"Whatever. It's not like I've got any better options, so I might as well give it a try!"
He wasn't facing some powerful enemy that required him to conserve cursed energy to stay combat-ready, so Aikawa Kaze was absolutely willing to gamble this time.
Even without reinforcing himself with cursed energy, he was confident he could handle these cursed spirits. It was just a question of disgusting versus even more disgusting.
His tolerance was about to hit rock bottom. Since he was already nearly sick to his stomach and hemorrhaging sanity points, what did it matter anymore?
Let's roll. Who knows? Maybe a single pull will work a miracle.
"Ijichi, find a way to contact whoever's in charge and get everyone out of here. Inumaki and I will stay and figure something out!"
"Understood! Please be careful, both of you!"
Ijichi knew exactly what he needed to do. He didn't pull some melodramatic "If we leave, we leave together!" stunt and stay behind to become a burden.
Since he couldn't exorcise cursed spirits, staying wouldn't help. He was better off handling support and logistics.
Despite his usual meek demeanor, Ijichi was actually an experienced, capable assistant supervisor.
He made his decision immediately and left without hesitation to find the person in charge.
Aikawa Kaze couldn't help giving him a mental thumbs-up for that decisiveness.
The organizers of events like this usually showed their faces at the opening ceremony, then became almost impossible to find.
But Ijichi had plenty of experience dealing with this. When in doubt, call 110 first. Whatever the situation, having police cooperation always made things easier.
The authorities knew about Jujutsu Society, so they would naturally cooperate. He hoped they would dispatch officers quickly.
Until the police arrived, his public relations skills would be put to the test-he had to evacuate the crowd as quickly as possible and keep the situation contained.
"I hope we can resolve this smoothly without causing a commotion... Good luck, Inumaki! Aikawa!"
Watching Ijichi run off, Aikawa Kaze and Toge Inumaki both breathed a sigh of relief.
After all, Ijichi had very little cursed energy and couldn't protect himself as they could. It would be bad if he accidentally fell victim to this too.
"Toge, do you think putting up a Curtain would make ordinary people leave on their own?"
"Bonito flakes!"
"No? So it can only interfere with their perception..."
Jujutsu sorcerers were desperately understaffed, so even students were constantly being worked to the bone.
Having only recently entered Jujutsu Society, Aikawa Kaze still didn't understand a lot of things. Yet before he could learn much of the relevant theory, his solid combat ability had gotten him sent out on missions.
As he remembered it, a Curtain was something like a barrier that prevented ordinary people from noticing changes inside it. Fans jokingly called it a "Muggle-Repelling Charm."
That was why Aikawa Kaze had suddenly wondered whether he could use it to drive ordinary people away.
But Inumaki had more common sense and understood Curtains much better. Regretfully, he informed Aikawa Kaze that the barrier could only block ordinary people's awareness of what happened within its range, not directly compel them to do anything.
"Explode... cough, cough, cough!"
Inumaki had barely gotten the word out before he began coughing involuntarily and hurriedly gulped down several more mouthfuls of cough medicine.
His throat was already tired after working all day. Since he couldn't amplify his voice and shout, he could only deal with small groups of cursed spirits at a time, leaving him even hoarser now.
"I'll help too! I don't know how well it'll work, but giving up without trying isn't my style!"
Aikawa Kaze hesitated, but ultimately didn't dare pull a sword from the pocket on his stomach in full view of everyone.
Toge Inumaki's occasional outrageous commands had already drawn some strange looks. He couldn't do something even more impossible under these circumstances.
But his nails probably couldn't break his skin, and as for biting himself...
Absolutely not! My hands are already covered in sticky stuff!
Besides, back when he'd cosplayed Naruto and tried to look cool using the Summoning Jutsu, he'd already confirmed that normal people couldn't bring themselves to bite hard enough to draw blood...
A miscalculation. I should've taken a page from the Kamo Clan and prepared some blood bags.
I'll stock up once I get back!
With no time to think further, Aikawa Kaze could only reassure himself that he would leave this attempt to fate.
He took out the sheet bearing the Summoning Circle and began reciting the incantation quickly and quietly.
"I declare-your body shall be beneath mine, and my fate entrusted to your sword."
Without a personalized incantation prepared in advance, he could only make do with the lines the system had previously devised.
He definitely wasn't being halfhearted or merely going through the motions. In this sanity-draining environment, his brain was a jumble of nonsense, and he simply couldn't calmly compose a summoning chant.
This wasn't giving up and lying down, either. It was one final struggle against an irresistible fate-a serene acceptance of whatever came!
"Answer me! You who are bound by the Cage of Frenzy..."
"Dodge!!!!" "Cough, cough, cough-"
It was Toge Inumaki's Cursed Speech!
As Toge Inumaki's panicked voice reached him, Aikawa Kaze felt his body instinctively dodge along with him.
When he looked up, he saw a huge wave crashing toward them, covered in countless densely packed "seafood cursed spirits."
They flailed their claws and tentacles, spraying disgusting pus as they sailed through the air straight at their faces.
"Fuck!"
At this critical moment, his Chinese instincts kicked in, bringing out that quintessential national curse.
Until now, Aikawa Kaze had been dutifully adapting to local customs, speaking, communicating, and summoning in Japanese. But swearing in his native language felt unexpectedly comforting and relieving.
Guess this is what they mean by "I'm no poet, but 'fuck' works everywhere"!
Realizing he couldn't avoid the cursed spirits flying at his face, Aikawa Kaze adopted the expression of a man marching to his death and stepped in front of Toge Inumaki—protecting the team's fragile damage dealer was everyone's responsibility!
Aikawa Kaze had already prepared himself to be buried in seafood monsters. Fighting down his nausea, he planned to see whether he could lure more monsters away from Inumaki so the other boy could finish them all in one go.
What he didn't notice was that, pushed to his limit, Inumaki had also taken on a determined look behind him, pulling down his high collar and switching on his voice amplifier.
He could no longer afford to worry about keeping things secret.
Doing this would probably get him held accountable afterward, but that was a problem for later. Right now, he had to protect his companion!
Aikawa Kaze glared darkly at the airborne "little seafood critters," his teeth clenched.
If only I had Daddy Zhongli's shield right now. That would be so reassuring.
Too bad I have absolutely no idea what to say! Should I just shout, "Help me, Mr. Morax"?
Even as his thoughts ran wild, Aikawa Kaze didn't slow down.
Not daring to draw a sword in public, he instead pulled a Book of False Vassals from his coat. It would improve his resistance while also letting him smack away a few cursed spirits.
Just pretend I'm swatting bugs.
Aaaaaah!!!
Damn it, there are densely packed, squirming, sticky things everywhere!
Why do disgusting things like tentacle monsters and seafood monsters even exist?!
His resentment burst forth in a furious shout.
"Damn you! The day I get a blade in my hands, I'll slaughter every seafood monster in the world! Just you wait!"
I'm never eating seafood again for the rest of my life!
Those two thoughts flashed through Aikawa Kaze's mind.
At the same time, in Liyue, a certain old gentleman who had grown accustomed to receiving people's faith and prayers took a leisurely sip of tea, paying little attention.
Until he sensed someone's resentment, so intense it practically pierced the heavens.
[I'm never eating seafood again for the rest of my life!]
[The day I get a blade in my hands, I'll slaughter every seafood monster in the world!]
Although he, the god of Liyue, hated seafood, his nation bordered the sea, and its food-loving people, well versed in the culinary arts, embraced seafood quite enthusiastically.
An aversion powerful enough to resonate with him was rare indeed.
And so Morax instinctively glanced toward its source.
He swore he'd originally only meant to take a casual peek!
But that single glance showed him seafood tentacle monsters filling the sky.
The Geo Archon of Liyue: "..."
The Geo Archon of Liyue: "An admirable ambition indeed. Go forth!"
Although he hadn't particularly intended to bestow his power, nor to enter a contract with anyone...
The sight of those seafood tentacles blotting out the sky simply made him want to clean them up.
It's like spotting a cockroach within your field of vision and feeling compelled to get rid of it. Surely everyone understands that?
On the shore, Aikawa Kaze froze as he prepared to receive a faceful of cursed spirits.
Did someone just offer me a word of encouragement?
The next instant, a warm, surging power flowed from within him. He reached out and instinctively grasped something shaped like a gemstone.
"Kelp?"
Toge Inumaki looked over worriedly. Reflected in his purple eyes, Aikawa Kaze could see his own eyes, now resembling cor lapis, and the red lines tracing their outer corners.
It actually worked?
Still dazed, Aikawa Kaze hesitantly tested it out.
"Don't worry, I'm fine. Probably... Planet Befall?"
Crash!
"This is the Heavenly Principles?"
Crash!
"Dominus Lapidis!"
Crash!
With Aikawa Kaze's three utterances, three meteorites slammed into the seafood cursed spirits in succession. Their terrifying power sent enormous waves surging through the sea again, creating a scene as horrifying as a tsunami.
This time, however, the sea was much cleaner. Even facing the tsunami head-on, Aikawa Kaze remained perfectly calm.
"Dominus Lapidis: Stele Shield."
Radiant golden light surrounded them, keeping seawater, slime, and even that revolting smell outside.
It wasn't just Aikawa Kaze and Toge Inumaki. Aikawa Kaze's skill also covered all the other visitors present.
Ordinary people can't see the skill effects anyway, so who cares!
And so, when the police, ambulances, and lifeguards finally rushed to the scene, they encountered something that could only be called a miracle.
They had mentally prepared themselves for a dire situation, devastating casualties, and an exceptionally difficult search operation. Reality, however, was entirely different.
The worst casualty was the girl who had fainted from a severe allergic reaction. Everyone else was completely unharmed, and not a single person had gone missing after being swept away by the giant waves.
Even more astonishingly, despite being struck by those waves, their clothes weren't even soaked through!
As for the explanation...
"According to reports, a mass poisoning incident occurred yesterday at an outdoor party on XX Beach, where attendees accidentally consumed food containing allergens and experienced widespread hallucinations. We'd like to remind everyone..."
"Beep-"
Ijichi weakly turned off the television and sighed in dejection.
"We're doomed. Once we get back, the higher-ups are definitely going to tear into us. Waaaaah..."
Ijichi couldn't bear to blame the two kindhearted students for protecting everyone, but... but did a mere pack of grade 4 cursed spirits really warrant three meteorites?!
Racking his brains for an excuse had practically taken years off his life!
"Sorry, I got carried away..." Aikawa Kaze smiled awkwardly, his gaze wandering. "Um, they were just so disgusting that I couldn't help myself."
"Bonito flakes, bonito flakes!"
Toge Inumaki also lowered his head in apology. If he'd known it would turn out like this, he would've been better off embarrassing himself by shouting through a megaphone right from the start!
At worst, he alone would've been held accountable. Since he was a cursed speech user, the higher-ups wouldn't have gone too far.
Letting Aikawa Kaze intervene had instead turned a minor incident into a major affair.
Only after speaking did Toge Inumaki realize he'd forgotten to turn on his translator. He fumbled to switch it on, but then heard Aikawa Kaze and Ijichi respond.
"It wasn't Inumaki's fault! I wanted to see whether I could summon a certain big shot, then couldn't resist trying out his skills... I was the one who didn't control myself."
"Exactly! Inumaki was doing his best to handle things discreetly from the beginning. This wasn't your fault!"
Aikawa Kaze and Ijichi spoke almost simultaneously. Only a second later did they hear the translator.
"Doggie: Toge Inumaki has expressed his apologies for failing to act."
The three of them froze, exchanged glances, and suddenly burst out laughing.
The gloomy atmosphere vanished in an instant.
Without even realizing it, they had already reached the point where they no longer needed a translator.
"Looks like my gift isn't much use anymore!"
"Dried bonito!"
"True, you'll still need it when talking to other people. Keeping it with you is a good idea. It might come in surprisingly handy."
"Salmon, salmon!"
"Mm-hmm. We'll write this report together. And the written apology, of course..."
Watching the two chat and laugh, Ijichi couldn't help smiling.
The sight seemed to ease much of his sorrow over the reprimand awaiting them.
"Oh, right, Mr. Ijichi. Will you be punished?"
Remembering this, Aikawa Kaze asked sheepishly.
"If it's a financial penalty, I hope you'll let me reimburse you. If it's something else, I have a few ideas..."
Aikawa Kaze thought of Suguru Geto. Since making his arrangement with Gojo Sensei, he didn't seem to have caused any trouble yet.
If there's some other punishment, why not get Suguru Geto to hurry up and launch a terrorist attack? Then the higher-ups won't have time to worry about trivial details!
If they're short-staffed, even if they want to confine Ijichi, the pressure will force them to let him out to work, right?
Completely unaware of the terrifying ideas running through Aikawa Kaze's mind, Ijichi simply assumed the boy was worried about him. He pushed up his glasses and shook his head.
"Probably just a deduction from my bonus and a scolding? It's honestly not too bad. I'm used to it, so don't worry."
After all, he frequently served as Satoru Gojo's assistant supervisor and had been caught in the fallout of his willful antics plenty of times.
Since those higher-ups couldn't lash out at Satoru Gojo, wasn't it only natural for them to redirect their anger at a nobody like him? Ijichi really was used to it.
When he thought of it that way, perhaps he wasn't actually losing all that much?
Getting chewed out wouldn't cost him a pound of flesh. It wasn't like it was his first time.
As for money... Ijichi, a corporate drone who lived simply and wasn't short on cash, felt it wasn't such a big deal either.
After all, he had attended Jujutsu High, and he more or less counted as an acquaintance of Satoru Gojo's and a junior from the same school. The higher-ups wouldn't actually kill him or discard him.
Or rather, if he really did get suspended, wouldn't he get a few days off?
As for solitary confinement... come on, those cells were sealed layer upon layer to hold high-level cursed spirits and curse users. A mere assistant supervisor like him didn't even qualify!
Huh? Thinking about it that way, why had I been so nervous, so scared, and so hung up on the rules before?
In a daze, Assistant Supervisor Ijichi felt as though a door to a whole new world had opened before him.
The higher-ups... weren't really all that, were they?
Before you continue