"Cursed energy residue?" The Slit-Mouthed Woman's voice drifted eerily from behind Shoichi Kano. "No, it looks like some kind of... innate cursed technique that drains life force."
Only then did Takeo Yamakawa and his wife, Michiko, notice something was wrong.
"Darling, is the air conditioning on in here? Why do I feel a little cold?" Michiko asked.
Naturally, the wall-mounted air conditioner in the ward was off. It was only May, and nighttime temperatures sometimes dropped to eighteen or nineteen degrees Celsius. There was no need for air conditioning at all.
Takeo Yamakawa shook his head. "No... I feel a little cold too. Maybe cool air is coming in from somewhere else?"
Hiroshi Yamakawa's heart was causing him so much discomfort that he had only given Kano a smile when he entered. The rest of the time, he lay in bed with his eyes closed, resting.
He was also hooked up to an IV. Since the doctors could not locate the source of his illness, they were only giving him ordinary nitroglycerin solution, which dilated the coronary arteries and increased blood flow, relieving his angina and making him a little more comfortable.
Still, it only treated the symptoms, not the cause. Unless they found what was really wrong, the medicine would not do much good.
Shoichi Kano found himself torn. Honestly, with his abilities, he should have been able to free Hiroshi Yamakawa from this cursed technique if he really tried. Although he had only just awakened his cursed technique and lacked experience, he had a seasoned cursed spirit at his side. He should have been able to coax some information out of her, whether it was a clue or a way to trace the cursed energy back to its source. Once he had those methods, he could get started.
But the problem was... how could he persuade the Slit-Mouthed Woman?
After their brief two days together, Shoichi Kano did not think the special grade cursed spirit at his side cared much about human morality. If he openly told her he wanted to save someone, he probably would not get any meaningful help.
As he watched Hiroshi Yamakawa lying in bed with nitroglycerin flowing into his veins, Shoichi Kano's gaze flickered. Two little figures in his mind had already started fighting.
There was certainly truth in the saying "stay out of anything that doesn't concern you," but Hiroshi Yamakawa was his friend, after all. That made it his business, so that rule did not apply.
And so, in his mental world, the little figure representing "save him" threw a vicious straight punch, knocking the one representing "don't save him" to the ground. It followed up with several brutal kicks, obliterating its opponent completely.
"Uncle, Auntie." Shoichi Kano cleared his throat. "Try not to worry too much. Medical technology is so advanced these days. There's bound to be a way."
"Um... I still have something to take care of, so I'll be going now." Shoichi Kano bowed slightly, then slowly backed out of the ward.
Once he reached the corridor, Shoichi Kano looked around for a moment, then simply ran into the hospital restroom.
There was nobody else in the restroom at that hour, making it the perfect place for a private conversation with the Slit-Mouthed Woman.
"Mom, you saw what was going on back there, right?" Shoichi Kano took out his phone and held it to his ear, pretending to make a call while actually speaking to the Slit-Mouthed Woman. "Be honest. Is Hiroshi Yamakawa going to die?"
The Slit-Mouthed Woman blinked and gave a slight nod. "Of course. Judging by the cursed energy fluctuations that technique left on him, if this continues, he'll definitely be dead within a week."
"Normally," Shoichi Kano asked, "if I find the source that placed the cursed technique on him and deal with it, that should break the technique, right?"
The Slit-Mouthed Woman nodded again.
"Then..." Shoichi Kano gritted his teeth. "Mom, can you help me? I want to find the source of this cursed technique and save him."
"Why? This has nothing to do with you, does it?" The Slit-Mouthed Woman watched the boy's conflicted expression with interest.
"Because he's my friend." There was a note of resolve in Shoichi Kano's voice.
Then he watched Miss Cursed Spirit reach up and pull down her mask, revealing the slits at the corners of her mouth, forcibly held together with stitches. She tilted her face and looked down at him. "Then beg me."
"What?"
The Slit-Mouthed Woman smiled, the stitches at the corners of her mouth looking ready to snap. "If my baby wants Mommy's help, shouldn't he act like he's asking for a favor?"
"So go on. Beg me."
Shoichi Kano froze as though struck by lightning. She really was still that vile-tempered special grade cursed spirit!
But since his good friend's life was at stake, he decided to swallow his pride.
"Give me a moment..." Shoichi Kano turned and ran to the sink. First, he scooped up some cold water and washed his face. Then he dripped some tap water into his eyes and rubbed them, putting on a tearful look.
With that pitiful expression and a pair of still "weeping" eyes, he gazed up at her at a forty-five-degree angle. He even crouched slightly and gently tugged the hem of her suit vest. "Mom, I'm begging you. Please help me!"
The corners of the Slit-Mouthed Woman's mouth twitched for a long while. Finally, she simply pulled her mask back up and turned her head away, doing her best to avoid meeting Shoichi Kano's eyes.
She took several deep breaths, still keeping her head turned. Her tone was somewhat stiff. "You... stop looking like that. I'll help you."
"Oh, okay." Shoichi Kano changed his expression in half a second. He casually wiped his eyes with his sleeve while quickly straightening up. By the time he lowered his hand, he looked no different than before.
Only after they returned home did Shoichi Kano find a chance to ask the Slit-Mouthed Woman how she planned to help Hiroshi Yamakawa.
She said she only needed to return to the hospital that night. With Hiroshi Yamakawa hovering between life and death, he would definitely be able to see her. Once she got there, she could simply ask whom he had been in contact with lately and whether anything unusual had happened. That would quickly narrow things down.
Then Shoichi Kano could follow those clues to find the culprit. It was a very simple plan.
Since the Slit-Mouthed Woman had such a clear approach, Shoichi Kano decided not to dwell on the matter any further.
Instead, he took out his black-covered notebook, waved it at her, and asked whether she had sneaked another look.
Once again, he saw that almost-smile of hers, the corners of her mouth slightly raised but little amusement in her eyes.
"I'm going out." The Slit-Mouthed Woman conjured up her previous business outfit again. "Be good and stay home, baby."
"As long as you don't step outside this door, the protective barrier I set up will remain effective."
"Stay safe. Have a good trip." Shoichi Kano did not know what else to say, but since she had shown him goodwill, it would have been rude not to respond. So he offered two stock phrases that were unlikely to go wrong.
Before you continue