"Bam!" Someone fell from the sky.
"Ow, that hurt."
On the verge of tears, I rubbed my butt.
Huh, was I sitting on something? It felt furry. Pretty comfy on the butt, too.
I looked down. Holy crap, wasn't this one of the Divine Dogs? And judging by my surroundings... unless something unexpected happened, something unexpected was about to happen.
I looked up and met two dumbfounded stares. One boy had pink hair and was holding a girl, his jaw practically on the floor. The other had sea-urchin hair and his hands in his pockets. Though he tried hard to keep his expression under control, the shock in his eyes was plain to see.
Well, damn. Public humiliation, right in front of the main characters, no less.
"Um... konnichiwa..."
"Uh, where did you fall from?"
I sprang off the Divine Dog in embarrassment. "I don't know how I suddenly ended up here, either..."
Just then, the Divine Dog bared its teeth. As though sensing something, Megumi Fushiguro looked up at the ceiling, his pupils contracting. He turned to shield me and shoved me away.
"Watch out!"
"Bang!"
A thick cloud of dust billowed up.
Yuji Itadori, who had gone flying at the same time as me, exchanged a shaken look with me.
The dust sent me into a violent coughing fit.
"Are you okay?"
He was asking me, right? Aww, of course my little angel Yuji would check on a classmate first. Mommy loved you so much! Mwah, mwah.
I hurried to answer, "I'm fine. What about the other boy?"
"I don't know. Fushiguro didn't get away in time. I'm going to find him."
With that, he pushed himself to his feet.
"I'll come with you."
The dust cleared just then, and I looked up to see Megumi Fushiguro caught in a creature's grip.
[Xiao Ba, I can use Word Manifestation now, right?]
[Yes, Host. Everything you have is now in effect.]
In that case.
"[Let him go]."
I concentrated my cursed energy and blended it into my voice.
As if it had lost its soul, the cursed spirit released Megumi Fushiguro.
I hurried over to check Megumi Fushiguro's injuries. Luckily, he was only slightly hurt, and the Divine Dog hadn't disappeared yet.
"You're..." Megumi Fushiguro had barely spoken before I cut him off. "I'll hold it off. Take him and get out of here." With that, I ran straight toward the cursed spirit.
[Xiao Ba, can I kill this cursed spirit outright now?]
[No, dear Host. We're at a crucial plot point. Yuji Itadori is about to swallow Ryomen Sukuna's finger...]
His voice suddenly turned terrified. [Host, look out behind you!]
Before I could react, I was hit. A massive fist slammed into my back, sending me flying before I crashed hard onto the ground.
"Pfft." I spat out a mouthful of blood.
Being this physically weak really wasn't going to cut it.
I forced myself up off the ground. [Why?]
[The entire plot of Jujutsu Kaisen unfolds around Yuji Itadori swallowing Sukuna's Finger. If you stop him from swallowing it, this world will collapse completely, and we'll both be done for. Waaaaah.]
[...Is it really impossible? Is there no other way?]
[It really is impossible, waaaaah. There'll be a way to separate them later.]
*[...]*
In that brief span, Yuji Itadori and Megumi Fushiguro had already become locked in combat with the cursed spirit. The plot was about to reach the moment when Yuji Itadori swallowed the finger.
It honestly hurt a little, having to watch what could only be called the beginning of my little angel Yuji's nightmare... It really sucked. Maybe Yuji didn't have to go through all those things later...
But since that was how it had to be, I might as well get something out of it!
[Host...]
I took a deep breath.
[Fine, but you'll have to compensate me for the emotional distress. I'm an upstanding twenty-four-year-old, you know. I had to face a scene like this the second I transmigrated.]
[Host-! I knew you were faking it-! How could you play with your system's feelings like that?!]
[Hey, hey, hey, who said I was playing with your feelings? Don't make things up. I really was upset earlier, okay? Don't change the subject. I want compensation for emotional distress!!! Now!!!]
[...Fifty million in your personal account, plus a phone.]
[You got it, boss.]
[...]
A burst of arrogant laughter suddenly rang out, and I looked toward its source.
Oh, the big guy was out.
Tsk, tsk, tsk. Tearing his clothes off the second he appeared. He really wasn't shy around us.
Well, no point wasting the view. I'd cover my eyes and sneak a peek.
"Hahahahahahaha! So this is where the woman is! You'll make a nice little appetizer! Hahahahahahaha!"
*???*
You bastard.
"[Don't move]."
Yuji-or rather, Ryomen Sukuna-was instantly immobilized.
Just then, the eyes on his body shifted. "Hey, what are you doing with someone else's body? Give it back already."
"Huh? Why can't I move?" By then, his voice had returned to Yuji's own. It looked like Yuji had taken full control of his body.
Well, I'll be damned. This really did look a bit like a split personality. Even Megumi Fushiguro over there was staring in disbelief. Right, better whip out my phone and take a few pictures.
The clicks of the shutter sounded jarringly loud in the quiet night air.
"...×2"
"Yuji Itadori, as a curse, you will be exorcised by me."
Oh, we were already at this part. Time to sit back, enjoy the show, and wait for that legendary man to appear.
Before you continue