Tokyo Jujutsu High School, First-Year Classroom
The three of them, having just finished being "educated" by Yaga Masamichi, sat in the classroom feeling rather listless, with Genji looking at Shoko with a hint of resentment.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm not a combatant, after all," Shoko said with a smile.
'Besides, if I get too close, I'll get caught in the crossfire by that jerk Gojo,' Shoko thought to herself, though she didn't say it out loud. In truth, she quite enjoyed watching the drama unfold—as long as it was someone else's drama and didn't involve her, of course.
Just as they were 'chatting,' Yaga Masamichi walked in and interrupted them.
"Quiet. You all have a mission. A large number of Cursed Spirits have been discovered in several abandoned hospitals and schools in Chiba Prefecture. It is speculated that there may even be multiple Special Grade Cursed Spirits, so the higher-ups have decided to send Satoru, Suguru, and Genji. Shoko will remain at Jujutsu High to prepare for medical support."
"Multiple Special Grade Cursed Spirits?" Genji asked, puzzled. "Only low-level Cursed Spirits like to gather together. The higher the grade, the less likely they are to gather, right?"
"Genji is correct," Yaga replied. "Therefore, we suspect that there may be a Special Grade cursed object present, attracting and catalyzing these Cursed Spirits."
"Principal Yaga, can we bring Shoko along this time?" Genji continued to ask.
"But Shoko is a non-combatant, and the higher-ups..." Yaga's words were interrupted by Satoru Gojo before he could finish.
"So what? Principal Yaga, even if there are Special Grade Cursed Spirits, we can protect Shoko. After all, we are the strongest." Satoru Gojo said, flashing a confident and somewhat arrogant smile.
"Besides, Shoko will definitely retreat the moment she senses danger, won't she?" Suguru Geto added.
"That's right, I'll definitely run away at the first sign of trouble."
"Then there's no problem. I will protect Shoko, Principal Yaga," Genji insisted to Yaga.
"Fine. But take care—all of you must return safely, do you understand?"
"Yes, Principal Yaga."
(Divider)
"Gojo Classmate, Classmate Geto, Classmate Genji, here is the detailed information for this mission," an Assistant Supervisor said, handing the documents to the three of them.
"Currently, there are four locations where Cursed Spirits have gathered. It is speculated that a cursed object is located in the abandoned hospital at the center. The mission is to first exorcise the Cursed Spirits at the other three gathering points to prevent them from dispersing and causing greater damage once the source is dealt with. The abandoned residential area is already being handled by others. For the remaining two locations, please decide which one you will start clearing first."
To his surprise, they didn't discuss which target to start with. Instead, they divided the documents among themselves. "Let's stick to the previous grouping. Suguru and I will go to the abandoned shopping mall, while Genji and Shoko will go to the abandoned school. Let's see who finishes first, then we'll meet at the hospital," Satoru Gojo proposed.
After confirming the action plan, both groups set off. The Geto-Gojo duo rode a flying Cursed Spirit summoned by Suguru Geto toward their target, while Genji and Shoko traveled by the Assistant Supervisor's car.
Upon arriving at the abandoned shopping mall, Suguru Geto and Satoru Gojo landed directly in the center of the Cursed Spirit swarm. However, to their disappointment, the highest-grade Cursed Spirit present was only Grade 1.
"Looks like we didn't hit the jackpot. It seems highly likely that the Special Grade is over on Genji and Shoko's side," Satoru Gojo said, casually kneading a long, worm-like Cursed Spirit into a ball and bouncing it on the ground.
Just then, a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit lunged from behind Satoru Gojo, attempting to attack him, but it stopped eerily in mid-air.
"It's useless. You can never break through the 'Infinity' between you and me." As soon as he finished speaking, Satoru Gojo casually condensed a pale blue orb. "Forbidden Technique Lapse: Blue."
Just as Satoru Gojo was about to finish off the Cursed Spirits there in one go, Suguru Geto stopped him. "Wait a second, Satoru. Leave this Cursed Spirit for me to absorb." "Fine."
As the pale blue orb swept through, the Cursed Spirits below Grade 1 were instantly wiped out, and Suguru Geto successfully absorbed several Grade 1 Cursed Spirits.
"Let's go. We need to hurry and meet up with Genji and the others." "Is it really necessary to be in such a rush? Even if there's a Special Grade Cursed Spirit on their side, it should be fine since Genji is there," Satoru Gojo said, puzzled.
"It's not that, but I feel like this incident is strange. It doesn't seem to have occurred naturally," Suguru Geto said, narrowing his eyes seriously.
"Are you saying a Curse User is behind this?" "Perhaps. Let's hurry and get there."
Meanwhile, at the abandoned school on the other side. "What's going on here?" Shoko poked her head out from behind Genji, looking curiously at the abandoned campus before them.
"We didn't come to the wrong place, did we?" "The location should be correct, but..."
Genji looked around. According to the mission documents, there should have been nearly 20 Grade 2 to Grade 3 Cursed Spirits here, along with at least three Grade 1s or even a Special Grade. Yet in reality, there wasn't a single Cursed Spirit here. It only left behind the residual Cursed Energy of the Cursed Spirits that had once gathered here, feeling as if the Cursed Spirits had been drained dry by something.
"Something feels wrong. No, it should be said that this mission felt strange from the very beginning. Even if a high-level cursed object had just been unsealed, attracting Cursed Spirits to gather, they shouldn't have been dispersed across three separate locations."
As he spoke, Genji opened his phone to check the positions of the four mission locations on the map.
"These mission locations don't seem to have any connection. But according to Miss Tayama, these places were gradually abandoned because of multiple malicious incidents... Forget it. Shoko, contact Miss Tayama and tell her about the situation here. We'll head to the last location first to see if we can discover anything."
"Okay," Shoko responded to Genji while taking out her phone to contact the Assistant Supervisor, Miss Tayama.
Less than ten minutes later, the two arrived at the abandoned hospital. Genji and Shoko stood at the hospital entrance and couldn't help but sigh.
"This is bad. Just standing at the entrance, I can feel the filthy aura inside. Shoko, you stay here for now. Wait for Satoru and Suguru to arrive. I'll go inside first to see what the situation is."
After saying this, Genji prepared to enter the hospital, but Shoko grabbed him at that moment. "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing. Just stay safe. Take this with you. I originally intended to give it to you for your birthday next week, but I'll give it to you now. Consider it an amulet." In Shoko's hand was a clearly handmade bracelet with a flame-shaped ornament on it.
"I understand. Wait for me to come back." Genji carefully put the bracelet on his wrist and entered the hospital, leaving Shoko at the entrance.