"I'm gonna die a virgin."
For twenty years, Shin had lived under a curse far too absurd to tell anyone.
A curse that made women gasp, panic, and suddenly remember an early morning appointment.
Many assumptions about him were usually made when he complained about his virginity on the internet as a 21-year-old.
Unlike what many assumed, Shin wasn't ugly, nor was he fat, or short.
Quite the opposite.
Standing at 6'2, clean-cut, with a gym-rat physique, big blue eyes, and cheekbones that could make a world-renowned statue jealous, he was everything but the stereotypical virgin.
In fact, women often fawned over him in the streets. Going downtown at night was actually problematic for him, especially on Fridays and Saturdays. Drunk women, younger and older, threw themselves at him left and right.
Yet somehow, every date ended with the same mortifying sentence,
"It's not you, it's… that."
After twenty-three failures caused by the same exact problem, Shin had stopped counting and started praying. Maybe celibacy was his destiny. Maybe God had looked at him and said, "Too much, my son. You should have left some for the rest of them."
Presently, Shin was halfway through his night shift at a twenty-four-hour convenience store. The fluorescent lights hummed like dying flies, the register dinged whenever someone bought instant noodles, and the security camera caught him zoning out every five minutes.
A woman approached the counter. She was in her mid-twenties, had a confident smile, and wore a strong, flowery perfume. She leaned forward just enough to make her intentions known.
"Hey, you," she whispered, sliding her groceries across the scanner. "When are you getting off?" She asked with an innocent face, though her voice and eyes were all but innocent.
Shin forced a polite grin. "Depends. I've got shelves to restock. Big shelves."
"I see." She chuckled. "You can make time to help me get the groceries to my car first, right?"
He could already see where this was going. Might be a new woman, but it would still go the same way.
He would carry her bags, flirt with her on the way, start making out against the car or inside of it, he would drive her home, maybe while she blew him, they would get naked, and… An awkward apology will precede a taxi ride of shame.
His job as a cashier had actually given him tremendous success in securing some adventures. Unfortunately, they never ended well.
"Sorry," he said, scanning her last item. "Manager's watching."
He handed her the receipt with a professional smile that hid a decade of despair.
"Your loss," she murmured, dejected, and walked out into the night.
The automatic doors hissed shut. Shin exhaled. "Yeah. Story of my life."
He turned to restock canned coffee when the air suddenly thickened. The refrigerator lights flickered. Every electronic device in the store buzzed in unison.
[You have been Chosen.]
"...?"
A translucent screen had suddenly appeared above the counter, blue letters floating. Shin blinked.
[You have Awakened the Depraved Cursed Spirit Exorcist System.]
"Huh?"
[From today onwards, you are an Exorcist.]
'Am I supposed to fight ghosts or something?'
[Urgent Quest: Go to your old High School as soon as possible.]
'Ha! Right, like I can get off work whenever I-'
"Oh. I was just looking for you, Shin." The store's owner gestured for him to come closer. "I'll take it from here. Go home and rest."
"Hm? Ms. Takizawa, I'm only halfway through my night shift though."
"You had a whole shift during the day! Come on, you're free to go."
Shin's suspiciously lingered on the floating words.
[Urgent Quest: Go to your old High School as soon as possible.]
After all, why not?
'Not like I have anything better to do. Good thing it's 10 pm, though. If I'd been told to go to my old High School during the day, I would have refused right away. How creepy would I look going there?' He sighed to himself.
***
The streets were mostly empty. Only vending machines and passing trains broke the silence. The System's arrow floated ahead, leading the way.
By the time Shin reached the school gates, rain had started to fall.
"Just great." He whispered with a chuckle.
He looked through the gates, and the school almost looked abandoned.
'Well, it is 11 pm.'
Shin's eyes narrowed.
All the classrooms were dark except for one on the ground floor, where a faint light flickered.
Shin hesitated, his gaze moving towards the arrow above.
"It's pointing directly towards that classroom." He gulped. "This is how horror movies start," he muttered.
Still, Shin couldn't ignore the beating of his heart. Excitement and nervousness mixed.
He swiftly jumped over the gates, walked across the court, and crept along the corridor, sneakers squeaking on damp tile. The closer he got, the more the air thinned, as if there was a large difference in altitude, as if he was climbing a mountain.
Every hair on his body stood on end, seemingly for no reason.
Finally, he arrived next to the classroom's window. Shin crouched, slowly raising himself to peek.
'What…?'
It was only when the only working light flickered that Shin could see inside.
'I must have seen wrong.' He shook his head.
The light flickered again, and there was no denying it.
His old math teacher, Mr. Jones. He was hanging against the blackboard. Not standing, hanging.
The man's feet dangled half a meter above the floor, body defying gravity, or pinned by god knows what.
"Help me!" the teacher croaked, eyes wide with terror. "It won't… It won't… Let me go!"
Shin froze as the desks inside the classroom trembled, and as papers fluttered.
The System chimed again.
[Cursed Spirit has been detected.]
Shin's pulse hammered. His eyes started to sting and, slowly, the outline of something started to-
"What are you doing here?" A soft, feminine voice echoed from behind him. She was whispering, and was close enough for him to feel her breath.
Shin turned.
She seemed no older than he was, maybe a bit younger. Long, blueish hair and soft features.
From her waist hung a katana in its sheath.
'What the fuck?' Shin thought to himself.
The young woman blinked. "Are you an Exorcist?" She asked with a frown.
Gulp-
Shin's gaze moved towards the katana hanging from her waist.
[From today onwards, you are an Exorcist.]
"Apparently." He answered, causing her frown to deepen.