Curse in the Abandoned Building

"Then let me announce our destination." Satoru Gojo's words immediately quieted the two, who pricked up their ears to listen.

"Roppongi!"

The moment Lin Ran heard that name, he knew where they were going. This was hardly sightseeing...

Yuji Itadori and Nobara Kugisaki, on the other hand, looked quite excited.

But once they arrived, their expressions turned grim. Before them stood a dilapidated building, and the air within it radiated a cursed presence that was easy enough to sense.

"You big liar, this is Roppongi?"

"How dare you make fun of the locals!"

Yuji Itadori and Nobara Kugisaki grumbled indignantly.

"There's a large cemetery nearby, and combined with this abandoned building, it gave rise to a curse," Satoru Gojo explained.

"Wouldn't one be more likely to appear in a cemetery?" Yuji Itadori quieted down for the moment and began analyzing the situation, while Nobara Kugisaki was still stewing over having been fooled.

"The issue isn't the cemetery itself. It's the hearts of people who think cemetery equals scary," Fushiguro Megumi explained as he looked at Yuji Itadori.

"Oh, so it's like what happened at the school." Yuji Itadori nodded.

"Wait, this guy doesn't even know that?" Nobara Kugisaki found it strange when she heard Yuji Itadori say that. Wasn't this the most basic knowledge for a Jujutsu Sorcerer?

"That's how it is..." Fushiguro Megumi recounted what had happened to Yuji Itadori at the school, as well as how he had eaten Sukuna's Finger.

"What? He ate a Special Grade Cursed Object?" Nobara Kugisaki said incredulously. A normal person should have died long ago, right? "That's so disgusting. Terrifying. His hygiene awareness is awful. No, no, no."

"What are you talking about?" Yuji Itadori looked at Nobara Kugisaki strangely.

"I agree with that part." Fushiguro Megumi agreed with Nobara Kugisaki.

Then Satoru Gojo spoke. "I want to see what level you can reach, so we'll treat this as a field test. Nobara, Yuji, go exorcise the curse inside the building. Lin Ran doesn't need to go."

"Why doesn't he have to go?" Nobara Kugisaki pointed at Lin Ran and looked at Satoru Gojo. "Does he get special treatment, or is he too weak and needs us to handle this?"

Satoru Gojo smiled. "Him? There's no point in having him deal with a curse of this level, so I'm not sending him in."

"Teacher, you mean..." Nobara Kugisaki glanced at Lin Ran curiously. "He's stronger than me?"

"Hahaha, no, no, that's not what I mean..." Satoru Gojo looked at Nobara Kugisaki. "Lin Ran even dared to provoke a Special Grade Cursed Spirit. Do you think he'd feel anything facing a curse of this level?"

"A Special Grade Cursed Spirit? Him?" Nobara Kugisaki felt like she had misheard. When they had first met, Lin Ran had looked weak as a chicken. How could he possibly have anything to do with a Special Grade Cursed Spirit?

"Ahem..." Lin Ran coughed guiltily. Satoru Gojo was really overselling him.

Just then, Satoru Gojo chuckled. "He nearly died there, though, if not for me."

"Tch, so he got beaten up by a Special Grade Cursed Spirit. Tsk tsk, if you don't have the skills, don't go showing off. Leave the curse upstairs to me." Nobara Kugisaki finally understood. Satoru Gojo hadn't been praising Lin Ran—he had been mocking him.

Lin Ran understood it too, but it was indeed the truth. If Satoru Gojo had not appeared back then, death would have been his only outcome.

"No way, isn't Lin Ran supposed to be really strong?" Yuji Itadori had seen Lin Ran's Cursed Energy Armor. Ordinary Cursed Spirits could do nothing to him with that alone.

"What would you know?" Nobara Kugisaki shot Yuji Itadori a sidelong glance. She had noticed that these people all loved hyping Lin Ran up. Why didn't they hype up a gorgeous beauty like her instead?

"Yeah, Lin Ran, he..."

"Alright, get upstairs." Satoru Gojo cut Yuji Itadori off and urged the two onward.

"Wait." Lin Ran spoke up. "Teacher Gojo, I want to go too."

How could he pass up such a good chance to earn points? The points might not be many, but points were still points. He only needed a few more points to claim his next reward.

The sooner he received the reward, the sooner he could start studying it, and the stronger he would become.

Satoru Gojo looked at Lin Ran, then quickly said, "Fine. The three of you can go up together."

"Kid, don't drag me down." Nobara Kugisaki glanced at Lin Ran. Of everyone here, she was the most familiar with him, since they had been neighbors for nearly a month. Still, Nobara Kugisaki simply liked butting heads with Lin Ran.

"Oh, right. Aren't curses only exorcised by curses? I don't know any jujutsu." Yuji Itadori had only just remembered this issue. Lin Ran and Nobara Kugisaki could exorcise curses, but he couldn't.

"You already count as half a curse yourself. You have cursed energy in your body, but controlling cursed energy isn't something you can master casually. Use this instead." After saying that, Satoru Gojo took out a wrapped blade and handed it to Yuji Itadori.

"This is the Cursed Tool 'Tu Zuo Mo,' a weapon imbued with cursed energy. It works against curses too."

"So tacky." Nobara Kugisaki snorted and headed toward the abandoned building.

Yuji Itadori and Lin Ran followed after her. Satoru Gojo's voice rang out behind them. "Oh, and don't let Sukuna out. If you release him, he'll kill the curse here instantly—and endanger the nearby humans too."

"Got it. I won't let Sukuna out." Yuji Itadori nodded.

Lin Ran smiled. With him here, he could also instantly kill a curse of this level. Why would they need Sukuna? The result would be the same.

"Hurry up! What are you dawdling for?" Nobara Kugisaki said impatiently. These two guys were so slow.

After Yuji Itadori pulled open the rolling shutter, Nobara Kugisaki walked straight inside. It was somewhat dim, but they could still see clearly enough.

Lin Ran walked in as well. Looking at Nobara Kugisaki ahead of him, he said, "You don't need to waste your energy. Just leave it to me."

"Huh?" Nobara Kugisaki turned to look at Lin Ran. "Did that Special Grade Cursed Spirit beat your brains out?"

Lin Ran did not know how to explain it to Nobara Kugisaki. This curse was useful to him. If someone else killed it, then it was simply dead, of no use at all. But if he killed it, it would be useful.

"Let's go, Lin Ran." Yuji Itadori patted Lin Ran on the shoulder. He knew this woman was hard to deal with—at least much more troublesome than ordinary women.

The three began searching, while Lin Ran headed straight upstairs. The cursed presence was strongest above; the lower floors gave only a faint response.