Chapter 48: Mission = Just Watch.
In the training grounds, Zenin Maki was currently training with Okkotsu Yuta.
Under the dual guidance of Maki and Tatsuro, Yuta had become much stronger than before. He could at least hold his own against Zenin Maki for a short while and even look for opportunities to counterattack.
Just then, Gojo Satoru walked over, waving. "Hey everyone! How's it going?"
"Ah! This..."
The moment Okkotsu Yuta got distracted replying, Zenin Maki struck him across the face with her staff, then sternly reprimanded him, "Don't look around! Get back into your stance, idiot."
"Yes," Okkotsu Yuta clutched his left cheek where the staff had hit, thinking to himself, "So strict..."
"Didn't you say you wanted to beat me at least once?"
"Yes!"
Watching Okkotsu Yuta get up and continue to strive, Tatsuro, lounging on Shura, commented, "When it comes to pure taijutsu, who could possibly beat you, Maki."
"Awoo~"
Shura yawned; it had trained too long last night and hadn't gotten enough sleep.
"That's true, but Yuta's body has become very agile," Panda remarked.
Just as Panda finished, Gojo Satoru, who had walked over, added, "And his personality has become much more positive too."
"Salmon." Inumaki Toge nodded in agreement.
"Alright, gather 'round!!" Gojo Satoru clapped his hands, calling out to Maki and Yuta.
Hearing him, Zenin Maki and Okkotsu Yuta stopped their staff work and ran towards Gojo Satoru. Tatsuro got up, patted Shura's body to signal it to get up too, and then walked over to Gojo Satoru.
Seeing that everyone had assembled (Fushiguro Megumi was out searching for shikigami that could defeat Tatsuro's shikigami), Gojo Satoru nodded in satisfaction. He looked at Inumaki Toge and said, "Toge, there's a mission perfect for you that specifically requests you. Get it done quickly and come back soon."
"Salmon." Inumaki Toge nodded.
"Specifically requests...?" Okkotsu Yuta asked, puzzled.
Panda, beside him, explained, "Toge is the only second-grade sorcerer among the first-years. He can operate solo."
"Wow~, so impressive!" Okkotsu Yuta looked at Inumaki Toge with admiration.
Gojo Satoru interjected, "I previously wanted to recommend Tatsuro for promotion to a second-grade sorcerer, but he refused."
This statement instantly made everyone turn their gaze to Tatsuro, as if asking, Why did you refuse?
"Why are you all looking at me? That was a month ago. Besides, my actual strength isn't enough to be a second-grade sorcerer. Isn't it normal to refuse? If I get a mission mismatched to my abilities someday, it'd be easy to kick the bucket." Tatsuro waved his hand, explaining with a nonchalant expression.
"Can you not be such an overachiever?" everyone thought internally.
Gojo Satoru continued, "Alright, Yuta and Tatsuro, you two go along as well. Yuta, you'll be Toge's assistant. Tatsuro, you can just watch. Consider it a chance to gain some experience."
"Okay." Tatsuro naturally didn't refuse. After all, he sensed the aura of a system quest.
Every time the system issued a quest, it involved encountering a cursed spirit or triggering a keyword. He had a hunch this exorcism would definitely come with a quest.
Besides, he had been resting for over a month, doing nothing but training with Maki and training his dog. Although he enjoyed it, he couldn't keep this up forever. No system quests meant that apart from physical training, he had no other way to get stronger.
In other words, even his dog was rapidly getting stronger while he was advancing at a snail's pace, or perhaps even standing still.
Okkotsu Yuta: "Assistant...?"
Gojo Satoru: "Or perhaps, you should consider it an apprenticeship. There are many kinds of jujutsu. You can think of it as: for every sorcerer, there's a different way to exorcise cursed spirits. Toge's Cursed Speech is a good example. Go and learn from it. After all, to dispel a curse, you must first understand curses."
...
The group walked out of Jujutsu High. A black car was waiting by the roadside. Seeing Okkotsu Yuta looking a bit scared about his first real combat mission, Tatsuro patted his shoulder and said with a smile:
"Don't be afraid. Gojo-sensei already said we're just observing."
"Yeah, but it's my first... no, second real combat. It's hard not to be a little scared." Okkotsu Yuta clutched the black backpack in his hands tightly; it contained his cursed tool.
"Salmon!" Inumaki Toge raised a hand in greeting to the two of them.
Just when Yuta looked confused, unsure what to say, Tatsuro beside him raised his hand and patted Toge, saying:
"We're counting on you, Toge, to look after us two weaklings."
"Salmon roe."
"Huh? Without Panda translating, how do you know what Toge is saying, Tatsuro?" Okkotsu Yuta thought, speechless.
At that moment, Gojo Satoru, who had walked to the black car, called out, "Yuta, Tatsuro, come over here for a second."
"Coming!" they both replied.
Inumaki Toge watched Okkotsu Yuta leave, not knowing how to communicate with him. Tatsuro would usually come to hang out with him too, asking him to add a weight-increasing buff.
It had to be said, Tatsuro was truly the king of overachievers.
Gojo Satoru: "Sorry, I can't go with you this time. However, Toge alone is more than capable of handling this mission. As for Tatsuro, no need to say anything, just take your Shura and watch from the sidelines the whole time."
"But Yuta, I need to remind you: don't let Rika out. No one can guarantee she'll go back obediently like last time. You can only use Rika's power that can be stored in your katana. If you let her fully manifest again, both you and I will be dealt with."
"What!" Hearing they might be "dealt with," Okkotsu Yuta's stress instantly multiplied.
Tatsuro, who had been watching all of this while petting his dog, thought to himself, "Who could possibly deal with you, Gojo..."
After this little interlude, the three of them and one dog got into the car. It was a bit crowded, but it was better than having Shura follow the car into the city center and cause a panic.
After all, with its cursed energy enhancement, although it looked bulky, it was not slow at all when it ran. Tatsuro had tested it: it covered a 100-meter track in just three seconds, and that wasn't even its peak speed at the start.
Of course, the consequence of its heavy build and extreme explosive power was that the rubber track was instantly ruined.
Would such speed fail to keep up with a car?
Half an hour later, they arrived at their destination. Everyone got out of the car and looked at the silent shopping street, unsure what to say.
The man with a center-parted hairstyle, Ijichi Kiyotaka, who worked for Jujutsu High as an auxiliary manager and part-time driver, held a tablet and said:
"Most of the shops in this 'Happiness Shopping Street' have already closed down. According to the plan, this area will be demolished and a large shopping mall will be built here. During the inspection, a cluster of low-grade cursed spirits was confirmed here. We'll have to trouble Second-Grade Sorcerer Inumaki to exorcise these cursed spirits."
Halfway through his explanation, Inumaki Toge had already gone into a nearby shop to buy something. Tatsuro followed him to buy drinks. It wasn't his business anyway, and it wouldn't be too late to act once the system quest was issued. Okkotsu Yuta listened intently the whole time, completely oblivious to the two people and one dog who had wandered off.
"Huh?!" Having finished his explanation, Ijichi Kiyotaka looked at the vanished trio in shock. "Where did Sorcerer Inumaki and Sorcerer Tatsuro go?"
"Thank you for your patronage!"
A voice from the shop beside them attracted their attention. Tatsuro walked out carrying a bag of snacks, Shura had a large chicken drumstick in its mouth, and Inumaki Toge carried a bag in his left hand and a drink in his right.
Tatsuro took a drink from his bag and tossed it to Yuta, saying, "Catch!"
"Oh, uh."
As if accustomed to this, Ijichi Kiyotaka didn't get angry and continued, "In short, the developers don't want the reputation of this land, which they acquired with a huge investment, to be ruined by this, affecting future business. That's why they urgently commissioned us to deal with it as soon as possible."
"Salmon." Inumaki Toge nodded, indicating he understood.
Seeing this, Ijichi Kiyotaka adjusted his glasses and said solemnly:
"I will now cast a Curtain. May your mission be a resounding success!!"