…Jujutsu High School isn't a place for someone like you to just coast through!"
In the corridor, Maki said this final sentence to Yuta Okkotsu. Judging by Yuta's expression, Maki's words had clearly hit a sensitive spot and dealt a heavy blow.
Panda, standing nearby, couldn't help but speak up: "Maki, stop it already!" Toge Inumaki also chimed in from the side, signaling her to quit it. Didn't they see how dejected this new student looked?
"Fine, you're so annoying." Maki turned her back, carrying her box of weapons, and stepped forward.
Panda comforted Yuta quietly, "Sorry, don't take it too seriously. Sometimes she just thinks she knows people better than she actually does."
Yuta lowered his head and said, "It's alright… after all, what she said is true."
Kamihara Ichiji came over and patted him on the shoulder: "Don't be fooled by her — Maki is actually very kind to her comrades…"
"Kamihara… Ichiji!"
Maki's angry shout came from ahead. Kamihara quickly excused himself: "I'm going to find Gojo-sensei. See you later!" With that, he waved to the others and slipped away.
…
"This mission is somewhat special. It involves curses, and possibly a cursed user as well, but at most of Grade 2 to Grade 1 level. If Ichiji can handle it, then to get promoted to Grade 1, he'd just need a recommendation and to pass the assessment."
Gojo Satoru spoke in a relaxed tone, then added, "Besides, your technique has a strong advantage against cursed users, so this will be a solo mission for you. Are you alright with that?"
Ichiji had no problems with it, of course. Even a preliminary Grade 1 promotion comes with significantly different privileges. Just the pay for missions at different ranks is not comparable.
"I have no issues, but I'll need a close-combat cursed tool. Gojo-sensei, do you have one?"
Gojo nodded. "There's one in the school's forbidden storage. I'll register it for you later."
Afterwards, Ichiji received a knife-shaped cursed tool. Though technically the school still owned it, once he had the mission intel, he prepared to depart.
The assistant supervisor assigned to work with Ichiji was Akira Nitta, a beautiful woman with golden mid-length hair. Her exact age was unknown, but she looked young, lively, and cute.
The mission site was a small town, where five adult women had disappeared without cause. Local police had initially investigated, but after the last victim died, a rare street surveillance camera captured some strange phenomena.
The bizarre sighting prompted them to seek professional help. Ichiji wasn't surprised—normally, curses are invisible not only to ordinary people but also to cameras and surveillance.
The peculiar phenomena must have convinced the police this case was no ordinary matter, prompting them to escalate the report. Upon arriving in town, Nitta briefed Ichiji thoroughly on the case.
"So, it's confirmed that curses are still present in the town, and because the victims were targeted so systematically, there's suspicion of a cursed user involved?"
Nitta nodded seriously. "Yes."
Ichiji stroked his chin thoughtfully. A cursed user can be understood as a jujutsu sorcerer who has "fallen." Many of them commit heinous acts—for example, the infamous cursed user, once a student at Jujutsu High and now a Special Grade sorcerer—Suguru Geto.
It was said he massacred 112 villagers in one settlement before defecting. He even killed his own non-sorcerer parents, committing atrocious acts that labeled him a cursed user subject to execution.
Yet, apparently, he was still alive. Ichiji also knew there was some history between Geto and Gojo Satoru—they had been classmates.
Putting aside those chaotic thoughts, Ichiji focused on the suspicious points of this case: the commonalities among the five victims.
First, all were young, beautiful women aged between 20 and 25. Second, they were attacked late at night, and their bodies bore signs of severe mutilation. The crime scenes were horrifically brutal. Even Ichiji, who had witnessed many grotesque curse scenes, was almost overwhelmed.
"If the culprit is human, then this person must be some kind of psychopath. There were no signs of sexual assault on the victims. According to the forensic report, the victims were conscious when brought to the scene. Although their bodies were severely damaged, no significant body parts were missing…"
Since it wasn't lust-driven and the victims had no connections, it wasn't a vendetta. Could this be a deranged serial killer acting out dark desires? And a cursed user at that!
Judging by the clues, cursed killings wouldn't follow such a pattern. More likely, the victims had all visited a certain place—that would be the shared link.
"Let's first check if there are any signs of curses."
Ichiji and Nitta began their patrol around the town. Nearly half a day passed, and aside from a few residual cursed energies here and there, they found nothing abnormal.
The locations of these cursed remnants were distant and lacked commonality, so they had little investigative value.
"Could the culprit be hiding?" Nitta asked.
Ichiji quickly dismissed the idea. "No. These cursed users are often unable to control the negative emotions linked to cursed energy. In a way, they're madmen… though most sorcerers seem a little mad themselves."
"The five victims were targeted almost consecutively. Even during the peak of police investigations, the culprit didn't stop. That means they're very brazen."
"Indeed. With supernatural powers to control others' lives and deaths, these murderers are bound to act recklessly."
After a moment of silence, Ichiji suddenly spoke, "Ms. Nitta, I have an idea…"
Nitta, who was also troubled about how to catch the culprit, perked up: "Please, go ahead!"
Ichiji looked at her. She was dressed in a woman's suit, her figure decent, and while not breathtakingly beautiful, she was still considered attractive by ordinary standards. Her blonde hair was stylish and eye-catching.
"You fit the killer's hunting criteria perfectly: young, beautiful. If you go out alone late at night, the prowling hunter won't pass up the opportunity. Your cursed energy isn't conspicuous either, so you won't raise suspicion. But…"
Nitta thought for a moment, then showed a determined expression. "I'm willing to cooperate. If a cursed user is involved, the sooner we catch him, the fewer victims there will be."
Ichiji nodded. "Don't worry too much. My technique focuses on speed. I'll keep you in my sight. Once the culprit is confirmed, you just need to distract him for a few seconds, and I'll be right there."
Nitta nodded in understanding. The two then began planning their specific actions.
…
Night fell, and the streets were mostly empty. Only some drunkards, nightlife seekers, and those working irregular hours wandered about.
At that moment, a striking blonde woman was stumbling along the street—fashionably dressed, vividly made up, slightly unsteady from alcohol, likely just leaving a bar.
Late at night, a beautiful young woman alone naturally attracted ill intentions from lurking predators.
The woman was Nitta, feigning drunkenness. Before long, she noticed footsteps behind her.
Nitta wondered if it was the killer; the approaching steps sounded increasingly ominous.
Soon, the man behind quickened his pace and, with a lowered, lecherous voice, said, "Miss, are you drunk? Need some help?"
Cautious but maintaining her disguise, Nitta acted as a drunken person should in demeanor, movement, and tone.
"No… who are you? Leave or I'll call the police…"
The man followed for a while longer but, seeing she remained alert and might call for help at any moment, gave up and disappeared into the darkness.
"Since he didn't use curses to disable me and gave up when things got risky, he's probably not the killer," Nitta thought calmly, then continued pretending to head 'home.'
Soon, footsteps returned. Nitta looked back to find the same man—he clearly didn't want to let her go and had come back.
Nitta didn't want to get entangled with a likely ordinary person, but she had no better plan. After all, she was just posing as a regular person and couldn't be sure if the real killer was watching from the shadows.
So she hurried toward a spot lit by a streetlamp, looking frightened. The man followed, speeding up and calling after her.
The footsteps grew louder. Just as Nitta considered pretending to abort the mission to deal with this man, she spotted a taxi parked on the street. A typical middle-aged office worker was getting out of the vehicle.
"Seeking help there should scare off that follower," Nitta thought and quickly approached.
The office worker left, but the taxi remained. Perhaps he thought Nitta wanted a ride.
As she neared the taxi, the man following hesitated. Nitta bent slightly to speak with the driver, but when she looked up, she froze, then blurted out, "Hello, I want a ride…"
The driver, face obscured, didn't even ask where she wanted to go but smiled and said, "Get in, beautiful lady."
Suddenly, the rear door opened, and before Nitta could react, she found herself seated in the back. Her thoughts felt like rusty gears, and her body felt weighted down, barely able to move.
"Damn, he's the killer!" she thought. Her weak eyes caught sight of the taxi starting up. The old car seemed to ripple with an indistinct black mass.
"No way to call for help… What do I do…"
She struggled to move and alert Ichiji but failed. Though she hadn't given up hope, she could only pray Ichiji would sense something was wrong.
Judging by the killer's pattern, she'd be safe for now—until reaching the crime scene chosen by the culprit. Seeing the driver's evil smile in the rearview mirror and recalling the victims' grim fates, fear steadily crept into her heart.
Hidden in the shadows, Ichiji saw Nitta get into the taxi, escaping the man who had been tailing her. Originally, if she hadn't shaken off that person, tonight's plan would have been scrapped.
But Nitta had taken a taxi… why choose that? Moving inside a vehicle wouldn't lure the killer out. The only logical conclusion was: that taxi was suspicious.
(End of Chapter)
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