It was rare to see an eatery or cafe still open at this time, and it had little to do with the fact that it was still 4:00 p.m in the evening. It was also not helped by two major factors, Itadori Yuji reasoned as he walked down the pavement alongside his brother.
A brother. A year ago, he was an only child, and his sole family member had been his dying grandfather. Six months later, and he had an adopted brother in Megumi, a best friend in Aoi Todo, and an actual blood brother, if he was to believe the other man, in Choso.
They made a strange duo, most especially his brother, he mused to himself with a simple glance at the pallid older man. Two brown hairs tied into a bun, dark circles under soft brown eyes, and a stretch of black tattoo on his nose that was made out of blood that Choso could use at the drop of a hat, yet in modern-day Japan, those were not unusual features. That rested firmly in the dress that his older brother wore. Loose, baggy trousers, a high-collared top, wrappings around his arms and legs, and finally, a black shoe.
All in all, it was a mix of traditional and more modern styles, which drew more attention than Yuji preferred, but they were no longer the strangest things in the city, at least compared to the very obvious four-legged bird perched on top of the lamppost they just walked under. Its eyes were dark pits that were placed on both sides of its wings, while its head was smooth and feathery.
A Grade Four curse.
They had grown so common that it was a waste of time to bother exorcising one of them, so the duo let it be as they continued their hunt for a place to eat, which brought Itadori's rambling mind back to the original tangent he had been on.
Tokyo felt like a dead city. Not all of it, of course. Yet, the scar that was the Shibuya Incident had been a glaring one, and one that the thousands of curses Kenjaku had released after that night had exacerbated. Yuji put his hands at the back of his head to better brace it as they continued to walk down the street.
Everything might've started in Shibuya, Tokyo, but it had spread to the whole of Japan. Unfortunately, despite how widespread the curses, the destruction, and the black barriers that dotted the country had been, Tokyo, as the epicenter of everything, simply had it worse.
The hum of a car engine rang out, surprisingly loud, which made sense in the quiet of the city. Itadori turned his head enough to watch the car fly past them, its owner pressing down so hard on the accelerator, she was liable to have an accident. Yet, Itadori didn't blame her. Night was falling, and now everybody knew that monsters were real, and the darkness was full of curses.
He had only a split second to see the driver. A brown-haired woman, eyes dark and red-rimmed. Pale as a corpse, with bags beneath her eyes and dressed in a suit. An office worker. Remarkably, a lot of companies were still kicking, and if things weren't so dire, Itadori would've laughed. Unfortunately, they were, so he only paid the smoke she left behind her a final glance before wishing her a safe journey.
"The state of emergency continues." A voice called out as they walked past a television shop, and Itadori slowed to a stop, which forced Choso to do the same. Itadori turned to look at the array of televisions behind the broken shop glass. Despite everything the city was going through, electricity and power remained.
Most of the televisions flickered, some damaged and some straight-up looted, but one of them was good enough, with enough signal to show a broadcast, an aged man in a suit who looked vaguely familiar. Itadori had to look at the name tag to put an actual name to him. Riku Itsuki, the present Prime Minister of Japan, although judging by how stressed and tired he looked, Itadori wasn't sure the man would last long.
"We've buffed up our armed forces, as well as with help from specialists." Choso snorted at that, and Yuji gave him a chuckle in response. That was one way to describe Jujutsu sorcerers, shrine maidens, monks, as well as the other fringe elements and associations that were keeping things in check for now.
"I'm happy to inform our citizens that we've begun the tedious task of understanding what has happened, this devastating act of terrorism our great nation has suffered. We've also begun to reclaim our beloved country from the grasp of these..." The man hesitated for a second and looked at someone to his side before clearing his throat and continuing. "These curses... However, the job is not done yet, so once more, a curfew has been set in place. From 5 p.m., all citizens are advised to be at home and bunker down. Lock your doors, and no matter what, do not answer anybody that attempts to knock or reach out to you."
The old man stood up and gave a sincere bow at the camera. "I pray for continued health and happiness for all the people of Japan, and for the swift return of peace."
The television spluttered after that, joining the rest of the televisions' spluttering from whatever damage they had suffered. Itadori and Choso remained there for a long second, and he could feel the sun going down behind them. Night was coming, and with it, he could sense the stronger curses. Mostly Grade Threes lurking at the edges of his perception, but they were only the beginning.
"Do you think things would ever return back to how they were?"
Choso was quiet for a heartbeat before he replied. "I can't tell." Itadori couldn't see the shrug behind him, but he could tell from the ruffle of his brother's clothes. "Nothing like this has ever happened, nothing on this scale." Itadori turned to look at him and realized Choso was looking across the road and into a storefront that at one point in time must've been selling clothes, judging by the scattered and broken mannequins that littered the shop.
Six pairs of red eyes looked back at them, but their owners were content to hide in the darkness and simply watch them.
"Would things get better? I doubt it," Choso continued. "The jar has been opened, and there is no closing it. I don't know about things returning back to the way they were, but I've seen the people on the side of humanity. Gojo Satoru, for example, even that terrifying Shikigami with wings for eyes. So I know that as long as those two are alive, things would at least get better than they are now. Sooner or later, at least."
A name came to Itadori's lips, a name that he knew Choso must also be thinking about, a name connected to everything that had happened over the last few months. Sukuna. Would the Malevolent curse user be satisfied with things getting better? Itadori balled his hands into fists. He didn't think so, but that was his job and his burden. From the day he spoke to Gojo-sensei and learnt the truth about Sukuna and his ability to suppress the curse user, he had taken it upon himself to deal with him for good. He was not going to survive it, but that was enough for him.
After all, he was simply a cog in the wheel.
He was so lost in thought he didn't hear Choso walk up to him and slap him over the head, causing him to stumble forward before he regained his balance.
"Ow, what did you do that for?" he whined at the elder man, but Choso was already moving, forcing him to jog to catch up to him, then he slowed as he got to his side.
"You were thinking about him again, which is a waste of time. As long as we keep you away from Megumi, you should have no problem with whatever plans he has for your friend. Night is falling as well, so unless you want to go to bed hungry again, we've to move fast."
Itadori muttered his apologies, but couldn't help the smile on his face. It was nice having an older brother.
___
Ichiraku Ramen.
That was supposed to be the sign on the shop in front of them, but the letters A and M had been knocked off the signboard, and the entire thing had been cracked and tilted. The eatery was in a one-story building in a part of Tokyo that Itadori would've considered shady before the Shibuya Incident.
Now? It was downright malevolent, dark shadows painted strange figures around it, and its door stood half ajar, like the half-opened mouth of a beast waiting for people foolish enough to enter. Fortunately for them, despite how the outside looked, the inside was much better. Choso led the way, pushing in while Itadori followed behind.
"Good evening, Ichiraku," Choso waved as he greeted the bald, overweight man with an apron stained with colours Itadori could not recognize, and he made a beeline towards their favorite chair, while Itadori said his own greetings, but this time with a short bow.
"How're you brats not dead yet? I figured that Special Grade curse you went hunting a while back was going to finally do the two of you in, and I would finally have some peace around here."
The older man grouched at their presence, a frown settling on his heavy, weather-beaten face, yet despite his words, he was already making his way to the kitchen, with a rhythmic thud courtesy of his peg leg smacking against the ground with every step he took.
"Hehehe," Itadori laughed, taking the time to flex a muscle at the unimpressed elderly man. "It was just a newborn, and wasn't a match for my brother and me."
"A pity," the man replied with a scowl.
"The regular, old man, as well as a bottle of Soju, just one cup," Choso called out, just as the man crossed the counter and into the kitchen.
"Go get your own damn drinks yourself, you goddamn brat!" Ichiraku hollered back at them, causing Itadori to chuckle once more. Despite how cantankerous and grumpy the old man generally was, at heart he was a good man. A former Grade One sorcerer who had retired after losing a leg and couldn't be bothered to heal it via the Reverse Cursed Technique.
Itadori and Choso had found him a week ago, exorcising the curses hanging around his store. After they jumped in to help the man, he had repaid them with insults and spittle before inviting them in and preparing the greatest plate of ramen Itadori had ever tasted. Since then, they tried their best to get here every evening, and Itadori was half certain that surly man waited for them every evening as well, and closed up just after they left.
"So what now?" Itadori asked as he turned back to Choso.
His elder brother hummed in response, steepling his fingers together to watch Yuji. "I take it you're still not ready to ingest the rest of the Death Paintings?" Choso asked, causing him to wince once more in response, which led to a sigh from the older man.
"I told you they won't mind. They're not sentient or sapient, only Ezo and Kechizu were. In fact, I'm certain they'll be happy to be one with you. You're our brother, after all."
Itadori shook his head. "Not now, not ever. I killed—"
"I told you it was not your fault," Choso cut him off before he could continue further. "You could not have known. It was all that bastard's plan, to pit you against them. Brother against brother..." Choso gritted his teeth, anger coming to life on his usually placid features as the marking across his nose began to bubble, and Itadori reached out a hand over his to calm him.
Choso took a deep breath, then shook his head. "It's fine. I'm fine. Your manipulation of your cursed energy has grown drastically. I believe that is as a result of the time Sukuna used your body fighting against the Shikigami in Shibuya. Those lessons have been imbedded in you, and so far we've been refining them and culling curses. I think it's time." Choso looked at him, and Itadori realized this was the most serious he had ever seen the other man. "It's time we tracked down Noritoshi Kamo, or Kenjaku, whatever he calls himself now. It's time we track him down and get some answers."
Itadori frowned, then nodded in agreement. Choso had never fully explained what happened between them, and how he was related, and Itadori wanted answers as well, before he could open his mouth to reply, another voice butted in, and it wasn't Ichiraku.
"Good."
They both turned woodenly, only to be greeted by the form of a green-haired girl, with glasses on her eyes and burn scars that marked her body, which was barely hidden by the jumpsuit she wore or the half cape across her shoulders. One single imperious amber eye looked down at them dispassionately, and Itadori blinked in confusion before realization set in.
"Maki-senpai!"
His greeting immediately stopped Choso's reflexive attack, but he didn't blame the older man. He had not heard her come in, and more importantly, he had not sensed her. But before he could ask how or why, the kitchen door opened, and Ichiraku stepped out with two plates of ramen, and despite his previous words, a bottle of Soju also sat on the tray.
The old man took a single glance at Maki before grumbling in annoyance. "Goddammit, they're multiplying like roaches. Take a seat, girl. I'll bring you something as well." Then he hobbled his way over, set the food down, and began to hobble his way back to the kitchen, grumbling all the way.
__
The ramen was good enough that nobody said a word till they were done eating, and the chopsticks were set down.
It was the highest compliment Itadori had ever given a chef, he realized with a burp. He finished first, which allowed him to watch the others eat. Choso calmly ate his own meal, savouring every bite, which spoke to just how good it was, because it didn't take long for Itadori to realize the older man didn't care much for food.
His eyes took him to the newcomer. Maki ate fast, not as fast as him, but considering the straight face she kept, it was almost like she couldn't be bothered to actually taste it, and then they were done. Ichiraku appeared like magic and came to collect them, grumbling about them eating like a pack of starving jackals, which brought a smile to his face. It was nice. This was nice, Itadori thought to himself as he leaned back in his chair, enjoying the silence till it was broken.
"How did you find us?"
Choso asked from nowhere, his brown gaze firmly on Maki, but if she felt intimidated by it, she didn't let it show.
Maki turned to him. "The Divine General pointed to the last location he saw you on the map. It was the work of a few hours to track you after that."
Itadori nodded in understanding.
Then she reached into the pocket of her jumpsuit and pulled something out, setting it on the table between them with a small, flat sound.
"You left this behind."
His phone.
He picked it up. The screen was cracked, a thin line from one edge to the other, but other than that, the phone looked remarkably good. He had forgotten all about it in his escape with Choso, and unlocking it now, he was greeted by over a hundred missed calls, eighty of them from Megumi, ten from Todo, and the remaining ten from two people he had not thought about in a while. Sasaki and Iguchi.
"Oops," he said.
Choso let out a grunt of amusement at that.
Maki looked between them before settling her gaze on him, her face a mask of pure apathy, something she had had since he knew her, but something had happened post-Shibuya that had solidified that mask.
"The higher-ups are dead," she started without any inflection.
Itadori blinked.
"They tried to kill Megumi. Poisoned the car he was in." She continued, her voice so empty she might have been telling him the weather. "The Divine General dealt with it."
Itadori sat with the words jumbling about in his head for a moment. The higher-ups. The same people who had issued his execution order, who had looked for a way to reinstate it post-Shibuya, before Megumi's Shikigami saved him once again.
His lips moved, but Maki got the edge on him.
"You can return to Jujutsu High if you want," Maki continued, brushing past whatever he had been about to contribute. "There's an interim council now. Nanami, Usami, Yaga, some others. It's not sorted yet, but it's not trying to kill you, which is an improvement." She paused. "For now, at least. I doubt if ever, but you can never tell."
Choso's wary eyes remained on Maki.
"I'm guessing there's more," Choso said, and Maki gave him a glance before nodding.
"There was a meeting, but to cut the long story short, we've finally found a way to free Gojo-sensei."
Itadori's eyes lit up at once, the entire debacle about the higher-ups thrown to the side for a moment. "That's good news, right?"
Maki nodded in agreement as she continued. "Megumi and the Divine General are handling that. Yuki-san and Okkotsu Yuta are tied up protecting Tengen..." She trailed off at the blank look on his face before continuing. "I just realized you've not met any of them, but that's something for later. We've a different job."
"Which brings us to why you're here."
Maki nodded again. "Mahito. Master Tengen believes the Special Grade curse is the reason for the Culling Games and is a threat that is growing more dangerous by the second." She turned to Choso. "We also believe he is with Kenjaku, which kills two stones with one bird." She looked between them. "Our main task is to find them. The fighting can come later, but we need to get information on where they're going first, so are you i—"
"Yes."
Choso agreed immediately. The word was out of his mouth before Maki even finished the sentence, which caused her to raise a brow in response before nodding and turning to him.
"Yeah, sure. I'm in. I've unfinished business with Mahito, too." Itadori replied a second later.
Maki looked between them one final time before nodding. Then she stood up, dropped some money on the table, and began to walk out.
Itadori took the time to wave the old man goodbye as they trailed after her, but if the old man cared for it, he didn't show it.
They filed out into the evening, and Itadori fell into step behind Maki, and once more he felt something was off about the older girl. He could not put his finger on it, but it was in the way she moved, the ease in her step... Itadori racked his head trying to figure out what exactly he was missing till Maki glanced back at him.
"Keep up."
Then she exploded into movement, faster than his eyes could track. Itadori blinked.
He turned that thought over once more, could not find what exactly was bugging him, so he discarded it. There were more important things at hand, and whatever was different about his upperclassman was something she would either explain when she was ready or she would not, and either way, it was not something he was going to figure out by staring at the back of her head while they walked through a city that was slowly running out of light.
Choso appeared at his shoulder.
"Ready?" his brother asked.
"Always," Itadori said, and meant it, as they once began running after the amber-eyed girl.