I woke up groggily from my sleep; my muscles ached and I had a headache.
"Ughh… those painkillers were strong," I said while grabbing my head.
I stayed looking at the ceiling for a while without moving.
"Sigh… I have to get up, and I don't think I'm going to keep attending school," I said, sighing and looking at the mirror.
"How am I going to explain it to Tsumiki?" I sat up, stretching my aching muscles.
I stood up slowly, looking at the mirror and looking over my body.
After a while I started dressing up like usual. When I finished, I left my room to find Tsumiki cooking and Megumi sitting at the dining table looking at his phone.
"Good morning," she said, smiling brightly.
Megumi nodded while looking at me and continued looking at his phone.
"Good morning," I said, smiling at them.
I approached Tsumiki in the kitchen and looked at what she was cooking. "Do you need help?" I asked, looking at her.
"No, I almost finished, don't worry," she said, smiling at me.
I nodded and leaned on the kitchen door with my arms crossed, looking at her. Today I was going to go out with her, and looking at her humming a melody while making breakfast made my heart beat faster.
She looked at me briefly with her usual smile, but her face was tinted a little red and she looked at me with what I could feel was affection.
I returned the stare and, feeling a little bold today, I approached. "You know you look beautiful when you smile," I said, smiling.
The red tint of her cheeks turned into a blush. "Dummy, don't say those things suddenly," she said, a little flustered while looking at me with a smile.
I laughed slightly at her reaction and she pouted at me.
"Hmph," she said, looking away from me.
She was so cute I felt like staring at her all day and never looking away.
She finished doing breakfast and looked at me. "Noroi, help me," she said, still looking a bit flustered.
"At once," I said, grabbing the plates she served on.
As we walked towards the table, Megumi stared strangely at me.
I looked at him confused before putting down the plates.
As we sat down, Tsumiki looked at me a bit sadly. "Noroi, Gojo called before you woke up. He told me you were changing schools."
I looked at her surprised. I suppose I should thank Gojo for helping me avoid this conversation. "Yeah, Gojo decided that I needed to change schools," I said, looking at her while picking up my chopsticks.
"Sigh… if he said so," she said, looking a bit deflated.
I looked at her for a moment. "I could still pick you up with Kenji-san," I said with a smile.
She brightened a bit before nodding and starting to eat.
Megumi looked at me with a gaze that said, "What about me?"
I laughed slightly before giving him an apologetic smile.
As we finished eating the food, I took the plates and offered to wash them.
Tsumiki thanked me and Megumi nodded.
"Noroi, we will go now. Don't arrive late to your first day," she said, smiling at me and walking towards the entrance followed by Megumi.
"Okay, don't worry," I said while washing the dishes.
She waved at me and left the apartment.
When I stopped washing the dishes, I left the kitchen and sat on the sofa. I sighed before pulling out my phone to call Gojo.
"Good morning, Noroi," he said cheerfully. "Did you rest well?"
"Good morning. Yeah," I said, smiling slightly. "Gojo, what should I do now?" I asked seriously.
"If you are talking about the story I told Tsumiki, don't worry. You are not starting your course at Jujutsu High soon," he said. I turned the TV on and looked at the news. "But I suggest you come here to Jujutsu High. If not, you are going to get bored staring at the TV all day."
"I don't have to go on any mission today?" I asked, looking at the car crash that happened near here.
"Nah, you just killed a special grade and Yaga told the higher-ups that you needed recovery, so you are not getting any mission for a few days," Gojo replied.
"Okay, I'll go in an hour or so," I said, standing up and going to the kitchen to make some coffee.
"Okay, see you soon," Gojo said before hanging up.
I grabbed the Italian coffee maker I purchased on a trip to Italy with Gojo, Tsumiki and Megumi.
While preparing the coffee I remembered that travel. It was short; Gojo had to return for some mission, so we only stayed for one day, but we tried the pizza and it was delicious.
As the coffee was done, I put it in a cup and brought it to the table in front of the sofa.
As I sipped and watched the news, I started thinking about what to do today.
"Maybe I'll teach Okkotsu some new things," I muttered, taking a sip of my coffee.
After watching the news for a while and finishing my coffee, I prepared to leave.
Grabbing a few things, I looked at the box of cigarettes and the lighter I left in my room. After a while staring, I took them and left the apartment.
When I left the building, I took out a cigarette and lit it up.
The taste was still bad but I didn't cough as much as the first time.
After a while taking drags, I finished it and searched for a public ashtray and threw it in.
I took my phone and dialed Kenji so he could pick me up.
After five minutes he appeared and, after a quick greeting, he started driving towards Jujutsu High.
While looking outside the window, I thought of what to teach Okkotsu. We arrived after a while of thinking and I got off the car after a quick goodbye.
When I approached the entrance to Jujutsu High, I noticed the students of Jujutsu High with scarfs strolling at the entrance.
"Yo," I said, catching their attention.
"Hello, Noroi," Yuuta said with a shy smile.
"Yo!" Panda said cheerfully.
Inumaki waved at me and Maki nodded.
"You have another mission, Noroi?" Yuuta asked, looking at me curiously.
"Nah, I won't get any missions for a while," I said, smiling at Yuuta.
"How lucky," Panda said, smiling.
I laughed, but suddenly I sensed a great amount of cursed energy entering Jujutsu High's barrier. The expressions of Maki, Panda and Inumaki changed and Yuuta looked around with confusion.
"That cursed energy…." I recognized that cursed energy. As I turned around I saw a giant pelican approaching us.
It landed a few meters from us and a person landed afterwards.
Looking at him I recognized him instantly.
"Brother…" I muttered, looking at Geto with monk robes looking at us with what I could feel was nostalgia.
"This never changes, huh…." he said, looking at the building behind us. But as he said those words the pelican's mouth opened and from it a blonde guy without a shirt and with heart stickers covering his nipples got out.
I didn't look at the pelican anymore and looked at my brother sadly.
"Hey! Who are you? If you don't leave, Yuuta-sama is going to kick your ass!" Panda said, looking at Geto.
"That's right, get out of here before Yuuta-sama makes you," Maki added.
"Salmon," Inumaki said with a nod.
"Haaah?!" Yuuta looked horrified at what his friends were saying.
"Otōto…" Geto ignored their words and appeared in front of me. We stared at each other for a while.
Before he could say something I hugged him tightly. "I missed you, brother," I said with a serious face.
"Me too," he said, returning the hug.
"Haaah?!!!!" The four students behind us shouted, surprised.
"You grew. When I met you you barely reached my waist. Now you are taller than me," he said with a smile.
I smiled before pulling back and looking at him seriously. "Why did you come here today? I assume it was not for a friendly reason."
He laughed slightly. "I've come to show you our family," he said, looking back at the pelican.
I looked at him surprised and stared at the pelican where a young girl with black hair got out and another with orange hair was getting out.
The shirtless guy stared at me. "So this is your little brother, Geto?" he asked, looking at me from head to toe.
"This is Tokyo? It's so rural," the orange-haired girl looked around deflated.
"Nanako, that's rude," the black-haired girl replied, looking at her.
"But I'm telling the truth, Mimiko," Nanako said, staring at Mimiko.
"Our family?" I asked Geto with confusion.
He laughed at my reaction and signaled me to follow him.
As I approached the group, the two girls looked at me curiously.
"Mimiko, Nanako, this is your uncle," Geto said, smiling brightly at them.
"Haah?! But he is younger than us!" Nanako said with surprise.
"Good morning, Oji-san," Mimiko said, bowing respectfully.
"Just call me Noroi," I said, looking at the bowing girl.
"Okay," she said, looking at me.
"Noroi, I want you to come with us," Geto said, looking at me seriously. "I'm worried about your safety. The higher-ups sent you on a suicide mission and I don't want you to die so young."
I looked at him surprised but before I could say anything someone interrupted us.
"Geto, you know what will happen if I don't supervise Noroi," Gojo said, looking at us with a frown. "He just killed a special grade curse. If he becomes a curse user they'll send me to kill him."
Geto stared at him seriously before putting a cheerful smile on his face. "Yo Satoru, long time no see," he said with a smile.
I looked at Geto and, with a sigh, I put a hand on his shoulder. "Brother, you know I can't go killing innocent people that I don't know," I said, looking at him seriously. "And I couldn't see my own brother doing it either."
Geto looked at me with a serious face before sighing. "It's okay, Noroi, but remember that we are your family and we will always be there to protect you," he said with a smile, gripping the hand on his shoulder.
I smiled and looked at him. "I will protect them too." I didn't know them but if they were people Geto held dear I would protect them with my life.
He smiled brightly before changing to a serious look. He stared at Gojo and I followed his gaze behind Gojo. Yaga, Nanami, Mei Mei and multiple sorcerers were there staring at us.
"I've come to declare war!" he shouted at the sorcerers. "This December 24! At sundown! The Night Parade of a Hundred Demons will commence!"
I looked at him shocked without knowing what to say.
"This will take place at the crucible for curses Shinjuku, Tokyo! And at jujutsu's sacred land Kyoto!" When he said Shinjuku my eyes widened and my mind drifted to Tsumiki, Akari and Megumi. "I will release a thousand curses at each location. Of course they'll be issued orders to massacre all non-sorcerers and sorcerers in the area."
The sorcerers behind Gojo looked ready to fight.
"Let's curse each other to our hearts' content!" Geto said with a twisted smile.
"Master Geto, the store's closing soon!" Nanako yelled, looking at her phone.
Geto looked at me with an apologetic smile. "Sorry Noroi, the girls want to try the crepe shop on Takeshita Street." He looked at me with a sad smile. "I would invite you but I don't want you to be hunted down by Satoru."
I looked at him sadly before nodding. "See you soon, brother," I said, looking at him turning to leave.
"Goodbye, Otōto," he said while stepping towards the pelican.
"And who said you could leave?" Gojo asked, appearing at my side.
"Be careful, Satoru. Your students are in my range," he said while summoning a lot of curses around the students and another in front of us.
"Well then, see you on the battlefield," he said, grabbing the pelican's legs and flying away.
I stared at the bird for a while before the giant cyclops in front of us shrieked loudly.
I sent a slash towards his head. His severed head went flying with a spray of purple blood.
The headless body fell limply to the ground before disappearing.
I looked at the defeated curses around the students.
"Every sorcerer follow me!" Yaga shouted angrily.
He walked towards Jujutsu High and all the sorcerers followed him. I stood where I was watching his retreating back.
"Let's go, Noroi," Gojo said, walking towards Jujutsu High.
I followed him and the students stood there looking at us with worried gazes.
As I followed Yaga and all the other sorcerers into a room where Ijichi was waiting with a tablet and a board, looking at us seriously.
Shoko was standing in the room looking at me with concern. I approached her side and sat down beside her.
"Noroi, are you ok?" she asked with worry.
"Yeah," I said, looking at the sorcerers watching Ijichi explain Geto's cursed technique.
My mind wandered as Yaga shouted and Gojo replied.
I imagined the look in Tsumiki's eyes as she was being devoured by a curse my own brother sent.
'I won't let that happen,' I thought with determination.
As Yaga shouted the instructions to protect all the civilians of Tokyo and Kyoto and to eliminate all curses with minimal property damage, I stood up and left without saying a single word.