Although Ooka had returned to school, his mental state was far from good. His bloodshot eyes held a frightening glint, making his classmates hesitant to approach him despite their concern.
"It's great that you're finally back," only Hayama Hayato approached him after class. "Ooka, let's have a proper talk after school."
"Talk?" Ooka let out a hoarse chuckle. "Sure, let's talk."
"Thank you."
Hayama Hayato breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Ooka was willing to talk, he believed they could reconcile.
During break time, Ooka was called to the office by Hiratsuka-sensei.
In the private student counseling room, Hiratsuka-sensei and Ooka sat facing each other.
She instinctively reached for her cigarettes, but seeing Ooka's bloodshot eyes, she tucked the pack back into her pocket.
"Ooka, I understand that at your age, you're going through a sensitive and delicate period. It's normal to crave friendship and closer relationships."
"Mhm."
"But we should be mindful of how we make friends. Even if you use improper means to befriend someone, that friendship will be strained and unhealthy."
"Mhm."
"But who hasn't made mistakes in their youth? As long as you're willing to change, there's still time. Besides, Tobe and Yamato have forgiven you, and they haven't told anyone else. You don't have to worry about your school life being affected."
"Mhm."
Seeing Ooka's unchanging, emotionless response, as if his heart had been stolen, Hiratsuka-sensei's expression twisted in frustration.
"In any case, you only have one youth. I hope you can live it without regrets... You can go back now." Since both gentle persuasion and stern warnings were ineffective, she could only sigh and let him go, deciding to observe him further.
"Thank you, Hiratsuka-sensei. Sorry for the trouble," Ooka said softly, nodding.
After he left the counseling room, Hiratsuka-sensei finally lit a cigarette, lamenting once again how difficult this year's students were.
Soon, it was time for school to end. Hayama Hayato had arranged to meet Ooka in the courtyard, and he was waiting there early.
Not long after, Ooka arrived, dragging his feet.
"It's great that you came." Hayama Hayato gave a sunny smile. "Let's have a good talk."
It was this bright and cheerful smile, like a warm spring breeze, that made him so popular with the students. It felt like his smile could brighten even the gloomiest of days.
But this time, it didn't work.
"What do you want to say?"
Ooka's voice was still hoarse, his eyes even more bloodshot, as if the vessels were about to burst.
"Are you alright? You don't look well. Haven't you been sleeping?" Hayama asked with concern, seeing how Ooka seemed ready to collapse.
"Stop with the pointless talk!" Ooka suddenly yelled, his head lowered, his breathing ragged. "Just say what you want to say!"
"Alright." After a moment of stunned silence, Hayama's expression turned serious. "First of all, I want to apologize."
"Apologize? What did you do that requires an apology?" Ooka asked.
Hayama pursed his lips, his hands clenching tightly before loosening无力地. "If I had found a better solution... maybe things wouldn't have turned out like this."
"Heh, are you pitying me, Hayato?" Ooka scoffed. "I was the one who did those things. Why are you trying to shift the blame onto yourself?"
"...I hope we can still be friends, together with Tobe and Yamato, just like before," Hayama said, looking earnestly into Ooka's bloodshot eyes.
"Friends? Forget it. We're in two different worlds now."
Ooka turned and left without hesitation.
"You guys... are no longer worthy of being my friends."
Watching his retreating figure, Hayama instinctively reached out as if to stop him, but ultimately let his hand fall, his heart heavy as he watched Ooka walk across the courtyard and into the special building.
The moment Ooka turned away, the last glimmer of light in his eyes faded, completely overtaken by blood red.
...
...
"...And then, and then, Yumiko said..."
In the Service Club room, Yui Yuigahama chatted with Yukinoshita Yukino as usual, but her words were cut short.
"Wait a moment, Yuigahama-san." Yukino raised a hand, signaling her to stop, her brow furrowed.
She exchanged a look with Hachiman Hikigaya, who also wore a grave expression, nodding slightly.
She wasn't mistaken. It was the reaction of cursed energy.
Right inside the special building, and it was rapidly approaching the Service Club!
Did another cursed spirit appear? Yukino wondered inwardly.
No, it's a jujutsu sorcerer, Sukuna quickly replied.
"He's at the stairwell to the left. He's coming up," Yukino suddenly said.
Hachiman understood and left the Service Club room.
"Eh?" Seeing Hachiman's sudden departure, Yui was bewildered. "Yukino, what are you talking about? Why did Hikki suddenly leave?"
"It's nothing... Yuigahama-san, will you accompany me to the restroom?"
Yukino didn't know how to explain, so she awkwardly changed the subject, even resorting to the "girls going to the restroom together" tactic she had previously scorned.
"Huh? Sure, no problem... "
Yui was puzzled. Even she knew that Yukinoshita Yukino was hiding something from her. She might be a bit naive, but she wasn't stupid.
However, being considerate, she didn't press further. She simply nodded and got up to accompany Yukino.
But when Yukino opened the Service Club door, Hachiman Hikigaya, who was supposed to intercept the unidentified jujutsu sorcerer, was still standing nearby.
"Um, Hikki? What's wrong?" Yui asked.
Hachiman's lips twitched as he stepped aside, allowing Yukino to see the figure in the hallway. "You didn't say it would be like this."
Yui also saw the person stumbling towards them.
"...Ooka?"
"Why is Ooka here...?"
Yui Yuigahama's voice trailed off.
The buzz-cut boy shambled down the hallway towards them, his movements stiff, his eyes blood red, like a zombie from a horror movie.
"What's wrong with him?" Even Yui, an ordinary human, could sense something was amiss. She asked with concern.
She wanted to approach him, after all, he was her classmate, but Yukinoshita Yukino grabbed her wrist.
"Stay back, Yuigahama-san," Yukino said seriously. "Ooka is dangerous now."
"D-dangerous?" Yui had never seen such a serious expression on Yukino's face. She instinctively obeyed, letting herself be pulled behind Yukino.
Cursed energy mixed with a sinister aura poured out from Ooka, as if his mind had been overtaken by a curse. His crimson eyes reflected Yukino's figure.
Yukino glanced at the bewildered Yui beside her. "Hikigaya, take Yuigahama and leave."
"Got it." Hachiman nodded and quickly retreated.
However, at that moment, Ooka suddenly moved.
One moment he was stumbling like an elderly man, the next he was charging towards Yukino with incredible speed. Faced with Hachiman, who was caught between them, Ooka swung his arm like a wrecking ball.
Hachiman only had time to raise his arms to block, but the sheer force sent him flying, crashing through the hallway window and plummeting down.
...Seriously? Again?
Gazing at the familiar yellow sky, Hachiman's eyes were lifeless.
"Hikki!?"
Seeing Hachiman get swatted away and fall, Yui Yuigahama screamed.
But Ooka didn't stop. His eyes were fixed solely on Yukino Yukinoshita. After days of torment from the incessant whispers in his head, twisted by both his soul and the curse, only pure killing intent towards the girl remained.
He was fast, but not fast enough to escape Yukino's observation. The moment Ooka entered her attack range, Yukino's side kick landed squarely on his abdomen. From a bystander's perspective, it looked as if Ooka had simply run into her kick.
Ooka was sent sprawling backwards, rolling away with the same momentum he had charged with.
Yui seized this opportunity to rush to the window, anxiously peering down.
She saw Hachiman lying sprawled on the ground below, blood trickling from his lips, giving her a thumbs up.
At the moment of his fall, Hachiman had used cursed energy to protect his body. Aside from coughing up some blood from the impact, he was mostly unharmed.
Although she didn't understand how he could survive a fall from the fourth floor with just minor injuries, seeing that he was okay, Yui breathed a sigh of relief.
"Yuigahama, get behind me," Yukino said, walking towards Ooka, who was getting back on his feet.
"Okay..." Yui glanced at Hachiman below. Seeing him getting up, she ran behind Yukino. "Um, Yukino... what's going on?"
"I'll explain later." Yukino sighed. It was impossible to keep hiding things now. But the priority was to incapacitate Ooka.
Ooka, back on his feet, didn't attack again. He hunched over, and his school uniform jacket started to bulge grotesquely.
Rip!
With the sound of tearing fabric, long, slender limbs erupted from his back, impaling the floor. There were eight in total, lifting his entire body off the ground. Looking closely, one could see bristles on the limbs.
"Are those... spider legs?"
Yukino frowned. Sukuna had said that he was a jujutsu sorcerer, not a cursed spirit. Was this his technique? Wasn't Ooka an ordinary human? How could he suddenly awaken to cursed energy and a technique? Was his situation similar to Hikigaya's? And the curse on him...
...He... he has spider legs growing out of him!
Yui's eyes widened in terror at the horrifying sight. She fainted.
Yukino, still trying to process the anomaly on Ooka, suddenly heard a thud behind her. "Yuigahama? Did you faint...?"
As she wondered what to do with the unconscious Yui, Hachiman Hikigaya, panting, reappeared, having climbed back up the stairs.
"Yuigahama fainted. Take her and leave. I'll handle this," Yukino instructed.
"Okay."
Hachiman picked up the unconscious Yui and started down the stairs.
With no further distractions, Yukino could finally focus on the enemy in front of her and communicate freely with Sukuna. "Parasite-kun, is Ooka like Hikigaya, an ordinary person who suddenly awakened to cursed energy?"
"No." Sukuna narrowed his eyes, observing the motionless Ooka. "It's the influence of a cursed technique. Someone must have tampered with him."
Sharing Yukino's body in his spirit form, Sukuna could naturally sense other souls, and Ooka's soul showed signs of distortion.
He had seen this technique in the system's technique exchange list.
"Idle Transfiguration, that should be the technique. The effect is to alter the shape of a soul through touch, be it someone else's or one's own," Sukuna explained.
However, using soul manipulation to grant ordinary humans cursed energy and a technique is quite a brilliant idea.
This Ooka, if I'm not mistaken, is probably a failed experiment.
"This boy is going to die," he said.
"Eh?" Yukino was stunned. "What do you mean?"
"The curse has almost spread throughout his body, and the soul transformation wasn't successful. Death is only a matter of time," Sukuna said mercilessly. "His mind is probably already affected. You could even say that it's no longer Ooka himself controlling this body."
"He probably encountered the curse user or cursed spirit who did this to him after you lectured him. The curse might also have been inflicted afterwards," Sukuna analyzed.
"To use a person as an experimental subject so casually... What a twisted sense of amusement."
"How could this happen..." Yukino bit her lip, her eyes flickering.
She had long understood that ordinary people in this world with curses had little chance of a good outcome if they encountered cursed spirits or sorcerers.
But understanding was one thing; seeing it happen to someone around her still felt surreal.
However, one thing remained unchanged: her immense anger towards those who did such things.
"Yuki... Yukinoshita..."
Seeing Yukino, her head lowered, her fists clenched, Ooka spoke haltingly, like a malfunctioning robot, his voice a hoarse rasp.
"Run..."
Yukino took a deep breath to calm herself. She looked up at the buzz-cut boy and said seriously, "I'll put you out of your misery, Ooka-kun."
Seemingly understanding her meaning, Ooka's head drooped. His body turned horizontal in mid-air, and his eight spider legs moved rapidly, charging towards Yukino.
Yukino extended her hand. Invisible slashes flew out, severing four of the spider legs on one side. Ooka lost his balance and tumbled to the floor, sliding towards her due to inertia.
Yukino immediately dashed forward, ready to press her advantage, but as she neared the fallen Ooka, alarm bells rang in her head.
The severed spider legs suddenly erupted from his back once more, their tips sharpened like spears, gleaming with a sinister black sheen. They were likely coated with poison, a single prick threatening to inflict a deadly toxin.
The regenerated spider legs stabbed at Yukino. She abruptly halted her charge and leaped back, narrowly dodging the attack.
The floor tiles shattered, revealing the bare concrete beneath.
"They regenerated?"
Yukino stared in disbelief at the four new limbs sprouting from Ooka's back. Thank goodness she had dodged; even with Sukuna's healing, getting stabbed would have been agonizing.
"No, they were reconstructed," Sukuna corrected. "It's his technique. Observe carefully, and you'll see that those spider legs are made of cursed energy."
"I see," Yukino said in realization.
"In battles between jujutsu sorcerers, information can give you a significant advantage. Observe and analyze," Sukuna instructed. "When sorcerers are evenly matched, the one who understands the opponent's technique first can launch targeted attacks."
"Of course, if it's a technique where it doesn't matter if the enemy knows about it, you can reveal it upfront, using that knowledge as a constraint to enhance your cursed energy and technique's effectiveness."
"Understood."
Yukino nodded, resuming her fighting stance.
Ooka, propelled by his spider legs, charged towards Yukino. He crawled onto the ceiling, using the walls as footholds, and attacked from above.
His eight spider legs merged together in mid-air, forming a drill-like point aimed at the girl below.
Yukino unleashed another cursed energy-infused slash, severing the spider legs once more. The slash continued forward, striking Ooka's chest, splattering blood as it sent him crashing into the ceiling.
The ceiling panels shattered, and Yukino dodged the falling debris.
A staccato of thuds echoed from above as ceiling panels rained down, chasing her relentlessly. Backed into a corner at the end of the hallway, Yukino stopped running. She turned, bent her knees, and leaped upwards.
She smashed through a falling panel with her fist, simultaneously slicing through the attacking spider legs with a slash. She grabbed Ooka by the collar, her other hand pressing against his chest.
"Rest in peace," she whispered.
Instead of using the Cleave technique, she used pure cursed energy to crush Ooka's heart, leaving his body intact.
The regenerating limbs froze mid-formation with their wielder's death, quickly dissolving into black cursed energy that dissipated like dying embers.
Yukino landed, gently laying the body on the floor.
With a sorrowful expression, she gazed at Ooka's wide, bloodshot eyes. She reached out and closed them.
Ooka's expression relaxed as if he had fallen into a peaceful sleep.
"He was fighting against the curse within him until the very end, wasn't he?"
Recalling the image of Ooka struggling to warn her to escape, Yukino sighed heavily.
"Yes, for an ordinary human, he certainly tried his best," Sukuna said.
Soon, hurried yet unsteady footsteps echoed from the stairwell at the end of the hallway. Hachiman Hikigaya appeared, panting. "I took Yuigahama to the infirmary. What's the situation now?"
His gaze fell upon the buzz-cut boy lying motionless on the ground.
A moment of silence hung heavy between them. Then, Yukino spoke softly, "Thank you for your hard work, Hikigaya-kun."
"Don't mention it," Hachiman replied honestly.
He hadn't really done much, besides climbing stairs and carrying Yui up and down them.
Yukino explained the situation to Hachiman while Sukuna used Reverse Cursed Technique to heal his injuries. The lingering aches in his body vanished instantly.
"Thanks, that fall did hurt quite a bit," he said, then glanced at Ooka's body with a heavy heart. "What happens now?"
Although he disliked Hayama's group, it was merely dislike, not to the extent of finding joy in their deaths.
Anyone would feel awful seeing a classmate die in front of them.
If Yukino had damaged Ooka's body, Hachiman would have definitely thrown up.
"Let's contact Ijichi-san."
Yukino returned to the Service Club room, retrieved her phone from her bag, and called Kiyotaka Ijichi.
The call quickly connected. After she explained the situation, Ijichi said he would first dispatch the local contact in Chiba to handle the aftermath and then head over himself by train.
Twenty minutes later, under the curious gazes of the students leaving after club activities, several men in suits entered Sobu High.