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Distracted, Yuta watched the car window, barely registering the passing landscape. His thoughts were still in the mall, and the terrifying curse. On the curtain that just wouldn't lower. He and Toge had scrutinized the entire building, looking for any remaining curses that could be causing it to stay up. In the end, they found none, and it took another half an hour for the curtain to break.
Mr. Ijichi had found them weakly holding onto each other, from the strain of using their own cursed energy to shatter it from the inside. He said it couldn't have been the curtain he made - as it could be easily broken in case of danger to the students. And how it made no sense for the specialists to miss a semi-first grade curse while detecting all the under-four. His eyes were wary when taking notes of the holes the creature tore on the concrete. Something – or someone else was at play.
Yuta looked over at the man in the driver's seat. Ijichi was focused on the road, but his expression was still concerned. At least, by his side, Toge had fallen into a peaceful sleep.
...Or, that's what he thought, until he noticed how he shook and mumbled in his seat.
"Uh, Inumaki?" Yuta asked. "Are you okay?"
To the sound of his voice, Toge slightly opened his eyes, in that drowsy, half-asleep expression.
"Do you need to wake up?" He joked.
Toge's eyes snapped open, and his shaking only got worse. He was drawing in short, sharp breaths.
"B-bonito f-..." he mumbled, shortly before bringing a hand to his face, his voice still hoarse from the fight.
"Ijichi!" Yuta exclaimed. The man glanced him from the driver's seat. "Mr. Ijichi, can you stop the car?"
"Sure. What's wrong?" He obeyed, and pulled up on the first spot he could, by some grass.
"Inumaki is..." Yuta couldn't even finish his sentence. Toge sprung the car door open, pulled down his scarf and threw up.
"Oh dear." Ijichi opened his own door and ran to his side. Yuta watched him hold the boy by the shoulders, supporting his trembling weight. Toge was already very pale, but now he looked sickly, pasty with cold sweat.
"What's wrong? Inumaki, was it a curse? Are you hurt?" Yuta was completely unsure what to do, and he hated it.
"Bonit-" was all he could get out before throwing up again.
"It's going to be okay, Yuta." Ijichi reassured him. "I’ve seen this happen before. Under my watch too." With a sigh, he held Toge's chin up and looked at his eyes. "Inumaki, you drank the whole bottle again, didn't you?"
Toge averted his eyes, visibly embarrassed. "Salmon."
Yuta suddenly realized they were talking about the cough medicine he bought at the pharmacy at the start of the day. The one that got his classmate one last word of cursed speech to defeat the monster at the mall, before his throat was completely useless. Only then it occurred to him you probably shouldn't chug a whole bottle. Of any kind of medication.
"Hey, in his defense, he really needed it." Yuta stepped up, coming out of the car. "He saved my life with that bottle."
"I understand." Ijichi sighed. "And I'm sure he knew the consequences to that as well. Which, I respect you kid, it makes you all the braver. But..." he turned to Yuta. "He'll be dealing with a really bad trip for the next couple hours."
“Bad trip?" Yuta blinked. As far as he knew they were only another 10 minutes away from Jujutsu High.
"No, not that kind. I mean, cough syrup is often psychoactive in that dose. He's hallucinating."
Oh no.
"Can you get back in the car?" Ijichi asked, gently. Toge nodded, despite still looking sweaty and sick. "I'll get you home safe as fast as I can. Then we can make you some honey tea."
They got back into the car, and Yuta couldn't look away from the haunted expression in Toge's eyes. He was still breathing sharply. He could only imagine what the poor guy was seeing or hearing.
“You can hold onto me, if you need.” He offered. It was the least he could do. “I promise if what you see is real, I’ll let you know.”
"Mustard leaf." He mumbled.
Somehow, Yuta kind of guessed it wasn't mustard leaf.
