.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

❝ there is hope, but not for us ❞

[ Okay but... why is Mahito actually really pretty in some scenes? I'M SORRY BUT HES SO... 🤍🤍 ]

┏━━━°⌜ 憑拠 ⌟°━━━┓

"I won't be able to lead you this time." Gojo tells the two walking beside him, "But don't worry. I've called in a friend you two can trust."

Gojo pushes the door infront of them open, revealing a tall blond man with odd glasses.

"This is Nanami Kento, the ex-salaryman jujutsu sorcerer!" Gojo introduces, slinging an arm around Nanami's shoulders.

"Please don't call me that." Nanami requests, crossing his arms.

"Plenty of jujutsu sorcerers are oddballs, but since he worked for a company, he's got a good head on his shoulders. He's a First-Grade sorcerer, too." Gojo points out.

"I'm sure no one would want to hear you saying that about them." Nanami adjusts his glasses.

A lot of these people wear sunglasses and stuff to hide their eyes. Itadori thinks to himself in realization.

"Ex-salaryman? Why didn't you become a jujutsu sorcerer firm the start?" Itadori inquires.

"We should greet each other first." Nanami bows formally as he continue, "Nice to meet you, Itadori-kun, L/N-kun."

"Oh, yes, nice to meet you, too." Itadori bows back.

"Uh— yeah! Nice to meet you..." Y/N stammers over her words, bowing back shortly.

"I studied at Jujutsu High, and one thing I learned..." Nanami trails off, putting a hand on his hip, "is that jujutsu sorcerers are shit!"

Huh? Y/N stares at the man confused, unable to form a proper response as Nanami continues.

"Then I worked at your typical company, and one thing I learned... is that work is shit!" Nanami declares, "I'd both are equally shit, I'll take the one I'm more suited to. That's the only reason I came back."

"That's dark." Itadori leans close to Gojo, whispering.

"Right?" Gojo whispers back in agreement.

"Itadori-kun, L/N-kun, please don't believe I'm of the same mindset as Gojo-san." Nanami look down at the two seriously, "I do trust and have faith in him..."

Gojo flashes a sparkling smile towards the two as Y/N gives an uncertain smile back as Itadori looks away with a deadpan.

"...but I do not respect him!" Nanami declares, "I hate the way the higher-ups do things, but I believe in rules and regulations."

"This conversation is dragging on." Nanami faces the two, focusing on Itadori, "In short, I don't recognize you as a sorcerer, either."

"Even if you do carry the bomb we know as Sukuna—" Nanami promptly ignores Y/N's small frown at that, "—please make an effort to prove that you are useful."

Itadori looks down at the ground, speaking after a moment of silence, "Lately, I've been forced to realize how weak and useless I am. But I'll become strong. I have to be strong, or I won't be able to choose how I die."

"I'll make you recognize me, even without that advice. Just give me a bit more time." Itadori looks up at Nanami with a grin.

"Say that to the higher-ups, not me."

"Oh, right."

"Frankly, I don't care!"

"Okay, I got it!"

━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━

"Can you see it?" Nanami asks Itadori as Y/N simply watches, the three standing infront of the crime screen, "This is the residual taint of cursed energy."

"No, I can't see anything." Itadori answers, shaking his head.

"That's because you're not trying to see it." Nanami explains, "We typically see curses as if it's perfectly natural to. When a cursed technique is used, it leaves traces behind. That's what residuals are. But residuals are much fainter than cursed spirits. So focus your vision and look closely."

Itadori cups his hands around his eyes, focusing intently on the ground before pulling back, gasping, "I can see them!"

"A proper sorcerer can sense them before seeing them." Nanami cuts in as Itadori deflates.

"Don't worry, Itadori." Y/N pets the boys head affectionately, giving him a comforting smile, "I think you did well!"

A small blush rises on Itadori's face as he smiles brightly at her.

Nanami clicks his tongue before walking out of the cinema, the two quickly following behind him.

"Still, couldn't you praise me a little more or something?" Itadori huffs, pausing just next to Nanami as the taller man stops.

"I don't praise of disparage anyone. I adhere to facts and judge on that basis." Nanami replies curtly, "That's who I am. There was a time when I mistakenly believed society operated the same way."

"But enough about that." Nanami stops himself before he continues further on his rant, "Let's follow them."

"Yeah! Let's go all out!" Yuuji replies passionately.

"No, where moderate effort will suffice, use moderate effort." Nanami corrects before walking forward, leaving a frozen Itadori and a concerned Y/N behind, "Let's go."

━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━

The group of three walk up the stairs of the theater, Itadori being the first to break the silence, "There wasn't anything on the surveillance cameras, right?"

"Right." Nanami confirms, "There was only one young man aside from the victims."

"Then a cursed spirit was behind it?" Itadori inquires.

"Well, most likely." Nanami hums in vague confirmation as the two walk out onto the roof of the building, "There's a small chance the young man could have done it, but indenturing him is the police's—"

Nanami and Y/N pause simultaneously, head turning towards where a green curse with a deformed body was sprawled across a set of benches.

"Lu-Lu-Lu-Lunchbox!" It stammers, an animalistic face turning towards them.

Itadori throws his umbrella to the side, getting in a fighting stance just as Y/N extends her arms, preparing to summon one of her lances to restrain (read: impale) the curse.

"Stop." Nanami extends a hand out infront of them, the two blinking in surprise as they look up at him, "I'll take care of this one. Itadori-kun can handle the one over there."

Itadori and Y/N glance to the side, eyes landing on a slim white curse with a vertical mouth, "Good detergent!"

Just as Y/N was about to open her mouth and ask what she should do, Nanami answers before she can even ask, "L/N-kun, only step in if Itadori-kun can't beat it."

"Aren't you taking me a bit too lightly here?" Itadori deadpans.

"It's not a matter of underestimating you or not. I am an adult, and you are a child. I have a duty to prioritize your life over my own." Nanami answers, unbuttoning his tie as he walks towards the curse.

"I'd rather you underestimate me than treat me like a kid." Itadori complains, glaring at the curse staggering towards him.

"You've faced several life-or-death situations. But that does not make you an adult." Nanami explains, "Finding more fallen-our hairs on your pillow, watching your favorite stuffed bread disappear form the convenience store... The accumulation of those little despairs is what makes a person an adult."

The two simultaneously launch forward to fight the curses, Y/N's eyes darting between the two worriedly (albeit, she was focusing on Itadori more).

"My cursed technique allows me to forcibly create a weak point on any opponent." Nanami starts to explains as he dodges the curse's attacks, "Seven to three."

"Striking the point at that ratio when you draw a line along the target's length causes a critical hit. That allows me to deal a fake amount of damage to those ranked higher than me, and if their cursed energy is weak, I can cut them in two, even with a blunt blade."

"Are you listening, Itadori-kun? L/N-kun?" Nanami asks the two.

"Huh?!" Itadori turns away from the curse he was fighting, "You were talking to me?!"

The curse throws him back against the fence as Y/N startles, watching in concern as Itadori falls to the ground next to her.

Itadori pushes himself up, "Is it okay to reveal something like that?"

"It's not problem to reveal that technique to that opponent." Nanami continues to explain, "Also, all the better if revealing it misleads them."

I want to focus on the curse, but it feels like I should be listening. Itadori looks between the curse and Nanami

"There is merit to it. 'Revealing one's hand' is a pact that increases the effectiveness of one's technique. Like so." Cursed energy swirls around Nanami, everything seemingly going in slow motion for a split second before suddenly, the curse was cut into pieces.

Nanami swings the blade, blood splattering on the ground, "That's all from me."

"Wow." Itadori looks back at Nanami impressed, "Not only is the blade he used all wrapped up, but he used the back of it to slice right through that thing."

"Itadori, behind you." Y/N sighs quietly at the sight of the boy getting distracted, the curse landing a punch on him as it knocks him back, pushing him to the ground.

"I don't like you looking away." Nanami scolds.

"Who's the one that was distracting me before?!" Itadori's eyes twitches in annoyance, a tick mark on his forehead.

"Detergent!" The curse shouts, lunging towards Itadori.

Y/N was about to raise her hand, prepared to summon a pair of scissors to cut the curse into pieces when a hand pushes her arm down sternly.

Y/N glares up at Nanami warily, but sets her hand down.

Itadori inhales sharply, cursed energy forming around his fist, burning like flames as he remembers the lesson with Gojo and Y/N he had.

"Ow..." Itadori mumbled, kneeling across the tile floor as he looked up at Gojo, "Slow?"

"Your cursed energy can't keep up with your explosive power." Gojo explained, "You're still not good at amassing cursed energy, so it tends to lag behind. But that actually creates an irregular flow of cursed energy."

"Basically, the moment after your fist strikes, your cursed energy slams in. So essentially, you're creating two impacts with every strike." Y/N explained, crouching down infront of Itadori as she frowned at the small injuries.

"That's so cool!" Itadori exclaimed, moving so he was sitting on the ground rather than on his hands and knees.

"It's not something many can do on purpose." Gojo grinned at Itadori, "This'll be a great weapon for you."

Itadori's fist slams into the curse, punching a hole through where it's heart would be as it collapses to the ground.

His raw strength is superhuman? Nanami looks at Itadori inquisitively, The initial blow has little cursed energy, but it reaches a hundred and twenty percent of an average sorcerer's power. Then the real blow of cursed energy flows in.

It must be unimaginably unpleasant for those struck by it. Nanami looks down at the curse who had tears streaming down its face, holding a hand over the empty spot in its chest. He has room to grow, too. If he can learn to imbue a hundred percent of his cursed energy into a hundred percent of his martial arts... Now I see why that man brought him to me.

"L-Lu..." The green curse stammers, starting to get up as Nanami turns towards it.

"Oh, pardon me. I'll end you now." Nanami starts walks towards it, raising his knife before pausing. Nanami stands there, observing it for a moment before his eyes widen, shouting—

"Itadori-kun! Don't finish it off yet!"

Itadori and Y/N startle, turning towards Nanami confused, making their way towards him hurriedly.

Nanami takes out his phone, bringing a picture of a green hand with a watch on it up as he shows the two.

"Have a look at this." Y/N and Itadori peer down at the phone confused, "I took a photo of my opponent."

"Huh? I thought cursed spirits didn't show up in photos?" Itadori asks, remembering when he had tried to take a selfie with him and Y/N only for her to not show up.

Y/N was quicker to realize than Itadori at his words, posture stiffening as she looks down at the photo.

"Please listen calmly." Nanami advises, Itadori frowning at him in confusion

"What we've been fighting—"

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

❝ 𝐈 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖. 𝐈 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄. 𝐈 𝐒𝐀𝐖 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓 𝐕𝐎𝐈𝐃 𝐈𝐍 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐋, 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐒𝐀𝐖 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐄 ❞