Location: Outskirts of Kyoto – Sealed Forest
Mission Objective: Eliminate a Rank 3 cursed spirit that has been devouring large animals and causing energy instability in the area.
[Perspective: Ayame Sasaki – Second-year student]
It was their first team mission since Naoya Zen'in joined, and Ayame didn't know how to feel. His reputation preceded him. Everyone was talking about his celestial projection technique, his strange time-skip technique, his arrogance, and the rumors that even the Gakuganji director was keeping an eye on him.
But seeing him now, leaning against a tree while filing his nails with a bored expression, was something else entirely.
"Is that guy really not going to do anything?" Ayame muttered to her partner, Hozuki.
"He said this was an 'insult' to his power," the boy replied with a grimace of annoyance.
The group consisted of her, Hozuki, a quiet third-year boy named Riku, and... the troublesome Prince Zen'in.
The cursed spirit had appeared at the edge of the forest, and although it was a rank 3, its malicious presence felt more aggressive than expected. A black cloud floated between the trees. Dead birds fell like dried leaves. The ground creaked with every step.
"Let's go!" Riku shouted. "We split up and encircle the spirit from three fronts. You, Ayame, on the left!"
"Understood!"
They ran.
And Naoya... just stood there, hands in his pockets, grinning as if he had the whole show.
[Perspective: Hozuki – Second Year]
He couldn't handle him.
From the moment Naoya entered, it seemed everyone had to keep their heads down. Even the headmaster seemed to avoid facing him directly. Hozuki didn't respect him. He didn't respect someone who deemed it useless to help unless it was a "worthy challenge."
The cursed spirit materialized as a bloated mass of flesh, with eyes sprouting from its back and mandibles protruding from its stomach. It was fast. Much faster than they thought. Ayame narrowly dodged a slash, and Riku received a deep cut on his left arm.
"Naoya! Are you just going to stand there?!" Hozuki shouted.
The other didn't even bother to answer. He simply tilted his head as if watching a boring play.
"They're a joke," Naoya muttered.
[Perspective: Naoya Zen'in]
A Rank 3 spirit.
What an insult.
Why was he wasting his time on something any average student could eliminate? Why stain his hands with garbage? Even his presence here was pointless. He was far above all that.
But the funniest thing was watching those insects struggle.
Every move was clumsy. Every technique, a bad joke. Ayame relied too much on her enchanted katana. Hozuki was predictable, and Riku... well, Riku had guts, but nothing more.
"This is what the world calls sorcerers... What a shame."
And yet, part of him... part of him wanted to see what would happen if he didn't intervene. Would they die? Would they scream? Would they beg for help?
That thought brought a genuine smile to his face.
[Perspective: Ayame]
"I can't hold it back anymore!" Riku cried.
The spirit had evolved. It now had an extra arm, covered in teeth, and its cursed energy had leveled up. It wasn't a simple rank 3. It was closer to a 2... possibly a weak 1 in disguise.
"Naoya! They're going to kill us!"
Silence.
Nothing.
Until...
[Internal monologue: Naoya]
What a pain.
Do you really expect me to save you?
He sighed. He took a step. Another. The air around him thickened. Each leaf seemed to stand still in time.
"How annoying," he said as he approached the spirit, who hadn't even noticed him.
He activated his technique. A 0.3-second jump into the future.
The spirit felt a cut on its leg without having seen any movement.
"Huh?"
A flash. The spirit's arm was ripped off before it could react.
"W-what was that?" Ayame muttered.
Naoya stopped in front of the creature.
"Do you know what's really insulting?" he said to the cursed spirit. "That something as disgusting as you took up my time."
A single blow with his cursed-energy-clad palm was enough. The spirit was compressed as if crushed from all directions by an invisible force. Then it exploded into a black rain that evaporated upon contact with the ground.
[Chapter Epilogue – Perspective: Utahime Iori]
From a distance, Utahime had observed everything.
"That boy..." she whispered. "It's not just arrogance. He's a monster in the making."
The others returned with injuries, except for Naoya.
"Someday someone will die because he decided he wasn't worthy of her time."
And that prospect filled her with fear.