Going home

Over the next week, Yuanfang fought a fierce battle with Yuta Okkotsu every day.

And it wasn't Yuanfang who requested these fights. Yuta Okkotsu was the one who initiated them.

He claimed that fighting Yuanfang helped him consolidate his surging strength faster.

As they fought, Yuanfang's domain kept expanding.

His domain reached a diameter of 150 meters, leaving him so delighted that he wished they could fight several times a day.

Unfortunately, Yuta Okkotsu just didn't have the stamina!

More importantly, he probably wouldn't even get his one daily fight today.

Because Satoru Gojo had finally returned after being gone for so long.

"Hey, everyone! Long time no see! Did you miss me?"

Satoru Gojo waved with a smile, greeting Yuanfang and the others sitting in the classroom.

He looked fully recovered.

"No!"

Maki turned her head away in disgust.

"Ah!"

Satoru Gojo's face fell slightly, his reaction wildly exaggerated.

"Hehe!"

Panda and Toge Inumaki snickered on the sidelines.

"Sensei, can I graduate now?"

Having gained complete control over his strength, Yuta Okkotsu couldn't wait to go out and exterminate Cursed Spirits.

"Of course! We'll have a graduation meal together later, and you'll be all set!"

With Yuta Okkotsu's immense strength, keeping him at school really was a waste of talent.

If he hadn't had so many troubles to deal with these past few days, Satoru Gojo would have taken him away long ago.

At the same time, he couldn't help looking toward Yuanfang, a hint of helplessness crossing his face.

He had learned that even Yuta Okkotsu, who could break through Yuanfang's Cursed Technique, hadn't managed to defeat him. That made the situation quite clear.

Yuanfang's strength had probably reached grade one by now, so he could graduate early too.

Unfortunately, those old fossils at the top were far too troublesome. Since they couldn't measure Yuanfang's Cursed Energy level, they refused to let him graduate early.

They annoyed him so much that he had even wanted to kill them a few times.

But after thinking it over, he decided there was no need for Yuanfang to rush to graduate. Staying wasn't so bad.

After all, a student named Todo at the Kyoto school had also put on an unbelievably impressive performance in a recent battle, and he hadn't graduated either.

That evening, everyone sang their hearts out at karaoke to celebrate Yuta Okkotsu's graduation. Everyone was happy except Yuanfang.

Though a smile hung on his lips, his heart was filled with sorrow.

Such a huge power bank was leaving. Expanding his domain any further would be harder than climbing to heaven!

The next day, a dispirited Yuanfang took two days off, planning to seek comfort from Misato and his little sister!

About two or three hours later, Yuanfang arrived home.

Before he could open the door, a girl with short blond hair leaped into his arms like a lively little deer.

"Hana! It's not the weekend. Why aren't you at school?"

Yuanfang lifted Hana Kurusu off him, looking puzzled!

Hana Kurusu was wearing a sailor uniform. She had grown into a graceful young woman, like a flower in full bloom!

"I heard from Kuroi that you were coming home, so I took half a day off!"

"Honestly, you can see your big brother anytime. Right now, you should focus on learning!"

Yuanfang rubbed her little head helplessly and walked toward the living room.

"I know, but I wanted to see you more!"

As Hana Kurusu argued back, she hugged his arm tightly and tilted her head against his shoulder, looking just like an affectionate little kitten.

Yuanfang looked even more helpless, but inwardly, he was quite pleased that Hana Kurusu was so attached to him.

"Perfect timing! Come help me test something!"

Yuanfang had only just sat down on the sofa when Yuki Tsukumo hurried in from outside.

Like a gust of wind, she snatched Yuanfang away from Hana Kurusu, then rushed toward the place where she usually conducted her experiments.

"Seriously!"

Hana Kurusu could only watch as Yuanfang was taken away. She stamped her feet in anger, deeply displeased.

"Didn't I just hear Yuanfang's voice? Where is he?"

Just then, Misato Kuroi came out of the kitchen. Seeing only a sulking Hana Kurusu in the living room, she looked puzzled.

After all these years, Misato Kuroi's looks remained unchanged, apart from appearing a little more mature. Her manner was gentle and caring, like a married woman who stayed home full-time.

"Yuki took him away!"

"I hope they come back soon, or the food will get cold!"

Misato Kuroi knew about Yuki Tsukumo's work, so she understood exactly what Yuki had taken Yuanfang to do.

She only hoped they wouldn't take too long. Yuanfang had just returned and hadn't even had a chance to rest properly.

Meanwhile, Yuki Tsukumo soon brought Yuanfang into a forest.

Yuanfang quickly spotted a black dome, like an enormous black sky hanging over the earth.

"You can make it this big now?"

Yuanfang knew this thing was a Curtain. Unlike an ordinary barrier, Yuki Tsukumo had taken inspiration from him and added a few special features.

"It's not that big. The radius is only five meters, and its effects can't compare to yours!"

Though Yuanfang was surprised by its size, Yuki Tsukumo, its creator, was far from satisfied with her work!

The creation she dreamed of would be able to envelop the entire world. Yet it was still only this tiny thing. Who knew how long it would take to cover the whole world?

"All right, what did you call me over for?"

Yuanfang grumbled inwardly that this woman was really greedy. After all, this Curtain had been developed using inspiration taken from him.

Once deployed, it could absorb all the Cursed Energy within the Curtain, preventing Cursed Spirits from forming there.

At this scale, it was already pretty impressive!

"The Curtain is quite stable now. Don't worry, it won't threaten to shatter at any moment like it used to!

"But there's a tricky problem. The Cursed Energy it absorbs doesn't vanish without a trace the way it does with your ability!

"Instead, it clings to the Curtain like a stubborn parasite, accumulating bit by bit!

"If an external force destroys the Curtain, the Cursed Energy attached to it will spawn even more terrifying curses!"

Yuki Tsukumo had created this Curtain to eliminate curses. But if it became a time bomb, it would lose its reason for existing!

She had searched desperately for a very long time without finding a way to remove the Cursed Energy from the Curtain.

With no other choice, she had brought Yuanfang here to try out another idea.

"I get it. You want me to use my Cursed Technique to remove the Cursed Energy from the Curtain, right?"

Before Yuki Tsukumo could say anything, Yuanfang had already figured it out.

He secretly rejoiced. If this Curtain could be put into widespread use, he could shelve his original plan.