At the break of dawn, I stepped out of the hotel with Toji.
Naturally, our uninvited guest came along as well.
Education is education.
Work is work.
I planned to start the mental restructuring only after the job was finished.
"Toji. Do you know who this kid is?"
"Hmm... I think I've seen him before, but who was it again? I don't bother memorizing men's names," Toji replied with a blink.
To think I'd hear that iconic line—the one that perfectly encapsulated his trashy personality—in person.
"His name is Zenin Naoya. He's the son of that old man, the Head of the Clan."
"Ah. I see," Toji muttered with an air of complete indifference.
He didn't seem to care in the slightest.
Since this was a child of the Zenin clan he loathed, and particularly a rotten one at that, it made sense he wouldn't hold any favorable feelings toward him.
"I talked to him for a bit, and he seems to hold you in quite high regard, Toji. It's a bit different from how the others call you a 'monkey,' isn't it?"
"This kid said that?" Toji asked, his eyes glinting with a spark of curiosity. Since it was an unusual reaction for a Zenin, he seemed somewhat interested.
I leaned down slightly, meeting Naoya's eyes.
"'If you aren't a sorcerer, you aren't human. You're just a monkey.' Isn't that what you were taught?"
"T-Those people are just idiots with shit for brains. They only say that because they don't know how strong Toji-kun is," Naoya answered, his voice trembling. His gaze was a mixture of fear and twisted admiration.
"Hmm... He's certainly unique, I'll give him that." Toji straightened his back. He still sounded bored, but there was a hint of faint favor in his tone.
"So, are you taking this brat along? I thought you said you didn't want to get involved with the Zenins?"
"That was the plan, but they sought me out first. Since we're already involved, I might as well fix that nasty personality of his."
"Oh. That sounds like it could be fun." Toji's lips curled into a crooked, predatory grin. He looked genuinely amused.
"And who's handling the discipline?"
"Foreigner is taking charge of that."
I habitually patted the hip of the Koyanskaya of Darkness—Foreigner. It was an unconscious reflex.
Fortunately, Foreigner only smiled. In fact, she swayed her hips as if asking for more, much like a cat that enjoys being patted.
"Master. What about me?" the Koyanskaya of Light—Assassin—asked, pouting her lips. It was a protest; she wanted her share of affection too.
"Yeah, yeah. I get it." I gave her a few pats as well, and only then did her expression brighten.
It was pleasant for me, but Toji and Naoya just blinked at the scene, looking utterly baffled.
Screeech—!
While we were chatting, a black van pulled up in front of us. It was a large vehicle, the kind often used by celebrities.
"Phew." Someone stepped out of the car with a heavy sigh. He had a decent face, a lean build, and a trimmed beard. I recognized him the moment I looked closer.
Kong Shiu.
He was the Korean broker who appeared briefly in the original story.
"Hunting at this ungodly hour... aren't you working them a bit too hard?" Kong Shiu approached Toji and muttered. He seemed relaxed, clearly indicating they were long-time acquaintances.
"I needed a car and a driver to get around. I've already paid the daily rate, so earn your keep," Toji said with a light chuckle and a wave of his hand. They truly looked like old friends.
"Fine, fine. The rest of you, get in." Kong Shiu glanced at us and immediately hopped back into the driver's seat. His cheeks were slightly flushed.
'A professional, through and through.'
He was clearly struck by the Koyanskayas' beauty, but he didn't let it show. He maintained his composure perfectly. Perhaps that was why he managed to survive in this business for so long.
"Let's head out, everyone."
"Yes, Master."
We boarded the van and headed toward our destination: Hyugami Dam.
'This is comfortable.'
I sat between the two Koyanskayas. Toji occupied the passenger seat, and Naoya sat across from us, looking as restless as a man who desperately needed a bathroom. We traveled in silence.
"I'll wait here. Get going."
We reached the bridge leading to the dam's service tunnels. Kong Shiu stopped the car and opened the doors. We stepped out and headed toward the tunnel in question.
As expected, the atmosphere was eerie. There was a memorial monument near the entrance, and the overall vibe was oppressive. It was a place where a Cursed Spirit was almost guaranteed to manifest.
"Master. Who shall handle the combat?" Foreigner asked as she walked beside me. She likely felt it would be a waste for both of them to intervene.
"Assassin."
"Understood. It seems I'll be showing off my skills for the first time in this world." Assassin smiled as she stepped forward. In her previously empty hand, she now gripped a pink handgun.
"W-What was that just now? Is that a Construction Technique? Can you actually create a whole gun from nothing?" Naoya, walking beside us, stared with wide eyes.
Construction Technique? Technically, it was closer to Projection Magecraft, but calling it a Cursed Technique? 'Ugh, my head...' I instinctively massaged my temples. Whenever these JJK-logic interpretations of Magecraft popped up, it gave me a headache.
"Think of it as something similar," Assassin replied flatly, raising her weapon. In the distance, a grotesque, squirming form appeared. A Curse. It was a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit.
'At that level, an ordinary person would definitely be driven to despair.'
Non-sorcerers possessed Cursed Energy, but only in negligible amounts. Some could see Curses occasionally, but they were helpless against them. Unless you were a sorcerer—unless you honed your Cursed Energy—you were destined to be consumed.
"W-Wait a minute! You're just going to shoot it?" Naoya asked, eyes bulging again. What now?
"Why? Is there a problem?"
"Guns are loud! Are you just going to let the sound of gunfire echo everywhere?"
"It's equipped with a silencer, and there's no one else around anyway," Assassin frowned, looking at him as if he were an idiot for interrupting her for such a trivial reason.
"The Veil! You have to cast a Veil!"
The Veil. It was a basic barrier technique frequently used in Jujutsu High missions. As a barrier, it could have specific conditions for entry and exit, and more importantly, it hid the battle from the eyes of ordinary people. Exorcising Curses had to be done in secret so the public wouldn't fall into a panic, which would only breed more negative emotions.
However, in a place like this, it was completely unnecessary.
"I'm aware of this 'Veil' you speak of. But there is no reason to cast one here." Assassin looked at Naoya as she pulled the trigger.
Pfft—!
The bullet sped through the air with a soft hiss, boring into the Curse. The Cursed Spirit, which looked like a mass of unfinished dough, let out a gurgling moan before it shattered into dust and vanished. It happened in an instant.
"I expected a powerful Curse since this is a famous haunted spot... but it wasn't much. The levels around here are all so mediocre," Assassin muttered in a bored tone. She was clearly disappointed.
"True enough."
"I'll just clean everything up at once without wasting more time. That's fine, right?"
"Sounds good to me."
Assassin walked forward and manifested a myriad of firearms. They floated in the air before her outstretched right hand, firing indiscriminately. Pink tracers poured down like rain, and every Curse hit by those lines of light collapsed. It was a sight that reminded me of her Buster Card animation in her third ascension.
'Impressive.'
I glanced sideways at Naoya. His eyes and lips were trembling. He looked terrified, but also deeply moved, as if he were witnessing a revelation of true power.
'He's starting to feel the weight of the gap in power.'
Even humans bow their heads before the truly strong, just like beasts. That was exactly why I brought Naoya along. I wanted to see if that arrogant head of his would lower once he realized the sheer scale of the hierarchy. It seemed my plan was working perfectly.
"It is finished. The surrounding area is clear," Assassin said, lowering her hand with a sigh. The floating firearms vanished without a trace.
"Good job. Let's move to the next location." I took Assassin's hand and led the way out of the tunnel. We spent the rest of the early morning visiting other haunted spots and even taking out a few bounty-target Curse Users near Fukuoka. By the time we returned to the hotel, the sun was just about to rise.
Koyanskaya of Darkness—Foreigner—grabbed Naoya by the scruff of his neck and flew up to the hotel rooftop to avoid being seen.
"Ugh...!" Naoya groaned as he rolled onto the concrete floor. Being handled like luggage and then tossed aside was an immense humiliation. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to get angry. He couldn't dismiss them like he usually did. To Naoya, the two Koyanskayas weren't just Cursed Spirits or women—they were monsters.
"Hmm..." Foreigner hummed, clasping her hands behind her back in thought. She was contemplating how to break that nasty temperament of his. More specifically, how to torment him legitimately.
'Master warned me not to turn him into a drooling animal, so...'
Foreigner slowly sifted through her memories. Master's description of Naoya's tendencies. Naoya's own words and actions. What he felt when he saw certain behaviors. Finally, a twisted grin spread across her face.
'Ah. That'll do it.'
"You are destined to live a weak life forever. You will die a pathetic death, unable to survive even if you crawl in the dirt."
"W-What did you say?!" In an instant, Naoya's eyes snapped toward her. Being called 'weak' was the ultimate insult for him. It was his panic button. Yet, strangely enough, it was the exact future he would have faced—dying a pathetic death, stabbed by the very women he looked down upon, only to become a Curse and die again.
Once by Zenin Maki's mother. Once by Zenin Maki herself.
"Shall I say it again? You are weak." Foreigner chuckled, her eyes narrowing with contempt. It was pure provocation.
"Me... weak?"
"Yes. Not only are you weaker than me, but you are weak even by absolute standards. Your heart is weak, above all else."
"My heart?" Naoya frowned as he stood up, his emotions wavering. 'Weak heart?' It was something he had never heard in his life.
"Arrogance. Contempt. These are emotions held by the weak, those who cannot endure without tearing others down." Foreigner pulled a black whip out of thin air. It was a technique similar to Projection—creating objects solely through magical energy.
"Do you hate being called weak? Then we must start by tearing down that arrogance of yours."
Crack—!
The black whip tore through the air, lunging toward Naoya. The sound was terrifying, as if the space itself were being rent asunder. Naoya immediately surged his Cursed Energy and activated his technique.
Projection Sorcery.
A technique that divides one second into 24 frames, pre-calculating a movement and executing it. Failure to follow the pre-set movement results in being frozen for one second—but this disadvantage could be used to freeze opponents as well, just as his father Naobito did.
'I can dodge something like this!'
One second, 24 frames. Naoya calculated his path with ease and moved. His target was Foreigner. He planned to drive his fist into the face of this wench who was neither human nor Curse.
'Here I go!'
Naoya slid under the whip and lunged upward toward Foreigner. It was a perfect strike. With a speed that ranked among the fastest in the sorcery world, he was sure he could strike her.
"You are certainly fast."
But he was mistaken. The whip may have missed, but his fist never connected. Before he knew it, Foreigner was holding his wrist. It was a movement so natural it felt like she was simply picking up a dropped wallet.
"Now, let's begin your education. We don't have much time, so we'll go with the special course. It will be... harsh." Foreigner smiled and summoned a pack of magical beasts behind her. It was time for his first lesson.