Yu Haibara wore a pair of silver brass knuckles. Just as he was about to finish off the enemy, he suddenly remembered that he was currently teaching students.
"Although in class we say that 'Cursed Energy flows inside a Jujutsu Sorcerer's body,' Cursed Energy is actually born from negative emotions, which means it's a mental product. Because of that, everyone experiences Cursed Energy differently.
Because of my technique, my Cursed Energy gathers in a specific place when I store it. That lets me clearly sense the difference in Cursed Energy levels. For me, the relationship between Cursed Energy and my body is like electricity and a capacitor.
That means when I 'charge' and 'discharge,' I'm faster than most Jujutsu Sorcerers, and my output is higher too!"
Yu Haibara clenched his fists and took a fighting stance, one forward and one back.
Inhale.
Steady the breath.
Turn.
Straight punch!
Cursed Energy burst out along with the force of the punch, creating an explosive effect like a shell detonating. The white "Cursed Spirit" was blown apart instantly!
"Awesome!"
Yuji Itadori watched the scene with sparkling eyes and shouted his praise.
Yu Haibara turned back toward him and gave a thumbs up. Even though it was raining, his bright white teeth seemed to gleam as if reflecting sunlight.
Kento Nanami nodded when he saw this. Behind his glasses, he silently calculated the 7:3 weak point of the Cursed Spirit, then turned and sliced through it with a single strike, cutting it cleanly in half.
"Nanami, just as sharp as ever!"
Kento Nanami nodded in response to Yu Haibara's praise. As he turned to exorcise the Cursed Spirit completely, he suddenly noticed something strange.
There was a watch on the Cursed Spirit's wrist.
He immediately took out his phone and snapped a photo.
"Haibara, come here."
"What's wrong? You're making that kind of face...
What is this?"
Yu Haibara's pupils trembled.
Cursed Spirits cannot be photographed by phones.
But Nanami had just taken a picture.
There was only one possible explanation.
"What's going on?"
Yuji Itadori and Nobara Kugisaki noticed the two leaders suddenly standing still and walked over to see what had happened.
Yu Haibara quickly stepped sideways, blocking the students' view with his body.
"It's nothing. The mission is finished. You two should head back first and review everything carefully afterward."
Yuji Itadori paused. It was the first time he had ever seen Haibara-sensei's smile look so forced.
"Then... is there anything I can still help with here?"
"No. Just head back."
"Oh..."
...
At Yu Haibara's insistence, Yuji Itadori and Nobara Kugisaki headed toward the support vehicle.
But halfway there, the smile on Yuji Itadori's face slowly faded.
"Kugisaki."
"Yeah."
"Those Cursed Spirits bled. And they didn't disappear. Plus the expressions and reactions Haibara-sensei and Nanami had at the end."
"They're human. Or at least... they used to be."
Yuji Itadori punched the air in frustration.
"Damn it!"
"That's seriously disgusting."
"So what now? Are we really just going back?"
"What do you think?"
...
"These 'transfigured humans' were actually filled with Cursed Energy. Otherwise we would have noticed immediately."
Yu Haibara frowned as he spoke, walking forward. It was unclear whether he was talking to Kento Nanami beside him or blaming himself.
"Are you alright?"
Kento Nanami looked at him with concern.
Although Haibara was already a battle-hardened Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer, even when dealing with Curse Users he usually captured them and sent them to the Jujutsu world's prison barrier. Personally killing someone was probably a first for him.
"I'm fine. I was mentally prepared for something like this a long time ago. But I'm not going to take responsibility for every death. Intelligence errors aren't our fault."
Even so, Haibara's usual bright smile was nowhere to be seen.
"Don't misunderstand. I'm just furious at the person who's playing with human lives."
Nanami's expression turned serious as well, and he nodded.
"That residual trace was probably bait. It was meant to lure us here."
He stepped up to stand shoulder to shoulder with Haibara.
"Whoever did this isn't simple."
"Then we go all out!"
Nanami sighed quietly.
"Looks like we'll be working overtime..."
A gentle breeze rustled the surrounding leaves, mixing with the soft patter of rain. As the leaves drifted down, all unnecessary thoughts faded away.
All that remained in the hearts of the two Jujutsu Sorcerers was a calm but burning anger toward the one responsible.
...
"Some Cursed Spirits are called Special Grade Imaginary Cursed Spirits."
Under the dark shadow of a bridge, Mahito lay lazily in his familiar hammock, flipping through a half-read book. Then he turned his head to look at the human boy he had brought back with him.
"Cursed Spirits are aggregates formed from the Cursed Energy that leaks from humans. Even if something doesn't truly exist, if there's a commonly shared image of it as something terrifying, it can easily manifest as a curse."
Junpei Yoshino leaned against a relatively clean patch of wall nearby. First he looked at Mahito, who seemed somewhat easier to approach, then cautiously glanced at the figure curled up nearby.
Saishū was curled into a ball, resting quietly with all four eyes closed.
Ever since seeing Mahito kill the three bullies who had tormented him, Junpei had wanted to chase after him and ask questions. But compared to Mahito's appearance, Saishū looked like something straight out of hell itself.
Fortunately, Mahito had noticed him and invited him along. In that moment, Junpei felt like his helpless life might finally change.
Since Saishū hadn't reacted at all, Junpei assumed it was something like a spirit attached to Mahito. Now that he knew supernatural abilities existed, it was only natural for his thoughts to go in that direction.
"Mahito-san, when you say 'commonly recognized terrifying phenomena,' do you mean famous yokai or urban legends?"
"That's right. Things like Hanako in the bathroom or the nine-tailed fox. There are plenty of them. Jujutsu Sorcerers register those as Special Grade Imaginary Cursed Spirits. Powerful cursed spirits with unknown identities are sometimes classified there too.
And humans fear more than just stories like that."
"Things like natural disasters?"
Mahito smiled.
"Talking with you is really relaxing."
"Then what kind of curse is the one next to you?"
Junpei stole another glance at Saishū.
Suddenly he felt someone lift the bangs he used to hide the scar on his forehead.
Mahito had somehow appeared beside him without him noticing.
With a strange smile on his face, Mahito didn't bother correcting Junpei's misunderstanding.
"Saishū-san," he said casually, "was born from humanity's fear of 'loss.'"