Becoming Sukuna

"There's no need to worry anymore."

Seeing Rumi's calm expression, Yukino was relieved.

"Shall we go then?" Yui, finally understanding Yukino's approach after Hachiman's lengthy explanation, smiled.

"Go where?" Hachiman asked.

"To change into our swimsuits!" Yui blushed. "Hiratsuka-sensei said we could play in the river."

"Huh?" Hachiman looked at Sukuna.

Sukuna looked back at him, confused. "What?"

"Nothing... Are you going to change into a swimsuit too, Sukuna-sensei?"

"Why would I?" Sukuna smirked. "Unless you want to play in the water with me?"

"...Please spare me." Hachiman quickly bowed his head.

"Didn't know you were such a playful student." Sukuna slung an arm around his shoulders. "Let's go then."

"Uh, no need..."

"Don't be so shy with your teacher. Let's go!"

And so, they headed towards the river, looking like a harmonious pair of teacher and student.

The "river" was actually just a wide stream, the water level reaching only halfway up their calves.

"Wait, wait, I didn't bring a swimsuit!" Hachiman protested.

"Just take off your shoes and roll up your pants. Who needs a swimsuit?"

Hachiman's flustered and reluctant expression was like that of a damsel in distress.

He awkwardly took off his shoes and socks, then rolled up his pant legs. The next moment, Sukuna kicked him into the stream. Hachiman lost his balance and fell face-first into the water.

"...What was the point of taking off my shoes and rolling up my pants then?"

Hachiman glared at his soaked pants, but he didn't dare complain.

He got up and saw that Sukuna had also taken off his shoes and rolled up his pants, even taking off his shirt to reveal his toned physique.

"Let's spar."

Sukuna beckoned him with a grin.

Hachiman felt a shiver run down his spine.

The stream was long, and Hayama and the others were playing further downstream, so there was no need to worry about being seen.

He couldn't escape, but at least he wouldn't be embarrassed.

He took off his shirt and assumed a boxing stance, ready to fight.

I hope my YouTube crash course in boxing is enough to satisfy Sukuna-sama.

However, Sukuna looked at his awkward stance with a deadpan expression. "This isn't a boxing match. Who are you trying to impress?"

Before Hachiman could lower his arms, he felt a light tap on the back of his head.

"Get serious," Sukuna said, sounding annoyed.

"Okay..." Hachiman rubbed his head sheepishly.

When Sukuna beckoned him again, he charged forward with a desperate determination.

Sukuna -sama didn't say I could use my technique, so he must want to train my physical skills.*

And physical combat was precisely Hachiman's weakness.

Sukuna allowed Hachiman to approach, watching as he threw a punch infused with cursed energy.

At least he's using cursed energy, but that form…

Sukuna casually blocked the punch, then grabbed Hachiman's wrist with a twist.

Oh no…

Hachiman's heart sank as his wrist was trapped.

With a pull and a trip, Sukuna effortlessly sent Hachiman tumbling into the water. He stepped on Hachiman's back and said lazily, "Hold back a bit. You're not One Punch Man, you know."

"Blub, blub… I understand."

Hachiman stood up, wiping water from his face, and charged at Sukuna again.

This time, he was more cautious, throwing a series of jabs that Sukuna easily blocked. Sukuna didn't counterattack, simply focusing on defense, allowing Hachiman to find his rhythm.

When he felt it was enough, he said, "I'm going to attack now."

Hachiman braced himself.

But the expected attack didn't come. Sukuna kicked the water, sending a wave splashing towards Hachiman's face.

Hachiman instinctively raised his arms to block, and the next moment, a sharp pain shot through his stomach.

A dark shape loomed before him. He desperately raised his hands to block Sukuna's knee strike, but the force sent him stumbling backward into the water.

I'm screwed.

How am I supposed to fight this?

"Ahhh! Why are Hikitani-kun and Sukuna-sensei fighting?!"

Yui's horrified cry from the riverbank only intensified his shame.

Yukino also seemed embarrassed. They had simply come upstream because the lower part of the river was too crowded, but they hadn't expected to find Sukuna training with Hachiman.

"Ugh, my brother is getting beaten up again." Komachi, unlike the worried Yui, seemed unfazed.

"Why are you both so calm? Hikitani-kun is getting hurt!" Yui exclaimed, pointing at Hachiman. "I know he gets hit by Hiratsuka-sensei at school, but this is different!"

Sukuna's attack had looked brutal. A normal person would have at least lost a few teeth.

Yuigahama, I know you're kind, but please stop emphasizing my weakness. It's just making me feel worse.

Hachiman stared blankly at the sky.

"Don't worry, Sukuna-kun is just teaching him," Yukino explained awkwardly.

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry. Onii-chan enjoys this kind of training," Komachi chimed in.

Yui's expression shifted from worry to horror.

Hikitani-kun… enjoys this?

That's… unexpected.

Please stop explaining! You're making me sound like I have a weird kink!

Hachiman quickly got out of the water, assuring Yui that he was fine.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Sukuna-sensei's attacks looked brutal, but he wasn't using cursed energy. And I was using cursed energy to defend myself, so it didn't hurt that much."

Of course, if he had used cursed energy, I'd probably be dead.

Seeing that Hachiman was fine, Yui breathed a sigh of relief. "So, Sukuna-sensei teaches martial arts?"

"You can think of it that way," Yukino replied.

"Oh..." Yui pouted. She felt left out, like everyone else knew something she didn't.

But her disappointment quickly gave way to embarrassment.

"Are you worried about my useless brother, Yui-san?" Komachi asked with a sly grin.

"Eh?! N-no, of course not!"

Yui's face turned bright red.

"It's normal to be worried when you see a friend get beat up like that!" she added quickly, trying to sound nonchalant.

But her blush betrayed her.

Komachi's eyes sparkled. "Yui-san, you're so kind. You'll make a wonderful wife someday."

"Ehehe, I-I'm not that great~" Yui giggled, flustered.

Hachiman sighed in relief as Yui's attention shifted away from him.

With people here, the sparring session is over. I'm safe… for now.

Yukino, having successfully deceived Yui, also relaxed. Her gaze drifted towards Sukuna, who was now shirtless, his toned physique on full display.

She quickly averted her gaze, but her eyes were drawn back to him like magnets.

A faint blush crept onto her cheeks.

While Yukino was checking out Sukuna, he was also admiring her swimsuit.

It was a white two-piece with a skirt, tied around her neck, revealing her smooth shoulders. The skirt swayed gently in the breeze, revealing glimpses of the black bikini underneath.

Unlike Yukino, who was too shy to look directly at him, Sukuna openly admired her.

His gaze made her blush even more.

Sukuna nodded in approval.

The only flaw was her lack of… assets… in the chest area, but considering her sister's ample bosom, he commented, "There's still potential."

"...Huh?"

Yukino frowned, trying to decipher his cryptic comment.

Before she could figure it out, Komachi pushed Yui towards Hachiman.

"Okay, onii-chan, forget about getting beaten up by Sukuna-nii-chan for now. Come see my new swimsuit!"

Komachi grinned, striking a pose. "What do you think?"

"Well, you're the cutest in the world," Hachiman replied instantly.

"Tch, that's so half-hearted."

Undeterred, Komachi pushed Yui forward. "Then what about Yui-san's swimsuit?!"

"Ahhh, Komachi, don't do this..."

Yui hesitantly lowered her arms, her eyes filled with a mix of anticipation and anxiety. "S-so, how is it?"

"..." Hachiman froze for a moment, then quickly averted his gaze. "It… suits you."

"I-is that so? Ehehe." Yui seemed relieved, a happy smile on her face.

Komachi dragged Hachiman and Yui downstream, saying they were going to play in the water with Saika. The upper part of the stream fell silent, leaving only Sukuna and Yukino.

With the others gone, Yukino relaxed slightly and walked over to Sukuna, her feet sinking into the cool water.

"I didn't expect you to start training with Hikigaya here. Thank goodness Yuigahama was fooled." She sounded annoyed. "Please be more mindful of the situation next time."

"Who cares? I don't mind," Sukuna said nonchalantly.

Then, seeing her glare, he quickly added, "Okay, okay, I'll be more careful next time."

"Anyway, playing in this tiny stream is boring." Sukuna changed the subject. "Let's go to the beach next time."

"Okay." Yukino nodded. "But after this camp, I need to go home first."

By "home," she meant the Yukinoshita family home. Haruno had already informed her about this during their ramen outing.

Although Haruno usually helped cover for her, it wouldn't be right to skip visiting her family during the summer break.

"No problem, you can always run away if you want," Sukuna said with a shrug.

"That's true."

Things were different now. The fear she had once felt towards her mother had almost completely vanished, especially after the incident at the police station.

Her mother's strict and imposing image had been shattered.

In that sense, Sukuna had helped improve her family relationships. She needed to thank him properly sometime.

Although she knew she could never repay him for everything he had done, she still wanted to express her gratitude.

Yukino fell silent, lost in thought.

Perhaps the fireworks festival before the end of summer break would be a good opportunity.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Um… Didn't Hiratsuka-sensei say we were supposed to dress up as ghosts for the test of courage?" Hachiman asked, holding an abstract alien costume, his face twitching.

"What are these cheap costumes?" Yumiko Miura complained.

The camp only provided shrine maiden, magician, and cat-girl costumes. No proper ghost outfits.

It was a bit much to expect them to scare anyone with these.

Despite their complaints, everyone eventually picked a costume and changed.

Saika, adjusting his witch's hat, wondered, "Is a magician even scary?"

It's terrifying, no problem. It feels like I'm about to get sucked into the Totsuka route. Truly terrifying, Hachiman thought, adjusting his imaginary glasses.

"Onii-chan, onii-chan!" Komachi, dressed as a cat-girl, waved her paws. "Ta-da~!"

"What's that? A cat monster?"

"Maybe? I don't really know, but it's cute!" Komachi giggled.

Hachiman glanced at Yukino, surprised that she wasn't fawning over Komachi's cat-girl outfit. Did seeing Panda increase her resistance to fluffy things?

"Speaking of which, Yukinoshita-buchou, you didn't change. Didn't you find anything you liked?" he asked, seeing her still in her regular clothes.

"No..." Yukino sighed, and just then, the door to the changing room opened.

Sukuna emerged, dressed in a light blue women's yukata, his hands tucked into his sleeves.

The room fell silent. Everyone stared at Sukuna, speechless.

Despite being male, the yukata looked surprisingly good on him. The loose sleeves framed his arms, and the fitted waist emphasized his toned physique, adding a touch of feminine beauty to his appearance.

He exuded a beauty that transcended gender.

"The white one would have been better," Sukuna muttered, examining himself in the mirror, seemingly dissatisfied with the yukata.

It was understandable. After all, it was a cheap costume meant for cosplaying a Yuki-Onna, not a proper yukata.

Seeing him like this, Yukino was reminded of the first time she had been pulled into his Innate Domain.

Back then, he had also been wearing a white yukata, with those mysterious black markings on his face, looking even more alluring than he did now.

"He... he looks so elegant," Yui said, her eyes wide with surprise.

She imagined Yukino wearing the same outfit.

But she had to admit, Sukuna looked better in it.

Yukino's beauty is actually being surpassed by a guy in this aspect?

No, no, Yukino is definitely more beautiful!

Yui quickly reaffirmed her loyalty to Yukino.

"It suits you," Yukino said sincerely. "But the white one would have been better."

"Want to try it on?"

"No need. Just wear it for the test of courage tonight." Yukino smiled. "It suits you more than it would suit me."

Everyone except the Hikigaya siblings, who knew their relationship, sensed something amiss.

So Yukinoshita likes this type, huh? Older, and a teacher too.

Yumiko raised an eyebrow, surprised.

She had assumed Yukino was too arrogant to be interested in anyone, but it seemed she was still attracted to men.

But even Yumiko, who had a crush on Hayama, had to admit that Hayama was no match for Sukuna in terms of looks.

However, she wasn't superficial. She wouldn't fall for someone just because they were better-looking than Hayama.

With a smug smile, she leaned closer to Hayama.

...

After dinner, night fell. The bonfire was lit, the flames illuminating the clearing. The crackling sound of burning wood and the dancing sparks created a festive atmosphere.

The elementary school students were divided into groups, each led by a high school student, and ventured into the forest for the test of courage.

The goal was to reach a shrine deep within the forest, retrieve a charm, and return safely.

The forest was shrouded in darkness, the moonlight casting eerie shadows. The wind rustled the leaves, creating a symphony of sounds with the chirping insects.

The only "obstacles" were the high school students dressed in costumes, trying to scare the kids. But their attempts were more comical than frightening.

The students laughed and waved at Saika, dressed as a magician, and Yui, dressed as a little devil.

Even the atmosphere of the forest itself was scarier.

This test of courage was a bit too tame. Years later, they would probably only remember the silly costumes, not the thrill of the activity itself.

So, for the sake of the children's memories, Sukuna decided to spice things up.

"Alright! This is the last group! Let's go!" Komachi, dressed as a cat-girl, announced through a megaphone.

The last group consisted of Rumi Tsurumi and the four girls who had been ostracizing her.

Although Rumi's situation hadn't changed after apologizing, her mentality had.

She no longer trailed behind them timidly, but walked confidently at the front, holding the flashlight.

The four girls followed her closely, not daring to stray too far.

After all, the forest was a bit scary at night, especially without a flashlight.

"Tch, why is she acting all high and mighty? Don't you think so, Komori?"

"Yeah, yeah! Hey, Yuka-chan, didn't Tsurumi apologize to you? I heard she apologized to a lot of people. How ridiculous."

"Hahaha, does she think we'll talk to her again just because she apologized?"

Yuka, suddenly the center of attention, felt a surge of annoyance, but she still forced a smile and agreed. "Yeah, how stupid..."

So stupid, what's the point of apologizing?

Do I have to forgive you just because you apologized?

Back then, when I was ostracized, Hitomi and Komori must have talked about me like this too, right?

Yuka's thoughts were a jumbled mess. She didn't even notice Yui, dressed as a little devil, jump out from the bushes, trying to scare them.

A piercing scream echoed through the forest. The four girls trembled in fear.

They wanted to run, but they had nowhere to go.

Rumi stood frozen, staring at the terrifying figure before her.

"A-a monster!!!" Hitomi screamed, pointing at Sukuna .

Ryōichi frowned and glared at her.

Hitomi fell silent, tears streaming down her face.

Sukuna looked down at Rumi.

Did I scare her too much?

"W-what do we do, Hitomi?"

"Let's run while that monster is deciding whether to eat Tsurumi!"

The girls huddled together, whispering frantically.

Seeing that Sukuna wasn't moving, they tried to sneak away.

Sukuna seemed oblivious to their actions, wondering if Reverse Cursed Technique could heal psychological trauma.

It can't.

Just as he was wondering how to resolve this situation, a small pebble hit his chest.

"Hmm?"

He turned to see Yuka throwing another pebble at him. "Run, Tsurumi!"

"Yuka! What are you doing?!"

"Just run! What if we anger the monster?!"

"Waaah, we're going to be eaten!"

Her friends tried to stop her, but Yuka continued to throw pebbles.

Rumi snapped out of her daze and ran.

The four girls followed, quickly disappearing from sight.

Ryōichi scratched his head, his form shrinking back to normal.

"My, what an unexpected outcome."

Yukino emerged from behind a tree, looking in the direction the girls had run.

"Indeed. I thought you had scared Tsurumi Rumi into a catatonic state," Sukuna said, putting his yukata back on.

"But I'm even more surprised by that form of yours."

Yukino's eyes were filled with a mixture of awe and apprehension.

To be honest, I was scared too when I first saw it.

"That's my battle mode, my second stage. Normal people can't see it. Consider yourself lucky," Sukuna joked.

But you used that "normal people can't see" form to scare children…

"Sukuna-kun, are you even human?"

Yukino finally asked.

Sukuna shrugged.

"I think I am."