Toho Tetsu's First Mission

Tokyo, Nerima Ward. Near the suburbs stood an abandoned hospital.

The place was somewhat famous online. Many people claimed that all kinds of supernatural incidents had occurred here, while others said the hospital had suffered a major medical accident long ago.

Some even said that a harbinger of death resided in the hospital. Every patient who entered would be pronounced dead by it, then perish miserably in the manner it had foretold.

Bolstered by the medical accident and all sorts of rumors, the hospital had been abandoned. Yet that only attracted plenty of paranormal enthusiasts who came here to explore.

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

"We finally made it. Say, weren't we supposed to have an Assistant Supervisor driving us around? Why didn't anyone come this time?"

As Utahime Iori complained, she casually stretched her ankles. Beside her, Toho Tetsu, carrying a long cloth-wrapped bag, smiled helplessly.

"Maybe it's because of me. This may be our first mission, but it's also the final test of my training these past few days. Jujutsu High probably wants to evaluate that aspect too, so they only sent the two of us to complete the mission alone."

Utahime's expression turned a little strange at those words.

"That makes sense. You couldn't even figure out subway platforms before. Assistant Supervisors will pick us up and drive us when we're on missions, but we won't have that kind of convenience in everyday life."

Toho Tetsu awkwardly rubbed his nose.

It wasn't that he was some old man who didn't understand subways. He simply knew the domestic subway systems of the 2020s, so he had no idea how to ride Tokyo's subway at this point in time. Even on the way here, he had needed Utahime to guide him.

At that, Utahime Iori suddenly gave him an oddly complicated look.

"But speaking of which... you seem pretty popular, don't you?"

"Uh..."

He had no idea how to answer that.

On the subway ride to Nerima Ward, they had run into two or three people who tried to strike up a conversation with him. Two seemed to be high school girls from nearby, while the other looked like an adult working professional.

They had all been quite forward about wanting his contact information and arranging to meet again, leaving him at a loss over how to deal with it.

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

Still, it reminded him that back in high school, he had indeed received a lot of goodwill from his female classmates.

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

With that thought, he swiftly changed the subject.

"Let's not dwell on that. Shouldn't we discuss the details of this mission first?"

Though she could tell he was changing the subject, Utahime merely gave a soft snort before taking out the record booklet the Assistant Supervisor had given them earlier.

"According to the records and observations of the Windows and Assistant Supervisors, this hospital periodically produces low-grade cursed spirits because of its numerous urban ghost stories, as well as several medical accidents in the past. Most are Grade 4, with a small number of Grade 3s, so they clear the place out regularly."

She paused midway through.

"However, one time they encountered a Grade 2 cursed spirit. They only notified Jujutsu High to deal with it after escaping in time. So this place does carry a certain degree of danger."

After explaining the situation, she closed the booklet and looked at Toho Tetsu with a somewhat helpless expression.

"For someone like you, even a Grade 2 cursed spirit isn't impossible to defeat. So the focus of this mission assessment should be your handling of the situation and your performance in other areas."

Two or three days had passed since she returned to school. During that time, this junior had not been idling around. He had continued practical combat training in the forest behind the mountain.

Only, the number of people involved had gone from two to three. Mei Mei used her Black Bird Manipulation to seek out suitable targets, while Utahime watched Toho Tetsu rush in and defeat them after maneuvering around them.

So even when she learned that a Grade 2 cursed spirit might appear during this mission, she was not overly surprised or panicked.

After all, she had already seen this junior defeat far too many Grade 2 cursed spirits.

After hearing her summary, Toho Tetsu nodded.

"Then let's officially begin. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can go back."

"Okay, wait a moment. I'll turn on the recorder."

After Utahime Iori nodded, she clipped the recorder Jujutsu High had given her to document this operation to the front of her collar. When she noticed someone's instinctively wandering gaze, she awkwardly turned her body slightly to the side.

Realizing that his gaze might have been impolite, Toho Tetsu gave a dry cough and turned away. He only focused on the mission again after she confirmed that she was ready.

Before anything else, they first needed to lower the Curtain.

As he recited the incantation, a black veil rapidly spread out from his position, gradually enveloping the entire abandoned hospital. Its size, range, and stability were flawless, sealing everything perfectly.

Watching this, Utahime nodded in approval. It was worthy of the Curtain she had painstakingly taught him over three days. Not only did it no longer need to spread outward from himself as its center, but he could even enclose the entire hospital simply through observation.

In this regard alone, she would absolutely rate him as excellent.

After lowering the Curtain, Toho Tetsu opened the cloth bag on his back and took out Fudōmaru. He hung it from his belt, then pushed open the doors with a slight exertion of force.

The moment he stepped inside, a bone-chilling cold rushed over him.

Since this had been a small private hospital, it did not occupy much land. The front courtyard was a small plaza with several worn-out benches. At its center stood a pool and flowerbeds.

Ahead was a four- or five-story treatment building, while the inpatient ward and general facilities building stood to the left and right respectively.

Although only around a decade had passed since it was abandoned, the hospital had already fallen into extreme disrepair. Its walls had peeled and cracked apart, while the weeds in the courtyard, though bearing some signs of being trampled, still grew wildly and stubbornly.

Perhaps it was not merely the passage of time that had turned this place into what it was. The accumulation of cursed energy might have contributed as well.

After exhaling slowly, he closed his eyes and released cursed energy to sense the state of the abandoned hospital. Then his brows furrowed slightly.

The concentration of cursed energy in this hospital was somewhat high. Though he could sense the traces and locations of many cursed spirits, and could even detect several currently gathered together, it was not easy to judge their strength from the fluctuations they emitted.

He could increase his cursed energy output to enhance his perception, but that would run contrary to the purpose of this final assessment.

During the evaluation, he needed to demonstrate his solid fundamentals with the most basic abilities, rather than simply overpowering everything with brute force.

After considering it for a moment, he still drew Fudōmaru and headed toward the inpatient ward on the left. That was where one of the groups of cursed spirits he had detected was located.

Seeing him leave, Utahime Iori hurried after him in small steps. Her previously relaxed expression seemed to grow slightly tense, her gaze constantly sweeping from side to side.

Seeing how nervous she looked, Toho Tetsu could not help lowering his voice, even though they were in the middle of a final mission.

"Don't worry, senpai. The cursed spirits here aren't high-grade. You can deal with them easily."

He had intended to help steady her nerves and tell her that even she could easily handle the incident here, but she instead replied with a touch of tsundere pride.

"W-Who asked you to meddle?! Focus on your assessment and don't casually talk to the chief examiner!"

That made him sigh helplessly. Then he pushed open the inpatient ward's doors and walked in. The instant he entered the corridor, intense cursed energy fluctuations came from ahead.

In the lobby of the inpatient ward, several grotesquely shaped cursed spirits gathered together and turned their gazes toward them.

"Slow movement, dull reactions, only partially formed. Judged to be a small group of Grade 4 cursed spirits."

As he spoke, he poured cursed energy into Fudōmaru. Blue cursed energy rose from the blade, and he stepped toward the group of cursed spirits one step at a time...