Utahime Iori was just about to speak when she noticed Chingetsu staring at the supermarket ceiling. Up there-what was up there?
Utahime followed Chingetsu's gaze upward.
A Giant Egg covered in blood vessels floated silently above the supermarket.
Looking closely, something seemed to be writhing constantly inside the Giant Egg. "A special grade curse."
Utahime uttered those words with a bitter expression.
Earlier, she had received a call from Masamichi Yaga saying that the presence of a special grade curse had appeared in the plains district. He had asked her to meet up with the first-years, Satoru Gojo and the others, and find the source of the curse.
That was why she had been preparing to leave the supermarket in such a hurry. But she had never expected someone to lower a "Curtain" over it. Now she was trapped inside the Curtain and could not get out.
Worse still...
The special grade curse Mr. Yaga had mentioned had been right beside her all along. Worry clouded Utahime's brow, and her small fists clenched again and again.
A special grade curse was already beyond her capabilities.
An existence of this level was no longer something she could handle. After all, she was only a semi-grade 2 jujutsu sorcerer, and her cursed technique involved singing. She had no moves with any direct destructive power.
For a moment, despair welled up inside Utahime.
Chapter 30: Utahime Iori's dejection
"It's over."
Utahime sank to the floor in despair.
A special grade curse was something she did not even dare contemplate.
Even an ordinary grade 1 jujutsu sorcerer would have only a slim chance of surviving an encounter with a special grade curse.
For a novice jujutsu sorcerer like her, encountering a special grade curse meant certain death. "It's over. We're all going to die."
With a bitter expression, Utahime curled up in a corner, hugging herself into a ball. Faced with a special grade curse, she had already lost her will to fight.
Under the circumstances, there seemed to be no other choice but to wait quietly for death. Pop.
Chingetsu opened a can of beer and took a sip, seemingly completely unaffected by the special grade curse. "Want a beer?"
Looking at the beer Chingetsu offered her, Utahime accepted it with a bitter smile.
At a time like this, holding herself back any longer would be ridiculous. Gulp, gulp.
After half a can of beer, a visible flush rose to Utahime's cheeks. "I never thought I'd have someone to drink with before I died."
Utahime looked at Chingetsu beside her, her initial panic gradually settling.
She did not understand why, but this boy seemed to possess a kind of magic. Simply being beside him gave her an inexplicable sense of security.
"I really envy you, Chingetsu."
Slightly tipsy, Utahime actually reached out and pulled Chingetsu over by the shoulder.
"Lend me your shoulder for a bit. I've never leaned on a man's shoulder in my entire life." At this point, Utahime had completely let herself go.
Seeing that Chingetsu did not resist, Utahime pointed at the Giant Egg floating overhead and asked, "Do you know what that is?"
"Sure. A special grade curse." "Then aren't you scared?" "I am. Scared to death."
As Chingetsu answered, he put on a frightened expression. "Tch. Liar."
How could Utahime fail to notice? From beginning to end, there had not been a trace of panic on this boy's face. Even when he looked at the special grade curse, his gaze was no different from when he looked at a weed by the roadside.
It seemed that, in this boy's eyes, a special grade curse was just some stray cat or dog. Could this boy be stronger than a special grade curse?
No, how was that possible? How old was he?
A possibility flashed through Utahime's mind, only for her to dismiss it immediately. Meanwhile, outside the supermarket's Curtain...
Suguru Geto wore a grave expression.
"This is trouble. It's a special grade curse."
Satoru Gojo took out his phone and dialed Utahime's number. "No response. Looks like Utahime is trapped inside the Curtain." His usual flippancy was gone from his face as well. A special grade curse was already an extremely formidable existence.
Even standing outside the Curtain, he could sense the evil, chaotic presence inside the supermarket. "Looks like a curse user's handiwork."
Satoru Gojo reached out and touched the Curtain.
"It lets people in but won't let them out. Looks like this curse user is pretty confident in their strength." In that case, the special grade curse might have some connection to the curse user who had lowered the Curtain.
While Satoru Gojo analyzed the information, the Giant Egg inside the Curtain stirred slightly.
"Did it just move?"
Utahime asked Chingetsu uncertainly. "Yes. It's about to hatch.
"Once it finishes growing, it'll become a fully formed special grade cursed spirit." "You mean it isn't fully formed yet?"
"That's right. What else did you think I was waiting for?"
Utahime gave a sudden start, her gaze turning horrified as she looked at Chingetsu. "Y-you're a curse user?"
"You certainly have a vivid imagination." Chingetsu rolled his eyes at Utahime.
"If I were a curse user, you'd already be a corpse.
"You have to wait patiently for fruit on a tree to ripen fully. So it isn't time yet." Looking at Chingetsu, who radiated powerful confidence, an inexplicable gleam flickered in Utahime's eyes. "You mean you can deal with that special grade curse?"
"Who knows?"
Chingetsu did not give Utahime a direct answer.
But to Utahime, that answer meant yes. "Then what are you waiting for? Exorcise this curse right now!" Her tone grew somewhat urgent.
In her eyes, given the current situation, the longer they delayed, the more terrifying the special grade curse would become. Chingetsu ignored her.
Just as he had said earlier, only after the special grade curse was fully born could he harvest the greatest amount of cursed energy points. Seeing Chingetsu remain unmoved, a trace of disappointment flashed through Utahime's eyes.
"I thought you were a jujutsu sorcerer with a sense of justice." Utahime sat down on the floor dejectedly.
She did not understand Chingetsu's thinking or why he would allow the special grade curse to grow.
If Chingetsu really could exorcise this special grade curse, then destroying it before it was fully born would be the wisest choice.
Otherwise, the moment the special grade curse was born would be the moment these ordinary people inside the supermarket died. Even jujutsu sorcerers had to be wary of the ominous presence surrounding a special grade curse.
Utahime had no intention of morally blackmailing Chingetsu. She simply felt an inexplicable sense of disappointment.
Chapter 31: An ally of justice? Not interested
Chingetsu looked at the dejected Utahime without paying it too much mind. He did not dislike people like her.
He did not hate people with a sense of justice, but he had never considered becoming an ally of "justice."
He had his own principles and boundaries, but he would not become so softhearted that he lost his head and let so-called "justice" bind him. Those high-sounding claims of "justice" were nothing more than tools to restrain and control people's hearts.
The Three Great Families had survived to this day, each maintaining a beautiful public facade, but their sordid dealings behind the scenes did not bear mentioning.
Justice?
People with a sense of justice could never survive the power struggles within the families. Assassinations and purges were everywhere.
If the world itself was black, then a single spot of white would stand out painfully. Naturally, Chingetsu understood Utahime's concerns.
Whether Jujutsu Sorcerers or cursed spirits, the difference in strength between each grade was immense.
For Jujutsu Sorcerers, the highest rank was special grade, followed by grade 1, semi-grade 1 (under evaluation), grade 2, semi-grade 2 (under evaluation), grade 3, and grade 4.
Lower-grade sorcerers needed recommendations from higher-grade sorcerers to obtain opportunities for promotion. Below special grade, a grade 1 sorcerer was stronger than a grade 1 cursed spirit, and the same held true down the ranks. Usually, a grade 1 jujutsu sorcerer would be dispatched to exorcise a grade 1 cursed spirit.
Although both special grade sorcerers and grade 1 sorcerers could exorcise special grade cursed spirits, special grade cursed spirits were actually stronger than grade 1 sorcerers. Thus, special grade cursed spirits were the greatest threat to jujutsu sorcerers.
That said, the differences among special grade cursed spirits were also immense.
There was the King of Curses, Ryomen Sukuna, and there were newly formed special grade cursed spirits like the one in the Juvenile Detention Center. As for the special grade curse gestating inside the Giant Egg in the supermarket, although it was nowhere near Ryomen Sukuna's level...
Once it was born, it would be a bona fide special grade cursed spirit.
For low-grade jujutsu sorcerers and ordinary people, a special grade cursed spirit was undoubtedly a catastrophe. Chingetsu stared coldly at the blood-red Giant Egg floating above the supermarket.
In Chingetsu's eyes, a special grade cursed spirit was a massive quantity of cursed energy points.
As though sensing malice from outside, the embryo inside the Giant Egg began writhing uneasily. Its evil presence grew increasingly intense, and cracks appeared across the Giant Egg's surface.
"It's about to come out."
Utahime came to Chingetsu's side and tilted her head up toward the Giant Egg. "Yes. It's about to come out."
Now that things had reached this point, Utahime was no longer panicking. All she could do now was choose to believe in Chingetsu.
This boy named Chingetsu radiated powerful confidence, the same confidence she had seen in another person.
Both had the surname Gojo, and both were equally willful and unwilling to listen to others. "Stupid Gojo..."
Looking at Chingetsu's handsome profile, Utahime muttered quietly. "Hmm?"
Chingetsu lowered his head to look at Utahime beside him, her face looking somewhat delicate, and was just about to say something.
The Giant Egg above the supermarket gave off muffled thumps, like the sound of a human heartbeat. This meant the cursed spirit's birth had reached its final stage.
The black mist began to churn. Utahime instinctively moved closer to Chingetsu.
Under Chingetsu's gaze, cracks began appearing across the blood-red Giant Egg's surface. Strands of women's long hair emerged from the cracks and began eating away at the Giant Egg's shell. Crack, crack.
Before you continue