"What? He's dead!"
The police chief had just stepped outside for a smoke when the news came in. His cigarette was still half-burned between his fingers, but the report that the prisoner had died inside his cell struck him harder than any nicotine hit.
"Damn it… was it murder after all?"
He recalled what Onshin had told him before and rushed toward the holding cells. What he saw made his eyes widen in disbelief.
The man lay there, veins bulging unnaturally across his entire body. His mouth hung wide open, drool soaking the floor beneath him. Blood seeped from every orifice, staining his ears, eyes, and nose. It looked as though he had endured something inhuman before death.
His stomach was grotesquely swollen, skin stretched so tight it looked ready to burst. He resembled an overfilled balloon, one that might pop at the slightest touch.
"What did you feed him?!" The chief's voice boomed as his eyes locked onto the guards.
"Nothing… we didn't give him anything! But… before he died, he kept shouting about ghosts or something…"
A guard's face twisted in confusion and guilt. The man had died right under his watch, yet he hadn't noticed a thing until it was too late.
The chief's head pounded. "Then why didn't you check on him?!"
"I did! I went over and looked, but there was nothing there. I thought he was just trying to stir trouble…" The guard's cheeks flushed as he tried to defend himself.
"Call the coroner. Take him to the morgue and find out what's inside that body."
The chief's shoulders slumped with helplessness. He could only give the order.
* * *
When the coroner arrived, the guards, officers, and chief gathered around the corpse. None of them expected what happened next.
The coroner carefully suited up, slid on gloves, and slowly drew a scalpel across the man's distended stomach. But the instant the blade pierced his skin, the bloated stomach suddenly deflated like a balloon losing air.
The cavity revealed nothing but crushed remains of organs, mashed into a pulp that barely resembled human anatomy. It was as if every vital organ had been squeezed until it shattered.
Strangely, amidst the mess, the coroner found only a few half-digested food scraps drowned in blood and organ fragments. The amount was small, just enough for a meal, nowhere near enough to explain why his stomach had swollen to such extremes.
"He didn't eat anything unusual… then how did his belly swell like that? Ghosts… could it be those people trying to silence him?"
The chief pieced the fragments together with the guard's previous words. A suspicion formed in his mind.
But as the others turned their eyes toward him, waiting for answers, he shook his head and lowered his gaze.
He knew more than them. And he also knew this matter had gone far beyond anything they could handle.
* * *
Meanwhile, soon after Mukuro and Toji had left the boat racecourse, three figures dressed in black arrived.
"As expected, traces of cursed energy remain. A cursed spirit was definitely here. But why is it gone?" One of them ignored the scattered limbs and gore littering the ground. He crouched, pressing his palm against the blood-soaked floor, carefully feeling for lingering energy.
These were not ordinary people. They were professional sorcerers, brought in after staff reported the massacre to their boss. The boss, unwilling to leave it unchecked, had called them through special channels.
"The leftover energy alone is this strong… the curse must have been at least grade 2. And that's likely only from when it first manifested." The man stood up and expressed his judgment with a serious face. "Normally, even a special-grade cursed spirit stays near its place of birth. It wouldn't leave this quickly unless… it was killed."
The moment the possibility was spoken aloud, their faces darkened.
Only traces of cursed energy remained, no cursed spirit to be found.
"Forget it. Not our problem. If someone already handled it, that saves us the trouble."
They stepped outside. There, the boss was laughing over drinks with the middleman who had contacted the sorcerers.
"So fast? You already took care of it?" A man in a black suit, cigarette dangling from his lips, looked at them curiously.
"Mr. Kong, the cursed spirit was already gone before we arrived. Someone else exorcised it." The leader stepped forward and delivered the report.
"I see. Well, boss, you heard them. The cursed spirit's gone. Business can continue as usual." He glanced at the boss. "And you know the rules. We won't leak what happened here. The rest is on you."
"Of course. I understand."
The boss spoke into his radio. Moments later, staff emerged carrying a metal case. They offered it to the three sorcerers with both hands.
The boss also pulled a thick envelope from his pocket and slipped it into Shiu Kong's hand.
"Job done. Let's go." The broker weighed the envelope, smiled, and rose to leave.
"Much appreciated."
Only after their figures vanished did the boss's grin fade.
Outside, the three sorcerers lingered near Shiu's car.
"So you're saying the one who exorcised the curse wasn't a sorcerer?"
The leader voiced the thought that had been gnawing at him. "At the scene, there was only bloodstains and cursed energy residue. From the staff's statements, we estimate the curse was born and destroyed within ten minutes."
He spoke slowly, emphasizing each word. "For someone to kill it that fast without cursed energy… they must be exceptionally strong physically. At least grade 2 level in combat, maybe higher. And their methods were too clean for an ordinary person."
"I see. Here's your referral fee."
Shiu peeled off a stack of bills from the envelope and shoved it into the man's hand, then drove away without another word.
In the car, he exhaled a stream of smoke and muttered to himself, "No cursed energy, but killed a grade 2 cursed spirit with only raw strength… someone like that would make a perfect sorcerer killer."
Plans already stirred in his mind.
* * *
By then, Mukuro and the others had finished giving their statements at the police station. Night had begun to fall, the sky dimming as the last traces of sunlight painted the land gold. Snowy fields glimmered under the fading light, catching the glow of the setting sun.
"Toji-san, don't stay mad."
Walking along the quiet road, Onshin clung to his arm. She had noticed his silence and knew he was still upset about her reckless actions earlier.
"This isn't the first time. I understand your urge to save people, but don't risk your own life to do it." Toji sighed and pinched her flushed cheek, his stern eyes softening.
"You know me. My dream is to become a great doctor. How could I just stand by and watch someone die in front of me?"
She scratched her head sheepishly, only now realizing how close she had come to dying. Fear prickled at her chest, but relief followed when she looked at him.
Her cheeks glowed in the twilight. Even Toji, usually composed, found himself staring for a second longer than he meant to.
"Ahem."
Mukuro cleared his throat, breaking the awkward moment before Toji embarrassed himself.
"Let's let it go this time. Come on, let's get something to eat."
The three of them walked on together, moving toward the horizon where the sun had dipped beneath the earth.
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