"The trident… was that Fushiguro?!"
Nanami tightened his grip and pulled Haibara out of the shrine that had bound Tochigami.
At the same time, the trident pinning the curse to the ground caught both their eyes. That weapon was far too recognizable. It was hard not to think of the strongest person at Tokyo Jujutsu High.
They looked around. Sure enough, they saw Mukuro standing on the thick trunk of a tree near the shrine, calmly watching them.
"We're saved! Fushiguro!"
Overwhelmed with relief, Haibara practically ran up the trunk like he'd grown wheels for legs, grabbing Mukuro's shoulders in a tight hug.
"You really saved us. But… what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in Tokyo watching the kid?"
Nanami let out a long breath of relief and walked toward the tree, confusion slipping into his voice.
None of them paid attention to the cursed spirit in the shrine, trying to yank out the trident. Even if it managed to free itself, it wouldn't matter.
That was the kind of reassurance a special grade sorcerer brought.
"I had a bad feeling, so I came to check. Don't worry about the kid. I got him a babysitter yesterday."
Mukuro pushed Haibara off him, then pulled out a handkerchief to let the boy wipe the blood from his face. He hopped down from the tree.
He had already talked to Tsumiki. She only needed to treat Megumi like her own little brother. Everything else would be handled by him.
"I see… either way, thank you. You saved us."
Nanami gave Mukuro's shoulder a light punch. His voice carried real sincerity.
If Mukuro hadn't shown up, Haibara might not have survived. And Nanami himself might have been stuck with that memory forever.
For a sorcerer, even if the dying friend never meant it, hearing "Run!" in someone's final moment was a curse that could haunt for life.
"Yep! Exactly!"
Haibara, still on the tree, wiped his nosebleed and nodded wildly in agreement.
"No need for the polite stuff. Once I deal with this thing, let's grab a meal and head back to Tokyo."
Mukuro waved casually and walked into the shrine the two boys had been desperate to escape moments ago.
The trident was already pulled out and tossed on the floor. Mukuro scanned the ruins but saw no sign of the curse.
Did that one attack scare it that badly…
"Hiding? From a human with no cursed energy at all?" Mukuro muttered and laughed softly.
Even with his sharp sensitivity to cursed energy, he hadn't sensed the curse's position right away.
But he didn't need to.
A curse bound to its birthplace had nowhere to run. Destroy its hiding place, and it would come out on its own.
Clink.
Mukuro hooked the trident's handle with his toe and flicked it upward. The weapon spun through the air and landed neatly in his hand.
Then, without any special stance, he stabbed it into the ground. A massive force burst from under his feet, shaking the earth like a crashing tide.
Cracks spread like a web, racing across the shrine floor with unstoppable speed. The already damaged shrine from Nanami's earlier attack crumbled completely under that one casual strike.
Only one thing remained.
The half-rotted statue still stood stubbornly in the center.
"So that's where you were."
Mukuro pulled the trident back up. The weapon stretched and shifted into a long blade in his hand as he walked toward the statue.
"Stop right there! Take one more step and don't blame me for what happens!"
The statue shattered, and Tochigami burst out with twin sickles raised, its body trembling despite the threat.
There was no cursed energy coming from Mukuro's body. Yet the curse felt like a blade was pressed against its throat.
It wanted to avoid fighting if possible.
"So even standing this far already makes you nervous? I thought I'd have to chop off half your body like that rotten statue to make you show up."
Mukuro paused when the cursed spirit shouted.
Then he took a bigger step forward as if its threat didn't matter at all.
"I said stop—"
The curse roared. Its long beard almost lifted off the ground as it stretched both hands toward Mukuro, trying to threaten him with the sickles it held.
But before it could finish speaking, something felt wrong.
"You dropped something."
At some point, Mukuro was already standing right in front of it. A faint smile touched his lips as he spoke.
His tall frame blocked out all the light. Green blood clung to the blade in his hand.
Tochigami lowered its head.
Its severed arms, the ones holding the sickles, lay on the ground.
"When did you…"
The curse's bloodshot eyes widened. Cursed energy rushed to rebuild the missing limbs. Real fear finally hit as it tried to push its legs to leap back.
Bang!
It didn't even move an inch. Mukuro had already pinned it to the floor again.
This time the blade skewered it from above, burying deep into its abdomen. Blood sprayed from its mouth. The blade twisted inside, widening the wound with each turn.
"Wait… wait!"
The curse stammered as fear of death wrapped around its mind.
"Returning what's yours."
Mukuro twisted the blade hard, then swung sideways.
Tochigami split cleanly from the waist. Both halves hit the ground with a wet thump.
"Ugh, Fushiguro, that's gross!"
Outside, Haibara flinched at the sight of the curse being ripped open and chopped apart.
"Strange. He's usually not the type to torture curses…"
Nanami muttered, though for some reason, he felt oddly relieved watching it.
Inside, Tochigami's arms weren't even done regenerating before its entire body was torn apart. It lay helpless on the ground.
"Much better."
Mukuro lost interest. After driving the blade into the curse's skull to finish it off, he turned and walked toward the exit.
Above them, the curtain lifted at last.
"As expected of Fushiguro. A grade 1 curse didn't even stand a chance!"
Haibara threw an arm around his shoulder again as soon as he walked out.
"Let's go."
With the mission done, the three headed back to the assistant manager.
* * *
"Good work, all of you!"
The assistant manager straightened the moment the group of three approached.
"This case was grade 1. Once you return, apply for the proper compensation for these two."
Mukuro reminded him just as the man was about to start the car.
"What? Grade 1! But the report said…"
The assistant manager froze.
The difference between a grade 1 and grade 2 case was huge.
"Just tell them I confirmed it. If there's a problem, I'll report it myself."
"Yes, sir!"
And just like that, the Tochigami case came to an end.
**
**
**
Thank you for reading! If you'd like access to extra chapters and want to support my work, you can visit my P@treon:
P@treon/SilverShark769
Vote with Power Stones for Bonus Chapters!
Your support means a lot, thank you!