(Pov Satoru)
I was doing my best not to show it, but I was kind of freaking out. It had been a day like most others when I noticed something weird, none of the first years were around. Usually, we'd see them during class and training periods, but they weren't around. When I brought it up with Yaga, he offhandedly mentioned they had been sent on a mission to clear out an old hospital. I knew the first years weren't that weak, especially not my brother, but I couldn't help but worry that the information they gave was nearly always wrong or outdated.
My pacing was cut short as a black car finally pulled up, and I saw Satoshi and the other first years exit the back. I walked over to grab Satoshi first rule of being a big brother is never miss an opportunity to mess with your siblings. "Hey, little bro, I heard you went on a mission without me. I'm hurt," I said while ruffling up his hair.
"Hey, come on, you're messing up my hair," he complained, but that never stopped me before
"Oh, come on, your first mission, and I missed it, you'll have to tell me all about it. Where were there a lot of curses? How many did you get?" I asked, both teasing and with a genuine desire to know how far my baby brother had come.
Unfortunately, our reunion was cut short by Yaga walking over with his signature look of disappointment he always seemed to have when I saw him. I wonder why that is.
"I'm glad to see the three of you made it back unharmed. The principal wants to know what happened on this mission, follow me," he said and began walking away without waiting for them to follow.
Reluctantly, I let Satoshi follow him. "Remember, once you're done with the geezer, you owe me the story," I called after him as he joined with Yaga and the other first years.
(Pov Satoshi)
I joined Nanami and Haibara on the way to the principal's office. It made sense we would have to report on the mission, and to be honest, I was glad for the opportunity. The information they had was clearly not up to date with the actual reality that they thought there only might be a Grade 3 curse when there was one that was nearly Grade 2, which was irresponsible. If I hadn't been there and hadn't been strong enough, then Nanami and Haibara likely would have died in that basement.
Once we arrived outside the office, Yaga-Sensei went in before us to have a brief chat before he reopened the door and waved us in. The office was rather large, though it was also rather bare, with the walls having nothing on them, and even the large desk had the bare essentials. The man seated behind the desk was rather odd-looking. He was the oldest man I had ever seen, though he still had hair on his head; it had gone white, and his face was more wrinkled than not. His expression was also somehow even more stern than Yaga-Sensei's, as if he were eternally disappointed in you. There was no sitting space in the office, either, meaning we had to stand in front of this desk, which felt like we were in trouble somehow.
"Tell me what happened. I hear there were some unexpected hiccups." He began with an authoritative tone that made me want to stand up straight just on instinct. Thankfully, I had some experience dealing with guys like this back in the clan compound, so I was able to recover quickly.
"Well, Principal-San, we entered the hospital and found Grade 4 curses in most of the building, but in the basement, we encountered what I believe was at least a Semi-Grade 2 curse, and it could have very easily become a Grade 2. Luckily, we were able to exorcise it without injury." I said, neglecting to mention I could have taken it on my own, I doubt this guy would believe me anyway. I didn't know much about him apart from what Satoru had told me, and he didn't seem to care much. So all I knew was that he was a distant member of the Kamo clan and they had campaigned hard to get him as principal around fifty years ago, and he had been at the job ever since.
He took in our words, seeming to weigh what I had told him before he turned and looked at Nanami and Haibara, indicating them to add their own point of view. "He's telling the truth; the curse in the basement was much stronger than our information indicated." Nanami added, and after him, Haibara spoke up as well. "Yeah, what Sato said, honestly, if he hadn't been there, we may not have made it."
Well, guess I don't need to do the boasting, thanks, Haibara, you and your boundless positivity. The principal turned back to me, his eyes questioning. "I can't take all the credit; both Nanami-San and Haibara-San provided excellent support during the battle and cleared a path for me to strike." I wasn't even lying; I could have beaten the curse on my own, but the assistance of my classmates made the battle much easier and faster.
The principal considered my words for a moment before seemingly coming to a decision. "Very well you all acted well during this mission even against a threat outside the intial scope as such I shall recommend all three of you be promoted to Grade 3, dismissed." he finally said and after he focused instead on a stack of papers on the side of his desk like we suddenly no longer existed though I much preferred that to any outright hostility plus now i'd get to be a Grade 3 one step closer to the peak.
Once we exited the office, what had been said finally began to set in, at least for the others. Haibara was the first to speak up. "Did he really say Grade 3 already? That's great!" He threw his arms around both of us and pulled us in his own excitement so palpable I was shocked he didn't know how to use Reversed Curse Energy. It was an important advancement; being a higher Grade would allow us to go on more missions and get stronger even faster, and I couldn't wait for the next one.