JJK X FATE: Chapter 69/70

Chapter 69: Past Events

Splash, splash.

The sound of running water came from the hotel bathroom.

In the living room, Eichi was lazily sprawled on the sofa.

He had been running around exorcising Cursed Spirits these past few days.

Although the Cursed Spirits weren't particularly strong, the constant movement was still exhausting.

Tap, tap, tap.

Eichi's fingers rapidly tapped the keys on his phone. Characters appeared one by one in a message, which he sent.

Eichi was chatting with Artoria.

She had just finished her own exorcism missions.

Currently, Artoria was helping a newly Awakened Jujutsu Sorcerer seek justice.

According to her, the young Sorcerer had saved a classmate, only for the classmate to turn around and accuse him of causing harm.

"Ha~ah."

Yawning, Eichi put down his phone.

Artoria used to be the Knight King. Matters like this wouldn't trouble her in the slightest.

Click.

The bathroom door opened.

Shijima Naji, dressed in fresh clothes, walked out and sat across from Eichi.

He looked up.

She was wearing a beige short-sleeved shirt and blue jeans.

Her face was still slightly flushed from the shower, like a ripe apple.

"So, tell me your situation. Why were you there alone?"

"That's because..."

Naji's voice was hesitant.

"If you don't tell me, I'll call your parents. You don't want that, do—"

Before Eichi could finish, Naji cut him off in a panic.

"No, don't."

Watching her bite her lip before finally speaking, Eichi nodded in satisfaction.

Shuji had already investigated Naji's identity and found a police record.

Naji had lied to her family, saying she was staying at a classmate's house for a few days. But when her mother called the classmate's mother to check in, she discovered Naji had never been there.

Unable to find her anywhere, her parents reported her missing.

"By the way, your mother is driving to your hometown."

"No, they're just ordinary people. They can't go."

That sentence broke the last of Naji's emotional defenses.

Seeing her reaction, Eichi became thoughtful.

Could there be something dangerous on the small island where her hometown was located?

Speaking of which...

Eichi took out the map Shuji had given him and looked again at the location of her hometown.

It was that same island.

"There's a Shadow Crocodile on that island."

"Tell me everything."

"The Shadow Crocodile is a Cursed Spirit sealed by a powerful Jujutsu Sorcerer invited by the village ancestors."

"But a year ago, a group of outsiders broke the seal, and my grandmother was killed by it."

At first, Naji had believed her grandmother died from a gas leak, just like the news had reported, until her parents recently told her the truth.

"I see. Do you want to avenge your grandmother?"

"Yes."

The girl lowered her head, not wanting Eichi to see her weakness.

Naji was a very strong-willed girl. Otherwise, she wouldn't have come alone to seek revenge.

But in front of Eichi, she couldn't act tough.

He had just saved her, and she knew how strong he was.

There was no way she could win against him.

"What do you know about the Shadow Crocodile?"

Hearing her response, Eichi felt he was getting closer to the truth.

"My grandmother told me some things."

Naji began to recall the stories her grandmother used to tell her when she was little.

"A long time ago, there were two villages on Shijima Island. East Village was on the east side, and West Village was on the west. The village chiefs of both sides were the Jujutsu Sorcerers of their respective villages."

"Since the island was small, the two villages often fought over resources."

"Later, West Village rescued a shipwrecked outsider. They obtained a few books and a jar from him."

"My grandmother said that jar was the beginning of all disasters."

"Sealed inside was a special Cursed Spirit—the Shadow Crocodile.

"Although the outsider's belongings were soaked in seawater and many things were ruined, the people of West Village managed to reconstruct his experiences based on the legible parts."

"The Jujutsu Sorcerer came from the mainland. His clan once used their unique Cursed Technique to let Cursed Spirits devour each other and fuse, eventually creating the powerful Shadow Crocodile."

"That clan had pre-prepared methods to control the Shadow Crocodile as a Shikigami, using it as a weapon of conquest."

"Eventually, the clan was hunted by other clans. To escape, they went out to sea, but encountered a shipwreck."

"The jar sealed with the Shadow Crocodile, was that the one he carried?"

"Yes. They probably believed that if they raised another powerful Shadow Crocodile, they could rise again, so the outsider carried the jar with him until his death."

"Why didn't they throw the jar into the sea back then?"

"That wasn't us. We're East Village. West Village has already perished."

Perished?

Eichi caught onto something.

"They broke the Shadow Crocodile's seal?"

"Yes. The people of West Village tried to raise it to control the island's resources."

"Their village chief followed the methods in the book, bound and controlled the still-weak Shadow Crocodile, and began feeding it Cursed Spirits. They even attacked East Village villagers who went out fishing."

"But the information they had was too incomplete. As the Shadow Crocodile grew stronger, they couldn't restrain it anymore. In the end, it killed everyone in West Village."

"Since then, it would occasionally emerge from the cave in West Village to prey on East Village people."

"Our village chief died in battle protecting the villagers. Many villagers were so afraid they eventually fled."

"The newly appointed chief used all the village's money to go to Japan to find a Jujutsu Sorcerer who could handle the Shadow Crocodile. Luckily, he found one, and it was finally sealed inside the West Village cave."

After telling the story, Naji fell into a gloomy silence, her eyes drifting toward the window.

She used to think the stories her grandmother told were just old legends.

Even though she was the only one in the village's younger generation who had Cursed Energy and could become a Jujutsu Sorcerer, Naji had never wanted to take that path.

Her parents had agreed with her.

She didn't want to become a Jujutsu Sorcerer because that would mean staying in the village for life as its guardian.

To someone like Naji, who dreamed of modern cities and wanted to see the outside world, that was unacceptable.

Her parents had simpler reasons.

They just didn't want their daughter doing such a dangerous job.

Although they weren't Jujutsu Sorcerers, they had learned enough from the village elders.

Battles, injuries, even death.

They didn't want their daughter to walk that Way.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 70: Heading to the Lost Island

Looking at Naji's somewhat sad expression, Eichi stood up and walked over to her.

Standing at 1.8 meters tall, Eichi's figure cast a complete shadow over her.

Naji's heart began to pound as he suddenly stood in front of her, his right hand resting lightly on her head.

"A sad expression doesn't suit you. You looked much better when you had that crazy look while fighting the Cursed Spirit earlier."

The next second, Eichi's words snapped Naji back to reality.

"Who are you calling crazy?"

She retorted loudly.

Who starts a compliment by calling a girl crazy?

"Yes, just like that."

Eichi smiled, seeing her spirit return.

He bent down, picked her up, and casually tossed her onto the bed.

"I'll take care of things from here. You just rest. Lack of sleep is the enemy of good skin."

"From now on... rest... sleep..." Naji's face turned even redder.

"You get a good night's sleep. I'm going back to my room to rest too. Running around the past few days has been exhausting, ah~"

As he spoke, Eichi let out a genuine yawn.

"Eh?"

Bang. The sound of the door closing echoed.

His room? Weren't they sharing?

Watching him leave so casually, Naji was stunned.

That wasn't how it played out on TV... Her face immediately flushed crimson as if she were steaming.

Covering her face, she rolled around on the bed before finally burying her entire head under the pillow.

---

The next morning, while eating breakfast, Eichi received a call from Shuji.

"Hello?"

"Young Master Eichi, the Shijima couple has arrived."

"Oh, bring them up."

Eichi quickly finished his bread.

He missed the breakfast of his past life.

Soy milk, fried dough sticks, tofu pudding, rice noodles, steamed buns, rice rolls, soup dumplings, pan-fried buns... knock-knock.

"Come in."

Straightening his clothes, Eichi stood up and walked to the door.

What greeted him was a haggard-looking couple.

"Are you the Shijima couple?"

"Yes. Where is our daughter, please?"

Naji's father's eyes were filled with both unease and anticipation.

"She's next door. Don't worry, she's safe."

With that, Eichi walked over to the next room and knocked on the door.

Click.

The door opened quickly.

Before Naji could react, her parents rushed forward and embraced her.

Naji stood frozen in her parents' arms, her expression flustered.

Her heart was tangled with guilt, fear, relief, and joy.

So many emotions at once left her speechless.

Watching the family reunite, Eichi nodded in satisfaction, then signaled Shuji with his eyes.

The two quietly turned and prepared to leave.

"Wait!"

Seeing them about to go, Naji quickly broke away and ran after them.

"What's wrong?"

Eichi turned back with a puzzled look.

"You're going to find Shadow Crocodile, right? Take me with you!"

"I refuse."

"Why? I can help too."

"What rank of Jujutsu Sorcerer are you?"

"Eh?"

Eichi's words left Naji speechless.

She'd never intended to become a Jujutsu Sorcerer, so she was clueless about what the ranks even meant.

"You're too weak. I don't want to fight a strong enemy while dragging along a burden. And also..."

Eichi's gaze shifted to the couple behind her.

"You're not the only one who lost family. Your parents did too. Do you want them to lose their daughter again?"

Naji froze.

She turned around and looked at her parents.

At that moment, she finally noticed the overwhelming concern and worry in their eyes. Her grief-blinded mind cleared.

"Dad, Mom, I..."

Her voice trembled as she bit her lip.

"It's okay. It's okay, Naji. Let's go home, alright? Let's go home."

Her mother pulled her into a tight hug, warm tears falling on her face.

"...Okay."

Naji stopped resisting and let her mother guide her.

The family left the hotel hand in hand.

"Let's go too."

"Yes, Young Master Eichi."

---

Shijima, Higashimura.

Following the clues provided by Naji, Eichi arrived at the village on Shijima Island to gather information about Shadow Crocodile.

But just as she said, the ancient texts and records were too badly damaged. Instead, the oral accounts from the elders were far more complete.

Still, Eichi wasn't sure how reliable oral traditions were.

Back in college, playing the telephone game, a sentence would change after just three people.

After six, it became completely different.

After ten, the original speaker wouldn't even recognize it.

Ding ding ding.

"Hmm? Yaga-sensei?"

Eichi, thinking it was another mission, reluctantly answered the call.

"Eichi, are you near Shijima right now?"

Yaga Masamichi's first sentence caught him off guard.

"I'm on Shijima."

"That's perfect. A team dispatched by Jujutsu Headquarters yesterday to exorcise a Cursed Spirit lost contact. I need you to check on their situation."

"Where were they last?"

"According to the Assistant Supervisor, their last known location was a cave on the west side of the island."

A cave?

Did they go to Shadow Crocodile's lair?

"I understand. I'll head there soon."

"Good. If the two Jujutsu Sorcerers are still alive, try to get them out. If it's too dangerous, retreat and wait for Satoru and Suguru before proceeding with the exorcism."

"Understood."

Yaga still cared deeply for his students.

Soon, Eichi and Shuji arrived at the cave entrance.

"Should we call for backup?"

Shuji asked from the side.

"No need."

To be honest, Eichi hadn't lost a pet, a friend, or any family.

Under these circumstances, going into a monster's lair felt like asking to die.

If this were a horror movie and Eichi wasn't the main character, he'd already be gone.

The mountain wasn't large. Why not just ask Ria to split the mountain in half?

Then they could just blame it on a gas leak.

After watching the news in Japan for so long, Eichi knew how useful the term "gas leak" was.

Lost in thought, he stepped into the cave, flashlight in hand.

No matter how much he thought about it, work still had to be done.

◇◇◇◇

[Shadow Crocodile]
Rank: Special Grade Cursed Spirit
Origin: Shadow
Technique: Shadow Devouring Cursed Technique

Abilities:
Shadow Devour – Like a shadow engulfing everything, Shadow Crocodile can damage enemies by devouring their shadows. After devouring a shadow, its Cursed Energy increases.

Shadow Curse – Anyone injured by Shadow Crocodile will be corroded by the curse and eventually transformed into shadow Cursed Spirits under its control.

Domain Expansion: ....

Preference: Dark places
Dislikes: Strong light

(To be continued.)