He looked at Shijima Nagi's somewhat sad expression.
Eiji stood up and walked in front of Shijima Nagi.
Eiji, at 1.8 meters tall, stood before Shijima Nagi, his shadow completely engulfing her.
Seeing Eiji suddenly stand in front of her with his right hand on her head, Shijima Nagi's heart began to pound.
"A sad expression doesn't suit you. You look better with that crazy expression you had when fighting the Cursed Spirits."
The next second, Eiji's words snapped Shijima Nagi back to reality.
"Who are you calling crazy?"
Shijima Nagi retorted loudly.
Who would start off by "complimenting" a girl by calling her crazy?
"Yes, that's it."
Seeing Shijima Nagi's spirits restored, Eiji smiled.
Eiji bent down, scooped Shijima Nagi up, and tossed her onto the bed.
"Leave the rest to me. You just rest easy. Lack of sleep is the enemy of good skin."
The rest... rest... sleep...
Shijima Nagi's face turned even redder.
"You get a good night's sleep, and I'll head back to my room to rest too. Running around these past few days has been exhausting, ah~"
As he spoke, Eiji even yawned.
"Huh?"
Bang. The sound of the room door closing echoed.
Her room, wasn't it supposed to be their room?
Looking at Eiji leave without hesitation, Shijima Nagi's thoughts momentarily froze.
On TV, shouldn't things be like...
Then, Shijima Nagi's entire face rapidly heated up, turning her into a "steam princess."
"Ahhh, what are you thinking, Shijima Nagi!"
Shijima Nagi covered her face and began to roll around on the bed, finally burying her head completely under the pillow.
The next morning, Eiji, who was eating breakfast, received a call from Shuji Zenin.
"Hello?"
"Young Master Eiji, the Shijima couple has arrived."
"Oh, bring them in."
Eiji finished the rest of his bread in a few bites.
He felt a pang of nostalgia for his past life.
Soy milk, fried dough sticks, tofu pudding, rice noodles, steamed buns, rice noodle rolls, soup dumplings, pan-fried buns...
Knock knock.
"Come in."
Straightening his clothes, Eiji walked to the door.
The couple, looking haggard, entered his view.
"Are you the Shijima couple?"
"Yes, please, where is our daughter?"
Shijima Nagi's father's eyes held both anxiety and hope.
"She's next door. Don't worry, your daughter is safe."
Saying this, Eiji walked to the adjacent room and knocked on the door.
Click.
The door opened quickly.
Before Shijima Nagi could react, the Shijima couple rushed forward and hugged their daughter.
Shijima Nagi looked at her parents holding her, her expression flustered.
For a moment, her heart was filled with guilt, fear, joy, and other emotions.
The complex feelings left her momentarily overwhelmed.
Watching the family embrace, Eiji nodded with satisfaction and then signaled Shuji Zenin with his eyes.
The two quietly turned and left.
"Wait!"
Shijima Nagi struggled and rushed over as she saw the two of them preparing to leave.
"What's wrong?"
Eiji turned back to Shijima Nagi in confusion.
"You're going to find Kageoni, right? Take me with you!"
"I refuse."
"Why? I can help too."
"What grade Jujutsu Sorcerer are you?"
"Huh?"
Eiji's words stunned Shijima Nagi.
Shijima Nagi had no intention of becoming a Jujutsu Sorcerer, so she was genuinely unclear about their strength.
"You're too weak. I don't want to fight a powerful enemy with a burden, and also..."
Eiji's gaze shifted to the couple behind Shijima Nagi.
"It's not just you who lost family; your parents also lost family. Do you want your parents to lose their daughter as well?"
Shijima Nagi froze.
She dazedly turned around to look at her parents.
At this moment, Shijima Nagi, blinded by hatred, finally noticed the indescribable care and worry in her parents' eyes.
"Dad, Mom, I..."
Shijima Nagi bit her lip, her voice catching.
"It's okay, it's okay, Nagi. Let's go home, alright? Let's go home."
Shijima Nagi's mother hugged her, tears falling onto her face.
"Okay."
Shijima Nagi no longer resisted, allowing her mother to pull her outside.
The family left the hotel hand in hand.
"Let's go too."
"Yes, Young Master Eiji."
Shima Island. Higashimura.
Following the clue Shijima Nagi provided, Eiji headed to the village on Shima Island to gather information about Kageoni.
However, just as Shijima Nagi had said, the old books and artifacts were too severely damaged. The oral traditions of the elders were more comprehensive.
He just wondered how much truth was actually passed down through word of mouth.
During a game of telephone in college, one sentence would change after three people.
After six people, it would become a completely different sentence.
After ten people, the first person wouldn't even recognize the sentence they originally said.
Ring ring ring.
"Hmm? Teacher Yaga?"
Thinking it was a new mission, Eiji reluctantly answered the phone.
"Eiji, are you near Shima Island right now?"
Masamichi Yaga's first question puzzled Eiji.
"I'm on Shima Island."
"Is that so? Then it's perfect. Yesterday, the team dispatched by the Jujutsu Management Council to exorcise a Cursed Spirit lost contact. We need you to investigate the situation."
"Where?"
"According to the Assistant Supervisor, the last place they went was a cave on the west side of the island."
A cave?
Did they go to Kageoni's lair?
"I understand. I'll head there shortly."
"Alright. Please, if those two Jujutsu Sorcerers are still alive, try to find them. If it's too dangerous, you can retreat first and wait for Gojo and Geto to rendezvous before proceeding with the exorcism mission."
"Understood."
Teacher Yaga still cared about his students so much.
Soon, Eiji and Shuji Zenin arrived outside the cave.
"I have a feeling this is like a dragon's den."
"Should we call for reinforcements?"
Shuji Zenin asked from the side.
"No need."
Honestly, Eiji hadn't lost any cats or dogs, nor any friends, and his family wasn't missing.
In such a situation, actively heading into a monster's lair always felt like he was asking for trouble.
If this were a horror movie and Eiji happened to not be the protagonist, he'd probably be dead.
The mountain wasn't that big, maybe he should have Riya just split it open.
Then he could just say it was a gas leak.
Having watched so much news, Eiji knew that in the Island Nation, a gas leak was a very useful excuse.
While lost in thought, Eiji stepped into the cave, holding his flashlight.
No matter how much he thought, the job still had to be done.
[Kageoni]
Level: Special Grade Cursed Spirit
Origin: Shadows
Cursed Technique: Shadow Devouring Curse
Abilities:
Shadow Devour: Like shadows swallowing everything, Kageoni can inflict damage on enemies by devouring their shadows. After devouring an enemy's shadow, Kageoni's cursed energy increases to a certain extent.
Shadow Curse: Those injured by Kageoni will be eroded by a curse, eventually turning into a Shadow Curse Spirit under Kageoni's control.
Domain Expansion: ...
Likes: Dark places
Dislikes: Bright light
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Translation by: randomtranslator.com
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