Becoming Sukuna

"Thank you, Yukinoshita! And also, thanks to you too, Hikki-kun!" After successfully making cookies that were good enough to pass the taste test, Yubihama Yui was clearly in a cheerful mood. "I'll try making them myself at home and bring you a thank-you gift tomorrow!"

After helping clean up the home economics classroom, the girl with the dumpling hairstyle left the Service Club in satisfaction.

"Well, Yubihama's request is done, so I'll head home now," Hachiman said, lifting his backpack, ready to sneak out before Sukuna showed up.

"Yo, where do you think you're going, Hachiman?" A deep, magnetic voice echoed from behind Hachiman.

His hand froze in midair as he was about to open the door.

He turned stiffly, like a robot, with a distracted smile on his face and said, "I'm going to pick up my little sister Komachi from school."

"No problem. As long as you can control your cursed energy like Yukinoshita, I'll allow you to go," Sukuna said with a sly smile. "Come on, Yukinoshita, give Hachiman a lesson!"

"I hope you don't use that strange way of phrasing it." Yukinoshita Yukino sighed helplessly.

Hachiman saw the bluish cursed energy surrounding Yukinoshita, enveloping her entire being, unlike the previous day when her cursed energy was only covering her fist.

"No way..." Hachiman's pupils shrank, disbelief written all over his face.

Yesterday, Yukinoshita couldn't even trigger cursed energy, but in just one night, she had reached this level? Could it be that her dark past is even more embarrassing than mine?

"I have the feeling you're thinking something rude," Yukinoshita Yukino's eyes turned cold, making Hachiman shiver under her gaze.

"No, I'm just surprised by your progress," he quickly added, then his face fell.

Yukinoshita could already cover her entire body with cursed energy, while he, despite enduring the attacks of his own dark past, could only cover his fist.

What kind of dark past must one have to reach this level?

Although Hachiman's flattery made Yukinoshita's expression soften slightly, she wasn't willing to give Sukuna credit for her progress. She slowly spoke, "Actually, it was Sukuna-kun who helped me master cursed energy control last night. It wasn't something I did alone. If you really have something to do, you can leave now."

Hachiman suddenly understood, so it was Sukuna giving her extra help. Well, that's fine.

But really, Yukinoshita's being too serious here. Does she really have to admit she got extra help?

"Well, I'm not the type of teacher who plays favorites with students," Sukuna said. "Looking at your cursed energy nature, you're not just replaying your dark past in your head to activate cursed energy, right?"

"Eh? Isn't that how it works?" Hachiman was taken aback.

"Of course not," Sukuna laughed loudly. He didn't expect his comment to make Hachiman sink into a strange and boring mood. "The right way to trigger cursed energy is by tapping into small emotions in your everyday life."

Ugh!

Hachiman instinctively covered his chest and stepped back, feeling as though he had been shot through the heart.

So I tear open the wounds of my memories, embrace the unspeakable past, roll around on the bed in shame, falling off it, and now you're telling me those secondary emotional injuries from my dark past aren't necessary to activate cursed energy?

If this were back in middle school, Hachiman would have gone full dark mode. They say you get three times stronger when you go dark. I wonder if that would work for jujutsu sorcerers?

But now, he just felt incredibly relieved that he didn't have to rely on negative emotions from his dark past to activate cursed energy.

At least now, even someone like Hachiman, who has always been cynical about life and death battles, could muster a little more energy.

"Also, there's a problem with the way you're controlling your cursed energy," Sukuna continued, slipping into teaching mode. He unconsciously took Yukinoshita's right hand, pointing it at Hachiman, causing her to glare at him angrily. "The cursed energy you draw out gets stored in your abdomen, and you subconsciously let it flow through your body, ultimately going into your fist to strengthen your attacks."

"However, this approach is wrong. It causes the cursed energy to not flow smoothly through your attacks. Also, the single, obvious flow of cursed energy makes it easy for others to predict your moves."

"…I've been doing all that with cursed energy?" Hachiman felt embarrassed. He thought he was just focusing the cursed energy on his fist.

"Let your cursed energy flow, that part isn't wrong. But it shouldn't just flow in one direction linked to your attacks. It should flow through your body like blood, circulating everywhere. Got it?"

"Probably," Hachiman scratched his cheek, unsure. Even if he understood what Sukuna was saying, he wasn't sure he could do it. Cursed energy still sounded way too abstract to him.

"Because I can possess Yukinoshita, I can use her body to demonstrate how to properly control cursed energy. But with you, I can't do that. You'll have to practice on your own," Sukuna said regretfully. If he could possess anyone, things would get much more interesting.

"That's fine. I'll practice on my own. You don't need to worry, Sukuna-sama…" Hachiman said quickly, afraid Sukuna might possess him.

He definitely wasn't interested in sharing a body with anyone!

"Alright, if you have things to do, go ahead. But remember to start working on your physical training. Cursed energy can enhance physical abilities, but real physical strength will truly increase your limits."

"Okay, I understand." Hachiman paused, surprised. Then, after thinking for a moment, he nodded obediently.

Sukuna actually just let him go so easily?

Seemingly seeing through his thoughts, Sukuna smiled slightly. "Take it easy today, but tomorrow we'll start actual combat training."

Hachiman's expression stiffened, and he nodded reluctantly, knowing he couldn't escape what was coming.

Sure, he might have gotten away today, but he couldn't escape forever. What was coming was inevitable.

As he walked towards the school gate, pushing his bicycle, he couldn't help but wonder: Was the "actual combat" Sukuna mentioned fighting cursed spirits, or would he have to spar with Yukinoshita?

Hachiman hoped it was the latter. He wasn't ready to face those ugly monsters.

"Are you really planning to have us fight cursed spirits, those monsters?"

In the Service Club, Yukinoshita Yukino, who had no friends, naturally took the key to the activity room from the classroom office right after school. She then sat alone in the Service Club, quietly waiting for the client who would eventually show up, though she didn't know when.

Yukinoshita Yukino was deeply concerned about Sukuna's words from yesterday.

"Are you scared?" A smirk appeared on Sukuna's lips as he looked at her hand.

"No, I just have a vague feeling of unease."

"You're really stubborn."

"..."

Yukinoshita Yukino pursed her lips, her pale fingers tightly clenching. She looked like someone who was dissatisfied but couldn't argue back.

She was indeed a bit scared.

Three days ago, when she was attacked by that terrifying, dog-like cursed spirit at home, the psychological trauma had yet to fully dissipate. What's more, she had only just begun to grasp the basics of controlling her cursed energy, and she was completely clueless about how to fight.

Did she really have to use the family's Aikido techniques to fight cursed spirits?

However, Yukinoshita Yukino, as a serious and strong-willed beautiful girl, was immediately stirred by Sukuna's repeated mocking. Whatever psychological trauma and fear she had were quickly discarded, replaced by a strong, uplifting feeling of "I'm very brave."

In short, she was a bit fired up.

"For an ordinary person, it's completely normal to feel nervous when facing that kind of monster with no experience. But if you call that weakness, then Sukuna really wasted his two eyes," Yukinoshita Yukino snorted coldly.

Sukuna noticed that his host had a very cute habit: whenever she was about to criticize or attack someone or something, she would unconsciously cross her arms, as if trying to add a little more authority to her image.

But no matter how she crossed her arms, her chest remained as flat as the Siberian plains.

"Well said! I'll reward you with a cursed spirit in the form of a big dog!" Despite Yukinoshita's somewhat harsh rebuttal, Sukuna was completely unfazed and cheerfully responded.

"!?" Yukinoshita Yukino's forehead was visibly twitching with a vein.

This guy is definitely trying to scare me... But what if Sukuna really finds me a cursed spirit that looks like a dog?

No, cursed spirits are scary no matter what they look like...

Her thoughts were a bit scattered, and after Yukinoshita Yukino calmed down, her courage dropped slightly, and she entered a state of being both intimidated and stubborn.

Just as she was having this inner struggle, the door of the Service Club was suddenly knocked, and the familiar pink bun-like hairstyle appeared.

"Yahalo~!" Yubihama Yukari cheerfully walked in, holding her school bag.

"Good afternoon, Yubihama." Yukinoshita Yukino temporarily set aside the matter of being forced to go fight cursed spirits and politely greeted her.

"Hehe, this is the cookies I made yesterday when I got home. Consider it a thank-you gift!" Yubihama pulled a chair next to Yukinoshita and sat down. She naturally pulled out the cookies wrapped in a gift bag from her bag. "After all, Yukino helped me a lot!"

"Y-Yukino?" As someone who followed the path of solitude and had no friends, Yukinoshita Yukino was clearly caught off guard by Yubihama's fiery enthusiasm.

Using nicknames between friends like this seemed a bit out of her league.

Not noticing Yukinoshita's discomfort, Yubihama Yukari eagerly began sharing her experience of making cookies alone at home the previous day.

"Ah, yesterday when I got home and said I was going to make cookies, my mom and dad were both really surprised! They asked me if something had happened, and I told them it was Yukino who taught me how to make them, and then... then..."

"Wait, that's too close, Yubihama..." Yukinoshita Yukino seemed to sense the presence of a large dog-like energy from Yubihama, and instinctively pressed her hands on her shoulders to push her back a bit. "Thank you for the gift. May I ask if you need something else?"

The implication was clear: if there was nothing else, she could leave.

"...Yukino hates me, doesn't she?" The bun-head girl seemed to have sensed Yukinoshita's mood and cautiously asked.

"That means the same thing among girls, right?!!" Yubihama suddenly shouted, as if her defense had been broken.

"Is that so? I don't really understand the ecology of high school girls..." The way the girl furrowed her brows was quite cute, but in her light tone, she seemed to utter a not-so-friendly remark and instinctively began to distance herself from Yubihama.

So you're aware that you're not normal, huh!

Having eavesdropped for a while outside, Hachiman Hikigaya couldn't help but mentally complain. In order to avoid further awkwardness in the Service Club, he quickly opened the door and entered.

He feigned surprise: "Good afternoon... Huh? Yubihama, what are you doing here?"

"Ah, Hachiman, yahalo~!" Yubihama greeted him in her usual quirky way, then stopped clinging to Yukinoshita. She pulled out a bag from her school bag and handed it to him. "Here, this is yesterday's thank-you gift!"

Inside was a large, heart-shaped cookie that was slightly over-baked.

"Oh, thanks." Hachiman took it with a deadpan expression, eyeing the cookies inside the bag with his tired, lifeless eyes.

He had made some decent cookies in the class yesterday, so why did these taste worse than those? Was it because there were no limits from Yukinoshita, and she subconsciously let her creativity go wild?

Recalling the taste of the first batch of cookies Yubihama had made yesterday, the one in his hand now seemed like some sort of inexplicable object, exuding a twisted, dark aura that made it nearly impossible to eat.

But since it was a thank-you gift, he had no choice.

He quickly opened the packaging and tried to look casual as he took a bite, thinking that if he ate it now, he might not have the chance later.

The moment he took the first bite, Hachiman's chewing motion froze.

So dry, so hard, and the sweetness is lethal!

The complex, indescribable flavor lingering on his tongue was the result of Yubihama fully unleashing her talents. However, under the expectant gaze of the gift-giver, Hachiman gritted his teeth and managed to finish it, chewing as little as possible and swallowing it whole with a single gulp.

"How does it taste?" Yubihama asked awkwardly.

"So sweet..." The dead-eyed boy gave an honest answer. It was indeed the truth, though he didn't finish his sentence.

"That's good!"

Looking at the radiant smile on the bun-head girl's face, Hachiman felt that the torture his tongue endured was worth it.

Normally, at this time, the Service Club would enter a state of inactivity, with the president and members each doing their own thing until it was time to go home. Even if Yubihama stayed to accompany them, it wouldn't be a problem.

However, yesterday, another hidden "president," Sukuna, had given them a task, so Yubihama, an unrelated party, wasn't supposed to stay with them.

"Are we going?" Hachiman asked.

"Where to?" Yubihama looked confused, but Yukinoshita Yukino understood what he meant.

"Let's go, he's already urging us." With a helpless sigh, she stood up. "Sorry, Yubihama, we have something to do now, so we can't continue to entertain you."

"Is it a club activity? I can stay and help!" Yubihama eagerly volunteered.

"No, not this time." Yukinoshita Yukino decisively rejected her. There was no way she could let Yubihama know about their plans, nor drag her into this situation.

"Really..." The bun-head girl's face showed clear disappointment, and her head lowered, looking like a dog abandoned by its owner.

Seeing this, Yukinoshita Yukino couldn't bear it and could only comfort her. "Come again tomorrow, Yubihama."

"I... I can come again?!" Yubihama's disappointed eyes suddenly lit up, as if she had seen her owner waving at her.

Knowing that she wasn't good at comforting people, Yukinoshita had expected her words to have little effect. However, she was surprised when they worked wonders.

"Ah, um, of course you can."

"Great! See you tomorrow, Yukino, Hachiman!"

Watching Yubihama's retreating figure, Hachiman couldn't help but pull the corner of his mouth into a small grin.

"That was easy to deal with."