𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙

𝙊𝙣𝙚

Megumi let out a gasp as he talked on the phone with Satoru.

"A thermometer shed?! You're telling me someone's keeping a special-grade cursed object in a place like this?"

"You're kidding aren't ya?" I said, gaining a confused look from the black- haired boy. "Jesus, who's on charge of securing these things?!"

Megumi was still talking to Satoru, so I decided to check the place to find the cursed object we were searching for. From what I heard, it was a small rectangular box engraved with jujutsu spells. And apparently, they decided it was a good idea to keep it in an obviously non-protected place where teens spend their time on. I understand that high-ranked cursed objects can sometimes protect places like these, since the amount of cursed energy they have scares away small curses that threaten the citizens. But seriously... a thermometer shed?! I walked up to it and opened the wooden doors, hoping I would find what we were searching for and finally complete our mission.

I sighed loudly directing my body towards Megumi, the shed was completely empty.

"Hey Megumi, do you think there's another 'thermometer shed' nearby?" I said, throwing my hands in the air on those highlighted words. By the look in his face, he was absolutely pissed by Satoru. I can't blame him though, he is kind of an annoying guy.

"Hang on Gojo-sensei. Why do you ask that, Hanako?"

"There's nothing here, the shed's empty." I could tell how Megumi started to stress out after what I just said. He walked up to where I was, in front of the shed, then he reached out his free hand to my shoulder and looked right into my eyes after realizing the shed was in fact empty.

"Hanako, did you take it?" He asked almost out of breath, but at the same time with that calm voice of his.

"I told you it's empty, I just opened it a few seconds ago and nothing was in here." I looked up at him with a furrowed brow as he analyzed the circumstances we were both in. It was unbelievable.

"Hand me the phone, I wanna talk to him" Megumi let my shoulder go as he aggressively handed me the phone so I could speak to my brother. Then he started to walk away almost as if he wanted to escape this situation.

"So you're telling me we traveled about seven hours to Sendai for nothing? Satoru, where's that damn cursed object?" I couldn't even see his face, but I could tell he had that grin of his planted on his lips.

"Oh! Hey Hanako, nice to hear from you too!" He said with his usual careless tone.

"Dude...quit it. Just tell me where it is so we can go get some rest." I heard some sighing from the other side of the line as he cleared his throat.

"I told Megumi it's on a thermometer shed in that high school, it shouldn't be so hard to-" I didn't even get the chance to explain to him what was happening when Megumi took the phone from me and continued to speak.

"Gojo-sensei the shed's all empty, there's nothing here!" Satoru's voice was too loud that I could hear it from afar, or maybe this place was too silent...

"FOR REAL? THAT'S HILARIOUS! No going home until it's recovered, okay?"

"I'm gonna punch you." Megumi hung up the call and moved towards me.

He sighed. "Damn it... Let's go, Hanako" He started walking to the exit of the place.

"Hey but what about the cursed object?! That's our mission, that's what we came here to retrieve!"

"There's no way we'll find the cursed object here in the dark, not to mention the amount of curses that are stalking us from afar right now. It's too dangerous, let's find a hotel to stay in and continue to search tomorrow morning."

I took a moment to analyze the scene, I didn't know what to do. What could've happened to the cursed object to begin with? What if a curse took it? What if the talismans where too old and the jujutsu spells didn't have an effect anymore? Maybe some curious kids found it or maybe there where other thermometer sheds on the area and this wasn't the one where the cursed object was hidden. I wasn't sure about leaving this place, or maybe I was just overthinking it. But I decided to trust Megumi and go find a place to stay the night. I sighed.

"Fine."

He searched in his phone a place to stay in. The closest hotel was 15min from our current location, the weird high school. An assistant from the jujutsu high that I didn't quite recognized drove us to the hotel. We took our bags and headed to the lobby. Megumi usually does the talking while I just space out looking anywhere except where I'm supposed to.

"Excuse me for a second...Hanako?" His voice forced me back into reality, I was really tired.

"What'sup?" I answered.

"Is it fine if we share a double room?"

"Yeah sure, whatever." I don't really mind sleeping in the same room as Megumi, it's nothing we haven't done before. Actually, I've spent a lot of time with him since I came back with Satoru. I remember being really scared of other people, no matter how they looked or acted. I was truly, completely scared of humans. I was ten, maybe eleven when I met him. I was told by my brother that I would be spending a lot of time with him from now on. And he was right, we attended the same junior high and trained with each other almost every day. It was like if we lived together. At first, the training was just a routine. But with time it became more personal, like a "who's the strongest" contest. Speaking about jujutsu, we were both ranked the same level, but he's always been stronger than me. Of course anyone who looks at him would say he is a strong boy, just look at his figure, he's quite handsome too. But his unwavering character and his intelligence are what make him my biggest opponent. Unlike me, I'm nothing without my cursed energy.

He was holding both our bags while I opened the door to our room. I turned on the light and slightly pushed the door so Megumi could enter the room.

"Thanks." He said while putting our bags on the floor. I reached out for a wrist watch I had in my pocket to check the time.

"WHAT?! It's 11p.m already."

"Why was it in your pocket and not your wrist?" He said, almost with a judging tone.

"Huh? Wha-" I look at the watch in my hand and then back at him as I bring my hand to the back of my head, holding my laughter.

"That's not important! Let's just sleep already..."

It was a quiet night. The only sounds that could be heard, and not so often, where the cars on the street and Megumi's deep, yet soft breathing.