The Robbed (
Summary
With his brother injured and unconscious, Cross impersonates him and continues accompanying Tsurugi and Yuka.
Plot Details
Bloodied and injured, Masaki flees into an alleyway to hide from the jujutsu sorcerers but is found by Usami, who incapacitates him using Cursed Speech. Meanwhile, Cross interrogates Tsurugi about how he learned about the word "neighbors." When Tsurugi reveals that Maru told him, Cross grows furious, declaring that Simurians and humans could never truly understand one another and become neighbors. Later, Usami meets with Cross as Maru is transported for medical treatment and offers to treat him on Earth to avoid revealing his injuries to the Simurians, but Cross refuses. He then removes Maru's eyepatch, taking it for later use. Some time afterward, Tsurugi awakens in a hospital after dreaming of a disappointed Mahito. Cross, disguised as Maru, visits Tsurugi to check on him, and when Tsurugi apologizes for suspecting him of plotting an invasion, Cross is momentarily shaken. Yuka soon joins them, and the three later visit an amusement park Maru had long wanted to see.
Cross begrudgingly spends the day with Tsurugi, Yuka, and Mino at the amusement park. While resting, he catches a boy's balloon before it floats away, prompting the boy to ask where his mother is. After sending Tsurugi and Mino to the lost child desk, Cross and Yuka stay with the boy until his mother arrives. When the boy begins crying, Cross scolds him for crying when his mother is still alive, which only makes him cry harder. Frustrated, Cross performs acrobatics to cheer him up, drawing applause from onlookers. When the mother finally arrives, the boy gifts his Halloween balloon to Cross before leaving. During a discussion about Halloween's origins and faith, Yuka reveals she knows Cross is posing as Maru and asks if he believes in a god. Cross answers that the Simurians do have a religion and revere a divine being.
Yuka then mentions the fumi-e and admits she struggles to understand why Christians once refused to step on an image of their god even under threat of death. Cross counters by asking if she could trample something living instead of a tablet, giving her new perspective. He then accuses shallow-minded people like Yuka of having trampled on the Simurians' way of life and warns her to prepare for retribution. Determined to change his mind, Yuka invites him to go somewhere with her the next day. The following morning, they visit a hospital for Yuka's check-up and learn she has a malignant brain tumor with only six months left to live. Later, while crossing a river, Cross remarks that Yuka's future was stolen by her illness, just as the Simurians' future was taken from them. Yuka uses this shared pain to plead for coexistence between humans and Simurians, insisting that humans are not their enemies, and asks Cross to tell her his story.
Cross dismisses her words as idealistic nonsense. He argues that Simurians "coexisting" with humans would only mean living quietly under human rule, forced to restrain themselves to avoid conflict. Enraged by the thought, he proclaims that he would rather continue stealing than live such a miserable life. But when Yuka asks how long he plans to keep stealing, Cross falters, unable to answer. She tells him that hating others and taking from them is easy, yet it only perpetuates an endless cycle. Yuka then turns around, offering to help end that cycle with Cross.
Character in Order of Appearances
Jujutsu
Author's Comment
| Author's Comment | |
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Yuji Iwasaki |
“What expression should I draw?” is what I pondered while drawing, and I finished without ever coming to a conclusion. | |