Chapter Text
Fushiguro Megumi didn’t like talking about himself.
It wasn’t that he was hiding anything. He just never saw the point. Most things people asked about were irrelevant anyway. The past stayed where it belonged. Behind him.
Megumi walked a few steps behind of the others through the school gates, hands in his pockets, expression neutral as always. The late afternoon sun hung low above the buildings, casting long shadows across the empty courtyard of Saitama Urami East Junior High.
Yuji stretched his arms behind his head as he walked. “So, this is the place, huh?”
Beside him, Kugisaki Nobara looked around with open curiosity. The school looked like any other—three floors of concrete, faded paint, and rows of windows reflecting the orange sky.
Nitta Akari checked the tablet in her hands. “This is where all four victims attended middle school,” she explained. “They graduated twenty years ago.”
Yuji whistled softly. “Twenty years? That’s a long grudge.”
Megumi said nothing. He already knew the layout of the campus without looking. The cracked basketball court to the right. The old gym building behind them. The vending machines near the side entrance. Every corner of this place existed somewhere in the back of his mind. He hadn’t expected to come back.
Nobara suddenly stopped walking. “Hey.” Her voice sharpened.
Across the courtyard near the bike racks, three boys in delinquent uniforms were leaning against the fence. Cigarette smoke curled lazily into the air.
Nobara’s eyes lit up immediately. “Oh, perfect.”
Yuji grinned beside her. “What?”
She cracked her knuckles. “We beat them up and question them.”
Yuji snapped his fingers. “Efficient.”
Megumi sighed quietly. The boys noticed them approaching. One of them nudged the others, whispering something. All two straightened. They bowed deeply.
“Sorry for not greeting you properly!”
Yuji blinked. Nobara blinked. Then slowly, both of them smirked.
Yuji leaned toward Nobara. “…Our aura is insane.”
Nobara folded her arms smugly. “Obviously.”
Megumi stayed behind without reacting.
The boys stayed bowed. “Sorry, Fushiguro-san!”
Yuji stopped walking. “…Wait.”
Nobara turned around slowly. “…What?”
The other scratched the back of his head nervously. “Haven’t seen you since graduation, Fushiguro-san.”
Yuji and Nobara turned toward Megumi at the same time.
Megumi avoided their eyes. “…I went here for middle school.”
Silence.
A long silence. Yuji’s mouth slowly fell open.
Nobara’s eye twitched. “You WHAT?”
Megumi kept looking around.
Yuji turned back to him. “YOU WENT HERE??”
“Yeah.”
“And you didn’t say anything?!”
Megumi shrugged slightly. “You didn’t ask.”
Nobara grabbed one of the delinquents by the collar. “Oi! Idiot A, Idiot B.”
The boy froze instantly. “Yes ma’am.”
“What did this guy do here?”
The boys exchanged nervous glances.
Then one of them laughed awkwardly. “Well, he beat up every punk in the area.”
Yuji stared at Megumi. “…Seriously?”
Another boy nodded quickly. “Yeah. No one messed around here after that.”
Megumi looked away. “I…beat them up…”
Nobara and Yuji both looked impressed.
Before they could say anything, a voice called out behind them.
“Excuse me.” A middle-aged man approached from the school building, adjusting his glasses. “Why are strangers on school grounds?”
Akari stepped forward smoothly. “We have a permit for investigation.”
She showed him the document. The man skimmed it briefly.
Then his eyes landed on Megumi.
He blinked. “…Fushiguro Megumi kun?”
Megumi looked up. “Takeda-san.”
His face brightened. “It’s been a while.”
Yuji and Nobara exchanged surprised looks. Takeda chuckled warmly. Nitta then asked him about the 4 students who had died.
Takeda sighed, “It’s strange… twenty years after graduation and suddenly four of them die.”
Megumi’s gaze lowered slightly.
One of the delinquents raised a hand. “Would bungee jumping count?”
Everyone looked at him. “…What?”
“The Yasohachi Bridge courage test,” he said. “Kids used to jump from it.”
Takeda nodded slowly. “Ah… that.”
Yuji frowned. “Courage test?”
Takeda explained. “Yasohachi Bridge has a reputation. Suicides… paranormal rumors. Junior high students used to test their courage by jumping from it.”
Yuji blinked. “…That’s insane.”
The boy shrugged. “It was more an older generation thing.”
“But we still hear the stories.” Another boy added quietly. “A few years ago… four students didn’t come home. They were found unconscious under the bridge the next morning.”
Megumi’s eyes darkened. He had been there before. Jujutsu High investigated paranormal hot spots regularly. But last time…there had been nothing.
Nobara cracked her knuckles. “Well. We’re going there.”
Akari nodded. “Agreed.”
As they prepared to leave, Takeda suddenly asked, “By the way, how is Tsumiki kun?”
Megumi paused. “…She’s fine.”
Yuji tilted his head. “Who’s Tsumiki?”
Megumi walked toward the gate. “My older sister.”
Nobara’s jaw dropped. “You have a SISTER?!”
Megumi didn’t answer.
Yuji groaned loudly. “You never tell us anything about yourself!”
Nobara pointed accusingly. “Seriously! Are we coworkers or strangers?!”
Megumi ignored them. But for a moment…his expression grew distant.
Hours later, the sun had disappeared. The Yasohachi Bridge stood silent against the dark sky. Cold wind moved through the metal railings.
Yuji leaned against the barrier. “…Nothing.”
Nobara clicked her tongue. “Not even a trace.”
Megumi scanned the area again. Still nothing. They regrouped with Nitta Akari near the parked car. Yuji kicked a small stone off the road.
“There’s a 100% death rate in this case.”
“We can’t just waste time.”
Akari frowned thoughtfully. “Maybe the trigger has something to do with jumping.”
“We already tried that,” Nobara said.
A sudden sound interrupted them. A bicycle screeched to a stop. One of the boys from earlier hopped off his bike.
“Fushiguro san!”
Behind him stood a girl in her late teens. She looked uneasy.
“This is my sister,” the boy explained. “She knew you in school.”
The girl nodded. “…Fushiguro kun.”
Megumi studied her. He remembered her, his former classmate. “What happened?”
She swallowed.
“I had gone to Yasohachi Bridge back in junior high school.”
“But since last few days…when I get home…our automatic doors are already open.”
Yuji frowned. “…That’s the same thing that happened to the other victims.”
The girl continued quietly. “It feels like something is there. That’s why I wanted to tell you.”
Megumi stayed silent.
Then she added one more thing. “…Your sister was there that night.”
Megumi froze.
“She came with her classmates to keep an eye on us. And one other girl was there with us.” She paused but then continued, “Her name was Kawanishi Moka.”
For the first time since the investigation began—Megumi’s composure cracked. Just slightly. But Yuji saw it. So did Nobara.
Megumi quickly looked away. “…Thanks.”
The siblings left soon after. Silence settled around the group.
Yuji watched Megumi carefully. “…Fushiguro.”
Megumi was already dialing his phone. “Ijichi san, I need backup.”
Static crackled through the speaker. “Sorry, Fushiguro-kun,” Ijichi replied. “We can’t spare anyone right now. If the threat is too dangerous, retreat.”
Megumi ended the call. He turned toward the others. “The mission changed. It’s more dangerous now.” He avoided their eyes. “You two go home.”
Yuji blinked. “…What?”
“I’ll check on my sister.” He started walking away.
But inside—Megumi already knew the truth. He wasn’t going to check on her. He was returning to Yasohachi Bridge. Alone. Because if Tsumiki was involved—he couldn’t wait.
Night had fully fallen when Megumi reached the bridge again. Wind rushed beneath the steel structure. Megumi stepped closer to the edge. Nitta san’s words replayed in his mind.
The test of courage.
Jumping wasn’t the trigger. Which meant—Conditions. A barrier-type Domain. Just like the Detention Center.
Megumi inhaled slowly. “If that’s the case…”
He stepped onto the railing.
“FUSHIGURO!!”
Megumi turned. Yuji and Nobara stood at the end of the bridge.
Megumi frowned. “…What are you doing here?”
Yuji sighed. “We should ask you the same thing.”
“I knew it.” Nobara crossed her arms. “You were going to do something stupid without us.”
Megumi looked away.
Yuji’s voice softened. “…You know we’re disappointed!”
Megumi frowned slightly.
“You don’t have to tell us everything,” Nobara said. “But we’re friends.”
“Tsumiki…” Megumi hesitated. “…is in a suspended sleep.”
Yuji and Nobara froze.
“If that curse reaches her…she’ll die.”
Silence followed. Megumi forced a calm expression.
“This mission is more dangerous now. You should—”
“Shut up.”
Megumi blinked.
Nobara glared at him. “You think we care about that?”
Yuji grinned beside her. “We’re not leaving.”
For the first time that night—Megumi smiled. Just a little.
“Idiots.”
-*-
Kawanishi Moka’s life had changed completely two weeks ago.
People called it an accident. A tragic accident, they said with quiet voices and sympathetic eyes. The words were soft, carefully chosen, as if gentleness could soften the reality of death. Moka had first thought it as a lie.
Her mind had simply… stopped. Everything had felt distant, like hearing voices underwater. The hospital staff spoke to her softly; someone offered her water. Words moved around her but none of them reached her properly. It was only when she saw them. Her parents. Lying side by side.
Motionless. Breathless.
That was when the lie inside her head shattered. Her body reacted before her mind could understand what was happening. Her breathing grew shallow, quick and uneven. Each inhale felt smaller than the last, as if the air in the room had suddenly disappeared. Her heart began to pound violently. So fast it hurt.
Her chest tightened painfully, rising and falling as she struggled to breathe. Her hands trembled. Her legs weakened beneath her. For a moment she thought she might faint. Then her knees gave out. The floor rushed up to meet her as her body collapsed.
That was when the tears finally came.
They poured out uncontrollably, blurring everything in front of her. The sound that escaped her throat didn't even feel like it belonged to her. Someone held her shoulders. Someone else spoke gently. A nurse stayed beside her the entire time. She didn’t rush her. Didn’t try to stop her. She simply stayed.
Two weeks had passed since that day.
Moka now counted the seconds it took for her to fall asleep at night. She counted her breathing the way someone might count sheep, focusing on each inhale and exhale as if forgetting would make her stop breathing entirely. The house she returned to every evening after school no longer felt like a home. It felt like an empty shell.
Once, the rooms had been full of life. Her mother’s voice humming softly in the kitchen while she cooked dinner. The gentle clatter of plates. The warm smell of miso soup and grilled fish. Her father’s constant jokes. Her mother laughing.
Sometimes Moka would sit at the keyboard while her mother sang beside her, their voices blending together in easy harmony.
Now the house was silent. Cold. Dark. When she stepped inside, it felt like entering a place where life had already ended. The memories were still there. But they felt like ghosts.
Moka returned to school the week after the funeral. Not because she felt better. She didn’t. But she was practical. Living required money. Her parents had left savings for her, but she knew that money would run out eventually. She would need to finish school. She would need a job. She would need to survive.
For what purpose?
That question surfaced in her mind more often than she liked. She never found an answer. Still, she kept moving forward.
The days passed quietly.
But recently something had begun to feel… wrong, someone outside her home. At first, she ignored it. She already had too much to deal with. Grief was heavy enough without adding strange feelings on top of it. Then yesterday, someone rang the doorbell.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Moka stood silently inside the house, staring at the front door. She didn’t open it. Instead, she turned off the lights and pretended she wasn’t home. After a while, the man left. She had only seen him briefly through the curtain. A black suit. Dark sunglasses. Something about him felt unsettling.
Today, after school, the same feeling returned.
Moka left the school library just as the evening sky began turning orange. She had stayed there longer than necessary, pretending to study while really just avoiding going home. The walk back felt longer than usual. That was when she noticed him. The same man. Black suit. Black sunglasses. Walking several steps behind her.
Her stomach tightened. Maybe it was a coincidence. She turned a corner. He turned too. Her pace quickened. So did his. A cold wave of fear spread through her chest. Don’t panic. But her instincts screamed at her. Something was wrong. Very wrong. Her heartbeat began racing again, the same way it had two weeks ago in the hospital.
When his footsteps suddenly grew faster—
She ran. Moka didn’t hesitate. Her legs moved on instinct as she sprinted down the empty street. The sound of her shoes hitting the pavement echoed loudly in the quiet evening air. Behind her, footsteps followed. Faster. Closer. Good thing she had always been physically strong. Her lungs burned as she ran, pushing herself harder with every step. Her mind raced, searching desperately for somewhere to go.
Then one place appeared in her thoughts.
A place most people avoided.
Yasohachi Bridge.
No one liked going there. Which meant the man might hesitate to follow. So, she ran toward it. Ten minutes. Fifteen. Twenty. Her breathing turned ragged but she didn’t slow down. Finally—the bridge came into view. The man was gone.
Moka slowed to a stop, bending slightly as she caught her breath. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she forced air back into her lungs. The sky had darkened. Night was creeping in. She crossed the bridge quickly, her footsteps echoing against the empty structure. The cold wind brushed against her skin as she moved to the other side. Then she climbed down beneath it. The shadows there were deeper. Darker.
Even if the man came looking, he probably wouldn’t think to search under the bridge. She found a large rock and sat down heavily. Her body still trembled slightly from the run. The air beneath the bridge felt strange. Cold. A quiet, unsettling feeling crawled across her skin, raising goosebumps along her arms. It reminded her of something.
Something from years ago.
Back when life was different.
She had been here once before. During junior high. The memory surfaced slowly. She had come with two of her classmates and some seniors. It had been one of those reckless adventures that teenagers liked to create. Testing courage. Daring each other. And among them had been someone she remembered clearly.
Tsumiki-senpai.
Kind.
Gentle.
Always smiling warmly.
Remembering Tsumiki made another memory surface beside it.
A boy with spiky black hair. Sharp blue eyes. Constantly irritated. Always glaring at bullies. The type who never looked like he wanted to be there, yet somehow always appeared whenever someone weaker needed help.
Moka let out a quiet breath.
Back then, she had only watched him from across their classroom. The quiet boy who fought for others without asking for recognition. Above her, the wind whistled through the metal beams of the bridge. The sound echoed strangely in the darkness.
The air beneath the bridge grew colder.
Moka wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing her palms against her sleeves as a chill ran down her spine. The strange noises hadn’t stopped. They came from somewhere deeper in the darkness—wet, dragging sounds that didn’t resemble anything human.
Her footsteps echoed faintly as she began walking along the rocky ground, trying to distance herself from the source of the sound. Her breathing was still uneven from running. Her heart still hadn’t fully calmed down.
Whenever she felt like this—scared, lonely, suffocating under emotions she couldn’t name—there was only one thing she had ever known how to do.
Sing.
The habit had started when she was little. Her mother used to tell her that music could carry feelings that words couldn’t hold. When Moka couldn’t express something, she would sing instead. So quietly, almost unconsciously, a melody left her lips. Soft at first. Barely louder than the wind moving through the steel beams above.
あの日君と見ていた夕焼け永遠にしたくて
(The sunset I watched with you that day...
I want to make it last forever.)
Her voice trembled slightly as the words formed.
記憶の中手を伸ばして何度も触れようとするけれど
(So, I reached out countless times
In my memories, as though to touch it.)
Her voice drifted into the night air. Above her, the bridge stretched across the darkness. Below—something else existed.
Far beneath the bridge, the world had already changed. Megumi stood inside a warped space. The curse’s domain. The ground beneath his feet was broken and uneven, as if the earth itself had rotted. Twisted shapes jutted out from the terrain, forming grotesque pillars that pulsed faintly with cursed energy.
The air felt thick.
Heavy.
Like breathing through mud. Shadows clung to every surface of the distorted landscape, stretching unnaturally as if they were alive.
Yuji and Nobara were gone. Leaving Megumi alone. Alone with the monster that ruled this place. The curse towered before him. A massive grotesque body. Rotting flesh twisted into unnatural shapes.
A Finger Bearer.
Dark cursed energy surged violently around the creature, spilling from its body like smoke from a fire. Megumi wiped blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. His breathing was steady. But his body was already reaching its limit. The curse roared and lunged forward.
Megumi reacted instantly. “Nue!”
Lightning exploded through the warped sky as his shikigami descended, wings crackling with electricity. The attack struck the curse directly. But the finger bearer barely staggered. Its massive arm swung forward. The blow hit Megumi before he could dodge.
CRACK.
His body slammed violently into a stone wall. The impact shattered the surface behind him. Pain exploded through his skull. Warm blood immediately ran down the side of his face. Megumi collapsed to the ground. His vision blurred. The curse stepped closer. Heavy footsteps. Each one shaking the ground beneath him.
Megumi tried to move. But his limbs refused to respond. Darkness crept into the edges of his sight. For a moment—everything went black.
Above the shattered domain, Moka continued walking slowly beneath the bridge. Her voice grew steadier. Clearer.
同じ景色も気持ちも二度とは取り戻せないから
輝いてた過去の夢を振り返ってしまうんだろう
(Because the same scenery and feelings
Won't return once more,
I end up turning back to look
At the shining, beautiful dream in the past.)
Her chest tightened slightly as the words left her mouth. Her voice echoed softly against the stone supports of the bridge. Each note carried emotion she had kept buried for weeks.
Grief.
Loneliness.
The hollow ache of returning to an empty home.
All of it poured into the melody. The song rose into the quiet night. And something unseen responded. Her voice vibrated through the air. Through the stone. Through the invisible currents of cursed energy flowing around the bridge. The sound carried further than it should have.
Deeper than it should have. And slowly—without Moka realizing it—her voice grew stronger.
Inside the collapsing darkness of the domain. Megumi’s body twitched. Something brushed against his senses. Not a physical touch. Something deeper. A vibration. His cursed energy reacted instinctively. Like ripples spreading across still water.
Megumi’s eyes snapped open. “…What?”
His breathing grew sharper. His cursed energy felt… different. Awake. More stable. As if something had stirred it. The finger bearer roared again, rushing toward him. Megumi forced himself upright. His head throbbed violently. Blood dripped down his face. Then he heard it.
Faint.
Very faint.
A voice.
Someone singing.
Megumi frowned. “…Am I hallucinating?”
His head injury was probably affecting his senses. But his cursed energy had changed. It flowed more smoothly now. Like something had tuned it. The curse charged again. Megumi steadied his stance.
“…Fine.” His eyes hardened. “Let’s finish this.”
Outside, Moka’s song continued rising into the night. Her voice had grown stronger now. The sound no longer trembled.
まっさらな未来にさえ悲しみが零れ出して
こころを滲ませるから誰もが立ち止まり見失ってしまうよ
(Sadness overflows
Into even the brand-new future I'm in.
No-one can help standing still and losing himself,
When pain comes seeping into his heart.)
The melody drifted across the empty bridge. Across the wind. Across the darkness below. Her voice resonated in the air. Cursed energy vibrated with it. Like invisible waves spreading outward.
Inside the domain—Megumi moved. Faster. Sharper. Shadows spread across the ground beneath his feet. His incomplete domain began to form. The fight became brutal. The finger bearer swung wildly, its monstrous body smashing the environment apart. But Megumi moved through the shadows with precise focus. His cursed energy flowed smoothly. Like something had awakened it.
Moka’s voice continued. Her song carried through the night air.
めぐりめぐる季節の途中で
何色の明日を描きますか？
(Standing here as the seasons whirl round and the years go by,
What color will we draw our future?)
Megumi lunged forward. The shadows erupted beneath the curse.
強く強く信じ合えたなら
何色の未来が待っていますか？
(If only we had both believe strongly in each other then,
What kind of future will lie in wait for us now?)
Megumi’s final strike landed. The finger bearer froze. Then its massive body shattered. Black fragments dissolved into the darkness. The domain began collapsing. Megumi stood there breathing heavily. His entire body trembled from exhaustion.
In his hand—he held something small. Rotting.
Sukuna’s finger.
“…Got it…”
The warped space shattered completely. Reality returned. The cold air beneath the bridge rushed back around him. Megumi’s legs finally gave out. He collapsed onto the ground. His mind drifting. Memories surfaced.
His only family.
His sister’s face.
Her quiet smile.
The way she had acknowledged Megumi’s kindness.
“I will apologize… so please…” His voice cracked. “…wake up soon, you idiot sister.”
His vision faded. The last of his strength disappeared. Megumi fell unconscious beneath the bridge.
-*-
Moka’s voice slowly faded into the night. The final note of the song dissolved into silence as she walked deeper beneath the bridge. Her footsteps echoed softly against the damp ground. The cold air still clung to her skin, carrying that same unsettling feeling that had been bothering her since she arrived.
Then she saw it.
Her body froze.
A massive black sphere hovered ahead of her, pulsing faintly in the darkness like a distorted heart. The structure looked unnatural, like a dense ball of shadow and twisted energy pressing against the air itself.
Her eyes widened. “What…?”
The strange structure trembled. Then suddenly—it began to crumble. The black surface cracked apart like glass shattering from the inside. Fragments of dark energy dissolved into the air, scattering like ash in the wind. And at the center of it—someone was sitting there.
Blood ran down the side of his face, dripping from his temple and staining the collar of his uniform. For a moment he remained upright. Then his body collapsed forward. Moka’s heart skipped. Before losing consciousness, she heard him mutter something weakly. Then he went completely still. Moka didn’t question the strange black structure.
She had seen things like that before. Strange things. Things no one else seemed to notice. Her mother’s voice echoed faintly in her memory.
“It is a weird gift, Moka… that you can see those things.”
She had been six years old when it first happened. The creatures had appeared suddenly—grotesque shapes lurking in corners, crawling across ceilings, watching people with twisted faces. Terrified, she had run to her mother. Her mother had listened quietly. Then she had knelt down in front of her and placed both hands gently on her shoulders.
“You must never tell anyone about this.”
Her mother’s voice had been calm. But firm.
“Not your friends. Not your teachers…not even your father.”
Moka had nodded. She kept that promise. From that day forward she never spoke about it again. Whenever she saw those strange creatures crawling around people, she simply smiled like nothing was wrong. She stayed cheerful.
Bright.
Carefree.
Because if no one noticed something strange about her—then no one would ask questions. The memory faded as she rushed forward.
The person lying on the ground needed help. Moka dropped to her knees beside him, quickly examining the wound on his head. That was when she noticed his hair. Black. Spiky. That hairstyle wasn’t very common.
Her breath caught. “…Fushiguro kun?”
She stared at his face more closely. Yes. There was no mistake.
Fushiguro Megumi.
Her classmate from junior high. Tsumiki-senpai’s younger brother. The boy every bully in school was afraid of. The boy who always looked irritated. The boy who always stepped in whenever someone weaker was being picked on. And—though he probably never noticed—a quiet crush for more than a few girls in their grade. Moka quickly pulled a handkerchief from her bag and pressed it gently against the wound on his head.
“Fushiguro-kun!”
No response. Her hands trembled slightly.
“Fushiguro-kun!”
She called his name again, a little louder this time. Megumi stirred weakly. The voice reaching his ears sounded distant.
Soft.
It felt strangely familiar.
Like the voice he thought he had imagined earlier while fighting.
His eyelids slowly opened. The first thing he saw were eyes.
Soft.
Red.
Half-lidded.
Megumi blinked, his vision adjusting. His head throbbed violently as the world came back into focus.
He groaned. “…W-who?”
The girl kneeling beside him had long black hair falling over her shoulders. A pair of headphones rested loosely around her neck.
Red eyes.
He had seen those before.
She hesitated slightly. “It’s me… Kawanishi.”
Her voice trembled just a little. Megumi stared at her for a moment.
Kawanishi Moka.
He remembered her immediately. Not because she was loud. Not because she caused trouble. But because she had always been… noticeable. Back in middle school her eyes had always been bright. Curious about everything. She laughed easily and spoke with a warmth that seemed to fill the classroom.
But the girl in front of him now…was different. The brightness in her eyes was gone. Her gaze looked distant. Heavy. Like something inside her had quietly shut down. Even her voice sounded colder. Quieter.
Megumi forced himself to sit up. Pain shot through his head instantly. “…Why are you here?” he asked.
Her hand was still resting lightly against his forehead while she held the cloth to his wound. “You’re hurt.”
She avoided answering his question. Megumi finally noticed the handkerchief pressed against the bleeding cut.
He reached up and took it from her hand. “I’ll handle it.”
She let go immediately. “I… should go.”
She stood up, dusting the dirt from her skirt. Megumi frowned slightly. How long had she been here? Why was she here in the first place?
More importantly—it wasn’t safe. Two curses had escaped the domain earlier. They could still be nearby.
“Wait.” His voice stopped her.
Moka turned back slightly. Megumi raised one hand.
A shadow stretched across the ground beneath him. “Nue.”
A large bird formed instantly from the darkness, lightning crackling faintly around its wings. The shikigami soared upward into the night sky. Moka’s eyes widened. She instinctively followed its flight with her gaze as it disappeared over the bridge. Megumi didn’t look at her at first. Normally civilians couldn’t see shikigami.
Which meant—when he turned his head and saw her staring up at the sky—
His brows furrowed. “…Were you able to see that?”
His voice held clear surprise. Moka froze. Her mother’s warning echoed again in her mind.
Never tell anyone.
Even if Megumi seemed to know something about those things—she couldn’t break that promise.
Her expression quickly returned to normal. “…See what?”
She lied. Megumi stared at her quietly for a moment. Then he understood. She wasn’t going to answer.
“I… need to go.” She turned and began walking away quickly.
Megumi pushed himself up slightly. “Wait—”
But she was already running. Fast. He remembered that too. Even back in middle school she had been athletic. Within seconds she disappeared into the darkness beyond the bridge.
Megumi exhaled slowly. He didn’t have the strength to chase her anyway. His body felt like it had been crushed. He lay back down against the cold ground. The exhaustion finally caught up to him. His eyes closed again. And beneath the quiet bridge—
Megumi fell asleep once more.
-*-