"What's going on here? Tell me the details." Suguru asked, looking at the supervisor beside him who was busy taking notes.
Supervisors generally refer to assistants with a certain amount of Cursed Energy. Unlike Jujutsu Sorcerers, they cannot guarantee the exorcism of Cursed Spirits, even one as extremely weak as a Grade 4 Cursed Spirit like a Fly Head.
They serve Jujutsu Sorcerers by casting Curtains to keep ordinary people from noticing when a sorcerer is exorcising a Cursed Spirit, acting as intermediaries between the ordinary human world and the world of sorcerers.
The supervisor looked up and immediately stood stiffly at attention, nervous. He stammered as he answered Suguru, "Geto-san... we received a report from a sewer repairman saying his coworker went missing while handling a sewage outlet. He suspected he might have fallen into an undercurrent, so he called the police."
"After the police arrived, they conducted a search of the scene and found a body that was already beyond recognition in the trash heap at the sewage outlet."
Enduring the stench of rot permeating the air, the supervisor walked over to the stretcher holding the body. He found an angle where the sparse crowd passing by the intersection couldn't see and stealthily pulled back the cover.
The corpse's skin had turned a purple so dark it was almost black, and it was covered in dense clusters of abscesses. The face, which should have been normal-sized, was severely bloated from the giantism effect of decomposition, with foul-smelling putrid liquid faintly oozing out. The two pupils had transformed into two white, inflamed pustules.
"Poison?" Renji spoke up immediately.
"Yes, a poison that looks terrifying just by glancing at it." Suguru said with a grim expression.
"Um... Geto-san, who is this?" The supervisor looked timidly at Renji.
He had originally thought it was Satoru, who was usually with Suguru, but instead found this unfamiliar face.
"Okkotsu Renji, a first-year at Jujutsu High." Renji said with a slight smile, before shifting his gaze to the corpse.
The supervisor let out a subconscious gasp of surprise.
"It... it's... that Special Grade Sorcerer." The supervisor looked at Renji with shining eyes.
"Yes. What are you so nervous for? Relax." Renji teased.
Suguru walked to the edge of the sewer opening. Guided by the crimson glow of the setting sun, he looked down. An indescribable scent was mixed in with the stench of rot.
Cursed Spirit Manipulation!
Several masses of shadow flowed from beneath Suguru's feet into the sewer.
Renji walked toward Suguru and looked down as well, his brow furrowing instantly.
Why was there no Cursed Energy left behind here?
This was Renji's only question at the moment.
Most Cursed Spirits are existences without self-awareness, they only kill based on instinct. Thus, they do not hide their Cursed Energy traces. Even a Special Grade Cursed Spirit would leave residual Cursed Energy at the scene, unless...
"What's wrong? Did you find something? I've already sent the Cursed Spirit—Cat-Dog to search the entire Iwate Prefecture along the sewage outlets. There should be results soon." Suguru asked, seeing Renji's expression.
"It's strange. There's no residual Cursed Energy on the spot." Renji knelt down, touching the ground with a finger imbued with Cursed Energy.
Drip!
Renji's massive Cursed Energy spread out from his finger, at an incredible speed, enveloping the entire Iwate Prefecture in a flash.
Even for Renji with his massive Cursed Energy, such a range of Cursed Energy perception was almost enough to make him unable to sustain it.
Every Cursed Spirit in Iwate Prefecture was sensed by Renji, but notably, there was no Cursed Spirit related to toxins.
"Cursed Energy perception inevitably has deviations. The lack of residual Cursed Energy could also mean it's a Curse User or something similar, they usually take care to hide their traces." Suguru patted Renji on the shoulder.
A Curse User?
But why would a Curse User kill a sewer maintenance worker for no reason?
Could they be trying to clog the sewers of Iwate Prefecture so they can't function, and then suffocate the entire city's population?
"Suguru, is it possible that it's a Special Grade Cursed Spirit with self-awareness..." Renji's voice trailed off as he looked at Suguru.
Suguru stroked his chin. "That is indeed a possibility. In any case, we must find it. Whether it's a Curse User or a Cursed Spirit, tomorrow is the Fireworks Festival. It must be exorcised, we can't let it kill any more non-sorcerers."
He then walked over to the supervisor to say something else.
On the spot, Renji's gaze returned to the corpse.
"Has the Curtain been cast?" Renji asked casually.
"Yes, it has already been cast." The supervisor didn't forget to tilt his head and answer Renji formally while talking to Suguru.
"Then that's fine."
With that, Renji lifted the white cloth. Looking at the unrecognizable corpse, he silently apologized for the offense. A body in this state couldn't be shown to the family, so he might as well take the liberty.
Pop!
When Renji's finger touched a swollen pustule on the corpse, it suddenly burst, splashing greenish blood onto his hand. Then, visibly, the area splashed by the green blood began to rot instantly, and then eyes rapidly began to grow one by one, densely arranged on Renji's palm.
Reverse Cursed Technique!
The originally injured area instantly became perfectly intact.
Corrosion.
The vast majority of this power was corrosion, not toxin.
"Geto, send the Cursed Spirits to the nearby chemical plants and sewage treatment plants, quickly." Renji looked at Suguru.
Suguru nodded.
A black rift emerged behind him. Then, dozens of Grade 3 Cursed Spirits—One-Legged Birds flew out in all directions.
"So, what did you find?" Suguru asked.
"This power isn't a toxin, it's corrosion. Based on the characteristic that Cursed Spirits like to return to scenes similar to their own power to nest, we just need to check nearby places with corrosive properties. As for hiding its Cursed Energy so we couldn't detect it at all..."
"Perhaps it's its Cursed Technique. However, as long as it's a Cursed Spirit, once you get within a certain range, you can definitely sense the presence of Cursed Energy."
Renji's reasoning was sound. Like Jogo in the original story, who had been hiding and training in Mount Fuji before meeting Kenjaku who had taken over Suguru's body, or Hanami who always stayed in the forest. They were Special Grade Cursed Spirits with self-awareness, yet they still couldn't escape the nature of a Cursed Spirit—seeking out a place with the same attributes as themselves to nest.
"Let's wrap it up for now. You there, supervisor, what is your name?" Renji asked.
"Okkotsu-san, my name is Murakami Taro." The supervisor replied.
"Murakami-san, please clean up the scene. We will handle this matter. Anyone who dares to take away my vacation will have to endure my wrath." A kind smile appeared on Renji's face.