The moment Yukinoshita Yukino laid eyes on the corpse, her mind went completely blank.
She had thought that after enduring a curse spirit attack and a battle, she had grown stronger—capable of accepting the grotesque, ferocious appearance of curse spirits and fighting them without hesitation. However, when she witnessed the bloody scene of a curse spirit attacking a human for the first time, the courage she had built up over time crumbled, as easily as a castle built from blocks.
Her whole body seemed frozen. Her mind couldn't think, her body couldn't move, and she felt as though her head would be twisted off, her body crumpling to the ground in a gruesome end. The fear, like a flood or a wild beast, began to devour her spirit, stripping her of the will to fight.
Sukuna's voice echoed in her ear, and Yukinoshita Yukino found herself unable to control her head, forced to turn and meet the curse spirit's bell-like yellow eyes, focusing on the blood-soaked scene she couldn't bring herself to face.
"This is the outcome when humans fall victim to curse spirits," his voice was low and serious. "Yukinoshita, don't avoid it. Think carefully—why are you really fighting?"
Yukinoshita Yukino tried to shake her head, but it was held fast. Tears blurred her vision as the horrific sight before her overwhelmed her senses.
The dignified image of Yukino, once aloof and graceful, was gone. She wiped her face with her sleeve, then took up a combat-ready stance, ensuring her focus stayed on the curse spirit and not the gruesome corpse nearby.
At Sukuna's warning, Yukinoshita Yukino, already focused, quickly sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the curse spirit's strike as its mandibles embedded themselves deep into the wall behind her.
"Break its mandibles."
As soon as Sukuna's voice rang out, Yukinoshita Yukino reacted, slashing her hand like a blade, severing the curse spirit's mandible still lodged in the wall.
Its small body arched suddenly, and it crouched, its long limbs touching the ground as it moved with the speed of a wild animal, darting through the narrow living room.
The panic that had just begun to rise was suppressed again by Sukuna's voice. Yukinoshita Yukino nodded and took a deep breath, allowing herself to calm down once more.
Her gaze remained fixed on the rapidly moving Curse, and in this brief moment of observation, Yukinoshita Yukino was gradually able to track its movements.
"Behind you!" Without Sukuna's verbal warning, Yukinoshita Yukino had already made her judgment.
The fly-headed Curse shot down from the living room ceiling, darted across the hallway wall, and circled behind the girl, launching another attack.
Unfortunately, its tricks and movements were all seen through by Yukinoshita Yukino.
She quickly turned around, dodging the Curse's sneak attack while raising her knee to slam into its abdomen. The powerful impact kept it suspended in the air, and purple blood spilled from its mouth.
Next came a spinning kick imbued with cursed energy. The heel of her round-toed shoe whipped like a lash, striking the Curse's fly-head, sending it spiraling into the air and crashing violently against the living room wall.
"Nice kick." Sukuna commented on Yukinoshita Yukino's recent strike.
The girl didn't respond, but a small smile involuntarily tugged at the corner of her mouth.
Yukinoshita Yukino once again saw the headless corpse lying on the ground, but this time, she merely pursed her lips before redirecting her gaze to the Curse.
Though the stench of blood still filled the living room, and the sight of the corpse still made her feel nauseous, the discomfort was gradually becoming more bearable.
"It's not over yet."
As Sukuna's voice rang out, the Curse suddenly crouched down, and from its back sprouted four pairs of translucent insect wings.
The insect wings began to flap rapidly, lifting the Curse off the ground unsteadily. Its abdomen swelled, and a series of jet-black needles shot out like slanted bullets. Yukinoshita Yukino quickly dived to the side to dodge them.
Taking advantage of the moment she was dodging, the Curse broke through the wall and fled down the hallway.
She had thought it was entering its second phase, but it was running away!
Yukinoshita Yukino quickly got up and chased after it through the hole the Curse had made in the wall.
The Curse's cursed energy remained within her senses—it wouldn't escape!
After chasing down the hallway, Yukinoshita Yukino saw the Curse heading straight for the window at the end of the corridor. Its intention was obvious.
It aimed to break the window and escape!
Yukinoshita Yukino immediately gave chase, but running couldn't match flying. The Curse shattered the window and flew out of the apartment building.
It seemed to believe that Yukinoshita Yukino, unable to fly, wouldn't catch up. It even had the leisure to turn around and mock the wingless human.
However, what awaited it was a rapidly flying vase, wrapped in cursed energy.
The vase shattered against the Curse's head, stunning it and leaving it dazed, stars swirling in its vision.
Meanwhile, Yukinoshita Yukino had already reached the window's edge. She planted a foot on the ledge, her thigh muscles tensing, and launched herself toward the Curse, suspended in mid-air.
Yukinoshita Yukino's brows furrowed, her teeth gritting.
Her fist clenched, and overwhelming cursed energy blazed around it like fire.
I'm beyond enraged!
She swung her fist down, cursed energy piercing through the Curse's chest, exiting through its back and leaving a gaping hole in its torso.
"Curses? How could curses appear in a school?"
Hachiman Hikigaya stared at the rippling distortion on the wall outside the hallway, his pupils trembling slightly.
No, wait—why did I even assume curses wouldn't appear in a school?
He recalled what Sukuna had explained: curses are monsters born from human negative emotions. Schools, where countless students gather, are naturally breeding grounds for such emotions.
Adolescents, caught in the sensitive transition from childhood to adulthood, are prone to struggles—failed exams, heartbreaks, bullying... Hachiman couldn't even begin to count the situations that might give rise to negative feelings.
A chilling, tooth-grinding laugh echoed as the ripple distorted further, and the curse finally emerged into Hachiman's view.
It was shaped like a will-o'-the-wisp, slightly larger than a basketball, floating mid-air in the hallway. Its body was covered with countless eyes of various sizes, looking like a creature straight out of a Lovecraftian nightmare.
"One, two... five of them?"
The dead-fish-eyed youth glanced at the five curses surrounding him. Although his face retained a semblance of calm, inwardly, he was already lamenting his predicament.
Hachiman Hikigaya, a rookie jujutsu sorcerer, had a track record of punching a giant insect-like curse with all his might—and achieving almost no effect.
To put it simply: he was weak.
What now? Should I run?
No. This is a school, and there are still many students here participating in club activities. Besides, Yui is just nearby in the Service Club room. I can't just let these curses roam free.
The thought of fleeing was dismissed as quickly as it arose.
Tch. Of all times, why aren't Yukinoshita and Sukuna here? Could their timing be any worse?
Maybe I should call for help... Dammit, I don't even have Yukinoshita's contact info!
Forget it. Thinking about that now is useless. I'll have to deal with these curses on my own.
Exhaling slowly, Hachiman pushed all irrelevant thoughts out of his mind.
The five curses floated mid-air, circling him while emitting that unnerving laughter.
They seemed to be waiting for the right moment to strike, and Hachiman was quietly observing them in return.
Judging by their size, these curses didn't appear individually powerful. If they were, they wouldn't be hesitant to attack him directly. Clearly, they had some wariness.
But their smaller size also meant they were highly agile, not to mention they could fly—an advantage that left Hachiman at a disadvantage.
Numbers-wise, it was one against five. Another disadvantage.
So what advantages do I have?
...I can't think of any.
After a moment of analyzing the situation, Hachiman's hope waned further.
How am I supposed to fight this?
He could barely take on one curse, let alone five.
"In that case, I'll strike first!"
The more he thought, the more despair crept in—so he decided to stop thinking altogether and simply act.
He wasn't lying when he told Sukuna he'd been working on honing his cursed energy at home. Compared to before, Hachiman's control over his cursed energy had improved significantly.
While he hadn't reached a point where it felt completely natural, at least he no longer experienced the awkward inability to summon it when needed.
Moreover, he could feel that his cursed energy was gradually increasing.
However, having cursed energy alone didn't directly translate to combat ability.
Hachiman knew one undeniable fact: he wasn't good at fighting.
Unlike Yukinoshita Yukino, who had a background in aikido and could easily adapt to other martial arts, Hachiman had no such foundation. He relied purely on instinct, flailing his fists without strategy. On top of that, he didn't have Yukinoshita's inhuman physical prowess.
The moment he swung his fist at one of the curses, and it easily evaded him, he realized just how futile it was to try and attack proactively.
It seems I'll have to wait for them to attack first and then counter.
Watching the curses hover and mock him for his failed attempts, Hachiman felt his temper rise.
That said, when it came to being annoying or provoking others, Hachiman was confident he could beat these ugly creatures at their own game.
Raising his head, he gazed at the curses with his signature dead-fish eyes, exuding a rotting aura of indifference. His half-lidded gaze carried a trace of contempt, and his slightly upturned lips delivered a simple, cutting sound:
"Heh."
The curses emitted rattling laughter in response, but their movements became chaotic, like deflating balloons flying haphazardly. Hachiman knew his provocation had succeeded.
Back in elementary school, this exact expression would always drive the other kids to avoid him, hurling insults as they left.
Apparently, these curses had the intellect of elementary schoolers at best.
Soon, one of the curses lost patience and charged directly at him.
The smug expression disappeared from Hachiman's face. He braced himself, catching the curse's head with both hands. The impact sent him sliding several meters across the hallway floor.
The curse in his grasp snapped its jaws repeatedly, but being restrained, it could only bite at air.
"How should I put this..." Hachiman muttered, feeling the force against his hands. His expression turned peculiar. "It's not that strong. Its attacks seem pretty straightforward."
While the initial impact of catching the curse was intense—like stopping a high-speed soccer ball—the subsequent struggle felt more like holding a large, squirming dog.
Confidence started creeping back.
Another whistle of air came as a second curse charged.
Letting go of the first, Hachiman punched the second with a fist imbued with cursed energy.
Splat!
Purple blood and chunks of flesh splattered everywhere. Hachiman stared, dumbfounded, at the curse he had just obliterated with one punch.
Am I... actually strong?
The remaining curses screamed in panic and fled.
"Hey! Don't run!"
Hachiman chased after them. While their flying wasn't particularly fast, he lacked the means to stop them even when he caught up.
As they neared the Service Club room, Hachiman grew increasingly anxious.
His worst fear came true.
Sensing another human presence, the curses slipped through the walls, vanishing from sight.
Realizing they were heading for Yui Yuigahama, who was alone in the clubroom, Hachiman bolted to the door, yanking it open.
"Ah, Hikki! You're back!"
The pink-haired girl smiled warmly, looking up from her phone.
She hadn't noticed the four curses emerging from the walls, ceiling, and floor, closing in on her.
The scene reflected fully in Hachiman's widening pupils.
He reached toward Yui, his hand trembling, as though trying to grab or hold onto something.