Mieruko-chan?
The words almost slipped out of my mouth without thinking.
For a moment, we just stared at each other. Her yellow eyes met mine.
Then she turned her head away and started walking past me.
…Huh?
"Hey—wait."
I stepped forward slightly.
"Listen… are you injured?"
No response.
"Are you okay?"
She kept walking.
"…Can't you hear me?"
Nothing.
She didn't even glance back, and I stood there watching her walk away like I didn't exist.
…Why is she pretending I didn't exist?
Then it clicked.
Don't tell me… she thinks I'm a ghost? I frowned slightly. Now that I thought about it, it actually made sense.
To her, I had just appeared out of nowhere, defeated the curse, and was now standing here like nothing happened. And if she is cautious of spirits… then to her, I probably looked like one too.
Well...
"Hey, I'm human—not a spirit."
She still didn't turn around.
She was about to step out of the alley.
"Hey—I said wait."
So, I reached out and grabbed her hand.
"Kyaaa—!"
_________________________________________
A few minutes later—
We were sitting in a small café nearby.
She sat across from me, still a little tense, her eyes occasionally glancing at me like she wasn't fully convinced yet.
"…So," she said cautiously, "you're really human?"
"Yeah, I am."
"My name is Emiya Hyodo."
She hesitated for a moment before replying.
"…Miko."
She paused, then added a bit more clearly—
"Miko Yotsuya."
Her eyes were still fixed on me, filled with doubt… and curiosity.
"So… you can see them too?" she asked quietly. "Those… ghosts. And you can even control them… make them fight each other."
She hesitated.
"…Are you some kind of shaman?"
I paused, wondering if I should tell her. For a moment, I considered brushing it off, but if she could already see curses, then her life was probably a mess—full of confusion, fear, and constant stress. …Yeah. Hiding it wouldn't help her.
And it's not like I'm going to get in trouble for this… right.
Right?
Letting out a quiet breath.
"I'm not a shaman," I said.
She blinked.
"I'm a jujutsu sorcerer."
Her brows furrowed slightly.
"Jujutsu… sorcerer?"
"And those weren't ghosts," I continued calmly. "They're called cursed spirits."
"…Cursed spirits?"
"They're born from negative human emotions—fear, anger, hatred. Most people can't see them."
I leaned back slightly.
"But people like us… can."
She went quiet, listening.
So I explained the basics—cursed energy, sorcerers, and how those things prey on humans. I kept it simple, just enough for her to understand.
By the time I finished, she was staring at me, completely still.
"So… there's a whole group of people who can see cursed spirits and exorcise them?" she asked quietly.
"I thought I'm… special."
I shook my head slightly.
"I wouldn't say that just yet."
She frowned slightly.
"If you can only see them but don't have cursed energy or a technique…"
"…it actually makes things worse."
Her expression stiffened.
"You'd be able to see them… but not fight back."
"And that kind of situation…"
I exhaled lightly.
"…is more miserable than anything."
She stayed quiet for a second, then looked up at me.
"So… do I have cursed energy? A technique?"
"Everyone has cursed energy," I said. "Otherwise, cursed spirits wouldn't exist in the first place."
She listened carefully.
"But for most people, it's so minuscule they can't sense or use it."
"And jujutsu sorcerers?"
"They're different."
"They have a certain wiring in their brain that lets them perceive cursed energy… and see curses."
Her fingers tightened slightly around her sleeve.
"…So I'm not normal then."
"…Not exactly."
I looked at her for a moment.
"You do have more cursed energy than a normal person."
Her eyes widened slightly.
"But your exact level—I can't really tell. I'm still new myself."
"New?"
"Yeah. It's only been four days since I joined Jujutsu High."
"And my technique?"
"I don't know if you have one," I said. "Not everyone develops one."
She nodded slowly.
"So… there's still a chance?"
"Yeah."
She paused, then asked—
"What's Jujutsu High?"
"It's a school," I replied, "for jujutsu sorcerers."
"So… are there any requirements to join?"
"Well, having cursed energy is kind of the main thing," I said. "As for the rest… I don't really know."
She tilted her head slightly.
"I only awakened my technique about two months ago," I continued. "That's when I started seeing curses too."
For a moment, my thoughts drifted.
To the different world.
In my previous life, I didn't have any parents, so there wasn't anything really tying me down. No lingering attachments.
I was fairly well-off from the money they left behind, though. I lived a quiet, shut-in life—naive in a lot of ways. Still, I was lucky. No greedy relatives, no step-parents trying to take advantage of me.
…Still, sometimes—
I found myself missing the neighborhood aunty who used to look out for me.
At first, I was actually happy about being transmigrated into a new world.
A fresh start.
But that feeling didn't last long.
Right after I arrived, I ran into a cursed spirit.
I tried to fight it using my cursed technique, but back then my "Town Hall" was at the very beginning—no barracks, no cannons, nothing.
I was completely unprepared.
…I almost died.
If Yaga hadn't shown up when he did—
I wouldn't be here right now.
Of course, I'm not telling anyone that.
"I was pretty freaked out at first," I admitted. "But then the principal—Yaga—found me."
"And?"
"He explained the basics of cursed energy… and enrolled me in Jujutsu High."
"So I don't really know if there are any specific requirements," I added. "Why are you asking, though?"
"…Do you want to join Jujutsu High?"
She hesitated.
"Well…"
(WTF Cliffhanger-kun)