"Apparently. Anyway. Back to movie night with your best punchy friend?"

"Ugh. I think I have the hang of it now but for the record: ugh."

"I know. Just think of all of the cursed energy it's helping you build, though!"

And shoulder grab and here they are, back with the couch, the TV, the movies, and the bear.

The fucking bear grump grump.

Well, nothing to it. Back to the movie marathon with the bear.

"Don't worry, you're doing very well. Tomorrow I'll even be by to spar with you, we've got to work on getting you over shutting down upon running into a curse of any real substance!"

"And you're sure I'll survive."

He laughs.

"Of course! It'll be very educational, though."

"Sadist."

"Yeah!" he agrees, laughing again, and then he heads out. "I recommend locking the bear in the bathroom when you want to sleep!"

"Yes, Sensei," he sighs, imagining the NIGHTMARE it'll be having to pee in the middle of the night.

Log: September 2018
Kanagawa Prefecture, Kawasaki City
Kinema Cinema

After a showing, three high school boys' disfigured corpses were found by staff. Cause of death: increased cranial pressure and respiratory paralysis due to cranial deformity.

"H-hey!" calls a young man, into an alleyway. This is the stupidest thing he's ever done, it might get him killed, but he has to know. And if he dies, well. It beats going to school. "Did. Did you do that? In the theater?"

The long-haired youth he's been following stops in their tracks and slowly looks over their shoulder, revealing gray skin that even under the dim surrounding light has very clear stitch marks all over it.

"Wow, you can see me?"

“Y-yes? Can. Can other people not?”

The person's smile widens but they don't answer. "So what if it was me who did it?" They fully turn around to face the boy. "Does that upset you? Were those three... special to you?"

“…um. I-I mean they were kind of. The worst? Was. That an accident, or?”

"Oh, no... they were being so rude, you see, talking loudly during the movie like that. I could barely hear it over their voices."

“Oh.” Pause. “I-I-I actually meant the effect, I know you picked them as test subjects because they were being terrible, but the, the thing you did to them seemed more uncontrolled and experimental than deliberate and. How did you do that, are you still learning, and can you teach me?”

Oh no that last part probably shouldn’t have slipped out, should it.

Their smile widens even more, however that's at all possible. "Well, I suppose you could call it an experiment, yes. And teach you? I think that specific thing I did is, shall we say, one-of-a-kind. But... so are you."

“What? I-I am? Just because I can see you?”

"No," they say again with that same nonchalance. "Many people can. But I can see you." They take a slow, deliberate step towards the boy. "I can see you have... potential."

squeak.

They laugh and turn around, making a "come hither" gesture with a finger. "I'm Mahito. It's... interesting to meet you."

Well on one hand he could not follow the creepy stitched person who can and did morph literal people into popping like balloons further into the alley, and do the safe sane thing of running away, and probably never ever know what any of this is about and go back to an unpleasant teenage existence of being horribly bullied and friendless and alone and magic not being real, or.

Or he could. And probably die but maybe actually learn anything about what’s going on.

“… interesting to meet you too,” he says, a little shakily, stepping after Mahito on trembling legs. “I’m, uh. Junpei. Yoshino Junpei.”

"So!" Gojo motions demonstrably to a tall, blond man in a business suit, tie, and slightly tinted glasses. "Presenting ex-salaryman Nanami Kento! Nanami, presenting Itadori Tokan, Sukuna's vessel and pronounced clinically and legally dead! Now make friends. Nanami has agreed to supervise you as you go running off to apply your knowledge to real curses!"