"Hey, Hikigaya."
Yukinoshita Yukino, with an extra pair of eyes and a mouth on her face, seemed too embarrassed to be seen. She lay on the desk, burying her head in her arms like an ostrich, but Hayashizaki's voice still came from her.
"Yes!"
Hikigaya Hachiman stood up straight, almost instinctively shouting,
"Yes, sir!"
"You can see them, right? The curse spirit"
So those monsters are called Cursed Spirits?
The boy with dead fish eyes was stunned for a moment, then quickly said,
"Yes, I suddenly saw them on my way to school this morning. That's why I was so scared that I wrote that essay and got dragged here by Hiratsuka-sensei..."
I knew it.
Everyone has cursed energy inside them, and for those with the talent to become sorcerers, the total amount of cursed energy increases with age but stops growing after adulthood. A sorcerer's maximum cursed energy is pretty much set, and to get stronger, they can only develop their awakened techniques.
The world of sorcerers is essentially a world of talent.
But in Hikigaya Hachiman, this rule seems to be broken.
Although very weak and easy to overlook, his cursed energy is indeed slowly increasing.
Hayashizaki, still in his domain, propped his chin with his hand and frowned in thought. He had a vague guess but needed more examples to verify it.
After asking the question, Hayashizaki fell silent, and Yukinoshita Yukino kept her head down without speaking. Hikigaya Hachiman's mood was like a roller coaster, very uneasy.
Hayashizaki was silent because he was thinking, while Yukinoshita Yukino remained quiet not only because she didn't know what to say but also because the reason Hikigaya Hachiman was forced to join the club by Hiratsuka-sensei was almost the same as what Hayashizaki said.
It seemed that ever since Hayashizaki woke up inside her body, she had been at a disadvantage, which made the strong-willed girl feel a deep sense of frustration.
Maybe she needed to change too.
First, she had to face the existence of this parasite in her body.
With this in mind, Yukinoshita Yukino tried to overcome her embarrassment and sat up straight again, allowing Hikigaya Hachiman to clearly see the extra pair of eyes.
Although having four eyes on one face was terrifying, Hikigaya didn't find Yukinoshita Yukino's appearance scary at all. Instead, it added a touch of allure to her already cute face.
If Yukinoshita Yukino previously felt like a pure and elegant lotus flower, now she was like a mysterious and beautiful black rose.
"Although very weak, you undoubtedly have the talent to become a sorcerer now."
Hayashizaki's mouth appeared on Yukinoshita Yukino's smooth hand, seemingly unwilling to ruin the beauty of her face.
"Huh? Me?"
Hikigaya Hachiman pointed at himself.
"That's right. Generally, whether someone can become a sorcerer is known in childhood, and the time to awaken techniques is around eight or nine years old."
"But I'm already seventeen..."
"That's what I'm curious about. Although I'm not sure of the exact reason, I guess there might be some changes in the world of sorcery, causing ordinary people without talent to awaken, and you are one of them."
"Most people in this era don't seem to know about curses, but maybe in the near future, this situation will change,"
Hayashizaki said, then added,
"I happen to be bored and like to teach, so I decided to teach you some skills to save your life."
"I don't want to come out every time you're in danger, do the job, and then get sent back like a tool,"
Hayashizaki complained, and Yukinoshita Yukino knew he was talking to her.
"You're not teaching us how to kill and do bad things, right?"
"Master! Please accept my bow!"
While Yukinoshita Yukino was complaining, Hikigaya Hachiman had already bowed down, making the girl look at him with disdain.
"You switched sides too fast, didn't you, Mr. Fence-sitter?"
Hikigaya Hachiman immediately looked up with a dissatisfied expression and said,
"What are you talking about? This is every Japanese high school boy's dream. Even I can't refuse!"
You ungrateful woman! Do you think high school boys only have those rosy love fantasies in their heads? Who would give up the chance to gain extraordinary powers and become a hero?
"Good student, this is the proper attitude for seeking a teacher. Yukinoshita, you should learn from him."
Hayashizaki was very pleased with Hikigaya Hachiman's respect.
The black-haired girl shot a cold glance at her hand, instinctively wanting to retort, but realizing she might not win against Hayashizaki, she swallowed her sarcastic words and said stiffly,
"So, what do you plan to teach us?"
"Lend me your body"
Seeing that Yukinoshita Yukino was still hesitant, Hayashizaki added in a bad mood,
"You can take back control of your body anytime you want, so what are you afraid of? It's hard to be great when you hesitate!"
His sharp comment made Yukinoshita Yukino subconsciously think of her own mother, who seemed to have made this same comment to herself.
After a moment of trance, the young girl still silently surrendered control of her body.
Thus, in Hikigaya Hachiman's eyes, black lines slowly appeared on Yukinoshita Yukino's face, and the powerful aura from earlier as if she was a ferocious beast that would devour others was also emitted.
Fortunately, Hayashizaki quickly controlled the overflowing aura, which made the shivering fish-eyed boy heaved a sigh of relief and wiped the cold sweat on his forehead as if relieved.
So close, almost couldn't help but earth down the seat ... Oh, just now seems to have earth down the seat once, that's fine.
This is an important moment to turn my middle-aged fantasy into reality, whether it's kneeling or licking my shoes I won't have the slightest hesitation!
Hikigaya Hachiman renewed her determination.
"Oooooh, nice eyes~"
Hayashizaki put one hand on his hip and smiled playfully. Yukinoshita Yukino, who usually had a cold expression, now had a mischievous look under Hayashizaki's control. It looked quite different, but she didn't seem to like it.
'Stop using my body to do weird things!'
'Alright, alright.'
Hayashizaki shrugged and went to the podium. He took two pieces of chalk from the box and stood them on the desk.
"First, there's curse energy. Curse energy comes from human negative emotions. Being able to control curse energy is what separates ordinary people from sorcerers. You need to understand the difference between techniques and just using curse energy to attack."
He snapped his fingers, and one piece of chalk was broken and flew away by an invisible force, while the other was neatly cut in two, falling on the desk with a smooth cut as if it had never been broken.
"The first is a curse energy attack, and the second is a technique. Got it?"
Hikigaya Hachiman looked at the two broken pieces of chalk and said thoughtfully,
"The first is a normal attack, and the second is a skill, right?"
"That's one way to understand it."
Hayashizaki nodded.
"Everyone's technique is different. My technique is slashing. Yukinoshita doesn't have a technique yet, but over time, her body will also have my technique."
"As for you, kid, you might awaken your own technique someday."
Hikigaya nodded to show he understood.
"To learn to control curse energy, you first need to feel the curse energy in your body..."
Hayashizaki looked Hikigaya Hachiman up and down and smiled playfully.
"Hikigaya, do you want to become a sorcerer?"
His sudden question made the boy with dead fish eyes pause for a moment before he said,
"Well, since I'm learning, I guess I do."
"Becoming a sorcerer, exorcising curses, secretly protecting human society's peace, or using this power for evil and personal gain, such sorcerers are called curse users. Which one do you choose?"
"Of course, the first one. I don't want to be a dangerous criminal."
This time, he answered quickly.
"Oh? Then, to what extent can you go for this?"
Is he testing me? This is the time to show my determination! Don't underestimate a high school boy's desire to be a hero and protect peace!
Hikigaya Hachiman gradually understood everything and said firmly,
"I'll do whatever it takes!"
Hayashizaki nodded and smiled with satisfaction.
"Good."
He made a hand sign, and a black
"curtain"
like thick liquid started to descend from the ceiling. Soon, it covered the entire activity room, even dimming the light, as if night had truly fallen.
"What is this?"
Hikigaya Hachiman asked curiously and eagerly. Was this some kind of barrier technique?
"A veil. Ordinary people won't notice what's happening here, and even sound won't get out,"
Hayashizaki explained.
Hikigaya Hachiman nodded in understanding, even more excited for Hayashizaki's lesson.
Then, he saw Hayashizaki wave his hand.
The next moment, there was a tearing sound, and Hikigaya Hachiman's school uniform on his right shoulder ripped open. His entire right arm was severed, and blood splattered everywhere.
"Huh?"
...
...