Shion was launched backward, his body crashing into a nearby building before skidding across the rooftop. He forced himself to stop, digging his feet in before he could fall any further down.
He coughed, more blood spilling from his mouth. At this point, a few more seconds like this and he wouldn't be surprised if he died from blood loss alone. His vision blurred slightly, but he forced himself to look up.
Rika had turned her back on him.
Instead, she was facing Yuta.
Shion spun his pen a few times between his fingers before flicking it forward, launching it straight toward Yuta.
Just as it was about to reach him Rika caught it.
…I was right, Shion thought silently.
"[You… stop meddling.]"
As she was about to throw it back, the pen suddenly shifted in her grasp, morphing into a ball of spikes that violently expanded, stabbing straight through her hand. The spikes continued growing, digging deeper into her palm as they twisted outward.
"[AAAAAAHHHHHH!!]"
Rika screamed in frustration, ripping the spikes out as her body regenerated almost instantly. But that brief moment was enough.
Shion reappeared right in front of her.
The pen had already returned to his hand, expanding once more into a massive sledgehammer. Without hesitation, he swung it down with everything he had.
The impact mirrored what she had done to him earlier.
Rika was sent flying backward, crashing into a highway bridge and tearing through it, the structure collapsing under the force.
But Yuta watched in horror, each scream she made overlapped with Rika's soft voice once in his childhood, he knew he need to end this.
Instead of following shion, he grabbed Shion's shoulder tightly.
"Shion, p-please… just listen to me!"
Shion almost shrugged him off immediately. The pain screaming through his nerves and the sheer amount of blood he had lost made it difficult to think clearly, his instincts pushing him to keep fighting.
But when he turned and met Yuta's soft gaze
he paused.
There was no fear in them.
Only sincerity that melted even his own heart.
The same timid boy who couldn't even hold eye contact before was now standing firm beside him.
"Haah… Yuta," Shion exhaled, his voice quieter now. "I don't think it's wise to stand against something like her. You're still a normal human."
After speaking, Shion was already prepared. If even the slightest hesitation appeared, he would knock Yuta out and end this himself. His all-seeing eye had already shown him multiple outcomes, most of them victories, though none without a heavy price.
But Yuta didn't waver, instead he stood firmly.
"Yeah… I don't understand what you're talking about, or how you're even doing all of this… but I do understand one thing." His voice steadied without any fear or hesitation in his body. "I'm powerless right now. But I also understand that Rika isn't a curse. She's someone I love."
Shion stayed silent.
"And no matter what happens… I have to believe in her. It's my responsibility… to bring her back."
For a moment, Shion simply looked at him.
Then, he smiled at him.
…So this is the outcome I couldn't see.
His eye had predicted countless paths, most of them ending with him destroying her. But this.
this was something else entirely.
"Go ahead, Yuta," Shion said, lightly bumping his fist against Yuta's chest despite his injuries. "If anything happens… I'll be right here."
Yuta smiled back and returned the gesture, fist bumping him back.
Right as Rika began to rise again from the rubble.
Outwardly, she looked unharmed.
But something inside her had clearly shifted.
"[YUTAAA! Why did you side with him?! Don't abandon me!!]"
Her voice tore through the street, shattering nearby windows as the pressure exploded outward shaking the ground itself.
"Rika… I didn't abandon you. I never did—"
"[YOU DID!! IT'S UNFAIR!! You left me for him! You never cared about me, did you?! YOU NEVER CARED ABOUT OUR PROMISE!!]"
Yuta jumped down onto the broken highway, landing directly in front of her.
"Rika… at first, I thought you were my curse."
"[GRGHN—!]"
She clenched her teeth, her body trembling with emotion, but Yuta didn't stop. He kept walking toward her, step by step, even as she slammed her fists into the ground around him, cracking the surface beneath his feet.
"After you died… everything changed. I couldn't sleep without seeing your corpse in my dream. I couldn't eat without throwing up. I couldn't even talk to people normally anymore without seeing you lingering."
Rika's movements slowed.
Her fists tightened.
"I tried to stay away from everyone… I thought if I kept my distance, you wouldn't hurt anyone else. But it didn't work. It just made everything worse." His voice softened. "I felt cheated… like life was unfair. I thought the Rika I knew was gone…"
Yuta looked around at the destruction, then back at her.
"But I was wrong."
He stepped closer.
"The Rika I knew was never gone. She was always there… still caring about me, still protecting me."
His eyes softened as the monstrous figure in front of him began to overlap with the memory of the girl he once knew.
"Rika… you were never my curse."
He took another step forward.
"You were my blessing."
Rika froze at the sight.
"You weren't supposed to stay here like this… if anything… I was the one who kept you here. I was your curse this whole time."
Yuta smiled gently, raising his hand toward her face.
"I love you, Rika. Forever. That's why… I don't want you to keep suffering like this anymore."
Then, he embraced her.
For a moment, everything went silent.
At the center of it all stood the two of them, frozen in place.
Rika trembled at first.
then slowly returned the hug.
"[Y-yuta… YUTAA…!]" she cried, her form beginning to distort, melting, shifting, until the monstrous shape faded, replaced by the girl he remembered.
"Y-you're wrong, Yuta…"
"H-huh?"
Yuta pulled back slightly, staring at her.
"I was never in pain when I was with you… I was never disappointed by you…" she said, her voice shaking before softening into a smile. "These past six years… were the happiest moments of my life."
Tears fell from her eyes.
"Thank you, Yuta… for staying with me… and… I love you too. Forever."
Yuta smiled, nodding as he held her close again.
Her body slowly began to fade into light, becoming more and more transparent with each passing second.
And before long, Rika Orimoto was gone.
Her final words lingered softly in the air.
"Goodbye, Yuta… please come see me again someday."
...
Everything fell back into silence.
Yuta took a deep breath, wiping the remaining tears from his face before slowly looking around. What greeted him was nothing but destruction, the aftermath of a battle far beyond anything he had ever imagined.
Buildings torn apart.
Roads split open.
Debris scattered as far as he could see.
Although he had resolved things with Rika… he didn't know what to do next.
This level of destruction was something no normal middle schooler should ever have to face.
"Right… Shion…"
Yuta's eyes widened slightly as realization hit him.
"I need to get him to a hospital."
"No need. He's perfectly fine with me here."
Yuta froze.
That voice, He turned abruptly.
Standing not too far away was a tall, somewhat lanky man with white hair. He wore all black, contrasting sharply with the white blindfold covering his eyes. Despite the destruction around them, he stood there casually, as if none of it concerned him.
But what made Yuta's heart drop was Shion.
Slung carelessly over the man's shoulder.
"Who are you?! What did you do to Shion?!"
Yuta stepped back instinctively. Though he tried to sound firm, the tension in his voice betrayed him. His mind was still overwhelmed from everything that had just happened, and seeing Shion like that only made it worse.
After everything, after how hard Shion had fought
to see him carried around like that…
"Aha, no need to panic," the man replied lightly, waving a hand. "I didn't do anything to him. Not a single drop of blood on him is my doing."
His tone was far too relaxed contrasting yuta's anxiety.
Almost like he was amused.
Yuta stared at him, unable to tell whether he was serious or not.
clap.
The man brought his hands together.
"Alright, originally I wasn't planning to force anything. We were actually just a few minutes away from having a nice chat at a café down the street."
As he spoke, the distant sound of helicopter blades began to echo through the air, growing louder with each passing second.
"Unfortunately… time's up."
Before Yuta could react, the man suddenly vanished as he was suddenly right behind him.
"Good night."
A sharp strike landed on the back of Yuta's neck.
His vision blurred instantly.
Who… is this man…?
His body gave out, collapsing forward only to be caught effortlessly by the white haired man.
"Careful now," the man muttered, shifting Yuta onto his other shoulder like it weighed nothing.
Now carrying both of them, he stood there for a moment.
"I have to say… you two impressed me."
His head tilted slightly toward Shion.
"Especially you, kid."
A faint grin formed on his lips.
"A young sorcerer with that level of control already… what a prodigy."
A quiet chuckle escaped him.
"Heh… hehehe… I wonder how those old farts will react… seeing a special grade vengeful cursed spirit undone."
The sound of the helicopter grew louder overhead.
And in the next moment the white haired man was gone.
---
"Breaking news. Yesterday, at approximately 12:32 PM to 1:12 PM, a large-scale gas explosion was reported in a district of Tokyo. The incident resulted in damages totaling several million yen, with 34 reported injuries and zero casualties. Authorities have begun an investigation into—"
"As expected of Satoru. Not a single casualty, even while being late."
A long-haired man spoke calmly, his gaze fixed on the television as he paused mid-bite, ramen hanging from his chopsticks.
"Ha? What does Gojo have to do with some random gas leak?"
Across from him, a pink-haired woman continued slurping her noodles, raising an eyebrow.
The man didn't answer immediately.
Instead he sent a subtle knowing smile at her.
"…Seriously?" She asked in shock.
He nodded.
"It seems we were too late in obtaining that special grade vengeful spirit."
He resumed eating, completely unbothered.
"Though… it's fine. We still have something up our sleeve. I'd say it's enough to keep Satoru occupied… even if only for a few moments."
"Geto, stop being mysterious and just tell us already!" the woman snapped, leaning forward slightly.
"Later," he replied smoothly. "I'll tell you later, Manami."
He closed his eyes for a brief moment, as if lost in thought.
Will we truly win…?
A faint breath escaped him, a certain hesitation over the future.
How fitting.
Even now, you still manage to make me hesitate… Satoru.
---
(A/N: your 2nd chapter Sire🫡, I lowkey forgot and accidentally slept for like 3 hours.
Also for the departure scene, I took a spin on gege's jjk 0 and made my own interpretation through yuta's growth with shion, tell me if it feels rushed or out of nowhere.
Also, yuta still doesn't know curses yet, just a reminder, it's more methaporical in his speech.)