The doors to the sky-rise apartment slid shut behind them with a quiet hiss. Akari stood in the entryway for a second, barefoot on the polished floor, still trembling from what had just happened. The city lights glittered through the wide windows, casting long shadows across the sleek walls. Her breath caught in her throat.
This was the same home she'd been living in for months. But everything felt different now.
Riku gently placed a hand on the small of her back. "Let's sit."
She nodded, barely managing it.
They moved to the couch. The soft cushions gave under her weight as she collapsed into them, drawing her knees up. Riku sat beside her, elbows on his knees, hands clasped.
The silence dragged for a moment.
"I'm sorry," he said finally. His voice wasn't cold, or even calm—it was heavy. Real. "I didn't want it to happen like this."
Akari didn't answer. Her mind was still spinning, replaying every horrific second from that alleyway. That... thing. That curse.
"I didn't imagine it," she whispered, more to herself than him. "That thing... it was real. It was really going to kill me."
Riku nodded. "Yeah. It was."
She looked at him slowly, really looked. "And you... you fought it like it was nothing."
"I've dealt with worse."
Akari blinked. "So this is what you've been doing. Every time you vanished. Every time you came back scratched up or sore, or said you were training or running errands…"
He gave a tired sigh. "Yeah. That's been my real life."
Akari let her head fall back against the couch, staring up at the ceiling. "Okay... start explaining."
Riku glanced at her. She didn't look angry. Just shaken. Confused. But she deserved the truth now. All of it.
So he started.
"There's a hidden world, Akari. One most people never see. Curses—spirits born from negative human emotions—fear, hate, pain, regret. They exist everywhere. In schools, hospitals, alleyways... anywhere sorrow collects."
She sat up straighter.
"Most people can't see them unless they're about to die," he continued. "But there are some people who can see them—and more than that, fight them. Those people are called Jujutsu Sorcerers. I'm one of them."
Akari's brow furrowed. "And now I'm one too? Just like that?"
"You awakened your cursed energy. That doesn't happen often. Usually only when someone faces death so closely that something inside... cracks. You snapped that invisible barrier people have. That's why you could see the curse. Why you could push it back."
She touched her chest unconsciously, remembering the surge of power. "That... that wasn't normal."
"It wasn't. But it's yours now."
Akari stood and paced, arms wrapped tightly around herself. "And you've been keeping all of this from me."
"I was trying to keep you safe," Riku said. "This world isn't kind. It's brutal. Unforgiving. And most of all... it's secret for a reason."
She turned to him. "But now I've seen it. I've felt it. I can't unsee that thing's face."
"I know."
"And this… cursed energy. That's what I used back there?" Akari asked slowly. "That wave that knocked the thing back… that was from me?"
Riku nodded. "Yeah. That was your cursed energy."
She looked down at her hands, flexing her fingers like they might spark again. "So… what does that even mean? What happens now?"
"If you don't train it, it'll grow out of control. At best, you'll attract curses like blood attracts sharks. At worst… it could turn inward. Hurt you. Or worse, others."
Her throat tightened. "You mean… I could become like them?"
He shook his head quickly. "Not unless you completely lose yourself. But that's why you need training. Discipline. Awareness."
She hesitated. "So what, I'm supposed to… become some kind of monster hunter now?"
"It's not that simple," Riku said. "But you've awakened to this world now. You can't unsee it. And if you don't learn to survive it… it'll come for you again."
Akari sat back down slowly, her voice low. "This is insane. Yesterday I was worried about exams and picking dinner. And now you're telling me spirits born from fear want to eat me?"
"Yeah," Riku said. "Pretty much."
"And you've been fighting them this whole time."
He nodded once.
She sighed, shaking her head. "God, I don't even know if I want this."
"You might not get a say anymore," Riku said gently. "But I promise you—you're not alone. I'll help you. Every step of the way."
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Guess who's back, back again. Roy is back tell a friend.Guess who's back, guess who's back, guess who's back . Anyways for Akari I will be changing her last name after I read a comment about someone asking me to search her name and I didn't know she was a....star. So yes I will be changing that.