Princess Fischl

Chapter 26

A little girl of 3 years old with blond hair and green eyes looked in bewilderment as her uncle, a typical black-haired Japanese man on her father's side, collected the bones of her recently cremated parents' bodies into an Urn.

She did not yet understand what death meant, that she would not see them again, although it was unlikely that life would change much for her, almost from birth she was raised by her uncle, while her parents were on countless business trips.

At last, the man with red eyes finished collecting and, closing the urn with ashes, turned to the girl.

- Well, Fischl, shall we go home? - the man tried to force a smile.

- Good, uncle.

Seven years passed, the girl turned out to be surprisingly independent and quite smart, in elementary school the teachers could not get enough of how good she was both in sports and in her studies, but she had one problem. In Japan, this is called the eighth-grader syndrome, and children can be very cruel, especially to those they envy, so at the age of 10, she became a recluse. Her uncle could not persuade the girl to go to school again, so she ended up being homeschooled, fortunately, because her parents left a considerable inheritance.

May 2018

In the hospital room, next to the bed sat a 14-year-old girl, one of her eyes was covered with a black bandage, but even the bandage could not hold back the tears that were steadily pouring out of her eyes.

- Don't cry, Amy, - the man said in a weak voice.

- But...

- Amy, - the man repeated a little more firmly, and then continued in a softer voice. - Will you fulfill your uncle's last request?

Seeing a decisive nod, the man continued. - Start going to school, I know you're very smart, but you need to learn how to communicate with people. Can you promise me that?

- Yes, Uncle, I promise. - the girl said tearfully.

- I'm glad. - The man relaxed as if a huge burden had been lifted from his soul, then a few seconds later his heart stopped and the devices began to squeal disgustingly.

- Uncle! - the girl began to sob, but she knew that it was only a matter of time, since cancer, unfortunately, is not curable.

***

Well, I didn't like waking up today, not at all. I knew that I should have had memories of the local Fischl, but why the hell did they throw so much emotional burden at me on top of that.

"The system, what the hell! Didn't you say that the memories would come gradually!" - I complained, expressing my displeasure with all my appearance, and headed to the bathroom, where my face with tear-stained eyes greeted me in the mirror.

"Due to the fact that most of the memories were monotonous, it was possible to download the memory in full." - the system answered as if not understanding the essence of my indignation, making me even more angry.

"In the next worlds, I don't care how you do it, but there shouldn't be such crap as in this one, just make the documents, and I'll somehow find the means to live!"

"Accepted."

"What? Did it really work?" - I was so surprised that I even forgot to be angry about the fact that I was forced to live another life overnight, and not a particularly pleasant one, and they also added the sadness of losing a loved one.

"This system was created 10 cycles ago to make the path easier for its incarnations with the most promising input data. Therefore, such a request is not a problem."

- Hmm-hmm, as expected from the past me. - I said proudly before starting my morning exercise.

It was now about 8 am and, frankly speaking, since I hadn't heard anything about what time we were going to gather today, except that we would all go together to pick up another student who would be in the class with us, I doubted that the rest would get up early. However, since I had already gotten up and dressed, I could go to the kitchen to cook up some meat. Honestly, right now my soul is in the ordinary fried meat.

Entering the kitchen, which was more like a small dining room, I took out pork, vegetable oil, the most ordinary salt and a frying pan from the inventory, I didn't need to cook anything fancy now, just ordinary fried meat that I cut into thin strips.

- Mmm, what a pleasant smell, what are you cooking? - I heard Satoru Gojo's voice behind me.

- Nothing special, just regular fried meat, if you want I'll fry it for you too. Good morning, by the way.

- I'll be grateful and yes, good morning. - the magician sat down at the nearest table.

- Do you want me to boil some water for tea or will you make do with milk like me?

- Can you offer me some coffee?

- Only instant coffee, will that be okay? - I asked, taking out the meat again to add more to the frying pan.

- Hmm, I think so, yes. - Having heard his answer, I took out the kettle this time and filled it with water, putting it on to heat.

- It's convenient, but you have this ability.

- Yes, indeed.

- How about holding Sukuna's fingers with you?

- I'd rather refuse. - I grimaced slightly. I don't want to find out what will happen if I even accidentally pull out Sukuna's finger in the Nasuverse, the counter guards from Alaya are not the kind of creatures I want to fight.

- As you say.

Soon the meat was finally fried, and I divided it into two plates, one for myself and one for the teacher.

- Bread? - I suggested, taking out the voiced from the inventory.

- That would be nice. - they answered me.

- Bad dream? - apparently noticing the slight redness in my eyes.

- Yes. - I simply answered, simultaneously thinking that I somehow never tried to feed Oz until now. So why not do it now, especially since I fried more than enough meat, after all, on an empty stomach you want everything and more, especially tasty things.

- Oz. - I called the raven that appeared next to me in a purple flash, thereby attracting Satoru's interested gaze.

- Teacher, allow me to introduce you to my familiar Ozvaldo Hrafnavins. You already know my teacher's Oz.

- It is an honor for me to meet you, Satoru Gojo. - Oz spoke. By the way, I only just now noticed that when Oz and I started speaking Japanese, our voices are quite similar to those in the Japanese voice acting of Genshin.

- Hm, nice to meet you too. Oz and Fischl, funny. - the magician grinned.

- Funny? - I asked again.

- Right now, neither you nor your familiar feel a gram of cursed energy, I suppose you summoned those lightning bolts in a similar way?

- Yes.

- Where do you get the cursed energy from then?

- Well, I convert my energy inside myself, into those that I am familiar with.

- Hm, interesting. Show me how much maximum you can convert of cursed energy.

- Um, okay. - As I was asked, I converted all the energy available to me into cursed. - Done.

- Hmm. Not enough. - the teacher said slightly disappointed. - With such an amount, you won't even be able to use blue in full form.

- Well, I literally just recently received my sh... my power and my reserve will grow even more. - I began to explain, while hastily correcting myself when I almost said about the eye of God, which, by the way, is still in my inventory.

- I see. - Having made some unknown conclusions for himself, the magician answered with a smile on his face.

Then breakfast passed almost in complete silence and at the end, when I started washing the dishes, I was told about the gathering time.

***

Tokyo, Harajuku district, noon.

Near a small shop you could see a group of 3 teenagers, who were waiting for someone while eating ice cream.

- And still I don't understand how it's possible that there were only 4 first-year students? - Itadori spoke, who was dressed in a brand new college uniform, which differed from Megumi's uniform only in that he had an additional white hood.

- Have you met many people who can see curses? - Megumi answered the question with a question.

- Well, in principle, the question, Itadori has the right to exist, there are all sorts of clans of magicians, do they really not have young people who would go to a magic college? - I asked in turn. By the way, he was also in a brand new suit, he was right, in my opinion, it was quite unusual. A black women's tailcoat with a high collar, black leggings, long black boots, all in the same tone and a white shirt under the tailcoat, although I like it. I even did my hair in imitation of Djinn, gathering my hair in a ponytail and leaving only a small fringe that covered my forehead, and two strands that fell on my cheeks. I'm sure that despite the color and, unlike the deputy master, a completely closed tailcoat, everyone in Mondstadt will think that I'm imitating Djinn.

- Most clans prefer to train mages inside, with rare exceptions. - Fushiguro did not hesitate to answer.

- By the way, the uniform was made just in time, and it fits perfectly. But my uniform is different from Fushiguro's uniform, there is even a hood. - Itadori said in a satisfied voice.

- Well, if you have any requests, we can change the uniform. - Teacher Gojo suddenly approached us.

- But, I did not make any orders. - Yuji said in surprise.

- That's because I made an order for you with Fischl. - After the teacher's words, the three of them turned their attention to me.

- That explains a lot - Megumi said.

- Yes, I basically like this uniform, although I can't help but admit that in a modern city it looks a little out of place, as if I were wearing cosplay. - I answered with a shrug, and then, after thinking for a moment, asked another question. - Do you think that if my uniform still looks like cosplay, it's okay if I summon Oz?

- It's not worth it, unlike shikigami, ordinary people will be able to see him. - Fushiguro immediately answered, before asking the teacher a question that clearly worried him more. - More importantly, why are we meeting in Harajuku?

- She said that she wants to meet here. - the teacher answered.

- Popcorn! I want popcorn! - Itadori shouted happily, excited to walk around the area, which is quite popular among young people and various cosplayers, this area is also popular in the world of fashion and many fashion designers take inspiration from here.

- Oh, and here is our fourth. - After half an hour of walking, Gojo said, drawing our attention to the direction in which he was looking.

- I suppose this is what the standard female uniform should look like? - I asked, looking at a short girl with short red hair, brown eyes and thin eyebrows, dressed in a dark short jacket with three buttons in the middle, long sleeves and a low collar, as well as a dark skirt to the knees.

- Yes. - Megumi answered me.

Meanwhile, a rather funny scene began to unfold before our eyes. A man dressed in a white suit approached a passerby, who was quite pretty and obviously dressed in expensive brands, with an offer to become a model, but unfortunately for him, the girl refused.

- You don't even agree to chat a little? - the man asked after the girl leaving, slightly upset, when suddenly he was grabbed by the shoulder and squeezed quite hard.

- Hey, you. - having started in this way, our new classmate clearly made the man worried, and then, pointing the thumb of her right hand at herself, asked. - What about me?

- What about me? - the man repeated after the girl, perplexed.

- What about the modeling business! I'm asking, what about me?

- No, um... I'm in a hurry...

- What is it? Don't run away from me! Tell me straight!

- Are we really going to get to this now? - Megumi asked us.

- How embarrassing. - Itadori said, holding popcorn in one hand and a drink in the other, while also wearing sunglasses that had the shape of 2018.

- You're talking. - Fushiguro looked at him with disdain.

- Come on, Fushiguro, let him have fun. - I said, eating ice cream with pistachios, earning a displeased look from the guy.

- Hey, over here. - the teacher called the new girl.

- Let's walk a little. - the girl immediately said, approaching us, clearly not wanting to listen to the people around her discuss her failure.

After about five minutes, we reached a place where, surprisingly, there were almost no people, and the girl finally decided to introduce herself.

- I am Kugisaki Nobara. The most beautiful flower of this group. - the girl introduced herself, causing me slight displeasure, after all, I am more than confident in my appearance, but perhaps I will not be so petty and I already know that her character is not sugar.

- I am Itadori Yuji. I am from Sendai. - Itadori introduced himself in a friendly manner.

- Fushiguro Megumi. - Fushiguro introduced himself with a neutral face.

- You can just call me Fischl or Emi, anyway, my last name will soon change, and most people will simply not remember my current one. - I introduced myself, trying to make a friendly face.

"Of these three, this one is definitely a naive fool, he is probably the type of person who can eat his own booger like a child. As for the second one, only from his name it is clear that he has a mind of his own. He looks like a person who can set fire to gasoline with a torch with a calm face. And this girl, clearly a chuunibyou, dressed up in cosplay, and even wears an eye patch, she'll probably talk nonsense about a seal that seals her true power." - that's exactly what Kugisaki thinks about us.

- And yet I'm unlucky with my surroundings. - the girl sighed, irritating even Itadori.

- Hehehe, I finally gathered all four students. And, besides, three of them are from the village. - Satoru said with a satisfied face.

- Are we going somewhere? - Megumi asked.

- Of course. We're going for a walk in Tokyo!

- Tokyo! - Itadori and Nobara exclaimed in unison, their eyes literally sparkling with happiness.

- I want to go to Disneyland! Disneyland!

- You're an idiot, Disneyland in Chiba! Let's go to Chinatown, sensei!

- Chinatown in Yokohama, you know!

- Yokohama is in Tokyo, actually.

The two of them immediately pounced on the teacher before arguing with each other, while Megumi and I watched this obscenity from the sidelines.

- They are, however, excited. - I said, greatly underestimating their state.

- … - Megumi decided to just keep quiet.

- Well, let me tell you where we are going. - Satoru said, clearly amused by Itadori and Nobara's reaction, after which they suddenly dropped to one knee like knights taking an oath and prepared to listen.

- We are going to Roppongi.

- Roppongi? - the couple joyfully exclaimed again in sync. Seriously, with their synchronicity, it's time to expect them to become a couple.

***

Half an hour later, Roppongi.

- And there is a curse here, right? - Megumi asked when we stopped in front of an abandoned building, from which the cursed energy was felt.

- You're a liar! - Itadori and Nobara shouted in unison.

- Don't you dare make fun of us! - the angry girl continued to shout. While Itadori was already thinking about something completely different and listening attentively to the teacher.

- You see this big building, it's abandoned and a curse lives there.

- And I thought they gathered in cemeteries.

- The problem isn't the cemeteries. The problem is in the minds of people who think that cemeteries are scary. - Megumi intervened.

- Ah, I get it.

- Wait a second, this guy doesn't know such trivialities? - Nobara suddenly asked.

- Actually... - Megumi began to explain Itadori's situation.

- He swallowed a cursed object?! Horrible! How disgusting! How unhygienic!

- What did you say? - Itadori got a little angry.

- Actually, she's right. - Megumi and I said at the same time.

- Guys. - Satoru drew attention to himself. - I want to know how far you're willing to go. Consider this a kind of practice test.

- Nobara, Yuji. You both go and destroy the curse inside this building.

- Um, what about me? - I asked, realizing that my name was not called.

- There's no need for that, after what you did at Yuji's old school, such a test is unnecessary.

- Um, okay.

- What did she do? - Nobara immediately asked, but she was ignored and Yuji asked a much more pressing question.

- Teacher, isn't a curse exorcised with another curse? I can't use magic.

- You're already half a curse. Magic power flows inside your body, but you can't control it right away. So use this. - The teacher said before handing Itadori a knife whose blade was wrapped in bandages.

- Whoa. - The boy exclaimed as he removed the bandages from the weapon, whose blade was only slightly longer than Itadori's head.

- This cursed item is called "Demon Slayer". It is a magical weapon imbued with magic. It is very effective against curses.

- Oh, and one more thing - Satoru spoke again when Itadori and Nobara had already headed into the building.

- You have to suppress Sukuna, otherwise the people around you might get hurt.

- Get moving! - Nobara shouted at Itadori, who was still lingering.

- I thought I was going with them too - Megumi said after the pair left.

- Don't overdo it. You're still recovering.

- But shouldn't we be keeping an eye on Itadori? - Fushiguro asked.

- Well, yes, but this time we're checking on Nobara.

- About Yuji... he's a little crazy. As scary and dangerous as a curse. If a curse tries to kill him. He'll get rid of them without regret. He has no experience with curses, but being an ordinary high school student recently, he's no longer paralyzed by fear. I'm sure you've seen talented mages who couldn't overcome their fears. I want to see if she's as crazy as him.

- But Kugisaki has experience. Why shouldn't she be as crazy as him? - Megumi asked.

- Curses are born from people's thoughts. The more the population grows, the more curses increase.

- But unlike the village, in Tokyo the curses are on a completely different level.

- So, are we just going to sit here and wait? - I interrupted Satoru's monologue.

- Well, yeah. For example, I recently found an interesting thing for my phone, just the thing to while away the time. - the teacher answered cheerfully, taking out his smartphone. And a minute later, I literally froze when I heard a familiar sound. The sound of Genshin Impact starting up.

"What the hell! The game wasn't even close to being released this year! And he obviously launched it on purpose in front of me."

- There are some pretty interesting characters here, I especially liked one, I even spent a little of my own money to get it. - Satoru said slowly, and soon I heard a voice so similar to mine.

- I am Fischl, the Princess of Condemnation, summoned to this world by fate... What? Are you also a traveler from another world? Well, fine, I will graciously allow you to travel with me.

And then an exact copy of Oz's voice.

- She meant "Hello! It's good to see you."

And then, obviously on purpose, one after another, the lines of my game version. Even Megumi began to look at me strangely.

- Please, stop! - I asked him to stop, burning with shame, because before I got the eye of a god, I really did speak in a similar way!