Chapter 15: Training Cursed Energy
Narrator POV
Akira was sitting on his couch. He had woken up early for several reasons.
The first: he had absolutely nothing to do, and to make matters worse, his sleep had completely vanished.
Although, of course, it's not like he got up right away.
No.
He just sat there on his bed, staring at a shoe lying on the floor… for at least twenty minutes.
Yes. Twenty minutes staring at a damn shoe.
The second reason was his new source of energy — Cursed Energy.
The system had already confirmed it was exactly the same type of energy that existed in the Jujutsu Kaisen universe, and Akira knew that to use it properly, he first needed to learn how to control it. That's why, right now, he was about to ask the system for help.
"System, any suggestions or guidance on how to start controlling Cursed Energy? Having a new energy source is great, sure… but it's useless if I can't control it."
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[Notification]
[Request for assistance… Approved.]
---
Suddenly, something appeared in Akira's hands — a small bear with blue boxing gloves, fast asleep. It looked more like a plush toy than an actual living creature.
"You look kinda familiar…" Akira muttered, narrowing his eyes as he tried to remember.
At that moment, the bear suddenly woke up and, without hesitation, tried to punch him with a quick right hook. Akira dodged it easily, relying purely on instinct.
"Just as I thought… You're that bear. The one Yuji Itadori used to train Cursed Energy control."
Akira held the small plush bear in his hands as it flailed wildly, trying to escape.
Despite its adorable appearance, its movements were sharp and full of intent.
Closing his eyes, Akira focused on channeling Cursed Energy into the bear.
He remembered that to put it back to sleep, he had to transfer a small amount of that energy into it.
After several seconds of intense concentration… the bear stopped moving.
Akira let out a quiet sigh of relief.
A faint smile formed on his face as he realized he'd done it.
He had successfully transferred a tiny bit of Cursed Energy. It wasn't much, but it was enough to prove that he was starting to gain control over it.
"Well… that's something. Though, if I remember right, it's gonna need more and more energy each time," he said, watching the bear open one sleepy eye… only to fall back asleep immediately.
"Perfect. Now I can use Bloodlust, and even boost my strength using Cursed Energy," he said with a satisfied grin.
Every step he took, every reward earned, every obstacle overcome… was just that — a step.
Steps he needed to climb one by one to become stronger.
"There's still two hours before classes start… I skipped yesterday, so I've gotta go today for sure. I'll use this time to keep practicing my Cursed Energy control… and I'll take the bear with me. That way I can keep training during break."
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After two hours passed, Akira was calmly walking down the hallway of the school, hands in his pockets, wearing a bored expression.
He wasn't in a hurry.
He opened the classroom door without a care in the world, as if it were just another ordinary day.
What no one else knew was that the day before, Akira had leveled up — a lot.
Way more than usual.
And that became obvious the moment he stepped inside the classroom.
A strange, dense, dark pressure filled the air.
It wasn't reiatsu, nor simple spiritual presence.
It was something deeper… something older.
Three people reacted immediately.
The first two, as expected, were Rukia and Ichigo. Both turned their heads sharply, locking their eyes on Akira. The energy radiating from him wasn't normal.
The third person was subtler — he only glanced sideways, but it didn't go unnoticed.
A slim young man, average height, thin-framed glasses, pale skin, and dark bluish hair parted in two neat strands over his forehead. He didn't say a word. His cold, analytical eyes simply followed Akira in silence.
When Akira walked past Rukia, she felt a chill run down her spine.
It wasn't fear, exactly — but it was unpleasant, as if something profane had brushed against her soul.
For an instant, Rukia thought she saw a dark mist surrounding the black-haired boy.
An evil aura that definitely had nothing to do with spiritual energy.
"Something's wrong… that boy… I can feel something dark coming from him."
Rukia thought grimly, her eyes never leaving Akira as he sat down casually, as if nothing had happened.
She couldn't look away. Something deep within her whispered a warning, though she couldn't quite understand what it meant. It wasn't fear — after all, she was a Shinigami, even inside a gigai — but rather an inexplicable unease that spread through her chest every time she looked at him.
"Rukia…" Ichigo tapped her shoulder lightly, snapping her out of her trance.
"You okay? You were staring at that guy… You feel something weird?"
He'd felt it too — that strange heaviness when Akira entered — though not as strong as Rukia had, and he definitely hadn't seen that dark aura.
"It's nothing…" Rukia replied, still not taking her eyes off Akira. "Do you know his name?"
Ichigo followed her gaze and spotted Akira sitting at his desk, his expression neutral, almost bored. He raised an eyebrow, intrigued by Rukia's sudden interest.
"I think his name's Akira… He's the guy who kicked Kon's ass the first time he was in my body," Ichigo said, recalling the story the plush had told him — half amused, half annoyed.
Ichigo (teasing): "Why? Don't tell me you like him or something?"
Rukia shot him a cold glare, too unamused to even respond to his teasing. She wasn't in the mood for jokes — not when every instinct as a Shinigami screamed that there was something very wrong about that boy.
"It's nothing…" she said finally, looking away from Akira.
Still, that unsettling feeling didn't fade. It lingered, like a quiet whisper in her soul.
Meanwhile, Akira sat completely relaxed, totally unaware of the tension he caused in Rukia.
His mind was occupied with far more… existential thoughts.
"I wonder… does dry water exist?"
He asked himself with dead-serious curiosity.
He knew perfectly well it was a stupid question — but he didn't really have much else to do at that moment, so… why not?
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End of Chapter