– From Mayu Ryomen's point of view –
"Mayu," Shoko began intensely, inhaling tensely, "... Do you know who... Sukuna is?"
A question.
And that single question threw the two of them off, as I immediately noticed. Both Satoru's and Shoko's attention turned to me. Calm, but silently simmering. As if it had been forbidden to speak that name. And me?
I looked down at my right hand, the one I had used earlier to pick up that finger from the cursed spirit. The one that still had the white bandage from my IV stuck to it.
A special grade cursed object?! No wonder the two next to me had just made acquaintance with Medusa.
"Sukuna?", I repeated darkly.
Shoko flinched almost imperceptibly, inhaled weakly, and nodded. Satoru, who still sat next to me, one leg bent on the bed and resting his arm on it, looked at me as if I had something to do with this 'Sukuna'. He studied me closely. He tried to read another chapter out of me.
Was that maybe... creepy?
"Isn't that the Sukuna? I mean, you don't seriously mean?! …", I began to panic slightly.
"Yes, exactly him!", Shoko replied, partially upset, leaning forward on her stool and folding her hands in front of her face.
Well, this was starting to make me uncomfortable. As if I had committed a crime and was now being interrogated.
If only I knew…
"Seriously, Shoko and Satoru," I looked back and forth between the two, "should I know this guy?! Like, Sukuna?!" and emphasized his name with air quotes.
They froze before their expressions immediately fell. They dropped three floors – about to the level of 'excuse me, what?!'
Uh oh! Did I say something wrong?!
"You don't know him?!", Satoru snapped at me louder than he intended and slammed his hand on the bed between us.
I flinched at first but had to suppress a laugh real hard – but that look of horror suited him surprisingly well.
"N-no," I stammered, "why should I know him?! You're acting like I had a thing with him or like he's some kind of king. King of curses or something."
"He is the King of Curses, Mayu," Shoko finally let me in on their secret.
"Oh," I was honestly surprised, pressed my lips together, and asked, crumpled, "seriously?"
"Seriously!" they both replied at the same time.
Oops! Who even allowed someone to place a deep fryer in front of me? No – under my feet? I furrowed my brow. This was more than strange.
"And you're afraid of him?!"
I scanned between the two again, examining.
"Please. I've seen worse," Satoru dismissed immediately, both dramatically and decisively, folding his arms across his chest.
Of course not. I should've known Satoru Gojo wasn't afraid of this Sukuna – King of Curses. But why did he seem even more tense than Shoko? He sat completely stiff next to me, and I could've sworn if I touched him now, he'd leap up like a startled cat.
Was I missing something? Did I know too little? Special grade cursed object… or had I–
…!