Chapter 88: Yasohachi Bridge
Saitama City, Urawa District.
Assistant supervisor Akari Nitta drove steadily down the road, the car cutting through traffic at speed.
In the back seat, Ren was squeezed between Maki Zen'in and Tsumiki.
It was… an extremely awkward seating arrangement.
On his left sat Maki, her expression cold and unreadable.
On his right sat Tsumiki, smiling gently as always—but only Ren could catch the deeper meaning hidden in her bright eyes when she occasionally glanced at him.
"I'm not here to break you and Maki-senpai apart… I'm here to join you."
The words she had spoken not long ago resurfaced in his mind, along with that soft yet dangerously captivating smile.
Ren's heart began pounding uncontrollably.
Then he sneaked a glance at Maki—still as cold as ice—and imagined her grabbing Playful Cloud at any moment and smashing his head in because of that statement.
His heartbeat spiked even harder.
Forcing himself to calm down, Ren shifted his focus to the tablet in his hands, which contained the mission briefing.
Maki and Tsumiki both leaned in slightly to look as well. As their hair brushed closer, two completely different fragrances drifted into his senses.
At the same time, Akari Nitta's voice came from the front seat:
"June—Morioka. Kinda Taichi."
"August—Yokohama. Shimada Osamu."
"September—Nagoya. Yamato Hiroshi."
"All three victims died the same way—killed by a cursed spirit at the entrance of their apartment buildings."
"And in the weeks before their deaths, all of them filed the same complaint with property management."
"They claimed the automatic doors weren't locking… but other residents reported nothing unusual."
Ren's gaze moved across the three victim profiles displayed on the screen.
"Could it be the same cursed spirit?"
This was the first mission Ren and Maki were undertaking together—
since she had officially become his assigned senior mentor.
Somewhat unexpectedly, Tsumiki had joined the mission midway.
Having just defeated her younger brother Megumi and overcome his objections, she had officially become a rookie jujutsu sorcerer. This was her very first mission.
Because Ren was currently the strongest among the students on campus, the assistant supervisor in charge of assignments had specifically requested that "he guide her."
"That part isn't confirmed yet," Akari Nitta replied as she turned the steering wheel.
"There aren't any other clues at the scene, and the residuals are too faint to determine anything."
She continued,
"However, we investigated the victims' backgrounds and found that all three attended the same middle school for two years."
"In other words," Maki adjusted her glasses slightly, a sharp glint flashing beneath them, "they might have encountered the same curse at that school, and after leaving, the curse activated one by one?"
"That's a strong possibility," Nitta nodded. "So next, we'll go to that school and question people who knew them."
—
Half an hour later, the group stood outside a residence draped in mourning.
Spirit lamps hung at the entrance. People dressed in black funeral attire came and went, their expressions solemn and heavy.
"…Miss Nitta," Ren said slowly, "this is the 'acquaintance' you mentioned?"
Nitta hurried forward to ask around. Not long after, she came jogging back, a few beads of cold sweat on her forehead.
"There's another victim," she said grimly. "Same method of death as the previous ones."
"…The trail's gone cold?" Maki frowned.
Nitta nodded helplessly.
"No," Tsumiki suddenly spoke up.
Everyone turned to look at her.
"They all attended Saitama Municipal Urami East Middle School, right?" she asked, holding up the tablet for confirmation.
"Megumi and I… actually went to that school before joining Jujutsu High."
"I know someone there—a long-time staff member with seniority. They might know something."
"…That's convenient," Ren said, surprised.
Nitta clenched her fists in relief. "That's a huge help, Tsumiki. Then let's head there immediately!"
—
They soon arrived at the school.
Tsumiki found an elderly staff member she was familiar with. The two spoke warmly, the old man asking about her condition with concern. After learning their purpose, he answered every question without hesitation.
With his help, they finally uncovered a key piece of information.
"Yasohachi Bridge… bungee jumping."
The so-called "bungee" wasn't a sport—it was a test of courage.
Yasohachi Bridge was infamous in the area.
A suicide hotspot. A place of paranormal rumors.
Sneaking there at night to "test your courage" had become a popular activity among students.
"…A cursed hotspot," Ren murmured, thinking it through.
Curses were born from human negativity. Places widely believed to be ominous naturally attracted them.
If a curse had formed there, and the victims had all gone there one after another, been "marked," and later killed…
It was entirely plausible.
And for now, it was their only lead.
"Then our next step is obvious," Maki said as they left the school. "We go to that so-called suicide spot and verify it."
Just then, Ren noticed something.
Tsumiki, who had been smiling moments ago while talking to the old man, suddenly looked… subdued.
"Um…" she hesitated before speaking, "…that test of courage… I actually went there before."
"…What?"
Everyone stopped in their tracks.
"Tsumiki," Ren asked immediately, his tone urgent, "have you experienced anything strange recently? Like automatic doors malfunctioning or anything unusual?"
She thought carefully, then shook her head.
"I've been in the hospital the whole time. No automatic doors… and I don't think I've experienced anything paranormal either."
"…Then could it be," Ren pressed, "that your sudden collapse before was caused by this?"
Although he had cured her using his technique, the root cause of her condition had never been identified.
From what they'd just learned, the previous victims had attended that school twenty years ago. That meant the curse could take years—decades even—to activate.
If Tsumiki had merely recovered… but the curse itself hadn't been removed…
Then sooner or later—
it might come back for her.
Just like the others.
Ren's expression darkened at the thought.
"…I'm not sure," Tsumiki said hesitantly.
Then suddenly—
"Ah!" she gasped.
"I remember now… there was something strange!"