A gust of wind swept through the room.
The smoke and dust were blown away in seconds.
When visibility returned, both Kagetane Hiruko and the little girl were gone.
Only the boy who had rushed in with a gun remained, along with a severed, mangled right arm lying on the floor.
"Don't move!"
The boy raised his gun, aiming it squarely at Gojo and Betty, his voice firm despite the chaos.
"Oh, they got away," Gojo said, standing by the window and watching the two distant figures retreat.
"You've got some nerve saying that," Betty shot back, rolling her eyes. She knew him well enough to understand that if he had actually tried, there was no way they would have escaped.
"Who would've thought the model you caught would just cut off its own tail and run," she added dryly.
"Kind of a shame. I wanted to take it apart and see how it worked."
She tilted her head slightly. "If we brought that kind of technology back, do you think your teacher would like it? Maybe give Cursed Corpses mechanical bodies."
Gojo chuckled. "We do have mechanical ones, but nothing this advanced. Definitely nothing that can imitate a knockoff version of the Limitless Cursed Technique."
As they talked, they turned and headed toward the door, completely ignoring the armed boy behind them.
Just as they reached the entrance, another figure appeared, blocking their way with a gun.
"Stop right there!"
This one was a middle-aged man, a badge hanging from his chest marking him as a detective.
Gojo scratched his head and glanced at Betty. "See? This is your fault for walking too slow. We could've been out already."
"Oh please, this is entirely on you."
Neither of them paid any attention to the guns pointed at them.
"Killing police officers is a serious crime," the boy behind them said. "You're not getting away."
"That's not what happened," Betty replied coldly, turning back toward him. "The one who escaped did it. We were trying to stop him. We have proof."
As she spoke, a phone appeared in her hand.
The screen played a recording of their earlier arrival. The footage clearly showed Kagetane already inside, and more importantly, his own admission of killing the officers.
Since getting into the habit of browsing videos online, Betty had started recording random moments, calling it "documenting daily life." It turned out to be useful after all.
The boy stared at the screen, stunned.
He hadn't expected things to unfold like this.
"See?" Gojo sighed dramatically. "The world's a cold place. Good thing we had evidence, or we'd be dragged off without a chance to explain."
The boy's face flushed red.
"I… I'm sorry," he said quickly, lowering his gun. "I made a judgment without understanding the situation."
Rentaro Satomi bowed his head slightly, clearly embarrassed.
The scene had been misleading. The masked man had been completely overwhelmed by them. If he hadn't burst in, they likely would have already subdued him.
"No worries," Gojo said, waving it off. "Misunderstandings happen."
"If that's settled, we'll be going."
He grabbed Betty's hand and moved to leave. By now, he had a rough sense of the world. It was time to properly investigate what Gastrea actually were.
Just as he was about to step out, Rentaro's expression changed again.
"Wait… the Gastrea is gone too."
"Detective Kinoshita, I'll leave things here to you. I need to chase them."
Without waiting for a response, he leapt straight out the window from the sixth floor.
The detective opened his mouth as if to stop him, but no words came.
By the time he reacted, the room was empty again, save for the two corpses.
…
Rentaro moved quickly, using his right hand to push off window ledges as he descended, reducing the impact of the fall.
Then a voice rang out beside him.
"Hey, you mentioned Gastrea earlier, right?"
"Mind taking us along to see one?"
Startled, he turned his head.
Gojo was right beside him, holding Betty as if they were simply strolling through the air.
"Careful, that's dangerous…" Rentaro said instinctively.
But the ground rushed up too quickly.
"Boom!"
He landed hard, the concrete beneath his feet cracking and sinking.
Immediately, he reached out, intending to catch them.
Then he froze.
Gojo landed lightly, barely making a sound, Betty still in his arms.
The contrast was absurd.
Rentaro's hand hovered awkwardly in midair before he slowly pulled it back.
Right… these people don't need help.
"You two are Civil Security?" he asked as he broke into a run again.
"Civil Security?" Gojo shook his head. "Nope. We're just ordinary people."
Ordinary?
Rentaro's lips twitched.
Ordinary people didn't jump from six floors without a scratch.
Ordinary people didn't pin down someone like Kagetane Hiruko without effort.
Every word made sense on its own, yet together they meant nothing.
"What about the guy who killed those officers?" Gojo asked curiously. "You're not going after him?"
"Gastrea are the bigger threat," Rentaro said grimly. "The more people they infect, the more of them appear."
Gojo and Betty exchanged a look.
So it spread.
"Like zombie movies?" Gojo muttered. "You get bitten, you turn?"
"Maybe," Betty said quietly. "Otherwise, the criminal would be the priority."
They followed him through the streets, searching.
After a few hundred meters, Rentaro spotted a figure ahead.
"Enju!"
He called out, but the small figure didn't stop.
She disappeared around a corner.
He quickened his pace, chasing after her.
The three of them followed her into a narrow alley.
Dim light stretched across the space.
At the far end, a young man leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. Blood stained his clothes.
"Any last words?" Enju Aihara said, her voice sharp.
"I… I…"
The man trembled, something flickering in his eyes.
"No, I'm fine. I'm fine!"
"Don't worry about me. I'm fine!"
His voice rose, growing frantic.
Then—
Gojo and Betty's expressions changed.
The man's body began to convulse.
His flesh bulged and twisted, as if something inside was forcing its way out.
Blood sprayed.
Bones snapped.
In seconds, the human shape collapsed, replaced by something else entirely.
A massive yellow spider, over three meters long.
Gojo pulled off his sunglasses, staring.
"You're kidding me. He turned into a spider?"
Even with his earlier suspicions, seeing it happen was something else entirely.
A human body, under two hundred pounds, transforming into a creature that size, changing species entirely.
It was far beyond anything like zombies.
"Disgusting," Betty muttered, her nose wrinkling. "Are all Gastrea insects?"
Nearby, Enju had already charged forward, engaging the creature.
Despite her small frame, her strength was overwhelming.
Speed. Power. Everything about her exceeded normal human limits, rivaling low-level Jujutsu Sorcerers reinforcing themselves with Cursed Energy.
"Those kids are pretty impressive," Betty said, watching closely. "The one earlier too. Jumping up six floors and barely reacting to my mana."
She narrowed her eyes.
"Did you notice? Their eyes are red. Like Felt's."
"And their aura… it's similar to that spider."
"Now that you mention it…" Gojo rubbed his chin, sensing more carefully.
"What a fascinating world."
In less than two hours, he had already encountered more strange phenomena than expected.
While the fight continued, he glanced at his system.
The familiar basic mission appeared, telling him to find the protagonist.
This time, it had triggered much faster than before.
Curious, he checked the location.
Then paused.
The red marker was close.
Very close.
After confirming it several times, he came to a realization.
His luck was better than expected.
Because the protagonist of this world was right there.
The boy fighting the spider.
"What a coincidence," he murmured.
"What is?" Betty asked.
"Just thinking how lucky we are."
Since he had already found the protagonist, things would be much easier.
A faint smile curved his lips.
Popularity Points weren't going to earn themselves.
He still had his eyes on Adaptation and the Divine Protection of the Phoenix.
With those, he could finally stand on equal footing with someone like Reinhard van Astrea.
He hadn't forgotten their promised duel.
"Bang!"
The transformed spider lashed out, its strength vastly increased.
Even Enju was sent flying.
"Enju!"
Rentaro fired repeatedly, aiming carefully.
The bullets embedded into the creature's body.
For something that size, the rounds should have been insignificant.
Yet the spider shrieked in pain.
Still, it wasn't enough.
Killing it this way was nearly impossible.
Enraged, it charged straight at Rentaro.
"Rentaro!"
Enju shouted.