'Occult Club! ' the student council president fumes. 'You didn 't submit your club activities again! I keep telling you over and over that we don 't have space in the school for this kind of nonsense. Starting today, this is going to become the girls ' track and field club 's changing room, so get out! '

He goes off on his usual tirade, and you feel a bit awkward just being here, to be honest. However, it seems as though your presence hasn 't gone unnoticed, because all of a sudden, the student council president adjusts his glasses and turns towards you.

'And who 's this now? ' he asks. 'You 're not even a club member. I don 't recall seeing anyone submit new applications for this club. '

Sasaki links her arm with yours and sticks her tongue out at him. 'This is [Name]! She promised to join the Occult Research Club soon! '

Uh, I 'm pretty sure that never happened '

The student council president stares at you for a while before pushing his glasses back up again, in true anime fashion. 'Hmph. Well, it doesn 't matter. It 's too late! Officially, your club doesn 't even meet the three-member requirement in order to operate. The problem lies with

you

, Itadori Yuji! You 've been going along with this charade, but you 're not even a club member! '

'Huh?! '

Sasaki and Iguchi proceed to both glare at Itadori as if they 've just been betrayed, and naturally, he 's in utter disbelief.

'But I swear I wrote Occult Research Club on my application, ' he insists.

'

I

rewrote it! ' a new voice suddenly booms. Of course, it 's none other than the track and field coach, Mr. Takagi, who desperately needs Itadori 's superhuman strength and athleticism in order to win nationals.

You 've seen all this play out before, so there 's not a single word exchanged that surprises you. Mr. Takagi challenges Itadori to duke it out on the field, and if Itadori wins, he agrees to give up on him.

That 's how you find yourself standing outside, awaiting their fateful match. Not that it 'll be much of a match at all, because Itadori will beat Mr. Takagi at shot put with ease. He 'll even break the world record in the process, if you recall.

And so, you gather around alongside everyone else, but as much as you like Itadori, you already know he doesn 't need your support. Which is why your eyes can 't help but wander, searching the crowd for a certain dark-haired boy.

Eventually, they land on the boy in question 'Fushiguro Megumi.

But for some reason, he 's staring right back at you.

Crap. I got caught. He must think I 'm checking him out or something.

You turn away in a hurry, cheeks flushed. You know it 's bad manners to stare, but you just couldn 't help yourself. This is the only time you 'll ever see him, after all. Your fangirl heart simply can 't be contained.

You figure he 'll just brush it off, though. He won 't think much of it. After all, you 're nothing more than a side character. In the grand scheme of things, you 're completely insignificant.

That 's what you

think

, at least.

All of a sudden, Fushiguro walks up to you, wide-eyed. You can only assume it 's because he wants to ask why you were perving on him, so you prepare yourself to be called out for being a creep, but surprisingly, that doesn 't happen.

Instead, his expression turns awfully stern, and he faces you head-on.

'You, ' he says. 'You have it, don 't you? You must be the one who picked it up. '

'Uh ' '

What. Like, seriously,

what

? By 'it ' is he referring to Sukuna 's finger? He has to be. But you 're not even the one carrying it right now! As far as you know, Itadori still has the empty box tucked away in his pocket, and he 's already given the actual sealed finger to Sasaki and Iguchi. It must be stowed away somewhere in the club room.

'I-I don 't understand what you mean, ' you stammer nervously.

It makes no sense why he came up to you like this. Could it be that some of the cursed energy is still lingering on your body? From when you briefly made contact with the finger the other day? It was only for a second, though. There 's no way that alone would be enough to draw him in.

Fushiguro knits his brows together, then he lifts up his phone to show you a picture of 'surprise, surprise 'the special-grade cursed object he 's looking for.

'This, ' he insists, all but shoving the phone in your face. 'I can tell that you have it. I 'm sure you probably don 't even realize what it is, but it 's extremely dangerous, and I need you to hand it over immediately. '

Shit. Why is he so fixated on you all of a sudden? You just barely touched Sukuna 's finger, and you 're not even the one carrying the box right now. He should be paying attention to Itadori instead.

The plot can 't veer off course. It just

can 't

. Because if that were to happen, you genuinely can 't predict how this fictional world would hold up. You fear that the very fabric of this universe might tear.

And in that case, you 'll be super-duper

fucked

.

'Oh ' that, ' you say, mustering up a quick smile. 'I get what you mean now. Um, yeah. I 've seen that before. My friend picked it up, actually. Itadori Yuji. That guy over there. The one that just broke the shot put record. He 's still carrying it with him, as far as I know. '

Fushiguro looks off into the distance, turning his head to where your finger is pointed. Sure enough, he sees Itadori, who 's just realized what time it is and sprints off in a hurry so that he can make it to the hospital for visiting hours. Fushiguro tries to run after him, but he 's too slow, of course, and he doesn 't even get close enough to sense whether or not the cursed object is actually nearby.

'How is your friend so fast? ' Fushiguro grimaces. 'He seriously reminds me of Zen 'in. Anyways, he already left, so can you call him or something so I can ' '

You 're gone. In the few brief moments he turned around and tried chasing after Itadori, you took the opportunity to book it the hell out of there. You refuse to unintentionally make a mess of things. A fangirl you very well may be, but you 're not about to screw up the storyline and end up indirectly responsible for god-knows how many casualties in the process.

It 's important to distance yourself from important, plot-defining moments like these. Itadori needs to get a proper start. Everything needs to proceed exactly as it was written.

But regretfully, your presence in this world is far too anomalous to be so easily overlooked. And by running away, even if you don 't realize it, you 've unwittingly drawn even

more

attention to yourself.

'What the ' '

Fushiguro narrows his eyes. Every second of that interaction felt forced and unnatural. From the moment he walked up to you, you seemed skittish for some reason, almost as if you were afraid you 'd just been caught somehow. In fact, you were staring at him well before he even noticed you. Your gaze seemed to linger on him for an abnormal amount of time.

More importantly ' you got visibly nervous once he brought up the cursed object. And when he demanded that you hand it over to him, you insisted someone else was carrying it, and you diverted his attention elsewhere so that you could run away. You tried to get him to chase after your friend instead.

It 's far too suspicious. Not to mention the absurd amount of cursed energy he can feel coming from you. You

have

to be carrying the cursed object. There 's no other explanation. Which means that you lied to him.

People only lie when they have something to hide.

'I see how it is, ' Fushiguro mutters. He really would 've preferred to settle this peacefully, but if you 're hellbent on being so uncooperative and deceiving him, he can only assume that you 're up to no good. No matter what, the cursed object must be retrieved.

If he needs to take it by force, then so be it.

Itadori :)

Sorry for leaving in a hurry without saying goodbye!

I didn 't realize Mr. Takagi would make me do all that

I also forgot to ask if you wanted to join me and visit gramps again

He keeps bringing you up lol

A sad smile pulls at your lips. Poor Itadori doesn 't even know that today is the last day he 'll ever spend with his grandfather. And he won 't even have much time to grieve him, because Fushiguro will show up at the hospital immediately thereafter and whisk him away into a confusing, dangerous world.

You feel guilty for knowing what 's about to happen, and even guiltier because you can 't be there to support him through it, but this is simply what fate has in store for him. Still, if there 's one thing you can take solace in, it 's the fact that he 's incredibly strong, and brave, and because of that, he 'll be able to weather countless storms.

Anyways. It 's out of your hands now, and the bitter truth is that you were never destined to stand by his side.

So, you trudge home, chanting a silent send-off for Wasuke in your head as you do, and eventually, you approach the residential area where you live.

Except someone 's apparently been following you all this time.

'You 're a sorcerer, aren 't you? ' Fushiguro says. The sound of his voice catches you completely off guard, and you turn around in a hurry, jaw dropping open.

Why ' why the hell is he here?! He should have been following Itadori to the hospital!

Fushiguro steps closer, eyes narrowed. 'Either you 're a sorcerer 'a curse user, perhaps 'or you 're just an ordinary human with a morbid interest in the supernatural. But whatever the case, you lied to me. I

know

you 're carrying the cursed object. The amount of cursed energy I can feel coming from you is unmistakable. '

You blink in disbelief. Is this seriously happening right now? You even told him that Itadori was the one carrying it. He should have followed after him, like in the canon storyline, and everything was supposed to have proceeded normally from then on. Did he not believe you? But what reason would you have to lie? And why does he keep claiming that you 're surrounded in cursed energy when you barely touched that wrinkly old finger for half a second?

'I ' I don 't have it, ' you insist, a sense of dread creeping up your spine. 'I swear on my life that I don 't have that thing. Itadori has it with him. He 's at Sugisawa Hospital right now. You need to meet up with him and ' '

'Stop. I 'm not gullible enough to believe your lies, ' Fushiguro glares. His stance shifts slightly, and you watch, horrified, as he links his hands together in a very peculiar way 'a telltale sign that he 's about to summon his shikigami. 'I don 't want to have to resort to forceful methods. The more you try to deceive me, the more suspicious it is. I want to believe that you 're not dangerous. That you 're just a normal person who 's gotten caught up in the wrong things ' which is why I 'm going to give you one last chance to hand the cursed object over to me. Before this escalates any further. '

'bro.

What in the actual fuck is happening right now? Why is Fushiguro Megumi threatening to kick your ass? Why is he looking at you like you 're some kind of threat?

All you ever wanted was to fangirl in peace. Is that really too much to ask for?

'I-I 'm not lying, ' you insist, and you even raise your hands in surrender. 'Please. I swear I don 't have it. I 'll do whatever it takes to prove it. D-Do you want to pat me down? Search my belongings? I don 't have that thing. I

promise

. '

Fushiguro remains on guard for a few more moments, but then his shoulders slump a bit, and much to your relief, he no longer looks ready to attack.

'Here, ' you say, tossing your bag onto the ground and gesturing towards it. 'Please. You can search through it if you still don 't believe me. I swear I 'm not lying to you. '

'Alright, ' Fushiguro replies, visibly wary. He crouches down and starts sorting through the contents of your bag, but then he raises his head to glance back at you and immediately does a double-take. 'W-What are you doing? Why are you taking off your clothes all of a sudden?! '

'Just my school blazer, ' you say, lifting it up and turning the pockets inside-out. 'Oh, and, uh ' I guess my skirt has pockets too. Did you want to search through those yourself? '

Fushiguro 's cheeks redden. 'That phrasing makes it sound like I 'm some kind of pervert. I don 't appreciate it. '

'S-Sorry. ' You pause for a moment, then do your best to turn your skirt pockets inside-out as well. Fushiguro watches with visible reluctance, looking somewhat ashamed of himself, but you hope he 's finally been convinced. 'Those are the only places I have to carry things. Do you ' believe me now? '

'I guess I do, ' Fushiguro acknowledges. He pauses for a few moments. 'But then ' how do you have so much cursed energy? You must be able to see curses. Right? Have you ever seen strange creatures lurking about? You 've got more than enough energy to qualify as a sorcerer, so surely ' '

'

Ohh

, ' you chuckle awkwardly, trying to feign ignorance. 'So,

that 's

what those things are. Y-Yeah. I noticed them a little while ago. They 're pretty freaky, but it didn 't seem like anyone else but me could see them, so I was convinced I must be crazy or something. It 's not exactly the kind of thing you can tell people about. '

You never imagined you 'd be able to speak to Fushiguro. Meeting Itadori 'and then Kenjaku 'was already crazy enough, but you figured it would end with those two. To think that yet

another

important character has noticed you. It 's unprecedented. Even for a situation as crazy as yours.

Wait, there 's no time for this right now! He needs to meet up with Itadori and get to the school in time to save Sasaki and Iguchi!

You grit your teeth. Even if Fushiguro leaves now, it 'll take him too long to get to the hospital. He was supposed to have been there already. Itadori should be sorting out the paperwork right about now, dealing with the aftermath of his grandfather 's passing, but you can 't risk dragging things out too long. Sasaki and Iguchi are in danger. You refuse to have their blood on your hands.

'I still don 't understand, ' Fushiguro frowns. 'If you have

this

much cursed energy, shouldn 't you have been brought up as a sorcerer? I don 't get how no one 's ever noticed ' but I guess that 'll have to wait. Can you reach that friend of yours? Tell him it 's important. Tell him he 's in grave danger just by carrying that object around. '

You nod hurriedly and start dialing Itadori 's number. Shit. There 's no guarantee he 'll even pick up in time. His grandfather just died. The only reason he rushed to the school the same night is because Fushiguro followed him and met up with him in person. It was made clear to him that his friends ' lives were at stake.

But if he doesn 't pick up ' then what happens? What will happen to the story? How will it proceed without a proper start?

'what if you 've already messed everything up?

You feel like you 're on the verge of a meltdown, but mercifully, before you can spiral any further, a familiar voice calls your name.

'Oh. Hey, [Name], ' Itadori picks up. He sounds less spirited than usual, which is no surprise, considering he 's just lost the last family he had left. 'I was actually going to call you in a bit. To be honest, I just got some kind of disappointing news ' '

'S-Sorry, ' you stammer. You feel awful that you can 't even give him proper condolences, but you just don 't have any time to waste right now. 'Please tell me all about it later. But I need to know. Do you still have that thing you showed me before? The weird box with the even weirder object inside of it? '

You turn the call mode to speaker, and Fushiguro leans in closer to hear properly.

'Huh? ' Itadori responds. 'Oh, that. I 've still got the box, yeah. But I already gave what was inside of it to Sasaki and Iguchi. Remember how I said I thought they 'd go crazy over it? They seemed really excited when I handed it to them. '

'So, you don 't have the actual object, ' you clarify 'even though you already knew this to be true.

Fushiguro grabs the phone and grits his teeth. 'Where is it? Do you have any idea how dangerous that thing is?! '

There 's a pause, and you imagine Itadori scratching his head.

'[Name], who 's that random guy I hear with you? Why is he yelling at me for no reason? '

'Tell me where the cursed object is, ' Fushiguro insists. 'This isn 't a laughing matter. Whoever has it right now, they 're in serious danger. '

'What the heck? [Name], is this guy your friend or something? He 's saying some pretty weird things. Oh 'did you find another possible club member for the Occult Club, by any chance? '

'Itadori, I know this must all sound strange, but I can tell he 's not kidding, ' you insist.

'Huh. I didn 't realize that thing was such a big deal, but if

you 're

saying it is, then I guess I have no choice but to believe it. ' He stops to ponder for a moment. 'Come to think of it, I remember Sasaki and Iguchi mentioned something to me before. Something about removing the seal at school tonight and finding out what 's actually inside. Is that bad? '

All the blood drains from Fushiguro 's face.

'Not just bad! ' he cries out. 'They 'll

die

! '

'...what? You 're starting to scare me, man. I really hope this isn 't some kind of prank, because if so, it 's really not cool. '

'Itadori, even if it sounds crazy, please believe him, ' you say, swallowing hard. 'I ' I 've been seeing weird things for a while now. What he 's saying definitely isn 't made up, and I 'm really worried about Sasaki and Iguchi. You have to meet us at the school, okay? You

have

to. '

Fortunately, Itadori isn 't the kind of guy to abandon his friends when they 're in danger, and he seems to trust in your words enough that he 's willing to make an appearance at the school. Which means everything 's okay. The story is back on track.

But little by little, everything will start to change.

You and Fushiguro arrive at the high school right in time to see Itadori running up from afar. The sight of him immediately prompts a sigh of relief. He 's finally met up with Fushiguro, and he 's now in the right place at the right time. Thank goodness.

'Found you guys, ' Itadori says, but he suddenly halts in place, brows knitting together. 'Am I ' just imagining things? What 's with all this pressure? '

You feel it too, without a doubt. Inside the school, countless curses must be running rampant right about now. What lies ahead is nothing short of a hellscape, and even from all the way out here, the sensation is downright sickening.

'I 'm not sure why you called him out, ' Fushiguro grimaces. 'He doesn 't even have any cursed energy. He 's just a regular human. I just needed to know where to retrieve the special-grade cursed object. He shouldn 't be here. '

'I don 't know what you 're on about, ' Itadori frowns, 'but those two inside are my friends. There 's no way I could just abandon them. Over the phone, you kept saying how dangerous it was. So, I 'm coming with you. '

'

No

, ' Fushiguro sternly refutes. 'Stay here. Or better yet, go home. It 's way too dangerous for someone like you. And ' it 's [Name], right? ' All of a sudden, he turns towards you and narrows his eyes. 'Based on your cursed energy alone, you should be a sorcerer. But I can tell you don 't have any experience with exorcizing curses. I don 't know how it 's possible that you 've stayed under the radar for so long, but I can 't bring you with me either. You don 't know how to fight. I can 't put either of you in any danger. '

Well, it 's a good thing you had absolutely

no

intention of going in there anyway. You 've done your part. Fushiguro and Itadori have officially met, and from here on out, the story will proceed as it should.

'I 'm going in alone, ' Fushiguro reiterates. He pauses for a few moments, and his gaze softens slightly. 'Don 't worry. I 'll do whatever it takes to protect your friends. '

He leaves without a moment 's delay, and Itadori clenches his jaw, visibly opposed to waiting around outside while Sasaki and Iguchi are in danger.

'What am I even so afraid of? ' Itadori mutters. 'Hey, [Name]. I didn 't get a chance to tell you this before because everything happened so fast, but ' earlier today, my gramps died. '

You offer a sympathetic smile. 'I 'm so sorry for your loss. I wish you didn 't have to deal with this right now, when you should be grieving him instead. '

'It 's okay. I always knew it was bound to happen soon, and besides, he wouldn 't have wanted me to mope around for too long. I bet he 'd be yelling at me from the afterlife if I just sat around crying instead of moving on. But ' before he died, he told me to help people. And right now, I feel like I 'm letting him down. '

You already know that he 's bound to chase after Fushiguro, but nevertheless, you feel obliged to give him a small push.

'You 're strong, Itadori. Whatever 's in there, I 'm sure you can handle it. That 's why I called you. Because I knew Sasaki and Iguchi could count on you to save them. '

His expression brightens, and suddenly, his gaze is clearer. More resolute. Like he knows exactly what he needs to do.

'But what about you? ' he asks. 'I wouldn 't feel comfortable leaving you out here all on your own. That guy was saying it 's super dangerous. I 'm worried something might happen to you while I 'm not around. '

'There 's no need to worry, ' you reassure. 'This stuff is way too scary for me, so I 'm just gonna go home ' '

'Come to me ' girl. '

You wince. Something is wrong. For just a second, you swore you heard Sukuna 's voice reverberating in your head. Your shoulders are suddenly weighed down by a heavy, unpleasant sensation, the likes of which makes bile rise up your throat.

It 's as if someone has your heart in a death grip. The further you back away from the school, the more painful the sensation becomes. You feel a strange, unseen force pulling you closer and closer, until finally 'without even realizing it 'you 're pushing the school doors open in a trance.

'[Name]? ' Itadori blinks. 'You 're coming too? It 's dangerous, you know? I guess you must be pretty worried about Sasaki and Iguchi too. '

No ' this isn 't me. I 'm not ' I 'm not the one doing this.

That 's what you try to say, but much like when you inexplicably found yourself in Sukuna 's Innate Domain, no sound escapes your lips.

'Well, in that case, don 't worry, ' Itadori says, a big grin stretching across his lips. 'Just stay by my side. I 'll protect you. And together, we 'll save them, okay? '

The door closes behind you, echoing with a resounding thud.

Like it or not, you 're here to stay.