"Hm?"
Haibara and Ijichi, who were devouring their food like starving wolves, froze mid-bite and turned toward the direction of the scream.
At the same time, everyone noticed that the boy they had been following had already started running toward the source of the noise.
"Could it be…"
"Yeah. That cursed spirit is behind this. It was brief, but I definitely felt its presence when the woman screamed." Nanami confirmed, setting down his utensils.
Though he hated overtime, his attention had never once drifted from the boy. What irritated him most was that even at such close range, he hadn't been able to stop the curse from activating that strange technique.
"No rush. Finish eating first."
When the others looked to Mukuro, he was still calmly eating, not the least bit shaken.
Since he was the leader of the group, the rest naturally followed his lead. They continued eating while keeping an eye on Shinichi from the corner of their eyes as he began inspecting the scene.
Anyone trying to leave out of fear or superstition was quickly stopped by the boy.
"A murder just happened here. If you don't want to be treated as suspects, please sit down and wait a moment. I'll handle this quickly!"
His expression was serious but filled with confidence.
"So that's the famous high school detective? Gotta admit, he's got some charm," Haibara said, chewing a mouthful of food while still managing to comment.
To their surprise, the boy's efficiency was impressive.
* * *
About half an hour later, just as a slightly overweight police officer entered with his team to begin investigating, Shinichi had already laid out his reasoning.
"As expected of you, Kudo. Still sharp as ever! How about joining the force after graduation?"
After confirming that the deduction was correct and the evidence solid, the officer laughed heartily, patting the boy's shoulder. But inside, he sighed to himself. 'Why does this kid show up everywhere trouble happens?'
"I'll pass. I still prefer being a detective," Shinichi replied bluntly before turning back toward his table. His childhood friend was still waiting for him, after all.
Yet the moment he turned, his eyes met Mukuro's group.
'Being followed?' Shinichi narrowed his eyes and strode toward them.
"Didn't expect to see you all again here. Is there something I can help you with?"
He extended his hand politely, keeping a friendly smile.
"We do need your help," Mukuro said flatly.
He didn't shake the offered hand. Instead, with a faint motion, a thin line of blood appeared across Shinichi's palm.
"What's the meaning of this?" Shinichi frowned, glancing at his hand. The wound was shallow, but the unprovoked gesture annoyed him.
"Shinichi! What are you trying to do to him?!"
The girl with horn-like hair rushed to his side the instant she saw him injured, taking up a karate stance.
"Your friend's possessed. We're here to handle it."
"You're the ones who need help!"
Haibara tried to explain in simpler terms, but the girl lashed out like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, throwing a punch at him.
Pa!
Her strike, quick and fierce to a normal person, was casually blocked by Nanami, who then looked toward Shinichi's shoulder.
There, a grotesque creature resembling a rotting frog peeked out, sensing danger.
"Shinichi Kudo, haven't you ever wondered why crimes happen everywhere you go?" Mukuro asked with a hint of exasperation.
He had originally planned to force the curse out by taking control of the boy's body, but the thing seemed aware enough to start fleeing on its own.
"Isn't it obvious? I'm a great detective. Cases call out to me!" Shinichi proudly declared.
But as he was about to boast further, he followed Mukuro's gaze downward, and found himself staring straight into the bulging eyes of a tiny monster clinging to his shoulder.
"What is that?!"
Panicking, he reached out to grab it, but the curse leapt from his body and shot into the air.
"Let me handle thi—"
"Use cursed energy to protect your body!"
Seeing how small it was, Haibara instinctively jumped up to catch it. But Nanami sensed something wrong and shouted a warning.
"Hate! Kill! Destroy!"
The curse's spiraling eyes spun wildly as it chanted, activating its technique.
In an instant, the restaurant's mood shifted.
All the negative emotions people had buried, hatred, anger, resentment, surged to the surface like a tidal wave.
Couples, families, and friends who'd come to enjoy their meals started arguing over the smallest past grievances. A full brawl was only moments away.
"Damn you, Shinichi! All you ever think about is solving cases! You're such an idiot!"
The horn-haired girl who had been protecting Shinichi turned furiously, grabbing his collar and shouting.
"You're the one who doesn't get it! Can't you understand what it means to be a detective?" he yelled back.
Their quarrel, while loud, almost sounded refined compared to the chaos erupting around them.
Mukuro's teammates weren't spared from the curse's influence either. Though their reactions were a bit… different.
"I'm useless… I can't do anything right…" Ijichi dropped to his knees, overcome by a wave of self-loathing.
"Crap! I forgot to wash my laundry in the dorm!" Haibara groaned. His thoughts were simple, even amplified negativity couldn't change that.
"Damn this job! Being a sorcerer is garbage!" Nanami's voice was tense. Despite being an excellent grade 2 sorcerer, the curse had stirred his hatred for work again. He quickly used cursed energy to shield his mind, but still couldn't resist grumbling.
"It doesn't seem capable of direct attacks," Mukuro muttered. "But this technique alone is enough to cause a headache."
Even experienced sorcerers could fall victim to it if caught off guard. If the curse were allowed to grow freely, it could become more troublesome than some special grade curses.
But…
"Sleep."
The number "1" flashed in Mukuro's right eye.
A sudden wave of dizziness hit everyone like a drop from a great height. The overwhelming vertigo crushed their negative emotions, and one by one, every ordinary person in the restaurant collapsed unconscious.
"Your turn, Ijichi." Mukuro turned around, ready to let his junior handle his first real mission.
But his illusion had been too strong; Haibara was already hunched over a trash can, vomiting violently, and Ijichi lay flat on the ground, completely out cold.
"You went a little overboard," Nanami said, managing to stay standing through sheer willpower.
"Guess so." Mukuro scratched his head with a sigh.
Then a white dove swooped down from the ceiling. The curse, still unaware of what was happening, was swallowed whole in a single bite.
"No strong cursed energy, no innate technique. Maybe this line of work isn't right for him," Nanami murmured, kneeling to help lift Ijichi onto his back with Mukuro's help.
As an upperclassman, he couldn't imagine what would happen if their only first-year had faced a curse like that alone.
"It's fine. Everyone hits walls in life. Whether he makes it or not, chasing his dream is what matters."
With the mission complete, Mukuro glanced once at the unconscious detective, then grabbed the half-conscious Haibara and prepared to leave.
The rookie initiation ceremony had officially come to an end.
**
**
**
Thank you for reading! If you'd like access to extra chapters and want to support my work, you can visit my P@treon:
P@treon/SilverShark769
Vote with Power Stones for Bonus Chapters!
Your support means a lot, thank you!