Reiji's mind raged with a flurry of thoughts: what happened with Shoko and Akame replayed endlessly in his head. He quickly put on his uniform, a pair of baggy pants and a long-sleeved shirt, both in the typical dark blue color of Jujutsu High.
After Shoko left, Reiji spent the remaining hours slacking off until it was time for the gathering. He washed his face, straightened his collar, and raced out of his room.
As he crossed the quiet compound of Jujutsu High, his footsteps echoed faintly. The air was cool and heavy with the scent of pine. As he entered the main building, he wondered what the "special class" was about.
'Another mission?'
Reiji still hadn't fully recovered from the hospital incident.
'I wish I had more time to figure things out…'
His thoughts drifted to the day he had tried to kill himself.
'It all started the day my RCT awakened… it felt like my mother was right there, speaking to me.' His face darkened as the memory made its way back.
'But I know she wasn't. That couldn't have been a hallucination either, I heard her voice… I felt it reaching my ears.'
He quickened his pace as doubt crept in.
'Was I hallucinating after all?'
It was a fair question, the brain plays strange tricks when it is forced to choose survival over everything else after all.
"Urgh…" he sighed aloud, visibly irritated.
'This is going to drive me crazy, isn't it?'
He shook his head and looked down at the floor as he walked. His expression hardened, a fleeting moment of clarity settled over him.
'Whatever it was, I know it's connected… both Akame and the awakening of my RCT. I need time to work on both aspects…'
He grimaced. Without delving deeper into reverse cursed technique, there would be no progress. He was almost certain they were going to be sent on another mission after their performance in the previous battle.
Reiji reached the sliding door leading to the classroom, composed himself, and opened it with a neutral expression.
Inside, Yaga and the others were already waiting.
*******************************************************************************
Yaga began debriefing them about the mission's outcome and their overall performance. When he got to the last part, Gojo's antics finally caught his attention.
The white-haired boy sat slouched in his chair, legs spread wide. His head tilted back against the frame as he stared blankly at the ceiling with an exaggerated expression of boredom.
Yaga felt his patience thinning. Veins pulsed visibly on his forehead as he barked,
"Gojo! Pay attention!"
"Don't wanna," Gojo drawled lazily. Then, with a mischievous smirk, he added, "But sensei, shouldn't you be saving those words for our favourite bloodsucker?"
He pointed toward Reiji, who, ironically, was also not paying attention.
Yaga sighed deeply, shifting his gaze toward the pale boy. Reiji wasn't gazing at the sky like he did on the first day… instead, he sat with his fingers interlocked, staring at them with a quiet intensity.
Yaga's eyes moved across the room. Geto sat upright, calm and composed, while Shoko had her head buried in her folded arms, looking as though she could fall asleep any moment.
"At least one of them is paying attention." Yaga muttered under his breath.
He cleared his throat. "Alright… now for the announcement."
Gojo perked up instantly.
Shoko lazily lifted her head and glanced at Reiji, who still seemed lost in thought. Even Geto turned slightly, his curiosity piqued.
"First off," Yaga continued, "Gojo and Geto, both of you have been recommended for the rank of Special Grade."
Gojo's face lit up immediately, a wide grin stretching across his face. He shot Geto a look, who only nodded curtly, though a flicker of pride crossed his expression.
"…As for Reiji and Shoko…"
Reiji's head shot up. His sharp reaction caught Yaga off guard for a brief moment before he continued.
"…You two will be stationed here at Jujutsu High. You'll be in charge of treating all injured sorcerers admitted for recovery."
"Haaah?!" Gojo shouted, clearly agitated. "You can't be serious, sensei!"
Reiji ignored him, his own thoughts were in disarray. 'What? How?'
Geto spoke up smoothly, his voice was even but clearly edged with concern. "Sensei, Reiji's combat capability is comparable to ours. And having an RCT user on the field is an undeniable advantage. May I ask why this decision has been made?"
Yaga rubbed his forehead tiredly. "This is what the higher-ups decided. I had no say in it."
Geto leaned back, expression unreadable but clearly displeased.
Gojo clicked his tongue, muttering, "Tch. So, he's never gonna be on the field again?"
Yaga looked at him. "No. This clause extends only until the end of the first year. After that, Reiji will resume combat missions."
Reiji blinked, a faint smile forming on his face. 'Time…'
He exhaled softly, relief washing over him. 'With this, I'll have the time I need.'
His smile slowly morphed into a smirk.
'I'm sure the old man was involved. I'll have to thank him later.'
*******************************************************************************
The next day, Reiji sat on a bench at Jujutsu High; he had just finished his shift and was eating his lunch peacefully. It was a strange dish that he had made himself, heavy on spinach and beef liver. As he chewed thoughtfully, his gaze drifted to Shoko, who sat beside him, cigarette in hand.
"Don't you think you should quit smoking, Shoko?" he asked casually.
She looked back at him with her usual blank expression. "It's quite relaxing, you know? Especially after all the crap we deal with. You should give it a shot too."
Reiji recoiled at her shameless suggestion and returned his focus to his food. Surprisingly, though, he understood what she meant. The sheer amount of blood and flesh they handled every day was enough to demoralize most people. Everyone had limits after all, even jujutsu sorcerers. Shoko was far more experienced than him, but it was clear she was on the verge of hers.
He could tell that smoking had become her coping mechanism… and then an addiction. He smiled knowingly.
"We should try Korean barbecue sometime," he said suddenly.
Shoko raised an eyebrow. "Why though?"
"I've never tried it. I'm sure you haven't either."
"Hmm." She puffed out a thin line of smoke.
"Anyway, shift's over for today. What are you planning to do?" she asked.
Reiji thought for a moment, as if mentally flipping through his schedule. "I have a place to visit," he said, a bright smile curling on his lips.
Shoko blinked, confused.
'What's got him so happy all of a sudden?'
*******************************************************************************
Every month, there was one particular day that Reiji looked forward to: a day that had once been his only reason to keep living.
Reiji Kamo was a kind soul. He hated seeing others suffer and, if it were up to him, no one would have to. And in a sense, he had the power to make that happen, in the form of RCT. But as a jujutsu sorcerer, he was bound by secrecy. Using reverse cursed technique on ordinary people was forbidden under normal circumstances; doing so would be no different than the actions of a curse user.
That didn't stop him from wanting to help. He simply had to restrict himself.
The day Reiji was born, the Kamo clan had been horrified. Missing an eye, a kidney and a few other organs than existed in pairs… he should not have survived. His existence was a miracle, though most of his clan only saw a curse. His father abused him every day, and the servants labelled him as a monster. Everyone, save for his mother, had turned against him.
He knew what it meant to have a childhood stolen by pain. Naturally he did not want any child to suffer that way again.
He couldn't work in hospitals, under the watchful eye of doctors. So he found another way… visiting orphanages across Tokyo, healing sick children in secret.
Reiji stepped off the metro carrying a large bag filled with chocolates. The memory of smiling faces of children brought a faint smile to his own.
The orphanage lay in the middle of a quiet forest clearing, run by a kind old couple. They barely had enough money to feed the kids, but they never gave up.
As Reiji walked the narrow forest path toward the building, a few children spotted him and rushed forward.
"Big bro!" they cried, swarming around him.
He chuckled and waved. The kids didn't know his real name. They simply knew him as the kind stranger who visited every month, bringing with him gifts and laughter.
"Big bro, I want the yellow one!" shouted a boy with spiky hair.
"No! I saw it first!" another protested.
"Alright, alright, no fighting now," Reiji said, amused.
Dealing with such energetic kids after a long shift at Jujutsu High was exhausting, but it was worth it. He handed the bag to one of the older boys and sat cross-legged on the grass, watching them play and chatter.
Among them was a bald boy named Ren… small, quiet, always smiling despite his illness.
Under the low evening sun and cool breeze Reiji tied back his long hair into a low ponytail, then fished a small pill from his pocket and swallowed it.
'Almost forgot to take it', he thought.
"Hey, Ren! Come here," he called.
Ren ran over, chocolate in hand. "What is it, big bro?"
Reiji patted his own lap "Sit down, I've got a surprise for you."
The boy sat on Reiji's knee eagerly. Reiji pulled out a small picture book full of colorful animal photos.
"Whoa!!" Ren's eyes sparkled as he flipped through it.
"You like it?" Reiji asked with a smile. "Next time I visit, I want you to remember all their names, okay?"
"Okay!" Ren grinned.
Reiji placed a gentle hand on the boy's back and quietly infused him with positive energy. The warmth flowed into Ren's weak body. It was a subtle, careful healing.
'I must help them as much as I can.'
The boy had leukemia, a kind of blood cancer. His parents had abandoned him after multiple failed treatments, that left his body broken and vulnerable.
"Big bro, it feels warm and fuzzy in my chest," Ren said softly.
"It's probably just the chocolate," Reiji chuckled. He continued to heal the kid for a while, it was not a complete treatment, but Ren would slowly make a full recovery.
When Ren ran off to play, Reiji stood and entered the orphanage. Inside, the old caretaker, Mr. Tanabe, was busy chopping vegetables in the cluttered kitchen.
"Old man Tanabe, how are you?" Reiji asked with a familiar warmth.
The old man jumped slightly, then smiled. "Ah, it's you! I should've known… it's that day of the month again."
He gestured toward the tattered kitchen table. "Sit down, I'll fix up something for you."
Reiji chuckled lightly. "Don't bother cooking extra for me, old man. I already ate."
"Oh, right, right," Tanabe muttered, nodding as he resumed chopping.
Reiji took a seat and placed a small bundle of cash on the table. "For the kids."
He did not have a proper source of income, but he would always set aside a sizable sum from his pocket money for the orphanage.
Tanabe glanced at it, his knife pausing mid-cut. "You know, I'll never get used to this. I really don't know how to thank you." The old man set the knife aside, filled a glass of water, and placed it gently before Reiji.
"Don't bother," Reiji said, his expression dimming. "This is just me being selfish."
"You keep saying that," Tanabe replied with a soft smile, "but you're the reason these kids can still smile."
Reiji's lips curved faintly, though his eyes seemed distant as he lifted the glass to his lips. His gaze wandered toward the kitchen shelf, where a small Buddha statue had been placed. It was serene and unmoving, its surface worn from years of wear. Around its neck hung a string of wooden beads, a simple necklace that pulsed faintly with cursed energy.
He had seen it countless times before, yet today… something about it felt off. The air around it seemed heavier, the faint hum of energy unsettlingly irregular, like a heartbeat gone astray.
Reiji's fingers tightened around the glass as a chill crept up his spine.
'What is this ominous feeling…?'