Two weeks passed faster than I expected. Between the clan-appointed jujutsu healer, my own growing mastery over Reverse Cursed Technique, my body had recovered almost completely.
The fractures were gone, the torn muscles had healed, and even the scars had faded enough that nobody would guess I had nearly blown my arms off trying to reinvent the laws of cursed energy.
Which brought me to a very important question.
Why the hell did they even send me to a hospital in the first place?
I walked beside Mei Mei through the abandoned outskirts of a small mountain village, my hands buried inside my pockets as that thought bounced around in my head. If a jujutsu healer could patch me up this quickly, then why waste time with doctors, X-rays, bandages, and all that nonsense?
"…Huh."
Mei Mei glanced at me from the corner of her eye. "What?"
I shrugged. "Nothing. Just realizing modern medicine might be the biggest scam in jujutsu society."
Mei Mei stared at me for a moment before shaking her head. "You say strange things for someone about to walk into a special grade's territory."
"Probably because I'm fourteen."
"That somehow makes it worse."
A faint smile formed on my lips as we finally stopped near the edge of a dense forest. The place was quiet—too quiet. Even without using cursed sensory energy, the atmosphere felt wrong. Like the forest itself was holding its breath.
Mei Mei looked ahead, then raised one hand.
"Curtain."
Her cursed energy spread outward like an invisible dome, swallowing the entire area. The barrier descended smoothly, sealing the cursed zone from outside interference. Once it was complete, the air became noticeably heavier.
Mei Mei rolled her shoulder as if preparing for a business meeting instead of a potential death trap.
"I still can't wrap my head around it," she said after a few moments, her tone unusually serious. "The higher-ups, your clan elders, Naobito… all of them unanimously agreeing to send a fourteen-year-old to exorcise a Special Grade."
She glanced at me, silver eyes narrowing slightly.
"Either they believe in you far more than I do…" Her lips curved faintly. "Or they're trying to kill you."
I snorted. "Probably both."
"That's what worries me."
For a moment, neither of us spoke. The pressure coming from deeper inside the forest felt…. Dense. Mei Mei's expression had lost its usual playful businesswoman edge. Then she sighed.
"Well." She stretched her arms behind her back casually. "The pay is good."
I laughed. "There's the Mei Mei I know."
"Of course."
She turned toward me fully now, her expression becoming calm, professional, and almost cold.
"Let me make something very clear before we go any further, Naoya."
I nodded.
"My job is to bring you back alive." She pointed a finger at my chest. "And if things go badly, I will prioritize escape of myself over everything."
Her voice didn't waver.
"I am not here to die for clan politics. I am not here to protect your pride. And I am definitely not here to fight for a special grade for free."
I stared at her for a few seconds and then burst out laughing.
She raised an eyebrow. "What's funny?"
I shook my head. "Nothing." I looked ahead toward the cursed forest. "I just appreciate honesty."
Mei Mei crossed her arms. "Good." Then her lips curved into a sharp little smile.
"Of course…" She leaned closer slightly. "If you provide appropriate compensation…" Her finger lightly poked my shoulder. "I'm more than willing to provide combat support."
I looked at her and smiled. "How much?"
"Depends."
"On?"
She looked toward the forest. "How badly you're about to lose."
I laughed again and cracked my neck as cursed energy slowly began flowing through my body. My Projection Sorcery activated instinctively, splitting my perception of movement into frames as my senses sharpened.
"Fair enough."
I took my first step toward the darkness, and immediately, every instinct in my body screamed.
"…Mei." She looked at me. "…Tell me special grades aren't supposed to feel this disgusting."
For the first time since I met her, Mei Mei's smile disappeared, and that alone told me everything I needed to know. Well, let's see how much fucked up my first special grade curse is.
~~~
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