"So this is America, it's so much more different then Japan" Daichi's voice echoed out. He is still speaking Japanese.
"Everyone, we are going to rest at a hotel outside the forest. Tomorrow Mei Mei will begin the investigation to find the cursed spirit, and then we will storm the forest"
While following the group Tomogui and I spoke internally.
*Seeing tengen's barrier from the outside was very informative. When we 'memorize' a phenomena/object of cursed energy. We can use it for the following 2 weeks so when we get back, we will still be able to use it.* I said
*We weren't able to see the whole barrier though, just one of the borders. We can probably use the barrier to improve the Holy Ichor Tool Ritual* Tomogui responded
*We need to find out how to use the cursed tools we have made so far. In one month we can generate 30 grade 1 cursed tools.*
*We can sell them at an auction. While I was talking to one of the grade 1's from the clan, they mentioned a blackmarket auction where sorcerers could meet up. When we are allowed to go out on our own and do missions we can sell them there.*
*After we get enough money we can buy our own house and move out of the estate. It's stuffy there and the people are annoying. The grade 1 privileges are nice though–*
While Tomogui and I were talking, our group passed a hospital.
It clicked then, something that should have been obvious got clouded.
*... The big problem we have been having with Holy Ichor and implanting into each other was that we didn't want to risk injuring ourselves while implanting it into the gut right Tomogui?*
*Yes, the gut is where cursed energy originates from, if we were to injure ourselves we would be in a lot of danger. That's why we didn't want to put anything into it until we learned some healing ability, like RCT. Moreover locating the gut isn't that easy, even with your heterochromatic eyes you can't see through someone like an X-ray.*
*... Why don't we just get an actual imaging device then?*
*Buying one would be impossible for us. To get medical imaging devices you would need some type of license to even buy one. The clan could probably get one for us, but they would ask questions. I don't want anyone to know about Cursed Evolution.*
*Let's just steal one then, we have a hospital right next to the hotel we are staying at. With the Flux Cube we could teleport in and out and steal the stuff we need. The only problem will be the cameras.*
*Not just imaging equipment, we would also need syringes. If we are going to rob a hospital we may as well go the full way. Get sterile gauze pads, medical tape, antiseptic solution, a spinal needle, an ultrasound machine, ultrasound probe, and ultrasound gel.*
*As for getting rid of the camera, we have to figure out how to do that.*
*We can deal with that later, we are supposed to stay here for a full week. We have time to plan the heist.*
As our internal discussion reached the end, we finally reached the intended hotel.
"The three external grade 1's, along with me will be having their own room, everyone else will pair up to share a room."
The pairings were obvious.
Tomogui and I.
Daichi and Hibiki.
Tenken and Ren.
Those were the pairs.
"Usually in horror movies this would be where one of the pairs gets murdered." I said.
"If we were actually in the forest, I might have been a little worried about that happening. But we are still in town. Unless the cursed spirit decides to randomly come out to deal with us, we should be fine" Daichi responded. Although he said it confidently, I could feel he was a little nervous about the cursed spirit.
"Speaking of which, when did you two learn to speak English? That was never a part of the education plan of the clan?" Hibiki asked.
"When we were younger we read a lot of english cartoons, eventually we learned how to understand it." Actually they came from my past life but you don't need to know that.
We exchanged a few more words before separating to head over to our rooms.
*Have you thought of a way to get into that hospital? We can teleport in there and steal the stuff, but if they see us on the camera's we will be in trouble. We could wear a mask, but I don't want to risk anything. It would be better if we could take out the cameras, but I don't have the slightest clue on how to do that.* Tomogui asked.
*Maybe we should ask Mei Mei. She could just have her crows bite the wires connecting to the cameras, and no one would be suspicious if some crows just happened to destroy the wires.*
*Plus I don't think she would care enough about what we did. Once we get the stuff, we also would need to sneak it onto the plane we are using to get back home. That shouldn't be too hard though, we just have to teleport the stuff into the cargo, and before anyone checks the cargo, we teleport it all out.*
Later that night
Tomogui was lying on the bed when I stood up and grabbed my jacket.
*Where are you going?* he asked internally.
*To talk to Mei Mei.*
*Good luck. She doesn't look like the type to help for free.*
I left the room quietly and walked down the hallway until I reached the room where the external grade 1 sorcerers were staying. I knocked twice.
A moment later the door opened.
Standing there was Mei Mei.
She looked slightly surprised.
"Well this is unexpected," she said. "What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to ask you something."
"Interesting."
She leaned against the doorframe, crossing her arms.
"The last time we talked you didn't seem to need me. What happened?"
"I need your crows to damage some security camera wiring."
"…Security cameras?"
Her eyebrow raised slightly.
"That's a strange request."
"There's a building across the street with several cameras outside. If the wiring were damaged by birds it wouldn't look suspicious."
She studied me for a moment.
"And why would I help you do that?"
"I'll pay you."
Mei Mei smiled faintly.
"That's more like it. I don't work for free."
"How much?"
"For a task like this…" she paused for a moment.
"Five million yen."
*She's robbing us,* Tomogui said internally.
"That's ridiculous," I replied calmly. "You're just telling some birds to chew through a few wires."
"And yet you came to me," she said lightly.
"Five million is far too high."
She shrugged.
"Then I suppose you'll have to solve your problem another way."
I sighed slightly.
"Eight hundred thousand."
Mei Mei tilted her head slightly, studying my expression.
"…You're quite serious about this."
"Yes."
She thought for a few seconds.
Then she smiled.
"Alright."
*That worked?* Tomogui said in surprise.
"For eight hundred thousand yen," she continued, "some crows will happen to damage those cameras tonight."
"I don't have that much money with me."
"That sounds like your problem."
"I can give you something worth that much."
"Oh?"
"A Grade 1 cursed tool."
Now she looked genuinely interested.
"A Grade 1 cursed tool is worth far more than eight hundred thousand yen."
"Then how about you owe me another favor, you'll get the cursed tool when we get back home."
Mei Mei considered the offer briefly.
"…Deal."
I nodded.
"That's all I needed."
As I turned to leave she spoke again.
"Oh, Futago."
I stopped.
"Make sure you actually deliver that cursed tool."
"I will."
Later that night, once the hotel had gone completely quiet, Tomogui and I slipped outside.
Across the street the hospital stood under dim streetlights.
Several security cameras were mounted along the walls.
Except now a few of them were hanging loosely, their wiring torn apart.
A small group of crows sat nearby on a lamppost.
*Looks like she kept her word,* Tomogui said.
I pulled the Flux Cube from my pocket and poured cursed energy into it.
The green grid expanded around us.
*Ready?*
*Ready.*
I rotated one side of the cube.
The world twisted.
In the next instant we stood inside a dark hospital corridor.
The building was silent.
Teleporting through empty hallways and storage rooms, we gathered everything we needed.
Ultrasound machine.
Spinal needles.
Sterile gauze.
Medical tape.
Antiseptic solution.
Ultrasound gel.
Each time we found something useful, I rotated the cube and sent it back to our hotel room.
The entire operation took less than twenty minutes.
When we returned to our room, medical equipment filled the corner of the room.
Tomogui looked at the pile with satisfaction.
*Perfect.*
I placed the Flux Cube on the desk.
*Now we finally have what we need.*
Tomogui walked over to the window and looked toward the forest in the distance.
Beyond the town lights, the dark woods surrounding Camp Crystal Lake stretched endlessly.
Somewhere inside that forest waited the curse born from the fear of Jason Voorhees.
Soon Mei Mei's crows would find it,
Then our group would have to storm the forest and exorcise Jason.