The journey back to Jujutsu High was even more silent than the trip there.
Geto Suguru leaned against the back seat, his face pale and his brows tightly furrowed. The intense nausea and the indescribably terrible taste from swallowing the Special Grade Cursed Spirit orb were clearly still tormenting him.
Mujin Nagi looked quietly at the scenery flying past the window. The warm glow of the setting sun could not dispel the gloom in his heart.
The tearful look in the girl Kobayashi's eyes as she bowed, Kuchisake-onna's twisted whisper of "Am I pretty?", and... why did Kobayashi appear in an area where a [Curtain] had already been cast? This thought was like a cold, venomous snake, quietly coiling around his mind.
Iori Takasuke carefully observed the two silent Jujutsu Sorcerers through the rearview mirror. Seeing Geto Suguru's unsightly complexion, a trace of sympathy flashed in his eyes, and he wisely chose not to disturb them.
The vehicle drove smoothly into the Jujutsu High entrance and stopped.
"Good work, Geto-kun, Mujin-kun."
Iori Takasuke said in a low voice, a hint of imperceptible apology in his tone, seemingly uneasy about the accident that occurred during the mission.
"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Iori."
Geto Suguru forced his eyes open, his voice somewhat weak. He pushed the door open and took deep breaths of fresh air, as if trying to drive away the lingering nausea.
Nagi followed silently, his gaze sweeping over Geto Suguru's pale face. He could imagine just how terrible that taste must have been.
They went directly to Yaga Masamichi's office to report. Upon pushing the door open, they found Yaga Masamichi sitting at his desk, hands clasped, his expression as serious as ever.
Gojo Satoru was unexpectedly there as well. He leaned lazily against the wall, a lollipop in his mouth. His gaze behind the sunglasses swept over the two of them, pausing for a moment on Geto Suguru's slightly pale face.
"Mission complete?"
Yaga asked in a deep voice.
"Yes, Yaga-sensei."
As the main force and the senior, Geto Suguru took the initiative to report.
"The target, the Grade 1 Cursed Spirit Rainbow Dragon, has been confirmed exorcised. However, during the mission, a major unplanned anomaly occurred."
He reported the mission details in full: how they discovered and engaged the Rainbow Dragon, the involvement of an ordinary student, emphasizing that the student was still inside after the [Curtain] fell, how Mujin Nagi timely controlled the Rainbow Dragon, and—the sudden appearance of the Special Grade Imaginary Vengeful Cursed Spirit, Kuchisake-onna.
Hearing "Kuchisake-onna," Yaga Masamichi's brows furrowed severely, and Gojo Satoru straightened up slightly, the corner of his mouth beneath the sunglasses seeming to twitch.
"Special Grade?"
Yaga's voice dropped even lower.
"The mission briefing never mentioned any signs of Special Grade Cursed Spirit activity in that area. The grade estimation was seriously in error. Also, why was there an ordinary student inside the [Curtain]? Iori confirmed the evacuation was clear."
"That is exactly the biggest suspicion."
Geto Suguru's tone was grave.
"The timing of its appearance was extremely strange. It attacked Nagi directly right at the critical moment when I was rescuing the student and preparing to deal the final blow to the restrained Rainbow Dragon. It felt more like a... precise ambush. And the appearance of that student was also too coincidental. She claimed she was hiding in a convenience store warehouse and didn't hear the evacuation notice, but..."
Nagi nodded silently from the side and added a sentence, his voice calm but carrying a hint of chill.
"Its target was very clear. The Question-and-Answer rule was directed personally at me. Moreover, the isolation effect of the [Curtain] theoretically shouldn't miss any ordinary people. Unless... there was some kind of 'permission', or... interference."
Mujin Nagi couldn't help but think of the Cursed Spirit [An], which possessed high intelligence and could even mimic humans.
Since [An] existed, did other Cursed Spirits with similar intelligence, perhaps capable of lurking even deeper, or... humans controlled by Cursed Spirits, also exist? This thought chilled him to the bone.
The atmosphere in the office became unusually heavy.
A misjudgment of mission grade could lead to the death of a Sorcerer. The abnormal appearance and targeted behavior of a Special Grade, coupled with an irrelevant person appearing inside the supposedly absolutely safe [Curtain]—this could no longer be explained by a simple oversight.
"The mission location was near my former middle school."
Mujin Nagi spoke again, his eyes looking at Yaga, his gaze sharp.
"The legend of Kuchisake-onna circulated among the students there. But for it to coalesce into a Special Grade Cursed Spirit based on that prototype requires an extremely massive amount of collective fear and resentment. This isn't something formed in a short time. Did the Association's prior investigation miss key information? Or..."
He paused, then voiced the dangerous guess.
"...Was the investigation itself misled? Or perhaps, something... maybe something that can mimic humans, has already infiltrated the places that can influence mission assignment?"
Mujin Nagi didn't directly say "Higher-ups," but the implication was clear enough.
Yaga Masamichi was silent for a moment, his heavy palm rubbing the desktop hard; clearly, he also realized the severity of the problem.
"The Association's intelligence network is not omniscient; omissions are possible. Accidents can also happen with the setup of the [Curtain]. But..."
Yaga changed the subject, his sharp gaze sweeping over the two.
"The abnormal appearance of a Special Grade, its targeted nature, and the abnormal presence of a student—the probability of these three things happening simultaneously is too low. I will list this as a highest-priority suspicion for an internal report. The details you provided are very important. Good work, go back and rest for now. Suguru, especially you, digesting a Special Grade takes time. Watch your condition."
"Yes."
Geto Suguru responded. He could also sense the unusual nature behind this matter.
"Understood."
Nagi nodded. The doubts in his mind were not alleviated by the "report"; instead, they grew heavier. Internal report? Report to whom? What if the problem really lay "internally"?
The two exited the office. The moment the door closed, Mujin Nagi clearly heard a very faint, cold, sarcastic sneer from Gojo Satoru inside.