4:04 p.m.
As the competition continued, dusk was already approaching over the arena.
The setting sun slowly sank toward the horizon, the shadows of the trees stretching ever longer across the ground. Twilight slanted through gaps in the treetops, bathing the entire Back Mountain Arena in a warm orange-red glow.
The first day's individual competition was also drawing to a close.
Mai Zenin and Kasumi Miwa, however, were still in the arena, working tirelessly to search for the few Cursed Spirits that remained.
The longer they searched, the lower their morale sank, and the more they fell apart.
"Maiiii-are there really any Cursed Spirits left here? We've been looking forever and haven't even seen a trace of one. Did the other side kill them all?" Kasumi Miwa hung off Mai Zenin, her face miserable and her words drawn out.
She looked utterly listless, like a potted plant that had wilted after an entire day in the blazing sun.
"Oh, come on, the arena's huge. There have to be some left. Cheer up, Miwa!" Mai Zenin encouragingly patted Kasumi Miwa, who was slumped against her, urging her to perk up.
"Aaah..." Kasumi Miwa let out a feeble moan.
Just then, a piercing scream suddenly came from the distance, reaching both their ears.
"Stay away from me!!!"
They stopped in their tracks at the same time and stood there. Kasumi Miwa also pulled herself off Mai Zenin and looked up in the direction of the voice.
"M-Mai, if I heard that right, wasn't that Momo Nishimiya?" Kasumi Miwa pointed that way and swallowed, her voice trembling slightly.
"You heard right. That... really did sound like Momo Nishimiya." Mai Zenin looked in the direction Kasumi Miwa was pointing, unable to keep her brows from furrowing or the corners of her mouth from twitching a few times.
"Momo Nishimiya, she..." Kasumi Miwa's pointing finger kept trembling.
"Unfortunately, Miwa, Momo Nishimiya has... met her end." Mai Zenin covered her eyes with one hand, putting on a look of utter heartbreak.
But then her expression abruptly changed. She reached out with both hands, pressed firmly on Kasumi Miwa's shoulders, and told her solemnly:
"Miwa, Kyoto Jujutsu High is in a serious crisis right now. Momo Nishimiya looks like she's already 'met her end,' Noritoshi Kamo probably fell in the battle between Yuta Okkotsu and Aoi Todo, and Mechamaru is nowhere to be found. We're the only ones left who can carry the banner for our side, Miwa."
"Huh...?" Kasumi Miwa stared blankly for a moment at the suddenly solemn Mai Zenin.
"Now we're the only ones who can save Kyoto Jujutsu High. So, Miwa, you have to pull yourself together!!!"
"Promise me you'll cheer up and stop being so down, okay?" Mai Zenin gazed intently at Kasumi Miwa, like a dying emperor entrusting a minister with the care of his young heir.
Facing Mai Zenin's pretty face and those righteous eyes, Kasumi Miwa actually found her cheeks turning red of their own accord.
Kasumi Miwa shook her head hard, seemingly trying to shake her earlier dejection out of her head and force herself to reboot.
"Okay!!!" This maneuver clearly proved remarkably effective. Once her reboot was complete, Kasumi Miwa snapped to attention on the spot, looking like an entirely different person.
"Good! That's the spirit!!! Kyoto Jujutsu High first-year Kasumi Miwa-move out!!!"
"Yes!!!"
And so the two began a thorough sweep of the remaining ground in the arena, searching for targets to clear out.
"Hey, Mai, something's moving in that bush, and I think there's Cursed Energy coming from it." Kasumi Miwa pointed at a constantly rustling bush not far away, undisguised delight in her voice.
This would count as the first-and only-Cursed Spirit the two had encountered since retreating from Yuta Okkotsu.
"Huh? Seriously? Come on, let me see!" Hearing Kasumi Miwa's words, Mai Zenin sounded clearly delighted as she too looked toward the rustling bush.
"Yeah, that's right. There really is Cursed Energy coming from that bush. It has to be a Cursed Spirit." Mai Zenin immediately beamed. There was only one, but at least they were finally getting somewhere, weren't they?
The two did their best to suppress their Cursed Energy as they tiptoed toward the bush, afraid that making too much noise would alert the Cursed Spirit and scare it straight off.
Yet as they drew closer, they faintly heard voices coming from the bush that did not belong to a Cursed Spirit.
"Hurry, don't let it get away." A female voice came from behind the bush.
"Hey, relax, I know what I'm doing. But this thing runs way too fast. I almost couldn't catch it." A male voice followed from behind the bush.
"You be careful too. This should be the last one. Don't accidentally kill it in one hit. It won't be any fun if it ends right away."
"Oh, relax. Hey-don't even think about running!!!"
As those words fell, the bush, which had only been rustling slightly before, suddenly began shaking much more violently.
Then a grotesquely misshapen creature burst out of the shrubbery-the Cursed Spirit's leg muscles bulged to an absurd degree. One look was enough to tell that this thing was an expert at running away.
But the two noticed that as the Cursed Spirit burst out, a hand had a firm grip on its hind leg. As its entire body came clear of the bushes, it dragged a figure out behind it.
"Don't even think about running." Akutagawa Shang shot out of the bush right behind the Cursed Spirit.
Akutagawa Shang raised his blade and brought it down, severing both of the Cursed Spirit's legs on the spot.
Thanks to its formidable vitality, the Cursed Spirit did not die on the spot, but it had lost the ability to move and was firmly under Akutagawa Shang's control.
"You little punk, you offended the abbot and still thought you could run? Let's see you run now." Akutagawa Shang grabbed the Cursed Spirit by the head, lifted it straight up, and taunted it.
After taunting it, Akutagawa Shang turned his head and met the eyes of Mai and Kasumi Miwa, who had just arrived.
"Well, if it isn't my sister's pretty boy," Mai Zenin said.
"Huh? Hi there." Akutagawa Shang casually waved at them in greeting.
"Oh, hello, hello." Kasumi Miwa instinctively nodded in response, only afterward realizing something was wrong.
"Wait, why are you here?" Kasumi Miwa asked him.
"Huh? Why am I here? What kind of question is that? Isn't this a competition? I'm here to exorcise Cursed Spirits." Akutagawa Shang scratched his head and looked at Kasumi Miwa as though she were an idiot.
"Oh, I guess that's true." Kasumi Miwa rubbed her chin and thought it over, deciding that Akutagawa Shang seemed to have a point.
"What do you mean, true?!" Unable to watch any longer, Mai Zenin hurriedly pushed the pondering Kasumi Miwa aside.
"Since you know this is a competition, hurry up and give me that Cursed Spirit." Mai Zenin held out her hand, demanding it from Akutagawa Shang.
"Huh? Do you even hear yourself? I caught this thing. Why should I give it to you?" Akutagawa Shang shook his head and quickly hid the Cursed Spirit behind his back.
"We're doing this for your own good. If you won't hand it over, we'll just have to take it by force. My sister might be sad if you get hurt." As Mai Zenin spoke, she pulled out her handgun and chambered a round.
Seeing this, Kasumi Miwa obligingly took a sword-drawing stance.
There were two whole people on their side, while Akutagawa Shang was alone.
The battle was two against one. We had the advantage!!!
"I'll say it again."
"Hey, Akutagawa Shang, your days of keeping Cursed Spirits all to yourself are over. Hand it over." Mai Zenin held out her hand again, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly, as though victory were already hers.
"If you want it, come and take it. You should've learned that rule long ago!!!" Akutagawa Shang merely brought out the Cursed Spirit and waved it in front of them, then raised the Tachi in his hand and drew it one-handed.
"Fine. You'll regret this." Mai Zenin sighed helplessly.
As soon as she finished speaking, the two advanced steadily on Akutagawa Shang. He, too, slowly drew his blade, and the atmosphere grew tense.
Just then, however, another pretty figure suddenly barged in, breaking the standoff.
Maki Zenin had arrived on the battlefield!!!
Before you continue