In the Academy as Sukuna

(POV: Ryomen Sukuna)

The afternoon sun cast a warm, golden glow on the academy grounds, the variety of flowers shining brightly under its rays.

I walked through the academy grounds, my footsteps drowning in the hustle and bustle of the students.

I was thinking of the upcoming dungeon event… where the main cast would be stuck in a C-Rank dungeon… having to go through it all on their own.

I had already found a way in on the fun… it was only a matter of patience now.

My hands were in my pockets, my steps unhurried as I walked to a more empty part of the academy… the place on the other side of the training grounds.

The reason? Johan had called me because he wanted to 'have a talk.'

I was quite intrigued… and since I was already tired of the monotonous task of training reverse cursed technique, I agreed.

Walking for a few more minutes, I reached the place, where I found Johan sitting on a bench near some flower beds, alone.

He held an unopened can of coffee in his hands, which he probably got from the vending machine a few meters away.

He seemed to be lost in thought, his gaze fixed on the flowers in front of him. He didn't notice as I walked closer, even though I made sure to make audible footsteps.

I stood beside him for a second, and as he didn't respond, I decided to snatch the can of coffee from his hands, which made him slightly jump as he got up to greet me.

"Sukuna," he said hurriedly, embarrassed for not noticing me sooner.

Just from his voice, I could tell that there was something on his mind.

I sat down on the bench, opening the can of coffee with a click and taking a sip.

He looked at me a little awkwardly before taking a seat beside me, fidgeting with his fingers.

"How do you feel?" I asked, not looking at him, referring to his physical health.

He paused for a second. "Confused," he replied, referring to his mental health.

It was hard to converse with this man.

"Did my punch hit you too hard?" I asked, trying to lighten the atmosphere up a bit.

He paused again, staring at the flowers in front of us. "Oh definitely, you powdered my ribcage." He tried to sound playful, but it sounded forced… almost too forced.

"Sukuna…" he began, his tone dropping lower. It was clear that this was a serious subject. "I feel the same from you… the same kind of power."

He paused for a second, shifting in his seat.

I raised an eyebrow… my gaze fixed at an ant trying to climb up a flowerpot as I took a sip from the can, waiting for him to continue. What might he be referring to?

Noticing my silence, he continued. 

"I haven't told anyone this, Sukuna..." his voice dropped lower, almost as if he was mumbling to himself. "I possess powers of a demon… maybe you don't know what they are… but it is a sinister power, something that tries to make me lose my mind every day."

My eyes slightly widened at his words, my movements freezing as I tried to calm my racing heart down.

Demons.

Beings that live in a dimension closely connected to that of humans… a sister life form.

There was no way that the canon Johan could know about demons so early… so it can mean only one thing.

The storyline has changed… and drastically at that.

I took a deep breath, calming myself down as I turned to him, our eyes meeting in an intense stare.

There was still hope… maybe his words were metaphorical… maybe… hopefully.

"But I felt something much more sinister from you..." he continued, his voice now a whisper I could barely hear. "Tell me Sukuna… how do I drown those whispers down… how do I control this power like you do?"

I sat motionless… I'm as lost as you are, Johan.

This information was a big hit to me… but I'll have to act normal for now… and investigate this as soon as possible.

How do I control my power?

Honestly, I have no idea… it's closer to instinct than to skill.

His eyes were fixed on mine, staring at me hopefully for an answer.

"It's your will Johan," I said, deciding to improvise on the spot… combining the hundreds of motivation quotes I had seen.

His gaze lowered to the ground, thinking deeply of my words.

"Whatever happens to you, to those around you...No matter what you lose, no matter who you lose, never lose the will to fight on…" I continued… leaning closer to him, almost whispering in his ear. "I won't tell you how to stop those whispers… that is something you must find on your own. But know this one thing, the moment you lose your will to fight, you have already lost the battle."

Words started to come to me more naturally, so I raised my voice to emphasize my point.

My hand tightened around the can of coffee in my hand, some new quotes surfacing in my mind, which made me smile.

"The moment you give up, you become no more than a lukewarm cup of instant coffee at a five-star restaurant…" My voice was almost loud enough to be considered shouting. "You will still (technically) be coffee, but you'll lose the heat, the aroma… the tempting taste that makes coffee... coffee."

I slammed the can of coffee on the bench, causing some of it to shoot up and spill, falling to the ground, making a darker, wet spot on the stone.

"Don't be that lukewarm disappointment, FIGHT ON AND SHOW THE WORLD HOW HOT AND TASTY YOU CAN BE." I shot up from my seat, facing away from him.

Not turning back, I walked away. I could feel his gaze on my back as long as I was in his view.

I completely BS'd that, but it was motivational... right?

.

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(A few days later…)

"As you all have been informed beforehand, we'll be doing a dungeon dive today, we have a few dungeon gates in the field, they are all E-Rank or D-Rank," said the teacher as he looked at the excited students. "All of you have agreed to participate, but worry not, if you die… we'll hold a grand funeral."

The students were well used to the sarcastic personality of seemingly all the teachers here, and showed no reaction to his discouraging words.

"Now, decide on your teams of 6 and come to the ground together, be quick," he shouted, before walking out and shutting the door with a loud thud.

I turned to my right, where the team of main characters was sitting. They turned to me as I smirked… we had already decided to go in together… we just needed one person.

I looked around, spotting a girl, sitting alone in the corner as teams formed in the class… a loner, perhaps?

I looked at Alexia pointing to the girl.

She followed my finger, and nodded with a smile, understanding the assignment as she got up and went to her.

.

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(POV: Nina)

"You five are the first to come… probably the most overpowered team I've seen. I bet you'd would beat second-years if you tried, especially you, Black Flash." A sarcastic voice hit my ears from my left, making me turn my head towards it

This was Mean, a famous teacher in the academy, leaning back on the seat placed under the shade of a tree.

"Choose your gate, I'll start your timer," he said, pointing at the dozens of gates scattered around the ground.

I looked around at my team… Sukuna, Ryogaku, Johan, Anny, Alexia.

My heart couldn't help but beat fast at my situation. I was in a team with the top 5 students from my year… even though my rank was not even impressive.

He looked at each one of us, observing us deeply behind his seemingly nonchalant gaze.

His eyes stopped on me, as if observing me down to my very soul.

I fidgeted with my hands, my gaze fixed on the ground as I couldn't help but slightly tremble.

He finally looked away, his eyes roaming around the ground, waiting for us to choose.

I was still looking down at the ground when I felt a hand on my shoulder… a gentle touch which sent a wave of comfort through my heart.

I looked up… it was Sukuna, the Rank 1.

His smile was warm, and I felt a sense of relief, as if he was promising to protect me. I couldn't help but smile right back.

He, without taking his hand off my shoulder, pointed to a gate to the far right of the ground… a D-Rank one. "That one."

It seemed to have the highest mana output of all the gates present here, making Mean slightly chuckle. "Go ahead."

We walked to the gate, Sukuna to my left, the smile on his face unwavering, as if he was making sure that I was okay.

"I'll miss you... bring me souvenirs," Mean shouted from his place under the tree, waving dramatically.

We entered, the world around us seemingly transforming into a different view… as if we had just woken up from a dream.

However, my eyes widened as I looked around… they had all disappeared… the only ones in the room now were me and Sukuna.

My hands started to tremble as I took in my surroundings, the mana pressure almost crushing my body.

My breathing quickened, my heart raced, threatening to burst out of my chest as I, involuntarily, took a step back, my back hitting Sukuna's, who seemed to be rooted in place too, his eyes widened slightly.

His warmth reached my back, as if comforting me that he would protect me.

No.

My trembling hands curled up into fists as I realized what I was thinking. I violently shook my head, trying to make these thoughts disappear.

I won't be a burden… I will protect myself… only then will I ever be strong.

My eyes burned with an unyielding fire, the desire to prove myself worthy to the students considered the strongest… to be acknowledged.

I suddenly felt Sukuna jump, which made me let out a little yelp as I looked at him, but the sight sent a chill down my spine… a wicked, devious grin was plastered on his face… one which made him look no less than… a devil.

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(POV: Ryomen Sukuna)

It was a dark room… glowing dimly because of mana stones on its walls.

There was scanty vegetation hanging from the walls, a pungent smell of rotting flesh wafting in the air, making me scrunch my face.

My eyes landed on a door… the only exit to the room.

There was no one here other than us… which means that they probably spawned in different parts of the dungeon.

I took a deep breath to calm myself down… it's fine… I'll get through this safe. I have skills of THE Sukuna… I'll be okay.

Suddenly, a translucent screen popped to my left, making me slightly jump, which scared Nina too, a little yelp escaping her lips as I felt her body trembling as it touched my back.

However, the message on the screen made me take a sharp intake of breath, my heart almost stopping in my chest as I stared at the words.

[Warning: You are in a B-Rank dungeon. Please proceed carefully]

My hands started to tremble involuntarily, my lips slowly curling up into a wicked smile.

I glanced back at Nina, our eyes meeting. She was as confused as I was shocked.

I turned back, my gaze fixed at the door as I steeled my resolve, my breathing uneven as I took a step forward, Nina following behind me.

A B-Rank is… miles ahead of a C-Rank.