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Yuuji carefully closed the door behind him and nervously looked around. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw that Sukuna was still inside the jar in which the boy had trapped him.
Several papers with drawn seals kept the King of Curses completely under control. Yuuji approached and picked up the jar. Sukuna had his single eye fixed on him, frowning and baring his teeth, visibly angry.
The young sorcerer sighed. He was beginning to think that this was overkill. At the moment, Sukuna looked like a slime and didn't seem particularly dangerous.
Yuuji shook his head firmly. "No, I can't trust Sukuna," he told himself seriously, remembering all the things the King of Curses had been capable of. Giving him even the slightest margin could end up being a fatal mistake.
The pink haired teenager set the jar back on the table and rubbed his eyes. But it was also true that he had told Sukuna they'd try living together. So, what was he supposed to do? The young sorcerer bit his lower lip hard, deep in thought. Besides, he hadn't told Megumi or Nobara yet.
And he could already imagine what they'd say when they found out, as Yuuji was aware that he couldn't keep Sukuna hidden forever. Still uncertain but wanting to give the King of Curses a chance, he reached for the lid of the jar and opened it.
He didn't have time to react. Sukuna darted out of his prison at breakneck speed and bit down hard on several fingers of Yuuji's right hand. The boy, caught off guard, let out a scream and shook his hand vigorously. Sukuna was flung to the floor and glared at Yuuji, who was inspecting the bite mark he had left.
"Was it really necessary to bite me like that?!" hissed the young sorcerer. Sukuna didn't bother to respond, simply letting out a snort and turning his back to him. He slowly moved away and settled in a corner.
Yuuji clicked his tongue and approached him. He gently picked him up and placed him on the surface of the table.
"Sukuna, let's make a deal," Yuuji said, trying to compromise a bit. "As long as you behave and don't do something like this again"—he gestured slightly with the hand the King of Curses had bitten—"I'll let you stay out of the jar. Got it? It's entirely up to you."
Yuuji would have continued scolding Sukuna, but just then, someone knocked insistently at his door. "What are you doing, Yuuji?!" Nobara yelled in an irritated tone. "Don't tell me you forgot we were supposed to go shopping!"
"Oh crap, that's right!" Yuuji exclaimed, glancing at the time. He shot Sukuna a sideways glance, noticing that the King of Curses still hadn't moved from where he was. "You better behave," Yuuji hissed quietly.
He moved toward the door and opened it slightly, finding Nobara in the hallway. The girl had her arms crossed and was glaring at him. Yuuji let out a nervous laugh and quickly stepped out, making sure his friend couldn't see the King of Curses at any point.
"Sorry, Nobara, I forgot," the pink haired teenager apologized, scratching his neck slightly.
"Well, you better make it up to me somehow, idiot," the girl said affectionately, giving him a light smack on the back while laughing.
"I will, I will," the pink haired boy assured her, smiling cheerfully. He followed Nobara down the hallway, but before they reached the stairs, Yuuji glanced back at his bedroom door. However, when Nobara impatiently called him again, he followed after her.
The two descended the stairs two at a time, running into Megumi and Hana, who were waiting for them at the bottom. The black haired boy's face remained expressionless, while Hana smiled broadly and seemed quite excited for some reason.
"You guys took forever!" Hana exclaimed, putting her hand on her hips, though she didn't sound the least bit annoyed.
"Sorry," Yuuji muttered apologetically. "It was my fault." Megumi rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"Doesn't matter, we've still got plenty of time," pointed out the Ten Shadows user. "But let's get going. I don't want to stand around here all day."
Japan was beginning to recover from the effects of the terrorist attack, and the population was slowly returning to normal. Although there was still a lot of work to be done. But they wanted to make the most of the few days off they had.
Sukuna watched as Yuuji quickly left, abandoning him. The King of Curses moved from the corner where he had been and made his way to the boy's bed. The small creature frowned as he waved the two pink stumps he had for hands.
Sukuna's single eye was fixed on Yuuji's sheets, but no matter how much cursed energy the King of Curses channeled, he couldn't activate his cursed technique. He growled and persisted in his efforts, but it was futile. He couldn't use it.
The King of Curses managed to climb to the top of the bed and made his way to the nightstand. With some clumsiness, Sukuna was able to push the water bottle and spill it over the sheets. Opening it took some effort, but the small creature finally succeeded and watched with satisfaction as the water began to soak into the sheets. Once satisfied with the result, he tossed the bottle to the floor, paying no attention to how it fell.
Just imagining the brat's face when he saw what had happened brought a wide grin to Sukuna's lips.
"You'll see, Yuuji Itadori," the King of Curses muttered under his breath. He would make sure to make his former vessel's life as much of a nightmare as possible. However, his joy didn't last long.
Sukuna deflated noticeably as he remembered that he had been unable to use Shrine. "It must be temporary," he thought, trying to find a rational explanation. He probably just needed to recover his energy. Eating and resting to replenish himself would be best for now.
He settled in a dry part of the bed, curled up as best he could, and closed his single eye, falling asleep in seconds. He soon began snoring softly right there.
Yuuji was looking with interest at the various balls of yarn in front of him. The teenager had entered a craft store minutes earlier and was browsing the displayed items. His eyes stopped on a white ball of yarn.
He picked it up and examined it with interest, ignoring the puzzled looks his friends were giving him. Megumi finally decided to speak up when he saw Yuuji grab another ball, this time black, and one in blue.
"Yuuji, what exactly are you doing?"
The pink haired teenager shrugged. "I recently watched some videos of people knitting, and I'd like to give it a try," he admitted. Megumi raised an eyebrow at that but, luckily for Yuuji, didn't ask any further questions.
"You're going to start making sweaters now or what?" Nobara asked, stepping closer to check out what her friend had chosen.
Yuuji frowned a bit. "I think it's a good way to pass the time," he said defensively.
"I'm not saying otherwise," Nobara quickly replied, trying to smooth things over. "It's just that it doesn't seem like something you'd be into."
The pink haired sorcerer shrugged again, and in an attempt to end the conversation as quickly as possible, he headed toward the shopkeeper with the yarn he had picked.
Yuuji also asked for several knitting needles and bought the ones the shopkeeper recommended. He paid for everything and quickly rejoined his friends. Megumi immediately noticed that Yuuji was flashing a nervous smile for some reason and gave him a sidelong glance.
He didn't say anything until Nobara and Hana, claiming they needed to go to the bathroom together for some reason that the black-haired boy didn't bother trying to understand, left them alone.
"There's no need to be embarrassed about wanting to try knitting," said the Ten Shadows user somewhat brusquely, making Yuuji look at him with slight confusion. However, the pink haired young sorcerer soon gave a grateful smile.
"Thanks, Megumi," Yuuji whispered, scratching his neck, still a bit nervous. For a moment, he had feared they would make fun of him for choosing a hobby typically associated with girls.
Sukuna watched Yuuji with suspicion. For almost a week now, the brat had been acting strangely. For some reason, Yuuji had taken measurements of his body with a tape measure, and every day after returning from classes or missions, he spent a couple of hours knitting something.
From time to time, Sukuna would glance at him, but Yuuji never left anything within his reach. Since the incident with the water, the young teenager made sure not to leave things accessible to him. Sukuna frowned as he recalled that day; he hadn't even been able to make the brat angry.
Yuuji had chalked it up to an accident and simply changed the sheets as if nothing had happened.
The brat glanced at him again at that moment, and Sukuna couldn't take it anymore. "What are you doing?" he demanded.
Yuuji let out a sigh and looked directly at him. "If you wait a little longer, you'll find out," he assured.
Sukuna growled at that and continued munching on the grapes the young sorcerer had brought him from the kitchen. He frowned at the taste, which was barely there, but refrained from commenting.
He was aware that complaining wouldn't get him anywhere. Sukuna swallowed and took another bite while his mind drifted back to better times. In the Heian era, people strove to provide him with the best products they had.
The King of Curses had always received the finest livestock, the most delicious fruits, and exquisite wines. The small creature suppressed a growl as he looked down at his current body. It was utterly unimpressive, and Sukuna was painfully aware of it.
"Is something wrong?" Yuuji asked at that moment, watching him with a mix of pity and concern that only increased the King of Curses' foul mood.
"Don't look at me like that!" Sukuna snapped, furious, trying to channel cursed energy into his stumps, wishing it would work this time. But no matter how he moved them, he was unable to activate his cursed technique.
Yuuji set aside what he was doing and approached. "I didn't mean to make you angry," he said, attempting to touch him, but Sukuna quickly evaded and bared his teeth, threatening to bite him if he dared come closer.
The pink haired teenager immediately withdrew his right hand and regarded Sukuna with some caution, though he didn't scold him for his hostile behavior. Yuuji sat back down and resumed knitting whatever he was working on.
Silence settled in for a good while until the young sorcerer finished his project and critically examined what he had knitted. Sukuna, who was paying attention, raised an eyebrow when he saw that it was a miniature version of the kimono the King of Curses had worn while inside the brat.
Before the little creature could grasp what was happening, Yuuji stopped in front of him and gently placed the white kimono on him, tying it with a dark blue obi. Taking advantage of Sukuna's confusion, Yuuji quickly draped a small scarf of the same dark blue color around his neck.
"Good thing it fits well," the pink-haired boy said, stepping back a couple of paces to get a better look at the King of Curses. "Do you want to see yourself?" he asked, stretching out his arms to take him.
Yuuji carefully picked up Sukuna and carried him to the bathroom so the little creature could see himself in the mirror above the sink.
"Do you like it?" Yuuji asked, smiling slightly. The King of Curses observed his reflection in silence, unsure of what to say.
Sukuna glanced sideways at the young sorcerer with suspicion. "What the hell are you trying to do with this, brat?" he wondered, distrustful.