Bang!
With a punch, the curse spirit's head exploded as it fell helplessly to the ground.
"This should be the last one."
Yukinoshita Yukino took a breath, standing straight and looking around the now messy cafeteria.
The cafeteria was cleaned up, and it was time to head to the second floor.
[Current points: 23,400]
"Great job, keep it up!"
Hayashizaki spoke like a slick foreman, sounding encouraging, but treating the girl like a point-earning machine, purely a CPU.
"Are you secretly thinking something very rude?"
Yukinoshita Yukino frowned. Hayashizaki's tone was similar to that of an older sister teasing her.
"Why would you think that? What happened to trust between people?"
Hayashizaki said dramatically.
"That's trust between people, but Parasitic-kun doesn't count as a human."
Although she said this, the girl didn't push the topic further.
"You're right."
He couldn't argue; in his current state, he definitely couldn't be considered human.
Finally managing to put Hayashizaki in his place, Yukinoshita Yukino looked quite pleased. With a smile, she headed up the stairs from the side of the cafeteria, her steps lightening significantly.
According to the map on the wall in the first-floor lobby, the second floor had classrooms and a multifunctional hall for the children to study in. Who knows how many curse spirits were hiding on this level?
After the exhilarating fight on the first floor, Yukinoshita Yukino had a clearer understanding of her strength and felt more confident.
Due to his cursed energy being depleted, Hikigaya Hachiman was kindly kept close by Gojo Satoru, ensuring he wouldn't interfere with Yukinoshita Yukino's battle.
Once Yukinoshita Yukino reached the second floor, she immediately spotted a tall, motionless dark figure standing in the center of the hallway. It was unlike the groups of low-level cursed spirits swarming the first floor.
"Just one?"
She readied herself to fight, blue-green cursed energy flaring up around her fists.
Yukino didn't rush in to attack; she could already tell this cursed spirit was different from the ones below. Just sensing the energy radiating from the shadow made it clear.
It was on a completely different level.
"The weaker cursed spirits tend to stick together, while the stronger ones don't need to," Hayashizaki warned. "Be careful; this one isn't like the others."
"I know."
Yukino's face grew serious as she kept her eyes locked on the dark figure standing still in the hallway.
The shadow finally seemed to notice her presence. The thin, stick-like body wavered slightly, and clusters of bloodshot eyes suddenly appeared across the shadowy figure. After glancing around, all of the eyes focused on Yukino.
The sight was chilling. Yukino's face twisted in disgust, and she instinctively took a step back.
"Mama… Papa… don't leave… me…"
Despite its horrifying appearance, it spoke in a child's voice.
"Don't leave me… ah… ah? Ahhh!!!"
The voice stuttered and then burst into a sharp, piercing scream. Invisible sound waves shook the hallway, shattering the windows one by one. Yukino quickly covered her ears, but the shock still left her dizzy, her ears ringing.
The shadowy figure's body began to twist and writhe, bubbling like boiling water. It swelled, reaching the ceiling, yet it kept expanding, cracking the ceiling as it went.
The entire building began to shake violently, and cracks spread above Yukino's head as chunks of debris fell.
"Hey, what's going on in there?"
Hikigaya Hachiman felt the tremors under his feet and looked to the tall man beside him.
"It's coming."
Gojo Satoru, with a calm smile, replied as if it was nothing.
"What's coming?"
Hikigaya was completely lost, wondering if this guy was taking it all a bit too lightly.
"A Grade 2 cursed spirit… or maybe almost Grade 1."
Gojo's lips curled into a slight smirk.
"That's… not good, right?"
Boom!
A loud bang erupted as Hikigaya Hachiman gripped the railing and looked down. A massive black hand had punched a hole in the wall, sending debris flying. Through the smoke and dust, a figure emerged from the second floor.
"Yukinoshita!?"
The curse spirit's huge hand, filling the entire hallway, swept forward. Yukinoshita Yukino, with no way to dodge, crossed her arms in front to block, but was still smacked hard outside. She hit the ground heavily, rolling before finally skidding to a stop. Blood trickled from her ears, and her school uniform was torn and dirty, with several cuts visible on her legs beneath her skirt.
"Yeah, should've worn workout clothes. Remind me next time before a fight."
Hikigaya Hachiman, standing on the rooftop, breathed a sigh of relief seeing Yukinoshita Yukino get back up. Then, he remembered Hayashizaki was there too, so she'd be fine no matter what.
"No worries. Cursed energy strengthens the body, so sorcerers are pretty tough," said Gojo Satoru, placing a hand on Hikigaya's back. "Time for us to go too."
"Huh?"
Suddenly, a suction sensation pulled Hikigaya Hachiman upwards, like he was being stuck to Gojo Satoru's hand. Gojo Satoru lifted Hikigaya off the rooftop just as a giant hole burst open. The curse spirit's massive form broke through the ceiling, emerging into view.
"How scary.... Is that a grade-one curse?"
Hikigaya Hachiman, sticking close to Gojo Satoru's hand, looked back at the curse's massive form, muttering with lingering fear.
"Size doesn't always mean strength. Don't misjudge an opponent just because of their size," Gojo Satoru reminded him kindly.
The two landed lightly on the ground, and Gojo released Hikigaya.
"By the way, Gojo, aren't you going to help?"
"Of course... not," Gojo Satoru smiled. "My task is to keep an eye on Hayashizaki. Besides, that girl doesn't need my help."
Watching Hayashizaki? Why would Gojo Satoru be watching him? Isn't Hayashizaki supposed to be his ally?
A flood of questions surfaced in Hikigaya Hachiman's mind, but he knew now wasn't the time to ask. So, he silently turned his attention back to Yukinoshita Yukino's fight with the curse.
With Hayashizaki-san backing her up, Yukinoshita doesn't need to worry. If she can't handle the shadow curse spirit, Hayashizaki will step in and deal with it cleanly. Realizing this, Hikigaya Hachiman relaxed and started watching without concern.
However, the white-haired man next to him showed some unusual behavior. Looking at a message from his higher-ups on his phone, Gojo Satoru's eyes narrowed sharply, then he looked up at Yukinoshita Yukino.
A special-grade cursed object, Ryoumen Sukuna's finger, has gone missing!?
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