The Targeted Girl

"Mm, what's that black thing?"

Lin Yi pointed at a spot in the city's night sky. It was a barrier technique, a "Curtain," which he could observe with the naked eye in his disguised form. The Curtain's actual effect preceded its visual appearance; by the time one could see it descending, the barrier technique had already been completed.

Previously, though, Lin Yi had been unable to see cursed energy fluctuations or cursed spirits with the naked eye in this disguised form. He could only rely on his sharp intuition and physical abilities far beyond those of ordinary people.

But now, even in his disguised form, Lin Yi could vaguely see cursed energy fluctuations and the formation of a Curtain. The source of this change was that he had previously exorcised more than thirty Grade 3 Cursed Spirits on a large scale, absorbing 0.1 percent of all their attributes.

"Big bro, did you drink too much?"

Aoi Todo looked at Lin Yi beside him, studying the confused expression on his face before reaching a conclusion.

Among the ordinary people incapable of becoming sorcerers, some were born with stronger Spirit Vision. When cursed spirits attacked or cursed energy around them fluctuated violently, they could directly see cursed spirits or things created by cursed energy with the naked eye. In Aoi Todo's view, Lin Yi was one of those people.

"How could I be drunk? Your big bro can drink a thousand cups without falling! There really is a black, semi-transparent blob over there."

"But I can't see anything, Big Bro. Let me take you back first."

"Huh? You're not coming to rest at my office for the night? The Shinkansen has stopped running, and you can't exactly fly back to Kyoto. Spend the night at my office. The rooms there are pretty spacious."

"No, Big Bro. I just remembered there's something I still need to do."

Aoi Todo politely declined Lin Yi's invitation. As a Grade 2 Sorcerer, he had to investigate after witnessing a Curtain descend over the Tokyo Metropolitan Area, in accordance with the rules governing sorcerers' actions.

Seeing that he had successfully bluffed his way through it, Lin Yi went along with the situation and prepared to say goodbye to Aoi Todo.

He had no interest in getting involved in the affairs of Japan's Jujutsu Society, especially without Suguru Geto assigning him a shift.

Lin Yi made as if to leave, only to collide head-on with someone.

The impact made Lin Yi stagger, while the other person was knocked down and landed on the ground. But Lin Yi immediately recognized who had hit him.

"You're... Miss Takagi?"

The girl who had crashed into him in her panic was Yuko Takagi, the missing girl from Lin Yi's previous case—the girl who had gone out to look for a friend and mysteriously disappeared.

Lin Yi had thought it was merely a simple missing-person case. He had never expected the client's claim of being the girl's older sister to be false, nor that what had happened to the girl would be so bizarre. It seemed to be connected to the Culling Game plan of the thousand-year sorcerer Kenjaku.

To avoid being targeted by Kenjaku, Lin Yi had decisively dumped this hot potato on Kento Nanami, a Jujutsu High staff member. But after all that handling, how the hell had this hot potato ended up back in his hands?

Damn it! Are all the higher-ups in Japan's Jujutsu Society useless vermin? They can't even handle something this minor! No, wait, they really are vermin. Fuck!

After recognizing the girl, Lin Yi cursed inwardly. Yuko Takagi had not expected to run into him on the street either. Once she recognized him, she desperately grabbed both his hands like a drowning woman clutching at a straw.

"You're the detective from that night? Detective, please help me! Save my classmates!"

Classmates? Where did a runaway girl like you get classmates? Wait, you enrolled at Jujutsu High? Where's Satoru Gojo? Someone save her!

Lin Yi was somewhat bewildered, but once he reacted, he immediately pieced everything together. His mood instantly soured.

A girl who was apparently the vessel of an ancient sorcerer, part of the Culling Game plotted by the thousand-year sorcerer Kenjaku... To keep his Culling Game from being affected, Lin Yi could roughly guess why Satoru Gojo had not appeared. That guy had probably been sent away by the Jujutsu Society higher-ups again, dealing with some cursed-spirit trouble that had appeared out of nowhere. And there was a strong chance it was bait released by Kenjaku, intended to lure Satoru Gojo away.

This is bad. I never intended to face off against Kenjaku, that thousand-year sorcerer, this soon!

Lin Yi's mind had become a complete mess from the sheer amount of information he had just received. Looking at the desperate plea in the girl's eyes, he even began to stammer.

"I think... when it comes to asking for help... the police might be more appropriate, M-Miss Takagi."

"I'm afraid Tokyo's police can't help us, Big Bro. Takagi, you're a student at Tokyo Jujutsu High, right? What year are you in?"

"First year. Who are you?"

"Aoi Todo, a second-year at Kyoto Jujutsu High. I'm Big Bro Lin Ichiro's little brother. Like you, I'm a sorcerer. Grade 2."

Aoi Todo introduced himself succinctly, then took out the same kind of Jujutsu High student ID to prove his identity before looking in the direction Yuko Takagi had run from.

Lin Yi looked over as well and saw a beautiful short-haired woman in a black leather jacket walking gracefully toward them, a whip hanging from her waist.

An unsettling aura radiated from her entire body. Even passersby who had initially wanted to approach and strike up a conversation with her did not dare come closer, instead keeping their distance.

From the perspectives of Lin Yi, Aoi Todo, and Yuko Takagi, seven or eight cursed spirits surrounded the short-haired woman. Judging by their cursed energy fluctuations, they were probably around Grade 2 as well.

Lin Yi recognized the woman's identity at a glance.

She was the woman who had asked him to find Yuko Takagi before. This woman was actually a sorcerer?

Damn!

Lin Yi cursed inwardly, then heard Aoi Todo speak beside him.

"Big Bro Ichiro, you can see them too, right?"

"Obviously. How could I not see something that clearly isn't human? Wait, can't other people see them? And what exactly is this sorcerer profession you were talking about?"

"Just as expected of Aoi Todo's big brother. Big Bro Ichiro, I'll leave Takagi to you. Please take her back to her school. Leave the others from Tokyo Jujutsu High and this woman to me."

Huh? You're really that straightforward, brother? Well, since you put it that way...

Without nearly any hesitation, Lin Yi started the motorcycle parked by the roadside and called to the still-confused Yuko Takagi, "Miss Takagi, get on!"

Only then did Yuko Takagi belatedly jump onto the motorcycle and wrap her arms around Lin Yi's waist. She had also realized that, in the world of sorcerers, asking the police for help was less useful than returning directly to Tokyo Jujutsu High for reinforcements.

"Todo, be careful!"

"Yeah!"

Aoi Todo replied without looking back and gave Lin Yi a thumbs-up as well.

Lin Yi trusted Aoi Todo's strength. During the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons Incident caused by Suguru Geto, this guy had exorcised five Grade 1 Cursed Spirits and one Special-Grade Cursed Spirit all by himself. He would be fine.

Only after receiving Aoi Todo's response did Lin Yi rev the motorcycle and speed away through the streets of Shinjuku with the unlucky girl riding behind him.

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