The decision to return to Japan is not one that's difficult to make.
But it's a frustrating one, admittedly. Geto Suguru is close, and there is part of Shiki that cannot help but wonder just how close she is to finally finding him this time. The cursed spirits that had appeared in the temple, both the elephant-headed curse and the coordinated horde of giant centipede-like curses that had swarmed through the streets –it's very unlikely that they all spontaneously appeared there for no reason. Not to mention, there had also been that curse user riding a four-winged bird who'd rushed out in the aftermath.
Multiple diversions. All of which had made their appearances as soon as Shiki had felled the Special Grade curse. If Geto Suguru had really been here, watching, could this then be construed as a purposeful move on his part to make his escape?
So, it's frustrating. Especially since her entire experience with searching for Geto Suguru thus far has consisted of one unexpected complication after another.
From this perspective, perhaps she shouldn't be surprised that this aggravating pattern has once again reared its head in India.
But compared to finding Geto Suguru… for Shiki, it's Tsumiki's wellbeing that takes higher priority.
Yes, it's vexing to give up on the search when she's close. But at the same time, Shiki knows that her personal frustration is of far less import compared with Tsumiki.
The pressing question in front of her right now is: Why had Tsumiki been cursed? … And how had something like this occurred to begin with?
Because the neighborhood that they live in is inhabited by a number of Gojo vassals and other affiliates. So the likelihood of there being a dangerous cursed spirit running amok and cursing people is possible, but not particularly plausible. There's a chance that this really was just an unfortunate accident that Tsumiki had fallen afoul of, but… it's far likelier that this is the result of someone deliberately cursing her.
Then, who? And why?
Someone allied with Geto Suguru who didn't wish for Shiki to find him? One of the other sorcery clans who had grown discontent with her actions? Was it a higher up behind this? Or was there still something else that Shiki was overlooking here?
Finding the answers to these questions is important. Unfortunately, Shiki won't be able to discover any of these answers while she's otherwise preoccupied with hunting down Geto Suguru in another country.
So, "I'm returning to Japan."
… In the end, it's an easy decision.
It's not just the desire to investigate what had happened to Tsumiki that spurs her to return. Tsumiki is currently slumbering in a cursed sleep, one that no one has been able to rouse her from so far, and…
And Shiki can't help but wonder if there's something that she can do about this.
Because her eyes allow her to see death in the things around her. This ability isn't something that's restricted solely to the physical. Certainly, the lines on things that lack a physical form are harder to observe than their material counterparts. But…
Shiki has a record of 'killing' active cursed techniques before. And if she'd been able to see the lines that defined the very core of an individual, as in the case of Araya Souren, then… in comparison, surely the lines of the curse afflicting Tsumiki should be something that's well within her abilities to visualize.
The thought of Tsumiki lying down in a hospital bed, still and unmoving, is not something that sits well with Shiki.
She doesn't like it.
What makes it even worse is that Tsumiki is a civilian. A non-sorcerer who shouldn't have been caught up in something like this at all. So if the culprit is someone who specifically went after her with malicious intent, then surely it had to be because of the fact that Tsumiki was closely associated with multiple sorcerers.
Satoru-niichan, Kiyohira-sensei, and Ken-jichan. Megumi.
As well as Shiki herself.
The girl lets out a quiet sigh.
"We'll be arriving at the hospital soon, ojou-sama." Choki's voice is calm and steady from where he sits behind the wheel in the car they're in. It seems that he has mistaken her sigh for a sign of impatience, perhaps.
All the same, Shiki is thankful for that steadiness. Her reliable assistant had immediately made travel arrangements and set things in order once she declared her intent to return. In contrast, the others present at the time had all regarded her with varying degrees of shock and surprise when she announced her decision.
Even Ken-jichan.
Although Shiki had not managed to actually find Geto-san, the fact that the curse user had not made any appearance at the temple could be taken as a sign that he wasn't showing up. In a way, this meant that Sun Yongtai and Zhang Tong's predicament had been resolved, given that it was unlikely Geto-san would be showing up again in the area anytime soon.
The Chinese duo had decided to stay. Part of their mission involved the Ganesha temples, after all. Even though one of said temples had been unexpectedly destroyed in an altercation involving a divine curse, this simply meant that the nature of the assignment had changed from maintaining the seals in the area to covering up the entire incident instead.
It wouldn't be the first time that an extensive cover-up was needed for a jujutsu-related incident like this.
…
Shiki silently looks out the car window, watching familiar scenery pass by behind the glass. The hospital that Tsumiki is in is a specialized one, with numerous connections to multiple sorcery families. Perhaps it's due to a sorcerer's need for discretion that this hospital had been constructed in a fairly secluded area as a result, rather than somewhere in the middle of the city.
It's actually the same hospital that Shiki had eventually been moved to during the time that she'd lain unconscious in coma during her childhood, courtesy of Araya Souren. Thinking about it like this, there's a certain irony that Tsumiki, too, is currently asleep without any signs of waking in the same place…
But hopefully, there would be something that Shiki can do about it.
True to Choki's words, the remainder of the trip does not take long. Shiki makes her way through the halls at a brisk pace.
The first thing that she notices upon entering Tsumiki's hospital room isn't the girl herself. Instead, it's the animals.
… Which, admittedly, sounds like a rather strange thing to notice, especially when one takes into account the fact that Shiki is currently standing in a hospital. But it's the truth.
Megumi is slumped against the wall by the bed with a pillow wedged under his head and Shiro sprawled over his legs. His other divine dog is lying across Kiyohira-sensei's lap like a particularly furry blanket. Kiyohira-sensei, too, is fast asleep. Unlike Megumi who hunches forwards, Kiyohira-sensei's head tips backwards over his chair, and there is a familiar white cat curled over the top half of his head, acting as a makeshift blindfold.
A calloused hand rises up and grips the white cat by the back of its neck, lifting it off from its perch despite its sleepy, meowing protests. One eye cracks open, and focuses unerringly on Shiki.
"You're back," Kiyohira-sensei says, sounding remarkably composed and utterly unsurprised to see her here. There's an audible note of hoarseness to his voice, though. Sleep-rough, and weary.
And then the man pauses, proceeding to squint his eyes in her direction. His next words sound far more alert and aware, if not nearly as composed. "What are you wearing?"
"A leather jacket." Shiki came here straight from the airport, so it wasn't exactly like she had time to change into a different outfit. Honestly, her wardrobe choices had been the last thing on her mind in the past several hours. She's only just starting to realize that this is probably the first time that her teacher has seen her wearing 'street clothes' instead of the traditional kimonos that she usually favors. "… For blending in."
Kiyohira-sensei stares blankly at her for a long moment, as if he's trying and failing to process what she's saying.
In the meantime while he sits there numbly, Shiki turns to the side and reaches for a pitcher of water on the nearby table. "Megumi told you we were returning?"
"He… he did, yes. I didn't realize that you'd be back from India so soon, though." Kiyohira-sensei watches her silently for a moment, and accepts the glass of water that she pours for him. "Thank you."
"It's no trouble." Shiki moves further into the room. Ken-jichan also enters through the doorway behind her, and also exchanges greetings with Kiyohira-sensei. Their voices settle into a soft murmur in the background as they begin a low conversation, both men attempting to remain quiet so as to avoid waking Megumi.
Despite their efforts, though, the boy ends up stirring. The first to react is the black-furred Divine Dog acting as a blanket over Kiyohira-sensei's legs. Kuro's ear twitches briefly, before swiveling upwards and upright in alert. The Divine Dog proceeds to lift its head up from Kiyohira-sensei's lap, instinctively turning towards Shiki as she steps past it to approach Tsumiki's bedside.
No matter their outward appearances, the Divine Dogs aren't actually dogs. Even if they look the part, and also act the part sometimes. They are shikigami, and shikigami do not sleep when their summoners do.
"… Shiki?" Megumi's voice is a drowsy mumble, before he blinks and fully startles awake, jostling the Divine Dog on his lap as he scrambles upright. "You're back already?"
"Mhm."
An exhale of relief. "I'm glad you're –wait, what's up with your clothes?"
… She's going to get this reaction to her new attire a lot, isn't she?
Kuro slinks over to brush against her leg. Shiki pats it on the head, and also pats Megumi –which swiftly causes the boy's disbelief to change into disgruntlement– before turning her attention to the bed's occupant. It brings back memories of visiting Yuzuki in his hospital bed, and Shiki can't say that she much likes the foreboding comparison here with yet another one of her friends.
Tsumiki.
At a glance, it simply seems as if the girl is sleeping normally. However, it's been nearly a full day since Shiki first received Megumi's panicked call that Tsumiki had inexplicably fallen into a coma. There's no doubt that this sleep is very much unnatural.
And, there's also the strange spell on her.
… To be honest, Shiki isn't entirely certain if it qualifies as spellwork or sealing; such things do not fall under her expertise. But there are numerous strange, complicated red markings covering Tsumiki's forehead, dense enough that Shiki has trouble even seeing how many layers there exist in the first place, much less decipher and analyze it all.
One thing is certain, though: There is an extremely slim chance that this is the work of a cursed spirit, unless said cursed spirit's technique happened to be planting complicated curse marks like this. It's far likelier that this is the work of another sorcerer or curse user. Someone who is well-versed in crafting and using inscribed curses like this, which definitely isn't knowledge readily available to the average sorcerer.
Focus. Your priority right now isn't hunting down the culprit responsible for this, but instead seeing what you can do for Tsumiki.
Shiki stares silently at her comatose friend. The rise and fall of her chest with each breath is even and steady, and it does not appear that she's in discomfort or pain. That's one silver lining in this situation, then.
Yet, even if it's a painless, dreamless sleep… this does not change the fact that Tsumiki is only asleep like this because of a curse that won't allow her to wake up.
And there's also the question of –is that really all that this curse does? Force the victim into slumber, seemingly without any other ill effects? With how complicated the inscription looks, Shiki doubts that the curse is as simple as what it appears to be on the surface.
She needs to break it.
Cut it apart.
Kill it.
Shiki stares down unblinkingly at Tsumiki.
Red lines swirl beneath her gaze. Not the red markings on the girl's forehead; instead, Shiki's gaze lingers on the red lines scattered all across Tsumiki's body.
If she severs these lines, then Tsumiki will be cut apart into pieces and die.
That's not what she wants. She needs to look deeper. Shiki does not care for permanently severing Tsumiki's arm, or cutting off her legs. She isn't interested in causing any bodily harm to her friend.
Shiki needs to look beyond the immediate 'death' that exists in Tsumiki's physical body.
Study. Observe. Analyze.
If there exists a 'beginning' and an 'end,' then I should be able to see it.
Shiki continues scrutinizing her friend silently, ignoring everything else around her as she narrows down her focus even further.
The curse placed upon Tsumiki is seemingly an inactive one. As such, there is no foreign cursed energy for Shiki to directly cut out of the girl. There's also something about it that has… melded with Tsumiki, or what seems like it? A curse that does not simply stop at affecting her physical body by forcing her into sleep, but also reaches deeper than that, if Shiki is seeing this correctly.
But–
It doesn't matter how far it reaches. A curse is a curse. Tsumiki is Tsumiki.
Tsumiki… should not be cursed.
Red lines glimmer, and shift before her eyes.
…
As she'd thought. It's harder to see the lines of things that aren't fully physical in nature –but it's far from something impossible for her.
Shiki flicks her wrist, and a sharp knife slips into her hand. And without any further fanfare, she grips the weapon and stabs downwards.
"S-Shiki?!"
"Hold on a–"
"What are you–"
Though the edge of the knife pierces flesh, that's not Shiki's target. And so when the bladed weapon comes down, it does not draw even a single drop of blood. Instead, the knife proceeds to smoothly slip past the physical body that it appears to tear into.
The blade of the knife sinks down to the hilt in Tsumiki's forehead, and Shiki drags it downwards. Directly through the glowing red line that overlays the unknown curse branding her friend, and when she lifts the knife from Tsumiki–
Her forehead is clear. The curse markings are gone.
Shiki continues studying her friend closely, heedless of the minor commotion in the background from her actions.
At first, there's no response from Tsumiki. But then her brows pinch slightly, eyes scrunching together in discomfort. One hand sluggishly rises to rub at her face, and sleepy brown eyes slowly flutter open.
Tsumiki is awake.
"… Hmm?" the bleary-eyed girl blinks. Once, then twice, and confusion spreads over her features. "Shiki? Uh… not that I'm not happy to see you or anything, but. It's a little weird to stare so intently at someone when they're sleeping. You know that, right? … Wait a second, did you go and update your wardrobe without me?!"
The light of recognition in her eyes, and the familiar cadence in her voice are both good signs. Her priorities, however, have Shiki mildly concerned for her newly-awakened friend.
"You're… you're awake," Megumi breathes, eyes wide. He looks almost as if he wants to rush over and hug his sister, but instead he sinks his fingers deep into the furry collar of the Divine Dog in his arms. "Tsumiki you're finally awake."
The girl frowns, "What do you mean?"
"You were asleep for two days!"
"What?" Tsumiki raises her eyebrows. "What are you talking about, I… wait, where is this? Am I in the hospital right now?"
The girl's current attitude is, overwhelmingly, one of disoriented confusion.
"Yeah, you're in the hospital. Kiyohira-san pulled some strings to get you here –and also to get some specialists to take a look at you." Megumi sucks in a deep breath, "Tsumiki, what happened? When I found you outside, I couldn't wake you up no matter what I did. You were cursed."
"I was what?" Tsumiki yelps, sounding faintly alarmed.
"Cursed. You even had that," the boy makes a vague gesture across his forehead, "That thing on your head, whatever it was."
Tsumiki's hands automatically fly up towards the matching spot on herself.
"It's gone now," Shiki informs her.
"O-oh," the other girl lowers her hands again, looking lost. "I… I was really asleep for two days?"
Megumi folds his arms across his chest and looks away to the side.
Mi-chan, on the other hand, eagerly leaps towards Tsumiki using Kiyohira-sensei as a springboard. The white cat pads over and settles itself into the girl's lap with a satisfied purr.
"Tsumiki," Kiyohira-sensei cuts in. "Megumi is correct. You gave us quite the scare when you… wouldn't wake up. Thankfully, Shiki managed to break the curse that was placed on you. Do you remember what happened to cause this in the first place?"
"I…" Tsumiki falters for a moment, brows knitting together in concentration. "I was outside with Mi-chan in the afternoon. And… um… I think I saw…"
The girl pauses, and her ensuing silence stretches into the air for a long moment.
"… I don't remember," she finally says, with a certain sort of bewildered blankness in her tone. "That's weird. I think I ran into someone on my way back home, but I… I don't remember who it was. I don't really remember anything about what happened."
Kiyohira-sensei frowns at the vague non-answer. "You don't remember anything about it?"
"Sorry," the girl ducks her head, fingers curling into the bed sheets. Which causes a certain cat to begin meowing in protest, and the girl immediately resumes petting the spoiled little creature automatically. Tsumiki bites her lip anxiously. "I… I really don't, it's all a blur. It's like… like one of those dreams where you forget about the details once you wake up."
That's very odd, and extremely suspicious. Judging by the deepening frown on his face, Kiyohira-sensei likely feels similarly on the matter.
"Sorry," Tsumiki says again, grimacing. From the scrunched look on her face, it's clear that she's still wracking her mind for any memories of what had landed her in this mess, except so far it seems that her attempts yield nothing but frustration and bewilderment for her.
"Don't blame yourself too much for it," Ken-jichan shakes his head from the side. "It may be the case that the culprit deliberately used some method to hide their identity or obscure your memories, so this isn't necessarily your fault."
What Ken-jichan says is very likely possible. Shiki finds it highly unlikely that Tsumiki would forget about her encounter with someone who cursed her, especially if it's someone who she 'ran into' instead of someone who ambushed her. In the latter case, not remembering anything about what had happened is easily explainable: Tsumiki may not have even realized that she'd been cursed until said curse had already taken hold of her and she was rendered unconscious. But if Tsumiki had been cursed by someone she met and potentially spoke to, then what are the odds that she would remember nothing about the exchange? Especially considering it hasn't even been all that long since the event occurred.
Which leads into the possibility that certain measures had been taken in order to ensure that Tsumiki would not remember anything.
There are ways of enforcing secrecy. However, to the best of Shiki's knowledge, there aren't any spells that are capable of outright erasing a person's memory.
On the whole, spellwork is a very minor branch of jujutsu. It shares a certain similarity to barriers and seal-work in that anyone capable of manipulating their cursed energy is technically able to learn how to use it, except spells tend to be extremely limited in what they're capable of achieving. As a result, the vast majority of sorcerers will find their time better spent on honing their cursed technique or developing new combat skills instead of.
The sleeping spell that Shiki knows, for example, is only enough to knock out a person for an hour or so at most on its own. It can also easily be resisted by any individual who can control their own cursed energy. As such, most only use it against non-sorcerers as a temporary calming measure in emergencies.
Going back to the idea of a spell that erases a person's memories–
To be perfectly blunt, no such spell exists. Erasing memories is something that goes well beyond what's possible for elementary spellwork.
In order for someone's memories to be hidden… Shiki thinks it would have to be either the result of a binding vow, or some unique cursed technique.
Cases where sorcerers awaken cursed techniques that are entirely useless for exorcising cursed spirits are rare, but it does happen from time to time.
A binding vow with another person, on the other hand, requires that both parties be able to manipulate their cursed energy. Which Tsumiki is incapable of.
That leaves the idea of a memory-erasing cursed technique as the likeliest possibility. Shiki has not heard of a cursed technique that allows the user to erase an individual's memories… but if there were someone with this sort of ability out there, then it makes sense that they would be well-hidden.
"By the way," Tsumiki pokes her, interrupting her thoughts. "Why are you holding a knife?"
Shiki gracefully tucks the weapon back into its original hiding place in her sleeve. "It was for killing your curse."
"Killing my… curse?" Brown eyes blink uncomprehendingly. Then, startle and widen. "Wait, do you mean that you actually–"
"Shiki broke your curse," Megumi cuts in. "Kiyohira-san called in other specialists, but none of them were able to wake you up. Do you really remember nothing at all about what happened?"
Distracted from her previous line of inquiry, Tsumiki shakes her head. "I don't, sorry."
"We'll figure this out," Kiyohira-sensei lets out a long, slow breath. "No matter who it is, if they targeted you like this… there's no telling if they won't repeat it again. We need to figure out the who and why in this situation."
Which will be difficult, since no one had been present on the scene when Tsumiki was cursed, and Tsumiki herself doesn't recall any of the details regarding her unfortunate experience.
But surely not impossible.
At the very least, there has to be a motive. A reason as to why Tsumiki had been chosen as a target. Because it's not even as if she'd been caught up as one of many victims here; Tsumiki had been discovered alone and unconscious as the sole target of this strange curse. If this was intentional, then what was the purpose of it?
Tsumiki is not the type of person with an acerbic tongue and a disagreeable personality who makes enemies wherever she goes. She's a likable person. Tsumiki is a genuinely kind and cheerful girl, and from what Shiki has heard of her school life, she also gets along quite well with her classmates.
If someone is targeting Tsumiki, then it's extremely unlikely that it's because of the girl herself. As Shiki had surmised earlier during the car ride here, it would be because of the people around her.
Such as: Her brother, Megumi. Although under the protection of Gojo Satoru and the Gojo Clan, the Zenin Clan has made many small movements in the background through the years. Even though they're unable to claim custody of Megumi, the Zenin Clan still sees the Ten Shadows as theirs, and therefore Megumi is a sorcerer who rightfully belongs to the Zenin Clan. Shiki is aware that there have been Zenin clansmen who've discreetly made contact with Megumi, even though the boy has never given them the time of day.
For the most part, clan sorcerers are dismissive of non-sorcerers. But what if the Zenins had finally decided that Tsumiki was a weakness that they could use to negotiate for Megumi?
As long as the Gojo Clan does not have solid evidence proving that they were the ones who'd cursed Tsumiki, then they would be able to maintain innocence in the matter. They might even offer to help break the curse on Tsumiki, in exchange for more leeway regarding Megumi. If it had taken longer for Shiki to return from India, or if she had been unable to break the curse, then would the Zenins have shown up on their doorstep with an offer of assistance?
It's a distinct possibility.
But–
The Zenins have not yet been forced into a corner where they must take reckless actions, and Zenin Naobito's leadership of his clan has never been a reckless one. Any mistake on their part would find retribution tenfold from the Gojo Clan if it became known that the Zenins were the ones who'd endangered Tsumiki. Would a proud sorcery clan like the Zenins really risk that? Especially in recent times when they were already reaping numerous benefits and rewards from the void left in their society by the fallen Kamo Clan?
Shiki thinks not.
And if she's being honest with herself… between her and Megumi, it's Shiki who's the active sorcerer of the two. It's also Shiki who has openly had disagreements with the higher ups, who's the clan sorcerer with her supporters and detractors.
"Tsumiki might've been targeted because of me." It's not a prospect that Shiki likes to consider, but the possibility is something that must be acknowledged. And it would be irresponsible to keep Tsumiki in the dark, now that she has already been cursed like this. Who's to say that the results of the next attempt would be as benign?
"It's… a possibility," Kiyohira-sensei nods reluctantly. "Not everyone would be comfortable with the idea of you searching for Geto Suguru. It also doesn't help that you're not on good terms with the higher ups."
"Satoru-niichan isn't on good terms with them, either."
"Satoru-sama is also the clan head," Kiyohira-sensei responds dryly. "And he's also been busy splitting his time between going on missions and teaching lessons at the Tokyo school recently. He's not the one meticulously carrying out an investigation to chase down a Special Grade curse user."
Well, yes. Shiki is the one with free time on her hands because she's been suspended from school.
"Ever since I started working on this investigation, it feels like I've been running into one tangent after another. Complication after complication." How much of it is really coincidence, and how much of this had been deliberately planned ahead of time?
No one likes being led around in circles, and Shiki is no different. The one breakthrough in her investigation had been the unexpected lead that Zhang Tong provided about Geto Suguru being in India. Unfortunately, even that had been interrupted halfway. When Shiki had been close to succeeding.
Shiki doesn't begrudge Tsumiki for it. Ultimately, Shiki was the one who decided to return, and it's not as if Tsumiki had specifically chosen to be cursed at such an untimely moment.
If Satoru-niichan were here, perhaps they wouldn't be in the dark like this. The Six Eyes are excellent for picking up on details that might've otherwise gone unnoticed, and even though there aren't any clues pointing towards the culprit that Shiki can observe from Tsumiki, it might be a different story with her blue-eyed cousin.
"Is Satoru-niichan returning soon?" Originally, Shiki had thought that she would be seeing him show up in India, after she'd notified him of the information that Zhang Tong had provided. That's definitely not happening anymore, though.
"I believe so," Kiyohira-sensei responds. "He seemed worried about Tsumiki as well –although I suppose that we have good news to share on that front, now that Tsumiki is awake again."
"… Sorry for the inconvenience," Tsumiki scratches her cheek awkwardly.
"Stop apologizing," Megumi tells her. Beside him, Shiro barks in seeming agreement. The Divine Dog rears up on its hind legs while resting its paws on the wrinkled blankets of the hospital bed.
Tsumiki lets out a small, startled laugh. "Why did you guys bring dogs here?"
She then proceeds to reach out with the hand that's not preoccupied with the spoiled cat on her lap, and easily runs her fingers through the shikigami's thick white fur.
Shiki blinks in surprise. Beside her, Ken-jichan sucks in a sharp breath, while Kiyohira-sensei freezes entirely.
Because–
Tsumiki is a non-sorcerer. A civilian who does not possess the ability to manipulate cursed energy, nor see cursed spirits. Which also means that summoned shikigami like Megumi's Divine Dogs are invisible to her. Although she can still interact with them in a physical sense, the way that non-sorcerers can be touched and affected by cursed spirits, she's never been able to actually see them. The only shikigami visible to Tsumiki should be things like small paper cutout shikigami. Shikigami which are more 'cursed energy animating a physical medium,' instead of 'entity composed of cursed energy.'
Except right now, Tsumiki is still happily petting Shiro. Kuro slowly shuffles up beside its twin, and also gets a soft coo of delight and a few scratches between its ears.
"What?" The unknowing girl tilts her head. "Why are you all looking at me like that? Am I… not supposed to pet them or something? You guys are the ones who brought in all the animals, though."
Megumi stares at his sister, and swallows roughly. Both of his shikigami, too, appear to be giving Tsumiki wide-eyed stares in a reflection of their master's shock.
"… You can see Kuro and Shiro?"
.
.
…
.