Jujutsu Kaisen: False Dawn

The wind bit cold through the trees as I and Rika soared low over Tokyo's quieter outskirts, far from the chaos we'd left behind. Rika touched down hard beside me, her monstrous claw-like hands digging slightly into the dirt, slowing our landing. The ground crunched beneath my sneakers as I stepped forward onto soft grass, already pulling my tattered hoodie over my head.

It was barely even cloth anymore. Just burnt string, wet threads, and a ruined zipper. With a grunt, I tossed it aside into the grass like a rag that had survived a war.

"Give me a shirt, Rika," I said, stretching my shoulders out. "And also, good job back there."

She tilted her massive head at me. The eye blinked slowly, as if unsure whether I was proud or teasing. I smirked and added with amusement, "Oh—and by the way… my name's not Kintaro, silly. It's Ren."

She froze.

"R…e…n?" She murmured, her cursed voice like wind over cracked glass.

Then, without another word, she opened her chest—literally. Her ribcage split apart with a fleshy, echoing creak, and she reached in with one massive hand. A moment later, she pulled out a folded black T-shirt and a dark baseball cap.

I blinked. "...Thanks?"

I slipped them both on. The shirt was surprisingly soft. Fitting. The cap settled nicely over my head, covering my hair and hiding most of my face. I adjusted the brim and pulled it low.

Then a thought hit me like a cursed punch to the chest.

Wait.

She knew the name Kintaro.

But I only ever told that to two people.

Yuta… and Rika.

Which meant…

This Rika—the one I summoned, the one that looks like a curse—has the past Rika's memories?

I turned and looked at her.

She was just watching me like she always did. Patient. Quiet.

Too quiet.

"…No," I muttered, shaking my head. "Not now. Not the time. One thing at a time."

The fight was over, yeah. But I had to keep moving.

And I had a Sukuna Finger in my possession.

I pulled it out of my pocket carefully. It still pulsed with cursed energy like a radioactive heartbeat. The seal was intact. But it was… twitching.

"How do I even keep this sealed?" I murmured. "Too dangerous to keep in my apartment. Too obvious to just bury..."

I glanced at Rika again.

"Hey, Rika… Could you keep this hidden for me?" I asked, holding the finger up slowly. "If it feels weird inside you or does anything strange, just throw it out, okay?"

Rika stared at the finger in my hand.

Then, without hesitation, she opened her chest again.

The finger vanished inside. Her ribs slammed shut. And she didn't flinch.

No trembling. No reaction.

Just like that, it was gone.

"…Okay. That's one problem solved," I said, scratching my head.

But that wasn't the only thing twisting in my gut.

I felt it as soon as Rika ate the curse. Back in that pool. It was subtle—like a second heartbeat forming underneath my own. Not painful. Just… foreign.

Another cursed technique.

Something new.

Something copied.

I sat down under the nearest tree, letting my cursed energy relax. Rika stood nearby, quiet and looming like a guardian spirit. I leaned back against the bark and sighed.

My mind buzzed.

The cursed technique I'd copied... was from that disgusting fish-thing I fought. The one that almost killed me twice.

Flood Maw.

I'd instinctively hoped Rika eating it would let me copy something—anything. And I was right.

This technique?

It had two parts.

The first: Water Blades. Razor-sharp streams of water that I could launch from my hands like compressed slicing discs. They could cut through metal if focused enough. The only catch? I had to throw my arms to release them.

The second: Water Beam. A high-powered jet of cursed water that fired from the mouth like a cannon. It packed force—enough to tear down buildings if given the charge-up time. But that was the weakness. It needed buildup. A few seconds too long in close combat.

Still...

Compared to Red Stitch?

This was raw firepower.

A true offensive cursed technique.

Even if I could only use it during Rika's five-minute full summon... it was still a devastating tool.

It gave me a new option.

A new trick.

A new win condition.

Another trump card.

Another step toward not dying.

It took me a little over an hour to get home. The sun had dipped by then. The sky was orange. Streetlights buzzed faintly. I slipped quietly back into my apartment through the fire exit stairwell.

Shoes off. Door locked. Lights dim.

And the first thing I did?

Straight to the bathroom.

Stripped down, walked into the shower, and let the hot water crash down onto my sore body like a steam trap. Every inch of me ached. Every nerve was twitchy, raw.

This was the side effect.

Not just of the fight.

But of Rika.

Using her full summon for the full five minutes…

It left me feeling like I'd been sprinting uphill for days without food. Like I'd run a marathon in armor. My muscles twitched with ghost tension.

Still.

It was manageable.

A price worth paying.

Because everything had worked.

The boom.

The show.

The trap.

There's no way Utahime wouldn't report it. Jujutsu High would be on the move. They'd have to investigate, track, and chase.

I left them enough to find me.

Just not enough to catch me.

But even if they do try?

Let them.

Because I didn't leave empty-handed.

I got three things.

One: Sukuna's Finger. A cursed bomb, yeah. But maybe I can learn something from it. Maybe something more. Maybe a foothold into cursed knowledge not meant for me.

Two: Flood Maw. My second cursed technique. Range, offense, power. An edge in real combat, especially under time pressure.

Three: Clarity.

The most important one.

Because now, for the first time since I got here, I truly understood.

I had been thinking like prey.

Even earlier today—when I saw Utahime. I nearly walked away. I had wanted to walk away.

I didn't notice it then.

But now?

Now I saw it clearly.

I was holding myself back. Letting fear talk.

But I won.

I fought, I gambled, and I won.

Even against a curse powerful enough to swallow a Sukuna Finger.

That wasn't luck.

That was action.

I leaned back in the tub and let the heat melt over my muscles.

Then I laughed.

Not a chuckle.

A real, stupid, wide-grin laugh that bounced off the tiled walls.

"What kind of lunatic am I?" I asked the ceiling.

But I knew.

The kind that survives.

And then—

Something wet touched my shoulder.

"Huh?"

I looked down—

And a shape launched out of the shadow next to the tub.

"AH—Kai2?!"

The little fish-shaped curse slammed into my chest, shivering.

Its eyes were watery. Its fins trembled.

Was it... crying?

"What the hell? You woke up?" I said, confused. "Uh huh... why are you crying??"

It clung to me tighter, burying its head into my chest like a child.

I blinked.

Then I realized.

Kai2 had been awake.

It saw everything.

The fight.

The near-death moment.

Rika.

The Love Cannon.

Everything.

And it thought...

I might not come back.

I didn't even know what to say.

I just reached up, gently, and patted its head.

"...You idiot," I whispered. "You thought I'd die?"

Kai2 whimpered.

"…Yeah," I murmured, closing my eyes.

"I get it."