WOUNDED HEART [ ✓ ] | Jujutsu Kaisen

Chapter 9: Aim

"A sorcerer? What do you mean by that? Are you saying you have knowledge about those creatures?" Reimi couldn't keep her mouth shut as a lot of questions popped in her head. "Do they devour humans? How can I get rid of them?"

"A sorcerer is a sorcerer. That's it," he replied. Reimi tilted her head. He only answered one question and his respond didn't make any sense, too.

"I, I still do not get it. Should I just call those entities as monsters?"

"No, cursed spirits will be more accurate."

"Then you, sorcerers, are responsible for hunting them down?"

"Since they are called spirits, exorcising will be better."

"I want to be one."

"Be a cursed spirit?"

"Of course, not! I want to be a sorcerer. You see, my sis-"

"Reimi-hime?" she turned to see someone around her sister's age. Her eyes widened when she realized who it was.

"Shomo-hiko!" she called him. "Ah, right. Her Majesty told me you're here, too."

"Are you here to admire the flowers?"

"Yes. I have always been fascinated to them, Your Highness. I love how they bloom. How about you?"

"I love it, too. The sight of flowers blooming and the fragrance they emit, it is too addicting." Reimi nodded to him. "Oh! I think I lost track of time. Was it time for lunch already?"

"Well, when I left, they were still cooking but they could have prepared the meals by now. Shall we go back already?"

"Yes, my lady."

The two started to walk away from the garden. Reimi threw one last glance but she only disappointed herself when the white-haired man from a while ago was nowhere to be found.

"Are you looking for someone, my lady?" her soon-to-be husband asked.

"Nothing, I just wanted to see the flowers for the last time."

Once they arrived at their home, Reimi immediately went to the library. She searched for books about swordsmanship and different ways of fighting. She spent her night on the library, reading and reading until she finished every book she saw.

The next day, almost everyone from the Fujiwara house panicked when her maid reported that Reimi wasn't in her room. But they felt relieved when they saw her sleeping soundly in the library.

Her Mother was about to leave her alone when she caught a glimpse of the content in the book where she laid her head.

"Fujiwara no Reimi!" her mother yelled her full name. Reimi almost fell when she heard that. She held her chest and slowly turned to her mother.

"M-Mother!" she stammered. She looked down at the books on the table and closed it. She tried to push them away from her sight but it was too late.

"Were you reading books about swordsmanship?" Her mother's voice was scary enough to send chills all over her.

"I, I was only-"

"Don't talk back to me, Reimi." She gulped on her mother's order and shut her mouth. "Women are supposed to be beautiful and feminine. You are the future wife of Shomo-hiko so you should spend your time making yourself pretty. Don't waste it researching about the responsibilities of a man."

"Never hold a sword for it will never look good on you. It will only ruin your image," her mother added. "Instead, hold a pen and write on paper."

Reimi remained to zip her mouth until she saw her left. When she was alone again, she released a deep and long exhale.

'Maintain a beautiful and wise image, huh. That should be really like me,' she thought.

"But I can't let my sister be devoured by a cursed spirit."

From that day, Reimi started to practice what she learned using a wooden sword. She tried different stances, she swayed the sword using different moves. It only took her days before she mastered all of the basics.

Now, all she have to do is to find the white-haired man. She asserted that using normal weapons are not enough to exorcise cursed spirits. She have to ask the man who called himself Sugawara Hideyoshi. But she doesn't know how.

"Did you know?" she heard one of her maids whispered.

She is in the library and to be sure that she will not read any books for men, her mother ordered her to always bring the maids with her. She slightly leaned backwards to hear what they were talking about.

"There was a white-haired man with blue eyes wandering around. Rumors has it that he is very dangerous. Once you see him, you should run for your life."

"Is that true?" the other one replied.

"Yes. I heard he's in town right-" Reimi stood up. "Reimi-hime!"

"What do you say about going in the market? They could have added some new books on the store. I think I have read everything here, it's time to have new ones," she explained. She looked at her maids and waited for their answer.

"Let us ask your mother first."

"She will definitely not allow me. What do you say? Shall we sneak?" She wiggled her eyebrows.

"My Lady, you heard what I said earlier, aren't you? It's too dangerous. You must-" Reimi grinned when an idea came to her head. Before her maid can even finish what she was saying, she immediately ran away from them.

"Reimi-hime!" she heard them calling but she didn't care. She continued on running until she reached the gate of her house.

"What can we do for you, Reimi-hime?" the guard asked. The gates were open. She eyed the guard and the gate then went back to the guard again.

"Goodbye!" she exclaimed and slipped away.

She bit her lips as she tried to refrain herself from laughing while running away. Good thing she brought a shawl today, she can use it to hide from them. She entered an alley and hid there. She waited until her pursuers passed by.

When she cannot heard them anymore, she stepped outside but as soon as she moved her feet, she bumped into someone.

"Were you not informed that it's dangerous outside, my lady?" Reimi smiled upon hearing the man's voice once again.

"I wanted to-"

"Here," he gave her his scabbard. "It's yours now. Train with it, exorcise cursed spirits using it."

"But-"

"Don't talk. You should head home already. Now that they're busy searching for you, they won't notice you entering with it."

"Thank you. I wonder, when can I-"

"You can't. You are supposed to marry Shomo-hiko." Her eyes widened. She almost forgot that she have a family image to maintain.

"Thank you. I'll take care of this," she said and turned her back to him.