he starts to make a scene. A few other body guards drift away from the other girls to help hers.
“You should just eviscerate this pathetic worm,” is Sukuna’s unhelpful two cents.
“Not in front of a crowd.” Yuuki shoots back.
“Hey, fucker, you’ve got a line back here!”
Yuuki blinks in surprise. Without further ado, the woman behind him in line executes an elegant roundhouse kick and he slumps to the ground.
“Sorry about that,” she says, and tosses her silky bob of black hair over her shoulder.
“No need,” Yuuki replies, voice high. “Thank you so much for that.”
“Eh, guys like that are so gross.” She shrugs, then holds out one of Yuuki’s posters. “I was actually hoping you could sign this poster for my son, instead of a handshake?”
“Yes, of course!” Yuuki giggles. “Anything for my savior~”
Sukuna grunts. “She’s your savior? What the hell am I, then?”
“My freeloader.”
The woman waves her off. “It was nothing really.”
“Not at all! That was an epic move!” Yuuki grins.
“You think so?” She laughs. “It’s been a while since I went to a Judo class, but I guess I’ve still got it.”
“I wish you could teach me that,” Yuuki sighs. She’s never had any formal training, just what she knows from street fights and her own athleticism.
The woman gives her a quick once over. Yuuki is fairly sure she’s sizing her up and deciding an idol like her would have no chance at learning, but she surprises her by saying; “Maybe if we meet again. I wouldn’t want to hold up the line.”
Yuuki grins. “Fair point. Who is this for?”
“ Could you sign it for ‘Junpei’?”
“Sure!” She agrees, as she leans down with a marker to write out; To Junpei, a big thank you from your pretty pink pastel charm ♡~ and signs it with a flourish.
Yuuki eyes the new CDs she has stacked next to her, then looks back at the woman. “And what’s your name?”
The woman blinks. “Yoshino Nagi.”
She grabs one of the CDs. Epic kick, Nagi-san! Signs it, and hands it back to her with a cheeky grin. Nagi laughs, but accepts it.
Later, after the signing is over, Yuuki is dismayed to realize she accidentally missed her ride back to the studio. Not only that, but the gloomy skies had opened up in an absolute downpour as well. Hailing a cab in this weather was going to be murder.
Yuuki leans back against the back entrance door, sighing.
She debates calling Takada, but feels silly. It was her fault for getting caught up in the nearby convenience store. She just hadn’t expected to get her period today! And she had to do something right away or else chance bleeding through her outfit. Plus, if she didn’t deal with it right away Sukuna would get progressively more neurotic about it. Apparently bathing in the blood of his enemies was all fine and dandy, but even the hint of menstrual blood had him running for the hills. For a thousand year old King of Curses, he could be just as annoyingly bratty as any other male she knew.
“Eh? Yuuki-chan?”
Yuuki blinked in surprise, turning to the side where the woman from earlier was leaning against a stack of crates with a cigarette.
“Ah— Yoshino-san!”
“You really remembered my name…” The woman muttered in disbelief. Then she shook her head. “Anyway, what are you doing here?”
Yuuki laughed sheepishly. “Well, I might have accidentally missed my ride back…”
“They left you?!” Yoshino-san gasps, looking outraged on her behalf. “They just left a cute, young defenseless girl like you to fend for herself? Is your management crazy?!”
I’m not as defenseless as you think, Yuuki sweatdropped internally, but refrained from mentioning that aloud.
“It was my fault.” Yuuki denies, weakly.
“That doesn’t matter! That’s so irresponsible, honestly, you’re only— how old are you?”
“I just turned sixteen.”
Yoshino looks like she’s about to have an apoplexy. “You’re the same age as my son! This is ridiculous. Alright, that’s it, I’m driving you back.”
Yuuki immediately protests. “No that’s fine, I can just call a cab—
“Absolutely not, unless they’re reimbursing you!”
They probably wouldn’t, honestly.
Yuuki’s silence apparently damns her.
“Nope, nope. You’re coming with me. My car’s just in the garage below—
Yuuki’s stomach, the fucking traitor, takes the opportunity to groan so loudly Yoshino actually stops her rant. Yuuki wants the ground to swallow her up whole.
Yoshino just sighs. “They didn’t even feed you, either? How long was the event?”
“It started this morning.” Her reply sounds weak even to her ears.
Yoshino shakes her head, a determined expression on her face. “Do your parents know where you are?”
Yuuki looks down at the hem of her dress, toeing a puddle in front of her. “I, uh, don’t have parents.”
“... An aunt? Uncle? Grandmother?”
She blushes miserably, shaking her head in silence.
Yoshino’s eyes soften. “Well then, let’s see about getting some food in you, huh? And then I’ll take you wherever you need to go.”
The answer is ‘nowhere’. The studio is likely closed— that’s just where the bus drops them off because most of the staff park there during events. Even if she hadn’t missed it, she would have had to call a cab from there anyway or walk to a station. Their company dorms were a little too far to walk to, especially in this weather. And Takada and the others might wonder where she was, but they didn’t live in the dorms any more and wouldn’t notice she wasn’t there.
But Yuuki didn’t like to think on it that much, so she just shrugged and took Yoshino’s offered hand.
☆
Yuuki had a great time at the Yoshino household.
Nagi’s son, Junpei, was very sweet but shy. He nearly fainted when he saw Yuuki-chan— his favorite idol— in their kitchen helping his mom cook dinner. Nagi cheerfully explained the circumstances, brushing over the whole rideless fiasco at the end. Junpei seemed too stunned to question it.
Yuuki badgered Nagi into writing down her recipe, even if she insisted it was just ‘plain old packet curry’. Packet curry or not, it was currently Sukuna’s favorite dish— actually beating out hamburgers, to Yuuki’s surprise. There were only a few things that made Sukuna happy; chaos, bloodshed, indulging in carnal desires, and hamburgers. And Yoshino-san’s curry now too, she supposed.
Nagi was an absolute riot, and the two got on like a house on fire. Junpei came out of his shell as the evening wore on, and the two of them managed to drag him into a card game with them. It was probably getting way too late, but Yuuki couldn’t find it in herself to drag herself away. It had been… ages since she’d had fun like this. The life of an idol was fun, in a way, but it was also fast-paced and stressful, and it was work. She could never forget that it was a job to her, a source of income. And she loved Takada, and her groupmates, but even when they hung out it never felt like this. Sitting here with Junpei and Yoshino-san… it felt like she was part of a family again. Like she had somewhere to belong. She knew it was all just a lie, but it felt too nice to indulge in it to leave now.
Yoshino-san wasn’t helping her willpower, insisting she stay the night, as it was still raining terribly outside and it was getting very late.
Yuuki could only manage a half-hearted protest; she really didn’t put up much fight when Yoshino rolled out a futon in the living room for her. They stayed up chatting even after Junpei went to bed: Yoshino was so fascinated by the life of an idol, and Yuuki was happy to share. She hadn’t chatted with someone outside of the idol world like this in ages.
Yoshino had finally fallen asleep after her seventh beer or so. Yuuki smiled fondly at her, and grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch and draped it around her shoulders.
It’s just as Yuuki is settling in to sleep herself that she feels a… pulse in the air. It’s in time with her own heartbeat.
A lump settles in her chest, and Sukuna springs to the forefront of her mind.
“Is this…?” She trails off, bewildered.
“Yes, it’s one of my fingers you’re sensing.” Sukuna confirms.
“Here? Now???” She asks, incredulous.
Together, they both turn back to the table where Yoshino is still dozing. Somehow, in the interim of her putting the blanket over the woman and settling into her own futon, one of Sukuna’s fingers has just… appeared, right in the middle of the table.
Yuuki gapes at it. “That… that wasn’t there earlier.”
Sukuna seems just as shaken by it’s sudden appearance. “No it was not.” He agrees. “And I didn’t sense it until just now.”
They both tabel the obvious question of how it got there for later, because a curse is emerging from beneath the floorboards, evidently drawn to the power of the finger.
Sukuna’s eyes slide open beneath her own. The hapless, misshapen curse pulls away from Yoshino as it senses rising curse power. It gives a little pathetic yelp as it locks eyes with Sukuna.
☆
Something is amiss.
That much is evident.
Someone or something planted that finger there, and Sukuna wants to know who, and why.
The day after is her day off, so she acquiesces to his wishes and prowls the town in search of the mysterious previous owner of her now third finger. It seems like a search in vain to her— Tokyo is enormous, how does Sukuna expect to find the culprit? But he explains that curse energy leaves a distinctive mark on the world around them. He can use the mark left behind on his finger to track who had it last.
If that’s the case though, why don’t people ever try to track her down? Curses overlook her all the time, as if she’s just another human, and not the tenant to the strongest curse of all time.
Sukuna reveals he’s been cloaking his own presence, from both other curses and what he calls ‘Jujutsu Sorcerers’— people like Fushiguro, and the people he was with that fateful night.
That deception only ever works in their favor, people forever underestimating her— and it’s about to do the same now.
Sukuna tracks the culprit into the bowels of the Tokyo sewage system. It’s disgusting, and Yuuki is glad she wore a pair of shapeless sweats and a sweatshirt— her old ‘Yuuji’ clothes, that she never wears anymore, and pushed all her hair into a baseball cap to stave off the grease. She’s going to have to wash it either way at this point though, she laments silently.
The curse they find is… different than the others.
It’s less like the mindless beasts she’s seen so far, and much more like Sukuna.
That doesn’t seem to worry Sukuna though, who looks at him like he’s dirt beneath his foot.
“Could this be— ? Is it really Ryomen Sukuna-sama?” The curse in question gasps, sounding far too delighted for someone who’s already pissed the King of Curses off.
Sukuna just stares down at him coolly.
“I heard you had returned, but no one has seen or heard from you since…” The silver-haired curse tilts his head. “My friends have been looking for you, but you’re a pretty hard man to find, hehe!”
Nothing he says is particularly endearing him to Sukuna, Yuuki can tell. Predictably, Sukuna ignores all of that: “Where did you get my finger?”
“Your finger?” The curse blinks.
“You gave it to that human woman.” Sukuna elaborates. “I want to know why.”
“Ehhh? A human?” The curse dramatically twirls in a circle, eyes at the ceiling. “Hmm... hmm… ah, you mean Junpei-kun’s kaa-chan!”
Yuuki flinches. So it hadn’t been an accident that it had been left in front of Nagi after all.
“Ne, did you like my gift, Sukuna-sama?” The curse asks, eagerly. “I’d be happy to give you more. Won’t you come with me? I promise there’s more where that—
Sukuna hasn’t even lifted a finger, and the curse’s head is nearly lopped clean off his body. It’s only a quick reflex that has it severing half his torso instead. Even that gruesome wound won’t be enough to incapacitate it, Yuuki knows. Especially if it can talk like Sukuna— it’s on a much higher level than most curses. And it knows who Junpei is… and targeted Nagi on purpose. The thought makes her blood boil, and in response, Sukuna’s cursed energy output nearly doubles.
At the very least, the other curse has realized the error of his ways.
“S— Sukuna-sama…” This time he at least manages a somewhat deferential tone. “I didn’t mean to offend you…”
“Didn’t you?” Sukuna raises a cool brow. “If you really understood the situation you were in, you’d be on your knees, and answering my question.”
“I just wanted to play with Junpei-kun a little more!” The curse yelps, falling to its knees. “I thought it might be fun to leave him with a little gift. I wasn’t aware you knew him, Sukuna-sama.”
Yuuki is so angry she nearly accidentally wrestles control back from Sukuna, and only just manages to stop herself.
“So it wasn’t even an offering for me, then? I see.” Sukuna stares down at him with a frigid gaze. “How pathetic.”
☆
And the saga of Sukuna’s property damage continues… Yuuki muses, as she crawls her way out of the now ruined sewers.
Sukuna scoffs. “I didn’t see you complaining when I was beating that worthless worm into the ground repeatedly.”
It’s true, she really wasn’t. She wouldn’t say she liked seeing Sukuna repeatedly brutalize the other curse until it could just barely slip into a drainage duct and run away, but it had been rather satisfying. The thought that that pathetic creature would just play with Yoshino-san’s life like that… Yoshino Nagi was a good person, and that disgusting vermin wasn’t even worth the same air she breathed. Sukuna all but purrs at her anger, encouraging it. Surprisingly, he feels the same. It’s a bit more black and white to him though. Yoshino had amused him: more importantly, she’d fed him delicious food. This curse, Mahito, had insulted him and hadn’t taken him seriously. Ergo, Mahito wasn’t worth even a hair on Yoshino’s head.
“We still didn’t hear how he found your finger.”
Sukuna just shrugs. “I doubt he knew himself.”
“Then how did he get it?”
“He mentioned a group he worked with,” Sukuna points out. “It’s unlikely he’s the mastermind behind it all.”
Yeah, Yuuki can agree with that. That curse hadn’t exactly seemed… all that intelligent, despite the ability to speak. Any creature that low and unworthy would have known to bow down to Sukuna’s might immediately if it had any speck of intelligence. Sukuna heartily agrees. Yuuki rolls her eyes internally. She hadn’t meant that as a compliment… it was just common sense.
☆
She’s wary and worried after that.
There are definitely forces at work here, and she feels left in the dark.
She wants to dive in and investigate, but Sukuna holds her off. He points out, logically, that Jujutsu Society in whatever form its currently in likely already knows of what’s going on, if they sent sorcerers to chase after his finger that first time. If someone is collecting his fingers, surely someone in their lot must be aware of it.
It’s not their problem, he insists. If someone wants to gather up his fingers in a neat little pile ripe for the taking, they’re free to do so.
Sukuna’s dismissive attitude on the whole matter does nothing to allay Yuuki’s fears.
For all that Yuuki and Sukuna get along like a pair of surly siblings who hate each other but are at least capable of being lowkey about it, she knows she can’t delude herself into thinking they actually share anything. Sukuna has proven himself to be a cruel, self-absorbed, uncaring monster on many occasions. But he also has a capricious and indulgent side, if you’re subtle enough to slip through his arrogant, prideful shell.
Takada had managed it just by literally being herself, somehow. For whatever reason, she’d interested Sukuna, and now he considers her a possession of sorts. For now, it’s working out, but Yuuki shudders to think what would happen if Takada got a boyfriend or something. Sukuna might just eviscerate the poor guy for daring to place a hand on her, even though he doesn’t seem all that interested in laying a hand on her himself. He likes Takada like he likes all rare and beautiful things; something to be hoarded.
As for Yuuki… well, she’s not sure where she falls on this scale.
She is automatically considered ‘Sukuna’s, just by being his vessel. In many ways, she’s ‘his human’. Sure, she pisses him off— sometimes intentionally— but she also provides him with endless entertainment and intrigue. She’s probably more than just a mere possession, but not something he holds in particularly high regard. Perhaps… a pet?
She supposes she could just ask him.
She chews on her bottom lip as she rolls the idea in her head, sprawled out on her dorm bed in the direction of her little monitor screen. Sukuna is distracted enough not to notice her indecisiveness— he can’t read her thoughts persay, but he can usually pick up on intense emotions and vice versa. Right now though, there’s probably nothing on this earth, come hell or high water, that could pull him away from Planet Earth. It’s his favorite thing to watch, and frankly she applauds his taste. She’s not sure what it is— the thrill of the chase scenes, the savageness of nature in its true element?— that captivates him. Or maybe it’s not any of that, she thinks, as the scene switches to a few swooping panoramas and his attention is just as fixated on that as he was on the hunt before it. Maybe it’s the idea of all these incredible places suddenly being accessible to him, even if it’s only on the screen.
“I’ve always wanted to go there.” She says suddenly, popping a chip in her mouth. For good measure, she tosses one into his too. He likes the honey barbecue flavor.
“Where is it?”
“The Serengeti?” She frowns, brow furrowing. “Uh, I know it’s in Africa.” They’ve at least covered modern geography enough for him to know where that is on the map. “I think it’s somewhere in the middle of it?”
“Why don’t you just go?”
“It’s sooo far,” she complains, crunching into another chip. “It’s literally on the other side of the world.”
“Can’t you just take an airplane?”
She’s surprised he’s so interested in this. “Well, sure. But it would still take a while. And you’d need lodging and transportation… plus they speak a different language there, and the time zones are different. It’s not that easy. You’d have to stay for a really long time— like a month or so. It’s hard to get that kind of time off these days.”
Sukuna just makes a noncommittal noise. He doesn’t really understand the concept of gainful employment, so the idea that she can’t just take off and do what she wants at any given moment is probably something of a mystery to him.
She flops onto her back, peering upside down at the screen. “Let’s go.” She finds herself saying. He stirs in her mind, curious. “Not right now. But one day. With Taka-chan. I bet if we film there and stuff we can call it a business trip and have management pay for it all.”
They’d have to get crazy famous for their management to even consider it, but who knows. At this point she probably has enough money to go regardless, if she ever manages to get that much time off.
They both quietly watch the rest of the scene on the animals of the Serengeti. It’s not until they’ve gotten to the next episode that Yuuki finally decides she may as well just ask the question she’s thinking of. She rolls back onto her stomach, tugging a pillow under her chin.
“Hey, Sukuna.”
“What.” He responds, sounding as grouchy as ever.
“What do you think of me?”
She can feel his confusion. He doesn’t know how to approach the question. He isn’t even sure what she’s asking. She decides to try another tactic.
“Have you ever owned a pet before?”
“...What sort of nonsensical bullshit is this?”
Yeah, okay, that didn’t work.
“You’re an obnoxious human I’m forced to put up with temporarily.” He makes sure to emphasize the ‘temporarily’. Yuuki doesn’t roll her eyes, but it’s a near thing. Yeah right. He’s never getting her body.
“And no, you are not any kind of pet.” He continues, sounding annoyed. “Pets actually manage to follow instructions.”
She shrugs. Fair enough.
He grumbles, shifting around on his throne. “As far as humans go, I suppose you’re not the worst of them.”
She perks up at that. “Really?”
It’s not much, but it’s something.
“You’re disrespectful, disobedient, unruly, and have awful taste in clothing.”
She nearly jumps up in outrage at that last one. Rude! She has great taste in clothing.
“But, it could be worse. At the very least, you’re not boring.” He says, like that’s supposed to mean something.
Yuuki blinks. She settles back onto her pillow.
It might not seem like he’s said anything profound, but he actually kind of has. He promptly ignores her and turns back to the mountainous regions of Tibet. Yuuki supposes he has the right of it, and drops the conversation to focus on the film.
She can clearly remember his thoughts on that strange curse that almost killed Yoshino-san. His reasonings, so bizarre yet so clear cut. Yoshino-san cooked him food. She was useful to him, in some manner. Not only that, but she managed to wiggle into his indulgent side by appealing to his palette. He definitely didn’t like her, but she had use. Yuuki is the same. She’s his vessel, his medium to the outer world. And she entertains him; she satiates his curiosity, and she never bores him. Sukuna said himself that he’s a creature who only cares for himself; his own pleasures. Whether someone lives or dies in his world is entirely based on this singularity.
Putting it this way… being someone who catches his interest is probably the highest form of favor one can get with Sukuna.
She shrugs. Okay. She’ll take that.
