Beneath a gray sky, rain poured down onto the streets, casting even Tokyo's bustling downtown into deep gloom.
Inside a black sedan, Utahime Iori, dressed in shrine maiden robes, studied the computer in her hands.
"This owner ran a chain of barbecue restaurants around here with his family. Business was booming for a while..."
"But after mad cow disease swept across Japan last July, his restaurants were hit hard and pushed to the brink of bankruptcy-
Unable to bear the blow, he later killed himself at home."
"After that, his house became infamous as a haunted house!"
Utahime Iori felt a flicker of unease but continued, "Local middle and high school students, college students from out of town, and unemployed drifters all went to explore the house afterward, but every last one disappeared without a trace!"
"That's why we suspect a cursed spirit is behind it!"
In the back seat, a woman with nearly white, blue-tinted hair tied in a high ponytail tapped the keypad of a red flip phone as she replied to Utahime:
"News about the supernatural really does spread quickly..."
"It creates so much extra work for us jujutsu sorcerers. With the internet taking off lately, it spreads at an unbelievable speed. How fascinating..."
"Three elementary school students also disappeared on their way home from school."
Utahime Iori's face grew grave.
"Their relatives, the police, and even the officers' colleagues and friends might enter that house while searching for the missing people..."
"So we have to go there and eliminate the cursed spirit responsible, right?"
Mei Mei snapped her flip phone shut and turned toward Utahime with a smile.
"That's why Jujutsu Headquarters offered me such a generous fee to investigate."
"Did you squeeze them for it?"
"How rude. Please call it the result of [negotiations]..."
As they chatted, they arrived at the haunted house's front gate. The eerie surroundings left Utahime feeling uneasy.
Mei Mei opened a black umbrella. "Let's go, Utahime."
"All right..." Utahime followed Mei Mei, then asked, "By the way, Miss Mei, why haven't you ever changed your hairstyle?"
"My hairstyle?" A mysterious smile appeared on Mei Mei's elegant face. "Because someone once told me it looked lovely!"
"Who? Who?" Utahime asked curiously. "Was it your boyfriend, Miss Mei?"
"No..."
"Anyway, should we put up a Curtain here?"
"No need..."
Dressed in casual black clothes, Mei Mei narrowed her eyes and carefully assessed the situation.
"I can barely sense any trace of curses outside. Most likely, it's because of the building itself..."
"We can still lower a Curtain when we're ready to attack from outside."
The two pushed open the door, revealing a filthy, cluttered hall.
"What is all this...?" Utahime carefully stepped around the garbage bags littering the floor. "Miss Mei..."
"There's something here..." Mei Mei walked past Utahime and glanced around calmly. "Everywhere, in fact."
Then she walked ahead and casually tossed her flashlight to Utahime. "Let's get moving. I don't need this, but you should take it."
"Thank you..."
Utahime switched on the flashlight in a daze, then silently explored ahead, giving herself a quiet pep talk-
Believe in yourself! There's nothing to be afraid of!
Seeing Utahime's reaction, Mei Mei glanced back with a smile. "Let's divide up the work first..."
"I'll stay on this floor. You take the second floor, Utahime."
"Seriously? By myself!?" Utahime couldn't believe it.
"Is there a problem?" Using her umbrella as a walking stick, Mei Mei glanced back at Utahime.
"N-no problem."
"Sorry for the trouble, then."
Mei Mei entered a room, leaving Utahime alone in the spacious hall.
Outside, raindrops struck the house's windows, adding another layer of dread to the mansion.
A bead of cold sweat formed on Utahime's face as she nervously shone her flashlight on every door.
At last, she turned a doorknob and opened the first door.
"Hey!"
There was no cursed spirit waiting as she had expected, only a mirror and a few tables and chairs.
"Ha!"
"Roar!"
"Yah!"
"Boom!"
"Tch!"
Utahime opened five doors in succession, making a noise before each one to bolster her courage, but she never encountered the cursed spirit they were after.
"This is the last room..."
Utahime stared intently at the final door, then opened it, only to find two small red beds inside.
Suddenly, Utahime heard something like footsteps. She slowly approached the space beneath a bed and aimed her flashlight at it.
As she moved closer and shone the light under the bed, three rats darted out.
"Ah!"
Utahime immediately fled the room in fright and slammed the door shut.
Just then, a hand landed on her shoulder.
"Aaaah!!!!" Utahime screamed at the top of her lungs.
"You're going to be the next scream queen..." Mei Mei remarked dryly.
Then she walked ahead and crouched down to examine the surrounding layout.
"Seriously, please stop scaring me!"
"You gave yourself that fright, Utahime."
"..."
Utahime scratched her head in embarrassment and asked sheepishly, "Have you finished exploring the first floor?"
"Hmm?" Mei Mei turned to Utahime. "This is the first floor."
"Huh?"
"I came here along the first-floor hallway."
"But..." Utahime looked around. "I went all the way to the room at the end..."
Her voice grew quieter as she spoke.
Mei Mei pointed at the trash on the floor with the tip of her umbrella. "Snack boxes, chip bags, empty cans, a backpack, workout clothes..."
"I've seen them three times now."
Mei Mei smiled. "Incidentally, I deliberately left this mark on my way here."
"It seems... we're already inside its belly."
"So this hallway loops, and the ordinary people who wandered in were killed by this cursed technique?"
Utahime crouched down. "We've been walking here for thirty minutes, covering roughly four kilometers..."
"So if both of us ran down the hallway at full speed, somewhere along the way it would..."
"Collapse!"
Utahime kept rearranging the discarded boxes on the floor, seemingly mapping out the inside of the cursed spirit's belly.
"Close!" Mei Mei came over, resting a hand against her chin. "But only ninety points!"
"Damn it! Where did I lose the other ten?"
"If two people run..." Mei Mei pointed toward the other end of the hallway. "They need to go left and right at the same time."
"I see!"
Utahime stood up and said excitedly, "If it really is stitched together, then having two people move in opposite directions-
Would make flaws more likely to appear in the cursed spirit's barrier. If a gap opens, we might be able to get out!"
"A hundred points." Mei Mei gave Utahime an approving look.
"If this works..." Utahime's gaze hardened with resolve. "Remember to recommend me for a sorcerer rank promotion!"
"How much... do you have in savings?" Mei Mei suddenly asked. "Never mind. I'll consider it."
With that, the two ran in opposite directions. As they kept running, the rooms around them warped and twisted before gradually collapsing, and Utahime fell from above.
Amid the ruins, Utahime struggled out of a pile of rubble. Before she could lift her head, she heard that infuriating voice.
"Are you crying, Utahime?"