CHAPTER TWO

【change of fate】

Rina had finally reached the school, where the immense cursed energy in the air was palpable, almost suffocating. She rushed over to Megumi, helping him to his feet as she slung his arm over her shoulder.

"Just a cursed object, huh?" she muttered, sarcasm lacing her words.

Megumi groaned in pain, wincing as he steadied himself. "Please, don't," he grunted, clearly not in the mood for her quips.

Rina straightened up, her eyes shifting to Satoru, who was engaged in a heated battle with the reincarnated curse. Her fingers twitched slightly, a sign of her own unease as she watched the scene unfold.

Satoru, blindfolded and as composed as ever, dodged Sukuna's attacks with an infuriating ease, his movements almost too quick to follow. Each graceful step only seemed to enrage the curse further, and soon enough, Sukuna slammed into the roof's fencing with a snarl of frustration.

Rina rolled her eyes, exhaling sharply. He's just showing off at this point. "Tch," she scoffed under her breath. Figures.

With a furious murmur, Sukuna lunged at Satoru, his arm coated in dark energy. A black blast shot out, aiming straight at him. Rina quickly raised a shield, protecting herself and Megumi from the impact.

When the smoke cleared, Satoru stood untouched, hand raised.

"Seven, eight, nine..." he counted down, smirking. "Should be time."

Then Sukuna froze, his body swaying slightly before his head dropped forward. The tension in the air snapped, and slowly, the dark tattoos etched across his skin began to fade, dissolving like mist, leaving only silence as seconds passed.

"Oh, how'd it go?" the possessed boy spoke, his voice sounding no older than a typical sixteen-year-old.

Rina blinked, confusion etched on her face. "What...?" she muttered. He's just a kid?

"How about that?" Satoru said, amused, as the debris around him settled. "You can actually control that guy?" His amused tone only irritated Rina further.

"He's kind of annoying, to tell the truth," the pink-haired teen continued, tapping the side of his head. "I keep hearing his voice."

Satoru walked over casually. "It's a miracle that's all he's doing to you." With two fingers, he tapped the boy's forehead, instantly rendering him unconscious as he collapsed into Satoru's arms.

"What'd you do to him?" Megumi asked, his voice strained. His right eye was half-lidded, blood trickling down over it, and his hand clutched the takeout Satoru had passed him earlier.

"I just knocked him out," Satoru replied. "If he wakes up without Sukuna in control-"

"He might have potential as a vessel," Rina finished, catching on.

Satoru grinned. "It's like you read my mind, angel," he teased, earning a sharp glare from Rina. "You see now why I asked you to come."

"Now, I have a question for you." He tilted his head toward Megumi. "What do you think we should do with him?"

"The higher-ups will definitely order an execution," Rina said, her expression softening at the thought of the young man's fate.

"It's jujutsu law, even if he is a vessel." Megumi looked down, his voice steady but conflicted. "But... I don't want him to die."

"Personal?" Satoru asked, a smirk tugging at his lips.

"I suppose," Megumi said with furrowed brows. "So, can you two save him?"

Satoru and Rina exchanged glances. Satoru could sense the tension in Rina's narrowing eyes as she weighed the situation. Her gaze shifted between the unconscious boy in his arms and Megumi, then she gave a small nod.

"A request from a precious student?" Satoru hoisted the unconscious boy over his shoulder. "How could we refuse? Leave it to us." He gave Megumi a playful thumbs up.

"But the end result is still-" Satoru gestured animatedly with his hands, sitting backward on a chair, "your execution!"

Rina took a drag from her kiseru, pacing back and forth in the execution room. It was bad enough she had to be in the same room as Satoru, but now she had to watch as he nonchalantly laid out tragic news for Itadori.

The room was sealed with talismans plastered from wall to wall. Dim candlelight flickered, but the poorly scented candles mixed with the pungent smell of wax, further disgusting Rina.

Yuji gasped, leaning forward in disbelief. "Your recap doesn't even align with the current events!"

Satoru draped his arms over the top rail of the chair, spreading his legs lazily. "Hey, sorry, I did my best," he replied with a shrug, excusing his poor explanation.

"You still have to die," he added, raising a finger in emphasis. "But... I got your sentence suspended."

"What's 'suspended' mean?" the confused teen asked, narrowing his eyes. "You're waiting until later to kill me?"

Rina exhaled smoke from her kiseru before muttering, "Something like that." Satoru gestured toward her with his hand, silently asking for something, which earned a scoff from her.

Reluctantly, she pulled out an object similar to the one Itadori had eaten before-a finger of Sukuna-and handed it over to Satoru.

"Really? And I didn't even have to say the magic word," he teased with a grin.

"Don't be a prick. Just explain," Rina snapped, her patience clearly wearing thin.

Satoru chuckled. "Alright, let me just explain from the top." He raised his hand, the cursed finger held between his fingers.

"This is the same kind of thing you ate," he began. "There are twenty of these in total. We possess six."

"Twenty?" Yuji asked, puzzled. "Oh, like each finger and toe?"

"No." Rina chimed in, her voice steady. "Sukuna has four arms."

"Mhm," Satoru agreed, tossing the finger into the air before blasting it into the wall. The impact left a large dent, and several half-burnt talismans flickered with small embers.

Yuji's eyes widened in shock.

Satoru got up from the chair, walking over to the dent. "As you can see, we can't destroy them. The curse is that powerful." He paused to pry the finger loose from the wall. "And the curse grows stronger every day. Our modern jujutsu seals aren't keeping up."

"That's where you come in." His voice emphasized the you as he turned back toward Yuji. "When you die, the curse inside you dies too."

Rina, half-listening, turned the chair around and sat in it properly now.

"You see, our elders are cowards." His tone stayed light, but Rina nodded subtly. That was something they both agreed on. "They're demanding we kill you immediately. But that would be a waste, wouldn't you say?"

"A waste?" Yuji echoed, still trying to grasp the situation.

Satoru paced to the left. "There's no guarantee that another vessel capable of holding Sukuna will ever be born again." He stopped and gestured to Rina. "So, here's what we proposed."

Rina exhaled, taking over the explanation. "Since they've already decided to execute you, why not wait until you've absorbed all of Sukuna's fingers?"

Satoru picked up from there. "And they agreed. So now you've got two options: you can die right now, or gather all the parts of Sukuna, absorb them, and then die."

"You die either way, Yuji," Rina said coldly. "So pick your poison."

The sky was dark, dusk settling in with a deep, fading light. Rina gazed up at the moon, its soft glow offering a brief, fragile sense of calm. She had checked on Megumi earlier, around four in the evening, finding him fast asleep. His friend Hibiki had stayed by his side, which gave Rina some comfort, though it wasn't enough to lighten the weight of the vessel issue still lingering in her mind. She was waiting for word from Satoru.

As if summoned by her thoughts, that familiar-and, in her mind, irritating-voice broke the silence.

"You're still out here?"

Rina turned, unsurprised to see him. "Yes. I'll be staying the night." Her thumb absentmindedly scratched at the tip of her index finger. "Did Principal Yaga accept him?"

Satoru nodded, strolling over to stand beside her, his gaze following hers to the moon. "Yeah, he did."

Rina exhaled softly, a bit of tension slipping away. "Good... I was worried."

"Understandable," Satoru said with a casual shrug. A moment passed in silence as a cool breeze ruffled their hair, her dark strands dancing alongside his. Then, after a beat, he spoke again. "After all, you were ordered to be executed once, too."

Rina's lips twitched, the corners curling into a small, ironic smile. Satoru couldn't quite tell if it was one of amusement or disbelief. A soft chuckle escaped her. "You're so damn annoying," she muttered.

Satoru just grinned, saying nothing as she turned to leave.

"Good night," Rina called over her shoulder, her footsteps soft as she walked away.

























✵AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Ring, ring...

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