Chapter 24
When the lunch break bell rang, Eriri practically bolted out of the classroom.
After the morning's terrifying bus incident, she had been restless all morning. In math class, she had stared at the formulas on the blackboard, but her mind kept replaying the image of those black hands on the bus window. In Chinese class, the teacher had been explaining ancient texts, but Eriri kept remembering Genji's almost indifferent expression as he stopped the bus with his bare hands.
The wind on the roof was very strong.
The April day was warm, but the wind at this height was still cool. Eriri pushed open the heavy iron door, walked into the shadow of the water tower, leaned against the cold metal casing, and took a deep breath.
"Come out," she said to the air.
The shadow rippled like water. Genji emerged, still in his indigo hunting robes, but today his expression was much more serious than usual. Instead of floating lazily as he normally did, he landed on his feet and stood in front of Eriri. His eyes were sharp, like a knife.
"You know what I want to ask," Eriri said directly.
Genji nodded. He sat down next to Eriri—or rather, hovered half an inch above the ground—but his posture was straight, not as casual as usual.
"Let's talk about the conclusion first," he spoke calmly, but with a certain grave seriousness. "This morning's bus incident was not a natural cursed spirit attack."
Eriri's heart tightened. "What do you mean?"
"It's a matter of probability." Genji raised his right hand, his fingers tracing a complex cursed seal in the air. Indigo light coalesced into a slowly rotating sphere, with dense numbers and formulas flowing on its surface. "The probability of a Grade 2 or higher cursed spirit appearing spontaneously in a busy area like Ginza during morning rush hour is less than 0.00017%."
Genji reported the number as casually as if he were reading a weather forecast. "That's less than two in a million. And that's the theoretical maximum. The actual probability should be even lower."
Eriri stared at the rotating sphere. Although she couldn't understand the complex formulas, the absurdly small number spoke for itself.
"So…" She said dryly. "It was artificial?"
"Most likely," Genji dismissed the cursed energy, the sphere dissipating into the air. "And the target was most likely you."
The wind on the roof suddenly felt biting. Eriri instinctively wrapped her arms around herself, even though the sun was still warm on her body.
"Why me?" She asked, her voice trembling unconsciously. "I'm just an ordinary high school student…"
"Because there are rules in the jujutsu world," Genji said, his eyes growing deeper. "Anyone who has awakened their cursed energy and can see cursed spirits must be registered and monitored. If an unregistered sorcerer—or a suspected one—is discovered, the authorities will send someone to 'inspect.'"
"Inspect?"
"This morning's cursed spirit attack was most likely a test," Genji's tone grew heavier. "They released a controllable cursed spirit to observe your reaction. If you couldn't see the cursed spirit and showed no ability to counter it, then it was just an ordinary 'accident.' But if you could—"
"But how did they know I could see cursed spirits?" She asked. "I never—"
"Last night's diplomat murder case. The jujutsu world must have some connection to the cabinet. For something like that, a high-level sorcerer would have been sent to investigate." Genji paused. "They might have sensed my cursed energy residue at the scene, or they might have detected you through the barrier. Either way, they set their sights on you."
"Then they…" Eriri's voice grew quieter. "What will they do next?"
"Two possibilities," Genji held up two fingers. "First, they think you're just an ordinary person who happened to encounter a cursed spirit and let it go. Second, they consider you an unregistered sorcerer and will continue testing you until they confirm your strength and position."
"Then what do we do now?" She finally asked.
"Two paths," Genji said. "First, I hide completely. You pretend everything is normal and hope they lose interest. Second…"
He paused, lowering his voice. "I take the initiative to find out who's behind this, and then… eliminate them."
The three words "eliminate them" were said very lightly, but Eriri could hear their weight. She remembered the casual way Genji had flicked away the cursed spirit in the Ginza hotel last night. She remembered the calmness with which he had stopped the bus with one hand this morning.
"You…" Eriri bit her lip. "Would you kill someone?"
Genji didn't answer immediately. He turned his head to look into the distance, where the silhouette of Tokyo stretched to the horizon—high-rise buildings, traffic, the whole bustling city.
"A thousand years ago, I killed many people," he said slowly, his voice carrying the calmness of time. "Cursed spirits. Corrupt sorcerers. And those who tried to harm those I cared about. I don't like killing, but when I have to… I don't hesitate."
He turned and looked at Eriri. "But this isn't a thousand years ago. In this era, there are laws, order, and the right of ordinary people to live stable lives without knowing the dark side. So I will try to solve the problem in a way that doesn't involve killing—unless there's no other choice."
Eriri looked into his eyes. Those deep indigo pupils reflected the sky and clouds, and her own slightly pale face.
"I trust you," she finally said, not loudly, but firmly. "Do what you need to do. Investigate. Find out who's behind this. And… solve the problem in your own way."
Genji was stunned for a moment, then smiled. It wasn't his usual mocking or lazy smile. It was a very light, but genuine, smile.
"Thank you," he said. "For that trust."
At that moment, the warning bell for the end of lunch break rang. Eriri stood up and brushed the dust off her skirt.
"After school…" She hesitated. "Kasumigaoka-senpai asked me to go to a café. She said… she wants to talk about what happened."
"About the cursed spirit?"
"Yes," Eriri nodded. "She saw those black hands. She felt your presence. With her personality, there's no way she'll just forget about it."
Genji thought for a moment. "She's smart. Very perceptive. Maybe… you can tell her part of the truth."
"Tell her?" Eriri was surprised. "But you said—"
"Being able to see cursed spirits means she has some talent for controlling cursed energy," Genji explained. "Ordinary people are kept in the dark because they can't control their cursed energy. If their fear intensifies, they will release even more uncontrolled cursed energy, increasing the probability of cursed spirits being born. But someone like her, who has already seen the truth, might be better off knowing some basic knowledge so she can protect herself."
"But what if she tells others?"
"Who would believe her?" Genji smiled. "Without the ability to see cursed spirits, who would believe a light novel writer talking about 'black hands on a bus'? Besides…" He paused. "I can add a very simple curse to her memory that makes her unable to speak directly about these things to people who don't know the truth."
Eriri thought for a moment, then finally nodded. "Okay. But you have to come with me. If she has any questions, you answer them directly."
"No problem," Genji's expression relaxed a little. "But can you treat me to a dessert? I saw the café's menu. There's something called a 'mont blanc.' What is that?"
When he said this, his eyes lit up, like a child waiting for candy. Eriri looked at him and suddenly felt that this "god" who had lived for a thousand years actually had a very cute side.
"Fine, fine," she turned her head away, her ears slightly red. "Just don't cause me any trouble."