Mission

"...Jujutsu High isn't a place where someone like you can just drift through life!"

In the hallway, Maki delivered her final words to Okkotsu Yuta. Judging by his expression, every word she had said must have struck right at his weak points for a critical hit.

Panda couldn't stand it anymore and spoke up. "Maki, that's enough!" Inumaki Toge also chimed in from the side, signaling for her to stop. Couldn't she see how dejected their new classmate looked...?

"Got it. You're so annoying." Maki slung the case containing her weapons over her back and started walking away.

Panda tried to comfort Okkotsu Yuta. "Sorry. Don't take it too seriously. Sometimes she just acts like she understands everyone better than they understand themselves."

Okkotsu Yuta lowered his head. "It's fine. After all... she was telling the truth."

Shen Yuanyi walked over and patted him on the shoulder. "She may seem like that, but Maki is actually very kind to her companions..."

"Shen... Yuanyi!"

Maki's furious roar came from ahead. Shen Yuanyi hurriedly said goodbye. "I'm going to find Gojo-sensei. See you later!" With that, he waved to them and quickly slipped away.

"This mission is a little unusual. It may involve not only curses, but also a Curse User. Still, they should be no higher than Grade 2 to Grade 1. If Yuanyi completes it, all he'll need to be promoted to Grade 1 is a recommender and to pass the assessment."

Gojo Satoru looked completely relaxed as he continued, "Besides, your technique gives you a major advantage against Curse Users too, so this will be a solo mission. No problem, right?"

Shen Yuanyi naturally had no objections. The privileges granted by advancing to Grade 1—even Semi-Grade 1—were entirely different. Just the rewards for missions of different grades were on a completely different level.

"I don't have a problem with that. But I need a cursed tool for close combat. Do you have one, Gojo-sensei?"

Gojo Satoru nodded. "There are some in the school's Forbidden Repository. I'll register one for you later."

Afterward, Shen Yuanyi received a blade-shaped cursed tool. Technically, it still belonged to the school. Once he had obtained the mission details, he prepared to depart.

The Assistant Supervisor assigned to accompany Shen Yuanyi was named Nitta Akari, a pretty woman with medium-length golden hair. Her exact age was unknown, but she looked quite young, lively, and adorable.

The mission took place in a small town. It began with the unexplained disappearance of five adult women. The local police had initially been handling the case, but when the final victim was killed, one of the few surveillance cameras on the street captured the incident.

The bizarre footage led them to seek help from professionals. Shen Yuanyi was not particularly surprised by this. Under normal circumstances, curses were invisible not only to ordinary people, but also impossible to record with surveillance cameras, cameras, and the like.

That scene must have made the police realize that the matter was no longer ordinary, which was why they reported it. After arriving in town, Nitta Akari briefed Shen Yuanyi on all the details of the case.

"So, the Window confirmed that there are still traces of curses in town, and since the victims fit such a consistent pattern, they suspect a Curse User was involved?"

Nitta Akari nodded seriously. "Yes."

Shen Yuanyi stroked his chin and pondered for a moment. Curse Users could be understood as sorcerers who had "fallen." Most of them engaged in vile acts. For example, one of the more infamous Curse Users had once been a student at Jujutsu High: the Special Grade Sorcerer—Geto Suguru.

It was said that he had defected after slaughtering 112 villagers in a single village. Later, he had even murdered his own ordinary parents. Because of such atrocious crimes, he had been classified as a Curse User and sentenced to execution.

But he apparently remained alive to this day. That man seemed to have some history with Gojo Satoru... after all, they had been classmates.

Pushing aside those scattered thoughts, Shen Yuanyi focused on the suspicious point in this case: what the five victims had in common.

First, they were all young, beautiful women between the ages of twenty and twenty-five. Second, they had all been killed late at night, and their bodies bore signs of extensive damage. The scenes could only be described as horrific. Even Shen Yuanyi, who was used to the terrifying and disgusting sights left behind by curses, had nearly been unable to stomach them.

"If the murderer is human, then he's clearly some kind of psychopath. There were no signs that any of the victims had been sexually assaulted. According to the coroner, they were taken to the crime scenes and tortured while still conscious. Their bodies were badly damaged, but no parts were missing..."

It was not lust, and the five women had no overlap in their daily lives, so it was not revenge either. Could it really be the work of some twisted serial killer who killed only to vent his dark desires? And a Curse User at that!

Yet based on the current clues, if curses were doing the killing, the pattern would not be like this. It was more likely that the victims had all visited the same place or shared some similar connection.

"Let's first look for traces of curses."

After that, Shen Yuanyi and Nitta Akari began searching the town. Yet after nearly an entire afternoon, they found nothing unusual apart from several patches of residual Cursed Energy.

Those traces of residual Cursed Energy had nothing in common either, and they were spread far apart. For now, they held no value.

"Could the killer be hiding?" Nitta Akari asked, but Shen Yuanyi quickly rejected the idea.

"No. Curse Users like this usually have trouble controlling the negative emotions that arise alongside Cursed Energy. In a sense, they're lunatics... though most sorcerers seem a little crazy anyway."

"There have been five victims, and the crimes were committed almost continuously. Even when the police were investigating most intensely, the killer never stopped. That means he's extremely brazen."

"That's true. With power beyond ordinary people—the power to decide whether others live or die—it would be stranger if murderers like that didn't act this way."

After a moment of silence, Shen Yuanyi suddenly spoke. "Ms. Nitta Akari, I have an idea..."

Nitta Akari, who had also been worrying about how to catch the killer, perked up immediately. "Please, tell me!"

Shen Yuanyi looked at Nitta Akari. She wore a women's suit, had a fairly good figure, and while she was not breathtakingly beautiful, she was still what most people would call a beauty. Her golden hair was stylish and striking as well.

"You fit the killer's preferred prey perfectly: young and beautiful. All you need to do is appear alone on the streets late at night. If that hunter is prowling around and sees you, I doubt he'll pass up an opportunity like this. Your Cursed Energy isn't particularly noticeable either, so it won't make him wary. It's just..."

Nitta Akari considered it for a moment, then revealed a resolute expression. "I'm willing to cooperate. If a Curse User is involved, then the sooner we catch him, the fewer people will become victims!"

Shen Yuanyi nodded. "But you don't need to worry too much, Ms. Nitta Akari. My technique specializes in speed. I'll keep you within my line of sight, and once we confirm the killer's identity, you only need to distract him for a few seconds. I'll be at your side immediately."

Nitta Akari nodded to show she understood, and the two began discussing the specifics of the plan.

Night fell, and there were barely any people left on the streets. Only drunkards, people seeking nightlife, and those whose jobs did not distinguish between day and night might still be wandering outside.

At that moment, a striking blonde woman staggered along the side of the street. Her fashionable outfit, glamorous makeup, and slightly unsteady, drunken steps made it seem as though she had only recently left a bar after drinking her sorrows away.

Late at night, with no one around, a beautiful young woman was walking alone. Naturally, it did not take long before someone prowling the night in search of "food," harboring ill intentions, set his sights on her.

The woman was Nitta Akari. Carrying herself with drunkenness that was mostly an act, she walked down the street. Before long, a man emerged from the darkness and began following her.

Nitta Akari secretly wondered whether he was the killer. The footsteps drawing ever closer seemed increasingly terrifying.

Before long, the person following her seemed unable to hold back any longer. He suddenly quickened his pace, and a somewhat hushed, slightly sleazy voice rang out. "Miss, are you drunk? Do you need help?"

Though Nitta Akari was somewhat on edge, she had not forgotten her disguise. Her expression, movements, and tone all resembled those of a drunk person.

"No... Who are you? If you don't leave, I'll... call the police..."

The man followed Nitta Akari for a while longer, but seemingly realizing that she was still conscious and might call the police at any moment, he gave up on this "prey" and vanished into the darkness again.

"He didn't use a curse to render me incapable of resisting, and he abandoned the target once things looked unfavorable. It seems he isn't the killer." Nitta Akari calmly reached that conclusion, then continued pretending to head "home."

However, before long, Nitta Akari heard footsteps behind her again. When she looked back, she found it was the same man from before. Apparently unwilling to give up just like that, he had returned.

With an important task at hand, Nitta Akari naturally did not want to be entangled by an ordinary person who was very likely not the killer. But she had no good solution for the moment. After all, she was currently posing as nothing more than an ordinary person, and there was no telling whether the killer might be watching from the shadows...

So she merely put on a frightened appearance and briskly walked toward the area illuminated by the streetlights ahead. The man following her also quickened his pace, calling out in an attempt to stop her.

The footsteps drew closer and closer. Just as Nitta Akari was considering whether she should pretend to abort the mission and deal with this man, she suddenly spotted a taxi parked by the roadside ahead. An ordinary middle-aged office worker was getting out of it.

"If I go ask for help, it should scare off that ordinary man behind me." Thinking this, Nitta Akari quickly headed over.

The middle-aged office worker had already left, while the taxi had not driven away. Perhaps the driver had seen Nitta Akari approaching quickly and assumed she wanted a ride.

When she reached the car, the man tailing her indeed became somewhat hesitant to approach. Nitta Akari bent slightly, preparing to speak. Yet when she came face-to-face with the driver, she froze for a moment, and the words that slipped out instead were, "Hello, I need a ride..."

The driver, whose face could not be seen clearly, did not even ask where she was going. He simply smiled and said, "Get in, beautiful miss."

The rear door suddenly opened. In a daze, Nitta Akari found herself already seated in the back. Her thoughts were as difficult to move as rusted gears, while her body seemed weighed down by a thousand pounds.

"Damn it, he's the killer!" Nitta Akari's barely mobile gaze saw the taxi pulling away. Something black and unidentified seemed to be surging through the somewhat old vehicle.

"There's no way to call for help. What do I do...?"

She tried to move and notify Shen Yuanyi, but no matter how hard she struggled, it was futile. Though she had not given up yet, all she could do was place her hopes on Shen Yuanyi noticing something was wrong.

Judging by the killer's pattern, she seemed safe for the time being—at least until they reached the crime scene he had chosen. Looking at the driver's wicked smile in the rearview mirror, a smile that chilled her to the core, and recalling the horrific state of those victims, fear gradually began to creep into her heart.

Hidden in the shadows, Shen Yuanyi saw Nitta Akari get into a taxi and shake off the man following her. He had originally thought that if she could not get rid of that man, tonight's plan would have to be canceled.

But Nitta Akari had gotten into a taxi... Why would she choose to do that? She could not lure out the killer while traveling in a taxi... Which left only one explanation: there was something wrong with that taxi.