The training was run by them. They supported one another, each contributing what they knew.
Mirio trained with blades against Takumi, laughter and light blocks punctuating their sparring while Haruka grabbed his shoulders as a distraction.
"Got you!" Mirio jerked the brown-haired boy off balance; Takumi hit the floor, exposed.
"Hey?! That's cheating!" Takumi protested between laughs.
"You always have to stay alert," Mirio said, offering his hand to help him up.
"An Exorcist can't afford distractions," Haruka added, helping Takumi to his feet.
"Two weeks and you still don't learn offense and defense."
As they played and laughed, a man in a suit appeared. His presence had slipped in almost unnoticed among the training.
"Good morning, kids," he greeted in a steady but trembling voice. "I've just been notified of an urgent mission for all of you."
"A mission?" Takumi watched him with curiosity. Mirio stepped closer, calm.
"Yes. It'll be your first mission since you arrived."
"Wow… Isn't it dangerous for our level?"
"No, missions are class Empat — the lowest class of all."
"Exactly — no time for chatting, let's prepare!" the girl chimed, enthusiasm bright.
"By the way, how many classes are there?"
"There are four: Satu, Dua, Tiga, and Empat. And classes we'll never reach: S and E."
The Semi-Special and Special classes. Satu is the highest among normal Exorcists — horror, I'm the lowest of all…
"Empat is a synonym for survival and death," another Cursed near Takumi muttered.
Takumi sighed at his own thought.
Like a true leader, Mirio distributed weapons to each of the Cursed.
"Take these weapons." Takumi accepted his with uncertainty.
"Are we really allowed to use these?"
"Of course… unless you'd prefer to be killed," Mirio replied, half serious, half joking to keep nerves down.
"As Cursed, we don't have enough energy to fight Ghosts without weapons," Haruka explained, stowing hers. "If we were at least Tiga, we wouldn't need gear."
"Ha, true. But S class is best. Although that class is reserved for healers and the Kojin," Mirio concluded.
Takumi nodded and packed his weapon carefully; he could feel the Jaki pulsing through it.
Soon they moved to the main courtyard where a black van waited.
"Get in," the suited man ordered.
Takumi hesitated a second, then climbed aboard.
He still struggled to accept facing those creatures, especially since just days ago he couldn't even see them.
His hands sweated and shook; the sound of tires on the cobblestone road was light compared to the turmoil in his chest.
Mirio noticed his nerves and clapped his back.
"Thanks…" Takumi muttered, relieved.
"Don't worry. This is my fifth mission and I'm still here. I'll protect you — trust me," Mirio offered with a reassuring smile.
Takumi returned the smile. Mirio inspired warm, steady confidence; everyone loved him for his leadership.
They reached an abandoned house — an akiya. The air was heavy and suffocating. Bird calls sounded dim and distant.
Everyone wore serious expressions, bracing for what lay ahead. Except Takumi, who sweated cold.
They entered from different points: windows, doors, skylights. Each step felt like inhaling ice; the atmosphere was deadly still.
"Don't go in if you're scared, but don't get in the way," one bespectacled Cursed warned.
The remark stung, but Takumi clenched his fists and pushed on.
A blood-curdling scream echoed down the corridor. Takumi felt his heart stop.
"Ghost class Dua!" a girl yelled from another room.
Takumi sprinted alongside Mirio to where she was.
There it was: a gigantic blue spider-like Ghost crawling along the ceiling with a horrifying shriek.
The putrid stench it exhaled was unbearable. Several corpses tumbled from above.
Before they could fully react, the Ghost lunged. Mirio dodged with agile precision and sliced off one of its legs.
"Takumi — help the others!" he ordered, covering the wounded girl.
"Y-yes!" Takumi shouted and ran to find the other Cursed.
"Ghost! Mirio needs help!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.
The others responded quickly. They encircled the Ghost; some used special ropes to restrain it.
Others attacked without mercy. When they finally had it bound and under control—
"Cut its head off!" one teammate shouted.
Takumi hesitated, but seeing no one else available, he gripped his weapon and, with an awkward but decisive slash, severed the creature's head.
Takumi stared at his trembling hands.
I just killed… a Ghost. Is this what I'll face from now on? I don't like this…
The Ghost screamed and disintegrated into a dark cloud. The Jaki washed over the place.
"You did great!" Mirio exclaimed, pulling him into a fierce hug.
The others congratulated him too. Takumi could hardly believe it: he had helped kill a Ghost.
Just when they thought it was over… a second Ghost emerged from the shadows. In an instant it impaled one of the Cursed through the abdomen with its claws.
The agonized scream shook them all. Blood soaked his face, a dark pool forming under him.
The air thickened again, heavy with Jaki and pain.
Takumi felt his guts burn and the air leave his lungs as if it had forgotten them.
The wounded Cursed — black-haired, brown-eyed, the same one who'd shown him how to sharpen his weapon just hours earlier — writhed on the floor, then closed his eyes in front of everyone.
---
Meanwhile, somewhere else in the world, a dimly lit bar gave the illusion of calm.
"Did you place the Ghosts where I told you?" one voice asked.
"Yes."
"Ha, ha…" the man swirled his whisky slowly. "Nothing's changed — they're still idiots."
"Exorcists are pathetic. That's why they must die."
"It's true. Also, I already have a new list."
"Soon I'll have my revenge."
"And I will soon have my perfect world. I just need to finish him off," said the black-haired man, casting a knife toward a photo of Kohaku.
"I could kill him, if you give me the chance…"
"No. You're not at his level. Kohaku's a fox; he beat the strongest — you'd be an ant to crush."
"Are you underestimating me?" the long white-haired man growled.
"No. You're the one who underestimates yourself, Shiro."
They laughed — one bitter and scornful, the other calm and cruel.
"By the way, it's time to pick up the confetti."
"Okay."