"...no? What—what do you mean?"

"I'm not coming back with you right now."

"Itadori-kun—"

"I'll call Nanami-san and talk about it with him."

He does that.

"The spirit is special grade, and a very bad matchup for both of us. You might be endangering your new friend more than you could conceivably protect him with your presence. It was looking for sorcerers to be its test subjects."

"But if it survived and is that smart it'll come after him and his mum to bait us. I'm not gonna fight it; if it shows up I'm gonna run. With them."

"... In open space, with your abilities, you have decent odds for being able to outrun it alone, or while carrying one other person. However, I don't think you could manage it while carrying two. And of course, if you get cornered you're worse than dead. I therefore recommend against this course of action."

"I understand your concern, Nanami-san. I still think the odds are better this way. The curse has in fact baited both of us—you personally, tonight—and it'll do it again. In the worst case I'll," he swallows dryly, "cut my losses and run. But they have a better chance of surviving this way." And at least for now it's kind of got them on the defensive, leading them where it wants them to go. Tōkan wants to make his own choice, here.

"Very well. Then prioritize accordingly, and always have at least two potential exits in any enclosed spaces. Preferably more. Good luck."

And with that, Nanami will hang up, and quietly go and make his very best attempt to not pass out from blood loss before Ijichi gets here to pick him up. Eugh.

So he gets rid of Ijichi and then it's back to the movie!

"Sorry about that. My, uh." Pause. "Handler? I think that's the word for what he is, huh. Anyway, my handler got hurt fighting stitched curse and he was worried."

"He fought Mahito?? Um." It's a dumb question to ask if he's okay, isn't it, so he doesn't, even though his social script says he should. "O-okay. He didn't... try talking first??"

"I didn't get a full blow-by-blow but from the little summary he gave me Mahito," that's the curse's name?, "baited him to the sewers and then tried to experiment on him live."

"Oh."

"...sorry."

"... Yeah. Thanks. Um. So are you heading out or, um, what...?"

"...huh? No, what, we were in the middle of Earthworm 3, I'm not gonna just drop you."

"I-I mean it's kind of a dumb movie, 2's much better, and it seems like, uh, you've got kind of more important things going on?" Like dealing with the real life horror villain. Like that. The real life horror villain that nonetheless taught him how to use magic. Well. Cursed energy, but obviously it's magic.

"I mean we can do 2 if you want! I just figured, you know, since 3 was the one that got interrupted at the movies." Which in retrospect was perhaps not great, maybe Junpei would have some, uh. Trauma. About his bullies exploding in front of him in the cinema. Nice going, Itadori. "I like 2 a lot better, too, 1 and 3 are kind of boring."

Honestly watching his bullies get exploded in the cinema for being incredibly rude was more cathartic than anything else. Not that he knows to clarify this, or anything. Yeah it was messy, but. ... He's been watching horror movies lately, in an attempt to get over his own fears. They're much messier.

"I mean, it's, uh. I've already seen them all a couple times? But my point was more, like. Don't you have stuff to do?"

"Not really! And spending time with friends is important, too."

Wait are they friends????

Blink blink blink blink.

"....... Okay," he agrees, but then yeah he can go put on Earthworm 2 because how does one. Respond. To that.

Tōkan notices, though. "I mean, I guess we did just meet today but. I'd like to be your friend. If you would."

"I, I, I mean I'm not very good at having friends because I'm just generally a very nervous person and not a very good conversationalist or, uhm, whatever, but, I. Sure??"

"I like talking to you! And you have good and correct opinions about movies."

"I like talking to you, too! And, and. Most people don't want to hear me talk about terrible gross horror movies."