Looking at Naji's somewhat sad expression, Eichi stood up and walked over to her.
Standing at 1.8 meters tall, Eichi's figure cast a complete shadow over her.
Naji's heart began to pound as he suddenly stood in front of her, his right hand resting lightly on her head.
"A sad expression doesn't suit you. You looked much better when you had that crazy look while fighting the Cursed Spirit earlier."
The next second, Eichi's words snapped Naji back to reality.
"Who are you calling crazy?"
She retorted loudly.
Who starts a compliment by calling a girl crazy?
"Yes, just like that."
Eichi smiled, seeing her spirit return.
He bent down, picked her up, and casually tossed her onto the bed.
"I'll take care of things from here. You just rest. Lack of sleep is the enemy of good skin."
"From now on... rest... sleep..." Naji's face turned even redder.
"You get a good night's sleep. I'm going back to my room to rest too. Running around the past few days has been exhausting, ah~"
As he spoke, Eichi let out a genuine yawn.
"Eh?"
Bang. The sound of the door closing echoed.
His room? Weren't they sharing?
Watching him leave so casually, Naji was stunned.
That wasn't how it played out on TV... Her face immediately flushed crimson as if she were steaming.
Covering her face, she rolled around on the bed before finally burying her entire head under the pillow.
---
The next morning, while eating breakfast, Eichi received a call from Shuji.
"Hello?"
"Young Master Eichi, the Shijima couple has arrived."
"Oh, bring them up."
Eichi quickly finished his bread.
He missed the breakfast of his past life.
Soy milk, fried dough sticks, tofu pudding, rice noodles, steamed buns, rice rolls, soup dumplings, pan-fried buns... knock-knock.
"Come in."
Straightening his clothes, Eichi stood up and walked to the door.
What greeted him was a haggard-looking couple.
"Are you the Shijima couple?"
"Yes. Where is our daughter, please?"
Naji's father's eyes were filled with both unease and anticipation.
"She's next door. Don't worry, she's safe."
With that, Eichi walked over to the next room and knocked on the door.
Click.
The door opened quickly.
Before Naji could react, her parents rushed forward and embraced her.
Naji stood frozen in her parents' arms, her expression flustered.
Her heart was tangled with guilt, fear, relief, and joy.
So many emotions at once left her speechless.
Watching the family reunite, Eichi nodded in satisfaction, then signaled Shuji with his eyes.
The two quietly turned and prepared to leave.
"Wait!"
Seeing them about to go, Naji quickly broke away and ran after them.
"What's wrong?"
Eichi turned back with a puzzled look.
"You're going to find Shadow Crocodile, right? Take me with you!"
"I refuse."
"Why? I can help too."
"What rank of Jujutsu Sorcerer are you?"
"Eh?"
Eichi's words left Naji speechless.
She'd never intended to become a Jujutsu Sorcerer, so she was clueless about what the ranks even meant.
"You're too weak. I don't want to fight a strong enemy while dragging along a burden. And also..."
Eichi's gaze shifted to the couple behind her.
"You're not the only one who lost family. Your parents did too. Do you want them to lose their daughter again?"
Naji froze.
She turned around and looked at her parents.
At that moment, she finally noticed the overwhelming concern and worry in their eyes. Her grief-blinded mind cleared.
"Dad, Mom, I..."
Her voice trembled as she bit her lip.
"It's okay. It's okay, Naji. Let's go home, alright? Let's go home."
Her mother pulled her into a tight hug, warm tears falling on her face.
"...Okay."
Naji stopped resisting and let her mother guide her.
The family left the hotel hand in hand.
"Let's go too."
"Yes, Young Master Eichi."
---
Shijima, Higashimura.
Following the clues provided by Naji, Eichi arrived at the village on Shijima Island to gather information about Shadow Crocodile.
But just as she said, the ancient texts and records were too badly damaged. Instead, the oral accounts from the elders were far more complete.
Still, Eichi wasn't sure how reliable oral traditions were.
Back in college, playing the telephone game, a sentence would change after just three people.
After six, it became completely different.
After ten, the original speaker wouldn't even recognize it.
Ding ding ding.
"Hmm? Yaga-sensei?"
Eichi, thinking it was another mission, reluctantly answered the call.
"Eichi, are you near Shijima right now?"
Yaga Masamichi's first sentence caught him off guard.
"I'm on Shijima."
"That's perfect. A team dispatched by Jujutsu Headquarters yesterday to exorcise a Cursed Spirit lost contact. I need you to check on their situation."
"Where were they last?"
"According to the Assistant Supervisor, their last known location was a cave on the west side of the island."
A cave?
Did they go to Shadow Crocodile's lair?
"I understand. I'll head there soon."
"Good. If the two Jujutsu Sorcerers are still alive, try to get them out. If it's too dangerous, retreat and wait for Satoru and Suguru before proceeding with the exorcism."
"Understood."
Yaga still cared deeply for his students.
Soon, Eichi and Shuji arrived at the cave entrance.
"Should we call for backup?"
Shuji asked from the side.
"No need."
To be honest, Eichi hadn't lost a pet, a friend, or any family.
Under these circumstances, going into a monster's lair felt like asking to die.
If this were a horror movie and Eichi wasn't the main character, he'd already be gone.
The mountain wasn't large. Why not just ask Ria to split the mountain in half?
Then they could just blame it on a gas leak.
After watching the news in Japan for so long, Eichi knew how useful the term "gas leak" was.
Lost in thought, he stepped into the cave, flashlight in hand.
No matter how much he thought about it, work still had to be done.
◇◇◇◇
[Shadow Crocodile]
Rank: Special Grade Cursed Spirit
Origin: Shadow
Technique: Shadow Devouring Cursed Technique
Abilities:
Shadow Devour – Like a shadow engulfing everything, Shadow Crocodile can damage enemies by devouring their shadows. After devouring a shadow, its Cursed Energy increases.
Shadow Curse – Anyone injured by Shadow Crocodile will be corroded by the curse and eventually transformed into shadow Cursed Spirits under its control.
Domain Expansion: ....
Preference: Dark places
Dislikes: Strong light
(To be continued.)