November 17th arrived—the day of the assessment at last.
"Papa Yaga, I'm heading out to take the assessment. Please take care of Mii-chan for me."
"And if I don't come back… please treat it as if it were me…"
Inside the homeroom teacher's office, Asou Akiya solemnly entrusted Mii-chan as though he were delivering a last will and testament. His dramatic performance earned him a single, loving corrective punch from Yaga Masamichi. Clutching his head, he heard his future adoptive father scold him sternly:
"No cursing yourself!"
Yaga Masamichi reminded him again, his tone serious. "While I'm not around, you must wear your cursed tools whenever you go out. Be on guard against cursed spirits and curse users."
Asou Akiya laughed as he ran out the door. "Got it! Just wait for my good news!"
Outside the office, his assistant supervisor was waiting for him alone.
Out of consideration for avoiding conflicts of interest, Yaga Masamichi could not personally go to the assessment site, nor could he recommend Asou Akiya for an advancement in jujutsu sorcerer rank. Left with no other choice, he had instead invited a trustworthy Grade One sorcerer to serve as the examiner.
Not wanting to spend the entire day anxiously worrying about the assessment, Yaga Masamichi turned his attention to inspecting the cursed corpses. Lowering his head, he noticed that Mimi—the little doll he had woven with multicolored yarn—had become a bit dirty, grime lodged deep in crevices that Asou Akiya had been unable to clean.
"Perfect timing," Yaga Masamichi murmured. "I'll take it apart, clean it, and upgrade it."
He walked into the room dedicated to crafting cursed corpses, disappearing behind the barrier, his hands moving swiftly as he disassembled the doll.
After a moment of thought, he fetched a vial of pure white dye. "Let's remake it into a white cat."
The multicolored yarn shifted color in an instant.
Yaga Masamichi frowned, dissatisfied. "This looks like it'll get dirty even more easily."
But his adopted son loved white cats—he had drawn cats more than once during class. Yaga Masamichi had no intention of scrapping this cursed corpse. Instead, he chose to carry out an upgrade and modification, building upon the original design rather than discarding it.
That day passed with Yaga Masamichi wholly absorbed in his work, leaving the rest of the students to the care of an assistant supervisor.
Inside the classroom, three people stared fixedly at the assistant supervisor standing on the podium.
The assistant supervisor spoke with visible nerves, his voice trembling. "Mr. Yaga has taken leave today and asked me to substitute for him. Everyone, please open your textbooks…"
Getou Suguru obediently opened his book—and at the same time pulled out his phone, openly and without the slightest guilt sending a message to the person who hadn't shown up.
Gojo Satoru snickered. "Suguru, what are you, a mother bird?"
Getou Suguru ignored Gojo Satoru's provocation. Ieiri Shoko had already received the reply. "Asou went to take his assessment."
Getou Suguru frowned in confusion. "Then why didn't he tell us beforehand?"
Ieiri Shoko read aloud from the private chat, her tone flat but amused. "Because Asou wanted to give you a 'vanishing without a trace' surprise. He said today he's setting sail with a beautiful upperclasswoman, abandoning us poor Jujutsu High students… uh, he's going to attend the 'World University Student Festival*' at the University of Tokyo, to take a look at the mature, handsome college students in Japan's universities."
*{Note: I have no idea what this is.}
The moment Ieiri Shoko finished reading, Getou Suguru and Gojo Satoru exploded.
Getou Suguru snapped, "Gojo, did you hear that? Someone is looking down on us Jujutsu High students—thinks we're childish and not handsome enough!"
Gojo Satoru cracked his knuckles, the bones clicking sharply. "'A beautiful upperclasswoman'? Who? Who's serving as his examiner?"
Ieiri Shoko chuckled. "My guess is Mei Mei-senpai."
Getou Suguru nodded thoughtfully. "I think so too. Mei Mei-senpai is pretty aloof, but she treats us well."
Gojo Satoru scoffed. "Suguru, aren't we handsome? What's so great about college students anyway?"
Getou Suguru immediately chimed in, bristling with righteous indignation. "Exactly!"
Getou Suguru continued, "Gojo, should we skip class and go to the University of Tokyo?"
Gojo Satoru was just about to agree when Getou Suguru suddenly frowned. After a moment of hesitation, he took it back. "Wait. Asou is devious—way too devious. He deliberately told us he was going to the University of Tokyo. That's suspicious. He knows perfectly well that the two of us have a bad habit of skipping class."
Getou Suguru analyzed calmly, "Today is the 'World University Student Festival.' The assessment task is to exorcise a cursed spirit, and the location is a university—but that doesn't necessarily mean the University of Tokyo."
Ieiri Shoko stared at him. "…Impressive, Getou. You've learned how to analyze Asou now?"
After being tempered by Asou Akiya for so long, everyone present had developed a slight case of paranoia.
Among them, Getou Suguru's symptoms were by far the most severe.
Gojo Satoru felt troubled—this kind of careful reasoning wasn't his strong suit at all. Just then, he noticed the assistant supervisor's evasive behavior, and remembered how Asou Akiya often contacted the assistant supervisor by phone. Well, well. He'd found an opening.
"Hey! Assistant supervisor—do you know where the assessment site is?"
"Huh?!"
The assistant supervisor had disaster fall out of a clear sky.
No one could withstand the combined pressure and temptation of two teenagers hailed as "the strongest." On the verge of tears, the assistant supervisor finally gave in.
In a small voice, he said, "It's… it's Kyoto University."
Gojo Satoru lit up. "Nice! That's basically my hometown."
Gojo Satoru and Getou Suguru slapped palms in a triumphant high-five, unceremoniously abandoning Ieiri Shoko—who couldn't freely leave campus anyway—and skipped class together in high spirits.
When the classroom was reduced to a single remaining student, Ieiri Shoko propped her chin on her hand and said leisurely, with a knowing smile, "Heh, by the time you two reach the site, Asou has probably already finished the assignment." Acting as Yaga Masamichi's last sliver of hope for well-behaved students, she added, "Assistant supervisor, let's continue the lesson. I'll have to trouble you to finish today's class notes and make four copies afterward."
All assistant supervisors in the logistics department held Ieiri Shoko in great respect, and the one in this classroom was no exception.
Asou Akiya and Ieiri Shoko were known among assistant supervisors as "angels."
…
Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto University.
As Japan's second-most prestigious institution after the University of Tokyo, Kyoto University stood upon one of the oldest regions in the country; paradoxically, however, its founding came twenty years later than that of Tokyo University.
The business van had departed before classes even began at Tokyo Jujutsu High.
In the back seat sat two people: Mei Mei, a Grade One jujutsu sorcerer, and Asou Akiya, a Grade Three sorcerer.
This was the first time Mei Mei had been alone with her junior in a private space. "Are you used to it?" she asked.
Asou Akiya smiled. "Which part do you mean, senpai? If you mean going on a mission without Yaga-sensei by my side, then I admit I'm a little nervous. I've been very well protected by him until now. But when I saw that the examiner was you, senpai, I felt reassured. You're a powerful Grade One sorcerer, fully capable of controlling the entire situation."
Mei Mei found his frankness pleasing. "That's right. Missions are full of unexpected developments. And thank you, junior—Yaga-sensei asked me to serve as the examiner, so I've earned myself a rather nice fee."
Asou Akiya's smile nearly faltered. Another charge? And at a premium rate, no less?
Mei Mei said lightly, "Don't underestimate your teacher's income."
She added, "If being a teacher at Tokyo Jujutsu High weren't such a hassle, I might even consider it myself—for the allowance alone."
Asou Akiya did his best to steer the conversation away from money. "Mei Mei-senpai, how is it that Kyoto University has cursed spirits?"
The senior with silver hair tied into a high ponytail deftly opened her laptop and brought up the mission slides.
"November 8th: An international student at Kyoto University committed suicide after failing their courses."
"November 10th: People at Kyoto University began to go missing one after another. The last place they were seen before disappearing was the rooftop."
"November 13th: 'Window' detected the appearance of Semi–Grade Two to Grade Two cursed spirits at Kyoto University."
"November 14th: Because the incident involved international students and caused negative repercussions on an international level, the Three Great Families did not wish to involve themselves. The Higher-Ups dispatched a Grade Two sorcerer to exorcise the cursed spirit, but due to a misjudgment in assessment, the exorcism failed. Under the pressure of domestic and international public opinion, the cursed spirit evolved into a quasi–Grade One entity."
"November 16th: The Higher-Ups designated this mission as a qualification assessment for a 'Semi–Grade Two sorcerer.' The requirements were to exorcise the cursed spirit without alarming the students, and they specifically appointed you to carry out the assessment."
"November 17th—today. I will take you to the site. I will reinforce the power of the [Curtain]. You will enter the interior and exorcise the Grade Two cursed spirit. Your evaluation score will be determined by the time it takes you to complete the task."
Mei Mei warned Asou Akiya in a calm, measured tone, "The nature of this mission is rather troublesome. It's entangled with both the Three Great Clans and the Headquarters. Unless you have an abundance of savings, you'd better give it everything you've got and finish it as quickly as possible."
Asou Akiya fell silent. So he had become the filling in a political sandwich between the Three Great Families and the Higher-Ups.
A task the Three Great Families found distasteful had been tossed straight onto his head by the Higher-Ups?
"…All right."
The Gojo family's so-called "study companion" resigned himself to his fate.
Asou Akiya asked, "What is the cursed technique of the Semi–Grade One cursed spirit? Has it been identified?"
Mei Mei was reliable in matters like this. "No. But I will assist you in the investigation. Still, I recommend relying on yourself. The more you depend on me, the more I'll judge that you fall short of the strength required for a 'Semi–Grade Two sorcerer.'"
Asou Akiya nodded. It was similar in nature to the assessment task Utahime Iori would face next year in her bid to advance to Grade One.
Mei Mei was the last line of defense meant to preserve his life.
No wonder Yaga Masamichi had been willing to pay a steep price to hire her as the examiner. One of this senior's specialties was environmental reconnaissance, and she never engaged in a deal that would leave her at a loss. If she were to suffer a disadvantage during the mission, there would be no need for Asou Akiya or Yaga Masamichi to intervene—she would personally seek out the Higher-Ups to negotiate appropriate compensation.
Asou Akiya immersed himself in reviewing the case materials, unwilling to miss even the smallest detail, attempting to deduce the cursed technique of the Semi–Grade One cursed spirit from the lines and subtext of the report.
[Student. Failing grades. Rooftop. Suicide. It cannot be confirmed that the curse was born solely from academic pressure.]
[I've heard that the romantic lives of international students can be rather complicated as well?]
[The truth this world of Jujutsu has taught me—until the very last moment before reuniting with one's companions, vigilance must never be lowered.]
Asou Akiya pinched his chin, a trace of caution surfacing in his pitch-black eyes.
The Tokyo Jujutsu High business vehicle smoothly entered the gates of Kyoto University. The festive atmosphere on campus was muted at best; the string of disappearances had left everyone on edge. Two people stepped out of the vehicle. The assistant supervisor remained inside, while Mei Mei took the lead, with Asou Akiya following close behind as they headed toward the location where the cursed spirit had left traces of residual cursed energy.
They moved at a brisk pace. With their high schooler appearances, they blended into the university campus without the slightest sense of incongruity.
"It's here."
Mei Mei pointed at the door, clearly unwilling to kick it open herself. Asou Akiya stepped forward to handle it, peeling off the seal as cursed energy melted the lock core away.
When the door was pushed open, the expanse of the rooftop spread out before them.
A jujutsu sorcerer's vision was fundamentally different from that of an ordinary person. Their field of sight was saturated with lingering cursed residue; the air itself seemed warped, and scattered across the ground lay human remains, bones strewn everywhere. What they were seeing was the other side of the world—the side tainted by curses.
Asou Akiya spoke calmly, his voice steady.
"The missing people are already dead."
Mei Mei recorded the information and spoke as she worked, "I'm going to deploy the [Curtain] now. Junior, step back a little."
A [Curtain] descended, enveloping the entire rooftop. Down below, students passing through the campus still glanced toward the rooftop from time to time, pointing and whispering among themselves, talking about the suicide case and the disappearances, completely unaware that both incidents were, in truth, supernatural phenomena.
Asou Akiya personally experienced what it meant to undertake an assessment mission alone. He did not immediately enter the [Curtain]. Instead, he extended his index finger, letting it slip into the black veil, which rippled like the surface of water.
Under his perception of cursed energy, there was no simple domain, no overwhelming pressure of high intensity—its presence was clearly inferior to that of a Grade One cursed spirit.
He removed the longsword at his waist and untied the special cloth strips binding the Grade One cursed tool.
Then, he stepped forward—
and entered his own battlefield.