NOVEL NEXT Chapter 58: Zenin Maki
Utaha and Eriri arrived at Tomoya's house at the same time, their expressions both dark and filled with reluctance.
They really didn't want to be there. After their last experience, they had developed a bit of a trauma about returning to his house. Even when contacting him, they suggested meeting outside, but Tomoya, with his condition, refused to leave.
As soon as they spotted each other, Kasumigaoka spoke up first. "So, Tomoya called you too?"
Then, realizing the obvious, she added, "Of course he did. You two are childhood friends after all." There was a trace of sarcasm in her voice as she mentioned Eriri's relationship with Tomoya.
Eriri clicked her tongue. "Don't remind me. I don't want to think about it." Her expression mirrored her words she clearly wasn't happy about being here.
The reason they were both there was simple: Tomoya had called them, sounding weak and frail over the phone. He said it was his last request, that he had something important to say before it was all over. After that, there would be no more contact.
Despite their frustration with him, neither Utaha nor Eriri could find it in themselves to completely ignore his request.
"Shall we go in together? Utaha suggested, gesturing toward the house.
"Tch!" Eriri clicked her tongue again, but she didn't argue. Even though they often found themselves at odds, there wasn't much point in bickering now.
With shared reluctance, they stepped inside the house.
"We're here, Tomoya. Where are you?" Eriri called out as they entered, her voice carrying through the empty halls.
Utaha was about to say something when—
Bang!
A sudden gust of wind slammed the door shut behind them, making both girls jump in surprise. The heavy silence that followed was suffocating.
Then, out of the darkness, something crawled into view a massive, grotesque creature resembling a worm, its body stretching to a height of four or five meters.
It spoke in a garbled, eerie voice. "Eri... Shiyu..." It called out their names with a chilling familiarity.
"Tomoya?!" Eriri and Utaha both gasped in horror. They recognized the voice.
But this monster... It was Tomoya.
How had he turned into this... thing?
There was no time to think. The creature, now much faster, lunged at them with murderous intent.
---
Back at the school, Ryuji was getting ready to leave. He had just reminded Rikka and Sanae not to do anything reckless. These two chuunibyou girls were braver than most, but they also had a dangerous tendency to get into trouble.
"Don't try anything like last time, okay?" Ryuji warned them as they finished their club activities.
"Yes, Sir Knight!" the two girls replied in unison, surprisingly obedient this time.
Ryuji nodded and smiled. He was about to tell Miko that he'd be out for the night, planning to meet with Shizuka. But just as he reached for his phone, it started to ring.
"Gojo Satoru?" Ryuji said aloud as he saw the caller ID, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. It wasn't often that Gojo called him.
Miko and Yukino, who had been preparing to leave, stopped and looked at him questioningly. "Is something wrong?" Miko asked.
Ryuji shook his head. "No, just a call I wasn't expecting."
He picked up the phone. "Hey, Ryuji! Long time no see!" Gojo's cheery, carefree voice came through on the other end.
"What's up?" Ryuji asked, cutting straight to the point.
"There's a special-grade cursed spirit causing trouble. I was wondering if you'd be interested in dealing with it," Gojo said, still sounding far too relaxed for the severity of the situation.
Ryuji grinned. "Special grade, huh? Alright, I'll take it. But there better be some kind of reward from Jujutsu High."
"Of course, of course!" Gojo chuckled. "Don't worry about that. I've got you covered. But hey, two of my students are already there. Could you give them a hand?"
Ryuji agreed easily. After a few more quick details, he hung up the phone.
A car pulled up in front of the school not long after, and a woman stepped out. "Mr. Ryuji?" she called, recognizing him.
"Yeah, that's me," Ryuji said as he approached the car. He turned to Miko and gave her a reassuring smile. "I've got something I need to take care of. You head home without me."
"Be careful," Miko said, her concern evident in her eyes.
Ryuji gently patted her head, giving her a confident grin. "Don't worry. I'm the strongest."
Nearby, Ichie Chieko, the woman,who had come to pick him up, raised an eyebrow at the phrase. Why does that sound so familiar?
Ryuji waved goodbye to Miko and Yukino, giving them both a lighthearted smile. "Don't tell me you want to tag along too, Yukino?"
"N-no! Of course not!" Yukino stammered, her face turning bright red at the thought. She quickly turned her head away, embarrassed.
Ryuji chuckled, his amusement evident as he got into the car.
---
At the same time, back at Jujutsu High, Gojo finished his conversation with Ryuji and smiled as he looked at the students in front of him Yuta Okkotsu and Panda.
"I've got everything arranged. No need to worry," Gojo said confidently.
Panda, however, looked a bit more serious. "That's a special-grade cursed spirit. Are you sure the person you called can handle it?"
Special-grade curses weren't something just anyone could take on. Even for experienced sorcerers, they were a challenge.
"Don't worry, Panda. The person I contacted can handle it easily. In fact," Gojo said, glancing at Yuta with a grin, "you've already met him before, Yuta."
"...Huh?" Yuta blinked in confusion, trying to remember.
"The guy who took you down not too long ago," Gojo added with a smirk.
Yuta's face turned pale as he suddenly recalled the encounter with Ryuji. Even now, the memory sent shivers down his spine. "That guy…"
Panda, who hadn't been there for the fight, raised an eyebrow but didn't press further. If Gojo and Yuta were both confident in this person's strength, he'd trust their judgment.
"Let's go deal with the other special-grade curse, then," Gojo said, leading the way. "This'll be a good learning experience for you."
As they prepared to leave, Panda muttered, "Why do cursed spirits seem to be multiplying lately? It feels like more are showing up than usual."
Gojo shrugged, still smiling. "Who knows?"
---
In the car, Ichie Chieko handed Ryuji a folder containing information on the cursed spirit he was about to face.
"Here's what we have on the curse, Mr. Ryuji," she said as he flipped through the pages.
The location was Tomoya's house. Ryuji couldn't help but feel a strange sense of déjà vu. He had only been there recently, but now it was completely enveloped by cursed energy.
"This report says it's a first-grade cursed spirit," Ryuji noted.
Chieko blushed in embarrassment. "There was a mistake in the initial intelligence. When our team arrived, they realized it was actually a special-grade curse."
"I see…" Ryuji nodded. A common enough mistake when dealing with curses.
He skimmed further through the report and saw the names of two other sorcerers who were already on-site Zenin Maki and Inumaki Toge.
Ryuji raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. Zenin Maki was a familiar name to him, and he knew her well from the anime. The second-generation Heavenly Restriction user, Maki would later awaken her true power after her sister's death and slaughter the entire Zenin clan.
As for Inumaki, his cursed speech technique was something Ryuji had always thought was interesting, though it had serious side effects. But for Ryuji, those side effects wouldn't be a problem his own RCT could easily mitigate them.
"I wouldn't mind adding that ability to my collection," Ryuji mused to himself, feeling a surge of excitement as they neared their destination.
Soon enough, the car came to a stop in front of a large, dark veil an unmistakable sign of a cursed domain. Ryuji stepped out of the car, ready for action.
---
Inside the cursed domain, Maki and Inumaki were struggling. The worm-like creature had grown far larger and more powerful than they had anticipated. What was once a first-grade curse had now transformed into something far more dangerous.
The creature's body had expanded to a monstrous size, towering over the ruined houses around it. Its cursed energy surged with malevolent intensity.
Maki, gripping her weapon tightly, gritted her teeth. "Assist me!" she shouted to Inumaki as she charged toward the creature.
Inumaki responded with a firm nod, readying his cursed speech as they prepared to confront the terrifying special-grade curse.
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