"Thanks, I'm fine. I don't really know what's going on, but you're here to deal with this monster, right, miss? Don't worry about me. I can run."
After Mei Mei rushed over and chopped apart the vines binding Yuji Itadori, he loosened up his limbs. Before she could speak, he poised himself to flee at any moment and said those words to her.
Faced with Yuji Itadori's frank, straightforward response, Mei Mei swallowed the "Are you all right?" that had already risen to her throat.
She swung her long-handled battle-axe and turned to face Hanami, who was watching the two of them warily, a slight smile tugging at her lips.
"That won't do, young man. I'm not here to deal with this cursed spirit. I came specifically to protect you. If you get hurt-or even die-I'll have to pay a hefty penalty for breaching the contract~" Mei Mei said with a smile.
As a Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer whose cursed technique gave her an advantage in reconnaissance, most of the jobs Mei Mei accepted involved scouting.
They were easier than protection jobs and paid well, so reconnaissance made up the bulk of her assignments. Not even one in ten involved protection.
But Chinatsu, her biggest client, had unleashed the sacred, almighty "power of money," instantly crushing Mei Mei's psychological defenses without the slightest resistance.
At the same time, the enormous commission meant she would have to pay an even more enormous penalty if she failed.
Time wasted for nothing.
A tarnished professional reputation.
A bankrupt personal treasury.
Mei Mei would never allow any of those things to happen!
While Mei Mei watched Hanami, Hanami watched her in turn. Mei Mei was going all out now, and the level of cursed energy radiating from her was as plain to Hanami as