"Jujutsu Kaisen: The Forgotten Clan"

Chapter 6: New Beginnings Part 2

"It is only a matter of time before I am caught!" I say this while my lungs struggle for air. "Agh!" Crash.

Some birthday eve this is turning out to be! The one time I try celebrating my birthday in eight years, I make myself a target for the Japanese sorcerers. I hide behind a trash can, covering my face with my knees. A salty liquid stings my flesh as I run a hand over my face. My lungs fall into a steady rhythm in time with my heartbeat.

"Way to go self!" I throw my hands in the air continuing my monologue, "you left residuals and all for what? To ward off attackers!" I shut my trap when the sound of asphalt kicks up from a distance.

Whoever it is, they are waiting for me to come out of my hiding spot. There is a door right behind me, but it opens from the inside. The clicking noises grow louder, and the blood rushing to my ears makes them heat up. I squat low to the ground, holding my fists in front of my body. Clap.

"Long time no see! How is your new girlfriend?"

"She is doing well. Thanks for asking."

I drop my fists and throw my bag onto my back.

"OH. We did not see you there sir." I force the corners of my mouth outwards.

"Don't worry about it! Have a nice day."

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"I assume you three did not find your target. And what happened here?"

"As I stated earlier, Yaga-sensei, we ran into someone who vaguely fit the description provided by the windows. Their trail ends here with these curse users. We assume the target took out the curse users before escaping. Do you mind if I smoke?"

An officer leaves the paramedics and approaches Shoko's group.

"You must be the backup I requested. Here is a rough sketch of the two individuals involved with this incident."

"Let me see this." Spikey hair dude grabs the sketch, looks at it, turns his eyes in my direction, and starts walking.

"Where do you think you are going?" Suguru says through squinted eyes and gritted teeth.

"You know where I am going. Come on, I know where our missing sorcerer is."

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I rock back and forth on my heels, counting backward from ten while exhaling. Every thirty seconds, I check my phone, praying for the bus to hurry up! Then I spot them.

A box-blond sorcerer with five piercings in his left ear. A dark blond sorcerer who looks disinterested and annoyed. Their pale green eyes make my heart sink.

"What is with the red flannel and cap?" The sorcerer with dyed-blonde hair asks.

"A reward for outmaneuvering our target. She has nice tastes in clothing."

"Cut the crap, will you. Did you get her identification or not?" The dark blond sorcerer barks.

"I got more than that. Take a look, we have a set of house keys and a pocketknife."

At this point, I am looking at my phone, walking slowly away from the bus stop. I gradually build a wall between my heart, brain, and soul: creating a seal over my cursed energy. The trio of goons heads the same direction as me, unaware of my presence.

December 31, 2006: Someplace in Tokyo, the time is 5:00 pm

I jerk my head up when a passenger sitting next shifts positions. I gently slap my face, sigh, and exit.