Chapter 53: Rooftop Decision
Hearing Negi's words, a faint smile finally appeared on Rin's calm face; this was exactly the answer he wanted to hear.
What he wanted wasn't cowardice, but for Negi to see the situation clearly and understand the value behind this gamble.
Negi felt his skin crawl under the gaze and subconsciously shrank back, his voice trembling slightly:
"W-Why are you looking at me? Did I say something wrong? Being caught in a pincer attack is dangerous, there's no need for us to take this risk!"
"You're not wrong." Rin stood up and walked to the edge of the rooftop, looking down at the sign of the snack shop in the distance. His voice reached Negi's ears clearly:
"That's why I need you to lead those two away."
"What?!" Negi's eyes widened instantly as he looked at Rin in disbelief.
"Lead them away? What do you mean I should lead them away? Even if you want revenge on me, you don't have to be so blatant about it! How is this any different from suicide!"
"I'm not trying to get revenge on you." Rin turned around, his tone calm:
"I'll send three Cursed Spirits to assist you. Two will be responsible for creating chaos, and one will cover your retreat. You just need to use the Cursed Spirits' movements to lure them in the opposite direction; there's no need for direct confrontation."
"Furthermore, I won't force you. This is for Teacher Geto. If we succeed, we might secure a Special Grade Cursed Spirit for him. If we fail, as long as you can retreat safely, we haven't lost anything."
He walked over to Negi and gently patted his shoulder:
"If you're unwilling, we'll leave right now, and no one will blame you." After saying this, Rin turned back to the edge of the rooftop, giving Negi space to think.
Negi fell into silence, but his response came faster than expected.
In just over ten seconds, Negi slowly raised his head. The hesitation and retreat in his eyes had vanished, replaced by a near-stubborn determination.
He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white from the force. He walked step by step to Rin's side. Though his voice wasn't loud, every word was clear:
"If it can help Lord Geto, this bit of risk is nothing. I'll handle leading them away."
As he spoke, his gaze swept toward the snack shop. Although he still felt some trepidation toward the Jujutsu Sorcerers from Jujutsu High, there was even more grit and resolve for his convictions. In his heart, Suguru Geto's goals were always more important than his own safety.
Looking at the determination in his eyes, Rin couldn't help but marvel. Suguru Geto, what kind of magic do you have that makes your subordinates so willing to risk their lives for you?
..."But then again," Aoi Todo put down his chopsticks, his knuckles tinged with a faint red from his grip. He looked at Mei Mei, his tone full of curiosity. "Exactly what kind of mission could bring a big shot like you, who 'only works for pay,' all the way here? Your appearance fee isn't exactly cheap."
Mei Mei held a slice of salmon between her fingertips and slowly brought it to her mouth. She chewed for a moment before looking up, some of the laziness in her eyes replaced by a hint of gravity:
"On the surface, it's just an ordinary haunting mission. There's an abandoned village on the outskirts of Hokkaido where seven college students went missing while exploring over the past three months. The police investigated twice but found no leads."
"Normally, something of this level wouldn't require my intervention."
She paused, put down her chopsticks, and wiped the corners of her mouth with a napkin, her tone deepening:
"But while I was on another mission in Sapporo last month, I noticed something strange. In the last six months, the number of abnormal disappearances in Sapporo has been unusually high, exceeding a hundred people."
"Most of these people were homeless or part-time workers—marginalized groups with few connections to each other, so it didn't draw much police attention. While tracking one of these cases, I stumbled upon a Cursed Spirit kidnapping a homeless man, intending to take him to the outskirts."
"Oh?" Aoi Todo's relaxed posture tightened instantly. His hands clenched instinctively, and his gaze sharpened. Cursed Spirits kidnapping humans wasn't something ordinary Cursed Spirits did; there had to be something behind it.
"I dealt with that Cursed Spirit on the spot," Mei Mei continued.
"After I reported the news to Jujutsu High, they analyzed the data from all the disappearance cases and concluded that there is likely a powerful, intelligent Cursed Spirit secretly controlling a group of low-level Cursed Spirits to pick 'prey' from the city for its own consumption."
"To think such a thing exists!" Aoi Todo slammed the table, causing the dishes to rattle. "If it's so powerful, wouldn't it be faster to just kill people directly? Why go through all this trouble and even control other Cursed Spirits?"
"I suspect it's because it's currently in a cursed womb state," Mei Mei explained, her fingertips lightly tapping the table.
"While a Cursed Spirit in a cursed womb state has basic strength, it's still unstable and cannot easily reveal itself. If it makes too much noise, it'll be easily targeted by Jujutsu High."
"By using this 'dispersed hunting' method, it can both avoid our sight and continuously gain energy. You see, after all this time, if I hadn't happened to stumble upon it, it could have continued hiding. Its plan has been quite successful."
"Then what are we waiting for!" Aoi Todo stood up abruptly, his muscles tensing beneath his loose sportswear, his tone urgent.
"We need to go take care of it now! If we wait for it to break out of its cursed womb state and grow into a Special Grade Cursed Spirit, it'll be much harder to deal with!"
Mei Mei couldn't help but smile at his impatience, a hint of craftiness flashing in her eyes:
"Relax. Since I dealt with that errand-running Cursed Spirit, there haven't been any new disappearances in Sapporo. That fellow must have realized someone is onto it and is now hiding, afraid to move."
"I'm telling you all this today because I want to bring you along for backup. After all, even an unhatched cursed womb can hide variables. Any potential Special Grade Cursed Spirit cannot be underestimated."
"No problem!" Aoi Todo thumped his chest, his voice booming.
"But let's make one thing clear: I'm the one who gets to defeat that Cursed Spirit! You just watch from the side; don't try to steal it from me!" He enjoyed nothing more than going head-to-head with powerful Cursed Spirits, and a "potential Special Grade" opponent was exactly to his taste.
The smile in Mei Mei's eyes deepened, and she readily replied:
"Deal." But inwardly, she was delighted. With a powerful combatant like Aoi Todo charging ahead, she could not only complete the mission and get paid easily but also do so without exerting much effort. This kind of "making money while lying down" opportunity was rare.
"Alright, this meal is on me."
Mei Mei called the waiter over and paid the bill readily. The two walked out of the shop side by side. Just as they pushed open the glass door, Aoi Todo's relaxed pace suddenly halted. His brow furrowed deeply, his nose twitched, and his tone instantly became serious:
"Something's wrong. There's the scent of Cursed Spirits, and more than one."
Mei Mei's expression also darkened. Her eyes, beneath her long white braids, narrowed slightly as if she had spotted something.