Campus Legends

Dojigiri Yasutsuna was said to be the greatest masterpiece forged by a renowned smith named Yasutsuna during the Heian Period. Later, in the hands of Minamoto no Yorimitsu, it severed the head of Shuten Doji, the demon king of Mount Oe, and destroyed him. Thus, the blade also came to be known as "Dojigiri."

The blade before Shen Yuanyi was slightly long, easily over a meter in length. Its hilt was wrapped in black cord, while its roughly circular guard had an openwork design adorned with elaborate patterns.

The scabbard was made of redwood, and it gave off a strange feeling. Once Shen Yuanyi gripped Dojigiri Yasutsuna, he sensed the presence of Cursed Energy emanating from it.

In other words, it really was a cursed tool. Holding the hilt, Shen Yuanyi slowly drew the blade.

A flash of cold light leaped through the room, accompanied by an even stronger aura of Cursed Energy.

So the scabbard had been concealing its presence. Judging by its appearance, the scabbard itself was not particularly old. It had likely been made by someone from the Gen Family to hide the aura of Dojigiri Yasutsuna.

The blade gleamed with a chilling light, making anyone who looked at it feel a sense of danger. Yet large, faint dark-brown patterns crawled across its surface, creating a deeply discordant and eerie sight.

"It really is a fine cursed tool. Are you sure they came for it?"

Gen Naine recalled the incident before saying, "That day, Grandpa brought me here because he wanted to find a couple of books to read, just for stories. But we happened to see a fishman-like monster crawling toward this sword."

"Maybe it didn't expect me to be able to see it, but my attacks didn't seem to do much. Then I remembered this sword, so I drew it and cut a huge wound into that fish monster. After that, it ran away..."

Shen Yuanyi considered it inwardly. This should not have happened. Dojigiri Yasutsuna had apparently remained inside its scabbard all this time, its aura well concealed. Unless one came right up to it, there was no way to tell it was a cursed tool.

That was even with the scabbard's concealment gradually weakening. And this was their ancestral residence; almost no outsiders could enter this room. In other words, the intruder must have learned of the cursed tool's existence through some other channel and had come to steal it.

After thinking for a moment, Shen Yuanyi said, "The enemy came prepared. My personal suggestion is that you do not keep this sword at home for now. It would be best for Naine to carry it, or you could leave it with the school for safekeeping."

"To you, it is merely an inherited treasured sword. But a Curse User has set their sights on it now. Those depraved people are capable of anything..."

Gen Masateru naturally understood what he meant. Truthfully, he was reluctant to part with the inherited blade, but when his family's safety was involved, he could no longer care so much. After all, everything in this room was a family heirloom. There were plenty of other suits of armor and weapons as well; they simply were not as famous as Dojigiri Yasutsuna.

"Genichi-kun, you can deal with that vile man hiding in the shadows head-on, can't you?" Gen Masateru asked.

Shen Yuanyi answered without concern, "Based on the current situation, as long as he appears before me, I can take his life in an instant. Curse Users like that are generally meant to be executed."

Beside him, Gen Naine let out a quiet gasp. "Jujutsu Sorcerers have to kill people too?"

After considering it, Shen Yuanyi decided to explain. "Normally, Jujutsu Sorcerers only need to exorcise cursed spirits. Most Curse Users can barely be considered human anymore. Once they indulge every desire, they are eventually consumed by darkness."

"A Curse User I encountered before relied on his superhuman strength to brutally murder several innocent women in succession. Death is already too good for people like that. You could say our work is the jujutsu version of police work."

"We're on the side of justice!" Gen Naine's expression turned resolute, while Gen Masateru looked at his granddaughter with a mixture of affection and unease.

Shen Yuanyi did not say anything more. In truth, being a Jujutsu Sorcerer was not an easy job. He had it better than most, as he could easily deal with the majority of curses, and even if he could not, he could still escape.

Lower-ranked Jujutsu Sorcerers were not so fortunate. If they encountered a High-Grade Cursed Spirit, even dying outright could be a relief, to say nothing of the sheer number of missions.

But she would have to gradually adapt to all of that herself. Awakening a cursed technique meant that her life had already begun to drift away from that of ordinary people. Even if she forced herself to return to a normal life, her nature would ultimately still be different.

Besides, curses did not only target Jujutsu Sorcerers. Even if you became an "ordinary person," you could still encounter curses. Gen Naine's parents were an example—they knew a little about this world, but they had never expected their daughter to become part of it.

Still, looking on the bright side, there were jobs that were less dangerous, such as teaching at Jujutsu High or working in support roles. Or she could strive to become one of the Higher-ups, though that was obviously a joke.

Gen Masateru said to Shen Yuanyi, "Genichi-kun, could you keep Dojigiri Yasutsuna for the time being, until we find that Curse User?"

Shen Yuanyi thought for a moment. "Sure. In that case, there will be no need for this scabbard to conceal its aura. If that person still has designs on the sword, I can use it to lure him out."

"However, security here is rather tight. I probably will not stay here, so that the Curse User hiding in the shadows does not become too afraid to act."

Gen Masateru smiled warmly. "No problem. I'll arrange a place for you to stay outside. If you have any requests, Genichi-kun, just tell me directly. Naine's parents are rather busy, so you may not see them often. You can also speak with Riko."

Afterward, Shen Yuanyi placed Dojigiri Yasutsuna into a new, ordinary scabbard. The cursed aura surrounding the sword became far more obvious, and even Gen Naine began to feel uncomfortable after staying near it for too long.

"I'm planning to take a walk around the area and see if I can find anything."

The moment Gen Naine heard that, she quickly said, "I want to go too." Unable to refuse her pleas, Gen Masateru agreed to let her follow Shen Yuanyi, but required Sugihara Riko to accompany them as well.

After leaving the Gen Family residence, the three of them, along with White Wolf, did not take a car. Since they had said they were going for a walk, they simply walked around. Sugihara Riko quietly followed behind the other two, so unobtrusively that it was easy to forget she was there if one did not turn around.

After walking for a while, Gen Naine could not help asking, "Genichi-kun, aren't you curious about what my cursed technique is?"

As he had White Wolf keep watch for any unusual cursed auras, Shen Yuanyi answered, "When Jujutsu Sorcerers reveal their cursed techniques, they can use that disclosure as a binding vow to strengthen the technique's effects. But some techniques rely on the advantage of information. Once others learn about them, they are put at a disadvantage. So I generally do not take the initiative to ask about other people's techniques."

After hearing his detailed explanation, Gen Naine thought about it and said, "Then mine seems to be the former. I call it 'Spirit Body.' I can project my soul out of my body! Like the ghosts in horror stories."

Shen Yuanyi halted. A cursed technique related to the soul? That really was extremely rare. He had never even heard of a Jujutsu Sorcerer with a similar technique, though he vaguely remembered that some villainous cursed spirit also possessed a technique related to the soul.

"Do you understand your own cursed technique well?"

Gen Naine's little face scrunched up miserably. "No. I used to think it was just a superpower, so I never told anyone. I've never studied anything related to it either."

Shen Yuanyi nodded. "That's fine. If you can enroll later, someone will teach you." Then Gen Naine curiously asked him a few more questions about Jujutsu High.

"Panda! Is he really a panda?"

"Not exactly. He just looks like a panda. He's taller than I am, walks upright, and can talk."

Gen Naine immediately became intensely curious about the Panda she had yet to meet. It was a panda, after all. How adorable was that?

They continued walking for some time, but White Wolf found nothing unusual. Eventually, they reached a nearby river. A breeze drifted along the riverbank, carrying a refreshing coolness.

"Genichi-kun, if something feels like a paranormal incident, does that mean curses are behind it?"

Shen Yuanyi, who had been chatting with Gojo Satoru on Line, turned to look at Gen Naine. "Have you encountered another curse?"

Gen Naine hurriedly waved her hands. "Not me. It's one of my friends from school. She seems to be in a bad mental state lately, but whenever I ask her about it, she hems and haws. And she seems to be afraid of something."

After thinking about it, Shen Yuanyi said, "That is possible. Some urban legends or school legends can give rise to curses. Your friend may have encountered something similar, though she has not suffered any physical harm so far. Are there any rumors at your school about someone dying? The particularly strange kind."

Gen Naine thought for a while after hearing that, then said uncertainly, "There are some scary legends, I guess. Don't schools usually have stories like that? But I don't really know about any strange deaths. Still, I know someone at school who knows a lot about this kind of thing."

Shen Yuanyi looked at Gen Naine and asked, "Are you worried about that classmate of yours?"

Gen Naine looked at the gently flowing river. "I am. Ayako doesn't usually have many friends. I might be one of the few she has. If I don't care about her, there might not be anyone else who does."

With one hand, Shen Yuanyi typed out a message on his phone and sent it to Gojo Satoru. Then he said to Gen Naine, "Then let's go take a look at your school. If there's a curse, we can exorcise it while we're there."

A bright smile appeared on Gen Naine's face. "Thank you, Genichi-kun. You really are an ally of justice. Of course, so am I!"

Shen Yuanyi looked at Gen Naine with an indescribable expression. This is bad. She's a chuunibyou girl. Don't tell me she fantasizes about being a magical girl or something?

In truth, he had other reasons for suggesting they investigate the school for curses. If there really was a curse, encountering an enemy might allow him to lure out any Curse User hiding in the shadows.

And if there was no curse, he could test Dojigiri's effects. How had a Curse User capable of controlling shikigami learned of the existence of this cursed tool? Something about this whole matter did not feel simple.

"Say, don't you need to go to school?"

"Huh? Of course I took leave. The principal knows my dad pretty well, and my grades are good. It's fine if I miss a few days."

As their voices faded into the distance, only the ceaseless sound of the river remained, flowing on in loneliness. Once the group had vanished from sight, ripples suddenly spread across the placid surface. Then, a sinister-looking man rose halfway out of the water. Looking in the direction Shen Yuanyi and the others had left, his face twisted with annoyance.

"Damn it, why did a Jujutsu Sorcerer get involved? That blade is still on that brat. I need to test him. If it is, then I'll kill them and take the blade when the time comes. Lord Geto's mission cannot be abandoned halfway through."

The man's body gradually sank back into the river. Looking again, there was only the clear flowing water and the fish within it—there was no trace of a human figure anywhere.

When they arrived at Gen Naine's school, it was clearly the sort of high-end private academy meant for the wealthy. A stranger like Shen Yuanyi, especially one accompanied by a large dog, should not have been able to enter. Yet somehow, after Sugihara Riko went to negotiate, Shen Yuanyi was allowed through without any obstruction. White Wolf, however, had to be left with the gatekeeper.

After giving White Wolf some instructions, Shen Yuanyi entered the school gates with Gen Naine, Dojigiri in its guitar case slung across his back. It happened to be lunchtime, and countless boys and girls passed through the campus. Surprisingly, whenever they saw Gen Naine, nearly everyone greeted her. Many of them seemed quite familiar with her, regardless of gender.

"You're pretty popular at school." Shen Yuanyi watched as several girls embraced Gen Naine affectionately, whispered a few secrets to her, then left with mischievous smiles after teasing the two of them until Gen Naine drove them away in embarrassment.

Gen Naine came back to her senses, looking puzzled. "Genichi-kun should be popular at school too, shouldn't you? Or have you only ever attended that one school?"

Shen Yuanyi put both hands in his pockets. He thought about the people he had beaten up in middle school, as well as the female classmates who had lusted after his body, then said, "Half and half."

"Where's that classmate you mentioned, the one who knows a lot of campus rumors? We still need to go see the person involved afterward."

Gen Naine thought for a moment. "He should be at his club right now. He joined... some Occult Club. He usually likes talking about ghost stories and school gossip."

Led by Gen Naine, the two arrived at the Occult Club's activity room. It was not large, just a small room. As soon as they reached the door, they could hear someone inside speaking in a low voice, vividly recounting something.

Knock, knock.

Gen Naine knocked on the door and pushed it open. "Keisuke."

The voice inside was interrupted. A buzz-cut boy in a school uniform turned around. When he saw Gen Naine calling for him, he said in delighted surprise, "Naine, you came back to school!"

There were also two boys and a girl sitting in the room. They had all been listening intently to the rumors Keisuke had been telling. When they saw Gen Naine enter, they smiled and greeted her as well. After chatting for a while, Gen Naine introduced Shen Yuanyi to the curious group, though she naturally withheld certain details.

"So, you want to know whether anything bizarre ever happened at the school in the past? Maybe even incidents where someone died because of it?" Keisuke recalled with a serious expression. Before long, he raised his head. "I think there really were a few."

"You've all heard the school legends, right? The piano playing in the classroom, the anatomical mannequin, and Hanako-san—the kind every school has. But there's one that's especially unusual: the legend of the Thirteenth Step on the staircase."