Jujutsu Kaisen: Nozomi no Sora

Night had fallen.

The ward was quiet, with only the occasional sound of wind coming from outside the window.

Xuan Yi lay on the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling. Although he knew that this body desperately needed rest, the influence of the two memories made his mind a mess as soon as he closed his eyes.

Fortunately, the healing effect that Lu Suo had applied to him with that cursed spirit seemed to be continuing. Although the healing speed was far less exaggerated than the reversal spell in the comics, the feeling that his body was constantly healing was very obvious, and his head and back were not as painful as before.

So he decided not to sleep and started sorting through the intelligence he had.

There were still more than three months until the Shibuya Incident.

He himself was at the center of the incident.

As it stands, although he has transmigrated, he doesn't have any special abilities. He doesn't know if he has any spells, but he has no clue how to use his curse power. Even if he tries to control his emotions like Gojo Satoru trained Itadori Yuuji in the original work, that's too abstract, and he can't grasp the essentials in a short time!

There are no perks for transmigrators! No system cheat codes or anything like that!

They received the same treatment as complete novices.

Even if you had a cheat code to foresee the next few decades, when October 31st actually arrives, you'd probably only end up feeding cursed spirits, getting hit by meteorites, or being chopped into mincemeat by Sukuna...

The only way out is to escape.

First, escape back to Kamakura.

Anyway, from the Shibuya Incident to the final Shinjuku battle, it's only Christmas this year. I'll hide for a few months, develop my strength stealthily, and wait for things to calm down before making any moves. Then I'll join a vocational high school, become a regular sorcerer, casually clearing minor curses, and if I'm lucky, I might even live to see my grandchildren fight aliens…

Having thought this through, Xuan Yi had already made up his mind.

I've decided to complete the transfer procedures as soon as school starts!

However, just as he was immersed in his beautiful vision—

"Bang!!!"

A loud bang suddenly rang out, and all the windows in the building shook violently.

Before Xuan Yi could react, all the glass in the ward window shattered with a crash, turning into countless sharp shards that shot towards him.

He instinctively raised his hands to protect his face. Shards of glass grazed his arms, leaving a trail of blood, while his body was swept into the air by the gust of wind and then slammed hard against the wall behind him.

"cough--"

A mouthful of blood, sweet and metallic in flavor, spurted from his mouth.

"What the hell?!"

Xuan Yi's throat tightened, and his voice trembled slightly.

He looked up in pain and saw something floating outside the window.

It was a pitch-black shadow.

Its body resembled that of a meerkat, but its lower body was as ethereal as wisps of smoke, devoid of anything. It held two short scythes in its hands, which gleamed with a chilling light under the moonlight.

It stood there, its dark eyes staring straight at Xuan Yi.

That gaze was devoid of any emotion, containing only pure killing intent.

In the blink of an eye, the dark shadow appeared!

A violent current surged along the sharp blade as two slashes came straight down!

Xuan Yi's pupils contracted sharply, and his body rolled to the side on instinct.

"Click—"

The hospital bed was cut into three pieces and collapsed with a crash.

"Did you dodge?"

On the distant high platform, Lu Suo watched the drama unfolding below with a hint of amusement, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Although Xuan Yi had narrowly escaped death, he knew that with his current strength, he was no match for the mysterious creature before him.

"It's a cursed spirit! Why is there a cursed spirit here? It really is—Lone?!"

As his brain raced, his body reacted swiftly.

run!

He rolled over, scrambled to his feet, and frantically rushed toward the ward door.

A strong gust of wind came from behind.

He knew danger was imminent, and dodged to the side again, but a heart-wrenching pain suddenly came from his arm.

"Splash—"

Like the sound of a paper cutter slicing through paper, an invisible blade of wind suddenly cleaved through his flesh and grazed his bones.

Fresh blood gushed out instantly like a fountain.

Xuan Yi screamed as he was thrown to the ground by the impact of the invisible blade.

He clutched his wound tightly, gritted his teeth, and got up again, stumbling and staggering into the corridor.

"Why...why am I so unlucky?!"

His voice was hoarse, trembling as if he were on the verge of collapse.

"I was ready to run away! If I ran away, I would survive, wouldn't I!"

Suddenly, Lu Suo's face, with its forced smile, appeared in my mind.

He gritted his teeth in hatred.

As expected, that old fox saw right through us!

hateful!

Is there no way out?

Am I going to die here?

Although he didn't want to be transported to this godforsaken place, what about his original world?

That world...

Xuan Yi slowed his pace, leaned against the wall of the corridor, and gasped for breath.

What was the world like originally?

Every day I get up early, rush to catch the subway, and spend the day at the office dealing with endless piles of documents on my computer. After get off work, I go back to my rented room, order a cheap takeout, turn on the TV or my phone, and drift through the night in a daze, only to repeat the same routine the next day.

Repeatedly.

There were no waves, no surprises, and no hope.

He once thought he had gotten used to that kind of life.

Every day is the same routine, every month we look forward to payday, and every year we look forward to holidays. We go to work so we can go home, and we go home so we can go to work again the next day. Living 365 days a year is really just repeating one day 365 times.

This is not a joke; it's something that actually happens to the vast majority of working-class people.

He believed that so-called dreams and passions were nothing more than unrealistic fantasies of young people, which would eventually be worn down by life.

He thought this was how ordinary people should be.

Just save up some money, make a down payment on a car and a house, get married simply, have a child, and live a peaceful and stable life.

but……

Is this really the right thing to do?

Does such a life truly count as 'lived'?

He remembered a long time ago.

Maybe it was university, maybe high school, or even earlier.

Back then, he would secretly read action-packed comics late at night, his eyes would well up with tears for the protagonist's story, and he would clench his fists in the dark, a kind of indescribable flame burning in his heart.

At that time, he asked himself:

"If one day you had the chance to change everything, what would you do?"

He did not answer at the time.

He thought he would never have that opportunity.

But now...

Time travel has actually happened!

I'm about to die!

What else is there to be afraid of?

Xuan Yi clenched his fist, and drops of blood fell.

"...Fuck it."

He muttered a curse under his breath.

Although he's past the age of being full of youthful passion, that doesn't mean he can be manipulated like a clay figure!

"Since you don't want me to leave—"

Let's make a scene then!

Let's just have a good fight!

Amidst the smoke and dust, two slashes came straight at us, leaving us no way to avoid them.

Xuan Yi raised his arm to protect his vitals.

The intense pain struck again, but he forced himself to maintain his balance, so this time he didn't fall, even though his arms were already a bloody mess.

At this moment, along with the intense pain that tore at the nerves, reaching the depths of the soul, there was also a surge of abundant and satisfying magical power!

"So this is... the power of curses!"

To the surprise of the cursed spirit, Xuan Yi, who usually only knew how to dodge and flee, did not retreat even a step this time. Instead, he took a defensive stance and charged straight at it!

Xuan Yi roared, his clenched fist rising to smash the cursed spirit. The cursed spirit flashed past, and Xuan Yi, having missed his target, did not hesitate. He raised his hand and smashed the glass of the fire cabinet next to him with his fist. Enveloped in the newly awakened cursed power, he pulled out a fire axe from inside.

He then slashed fiercely at the cursed spirit that flashed behind him!

"Then we win!"

However, in an instant, the excitement on Xuan Yi's face faded.

The cursed spirit that was supposed to be struck disappeared again.

When Xuan Yi came to his senses...

As always, it appeared behind Xuan Yi...

Lu Suo, bored on the rooftop, yawned.

"How boring, looks like a waste of time. Time to go, Manami, the people from the vocational high school are coming."

"Yes, Lord Xia Youjie."

At the end of the broken corridor, a thick aura of death surged up from behind Xuan Yi.

There's nothing I can do!

They're doomed!

The passion that burned out in an instant forced Xuan Yi to accept this reality.

However, at the critical moment!

"Tsukumogami Technique - Kamajitsu."

A mature male voice came from the shadows.

Xuan Yi didn't know what had happened. He only saw the cursed spirit behind him, which had raised its scythe against him, suddenly suffer a severe injury. Its body instantly split open with several wounds, and it fell to the ground amidst a shower of blood, never to move again.

He stared blankly at the figure emerging from the shadows.

A huge scythe, and a cigarette that had just been lit.

Let me reintroduce myself.

"My name is Nishimiya Sousuke, and I belong to the Third Investigation Team of the Tokyo Metropolitan Jujutsu Supervision Department, and I am a member of 'Window'."

He paused, his gaze falling on Xuan Yi with an indescribable meaning.

"I am currently a Level 2 Spellcaster."