At the end of the day, a jujutsu sorcerer's real job was exorcising cursed spirits. No one else could do it. Without jujutsu, even tanks and cannons couldn't harm a cursed spirit.
Ordinary citizens knew nothing about jujutsu sorcerers, but high-ranking government officials had some awareness of them. Otherwise, carrying out large-scale operations would have been far too much trouble.
In the Elder's room, Chinatsu sat on the sofa, holding the commission he had handed her for exorcising a cursed spirit.
Reading the description of the location, Chinatsu couldn't help making a quip.
"It really is a school for rich young ladies~"
About ten kilometers from the Gojo Clan estate stood a private girls-only school. It had elementary, middle, and high school divisions, and students could advance directly to the next division as long as they passed the assessment.
Chinatsu had only ever seen schools like this in novels and manga. She had never imagined she would get to see one with her own eyes someday.
"Chinatsu, what do you think? Can you handle it?"
The Elder studied Chinatsu, who was sitting on the sofa with a strange smile on her face as she read the commission, and asked in puzzlement.
Chinatsu slowly closed the document and set it down. With a faint smile, she raised a hand and made an OK sign.
"Of course! No problem!"
Chinatsu was already itching to give it a try. After all, despite living in a world with cursed spirits and being a jujutsu sorcerer herself, she hadn't so much as touched one in the six years since her birth.
She had wanted to try before, but without knowing how to use "Blue," she could only wrap her fists in cursed energy. Punching cursed spirits wasn't just unglamorous-if anyone saw her, they might even think she had an intellectual disability.
With that, Chinatsu rose from the sofa, ready to head to the commission's location.
Meanwhile, Satoru Gojo remained on the sofa, studying the commission in his hands. His expression was grave, his pupils trembling slightly.
His assigned destination was Kagoshima, a city at the southernmost tip.
Chinatsu could reach her destination in half an hour by car, but Satoru Gojo would need two or three hours even by train.
"Can I swap mine for another one?"
"..."
Not long afterward, a black sedan drove out of the Gojo Clan estate and headed for the private school.
Three in the afternoon.
At an hour when schools in China were still enthusiastically holding classes, this school's dismissal bell had already rung. Girls in sailor uniforms streamed out through the gates.
This dismissal time wasn't some eccentricity unique to the school. On the contrary, it was one of the few things it shared with ordinary schools. Letting students out so early gave the various clubs room to flourish.
Chinatsu's car stopped across the road from the school. She lowered the window beside her and gazed at the campus with her special eyes.
The driver took the opportunity to pull stacks of documents from his backpack and brief her on information that hadn't been included in the commission.
A series of supernatural incidents had occurred at the school recently. Though no one had gone missing or died, everyone at the school was on edge.
Cursed spirits formed from people's negative emotions and the cursed energy they unconsciously leaked in everyday life. The school's current atmosphere was ideal not only for producing cursed spirits, but also for allowing them to grow stronger little by little.
"Our preliminary assessment puts the cursed spirit here at Grade 3. As long as you're careful, miss, you should have no trouble dealing with it."
Though the driver wasn't the one who would be exorcising the cursed spirit, his words brimmed with enthusiasm and confidence.
Chinatsu, however, rejected that preliminary assessment of a "grade 3 cursed spirit."
"It should be Grade 2. Maybe higher."
The six eyes could see through the flow and traces of cursed spirits. Even at this distance, where she couldn't see the spirit itself, the flow of its cursed energy was plain to her.
"Could you tell me what's over in that direction?"
Chinatsu pointed toward a spot on campus from inside the car. The driver hurriedly took out the school map he had prepared and searched it.
"Found it... it's the cafeteria!"
At that answer, the corner of Chinatsu's mouth twitched. A rather absurd possibility had suddenly flashed through her mind.
"Is it possible that their cafeteria food tastes so bad that all the negative energy built up and created a cursed spirit...?"
"Uh... surely it couldn't be that bad..."
Chinatsu and the driver stared at each other, both so stunned by the possibility that neither knew what to say for a moment.
Just as Chinatsu was thinking of saying something else, a commotion rose outside the car.
Did something happen? Chinatsu wondered, then turned to look out the window again.
A large crowd of girls had bent down outside, staring excitedly through the window at Chinatsu.
"So cute! So cute!!!"
"A foreigner? Mixed race? Either way, I love her!"
"Little cutie, are you visiting because you want to apply to our school someday? Then please do come here! Aside from the cafeteria food turning absolutely awful a year ago, our school is definitely the best in the country!"
"Hey! Why would you bring that up? What if you scare her off and she doesn't come? That'd be a huge loss!"
"..."
The girls crowded around the car, chattering noisily. Two fists couldn't beat four hands, and one mouth couldn't compete with so many. In the end, Chinatsu could only respond with a polite smile.
But that response set off another uproar.
Only after night fell did a somewhat drained Chinatsu step out of the car. Heaven knew how much energy she had spent just dealing with those students.
Seeing her like this, the driver asked worriedly, "Miss... are you all right?"
"N-no big deal. Just wait here for my good news." Chinatsu held her forehead with one hand and waved to the driver with the other.
Chinatsu walked to the school gates. Since arrangements had been made beforehand, she entered the campus without any trouble.
The darkness did nothing to impair Chinatsu's vision. She walked through the school, following the residual fluctuations of cursed energy in the air.
It was worth noting that, judging by its architectural style and the quality of its furnishings, the school truly deserved to be called a school for rich young ladies. Even in the dim light, the campus scenery was exquisite.
A few minutes later, Chinatsu arrived at the spot where the cursed energy was most concentrated. She stopped and tipped her head up to look at the sign on the building.
"Well, would you look at that. It really is the cafeteria..."
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