In the Academy as Sukuna

"When the heart grows tired of hoping, it clings to itself, for that is all it has left."

.

(The Human World, City 24…)

It was a bright day, the midday sun high up in the air, casting an almost burning glow on the ground below.

The mansion of the Ryomen family was bustling with activity, every person engrossed in their own tasks.

Eiji Ryomen sat in his room with his wife, Amara, typing relentlessly on the laptop in his lap. Amara, sitting beside him on the bed, spoke rarely, but was keeping a quiet eye on the screen.

She was feeling much better, and could finally move after a long time. The residual mana of Yasoshi Yamazaki inside her was taking a long time to dissipate and be replaced by her own mana because her body was focusing on healing her physical and mental injuries first.

The mental injuries being her dreams… or rather, nightmares, of Ruhen village… of the little child that ran off—Ryogaku.

Sometimes she feels guilty, other times scared. What if he comes back for revenge?

She desperately made herself believe that everything would be fine. If anything were to happen, Eiji would save her like he always had. At least she hoped so.

Eiji could sense her swirling thoughts and violent waves of emotion, but decided not to interfere. It was better that she dealt with them herself so that they don't come haunting her back in the future.

His gaze was fixed on the laptop screen, which displayed an array of numbers arranged in columns in a spreadsheet, along with many tabs of messages from huge buyers and sellers contacting him non-stop.

Just before the demon invasion had started, Sukuna had told them to invest in mana stones, Mana Stone 34, to be precise.

And he was completely right. The prices of these stones, which were used as demon repellents, had shot up faster than any item in history. Their profit was more than 10000%.

Moreover, these stones were in demand by the Hunter Association itself, to build a wall around the cities 24, 25, 26, 15, and 35 in a spherical shape, turning them into a single region completely protected from demons.

Currently, he was looking at the offers of numerous buyers who were seemingly bidding on these stones, some for personal use, and some for reselling for their own profit.

It was quite an arduous task, but held great importance for Eiji and Amara. They wanted to send teams into the demon realm to look for Sukuna. Amara did, especially. And it would take a marvelous amount of money to hire people strong enough.

Even though they had confidence in their son's ability to survive on his own, the demon realm was a place not meant for humans. Being parents, they couldn't help but worry of their own offspring… it was a natural human instinct.

Meanwhile, a completely different tale was being told at another part of the mansion…

.

The garden of the mansion was a simple yet pretty place. It was a large field with a gentle cover of grass bordered by well-maintained and diverse species of plants and shrubs.

Here were present three girls, their goals, their personalities, and their methods completely different, yet they were all brought to this place by only one man—Sukuna.

Eva and Elara stood in the garden, the former training the latter relentlessly, almost as if she were her own daughter.

Well, Eva had begun to believe that Elara was her own daughter. After all, Sukuna, the love of her life, had adopted her as his own.

It was also a jab at the girl from the Yamazaki Clan who wished to marry Sukuna. Eva's heart got filled by a weird sense of satisfaction seeing herself as a mother in Elara's eyes.

Elara was panting, her clothes drenched in sweat as she was forced to run tirelessly. She huffed loudly, her eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

Under the rays of the beautiful sun, her body looked like a wilting flower about to fall at any second.

However, one thing betrayed the tiredness of her body—the spirit of desire in her eyes.

Her eyes burned with an intensity even greater than when she wanted revenge on her bullies. What she believed to be her end goal—revenge—was fulfilled so easily by her 'father,' Sukuna, that it felt almost… inadequate.

She wanted to be stronger… she wanted to make Sukuna proud… she wanted to show him that she wasn't some weak girl he picked up from the slums, but a girl that could grow up to be… a great person.

Her small muscles bulged painfully as she ran laps around the garden, her sweat falling to the grass like drops of morning dew, slowly being evaporated by the heat of the sun.

Her gaze frequently went to the girl standing in the middle of the garden, glancing at her and silently pleading to hear a command to stop running, but she never got what she wanted.

This girl was Eva, standing with her arms crossed over her chest. Her eyes were fixed on the moving figure of Elara, observing her critically.

Why was she training Elara? A while ago, Sukuna had asked her to improve Elara's abilities at any cost.

Naturally, she felt that it was her duty to cause enough growth in Elara that Sukuna feels… satisfied.

Furthermore, she wanted to do everything in her power to make herself the only candidate for marriage with Sukuna. Even though she believed that she was the only person Sukuna would ever love, training Elara would improve her image in Sukuna's mind even more.

She was so engrossed in her own beliefs, and hence, in the training, that she failed to notice the effect her actions were having on both Elara and another girl, who had been standing at the edge of the grass for a while.

Nect stood at the entrance of the garden, a forced smile on her face as she tried to get her attention, but Eva seemed to not notice her… or rather, she was ignoring her presence.

Nect's lips twitched, her smile faltering. Her eyes were fixed on the lone figure of Eva, seeming at peace under the yellow rays of the sun.

Before she knew it, her hands were curled up into fists at her side, her lips pursed together in a silent plea for attention.

But her request would go unheard.

"This isn't Eva," she muttered to herself. The Eva she knew was a gentle woman who had been nothing but supportive to her, being one of the few who understood what she wanted.

But now, to Nect, Eva looked like the filthy men who had experimented on her in her childhood. The expression on her face reminded Nect of the unending torment she had to go through.

A gust of wind passed by her as Elara ran across the entrance of the garden, pulling Nect out of her stupor.

Eva's eyes stayed on her for not more than a single moment, quickly going back to Elara, who was almost tumbling to the ground.

"Hey… Eva!" She called out, her voice slightly shaking with bottled emotions, but she managed to make it loud enough for it to reach Eva's ears.

Eva didn't flinch, her eyes never leaving the figure of the little girl giving her best. Without even glancing at the desperate Nect, she replied: "Not now, Nect."

Nect took in a sharp intake of breath. Eva's tone was like she was talking to a stranger. She gulped emptily, slowly backing away.

Ever since Sukuna had suddenly disappeared in the battlefield, Eva had started to act different… as if she had gone crazy.

Nect didn't like this Eva, she wanted the old Eva, her sister-like Eva, back.

Her legs trembled, and with reluctant steps, Nect left. Her mana, which she had learned to properly control, started to flare up.

Eva spared not even a glance towards her.

Her steps became faster and faster until she was running, her shoes making squishy sounds on the mud, the sounds then turning into crunchy as she reached the gravelly path, and finally to silent thumps as she reached the public streets.

She bumped into people, knocking them down violently, but never stopping. She felt… alone.

This might have been one of the only times that her façade of idiocy had been broken. She tried to act nonchalant and relaxed to hide her inner pain… which was something she had promised herself to leave behind.

But no matter how much she tried, her mind wouldn't let her forget. That is, until she met Sukuna.

Sukuna understood her… he understood her pain and supported her the correct way. She didn't want sympathy, neither did she want pity… All she wanted was a person to be close with, a person to have fun with, a person she could call… a friend.

She found not one, but three—Sukuna, who she even considered her brother. He was extremely fun to tease and annoy. Eva, who was like a cool princess… she was in the past. And Elara, who was a little innocent kid she could play with like a pet.

Now, she had lost all three. Sukuna was… gone, Eva had changed, and Elara was being pulled around by Eva, always in the race for her betterment.

No… she never had them in the first place. Sukuna and Eva were in love with each other… she knew better than anyone.

If Eva and her own life was in danger, Sukuna would pick Eva over her any day.

She wasn't particularly sad about that… she didn't expect to be anyone's favorite in the first place. But Sukuna always spent time with Eva, leaving her on her own for weeks on end.

"Not again…" She felt alone. "Not again!" Just like back when she was a kid.

Her breathing was ragged, the humid air entering and leaving her lungs like prickly thorns.

To normal people on the street, she was a single whoosh that went away before they knew it. She had truly grown much stronger than she ever expected.

Her tears didn't stop as she ran. She ran far… far away, until she couldn't see the mansion, until she couldn't see the city. She ran deep into the forest of the mountain, her skin being pricked by the protruding branches and thorns until her limbs were covered in scratches. But… she didn't stop.

Why was she running?—She didn't know. Where was she going?—She didn't know.

She had to let these emotions out… she didn't want to remember that place… she didn't want to remember all her friends that left her alone… she didn't want it to happen again.

The injections she had to take every day, the scenes of her friends being tortured in front of her, the scenes of the men in lab coats pulling her from place to place replayed in her mind, the loud, painful screams echoing in her head like a demonic chorus.

Her legs slowed down until she, ultimately, came to a stop, tears lining her whole face. When she opened her eyes, they were met with a scenery so beautiful that some would kill to witness it.

She was on top of a hill, viewing down on the mountain range in city 29.

Small streams flowed down gently into the lake in the valley. Flowers bloomed along the ground as far as she could see… pink, red, yellow, white… all colors she could think of.

Far along the horizon was a dark mess of buildings, the destruction barely visible. This was because city 29 and city 30 were affected by the demon invasion greatly.

The scenery calmed her down, as if her mind was being cleansed. It is almost magical how much effect nature has on the state of a human mind.

Her knees felt weak, shaking with the exertion of running across multiple cities without stopping. She sun had moved lower in the sky… she didn't know how long it had been.

She fell backwards onto the grass with a thump.

It was a weird sensation she was feeling. It was as if she was floating, but being pulled down at the same time.

Her breathing was calming down, her heart still beating against her chest as her gaze drifted along the mountainside.

She had grown to be independent… to not need anyone. At least she thought so.

Ever since she found Sukuna on that day… in the tournament… she felt alive, as if she had been reborn into someone new.

She was tied to him, she made a connection deeper than she ever thought she'd make. That's just how humans were.

"Shit!" She cursed, her fist moving to punch the ground, but the result was a weak thump.

She fell back, her back hitting the cool grass. Her vision was filled with the bright blue sky and the pearly white clouds, illuminated by the bright sun in front.

Now that he was gone, she was, once more, left to herself, and now, she didn't know where these emotions should go… had she grown so weak?

Her mana was flaring up violently, even though she was managing to control it.

"I don't know…" she muttered, her gaze drifting along the scenic mountainside, all the colors seeming simply… bland to her. "…what to do."

Her eyes slowly closed. She was tired of thinking… she didn't want other to affect her so much.

Suddenly, a scene replayed in her mind… a scene she remembers more vividly than anything.

"Oh, that your boyfriend? Never thought I'd see teenage love here!"

In her memories, the man was just a voice. A voice that sent chills down here spine to this day… something that she dared not to even think of.

"No! He's just—"

"Point is, he's gotta go cuz your mana gets soft when he's around."

"What do you—"

"Nuh uh, you don't speak."

Before she knew it, there was a hammer in her hand. Its metal was already getting slightly corroded by her mana. She looked at the man, the black shadow, in confusion.

"Kill 'im."

The man sounded as if he was enjoying it. Even though she couldn't see him, he had a smile on his face.

"Nect, it's fine… if I have to die, it's best that it's you…"

No… he didn't have to die…

SPLAT!

His head was a stain on the wall, parts of his brain shooting around in the room.

…he was crying… he didn't want to die…

"Good job, Nect-y. Oh, look! Your mana's back up!"

His body fell, then she cried… she cried… she cried.

Nect woke up with a sharp gasp, her body shooting up as if every single muscle was ready for action.

Dried tear marks on her face were being rewritten by new tears… which fell without restraint. These memories were ones she had buried deep into her mind a long time ago… she didn't want to experience that pain again…

She was forced to kill the person closest to her… ever since then, she was afraid of connections… afraid of losing someone again.

Sukuna had left her too… just like everyone else.

"I don't need anyone…" Nect got up, wiping the tears off her face.

The sun was on the horizon, casting long, orange rays on the mountainside, which was illuminated in a picturesque glow.

Her eyes drifted to the sun, which looked so close, but was so far away.

That day, Nect's heart collapsed in on itself. Everything she had felt for the past few months felt like a lie… Sukuna had left her, Eva had left her. She understood that she will always be alone… and there is no use in denying it.

"I don't need you…"

There was a shift in her eyes. Something had changed within her… she had realized, once more, that loving someone, being friends with someone… everything is just a lie.