Jujutsu High’s Playboy - 21 - 25 (Patreon)

Chapter 21: Tōru Azuma’s First Mission

In Tokyo’s Nerima Ward, near the outskirts of the city, stood an abandoned hospital.

The place had gained a modest amount of notoriety online. Many people claimed that all sorts of paranormal incidents had occurred there, while others said the hospital had been the site of a major medical accident long ago.

Some even claimed that a “Messenger of Death” haunted the hospital. It would pronounce the death of every patient who entered, and each one would later die horribly in exactly the manner it had foretold.

Between the medical accident and all the rumors surrounding it, the hospital was eventually abandoned. Ironically, that only made it a popular destination for paranormal enthusiasts looking for a thrill.

Today, a man and a woman once again arrived outside the hospital.

“We’re finally here. Weren’t we supposed to have an assistant manager drive us? Why didn’t anyone come this time?”

Utahime Iori complained as she rolled her ankles. Beside her, Tōru Azuma, carrying a long cloth bag on his back, gave a helpless smile.

“It might be because of me. This may be our first mission, but it’s also the final assessment for the training I’ve been doing these past few days. Jujutsu High probably wants to evaluate that too, so they sent just the two of us to complete the mission on our own.”

Utahime’s expression turned a little strange when she heard that.

“I guess that makes sense. You couldn’t even figure out the subway platform before. We’ll have assistant managers picking us up and dropping us off when we go on missions in the future, but we won’t have that kind of convenience in everyday life.”

Tōru Azuma awkwardly rubbed his nose.

It wasn’t that he was some old man who couldn’t understand the subway. He was familiar with the domestic subway system of the 2020s, but he had no idea how Tokyo’s subway system worked at this point in time. He had even needed Utahime to guide him on the way here.

As she mentioned it, Utahime Iori suddenly gave him a complicated look.

“Come to think of it... you seem pretty popular, don’t you?”

“Uh...”

He had no idea how to answer that.

While the two of them had been taking the subway toward Nerima Ward, two or three women had approached him along the way. Two appeared to be high school girls from somewhere nearby, while the other looked like an adult working professional.

All of them had been quite forward about asking for his contact information and suggesting they meet again sometime, leaving him momentarily unsure how to deal with them.

Fortunately, Utahime had driven them off with a fierce glare, bringing the unexpected incident to an end.

Still, it reminded him that back in high school, quite a few of his female classmates had been unusually friendly toward him.

At the time, he had assumed he was simply well-liked. Now, though, perhaps there had been another reason?

With that thought, he quickly changed the subject.

“Never mind all that. We should go over the details of this mission first.”

Utahime could tell exactly what he was doing, but she merely gave a quiet snort before pulling out the logbook the assistant manager had given them earlier.

“According to the records and observations from the Windows and the assistant managers, this hospital regularly gives rise to low-level Cursed Spirits because of all the urban paranormal legends surrounding it, along with the medical accidents that happened here in the past. Most are Grade 4, with a small number of Grade 3, so the area gets cleared out regularly.”

She paused midway through her explanation.

“One thing worth noting is that they encountered a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit here once. They managed to escape in time and notified Jujutsu High, who sent someone to exorcise it. So this place does carry a certain amount of risk.”

After finishing her explanation, she closed the logbook and looked at Tōru Azuma with mild exasperation.

“For someone like you, a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit isn’t beyond your ability to defeat. So the main focus of this assessment is probably going to be how you handle the situation and your performance in other areas.”

Two or three days had passed since she returned to school. During that time, her junior had hardly been sitting around idle. He had continued his practical combat training in the forest behind the mountain.

The only difference was that the training group had grown from two people to three. Mei Mei used her Black Bird Manipulation Technique to locate suitable targets, while Utahime watched from the side as Tōru Azuma charged in, fought them for a while, and eventually exorcised them.

So when she learned that a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit might appear during this mission, she had not been particularly surprised or alarmed.

After all, she had already watched this junior defeat far too many Grade 2 Cursed Spirits.

After hearing her summary, Tōru Azuma nodded.

“Then let’s get started. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can head back.”

“Okay. Give me a second, I’ll turn on the recorder.”

Utahime Iori nodded, then attached the recorder Jujutsu High had provided to document the operation to the front of her collar. When she noticed someone’s gaze drifting toward her almost unconsciously, she turned her body aside a little awkwardly.

Realizing that his stare might have been somewhat rude, Tōru Azuma cleared his throat and looked away. Only after she confirmed that everything was ready did he refocus on the mission.

Before they could begin, the first thing they needed to do was lower a Curtain.

As the incantation was recited, a black veil rapidly spread outward from his position, gradually enveloping the entire abandoned hospital. Its coverage and stability were both flawless, sealing the area without the slightest gap.

Utahime nodded approvingly at the sight. As expected of the Curtain she had painstakingly taught him over the past three days. Not only did he no longer need to have it spread outward with himself at the center, he could even cover the entire hospital simply by observing its boundaries.

On this aspect alone, she would have no hesitation giving him an excellent score.

Once the Curtain was in place, Tōru Azuma opened the cloth bag on his back and took out Fudōmaru. After fastening it to his belt, he pushed open the main doors with a little force.

The instant he stepped inside, a penetrating chill washed over him.

Since this was only a small private hospital, the grounds were not particularly large. The front courtyard consisted of a small plaza scattered with dilapidated benches, with a pond and flower bed at its center.

Directly ahead stood the four- or five-story outpatient wing. The inpatient wing and general facilities wing stood to the left and right respectively.

Although the hospital had only been abandoned for a little over a decade, it was already in terrible condition. The walls were peeling and cracked, while weeds grew wildly throughout the front courtyard. Some showed signs of having been trampled underfoot, but they continued growing with stubborn resilience.

Perhaps time alone was not responsible for the hospital’s decay. The accumulation of Cursed Energy might have played a part as well.

He let out a long breath, closed his eyes, and released his Cursed Energy to sense the condition of the abandoned hospital. Soon, his brow furrowed slightly.

The concentration of Cursed Energy here was higher than expected. He could sense the traces and locations of numerous Cursed Spirits, and could even tell that several were gathered together at that very moment. However, the density of Cursed Energy made it difficult to judge their strength from the fluctuations they emitted.

He could increase his Cursed Energy output and strengthen his perception, but that would defeat the purpose of this final assessment.

What he needed to do during the assessment was demonstrate that he had mastered the fundamentals using only the most basic applications of his abilities, not simply overpower everything through sheer force.

After considering it for a moment, he drew Fudōmaru and headed toward the inpatient wing on the left. One of the clusters of Cursed Spirits he had detected was located there.

When Utahime Iori saw him move, she quickly followed after him. Her previously relaxed expression had grown slightly tense, and her eyes kept sweeping from side to side.

Seeing how nervous she looked, Tōru Azuma knew they were in the middle of his assessment, but he still could not help speaking quietly.

“Don’t worry, Senpai. The Cursed Spirits here aren’t very high-grade. You could deal with them easily.”

He had only meant to help her relax and reassure her that even she could handle anything here without trouble. Instead, she answered with an awkward hint of defiance.

“W-Who asked you to worry about me?! Focus on your assessment and stop chatting with the examiner!”

Tōru Azuma sighed helplessly, then pushed open the doors to the inpatient wing and stepped inside.

The instant he entered the corridor, a dense wave of Cursed Energy rolled toward him from up ahead.

Several grotesquely shaped Cursed Spirits were gathered together in the inpatient wing’s lobby. As one, they turned their eyes toward him.

“Slow movement, sluggish reactions, only partially formed. Judged to be a small cluster of Grade 4 Cursed Spirits.”

As he spoke, he poured Cursed Energy into Fudōmaru. Deep blue Cursed Energy rose from the blade as he advanced toward the group of Cursed Spirits one step at a time...

...

Chapter 22: An Unusual Discovery

With a crisp click, Tōru Azuma returned Fudōmaru to his waist. He watched the Cursed Spirit before him dissolve and fade away, his eyes flickering thoughtfully as he remained silent.

About an hour had passed since they arrived at the abandoned hospital. They had made their way from the inpatient wing to the general facilities wing, then through the outer courtyard, and finally to the outpatient wing.

Just now, he had exorcised the last Cursed Spirit.

Utahime Iori, who had been following beside him, nodded with undisguised approval.

“Not bad. I didn’t expect this abandoned hospital to have so many Cursed Spirits. There were dozens of Grade 4s alone, and more than a dozen Grade 3s. Good thing we didn’t run into a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit this time, or it would’ve taken a lot more effort.”

Halfway through, her tone became a little strange.

“Still, some of those Cursed Spirits really are sneaky. They hide in the weirdest places, even inside cabinets, then jump out the second you get close just to scare you. Seriously, that’s just awful.”

“Good thing my reflexes were fast. I took that one out with a single punch.”

Hearing that, Tōru Azuma smiled.

He remembered exactly what had happened. While he was exorcising the Cursed Spirits in the inpatient wing, he had sensed multiple presences inside one room. Once he entered, he had immediately started dealing with the Cursed Spirits he could see without thinking much of it.

Utahime Iori had happened to enter the room at the same time and walked past a wardrobe.

Within the range of his perception, the Cursed Spirit inside the wardrobe had overlapped with the others in the room, so he had failed to notice it and naturally hadn’t warned her.

Unexpectedly, the moment Utahime passed by, the Cursed Spirit suddenly sprang out. She had stumbled back several steps in fright, and only after realizing it was merely a Grade 4 Cursed Spirit did she reinforce her body with Cursed Energy and destroy it with a single punch.

She might look proud of herself now, but he still remembered how panicked she had been at the time...

“What are you laughing at? Was I wrong?”

Apparently sensing there was something behind his smile, Utahime Iori frowned.

“Of course not. Your reactions really were fast, senpai. If you hadn’t happened to be right there, I probably would’ve had to go through some extra trouble.”

“Hmph, as long as you know. Me stepping in might affect your evaluation a little, but that Cursed Spirit attacked me first, so I had no choice but to defend myself.”

“Besides, you’ve already exorcised this many Cursed Spirits, and you handled the entire process almost perfectly. It shouldn’t be a problem.”

As she spoke, she glanced at the phone in her hand. Seeing that it still wasn’t too late, a hint of anticipation appeared in her eyes.

“Now that the last Cursed Spirit is gone, our mission should be finished. Once we record the situation here and notify the assistant manager to come over, we can leave.”

Then, sounding rather interested, she added, “Maybe we can grab something to eat on the way back. I heard there’s a crepe shop in Shibuya that’s really good. Want to go try it together?”

Although Tōru Azuma did enjoy sweets, he shook his head.

It wasn’t because he was worried that eating sweets right after exercising would make him gain weight or anything like that. He had noticed something more important.

“There’s still something we need to deal with before we leave. Senpai, haven’t you noticed something strange?”

The girl, who had been looking forward to getting crepes, froze.

“Strange...? What’s strange? Didn’t we already confirm that there aren’t any traces of Cursed Spirits left? We should’ve taken care of everything, right?”

Seeing her confusion, Tōru Azuma explained.

“Think about it, senpai. There seems to be a pattern to how these Cursed Spirits were distributed. Most of the Grade 4s and ungraded ones were in the inpatient wing and general facilities wing, while almost all of the Grade 3s were inside this outpatient building, right?”

When he pointed it out, Utahime Iori, who hadn’t thought much of it before, paused as a thoughtful look entered her eyes.

“And did you notice? The Grade 3 Cursed Spirits were concentrated around the top floor and the third floor. There was only one on the second floor, and not a single one on the first.”

By this point, even someone slow on the uptake would have understood.

“So... they were instinctively avoiding something?”

“Yes. I suspect there’s something on the first floor of the outpatient wing, or more likely underground. There may be a stronger Cursed Spirit down there, which is why the others instinctively stayed away from that direction.”

After hearing his theory, Utahime immediately pulled out the information the assistant manager had given them earlier. After flipping through it for a while, she found something that supported his suspicion.

“You’re right... The previous assistant managers only recorded clearing out the other areas. It looks like they’ve never gone into the basement because there was almost no Cursed Energy response down there.”

Then she offered another possibility.

“So if there really is a Cursed Spirit down there that knows how to hide itself, it has to be at least Grade 2. Only a Cursed Spirit at that level would have basic intelligence and be able to use an environment like this hospital to conceal its presence.”

Tōru Azuma nodded.

That lined up with what they already knew. A Grade 2 Cursed Spirit had appeared in this abandoned hospital before, so another one being born here wouldn’t be particularly surprising. The only difference was that this one had learned to hide itself.

“So, should we notify Jujutsu High and suspend the mission for now?”

He had expected someone with Utahime’s personality to choose the safer option, but to his surprise, she rejected the idea.

“I don’t think we should. Jujutsu High knows a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit appeared here before, yet they still sent us on this mission. They probably accounted for the possibility of something like this happening. In that case, exorcising it should be the best choice.”

Tōru Azuma agreed without much hesitation. This wasn’t his first time facing a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit. Even if one really was lurking in the basement, it wasn’t beyond his ability to deal with.

Besides, his judgment might simply be wrong.

After briefly tidying up the area, the two left the fourth floor and headed down to the first. Once they checked the hospital floor plan, they followed the corridor toward the underground passage and eventually arrived in front of a heavy iron door covered in rust and corrosion.

Tōru Azuma gave Utahime a look, signaling her to stay alert. A thin layer of blue Cursed Energy flared around his body, and he drove his foot hard into the door, sending the heavy iron slab flying.

A deafening crash echoed through the empty basement. After bursting through the doorway, however, he didn’t immediately search for traces of the Cursed Spirit. Instead, he quickly swept his gaze across both sides of the entrance.

After the earlier ambush, both of them knew better than to lower their guard in an environment like this.

Strangely, despite the tremendous noise, the basement remained pitch-black and silent. Nothing leaped out from behind the door or from any of the corners.

Utahime Iori relaxed slightly.

“Looks like there isn’t a Cursed Spirit down here after all. Maybe we were overthinking...”

Before she could finish, a violent surge of Cursed Energy suddenly descended from directly above them.

Only then did she realize that the Cursed Spirit hadn’t been hiding somewhere inside the basement.

It had been clinging to the ceiling.

The attack came so suddenly that she didn’t even have time to reinforce her body and dodge. Tōru Azuma grabbed her and pulled her into his arms before lunging to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack that had clearly been prepared in advance.

With a thunderous crash and fragments of stone scattering everywhere, the two retreated toward the wall and turned their attention to the Cursed Spirit that had attacked them.

Only then did they see its full appearance.

It was a massive humanoid monster, its entire body wrapped in bloodstained bandages. Its limbs were unnaturally twisted and elongated, while the nails on its hands and feet looked exceptionally sharp.

At that moment, it was forcefully pulling both hands out of the floor.

Looking at the deep holes its claws had left behind, Tōru Azuma knew that if he hadn’t reacted quickly enough, the attack might have pierced straight through both of them and left them unable to fight.

And because its carefully prepared ambush had missed, the Cursed Spirit hadn’t been able to immediately follow up with another attack.

“Senpai, are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you?”

Keeping his eyes on the Cursed Spirit as it slowly turned toward them, he quietly checked on Utahime Iori.

The girl in his arms seemed to only now realize what had just happened. Her face reddened as she hurriedly pulled herself free, speaking in a flustered voice.

“I... I’m fine...”

Tōru Azuma realized that what he had just done was a little awkward, but now wasn’t the time to say anything about it. He simply drew Fudōmaru and fixed his gaze on the Cursed Spirit as it slowly turned around.

Unlike the other Cursed Spirits, this one was unnervingly quiet. It hadn’t made a single roar during its attack, nor did it make any sound now. It simply stood there in silence.

Its eyes were covered by bloodstained bandages, making it seem as though it couldn’t see at all. Yet its grotesque mouth, packed with jagged teeth, curled into a sinister grin.

Tōru Azuma vaguely sensed that something was wrong, but at this point, all he could do was prepare for battle.

Just then, the Cursed Spirit suddenly straightened its body, plunged both claws into its own chest, and violently tore outward.

In an instant, thick black fog erupted from the gaping wound in its chest and surged toward the two of them.

...

Chapter 23: Restrictions Lifted

As the black mist surged toward him, Tōru Azuma instinctively covered his mouth and nose while reinforcing his entire body with Cursed Energy, forming a protective layer over his skin.

Judging from what he had just seen, the mist appeared to be the effect of some kind of Cursed Technique. That meant the Cursed Spirit before him was no ordinary Grade 2 Cursed Spirit. It was very likely Semi-Grade 1, or perhaps even Grade 1.

Since there was no way to determine the effect of its Cursed Technique from its appearance alone, it was best to take every precaution he could.

When the black mist cleared, he was already braced for the Cursed Spirit's attack, only for the scene before him to suddenly change.

He was standing on a ruined street. Every building within sight was in shambles, and the sky was shrouded in an ominous darkness. Faint, miserable wails echoed in his ears, while the stench of burning and blood filled the air.

But none of that was the important part.

What mattered was that he was standing in the middle of a pile of corpses. When he looked down at those around him, he saw several familiar faces.

Utahime, Mei Mei, Shoko, Gojo, Geto, even Itadori and the others from the beginning of the main story were among them.

Faced with the sight, his grip on Fudōmaru tightened instinctively. At the same time, he forced himself to remain calm and began surveying his surroundings.

If he had seen something like this immediately after arriving in this world, he probably would have frozen on the spot, unable to react at all. But after everything he had learned and trained through during this time, he was no longer the same person.

Even when confronted with such a bizarre and hopeless scene, his first instinct was still to determine exactly what was happening.

Suddenly, a deafening, distorted roar came from the sky not far away.

Tōru Azuma instinctively turned around and saw an enormous humanoid monster slowly emerge from behind a half-collapsed building.

Compared to its massive body, even skyscrapers hundreds of meters tall seemed small.

Its form appeared to be made entirely of dark, ominous, distorted Cursed Energy. Though it had no fixed shape, it possessed a pair of eyes glowing with crimson light.

The creature seemed to notice his gaze. Its eyes, brimming with madness and a desire for destruction, locked onto him.

Then a blood-red beam erupted from its mouth and instantly swallowed his entire body.

“Ugh?!”

As the black mist dispersed, Tōru Azuma instinctively leaped to the side.

That sudden movement was exactly what allowed him to evade the Cursed Spirit's lunge.

Only after realizing that he was still inside the dark, gloomy basement did he understand that everything he had just experienced had apparently been an illusion.

Was that the effect of the Cursed Spirit's Cursed Technique?

More importantly, he had been trapped in that illusion for several full seconds, yet the Cursed Spirit hadn't attacked him during that time. It had only lunged at him after the illusion ended.

It seemed that if the Cursed Spirit wanted to interfere with his mind, it had to maintain its Cursed Technique continuously.

That realization calmed him slightly, and he turned his attention back to the Cursed Spirit.

It had also turned around by now, but that cruel, sinister grin was still plastered across its face.

Once he confirmed the situation, the first thing that came to mind was Utahime Iori.

“Senpai! Are you okay?”

A trembling voice came from behind him, but she was clearly awake again.

“I-I'm fine... It looks like this Cursed Spirit has a Cursed Technique that can cause hallucinations. Be careful!”

She sounded shaken, but she didn't seem seriously hurt.

Tōru Azuma tightened his grip on Fudōmaru again.

This time, instead of waiting, he went on the offensive.

Although the Cursed Spirit's Cursed Technique didn't seem particularly dangerous at first glance, an ability that merely dragged someone into an illusion felt far too weak. It lacked the offensive power one would normally expect from a proper Cursed Technique.

So he concluded that there had to be a second effect.

Either the conditions for triggering it had not yet been met, or the Cursed Spirit needed to use the technique repeatedly.

He couldn't give it the chance.

Seeing its prey charge toward it with Cursed Energy burning around his body, a trace of almost human mockery flashed through the Cursed Spirit's eyes.

It clasped its hands together and formed an unusual hand sign.

The next instant, the sensation of his entire body being torn apart overwhelmed Tōru Azuma's senses.

The sudden agony nearly disrupted his Cursed Energy Reinforcement, and his charging stride faltered for half a step.

That single moment of hesitation gave the Cursed Spirit the perfect opening.

With a savage grin, it rushed at him and violently swung its sharp claws, which were coated in filthy Cursed Energy.

Sensing the danger, Tōru Azuma forced himself to endure the feeling of his body being ripped apart and narrowly dodged the attack.

But just then, an agonized scream rang out nearby.

“Ahh—!”

The sound immediately caught the Cursed Spirit's attention.

It paused for a fraction of a second, then turned and charged toward Utahime Iori.

“Senpai, dodge!”

Tōru Azuma shouted as he once again reinforced his body with Cursed Energy and rushed after the Cursed Spirit, intending to stop it with an attack of his own.

But to his surprise, the Cursed Spirit suddenly doubled back.

Its body, which had come to an abrupt halt, twisted around in an instant, and one of its claws smashed viciously toward him.

With a dull impact, Fudōmaru's sturdy blade bent on the spot.

Tōru Azuma was sent flying by the blow and crashed onto the floor nearby.

Seeing that its attack had landed, the Cursed Spirit didn't waste the opportunity. It immediately closed in again, slashing at him repeatedly with its sharp claws.

By now, Tōru Azuma was gradually becoming accustomed to the pain.

Rather than trying to block again with the already bent Fudōmaru, he rolled across the floor in an undignified but effective attempt to evade the Cursed Spirit's relentless attacks.

Only when he found an opening did he abruptly pour Cursed Energy into Fudōmaru and slash out a deep blue arc of light, forcing the Cursed Spirit back.

He immediately leaped several meters away.

The sensation of his body being torn apart was still there, but after enduring it for a while, the pain had weakened considerably.

Tōru Azuma struggled back to his feet.

Noticing that he was growing accustomed to the pain and that his movements were gradually returning to normal, the Cursed Spirit reached its sharp hands toward its own chest, apparently preparing to use its Cursed Technique again.

By now, Tōru Azuma had formed a rough understanding of the Cursed Spirit's abilities.

First, it had to be at least Semi-Grade 1.

It possessed a Cursed Technique beyond what a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit could normally have, and it was capable of deliberately suppressing its Cursed Energy fluctuations to hide inside the basement.

Its Cursed Technique seemed to drag its targets into an illusion of death, then allow it to trigger the sensations of pain they had experienced within that illusion through a deliberate action.

However, that effect seemed to work only once per illusion. Once the pain had been triggered and the victim gradually adapted to it, the Cursed Spirit would have to use its Cursed Technique again.

Even so, it was more than troublesome enough for him in his current state.

The pain was simply too realistic.

If several different forms of agony were layered on top of one another, they could probably shatter a person's mind and will with ease.

Not far away, Utahime's screams, though somewhat weaker than before, still rang out painfully and confirmed his suspicion.

He couldn't let the Cursed Spirit use its Cursed Technique a second time.

Even if he could endure it, Utahime definitely couldn't.

He had to finish this quickly.

With that thought, Tōru Azuma stopped caring whether using power beyond his current Grade would lower his evaluation from Jujutsu High.

The pale blue Cursed Energy that had previously been confined to the surface of his body suddenly erupted outward and engulfed him.

The abrupt change made the Cursed Spirit in the distance freeze in the middle of activating its Cursed Technique.

Its breathing seemed to stop.

For the first time, a trace of panic and an instinctive desire to retreat appeared in its eyes.

From its perspective, the target whose strength had seemed merely ordinary moments earlier was now radiating an oppressive presence that was increasing at a rate it couldn't comprehend.

It was a Cursed Spirit.

How could it possibly feel as though it couldn't breathe?

Then, in the next instant, the vast amount of Cursed Energy that seemed ready to burst through the ceiling suddenly contracted back around Tōru Azuma's body.

But he hadn't reduced his output.

He had simply forced all of the expanding, escaping Cursed Energy back into his body to prevent unnecessary waste.

At that moment, his body felt stronger than ever before.

It felt as though a light jump could launch him into the sky, or a single punch could destroy anything in front of him.

But he knew those sensations were false, brought on by the sudden increase in power.

The only thing that was truly real was the faint tearing pain running through every muscle in his body from excessive reinforcement.

Pushing his physical reinforcement to its maximum had drastically increased his physical abilities, but it was also inflicting minor damage on his body.

He needed to finish the fight quickly.

With that thought, he stepped forward.

The floor shattered beneath his foot.

Fudōmaru, which had been bent by the Cursed Spirit's earlier attack, returned to its original sharp and sturdy form under the combined effect of its inherent properties and the massive amount of Cursed Energy pouring into it.

At the sight of this terrifying transformation, the Cursed Spirit completely abandoned the idea of activating its Cursed Technique.

Instead, it turned and rushed toward Utahime Iori, who was still down nearby.

With the intelligence it had developed, it came to a simple conclusion.

Its only chance of survival might be to take the human woman hostage and use her to create an opportunity to escape.

A violent explosion rang out.

The spot where Tōru Azuma had been standing was left covered in shattered chunks of flooring.

In the next instant, he appeared directly in front of the Cursed Spirit, his voice icy cold.

“I'm right here...”

The moment the Cursed Spirit realized that terrifying enemy was already standing before it, a fist crashed into its face.

The blow carried violent, chaotic Cursed Energy that had nevertheless been forcibly restrained and controlled.

“Ugh!”

With a miserable cry, the Cursed Spirit's body slammed heavily into the basement wall, creating a deep crater surrounded by a web of cracks.

Chunks of stone rained down around it.

Agonizing pain flooded through its body, but it didn't even have the chance to scream.

Because with another explosive sound, that terrifying figure appeared before it again.

For the first time, regret entered its mind.

If only it had left this place sooner.

If it had simply gone somewhere else, anywhere else, it never would have had to face something this terrifying.

But regret was useless now.

With a roar, it tore itself free from the wall and swung its claws at the figure before it, the attack producing a piercing whistle as it cut through the air.

It was one final desperate struggle.

A cold flash swept past.

Its arm flew through the air and landed several meters away.

The pain of having its body severed made the Cursed Spirit open its mouth wide, but before it could make a sound, that deadly gleam flashed again.

Once.

Twice.

Again and again, it swept across its remaining arm, its waist, and both legs.

Unbearable agony erupted throughout its body.

One by one, the rest of its body parts separated from its torso just as its first arm had.

With nothing left to support it, the Cursed Spirit collapsed to the floor and writhed helplessly in pain.

Only then did it finally see the true form of that cold gleam.

It was a blade wrapped in dense, deep blue flames of Cursed Energy.

And the one holding it was the very human who had filled it with fear and regret.

Looking down at the Cursed Spirit writhing on the floor before him, Tōru Azuma let out a long breath.

Then he raised Fudōmaru high above his head.

The usual gentleness and composure had disappeared from his eyes.

In their place was nothing but absolute coldness and killing intent.

“Die.”

The next instant, the blade came crashing down, carrying an enormous surge of Cursed Energy.

Dark red flashes of Cursed Energy lit up the underground space once more, amplifying the power of the strike to its absolute limit.

A deafening explosion shook the basement.

A scar several meters long was carved across the floor and wall.

The Cursed Spirit had been completely obliterated by the attack, leaving behind only a few fragments of its body that slowly turned to ash in the air.

...

Chapter 24: Conjectures and Crepes

When it was all over, the basement was left with nothing but drifting dust, scattered rubble, and the sound of someone desperately suppressing a groan.

Tōru Azuma also emerged from that strange, almost indescribable state.

Just moments ago, he had landed another Black Flash.

This time, however, he hadn't lost consciousness. Instead, he had experienced the entire process from beginning to end.

At the exact instant the Black Flash occurred, he had clearly perceived every flow of Cursed Energy within his body. It was as though a microscope had been placed inside him, allowing even the smallest currents to escape neither his notice nor his awareness.

Unfortunately, the sensation disappeared as quickly as it had come. His Cursed Energy soon returned to its usual state, but that mysterious feeling had already been deeply etched into his memory.

Perhaps he would have another chance someday...

After confirming that the Cursed Spirit's presence had completely vanished, Tōru Azuma put away Fudōmaru with a faint sense of loss, then immediately turned and ran toward Utahime Iori.

Once he released the excessive Cursed Energy Reinforcement, his calves began trembling slightly. He had no time to worry about that, however, and hurried straight to the girl lying on the floor.

Her eyes were tightly shut. Cold sweat had soaked the hair around her forehead, and her face was twisted in pain, as though she were enduring some unbearable torture.

His movements became gentler as he carefully reached toward her shoulder with a hand that was still bleeding slightly.

“Senpai? Are you okay...?”

The instant his hand touched her, her body jerked violently. A moment later, she struggled to open her eyes.

“Is it... over?”

“Yeah, it's over. Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere? Are you hurt?”

Seeing the concern in his eyes, Utahime felt a trace of guilt instead.

She didn't know why the Cursed Spirit's Cursed Technique had produced that particular effect, but the black mist had clearly engulfed both of them. If she had experienced that pain, then Tōru Azuma must have suffered the same thing.

And yet, he had endured it and exorcised the Cursed Spirit, while she could only stay off to the side and wait for everything to end.

At that point, it wasn't simply a difference in strength anymore...

Seeing her remain silent, Tōru Azuma only became more worried.

“Senpai? Are you sure you're okay? Should I contact Jujutsu High and have someone come right away?”

Hearing nothing but concern in his voice, Utahime Iori felt her nose sting. Even so, she stubbornly shook her head, then reached out and let Tōru Azuma help her slowly to her feet.

“I'm fine... I'm just not used to that feeling yet. You were caught in that black mist too, weren't you? Did you also see...?”

Seeing that she could still move, even if only with some difficulty, Tōru Azuma finally relaxed a little.

The Cursed Spirit's attack had caused them to see illusions and experience pain, but it did not seem to have inflicted any actual physical injuries.

Tōru Azuma was usually calm by nature, but when he thought about Utahime being hurt because she had gone on a mission with him, he found it difficult to remain composed.

Still, now wasn't the time to talk about that.

“I think I saw an illusion... I don't know where it was, but I was standing among the ruins of a collapsed city...”

He paused.

He didn't mention seeing the corpses of Utahime and the others, or those people from the future. Instead, he brought up something more important.

“There was also a gigantic humanoid monster in the ruins. I don't know whether it was a Cursed Spirit, but it felt terrifying.”

Utahime, who was leaning on him as they made their way outside, suddenly stopped. Surprise appeared on her face.

“You saw that monster too?”

Too?

The moment he heard that word, Tōru Azuma realized that things might not be as simple as they had thought.

If the Cursed Spirit's ability merely dragged its victims into an illusion, then the two of them should have seen completely different scenes.

“Could it be...?”

“Yes. I saw that monster too. I think I was also somewhere among the ruins of a city. The difference was that there were several people around me that I didn't recognize, and we were all trying to avoid the monster's attacks together.”

Halfway through, her body trembled, as though the pain she had just experienced had returned.

“But that monster was far too huge. The last thing I remember from the illusion was an enormous fist coming down on me.”

Seeing her expression twist in pain again as she remembered what had happened, Tōru Azuma tightened his support around her slightly and spoke in a low voice.

“It's okay, senpai. It was only an illusion... The Cursed Spirit is already gone.”

Although he said that to comfort Utahime, his own mood sank.

By now, he was almost certain that something was wrong with that Cursed Spirit's Cursed Technique.

The people Utahime claimed not to recognize might have been them after they had grown older, along with the people who would appear when the main story began.

They had also been attacked by that monster.

Judging from the sequence of events, what Utahime saw might have taken place before the scene he witnessed.

And they had probably all been wiped out.

That would explain why he had seen their corpses.

In other words, the Cursed Technique looked as though it merely pulled people into an illusion and made them experience the pain of their deaths.

But in reality... it might even have possessed some limited ability to foresee the future.

Perhaps the scenes they had witnessed were events that could actually happen someday.

But that didn't make sense either.

Wasn't Ryomen Sukuna supposed to be the final boss of the original story?

Why had an enormous monster he had never seen before appeared instead?

And even if it really was a Cursed Spirit of that size, there should still have been some way to deal with it. So why would the future turn out like that?

Unable to make sense of it, Tōru Azuma could only keep the matter in mind for now. He helped Utahime Iori to the entrance of the abandoned hospital, then contacted Jujutsu High.

Before long, several cars arrived.

A number of assistant managers stepped out. After Tōru Azuma and a female assistant manager helped Utahime into one of the vehicles, he returned to the hospital entrance.

Several assistant managers were recording and inspecting the condition of the abandoned hospital when a stern middle-aged man wearing square black glasses approached him.

“Azuma-san, so according to your account... you encountered a Semi-Grade 1 Cursed Spirit and defeated it?”

Tōru Azuma nodded.

He could more or less understand why the man sounded skeptical. Before coming here, none of them had expected anything like this to happen.

To be frank, if the two of them hadn't been considerably stronger than ordinary sorcerers, this mission might have ended very differently.

The thought reminded him of a certain incident that would happen in the future.

“Yes. It possessed a Cursed Technique, and its effect was unusual. Anyone affected by it would see a vision of themselves suffering some kind of tragic fate and dying. Afterward, the pain they experienced in that vision would manifest in their senses.”

As he spoke, Tōru Azuma explained everything he had observed.

After listening, the middle-aged man nodded, and most of the doubt in his expression disappeared.

“If that's the case, then that legend may very well have given birth to this Cursed Spirit.”

“Legend?”

The middle-aged man nodded.

“There has been a rumor online for some time that this hospital once had a messenger of death that would pronounce people's deaths. But we'd never encountered a Cursed Spirit connected to that story before, so we didn't pay much attention to it... I never expected it had been hiding in the basement all along.”

Seeing the lingering fear on the man's face, Tōru Azuma thought for a moment before offering a reminder.

“I know this might sound like I'm putting pressure on you, but future investigations need to be more thorough. You should gather and compare as much information as possible, and make sure details like these are clearly included in mission briefings. Otherwise, it could lead to unnecessary casualties.”

The man's expression became slightly uncomfortable, but he still nodded.

After all, they really had fallen short this time.

If the people sent on the mission hadn't been unusually capable, there could easily have been serious casualties. On top of that, this young man seemed to be someone the higher-ups in the jujutsu world valued considerably.

They couldn't afford to make the same mistake again.

Before leaving, Tōru Azuma handed over the black device Utahime had given him earlier.

“Utahime-senpai gave this to me. It's the recorder from my mission assessment. Please pass it along to the higher-ups as well.”

The middle-aged man accepted the recording device and nodded, then watched as Tōru Azuma got into the car and left the scene.

Once inside, Tōru Azuma didn't hear Utahime say anything and assumed she had fallen asleep.

When he happened to glance over, however, he found her leaning against the window, staring at the nighttime scenery outside with a deeply dejected expression.

He had already noticed something strange about her behavior in the basement, but he hadn't thought much of it at the time.

Now, it seemed she had fallen back into that cycle of doubting herself.

Tōru Azuma wasn't quite sure what to say.

He had affirmed her abilities before, but during today's unexpected incident, her performance genuinely hadn't been very good.

If he simply tried to comfort her anyway, she might think he was only doing it out of sympathy or pity.

That wasn't what he wanted.

Perhaps he needed a different approach.

As their car passed through a bustling commercial district, Tōru Azuma spotted a shop sign in the distance.

An idea suddenly occurred to him.

“Miss Assistant Manager, could you pull over for a moment? I'd like to buy something.”

The assistant manager driving in front looked slightly confused, but she still pulled over.

Utahime Iori, who had been staring blankly out the window, also came back to her senses and looked at him curiously.

Tōru Azuma didn't explain.

He simply removed his jacket, which was covered in dust and a little blood, opened the car door, and got out.

Before long, he returned carrying three crepes.

He handed one to the assistant manager in the front, who looked pleasantly surprised, then held the other two out in front of Utahime Iori.

“Senpai, which one do you want?”

Looking into his concerned eyes, Utahime remembered what she had said earlier about wanting to go eat something with him.

Her lips moved slightly, but she still turned her head away.

Seeing her like that, Tōru Azuma leaned a little closer and lowered his voice.

“Senpai, I know what you're thinking. You feel like you weren't any help again, don't you?”

“Wasn't that exactly what happened?”

She didn't look at him, but the disappointment in her voice was obvious.

This time, however, Tōru Azuma didn't try to comfort her.

Instead, he changed direction entirely.

“In that case, why don't we start working on that research tomorrow?”

Utahime's eyes widened slightly.

She immediately turned toward him, but because the two of them were sitting so close together, she suddenly found Tōru Azuma's face right in front of hers.

Caught off guard by the sudden closeness, she instinctively leaned back, her expression flustered.

Her voice, however, was already much livelier than before.

“You mean... the Barrier Techniques...?”

Tōru Azuma raised a finger, signaling for her to stop, then offered the crepe to her again.

“Shh. Did you forget? We agreed to keep this a secret.”

His reminder made Utahime remember.

The two of them had indeed agreed to research the possibility of turning Barrier Techniques into offensive techniques.

The condition was that they would keep it from everyone else and study it privately.

No one had ever seriously researched anything like that before. If others found out, they might simply decide it was a waste of time and forbid them from continuing, telling them to focus their efforts on more important things instead.

That was why the two of them had made their little secret agreement.

Only then did Utahime finally accept the crepe, though some uncertainty remained in her voice.

“Can we... really start now?”

“Of course. You don't want to go through something like today again, do you, senpai? If that's how you feel, then let's start working hard together tomorrow. We already made a promise, remember? I'll get stronger with you.”

Looking at his serious expression, Utahime Iori felt something stir in her heart.

She nodded, then took a bite of the crepe in her hand.

The sweetness slipped down her throat, bringing a little warmth back into her body.

Seeing that her mood had finally improved somewhat, Tōru Azuma smiled.

The female assistant manager in the front seat, who had been watching the two of them through the rearview mirror, quickly looked away. Still, when her eyes fell on the crepe beside her, her expression softened as well.

The peaceful atmosphere didn't last long.

Utahime Iori suddenly seemed to remember something and turned toward him hesitantly.

“I just remembered. You haven't been paid yet, have you? Where did you get the money for these crepes?”

“Uh...”

Tōru Azuma really hadn't been paid yet.

In fact, he didn't have any money at all.

He had only remembered that after placing the order.

The shop owner had apparently noticed his embarrassment and laughed, saying he could come back and pay whenever he had the chance.

In exchange, though, she had asked him to leave his contact information.

After thinking about it, Tōru Azuma decided it would be better not to tell Utahime that part.

So he simply brushed it off by claiming that the owner had been kind enough to give him a few for free.

Utahime looked somewhat doubtful, but she merely nodded and lowered her head to continue eating her crepe.

Tōru Azuma, meanwhile, turned toward the window and began thinking about everything that had happened that day.

If he didn't want the future he had seen to become reality...

Perhaps he needed to work even harder.

...

Chapter 25: Tōru Azuma’s Observations

Half a month later, in an office at Jujutsu High.

Masamichi Yaga sat behind the same desk as always. Spread out before him were several records and documents that an assistant manager had just delivered.

He opened a few of them, looked through their contents, then set them back down. After sitting silently for a moment, he removed his sunglasses, revealing his small, somewhat melancholy eyes.

When he finally spoke, his voice was filled with surprise and admiration.

“I never expected that kid to grow this quickly. In such a short time, he’s already crossed the threshold of a low-level sorcerer and reached the standard of a Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerer...”

More than half a month had passed since Tōru Azuma's first mission, and he had hardly been idle during that time.

Every morning, he trained on the practice grounds to solidify what he had learned. In the afternoons, he studied Barrier Techniques with Utahime, and at night, he went out on missions with either Mei Mei or Utahime.

Of course, which of them accompanied him depended on who was available.

Even so, he had already completed a large number of Grade 3 missions and several Grade 2 missions. His performance throughout had been remarkably polished. In some cases, even Jujutsu Sorcerers with several years of experience might not have handled things as well as he did.

He had even participated in a Grade 1 incident alongside several other Jujutsu Sorcerers.

During that mission, he had mostly dealt with lower-grade Cursed Spirits. It was only when the Grade 1 Cursed Spirit attempted to escape that he stepped forward and blocked its path, buying enough time for the accompanying Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer to finish it off.

That mission had allowed the boy to begin making a name for himself within Jujutsu High and among Jujutsu Sorcerers outside the school. Quite a few people who knew Yaga had even started asking him about Tōru Azuma.

Yaga had simply brushed them off with a few vague, half-true answers.

Until those old men among the higher-ups reached a firm conclusion about the boy, it was better not to let Tōru Azuma attract too much attention.

With that thought, Yaga pulled out the report from Tōru Azuma's first mission and let his gaze linger uncertainly over several lines.

“According to the action recorder carried by accompanying Jujutsu Sorcerer Utahime Iori, when Tōru Azuma confronted the Semi-Grade 1 Cursed Spirit provisionally designated as the Messenger of Death, he used high-intensity Cursed Energy Reinforcement, temporarily raising his physical abilities to a level approaching that of a Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer.

According to the medical staff who examined him afterward, his body sustained minor damage due to the excessive degree of Cursed Energy Reinforcement. It has therefore been determined that this level of combat power cannot be used routinely.

Furthermore, after using Cursed Energy Reinforcement at its maximum level, his emotional state appeared to change. Rather than maintaining his usual precise and composed approach against the Cursed Spirit, he resorted to methods resembling an execution. The cause remains unknown.

With his final strike, he released a slash containing an enormous amount of Cursed Energy through his Cursed Tool and triggered another Black Flash, leaving extremely obvious traces at the scene.

However, as with his first Black Flash, this should be regarded as a miraculous coincidence and cannot be included in his overall evaluation.

Preliminary assessment: Tōru Azuma's maximum combat capability is approximately Grade 1.”

Looking at the report compiled by the assistant managers, Masamichi Yaga hesitated over whether he should submit it to the higher-ups exactly as written.

There were far too many details in it that would attract attention.

Especially the fact that he had triggered Black Flash through a Cursed Tool.

In principle, such a thing should indeed be possible, but there seemed to be no precedent for it anywhere in the history of the jujutsu world.

Would the higher-ups really believe it was nothing more than a coincidence?

Then again, although this information had reached him first, the higher-ups undoubtedly had their own records and copies. Even if he wanted to shield the boy a little longer and delay bringing him to their attention, that probably wasn't possible anymore.

Trying to do so might instead make the higher-ups suspect that he had some other motive, which could lead to...

Masamichi Yaga shook his head, put his sunglasses back on, then picked up the reports and documents from his desk and left the office.

It had been roughly a month since the period set by the higher-ups began, and today was the date they had officially chosen to conclude the evaluation.

In other words, whether Tōru Azuma could remain at this school and formally enroll as a student would depend on today's result.

Deep in thought, Yaga walked along the corridor. When he passed the training grounds, his gaze instinctively lingered there for a moment.

Even now, Tōru Azuma, Utahime Iori, and Mei Mei were still training together.

Watching how hard the three of them were working, something flickered in Yaga's eyes.

He said nothing.

He merely turned away and quietly headed toward the Five-Story Pagoda in the northwestern part of the campus.

Before long, after being guided in and announced by an assistant manager, he entered the room where the higher-ups had gathered.

The moment he stepped inside, several pairs of eyes turned toward him at once.

If Tōru Azuma had been present, he might have been surprised to find that although most of those gathered were familiar faces from the day of his trial, there were also several people he had never seen before.

Even Masamichi Yaga himself didn't recognize some of them.

Yaga simply walked silently to the center of the room and stopped there.

Seated at the head was still the elderly man who had presided over Tōru Azuma's trial that day. Seeing Yaga standing before him, he spoke in an indifferent tone.

“Yaga, you're here.”

“Yes, Principal. I've finished compiling the records of Tōru Azuma's progress in his studies and training, along with his mission reports from this period. I've brought them here for your review.”

As he spoke, Yaga raised the documents in his hand slightly.

The elderly man seated at the head of the room, the current principal of Tokyo Jujutsu High, didn't move. He merely gestured to a middle-aged man beside him, who stepped forward, took the report, and placed it in front of the principal.

The principal began flipping through it.

Although the others present were clearly curious, no one spoke. They simply watched in silence as events unfolded.

Masamichi Yaga was already accustomed to being scrutinized by others, so he remained silent as well.

After quite some time, the current principal finally spoke. This time, there was a hint of admiration in his voice.

“This boy, Tōru Azuma, is certainly worth cultivating. Not only does he possess an enormous amount of Cursed Energy and excellent physical abilities, his aptitude for learning far exceeds that of an ordinary person. Give him a little more time, and even Special Grade 1 should be well within his reach.”

At that assessment, many of those present began murmuring among themselves.

After all, Grade 1 and Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerers formed the backbone of the jujutsu world. There were only a handful of Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerers in the entire world, and even Special Grade 1 was already considered exceptionally powerful.

Moreover, they had hardly invested anything substantial in Tōru Azuma so far.

They had merely provided him with a Cursed Tool and assigned two people to teach him.

For him to achieve this much growth with so little investment made him extremely worthwhile to cultivate.

The current principal listened to the discussion without interrupting. Instead, he turned his attention toward Masamichi Yaga.

“So, Yaga, what do you think? Do you believe he has passed the assessment?”

At the question, Masamichi Yaga's heartbeat quickened for an instant.

He quickly composed himself and answered in a serious, measured tone.

“Throughout this period, he has consistently devoted himself to studying and training. He has had no contact with outsiders whatsoever, and his attitude toward both his studies and his missions has been extremely positive.

Furthermore, he previously underwent an investigation concerning the True Word Scroll. Taking everything into consideration, my final judgment is that he should be formally admitted as a student. In the future, I believe he will undoubtedly make valuable contributions to the jujutsu world.”

Once he finished, Yaga lowered his head and fell silent, saying nothing further.

He knew the current principal had almost certainly already made up his mind.

Asking for Yaga's opinion now was probably little more than a formality.

Sure enough, the current principal nodded.

“Very well. As of today, his evaluation and assessment period is officially over. Yaga, you may begin making arrangements for his formal enrollment.”

He paused.

“However, there is still one matter we haven't clarified.”

Before Masamichi Yaga could respond, the elderly man with the snake-patterned family crest, still seated on the left, spoke up curiously.

“And what would that be?”

The slightly plump old man seated opposite him shot him an annoyed look at having been beaten to the question, but he didn't interrupt. He simply continued listening.

The principal went on.

“We haven't seen any sign of a Cursed Technique from Tōru Azuma. Everything he has demonstrated so far appears to consist of relatively basic abilities.”

The discussion in the room immediately grew louder than before.

Some were surprised that Tōru Azuma had reached his current level of combat ability without ever displaying a Cursed Technique, but more of them began proposing less favorable possibilities.

“Could it be... that he doesn't have a Cursed Technique at all?”

“That would actually make sense. Given his extraordinary talent, perhaps it's the manifestation of some kind of Heavenly Restriction.”

“You mean he exchanged his Cursed Technique for rapid growth? That's certainly an unusual theory.”

Once the possibility that Tōru Azuma lacked a Cursed Technique was raised, most of those present who had previously regarded him with suspicion and wariness began to relax.

After all, in the jujutsu world, the difference between possessing a Cursed Technique and lacking one was enormous.

Tōru Azuma's current rate of growth was undeniably frightening, but without a Cursed Technique, Grade 1 would most likely be his limit.

Even if he did possess a Cursed Technique, if it offered little value in direct combat, then Special Grade 1 would probably be the highest he could reach.

Someone at that level would still merit caution, but not enough to demand too much of their attention.

“But... we still can't say for certain whether he has one or not. He's only been involved with the jujutsu world for a very short time. It's entirely possible that he doesn't even know whether he possesses a Cursed Technique.”

The portly old man, who was clearly at odds with the elder bearing the snake-patterned family crest, offered a completely different opinion.

That immediately sparked another round of discussion and quiet exchanges.

His argument did make sense.

Throughout history, there had been plenty of Jujutsu Sorcerers who awakened unfamiliar Cursed Techniques without understanding how to use them. They had no choice but to slowly study and develop those abilities themselves.

It wasn't an unusual occurrence.

Watching the higher-ups debate, Masamichi Yaga sighed inwardly.

From his perspective, neither possibility seemed particularly good for Tōru Azuma.

If he did possess a Cursed Technique, and it happened to be highly offensive or particularly dangerous, Jujutsu High would inevitably become wary of him. After all, he had already demonstrated a rate of growth far beyond the ordinary.

But if he didn't possess a Cursed Technique, the school might eventually come to regard him as nothing more than a useful blade for handling difficult and unpleasant work.

If that happened, he could eventually lose himself completely.

That was the dilemma Tōru Azuma faced.

The current principal watched everyone discussing the issue for a moment, his eyes flickering faintly before he finally interrupted them.

“Enough. There's no point discussing this now. That boy from the Gojo Clan should be enrolling in a few days, correct?”

As he spoke, he looked toward an unfamiliar elderly man seated among the others. His tone softened slightly.

“When the time comes, I'll have to trouble Elder Gojo to ask that boy to investigate for us. With his Six Eyes, he should be able to determine whether Tōru Azuma possesses a Cursed Technique.”

At the principal's words, the Gojo Clan elder's expression stiffened, and his face darkened slightly.

After all, that so-called boy from the Gojo Clan had never been obedient at home.

Whatever he did, he always followed his own whims.

But faced with the curious gazes of everyone else and the current principal's calm yet faintly oppressive stare, the elder could only nod.

“I understand.”

Seeing him agree, the current principal nodded in satisfaction.

“If Tōru Azuma does possess a Cursed Technique, give him the records left behind by previous sorcerers so that he can begin developing it as soon as possible. If he doesn't... then there's no need to devote too many resources to him going forward.”

“The Principal is right.”

“A very wise decision.”

“As expected, you've considered everything thoroughly.”

A trace of satisfaction flashed through the current principal's eyes as he listened to the other higher-ups flatter him, though outwardly he merely waved a hand.

“All right, Yaga. You may leave. Go make preparations for this year's new students, and while you're at it, tell that boy the news.”

Having received his instructions, Masamichi Yaga silently sighed to himself.

He bowed to everyone present, then left the room.

Outside the Five-Story Pagoda, he stood gazing at the distant setting sun, lost in thought.