In the dark, abandoned sewer, Toge cautiously held his flashlight, watching the 'Cursed Spirit' corpse in the distance.
Most Cursed Spirits possess strong regenerative abilities.
This is because their bodies are composed of Cursed Energy, unlike humans.
So after confirming that the enemy had not dissipated, Toge remained on high alert.
However, the 'Cursed Spirit' corpse remained motionless, showing no signs of recovery.
"Twist."
After a brief hesitation, Toge, who originally intended to identify vital points through regeneration, cautiously launched another attack.
Under the effect of Cursed Speech, the Cursed Spirit's right leg suddenly twisted, and the crisp sound of bones breaking echoed through the sewer.
Toge looked at the unmoving Cursed Spirit with confusion.
As if remembering something, he took out his phone.
Click.
He took a photo of the 'Cursed Spirit' corpse.
Toge stared at the photo on his phone in surprise.
His phone was an ordinary one, so it should not have been able to capture a Cursed Spirit.
Yet at this moment, the Cursed Spirit's appearance was clearly recorded in the image.
Toge's expression became serious. He understood what this meant.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
Maki's voice came from behind him.
"Salmon roe?"
Toge turned his head in confusion as Maki walked toward him.
"You didn't come up for so long, Panda got worried about you."
Maki used Panda's name without hesitation.
Although her personality was straightforward, those who knew her well would notice that she had a slight tsundere side.
Not much, but enough to be noticeable.
Perhaps it was expected of sisters.
"Sujiko."
Toge smiled, expressing his thanks.
"Alright, is the mission over? What is that thing over there?"
Maki looked at the pile in the distance with a disgusted expression.
It had to be said that slimy, tentacled things were extremely unpleasant for girls.
Very unpleasant.
Toge handed his phone to Maki.
After taking it, Maki saw the photo.
"How is this photo…"
Maki did not react immediately.
Because in the past, when she could not see Cursed Spirits without cursed tool glasses, Mai often visited research facilities.
So Maki had seen many special phones capable of capturing Cursed Spirits.
At first, she did not understand Toge's intention.
However, after thinking about it, Maki realized the seriousness of the situation.
The thing in front of them was most likely not a Cursed Spirit, but a human.
"You go up first. I'll call the Assistant Supervisor and have them transport this thing back to Tokyo Jujutsu High."
Not long after, the Assistant Supervisor arrived with several people carrying body bags.
They entered the sewer, collected all the scattered flesh fragments, and transported them back to Tokyo Jujutsu High.
What awaited those remains was Shoko's full autopsy.
"Seriously, I have to take a good bath tonight."
After waiting in the sewer for over an hour, Maki felt like she was covered in its stench.
"Speaking of which, isn't there a hot spring nearby?"
Because of Japan's geography, hot springs are found all over the country.
"A hot spring, I remember it's at the edge of the town."
Panda tapped his chin, recalling.
"Alright, let's go soak in the hot spring later and relax."
Maki quickly made a decision.
"Salmon!"
Toge, who also wanted to clean himself thoroughly, raised his hand in agreement.
"A hot spring, huh? You guys go ahead."
"You're not coming?"
Maki asked.
"I'm not going. Hot springs make me feel too wet."
Panda waved his hands, refusing.
"If you don't bathe, you'll stink."
Maki's words struck Panda directly.
"No, I won't stink."
Panda immediately refuted.
"You will stink, so hurry up and take a bath."
Maki looked at him with clear disgust.
"No way. I've been using deodorant properly and getting enough sun. Absolutely not stinky."
And so, one person and one panda began arguing over whether Panda would smell if he didn't bathe.
"Excuse me."
Just as Panda was about to be forcibly dragged away by Maki, the Assistant Supervisor arrived in time and saved him.
Nitta Akari, one of the Assistant Supervisors of Tokyo Jujutsu High.
She had slightly wavy, shoulder-length blonde hair and grey-blue eyes.
She wore the standard black suit of a Tokyo Jujutsu High Assistant Supervisor.
She gave off the impression of a capable and composed professional.
Originally, as an Assistant Supervisor dispatched by Tokyo Jujutsu High, she was responsible for assisting Itadori Yuji and the others after Ieiri Shoko.
This time, Eichi also assigned her to assist the first-year students.
"What's wrong?"
Maki turned to her.
Maki had a good impression of Akari, who was observant, thoughtful, and straightforward.
"This is the latest mission from Jujutsu Headquarters. Since the location is nearby, they hope you can handle it."
Akari handed over the mission details.
"Seriously, we just finished one."
Even while complaining, Maki still took the document and read it.
"Although we just finished, this mission took three days."
Normally, since the number of wandering Cursed Spirits is low, exorcisms are completed within a single day.
Cases like theirs, where three people chased one Cursed Spirit for several days before eliminating it, were rare.
"And it's only a Grade 3 mission."
Rewards differed greatly depending on the rank.
Normally, in three days, at least three missions could be completed.
But because this strange target kept running around, they only completed one, and the reward had to be split among three people.
Although Panda was a Cursed Corpse, under Masamichi's arrangements, he was registered as a student and Jujutsu Sorcerer at Tokyo Jujutsu High.
So he also received rewards for exorcisms.
However, Jujutsu Headquarters was unwilling to officially recognize Panda as a Jujutsu Sorcerer.
So all of Panda's achievements were attributed to Masamichi.
Panda's reward would first be given to Masamichi, who would then pass it on to Panda.
"Since the Window who reported this mission provided incomplete information, you can rest while waiting for further updates."
Akari smiled.
This made Maki and the others, who wanted to relax in the hot spring, feel much better.
"When do we leave?"
Maki quickly finished reading.
"Tomorrow morning. If the Window doesn't send updated information, we'll head directly to the village and meet them there."
Recently, it was summer again.
As people's negative emotions increased, the number of Cursed Spirits also rose rapidly.
As a result, Jujutsu Sorcerers had little time to rest, constantly traveling across the country to exorcise Cursed Spirits.
(To be continued.)