"The few of you, reflect properly."
"Yes, Yaga-sensei." X3
Why did this happen?
Because the three of them played a little too wildly last night, all of them Incarnations of outlaws, playing a real-life game of CS on campus.
The result was numerous bullet holes left on the school walls and many traces of grenades and rocket launchers exploding on the playground.
Good news: The school's students got three days off.
Because the cleanup crew had to clear bullet casings and repair the school's playground and exterior walls.
Bad news: Eichi, Gojo Satoru, and Suguru Geto were rewarded with one day of standing punishment. Artoria, who had been protecting the Assistant Supervisor and enjoying a late-night snack in the back, received no punishment.
Standing punishment is a very interesting thing.
And different people have different views on standing punishment.
For example, in Shoko Ieiri's eyes, the three boys outside were getting what they deserved and had completely lost face.
But in the eyes of Eichi and the other two, they were like a superhero team standing in front of an audience, attracting everyone's attention.
Isn't there a saying?
One person standing punishment: avoids eye contact, silent.
Two people standing punishment: Today, among heroes, only you and I remain!
Three people standing punishment: Sworn brotherhood of the Peach Garden, not seeking to be born on the same year, same month, same day, but seeking to die on the same year, same month, same day.
A group of boys standing punishment: Outside the classroom is the Water Margin.
Simply put, it's one sentence.
Once a second boy joins the line for standing punishment outside the classroom, the meaning of standing punishment changes, especially if good brothers are also in the line.
"It's normal to cause damage when exorcising Cursed Spirits. Yaga-sensei is making a mountain out of a molehill."
Gojo Satoru looked lazily at the sky.
"Gojo, this time we really went too far."
Suguru Geto stood relatively upright, but his back was already leaning against the wall.
"Speaking of which, the investigation results from Xiu'er regarding this exorcism mission are out. Do you want to hear them?"
Eichi, who was beside them, was squatting on the ground, bored, drawing circles.
"Hmm, yes."
Gojo Satoru agreed without hesitation, and Suguru Geto also looked at Eichi.
"That school had a student with decent Cursed Energy but no Technique. His family had an old book, bought from an antique market, that contained some methods for Curse Users to lure and control Cursed Spirits as shikigami."
"So that student tried it?"
Suguru Geto had already seen the truth.
"Exactly. That school is a school with a lot of academic pressure, and the teachers are very strict with the students. That student, because he liked ghost stories and such, didn't have good grades.
Later, feeling resentment towards the teachers, he remembered the contents of the old book. So he disguised the method of luring and controlling Cursed Spirits as a 'Mr. Dog Fox' wish-making game and promoted it in the school, hoping that the evil spirits described in the book would get revenge on the teachers.
However, because they couldn't see Cursed Spirits, they didn't complete the control steps after attracting the Cursed Spirits.
The result was that those Cursed Spirits, after gathering there, didn't know what to do and could only wander around."
Incidentally, that book is now part of Eichi's collection.
"What a mess. Fortunately, no one at the school was injured."
"Indeed."
If there had been casualties, the Jujutsu World would have had to intervene, and the student's punishment would not have been just a demerit for promoting the Mr. Dog Fox game.
Out of boredom, Eichi began to study his own shadow.
Since researching shikigami control Techniques some time ago, Eichi had made a new discovery.
The eito mirror engraving on the toad's belly had a close connection with the depths of his own shadow.
This gave Eichi a new conjecture about his Ten Shadows Technique.
Initially, because of the 10 shikigami, Eichi thought the Ten Shadows Technique was just about summoning 10 shadow shikigami.
But now, after using shadows for storage, moving through shadows, and now feeling the same Qi as the eito mirror mark on the toad within his shadow.
All of this told Eichi that the Ten Shadows Technique was far more complex than that.
Ten Shadows Technique, the last two characters of the Technique are 'Spell' and not'shikigami'.
Eichi stretched his hand into the shadow on the wall behind him, then slowly delved deeper.
Soon, Eichi completely sank into the shadow.
After more than a minute, Eichi emerged from the shadow due to lack of oxygen.
"Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale."
"What's wrong, Eichi?"
Suguru Geto asked with some concern.
"Nothing, nothing, just lack of oxygen. Inhale, exhale."
"What's it like inside the shadow?"
Gojo Satoru walked behind Eichi, his right hand touching Eichi's shadow.
"Eichi, let me go in and play too."
Eichi didn't refuse.
Soon, Gojo Satoru slowly sank into Eichi's shadow.
"Pfft! There's no oxygen in there at all!"
Gojo Satoru quickly came out of the shadow.
Just as Eichi was about to say something, the classroom door was pulled open, and the other side of the door slammed against the doorframe, making a loud noise.
"You guys! You're supposed to be in standing punishment! Not playing outside!"
"Yes! Yaga-sensei!"
The three of them immediately stood up and bowed 90 degrees in apology.
"Go run 100 laps on the playground!"
"Yes!"
The three immediately fled the classroom.
While they were enjoying their happy High School life, let's turn our attention to one year ago.
On an island far from Ota City, Japan.
"Hey, hurry up and tell me, what's the method for controlling the Shadow Crocodile?"
In a dim cave, several Curse Users were torturing a man who was completely bound.
"There isn't, there really isn't!"
Crack!
Another whip lashed the man's body, and the curse attached to the cursed tool whip made him suffer terribly.
"Still stubborn? Are you going to tell us or not?"
"Alright, stop hitting him, you'll kill him."
The Curse User's companion grabbed his hand, stopping him from whipping the man further.
"Then what do you suggest we do?"
"Throw him in. If there really is a method to control the Shadow Crocodile, he'll naturally use it. If not, we'll run."
After saying that, his gaze turned to the distance.
Where the Curse User looked, there was something like a well.
However, this well was covered with countless talismans and bound by many shimenawa ropes.
Shimenawa, a type of rope used in ceremonial rituals to express sacredness, with white shide hanging from it, often appearing on torii gates, sacred trees, Divine Stones, and other auspicious objects.
Torii are the red gate-like structures at the entrance of Shinto shrines; passing through a torii means you have entered the domain of the gods.
The Curse User nodded after hearing his companion's words.
This was indeed the most effective method.
The group worked together to untie the talismans and shimenawa, then opened the well cover and threw the bound man into the well.
The moment the man landed, the Curse User waved his hand, and the ropes binding the man immediately broke.
The group watched the man struggle at the bottom of the well.
However, to their surprise, the man did not die.
"Do you feel like the well opening has turned black?"
The Curse User asked his companion.
"Has it? It's so dark in the cave, you must be mistaken."
However, behind them, a terrifying existence beyond human comprehension had quietly opened its giant mouth.