"I want you to exorcise my dad."
Everything stalled.
The ambient hum of the park, the chatter, the wind, the shifting gravel, all flatlined into a dull silence.
It was as if someone had sucked the air out of the park.
I stared at her, stunned.
"…Your dad?"
The silence stretched, taut as a wire, until she finally snapped it.
"Yes. My dad." She took a deep breath, her shoulders dropping as if she'd finally set down a heavy load.
The confirmation hit like a physical weight.
...Her dad?
My mind began to race, pulling fragments of the 'Mieruko-chan' manga from the back of my memory
I recalled him, Mamoru Yotsuya. He wasn't some malevolent, grotesque spirit/curse. He was a benevolent shadow, a loving presence lurking in her home anchored to his own memorial shrine, still unaware that his life had ended a year ago
She wants him gone?
The chestnut pudding incident came to mind, a stupid fight over a snack that is now her biggest regret.
That was the last time they had talked and the last time they spoke, it was in a fight.
Now she lived with that guilt like a weight in her chest.
Every day, she had to look right through his kind eyes and pretend he was air.
She ignored him when he talked to her, haunted by the fear that if she acknowledged him, he might finally move on.
Why does she want him gone, then?
As she began to explain, I realized the horror of her request. She wasn't asking me to excorcise him because she didn't love him; she wanted to excorcise him because she loved him too much.
After what I'd told her about Curses during our first meeting, she had asked me about the spirits that linger in our world.
I had told her the truth.
They slowly become corrupted and turn into Curses themselves.
It is a living agony for a person to watch their loved one rot into a monster.
Worse, other Curses are attracted to a lingering soul; they want to consume it, drawing constant danger to the house and everyone inside it.
She explains her reasoning while keeping her head down, her shoulders slightly trembling as she cries.
"So... will you help me?"
I sighed.
She is a brave girl...
...if it were me, I don't know if I could make such a choice.
"Of course," I said, my voice steadier than I actually feel.
But exorcising him won't be easy. I remember François.
That is the nickname Mamoru, gave to the massive, horse-shaped monstrosity that haunts their living room.
It spends its days hovering over Mamoru like a silent guardian, brutally tearing apart any hostile spirits that dare to cross the threshold.
Is François strong? Immensely so. The spirit is more than capable of consuming the father's soul in a single gulp, yet it chooses to act as a protective force instead, proving it has the rare intelligence to restrain its own hunger.
At the very least, he is a Semi-Special Grade curse.
I don't know if I can defeat him.
Even if I somehow win, like the previous time, by using the Wall Breaker's and blowing up the curse....it will most likely destroy her home.
I can't just level her house, right?
But I have a way around that, though.
I'll just use my phone to call a friend.
I'll get Satoru or Suguru to come and exorcise the curse instead, while I provide them with support.
She already knows Satoru, so having him show up won't be an issue.
But the problem is: She hasn't mentioned François yet, so how do I tell her that I know her father is protected by a massive guardian? And how do I explain that I have to ask a friend to come and finish the job?
I can't exactly tell her, "I've watched your anime," can I?
"I would love to help you..." I begin.
She looks up at me hopefully, tears still shimmering in her eyes.
"...but based on what you've told me, I can deduce that he is a benevolent spirit. And—"
"And?" she asks, leaning in.
"Spirits like him are usually the favorite food for other Curses." I explain. "It's been a year since he passed; by now, dozens of entities should have come to consume him. The only reason he's still there is because something or someone is protecting him."
"And whatever it is, it must be incredibly strong to have kept him safe for an entire year."
I pause, locking eyes with her. "So, is there anyone or anything with him? An object... or a guardian... who is defending him?"
She looks at me for a long moment, stunned. Then, her eyes widen.
"Yes!" she gasps. "François! There is a massive, horse-shaped curse around him. I—I don't know if he's protecting him or not, but he does consume every other spirit that enters the living room."
I widen my eyes, faking my surprise.
"That must be it," I say, my voice dropping as if I'm processing a grave threat. "A horse-shaped curse? I've never encountered a Curse with that kind of profile before. If it has been holding its ground for an entire year, it's likely a Semi-Special Grade."
"To be honest, Miko–chan... I don't know if I can defeat a guardian like that on my own without destroying the entire house."
She speaks up quickly, panic rising in her voice. "You can't destroy the house! We aren't rich—we don't have enough money to buy a new one!"
"I know, I know." I say, trying to calm her down.
"So what are we going to do?" Her face looks like she's about to cry again.
She's so cute, and her facial expressions are so funny, even though she usually doesn't show them much.
I shook the thought away. I can't be thinking this right now. I need to focus.
"I can call my friends—you know Satoru," I tell her. "They can come and exorcise it. He is incredibly strong; he can finish the job without damaging a single brick of your house."
Relief washes over her face, her expression softening instantly.
"By the way," I ask, "have you told your mother about Curses or Jujutsu High?"
She instantly sighs again, her shoulders slumping as she looks defeated.
"Yes, I told her everything," she admits. "But she didn't believe a word I said. Now she's saying she's taking me to a psychiatrist on Monday."
She looks up at me, her eyes filled with frustration. "I don't know how to convince her... how do you usually make a non-sorcerer see Curses?"
I look at her with a thoughtful expression, but inside, I'm drawing a complete blank. "I... don't actually know."
Miko stares at me, completely speechless.
"Well, you know, right?" I say, rubbing the back of my neck awkwardly. "I'm still new to all of this. And they haven't actually covered much of the course at school yet... most of our periods are just free time."
She narrows her eyes, suspicion forming on her face. "Then how do you know benevolent spirits are protected by a guardian? And how do you know normal Curses consume them?"
My tongue slipped again. Crap.
I feel a cold sweat prickle my neck. Sharp.
She's too sharp.
"Well... well, they teach us this in school!" I blurt out, my heart hammering against my ribs.
Miko tilts her head, her gaze narrowing with clinical suspicion. "Really? You've only been there for a week, and just said most of your classes are free time... but they already taught you exactly what Curses like to eat? Doesn't that sound like a high-level topic for a beginner?"
"Yes!" I stammer, my face heating up. Crap. I'm digging a hole here. "It was... uh... an accelerated orientation? We had a very long lecture on 'Curse Food Chain' on Tuesday."
Before she can grill me any further, I hurriedly change the subject. "L-let me just call Satoru and the others. They're the experts—maybe they'll know a way to handle your mom and the Curse."
.
(Author note: I know about Maki glasses, but he is a human too he also forgot things😑 so let me cook: how do he know about all this if it isn't taught at school..well he has watched the anime...And on a very important note.
I have come to stand before a milestone on my story.
Here from now on I will build up a set up for the Past inventory arc and his character development.
There are two things I have thought:
1) Their wouldn't be much suprise in the story .
He will save everyone in the story like every fanfiction protagonist.
About his character development he will just become older and will mature somehow.
The story will be good but it will be a little generic like all other novel (Happy -Happy- Happy) it will be like this.
2) Something will happen it will change him. The story will be peak.
What will happen in story?
Its a secret. It will be a roller coaster of emotion.
But it will be peak.
But you guys can be a little angry.
(Happy -Fuck-Good)
Now I am giving you all a choice to chose one.
Comment 1 or 2 whatever you all like?
Tomorrow morning I will start writing the new chp it's plot will have to be adjusted according to the choice. Whichever have more comments I will go with this.
And I am seeing you guys aren't checking my new novel 😑 it's in my page now so please go and check it out.😭🙏🙏
I really like the Main character with flaws with whom I can relate who has a lot of room for growth in his character development instead of being a Mc who is already all development.)