"And here is the latest update on January 22, 2017. Last night, on January 21, security forces received a report about the disappearance of four male students from Satozakura High School. Mr. Kotesu, could you tell us more about this incident?"
"Ah, yes! According to the latest updates, all four students have safely returned to their families. However, they are showing signs of psychological distress. They were found early this morning on the outskirts of Kwasaki City, in a semi-comatose state with minor injuries from impacts."
"Medical experts have diagnosed the situation and concluded that the students experienced hallucinations caused by red fleas typically found in this area. The bites from these fleas contain a neurotoxic substance called..."
"Tippp"
"So, tell me, what happened yesterday? Why did you go to such a dangerous place without informing me first?" Yoshino Junpei's mother, Yoshino Nagi, turned off the TV with the remote and looked at her son.
But Yoshino didn't respond. His eyes were vacant, lost in thought. He hadn't fully recovered from the events of the previous day.
"I told you already! If you don't want to, you can quit school! School is just a small fish tank. There's a whole ocean out there, and other fish tanks you can choose from, any one you like!" Despite this, Yoshino remained unresponsive. He just curled up in a corner.
"Kids these days always blow things out of proportion!" His mother, Yoshino Nagi, shook her head slightly and lit a cigarette. But today, things felt different. Normally, Yoshino would shout and refuse to let her smoke.
"You just need to know this: I love you, no matter what you become. Hang in there, okay?" She left his room and gently closed the door behind her.
Yoshino had not yet escaped the shadow of the monster from the previous day. Its grotesque form lingered in his mind, the smell of stomach acid, though washed away, still clung to his throat, making him feel nauseous every time he thought about it.
Although he had gathered the courage to fight back at that moment, it had been purely instinctual. Yoshino didn't want to die; he was afraid.
He had been so naïve to think that becoming a sorcerer and fighting spirits would be exciting.
But who could have known that they would be so terrifying and powerful?
That had only been a level 3 spirit. What about level 2, semi-level 1, level 1... or... Special-Class spirits? How horrific would they be?
Yoshino was certain that he would die. He'd probably disappear before he could even recognize any changes around him. Panic began to set in.
"What should I do next? Stand up and fight? Become a sorcerer? For what? Money? Power? Everything feels meaningless. There are others who are already dealing with the fighting. As long as I avoid the events, I should be fine..."
At that moment, dozens of questions flooded Yoshino's mind, and he didn't know how to answer them.
The safest place for him now seemed to be hiding behind the four walls of his room, avoiding anything cursed.
As long as he didn't come into contact with cursed objects, the spirits wouldn't find him and harm him or his mother.
"I'm so useless..."
Yoshino fell silent again, burying himself under the blanket in an attempt to escape everything. He felt so small when facing the curse spirits.
He had thought about running away instead of confronting it. The idea of fighting something like that made him sick.
Thus, he locked himself in his room for two days straight, refusing to eat or drink anything.
His health continued to deteriorate, until the morning of the third day, when his thirst finally forced him to leave the room in search of something to drink.
Yoshino paused, a cold sensation spreading throughout his body as he saw the fly-headed curse on his mother's shoulder. Its eyes were wide, hollow like two dark pits, staring straight at him as if challenging him to acknowledge its presence. He tried to look away, but the fly-headed creature seemed to draw his attention, making it impossible for him to do anything but remain silent.
"No... not now..." Yoshino thought to himself, trying to ignore the creature's existence.
His mother continued to stand at the door, her eyes filled with worry and pain. "You can't keep doing this, Yoshino. You have to face the truth."
Yoshino felt a wave of emotions crash within him, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything. He remained silent, swallowing back the words he wanted to speak.
"You need to express how you feel, Yoshino. I know you're struggling, but avoiding it won't solve anything. Don't let fear cloud your judgment."
Yoshino looked down at his hands, a sense of dread once again overwhelming him. It felt as though everything around him was suffocating him. The fly-headed curse on his mother's shoulder continued to observe him, its eyes gleaming as it saw that Yoshino couldn't tear his gaze away from it.
Yoshino felt the fear creeping into every fiber of his being. He couldn't let this curse keep tormenting his mother. But he also felt powerless, unable to do anything but stare at it, like a small fish caught in a net.
"Did you hear what I said? Can you stop like this? You look really exhausted. Listen to me, don't destroy yourself. You're the only family I have left!"
"You're the one who looks exhausted!" Yoshino finally spoke up, his words surprising his mother, who then responded with joy:
"Do I really look that tired? Lately, my shoulders do feel heavy, and I've been having trouble sleeping too!"
"Can you come closer for a second? I need to say something," Yoshino whispered to his mother.
"What is it you want to talk about?" His mother leaned closer to him.
At that moment, Yoshino swiftly raised his right arm and slashed down with a motion so fast that it resembled a sharp blade. His fingers pierced through the body of the fly-headed curse, splitting its long, bamboo-like form in two.
[Innate Ability: Kishibe's Combat Skill: 1% > 2%]
[Experience Points: +1]
The curse split unexpectedly, its body losing balance and falling to the ground. Before it could let out another sound, Yoshino raised his foot and crushed it underfoot.
"You'll have lunch today! Don't forget to make something delicious, okay?" Yoshino smiled, whispering in his mother's ear, ignoring her shock. Without waiting for a response, he quickly retreated to his room.
"Wait a second... What's going on? Why do my shoulders feel so light?" His mother, still stunned by her son's strange actions, began massaging her shoulders, muttering to herself.
Yoshino, hearing his mother's words, smiled faintly from behind the door. At that moment, he stopped overthinking and decided to act on what he felt was right from now on.
He sat back down on his bed and prepared himself, pushing his hair back to clear his view.
It seemed that, just like everyone else in this world, he had brought a "golden hand" with him. Although he had used it twice already, he still didn't fully understand it.
Yoshino waved his hand around, but nothing appeared—no system screen or anything similar.
"System? Interface? Stats? Personal information?" Yoshino felt like a game addict as he stood in the middle of the room, muttering random words.
Nothing happened when he spoke those words. Then, a thought crossed his mind.
"Innate Ability!"
A simple frame with a green background appeared before him.
[Innate Ability]
[Developed Innate Ability: Kishibe]
[Fixed Innate Abilities: Loser, Errand Runner, Coward, Hungry]
[Current Experience Points: 01]
Only three lines of information appeared before Yoshino. He tried tapping on the "Kishibe" innate ability:
[Info: You can acquire the combat skills and experience of the Demon Hunter Kishibe from Chainsaw Man. Current Progress: 2%]
Yoshino jumped up in surprise upon seeing the information in front of him. Was he in the wrong world?
He couldn't believe his eyes. Even after rubbing them and pinching his arm, nothing changed.
"Does this mean I can have combat skills like Kishibe? Amazing! But... what use is a hand-to-hand combat skill in a world where everyone uses magic, like in Jujutsu Kaisen?"
Taking a deep breath, Yoshino calmed himself down. Kishibe was indeed an outstanding combatant in a world where demon hunters often died young. The fact that he had lived until 50 meant something.
He didn't live long because he was constantly avoiding demons or afraid of them. Quite the opposite, Kishibe earned the title of the strongest demon hunter for his strength and achievements.
Kishibe had a body strong enough to survive falling from a skyscraper onto a car, without even a scratch. His calm demeanor and quick reflexes had caused many demons to fear him.
Besides, Kishibe had been quite handsome when he was young. Yoshino now wondered if inheriting this innate ability also meant inheriting his good looks.
"Strong hand-to-hand combat isn't necessarily useless! Right! How could I forget about one famous character who uses physical prowess in Jujutsu Kaisen?"
Someone who didn't have cursed energy but had a body strong enough to rival Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerers.
A face appeared in Yoshino's mind:
Fushiguro Toji, the Heavenly Aggressor.
Yoshino began to make his own plan, thinking about how to prevent the Culling Game event.
So, what was the most crucial factor that led to this event?
Of course, the mastermind—Kenjaku. If he couldn't possess Geto Suguru's body, he wouldn't be able to start the Culling Game.
What Yoshino needed to do now was improve his combat ability, utilizing the advantage of his innate ability system.
There were still about 11 months until the "Night March of a Hundred Demons.". and Yoshino's plan was to either destroy Geto's body or try to save him from death!