Zenin Days

[Author Note]

Disc: HrPrTeam

Megumi canonically dies in Shibuya in this story since Toji isn't revived to save him from Dagon.

...

RIPBOZO, you won't be missed.

__________

Toji P.O.V.

How ironic, the sorcerer killer dies to a sorcerer.

I try sighing, but I'm unable to do so.

This sucks.

It's pretty difficult to move, and I can't see anything.

After all I've done, someone like me wouldn't have the luxury of a good afterlife.

However, there was one question on my mind.

Why can I feel my body if I already died?

It's as if I'm conscious and unconscious at the same time.

If I'm being honest, I expected to feel nothing, as I would no longer exist.

Instead, I feel strangely normal.

Let's move around a bit; see if I can get out of this water.

*tap*

Hmm, what's this...glass?

I try to smile but notice something covering my mouth.

So, that's how it is.

My hands touch the glass as I apply pressure.

*crack*

...

My eyes snap open.

...

*shatter*

Water pours all over the ground as I land on the concrete with my feet.

A man falls over on his back. "Damn, I hate cliches!"

However, I pay him no mind as I look at my arms and legs.

Normal, but there is still this thing...

I put my hands on the tube covering my mouth.

*rip*

I breathe heavily as I take in my first breath after waking up.

It feels good to finally move again.

A wide smile appears on my face. "Who knew I would survive that? I for sure thought I was a goner."

Grabbing my left side, I notice that it looks and feels perfectly fine.

My eyes slowly widened as I felt something strange.

...

The inventory curse is inside my stomach.

...

I doubt Satoru Gojo fed me the curse after hitting me with his technique, so who did it?

It doesn't matter right now. First, I need to find out where and when I am.

I've got no idea how much time has passed since I have been unconscious for who knows how long.

I turn to the man. "Hey, you. Where am I?"

He scoots backward with sweat running down his face. "Uh, you are in the Okutabi Lab."

Hmm, never heard of it. The name sounds Japanese, and we both speak Japanese. Fair to assume we're in Japan.

I narrow my eyes at him. "What year is it?"

He gulps. "2012."

My eyes start to widen. "It's been 6 years?"

Due to my heavenly restriction, there is no way it should've taken that long to heal, but given the extent of the damage, I received.

Shit, this is annoying.

Everyone probably thinks I'm dead. I could return to my contacts and get back into the business, but would anything change then?

Gambling, losing, killing, repeat.

It might be time for a change.

Maybe I'll go see Megumi. I wonder what the kid is up to nowadays.

I've kept my distance from him since it's better that he doesn't associate himself with me.

This could be my fresh start.

Although I will need to get money somehow, killing is the only thing I'm good at.

Whatever, I can think of that later. I'll look for something to do after I get out of here.

Speaking of looking...

I'm naked.

I turn to the man on the ground, whose face is white as a ghost. "Give me your clothes."

I'm out of this stupid place.

3rd P.O.V.

If he saw him, Asakura would be surprised that Shin was still sitting down in his spot.

He grabbed his stomach as his face was planted on the desk. "I feel sick."

But he couldn't move in the first place.

*step*

*step*

*step*

Shin slowly turned his head but didn't panic as he thought Asakura was walking back up the stairs.

However, he noticed something wrong.

He heard a different man's voice. 'What kinda lab is this?'

The man in question didn't speak out loud.

Shin couldn't help but talk to himself. "Who is that?"

His eyes slowly widened as he saw a 6'2 black-haired man.

He started sweating when he noticed that he had walked up the stairs alone and was wearing a familiar outfit, albeit without a lab coat.

The outfit that his adoptive father wore while going down the mysterious staircase.

What was also strange was that if he hadn't heard his thoughts and stared directly at the staircase, he wouldn't have known he was standing there.

It was like he had no presence.

...

Like he was invisible.

...

Toji noticed the kid. "Hey, kid, how do I get out of here?"

Not seeing his father, Shin shot up from his chair.

He looked horrified. "Where is Mister?"

Toji put his right pinky in his ear. "Eh, the other guy is still down there, probably."

It wasn't his job to keep track of some no-name scientist. He couldn't even remember his own son's name, let alone care about what the scientist was doing.

Shin narrowed his eyes. "Probably? What did you do to him!?"

Toji put his hands in his pockets as he thought to himself. 'I hate dealing with kids'.

A tick mark appeared on Shin's head. "HEY, I'M NOT A KID!"

It went silent for a moment as they both blinked at each other.

Toji had a surprised look on his face. "You can read my thoughts?"

Shin was just as surprised since he didn't realize that Toji hadn't voiced his complaint against children.

In the end, Toji just shook his head. "Calm down. I just took the guy's clothes."

Shin's surprise turned back to irritation as he pointed at the door. "There's an elevator through that door."

Toji tilted his head to the side and pondered for a moment. "Huh, who knew that a secret lab had a normal exit?"

It was then that he noticed his new appearance after catching a glance in some glass.

Rather than a fully new appearance, he looked like he had become younger.

His appearance was that of Toji Zenin, not Toji Fushiguro.

He looked like he had when he left the Zenin clan to become the sorcerer killer.

During his fight against Satoru Gojo, he was out of his prime and hadn't fought an opponent like him in a long time.

If someone were to wake up after 6 years, the last thing that they would expect was to feel like they are back in their prime.

A toothy smile appeared on his face. 'I'll need to thank whoever put me in that tank. I feel way stronger.'

Not only did his body feel like it was in his prime, but he also felt the inventory curse in his stomach.

He took a small note that he couldn't feel any cursed energy radiating off of it. Either someone modified the curse, or something about his senses changed.

Shin spoke up. "Can you stop checking yourself out and leave?"

Toji gave him a side glance but walked toward the door nonetheless.

...

...

...

"I really hate kids."