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'Oh my god, how is this happening?' Momo thought as she tried and failed to stifle a laugh after Kiniro reached the climax of his story about having to fight a curse in a public onsen with just a towel on, 'Why am I actually enjoying my time talking to this idiot?'
"So did you ever manage to find your clothes?"
"No! They were completely ruined by all the heat and minerals in the water. That was the worst part of it all; I lost my favorite hoodie that day!" Kiniro exclaimed with a disappointed click of his tongue, "Still doesn't make any sense that a place where people go to relax can accumulate enough negative emotions to make a cursed spirit."
"Surely it couldn't have given you that much trouble," Momo stressed.
Kiniro shrugged, "No, not normally, but I was exhausted; I had just fought a small horde of grade 1 curses the day before and was trying to recover."
'I can't get over the way he talks so casually about exorcising multiple grade 1 curses; it reminds me of Todo,' Momo noted as she imagined the two characters meeting, 'Honestly, I can't see them not being friends. They both have that absurd nature about them.'
"So what about you, any fun mission stories?"
Kiniro's question snapped Momo out of her thoughts, and she let out a nervous laugh, "N-not really, I'm more of a supporter. I don't really get into the middle of things."
"Is that a personal choice, or is it because you believe that your cursed technique isn't suitable for combat?" Kiniro asked as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of smokes, "Because if it's the latter, I would have to disagree."
Momo blushed and batted her eyelashes at Kiniro, "I'm really not that strong; I would rather help out than be a burden on the battlefield."
"Bullshit," Kiniro muttered with a dismissive snort as he tapped the carton against his palm until a single cigarette fell out, "You don't do it out of consideration for others, but yourself. Being useful allows you to stay relevant and steadily advance without risking yourself. Besides, no one likes the idea of a small petite girl trying to act all brave and courageous when there are a bunch of men around. It's just unsightly."
Momo felt her chest tighten as Kiniro's words surgically peeled away the layers of her character and exposed her very core, "H-how did…"
"Don't get me wrong, I'm not criticizing you," Kiniro muttered as he pinched the cigarette between his lips, "It's a fine strategy, but your pride and arrogance are lacking. You're trying to use your beauty as a lever, but right now everything about you is dulled. After all, men don't lust after the cute girl next door."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Momo asked with an edge to her voice, "There's nothing wrong with the way I look, and you have no idea what you're talking about."
Kiniro grinned as he pulled out a lighter, "Is that so? You think I know nothing of desire? Of the never-ending lust that fuels people's darkest thoughts and most shameful actions."
Momo watched Kiniro light his cigarette as he inhaled, forming a bright cherry red ember with his long drag. Almost a full five seconds later, Kiniro took the cigarette away from his lips and exhaled, blowing out a plume of pale blue smoke from the corner of his mouth. "You couldn't be further from the truth…I know desire intimately more than I have any other human being, unfortunately. People absolutely stink of it, but it's such a wonderful stench because they're powerless to resist their own desires. They yearn for it, and will do anything to fulfill their need. Lie, cheat, steal, kill, knowingly poison themselves with chemicals, all in the name of desire."
Kiniro glanced at Momo with a knowing smile as the sweet-smelling smoke formed a haze around him, "So if you know what people desire, you know how to control them. And if you become what they desire, then all you need is a single glance in their direction to make them yours."
Kiniro then held out his hand, offering the cigarette, which he held loosely between his two fingers. Momo glanced from Kiniro's bright eyes down to the cigarette, and after a brief second, she reached out and took it from him. Bringing the cigarette up to her lips, Momo inhaled and let the smoke fill her lungs as Kiniro's words rang through her mind.
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"We're here."
Noritoshi announced as he stopped in front of a temple gate that was surprisingly not out of place considering Kyoto was considered the capital for traditional Japanese culture.
Kiniro peered through the gate and stared at the long winding path leading off into a seemingly endless jade bamboo forest. Of course, that was just an illusion for those unaware of the gate's true nature.
'Another one of Tengen's barriers,' Kiniro noted with no small amount of interest as he fought the urge to reach out and tap into the power lingering inside, just out of pure curiosity to see what would happen, 'Well, I would probably be labeled a cursed user and have every single Jujutsu sorcerer sent after me by the higher-ups.'
"Well then let's go inside already, all this walking is killing me," Kiniro replied as he grinned at Noritoshi, who didn't share his enthusiasm in the slightest, "This way."
Noritoshi stepped through the gates and, after a few seconds, seemed to vanish from view.
"Come on, we shouldn't keep everyone else waiting," Momo said before she walked through the gate as well, with Kiniro following her less than a second later.
As he passed through the barrier, Kiniro watched his surroundings shift and change as the illusion fell away, revealing the true Kyoto campus.
"Woah, this is a nice place you all got," Kiniro let out an appreciative whistle as he gazed out across what looked to be a traditional Buddhist temple with winding paths through peaceful naturescapes that looked to be meticulously maintained and cared for, "Seriously, this is like the final setting for one of those old martial arts movies."
"I would think that someone with manners would refrain from comparing the sacred heart of Jujutsu's sorcerer to a mere movie."
A wisened voice chastised Kiniro, whose eyes focused on the path in front of him and the old man steadily hobbling towards him.
Kiniro grinned at the old man, "Well then, that must mean it would be rude to say that you look like you belong in one of those movies as well."
"Impudent and cavalier," The old man muttered with a disapproving glare as he came to a stop and tapped the cobbled path with his cane, "No doubt the symptoms of being that moron's disciple."
"Nah, this is all a symptom of just being me," Kiniro corrected, "But I was being serious about complimenting your school principal, Gakuganji. No offense intended."
"Your reputation for mischief precedes you, Demon," Gakuganji declared, still regarding Kiniro with a hostile gaze, "Laugh and joke all you want; nothing will make me overlook the walking calamity you are."
Kiniro frowned, "Jesus, who the fuck shit in your dentures this morning?"
Gakuganji's eyebrows furrowed, and he clenched his cane tight in a near-death grip, "Part of me was worried that I would feel some burden having to extinguish such a young light. But now I see that there is nothing redeemable in your rotten soul."
"Now that's just a bit harsh," Kiniro muttered as he hefted his bag, "And as much as I would like to keep trading insults, I'm tired of carrying all my shit and want to rest up a bit before the first event begins. So if you could just take me to your guest lodging, that would be fantastic."
Gakuganji grinned, "I'm afraid that isn't possible, because the first event begins right now."
Before Kiniro could voice an opinion, Gakuganji slammed his staff into the ground and let out an echoing thud. The moment the sound went off, Kiniro's eyes widened as he sensed multiple hostile intents converge on him along with several flares of cursed energy.
But the moment Kiniro registered the threat, his world was awash in a sea of light as five thick energy lasers seared through the air, intent on reducing him to nothing more than a shadow on the ground.
All Kiniro had time to do was smile as a singular thought ran through his mind, 'Looks like I underestimated them…this might actually turn out to be fun.'