Inside the abandoned building where Shinji was.
It was ghost-quiet.
Not peaceful, but for some unknown reasons, it was wrong.
Shinji stood near a cracked window, pale light filtering through the Veil and catching dust in the air. The silence pressed against his ears.
Then the headache pain came back.
Sharper than before.
He grabbed his temple, wincing.
"…It's happening again."
It didn't feel like a normal headache.
It felt like intense pressure building inside his head.
Like something locked away inside his head was trying to force its way out.
Then —
Something inside him cracked.
And the fuzzy memory poured through.
Somewhere inside a tunnel.
Cold stone walls dampen with moisture. The steady drip of water somewhere deeper within the darkness of the tunnel
A lantern swayed gently overhead, casting warm, flickering light.
He was sitting cross-legged on the ground.
Across from him—
Someone.
Or something.
It looked human at first glance. Too human.
Long grayish-blue hair fell in three thick sections, each tied neatly at the ends. The figure reclined lazily in a net suspended between the tunnel supports, rocking slightly as if it had all the time in the world.
Its eyes, though —
Sharp. Observant. Amused.
"Cursed spirits," it said casually, as if explaining the weather, "are born from the cursed energy humans leak over time from the negative emotions of humans, which build up… and eventually, they take shape,"
Shinji remembered listening carefully.
"So that means if something is collectively feared by a lot of people," he asked slowly, "it can become a powerful curse?"
A soft smile appeared on its face.
Almost approving.
"Exactly."
The lantern flickered.
"So, Jujutsu sorcerers brand them as Special Grade Cursed Spirits," the figure continued. "Those are… dangerous. You'd be smart to avoid them, even Jujutsu sorcerers do well to exercise caution when exorcising Special Grade Cursed Spirits"
Shinji tilted his head, thinking.
"So Special Grade Cursed Spirits are things like ghosts or monsters from mythical stories…"
A quiet chuckle echoed through the tunnel.
"Yes."
He hesitated.
"…Natural disasters too, right? Earthquakes. The ocean. Fire."
The smile widened.
"You really are easy to talk to."
The memory lingered there.
Calm. Strangely gentle.
Just two figures talking in the dark.
No fear.
No violence.
Just a friendly, heartwarming conversation.
But —
Why was he there?
Why did that being speak to him so casually?
His memory blurred.
Distorted.
***
THUD.
Shinji snapped back to reality.
The building trembled.
Another impact rattled the hallway.
Wood splintered somewhere beyond the doorway.
He turned slowly.
Something stumbled into view.
Small. Crooked.
Its face looked like smeared carnival paint — red and white stretched unevenly across sagging skin. Its limbs were too long for its body, bending at wrong angles as it moved.
High and sort of Broken.
It bumped into a desk, knocking it over, then nearly tripped over its own dragging foot.
Description: It was a cursed spirit, a weaker one at that
Born from the negative emotions of fear.
Fear of clowns, Fear of painted smiles, Fear of laughter in the dark.
It was just wandering.
Shinji's heart pounded hard enough to hurt.
But beneath the fear —
Something else stirred. Curiosity.
He had made up his mind.
If curses were connected to his past…
Maybe one of them could answer him.
"…Hey," he called carefully.
The curse stopped.
Its head twisted too far to one side with a sickening crack before rolling back into place.
It stared at him.
Its smile stretched wider.
Shinji swallowed.
"…Do you know me?"
The curse tilted its head.
Another giggle.
Garbled. Meaningless.
It took a jerky step forward.
Shinji didn't run.
"…Have we met before?"
The curse's body trembled.
Not with aggression, but something else.
Its giggling faltered.
For just a second, until suddenly
Its expression changed.
The cursed spirit shrieked and lunged forward
*****
Back at the scene of the battle against the swarm of cursed spirits
Miwa's movements were no longer as sharp.
Mai's breathing had grown heavier.
They had been fighting for what felt like forever.
The swarm was thinner now.
But not gone.
Mai fired again.
Click but, empty.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
Miwa parried a strike but stumbled slightly when she landed. Fatigue was settling in — she could feel it in the weight of her limbs.
A curse dropped from above.
Too fast.
Too close.
Miwa's footing slipped.
The claw came down
And the battlefield exploded with wind.
A roaring gust tore outward in a sweeping arc, lifting the remaining curses off their feet like scattered leaves.
They spun violently through the air.
Some crashed into trees.
Others slammed into the pavement.
Several disintegrated mid-flight.
Above them—
Momo hovered.
Her expression was no longer hesitant.
It was sharp.
Resolved.
Within seconds, she made her steady descent, landing slowly between them
Miwa blinked
"…Senpai?"
Mai stared openly. "You came back?"
"I wasn't going to just wait somewhere safe," she said, voice steady.
Mai exhaled, relief flickering briefly across her face. "What about Shinji?"
"He's hidden."
Miwa studied her carefully. "…But, that wasn't the original plan."
Momo met her gaze without backing down.
"I know, Let's quickly wrap up things here and exorcise the remaining cursed spirits and head to Shinji."
A brief silence settled over the clearing.
All three of them turned toward the remaining few cursed spirits dispersed around the area, getting ready in a last desperate effort to complete the mission