Sukuna was in a bookstore, browsing books in a section most wouldn't step in until they need some form of guidance or coping mechanism in life. The pink haired boy was looking for books his father had recommended, making it a must for the boy to finish before he entered high school.
From a couple of searches on the internet, he found that they were all from authors of the olden days, ones that didn't bother pretending the world was fair, having written instructions for surviving it.
Philosophy books were also recommended by his father, but only the sharp kind. From some more quick searches, he found that most of the works his father suggested argued that humans are driven by appetite, dominance, and terror rather than virtue. All from thinkers who dismantle morality instead of polishing it and treatises that say 'good' and 'evil' are costumes power wears to look respectable.
His father recommended a bunch, Sukuna even felt a little blank in the head from how much his father ranted a few hours before this. Marcus Aurelius, Machiavelli, political theory and law.
Sukuna was initially confused on why he should read law, his father had advised him to read it like an enemy reading a rulebook, not for him to obey them blindly, but to know exactly where the moral and legal lines don't overlap. After all, most, if not all systems rely on people not reading the fine print. Reading it multiple times would be the best course of action.
As he paid the cashier, deep down, he hoped that spending all this money would be worth it. It hadn't been long since he made his decision to do something about this accursed world, he just hoped that he doesn't quit, which he probably won't but feeling hope is a nice thing to have once in a while.
"Argh! They've ran out of Takada-chan's vinyl! It just came out yesterday and it's already gone?!" Sukuna glanced to his side, recognizing a familiar face. Aoi Todo had tears down his eyes, saddened at the fact that he couldn't get the vinyls on time.
'I'm getting embarrassed just from watching this buffoon.' Sukuna thought to himself, pretending not to mind him, clutching his plastic bag and walking away.
"Hey Sukuna, it isn't nice to ignore your brother you know?" The pink haired man paused, before he glanced back at Todo who had regained all of his composure, pretending that nothing had happened.
Sukuna didn't care about that. What he did care about was this.
"Since when were we brothers?"
...
"What an interesting choice of books you bought." Todo mumbled as he dug through the plastic bag. Sukuna remained silent, though a little annoyed that he was flipping through his stuff without permission.
They were at a park, sitting on a bench together. Todo had somehow managed to drag Sukuna with him, much to the teenager's annoyance.
"You're the son of Ryomen Jin, yeah?"
"What of it?" Sukuna glanced at Todo who grinned.
"I wasn't sure about it when you told me your name that day, but now that I look at your face closely, you and him look exactly alike, minus the glasses that Jin-san wears." Todo replied, looking back at the books again.
"You sure your parents allowed you to read this? Once you do, you'll see this world in a different manner, and I don't mean the 'sunshine and rainbows' type of way."
"I know what I'm doing." Sukuna stated. Todo snorted.
"Just be careful with these, brother. When you really start seeing the world for what it is, the world just becomes a living nightmare. It's unavoidable, like it or not." The muscular man then held up a finger.
"But that's not the real danger, it's dangerous when you only believe the world can only ever be broken, which isn't true. What you need after this is counterweight, solid proof that things can be better. If all you consumes is critique, you will eventually mistake diagnosis for destiny."
He continued. "You need exposure. Now I'm not saying that these books are bad, they definitely do help you expand your worldview. But I think you should also be more exposed to the builders of society, people who repaired systems quietly, without becoming saints. From there you can learn that decay and repair coexist."
"I'll see what I can do..." Sukuna whispered, taking back the plastic bag. He sees that Todo was trying to stop him from mistaking darkness for the whole sky, which even though he knew that already, he was grateful for the reminder.
"Are you sure you're not a hero?" Sukuna smirked at him. Todo shook his head and snorted.
"Not even close."
"Vigilante then."
"Did you assume that because I stepped in to help that man the other day?" Todo raised an eyebrow at him.
"Why else? Most people are terrified of using their quirk in public, they're even terrified of stepping in due to the laws."
"What makes you think that's not just me wanting to do the right thing?" Todo crossed his arms. Sukuna glanced at him.
"Who in this world does the right thing nowadays, even if they wanted to? If even stepping in to help can get you fined or arrested, why would people risk it?" Todo went silent at Sukuna's questions.
"Yeah I guess you're right..." Todo muttered before standing up.
"What? You got mad cuz I'm right or something?" Sukuna wondered. Todo laughed, shaking his head.
"Nah, break time's over. The city needs me again." Todo did a small salute before he clapped his hands. One blink and he was gone, replaced by a small rock. Sukuna sighed, getting up from his seat.
"Time to go home..."
...
Sukuna was walking home on his own, the same unreasonable expression on him, his hands in the pockets of his black hoodie he wore due to the cold weather. A few minutes ago, he'd walked Mina home. He couldn't help but notice that he and the pink girl's relationship had changed, though a little subtly.
He 'noticed' Mina even more now, the small details of her figure, the way she smiled, and that vibrant pink hair of hers. He didn't want to come across as a pervert, trying his best to minimize stares, but apparently even Sukuna, who hasn't admired a girl since birth, still lost to the rampant hormones in his body.
Mina definitely noticed. He wasn't sure, but Mina was more perceptive than people think. And what's worse is that he found himself smiling a little more when he was with her. Mina definitely liked this new change, obviously, with her making an effort to get him to crack a smile. He'll tolerate it for now, so long as he doesn't get soft he won't mind.
'Curse you Kirishima, if it wasn't for you saying that I should keep her close the other day I wouldn't be like this.' He scratched his neck. Somewhere, a black haired boy with shark-like teeth sneezed like a bomb.
"Hm?" Sukuna noticed a large crowd gathering in front of him, seemingly blocked by a bunch of metal gates. The way in front was his usual way home, he'd be taking an alternative route, but he noticed that there were pro heroes gathering around.
He couldn't help but walk forward, squeezing through the crowd, not caring that he pushed people aside. Once he got to the front, he got a good look at the scene.
A large green slime, seemingly had taken over a boy with sandy blonde hair. Said boy was trying to fight back by throwing what looked like explosions from his hands, though it was doing more harm to his surroundings than helping him.
What was worse was that the pro heroes weren't stepping in, powerful heroes like Kamui Woods and Death Arms was just standing there, not moving an inch as the slime villain slowly devoured the boy, who looked the same age as him.
The people gasped in horror as a green haired boy suddenly rushed towards the slime villain, dropping everything in his hands as he approached the villain, trying his best to scrape the slime off the trapped blonde.
But still, the heroes did nothing to step in, still staring at the scene, albeit now more stressed out than before. Sukuna stared, eyebrows furrowed. The boy could die at any moment, and it seemed like the green haired boy's moment of bravery was useless, as he didn't seem like he was using any sort of quirk, which could only mean one thing.
No help was coming, as the civilians watching became more panicked and the heroes stood still like statues. Sukuna made a decision then and there.
Black tattoo like markings spread across his face, as a second smaller pair of crimson eyes opened under the original ones. His nails became black, long and sharp like knives.
The slime villain moved in to attack the boy. In the blink of an eye, Sukuna disappeared, his bag dropping to the ground. Within a few seconds, he was already in front of the attacking slime villain.
He threw an uppercut, that single attack sent a large pressure of air upwards, violently splitting the attacking slime into a bunch of large chunks which in turn released the blonde from its grasp. The pro heroes flinched, skidding back from the shockwave from that uppercut, while the civilians screamed and shouted in mass confusion.
The blonde and green haired boy both fell on the ground. As they both groaned, they looked up at Sukuna, looking down at them with four of his crimson eyes. They both gulped, heartbeat speeding up as they felt a crushing aura from him, like his presence was suffocating them.
"Hey! Stop right there!" Sukuna lazily looked at Death Arms running towards him, a livid expression on him.
"What the hell were you thinking?! That was reckless of the two of you!" He shouted at them both. It was weird, since he probably should be worrying about the injured blonde's condition instead of scolding the ones who ran in.
Sukuna, his unreadable expression never changing, glanced up at Death Arms, a mocking look in his eyes. "Well, we wouldn't have to if you guys weren't standing there like you were civilians. Seriously, can you even call yourself a hero?" The pink haired boy snorted, as the cameras started panning to him.
"Maybe you should just hand your license in, since it's clear you don't understand what being a hero is."
"You—" Death Arms, enraged by the taunting, had deliberately raised his large arms. But as the audience gasped in horror, he found that he had a hand near his neck, the pure black fingernails poking at his skin like needles. The hero gulped, feeling an invisible pressure crushing him as the pink haired teen before him smirked.
"Come on, you're really riled up cuz of that? Take a joke, man." Sukuna chuckled, shaking his head as he lowered his hand. He looked at the audience before giving them the John Cena salute.
"Ciao."
With that, he disappeared, leaving behind chaos and confusion.
To be continued....