The car slowed to a stop in front of a rusted iron gate.
Beyond it stood the hospital.
Old. Abandoned. Squatting under the gray afternoon sky like a bad memory no one bothered to bury.
Cracked walls. Shattered windows. A faded sign hung crooked above the entrance, its letters barely readable through grime and time.
Emiya stared at it through the window.
"…Yeah," he muttered. "This place definitely looks haunted."
The driver—an assistant sorcerer, one of the so-called Window—stepped out first and adjusted his glasses nervously.
"This is the site," he said, flipping open a clipboard. "An abandoned hospital on the outskirts of the city. It was shut down years ago due to structural issues and… budget problems."
Shoko stepped out beside Emiya, hands in her pockets, expression bored.
"Uh-huh," she said flatly. "And?"
The Window swallowed.
"Recent reports indicate several missing persons. Mostly juveniles. Local rumor says they were… doing drugs inside the building."
Emiya winced slightly.
Kids. Of course.
"Witnesses claim the disappearances happened inside the hospital. No bodies recovered. No signs of struggle. That suggests—"
"A curse," Emiya finished quietly.
The Window nodded quickly. "Yes. Estimated threat level: Grade Two. Possibly a nesting-type curse."
Shoko exhaled through her nose.
"…Why do we have to save them?" she asked calmly.
The Window froze.
Emiya blinked. "…Huh?". ಠωಠ
She tilted her head, genuinely curious.
"They broke into an abandoned hospital to do drugs," she said flatly. "They were likely a nuisance to society. Their disappearance won't matter much."
The Window was at the lost of word's.
"I—uh—well—"
Emiya stared at her, momentarily speechless.
"That's… harsh."
Shoko glanced at him.
He immediately looked away.(;ŏ﹏ŏ)
'Who even says something like that so openly?'(｡•́︿•̀｡)
The Window forced a professional smile.
"Regardless, your orders are to investigate, confirm the curse's existence, and exorcise it. Please… be careful."
He bowed slightly, then retreated to the car like a man escaping a crime scene.
The gate creaked open.
Emiya and Shoko stepped inside.
_______________________________________
The hospital lobby smelled wrong.
Stale air. Dust. Something damp and rotten underneath it all.
Broken wheelchairs lay scattered across the floor. Paint peeled from the walls in long, sickly strips. A flickering emergency light cast uneven shadows that stretched far too long.
Emiya swallowed.
"…Classic horror setup," he muttered. "All we're missing is the creepy piano music."
Shoko didn't respond.
She walked forward calmly, footsteps steady, eyes scanning with professional detachment.
Emiya followed.
They moved deeper into the building.
Silence pressed in.
"So," Emiya tried, after a minute. "You ever notice how abandoned hospitals are always worse than normal abandoned buildings?"
Shoko ignored him.
"…Because they remind people of death," he continued. "And pain. And medical bills."
Nothing.
He Continued.
"You know," he said, "I heard some hospitals keep records hidden in the basements. Like, secret wings. Maybe ghosts of unpaid interns—"
"Hyodo," Shoko said without looking back.
"…Yeah?"
"Talk less."
He shut his mouth.
Three seconds passed.
"…Okay but—"
She stopped walking.
Turned slowly.
Looked at him.
He immediately raised his hands. "Right. Less."
She resumed walking.
Emiya stared at her back, incredulous.
Why is she so unfriendly.
This girl really thinks she's a baddie.
He smirked.ᕙ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)ᕗ
Clan-born genius. Reverse Cursed Technique prodigy. Princess treatment her whole life.
Yeah. That definitely went to her head.
________________________________________
Shoko's POV
The lobby smelled like neglect. Old hospital smell. Nothing more.
She noted the broken wheelchairs, the peeling paint, the flickering light. Standard hazards in abandoned structures. No reason to panic.
Hyodo. That's his name.
Commoner-born sorcerer. No clan backing. No pedigree. Probably thinks Jujutsu society is some kind of game.
And he won't shut up. Every few steps, some stupid unfunny jokes. "Classic horror setup," "creepy piano music," "secret basements with ghosts of interns."
Does he actually think he's funny? Does he believe talking constantly makes him competent?
He has no idea what he's walking into.
One misstep, one lapse of judgment, and he could be dead.
He doesn't understand cursed energy the way he should.
His is weak, not proficient in cursed energy reinforcement. Just… a cursed technique for curse exorcism.
And yet here he is. Striding into an abandoned hospital like it's an adventure. Like he's invincible.
He might have potential, but potential doesn't save lives.
She notes the way he fidgets with his surroundings, half observing, half narrating, half trying to impress someone—probably her.
Ignorance and overconfidence a dangerous mix.
She makes a mental note: complete this exorcism fast enough and, for the love of god, make him stop talking.
"Hyodo," She said without looking back.
"…Yeah?"
"Talk less."
He shut his mouth.
Three seconds passed.
"…Okay but—"
She stopped walking.
Turned slowly.
Looked at him.
He immediately raised his hands. "Right. Less."
She resumed walking.
Am I being harsh?
Naah. Maybe he'll feel a little bad… but the mission will end faster.