A month after Satoru and Este first met had passed.

  Este left the dream realm to visit the awake world looking for the whereabouts of her uncle Baku. The nightmares’ eater went missing a month before, and Madarajin tasked Este with finding out his whereabouts.

  Este arrived at the pce of the incident with Satoru a month ago. It was behind a hospital in a dead-end street. She couldn’t see any traces of dreams in the pce, but she could feel something else that made her uneasy. Then, she tried to remember what happened the night she met Satoru. She went down the street and then up, looked at the buildings and their windows.

  She returned to the end of the street. That was the only pce in which she felt there was something, but couldn’t see anything. She crouched to look where the pavement end and start the hospital’s wall. Then, she touched that space and felt some icy breeze; just for a moment everything went dark. She jumped in a reflex act like a scared cat.

  What was that just now? I felt like I was going to freeze, also an emptiness, when I saw everything dark. I want to see what is behind this wall. Should I go inside the hospital, but how I’m going to get inside it? This is such a pain… oh, I know I can fake an emergency and then escape into the back of the hospital once I’m inside.

  Este walked down the street, then turned right until a corner, then right again and walked up to the emergency entrance of the hospital. There she arrived, faking an intense abdominal pain.

  “Good morning miss!” Este said, showing the nurse at the reception she barely could stand up.

  “Good morning! Could you please tell me your name and then take a sit, a doctor will call you soon to do a first evaluation of your condition.”

  “Okey, thank you. I’m Este Yumesaki.” Este said this in a lower tone of voice.

  She sat and waited for around 20 minutes. While she was waiting thought about what act she was going to perform for the physician. She should avoid being touched and reach the back of the hospital for the wall.

  “Yumesaki-san, please go into the doctor’s office 105 by the hall to the left.”

  Este stood up and walked through a door, behind she found the hall. At the end of the hall, she saw through a window what she was looking for, the back of the hospital. Without thinking too much, she walked as fast as she could; all offices doors were close and that gave her the advantage to pass unseen. She found an emergency exit at the left end of the hall.

  Once outside, she found the hospital’s garden. She didn’t waste time and went directly to the pce that was directly behind the dead-end street. There was a hydrangea with beautiful white flowers, but when Este went near the pnt, she felt again the same icy breeze through her body.

  Again, this feeling of uneasiness, what is with this pnt? I can’t see anything out of the ordinary, but this feeling doesn’t go away. Is this a curse, maybe? I would like to have Satoru’s power to see curses and spirits. Should I get a closer look at this pnt?

  She kneeled intending to inspect over the pnt’s steams, and roots if possible. Just when she had her hand a couple of centimeters close to the pnt, a voice spoke from behind her.

  “Don’t touch it. That pnt is dangerous.”

  Este recognized instantly the voice of a man she never met before that day. Could it be Yuta Okkotsu? Satoru’s student.

  “Is it you Okkotsu?” Este asked without looking at him behind her and kneeling on the grass yet.

  “How do you know my name?” Yuta went on alert and took some distance from her as he noticed she has no curse energy.

  “I understand why you are wary of me… there is no reason to be…” Este thought if she should go, saying casually that she was Satoru’s friend.

  Now what should I say? I know Satoru doesn’t speak to others about me, and it’s not because of the disbelief. He just doesn’t want anyone to know, so I can’t be a target of those three cns or his own enemies… but this person is his student.

  “Yuta Okkotsu, and Rika Orimoto. Please don’t be wary of me. I want to expin, but I can’t because I could endanger you if I did.” She spoke still without looking at him.

  “Answer me, how do you know my name and about Rika-chan?” Yuta asked, this time with an aggressive attitude.

  This is one of those moments in which I wish Satoru was with me. What a pain I will have to reveal my eyes again. I can’t be here wasting time. Este resolved to take off her gsses and let Okkotsu to see her eyes, and then make a little of expining. She stood up and finally face him.

  “You see my eyes. I know you can see I have no cursed energy. I’m not a normal person, but I don’t have a Heavenly Restriction either.”

  “I can see you’re no regur human being, but that doesn’t answer my questions yet. What are you doing here?” Yuta asked, this time with his katana in his hands.

  I guess I have no other option but to get out of this mess. I’ll let Satoru to expin. He will know what to say to Yuta better than I could. Este ran out of options, and she knew Okkotsu could attack her at any moment.

  “Call to Satoru now and pass me your phone so that I can speak to him. He will answer to all your questions.”

  “So, you know about Gojo-sensei too. Stay right there while I call him.” Yuta kept his aggressive attitude towards Este.

  I guess I have no other option than to call Gojo-sensei. As this looks, she knows him. Who on earth is this person?

  “Hey, Gojo-sensei! Sorry to call you out of the blue, but I have a situation here. There is someone with strange eyes in front of me who denies answering my questions…” Yuta passed his phone to Este without getting too close to her.

  “Satoru, it has been a long time. I guess you can tell who I am. No need to tell you anything else. Can I put you on speaker that you can talk to Okkotsu?” Este talked to Satoru.

  “Okey, Yuta, this is Este Yumesaki. We know each other. I will tell you more about her ter. For now, know she maybe needs your help, and you need hers. So, please take care of things where you are. Also, please never speak about her to anyone other than me. Talk to you ter.” Those were Satoru’s only words for Yuta and Este.

  “I understand Gojo-sensei.”

  Este returned the phone to Yuta.

  “I won’t ask you anything else, as I see sensei trust you. I apologize if I was rude to you, too.”

  “It’s ok, I would act the same way you did if I was in your position, Yuta. Now, let’s talk about our reasons for being here.” Este said, while showing a smile on her face.

  “I’m here because that pnt is emanating a significant amount of cursed energy. This looks like this is a portal or something like that, because the pnt isn’t the curse itself.”

  “I felt an icy breeze sensation towards my whole body, when I touched the space between the end of the pavement and the wall on the other side of this wall.” Este said this while putting on her gsses.

  “I see. Let me do what you were trying to do before I interrupted you.” Yuta crouched in front of the pnt and started observing everything.

  “Huh... Also, my vision went dark when I touched that space. That made me to jump out of the pce.”

  “Yumesaki-san, I know I said I wouldn’t ask, but why are you here?”

  “Please, just call me Este. I’m not used to the Japanese honorifics because I didn’t grow up here, and I enjoy being called by my first name. I’m looking for a missing person… a retive of mine.”

  “Este, stay behind me. I’ll give you my phone if something happens when I touched the pnt. Please call Gojo-sensei if I don’t return in twenty minutes.” Yuta looked at her, showing concern for her.

  “Okey, do you think people from the hospital will come looking for us?”

  “No, they already know why I’m here, so no need to worry about them. Let’s get this over with.” Yuta touched the flower soon after saying this.

  Este saw him vanish involved into a bck fog, then the pnt turned bck. She finally saw something through her gsses. This was a golden thread, like a vein with gold running through it that came from the soil, down the pnt.

  This can be uncle Baku. I can see that thread just through the gsses. But where did Yuta go? Is this a curse? Should I pull from the thread to see if this can bring Yuta back? I’m going to do it. Este thought and do it.

  She pulled the thread once, and then twice more. She pulled repeatedly until it completely covered her left hand. Then, she observed the wall was turning bck too.

  I guess it’s time to call Satoru. It has been twenty minutes. I don’t understand what is happening here. This is one of those moments I wish I could see yokai and curses. What a pain. While thinking, Este took Yuta’s phone and called Satoru again. The phone rang three times, then went to voice inbox. She tried again, and this time it rang twice before he answered.

  “Satoru, is that you?”

  “Este, where is Yuta? Why are you calling from his phone?” Satoru asked.

  “He has disappeared before my eyes twenty-five minutes ago and counting.”

  “Where are you? I’m going there right now.”

  “I’m inside the hospital by the dead-end street we met for the first time.”

  Satoru hanged up the phone and seconds ter there he was at the hospital. He surprised Este from behind, touching her shoulder.

  “Oh! Satoru, don’t scare me like that.” Este said short of breath.

  “Can you expin the situation quickly?”

  Este expined everything that happened right until the moment he arrived.

  “You said you can see the thread through your gsses, but I can’t see it. Could you lend me your gsses for a minute?” Satoru asked, taking off his bck blindfold.

  “Of course, here you have.” Este passed her gsses to him, so he could see the golden thread.

  “I think it’s clear that this thread has something to do with Baku, but there is something else to it, right?” Este said.

  “Yeah, I guess Yuta was right, and the pnt is acting like a portal or more like a barrier. Which means maybe a curse is involved too.”

  “I’m worried about Yuta. What should we do?” Este asked while her face turned pale.

  “Este, are you right? You don’t look well. You are as white as a paper sheet.”

  “Satoru, I feel I’m going to vanish at any moment. I feel like I’m going away.” Este was dropping asleep.

  “Hey, Este, don’t pass out on me!” Satoru shook her, trying to awake her.

  “Satoru, I’m sorry for being a burden to you again.” Saying this, she fell asleep with the thread in her hand.

  Satoru stood up in front of the now bck hydrangea pnt with Este in his arms. It brings back memories, having you in my arms like this, Este. I don’t want to leave you here while I go looking for Yuta, but I have no other option. I will take you inside the hospital, but first I should take this thread from your hand.

  Satoru tried to take off the thread from her hand, but he couldn’t. He tried to cut it, that didn’t work either. I guess I should take her just like this inside the hospital. I would come back as soon as possible. Please be well. Satoru took Este into the hospital and asked everyone to leave her alone. He looked the door of the private room in which he left Este and took the key with him.

  After leaving Este inside the hospital, Satoru went directly to the hydrangea pnt. He kept Este’s gsses to see whatever he could find that belonged to Baku or the dream realm. In just seconds, he was involved in the same bck fog that trapped Yuta, and the icy breeze felt by Este. He went into a dark pce, following the golden thread.

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  Author’s Notes

  Heavenly Restriction.

  I know if you’re fan of JJK you already know what it’s about. However, I don’t want to assume everyone knows what it’s about.

  It’s a type of cursed energy restriction. It works in two ways. In the case of Toji Zen-in and Maki Zen-in, who possessed zero cursed energy, their bodies were guaranteed physical prowess and superhuman five senses. Now, in the case of Kokichi Muta (Mechamaru), who was born without his right arm, no lower part of his legs and extra sensitive skin. He possessed a great amount of cursed energy to make up for his human body's weaknesses.

  In both cases, heavenly restriction is a bonding vow pced on a sorcerer when they are born.

  Este is an exception in the JJK world because she’s in a pne between the awake world and the dream realm. Being half human and half goddess, she has zero cursed energy and not physical prowess. So, no binding vow was pced on her since birth.

  I mentioned in chapter 3 that Este can fight at the same level as Satoru in the dream realm. This is because of her acquisition of Satoru’s memories and experiences; she must train yet to reach Satoru’s physical endurance.

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