章 99: Chapter 97: Utahime and Miwa
"You want my money? No, it's my life!"
"Hahahaha!"
Ryuji didn't think much of Mei Mei's words. Seeing her like this, he couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Let's go! I've got more special-grade spirits to exorcise!"
It was just a joke. There was no need to argue about money.
As long as you're strong enough, even if you don't ask, people will throw money at you.
At this moment, for Ryuji, nothing was more important than becoming stronger.
Mei Mei chuckled, then extended a hand toward him.
"Huh?"
Ryuji looked over, confused.
But Mei Mei spoke naturally.
"I'm still a little exhausted from that battle. Can you give me a hand?"
"Of course!"
There was no reason to refuse something like that. After all, Mei Mei had been a tough fighter out there.
Her hands, hardened from years of physical training, weren't as delicate as one might expect, but there was a certain charm in that.
And just then...
"Target acquired: Mei Mei! Golden entry triggered. Would you like to load it?"
Golden entry, huh? Ryuji wasn't sure what kind of ability it would be, but he wasn't in a rush to check.
"Are you sure you don't want to rest?" Ryuji asked, noticing that Mei Mei was still following him.
He was already planning to move to the next location where another special-grade cursed spirit was wreaking havoc. With Mei Mei in her current state, it didn't seem wise for her to push herself.
Mei Mei smirked at him.
"Oh? Don't you want me around?"
She added casually, "As long as I stick with you, I can tell the higher-ups I'm your assistant. Who knows, maybe I can get some extra cash for it!"
Thinking like that, it was like money falling from the sky for her.
"Tsk!"
Ryuji could only laugh. This was exactly like Mei Mei.
But there was no reason to refuse her company. Besides, she wasn't wrong about getting more money by sticking close.
The next special-grade cursed spirit wasn't lurking at the outskirts of the city this time it was right in the center.
"Looks like some sorcerers got here ahead of us," Ryuji observed, noticing the massive black curtain that had been set up around the area. It was meant to keep the battle hidden from ordinary people.
The streets were deserted. It seemed like the civilians had already been evacuated.
"It's fine. Gojo's busy with other cursed spirits right now, and most first-grade sorcerers like Nanami and Kusakabe aren't in the city. So whoever's here probably won't be too strong and won't get in the way," Mei Mei explained.
Not every first-grade sorcerer had the strength to deal with special-grade cursed spirits, after all. Mei Mei wasn't too concerned about them interfering with her payday.
"Let's go," Ryuji said, nodding as he walked toward the black curtain.
Mei Mei followed him closely.
Meanwhile, inside the barrier, the cursed spirit they were about to face was a massive creature, towering over 20 meters tall. When it stood up, it loomed over the surrounding buildings.
"Roar!"
Unlike the Yuki-onna from earlier, this cursed spirit was purely instinctual. It had no intelligence and only followed its primal urges to destroy.
"Die! Humans, all of you die!"
Even the slightest movement from its colossal body caused massive destruction to the streets and buildings nearby.
Two sorcerers were already engaged in a losing battle with the cursed spirit, trying to hold it off.
"Utahime Sensei!"
As a teacher at Kyoto Jujutsu High, Utahime was a quasi-first-grade sorcerer. Her technique wasn't offensive, but rather a support-type ability that amplified the strength of those within her range. Unfortunately, it lacked any real firepower.
"Be careful, Miwa!" Utahime shouted urgently.
Seeing the danger, Utahime abandoned her focus on restraining the cursed spirit and rushed to protect her student, Miwa Kasumi, from a devastating blow. Though the attack didn't do much damage, it managed to draw the cursed spirit's attention, saving Miwa.
Bruised and battered, Miwa dodged away quickly to avoid further harm.
"Hah!"
Utahime let out a sigh of relief, glad her student was safe.
"Humans! Are you asking for death?" the cursed spirit roared, enraged.
It lifted its massive hand to crush Utahime, but years of experience helped her narrowly dodge the attack, avoiding what would've been a fatal blow.
"Luckily, this thing doesn't have much intelligence," Utahime muttered under her breath. If it were smarter, she knew she wouldn't have lasted this long.
"Sensei!" Miwa shouted, rushing over to check on her teacher.
"I'm fine," Utahime reassured her with a grim expression. "But where are the reinforcements? They should've been here by now!"
She had been told to hold the cursed spirit off for a short time, but it had been much longer, and still no help had arrived.
What made Utahime even more anxious was the presence of a human girl nearby, trembling in fear.
"I must be losing my mind!" Kitagawa Marin muttered, on the verge of tears.
She hadn't expected this when she'd skipped class to buy supplies for her cosplay projects. Now, here she was, facing a monstrous cursed spirit. She pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming.
It hurt. A lot.
"What the hell is this?!" Marin was close to breaking down.
"Didn't I tell you to hide?" Utahime snapped, frustrated. She wasn't angry at Marin, but protecting a regular human made the situation far more difficult.
"I, I'm sorry," Marin stammered, not sure what else to say. How could she explain that she thought it was all just a bad dream?
"Watch out!" Utahime shouted.
The cursed spirit had noticed Marin and raised its hand, preparing to crush her.
Utahime dashed toward Marin, knowing full well that she wasn't strong enough to stop the attack. But she couldn't just stand by and let a civilian die.
"Damn, I can't stop this!" Utahime cursed under her breath.
Even though she wasn't strong enough to face the cursed spirit head-on, she didn't hesitate.
"Sensei!" Miwa cried out, rushing after her.
"Stay back, Miwa!" Utahime shouted. She didn't care if she died—it was the cost of being a sorcerer but Miwa was still young. She didn't deserve to die here.
Suddenly, a black shadow flashed by, and a massive battle axe cleaved through the cursed spirit's arm.
"Ahhh..."
A calm voice followed the strike.
"Long time no see, Utahime," Mei Mei said, her tone relaxed.
Utahime turned around, her eyes wide with relief.
"Mei Mei!"
Utahime and Mei Mei were old friends. They had exorcised many cursed spirits together in the past. Of course, Mei Mei had always been the primary fighter, while Utahime had assisted with her support abilities.
Knowing that Mei Mei was here made Utahime feel much more at ease.
"Humans, I will kill you!" the cursed spirit bellowed in rage.
Its severed arm began to regenerate almost immediately, and it charged again.
"Be careful!" Utahime warned. "This cursed spirit might be dumb, but it's incredibly strong!"
Mei Mei just smiled, waving her hand dismissively.
"Don't worry about it!"
She planted her battle axe into the ground, showing no signs of concern.
"The one who can take care of it is already here."
"Oh? Is Gojo here?" Utahime asked, assuming it could only be him.
"No, not Gojo," Mei Mei laughed at her guess. "He's even more talented than Gojo. And... he's pretty easy on the eyes too."
"...What?" Utahime was confused by the comment.
Before she could process what Mei Mei meant, the cursed spirit attacked again.
"Third Dimension!"
Two simple words echoed through the air.
"Buzz!"
The space around the cursed spirit distorted. Its massive body was locked in place, unable to move.
"Crack! Crack!"
In mere seconds, half of the cursed spirit's body twisted and shattered.
"Hiss!"
Utahime gasped. Defeating a special-grade cursed spirit so easily was beyond anything she had ever witnessed.
"Finally," came a calm voice.
Utahime turned to see Ryuji approaching casually.
"Another special-grade cursed spirit. Ryuji raised his hand.
"Soul Devouring!"
"Swish! Swish! Swish!"
Chains shot out, binding what was left of the cursed spirit's body. Then, in one swift motion, it was swallowed by a dimensional rift.
Ryuji patted his stomach with a satisfied grin.
"You... who are you?" Utahime asked, still in shock.
"Name's Ryuji," he said, turning toward her and Miwa.
Utahime took a good look at him. Though his appearance was striking, his presence was even more overwhelming. He didn't look much older than her students, but his power was undeniable.
"Uh, hello! I'm Utahime," she introduced herself, still somewhat dazed.
The name sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn't quite place where she had heard it before.
She quickly shook hands with Ryuji, still trying to make sense of what had just happened.
"Target acquire: Utahime Iori! Purple entry triggered. Would you like to load it?"
Purple entry? Not bad. Ryuji noted it mentally but didn't rush to check it out.
He then glanced at Miwa, who seemed to be trying to compose herself.
"Hello! My name is Miwa, and I'm a student at Kyoto Jujutsu High!" Miwa blurted out quickly, straightening up and offering her hand to shake. She was clearly nervous, trying not to make a fool of herself in front of such a powerful sorcerer.
Ryuji smiled as he shook her hand, noticing how flustered she was. Though she was doing her best to keep calm, he could sense her respect and awe. After all, taking down a special-grade cursed spirit like that would leave an impression on anyone.
Interestingly, nothing triggered from Miwa, which left Ryuji a bit surprised. He had expected some kind of ability or entry to load, but there was nothing. After thinking about it, he guessed it made sense, Miwa hadn't developed any significant techniques of her own yet.
No matter. He already had a golden entry from Mei Mei and a purple one from Utahime, so it wasn't a loss.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Ryuji noticed someone standing hesitantly a little way off.
He looked over and realized it was an ordinary person watching the scene in awe, still shaken by everything that had happened.
"An ordinary person?" Ryuji thought to himself, easily able to discern that she had no cursed energy.
Marin, who had been staring in disbelief, suddenly noticed Ryuji's gaze shift toward her, and she stammered out nervously,
"Yo—uhhh, Ryuji Senpai!"
***
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