Becoming Sukuna

"It's okay, Yuigahama-san, I just accidentally knocked over my glass."

Yukino quickly collected herself and reassured Yui with a smile.

Her cheeks flushed slightly, but thankfully the dim lighting in the bar concealed her blush.

It's all because of that damn parasite!

He made me lose my composure in front of others!

Yukino quickly realized that Sukuna's "like" probably meant appreciation, but her own flustered reaction to it bothered her even more...

What am I even rambling about? The important thing is Kawasaki Saki's request.

Pushing aside the chaotic thoughts swirling in her head, Yukino focused on Sukuna's words.

There was no doubt that, in her view, Saki Kawasaki sacrificing her sleep to work was wrong. But what defined "right"?

Yukino, who had always acted according to her own values, was, for the first time, told that imposing her beliefs on others was arrogant. She felt a flicker of defiance.

If what I say is wrong, then is what you say automatically right?

If one were to consider the long-term impact of current choices on one's entire life, then it was indeed impossible to know for sure whether a decision made now would turn out well in the future. No one could predict the future.

But if the impact of choices was limited to a shorter timeframe, then the near future was predictable.

Like with Saki Kawasaki's current situation, sacrificing sleep to work late at night and then napping at school would undoubtedly affect her studies and health.

This was undeniable, and even Sukuna couldn't refute it.

You seem to have misunderstood my point. Seeing Yukino's inner turmoil, Sukuna spoke up.

I wasn't saying your judgment is wrong. I just don't want you to get hung up on what's right or wrong. After all, you and Saki Kawasaki are not in the same situation. Just based on your family background, you've already won at the starting line compared to most people. So you can freely uphold your righteous principles. That's how your parents raised you.

But it's different for others, for Saki Kawasaki. From what Taishi Kawasaki said, you know that their family isn't well-off. Do you really think Saki doesn't want to focus on her studies like you said?

Taishi Kawasaki is attending cram school, right? Do you know how expensive that is? If Saki Kawasaki also wants to go to university, she'll probably need to attend cram school too. For a family that isn't wealthy, the cost of sending both siblings to cram school is significant.

This... Yukino was momentarily speechless.

Let me ask you this, have you ever worked a part-time job? No, you haven't. Do you know how much a high school student in Japan can earn from a part-time job, excluding things like compensated dating? I imagine it's not much. Look at the class of this establishment. The hourly wage here is probably much higher than at a regular part-time job.

If I were her, I'd also choose to work harder, push myself a little more, rather than give up this hard-earned opportunity for the sake of getting enough sleep.

Sukuna sighed. Sometimes, people don't do the right thing not because they don't want to, but because they are trapped by harsh realities.

The world isn't just black and white. There's a lot more grey.

Yukino fell completely silent.

After a while, she exhaled slowly. During the time she spent lost in thought, Saki Kawasaki had already cleaned up the bar counter, which had been wet from the spilled lemonade.

"Are you done? If you have nothing else to say, please leave. Of course, you can order another drink if you want."

"Perhaps you're right." Yukino looked up. "I can give up on your brother's request."

"Ehhh!?" Yui Yuigahama was shocked. This was the first time she had seen Yukino give up on a request since she joined the Service Club.

"But in exchange, please tell me why you're working so hard, even sacrificing your sleep," Yukino asked seriously. "Is it for the cram school fees for you and your brother?"

"...How did you know?"

Saki blinked in surprise. She didn't think she had told her family about her plans to attend cram school.

Then, her expression returned to its usual indifference, and she nodded. "Yes, so what?"

Hachiman Hikigaya, who had been silent, suddenly lit up. "If that's the case, I have an idea."

"Kawasaki, did you know that these days, cram schools waive tuition fees for students with good grades? They even offer scholarships. If your grades meet the standards, not only will you not have to worry about tuition, but you'll also have extra income. That way, you won't affect your studies, and your family won't have to worry."

He spoke with a hint of pride.

Feel honored, Kawasaki, because I'm about to teach you my unique alchemy.

...

Taishi Kawasaki's request was resolved just before it was almost abandoned.

Since there was a better way to achieve her goal, Saki Kawasaki no longer needed to continue this grueling work schedule. Working night shifts was incredibly taxing, especially when she couldn't use the daytime to catch up on sleep.

And this way, that Taishi Kawasaki brat would have no reason to keep pestering Komachi!

That was Hachiman's true objective in this whole ordeal.

"Onii-chan, I'm done with my bath. It's your turn now."

Komachi Hikigaya, fresh from her bath, entered the living room, towel-drying her hair, to urge her brother to bathe.

Hachiman, shirtless, was doing push-ups in the living room. He had taken Sukuna's teachings to heart and diligently exercised every day.

Now, his physique was much stronger than before, his muscles starting to show, filling out his clothes nicely.

"I can't believe my useless brother has been keeping this up for so long."

Seeing Hachiman still doing push-ups, Komachi didn't rush him. Instead, she plopped down on his back, adding to the difficulty.

"Hey... I'm all sweaty. Didn't you just take a bath?" Hachiman said, exasperated.

"It's fine, it's fine. I put a towel down," Komachi said nonchalantly.

"Are you working out so hard because you're going after Yui-san? Mhm, mhm, meeting such a great girl, your fractured leg was worth it, huh, onii-chan!"

However, Komachi's words deflated Hachiman instantly. He collapsed onto the floor, his eyes widening in shock.

What did Komachi just say?

Yuigahama is the owner of the dog I saved on the day of the entrance ceremony?

"Yuigahama-san isn't here again today."

In the Service Club room, nearing the end of their club activity time, Yukinoshita Yukino gently closed her book.

Her clear, ethereal voice reached Hachiman Hikigaya's ears, making him stiffen for a moment. Then, the sound of rustling pages and his muffled muttering filled the air. "Yeah..."

"Perhaps something came up."

Yukino sighed softly, her sharp gaze piercing Hachiman, who was clearly trying to avoid her eyes. "Did you do something? Did you have a fight with Yuigahama-san?"

"No, of course not..." Hachiman retorted defensively. "Besides, fights only happen between close friends, right?"

Indeed, his relationship with Yui wasn't close enough for them to have a proper fight. If anything, it was just two people brought together by a misunderstanding, parting ways again after clearing things up.

"Your fluctuating cursed energy betrays you," Yukino said, exposing his lie. "It seems you haven't been diligently practicing controlling your cursed energy."

"Uh..." Hachiman's expression froze.

I forgot about that. Why did Sukuna teach Yukinoshita everything? This means I have no secrets in front of her!

How could this be? By clearing up the misunderstanding with Yuigahama, my heart should be at peace. If I hadn't done that, my anxiety and frustration would have caused my cursed energy to fluctuate... Is Yukinoshita bluffing?

What a cunning woman!

Regardless, Hachiman decided to reminisce about his dark past tonight, giving himself a strong dose of self-loathing. He wouldn't appear before Yukinoshita again until he could perfectly control his cursed energy and prevent it from leaking out due to emotional fluctuations.

"You should confess your crime. It might reduce your sentence," Yukino said.

"What? I just cleared up the misunderstanding with Yuigahama. Why would I be sentenced?"

Hachiman was speechless, then he explained everything to her, from saving Yui's dog at the beginning of the school year to their conversation.

"The kindness that gentle girls show me is the same as the kindness they show others. I always forget this fact. If reality is cruel, then lies must be gentle. So, gentleness is equivalent to lies. That's why I hate gentle girls..."

Hachiman's head lowered, forced to confess his true feelings, his grip tightening on the paperback in his hand.

"Hey, dead-fish-eyes," Sukuna suddenly interrupted, "Don't tell me you're the type who was starved of love as a child?"

Hachiman instinctively clutched his chest, as if pierced by Sukuna's sharp words.

"Surely you haven't had that experience where a girl occasionally talks to you and takes care of you at school, and you start thinking she has feelings for you, right?"

"Ugh!"

Hachiman Hikigaya abruptly looked up at Yukinoshita Yukino... or rather, the mouth on her face, with a horrified expression that screamed How did you know?!

"So that's how it is." Sukuna grinned, pointing at Hachiman with Yukinoshita's finger, mercilessly mocking him.

Hachiman could neither retort nor get angry. He could only wallow in the shame of his exposed dark history, his inner self writhing in agony.

"That's enough, don't go too far," Yukino said, pressing down on her right hand, which was being controlled by Sukuna. "Hikigaya-kun is pitiful enough. He can't handle such blatant mockery."

Hey, stop it, you're not comforting him at all, you're just adding fuel to the fire!

"My, it's been a while since I've seen such an idiot," Sukuna said, chuckling. "Getting hurt because of your own assumptions, then becoming unable to trust others' feelings... that's rich."

"..." Hachiman pouted and remained silent.

"Just stay twisted like this, it's fine," Sukuna encouraged him sincerely.

"I think it's good too, haha..." Hachiman forced a smile, agreeing with him.

"Alright, parasite-kun, stop messing around." Yukino stopped him from further mocking the poor Hachiman. "I think you're overthinking this."

"Heh, is that so?" Sukuna chuckled, unconvinced.

"As you said, it was a misunderstanding. You didn't intend to do Yuigahama a favor, and she wasn't pitying you as you thought. Both of you were victims in the incident that caused the misunderstanding, weren't you? So the blame should lie with the perpetrator."

Yukino's expression turned serious. "The car that hit you was actually my family's car."

"Ah..." Hachiman was taken aback. Although he had his suspicions, hearing Yukinoshita admit it was still surprising.

"I was in the car at that time," Yukino continued.

Confessing the truth she had kept hidden for so long lifted a weight from her shoulders.

If she hadn't met Sukuna, if she hadn't experienced so many cruel and helpless situations, she wouldn't be able to speak so frankly now.

"Oh..." Hachiman didn't know what to say.

"Technically, the perpetrator is the driver," Sukuna added. "After all, Yukinoshita was just a passenger."

"Ha..." Hachiman was bewildered, but Sukuna was right. Yukino was just in the car. She didn't do anything, so it wasn't right to label her as the perpetrator.

She was a bystander.

But it seemed Yukino intended to take the blame upon herself.

Sukuna, sensing Yukino's tendency to overthink things, interrupted her before she could spiral further.

"However, it might be a good thing that Yuigahama isn't coming anymore," Hachiman suddenly said, remembering something important. "Yuigahama was almost attacked by a cursed spirit before."

"Indeed..." Yukino agreed.

Undeniably, it was dangerous for Yui Yuigahama to remain in the Service Club, and it was also inconvenient for them to discuss matters related to the jujutsu world in front of her.

"We can only let nature take its course."