An ordinary school life slowly began to return once more.
A week had passed, and I still had only one friend, just as before.
One downside of being in a girl's body was that approaching boys first felt strange, while getting too close to girls felt just as strange.
If there was anyone I could approach naturally, it would probably be Saionji.
Part of that was probably because she was a tomboy.
I glanced toward the other side of the classroom and saw Kirishima Ren and Momose Ai surrounded by both boys and girls.
It looked like the two of them had just finished saying something, because the atmosphere around them was unusually lively.
"Huh? You two are dating?"
I heard someone in that group say it openly, unable to hide their surprise.
I went silent for a moment.
A couple?
It had only been one week.
But looking at the expressions on Kirishima and Momose's faces, I started to think that maybe the two of them really did suit each other well.
At the same time, I happened to notice Takizawa Yuto standing beside Saionji's seat not far away.
It looked like he had needed quite a while to gather enough courage to approach her.
Saionji was sitting with her arms crossed as usual, her face showing no particular interest.
Takizawa, on the other hand, was standing a little too stiffly, like he was facing something important.
"Um... about earlier, I really didn't mean it."
Takizawa's voice was quiet and so straightforward that it almost sounded excessively tense.
Saionji looked at him for a moment before answering flatly.
"I'm not bothered by it."
But Takizawa still didn't back down.
"Even so, I still feel like I should apologize."
Saionji frowned slightly, clearly visible.
"I told you it's fine."
"Yeah... but if possible, I'd still like you to actually say that you forgive me."
I watched that scene in silence for a moment.
An ordinary boy who was quiet and disliked drawing attention to himself was standing there, insisting on apologizing to Saionji with such sincerity that it felt strange.
Saionji herself seemed unsure whether she should be annoyed or give in.
In the end, she let out a quiet sigh.
"Fine, I get it. I forgive you, so stop making that face."
Takizawa flinched slightly before lowering his head in obvious relief.
"Thank you."
Saionji immediately turned her face away, as if she didn't want anyone to see her expression any longer.
Come to think of it, what happened between those two?
...
Takizawa Yuto walked through the school gate as usual.
Ever since he opened his eyes in this body, he had known that the world he was in was no longer his original one.
And once he began to see things that normal people could not—
those things called
curses—
that truth became even clearer.
He could see them.
Takizawa had once thought something like this should have excited him, since this world was the same one as the anime he used to know.
The world of jujutsu, and the world where names like Gojo Satoru and Ryomen Sukuna truly existed.
Yet the first thing he felt when those things stood right before him was not excitement.
It was pressure.
Takizawa swallowed.
He walked past the school building at an unhurried pace while sweeping his eyes over its corners.
Even after all these months, he still had not gotten used to seeing them.
Pretending not to notice them was too difficult.
As he stood there thinking on the stairs, Takizawa's eyes caught on a curse clinging to the back of the girl ahead of him.
The curse glanced back at him for an instant before quickly springing away.
He froze at once.
Takizawa looked up.
He found that the girl in front of him was staring right back at him.
A red-haired schoolgirl.
Saionji.
She paused, then narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Pervert...?"
Her voice was extremely flat, as if she didn't especially care and was simply saying whatever came to mind.
Wait a second.
This was obviously a misunderstanding.
Takizawa fell silent for a moment.
That wasn't it.
He hadn't been looking for that reason at all.
But the problem was that there was no way he could explain the truth to her.
By the time Takizawa regained his composure, Saionji was already gone.
...
"Fine, I get it. I forgive you, so stop making that face."
After hearing those words, Takizawa let out a quiet breath.
He bowed again, then stepped back half a pace out of politeness.
Though he still felt a little awkward, it was enough.
Takizawa stayed quiet for a moment before his eyes passed beyond Saionji to the other side of the room without meaning to.
And that was when he saw Nanakusa.
Miss Nanakusa... no matter where she was, she stood out from everyone else.
Among the boys in the class, there was apparently some sort of ranking of which girls they most wanted to do things with.
Nanakusa ranked second, just below Momose.
Even though she wasn't particularly social and didn't talk to people much, her appearance still drew everyone's attention and made her stand out more than anyone else.
...
After school, Takizawa returned to his cheap apartment as usual.
The room was cramped, with a tiny table and a plain bed.
It was so quiet that he could hear even his own sighs.
At least for him, simply having a room in central Tokyo was already something miraculous.
He closed the door, then stood motionless in the middle of the room for a while.
...
Was it finally time?
Time to try using cursed energy.
A month had passed, yet even now Takizawa still wasn't sure where he stood in this world's hierarchy.
He could see curses.
That confirmed that he had some kind of potential, but it did not necessarily mean he was strong.
He might just be an ordinary person who happened to see curses.
If he wanted to know for sure, he had to start by finding out what his cursed technique was.
Takizawa inhaled slowly and closed his eyes.
All he had right now was instinct.
And if he was going to start with anything, then at the very least it should be with something simple.
He wanted to see the aura of his own cursed energy.
Something flowing beneath his skin.
Something flowing beneath his skin.
Takizawa slowly opened his eyes.
And in that very instant, he saw an aqua-blue aura coating his right hand.
"So it worked?"
Takizawa froze for a moment before reaching for the pen lying on the table.
He looked at it for a second, then slowly tightened his grip.
The pen snapped in his hand almost instantly.
It broke far too easily.
Takizawa stared at the broken plastic in his hand.
Then he smiled broadly.
1
When the sun sank below the horizon, Takizawa stepped out of his apartment.
He swept his gaze across the low-level curses clinging to the fence, utility poles, and walls.
There were no people around here, which was why those curses gathered here.
Takizawa swallowed softly.
Should he try dealing with them?
That hesitation made him stop.
Ahead, in the narrow alley, several small curses drifted lazily about.
He asked himself once again.
Should he try?
They didn't look strong.
Even so, he still had no actual experience fighting curses.
And in his previous life, he had been nothing more than an ordinary high school student.
Then suddenly his eyes caught sight of a familiar figure.
Saionji.
She was walking straight this way, and if nothing changed, she would step right onto that curse within a few more steps.
Takizawa didn't have time to call out a warning.
Saionji simply lifted her leg and kicked it without hesitation.
The curse was sent flying into the wall before dissolving into purple smoke.
Takizawa froze.
She kicked it?
Was Saionji a jujutsu sorcerer too?
But before he could think any further, Saionji turned toward him.
She stared at him for a moment before her expression went blank.
Takizawa hurriedly raised a hand in panic.
"Ah... Saionji-san, I just happened to—"
"Pervert."
Her voice was full of disgust.
Takizawa flinched immediately.
"I'm not stalking you! I actually live around here!"
Saionji paused slightly, then looked around.
"Oh..."
She went silent for a moment.
"Sorry."
Takizawa shook his head slightly.
"It's fine."
He hesitated for a second, but in the end he still asked what had been on his mind.
"Um... Saionji-san... is it possible that you can see curses?"
Saionji narrowed her eyes slightly.
"So you can see them too?"
Her voice had softened a little, but the wariness in it was still clear.
Takizawa nodded.
Saionji murmured quietly to herself.
"So that's it..."
A small smile tugged at her lips.
Takizawa looked at her for a moment.
"Do you know what a jujutsu sorcerer is, Saionji-san?"
She shook her head.
"No... what is that?"
Takizawa took a breath, then explained as much as he knew.
"They're people who can see curses and are responsible for exorcising them."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Because you can see them, I thought maybe you were a jujutsu sorcerer too."
Saionji was silent for a moment before lifting her chin slightly, as if preparing to answer clearly.
"If I go by what you're saying... then you're one of them too, right?"
Takizawa froze slightly, then nodded.
"Yes."
"I didn't know high school students could have a side job like that."
Saionji's indifferent tone didn't really match the mild surprise in her words.
Takizawa looked at her for a moment, then answered carefully.
"I only became one not that long ago myself."
Saionji looked slightly puzzled.
Then she suddenly spoke up.
"Tell me how to become one."
2
The next day, in the kendo club room,
the pair sparring in the center was still me and Saionji, just like before.
But today was different.
Saionji seemed noticeably more aggressive.
Her steps were heavier, and each swing was sharper and straighter, as if she were trying to force me back from the very beginning.
At least for now, I could still keep up with her new rhythm and block every attack.
The sound of bamboo swords striking each other rang continuously.
At one point, I caught a glimpse of Saionji's cursed energy aura before I forced my eyes straight again.
So she had done something after all.
I had known from the beginning that Saionji had talent for jujutsu.
But for her power to truly awaken, there had to be some kind of reason behind it, whether someone showed her the way or whether it came from instinct.
Even so, even if she had aura now, I still didn't think I would lose.
I began pressing the attack in return.
The shinai in my hand came in with an ordinary rhythm.
Saionji blocked it as usual.
But just before the bamboo swords could truly clash, I changed direction and swept toward her torso instead.
The tip of my shinai stopped exactly at her dō.
"Enough."
Kurosawa's voice rang out, followed by silence.
Aside from using aura to boost her physical strength in a split second, she still couldn't keep it stable.
If she could do more than that, then it wouldn't just be her strength that increased.
Her reaction speed should improve too.
But what could I really expect from a beginner?
After taking off her armor, I could clearly see Saionji's irritated expression.
It was the face of someone who had just been given a last bit of hope—
only to find that it still wasn't enough.
I understood that well.
And honestly speaking,
I rather liked that expression on her.
"You seem more serious than usual today, Saionji-san."
Saionji turned to look at me immediately.
"I'm always serious."
I knew that.
I was only speaking indirectly about her aura.
Honestly, if another curse spirit or jujutsu sorcerer noticed it, she might easily end up marked in a bad way.
I knew she was using it carelessly.
I wanted to warn her.
But in the end, I remained silent.
I would just leave her fate to fate itself.
After packing up and getting ready to leave, I happened to spot Saionji standing at the entrance of the club room.
And the person standing with her was a familiar face.
Takizawa?
I stopped and stared for a moment.
Wait a second.
Were those two dating?
That thought surfaced instantly, but the next moment I shook my head.
Probably not.
Someone like Saionji wouldn't get into something like that so easily.
But when I thought about it a little more, the timing made me frown.
This happened to be the same period when she had first begun using aura.
Could Takizawa be involved too?
That suspicion made me decide to quietly follow them.
She walked a few steps ahead while Takizawa followed behind.
The more I watched, the stranger it seemed.
It didn't look like dating.
In the end, I followed them all the way to the same convenience store—the very same one where I had run into Riko before.
When I saw the two of them walk inside, I stopped.
...That was enough.
Following them all the way into the store would be too much.
At the very least, I'd seen that Saionji had a friend.
"Nanakusa-san!"
That voice pulled me out of my thoughts.
...Wasn't that Riko's voice?
I turned toward it. Riko was waving at me with a bright smile, while Kuroi stood beside her and bowed politely.
"Good evening, both of you."
Riko laughed softly, clearly in a good mood.
"Good evening! What a coincidence—last time we met here, and now here again today."
"It seems this store has become a meeting spot."
I replied in my usual even tone.
Kuroi gave a slight nod.
"At least there won't be any trouble like last time today, I hope."
Riko thought for a moment, then nodded emphatically.
"Yes. Today I really did just come to buy a few snacks."
I glanced at the bag in her hand, then asked calmly,
"Just a few?"
Riko looked down at her bag and let out a dry little laugh.
"Well... compared to last time, I guess it still counts as a few."
Kuroi let out a faint sigh but didn't interrupt.
I looked at the two of them for a moment before deciding to return to my apartment.
"In that case, I should be going now."
Riko blinked, then smiled at once.
"Oh, right. Then I'll see you again, Nanakusa-san."
Kuroi bowed again.
"Please get home safely."
I nodded.
"The same to you."
...
When I returned to my room, I heard a knock at the door.
"Come in."
A maid opened the door and bowed politely.
"I have something to report regarding the family's stance on revealing itself to the jujutsu world."
I went still for a moment before nodding for her to continue.
"Sebastian believes that after the incident last Saturday, the Kujo family may no longer need to hide itself as much as before."
I narrowed my eyes slightly.
"What do you mean?"
The maid answered calmly.
"We have a great number of jujutsu sorcerers living in Kujo City. We have simply never brought them out to act in an official capacity."
I fell silent for a moment.
The Kujo family's Blood Technique was already something that kin vampires could use.
The technique branched into different elemental forms depending on each user's nature, and at its core it involved detonating one's own blood—or the blood of others one had touched—into different elements.
So I asked directly,
"And what are we going to use them for?"
The maid answered immediately, as though she had prepared that response in advance.
"We intend to have them register officially as jujutsu sorcerers."
I paused, then asked what mattered more.
"And the secret about vampires? It won't be exposed?"
"No."
She answered without hesitation.
"Sebastian intends to choose only kin vampires who have already lost the defining identity of being vampires."
I froze slightly.
"I see..."
The maid nodded softly.
"We have spent hundreds of years gathering them. We now have enough, and most of them have already become jujutsu sorcerers living ordinary lives in the city."
I fell silent for a while.
Then the maid continued, unhurried.
"What remains now is simply your order, Lady Kujo—what you intend to do with this matter from here."
So I asked in an even tone,
"May I know the benefit of it?"
"To create bargaining power in the jujutsu world."
She answered.
"Lady Kujo, do you remember the incident when jujutsu students entered Kujo City?"
I thought for only a moment.
"You mean Gojo and the others?"
"Yes."
The maid nodded.
"To be honest, we have wanted to refuse this many times, but we never had a strong enough reason."
I understood what she meant.
If we continued standing outside the system, then we would be nothing more than a family with authority inside its own city but no bargaining power in the jujutsu world.
So I nodded slightly.
"Fine. Then what level are most of them?"
The maid answered at once.
"We have selected only those comparable to Grade 2 or higher."
So I said evenly,
"That would be for the sake of the Kujo family's face, then."
The maid lowered her head once more.
"Yes."
The room fell silent for a while.