Chapter 33: The Maid is Bound
During lunch break on the rooftop, Riko Amanai was laughing and talking with a friend when a sniper bullet, reinforced with Cursed Energy and having an ultra-long range, silently tore through the air.
Snap!
Satoru Gojo didn't even look up; he remained focused on eating the strawberry daifuku in his hand. He merely raised two fingers casually, precisely catching the twisted, deformed bullet head in mid-air, and curled his lip: "The aim is too poor."
At dismissal time, the crowd was bustling. Several Curse Users disguised as ordinary people suddenly erupted, rushing from multiple angles with poisoned blades.
"It really is endless."
Suguru Geto sighed. He didn't even need to make a move. A manta ray-shaped Cursed Spirit lurking in the shadows on the ground suddenly expanded, and an invisible force field instantly pressed those Curse Users to the ground, leaving them unable to move.
All attacks were easily neutralized by Toho Hiroshi, Satoru Gojo, and Suguru Geto with overwhelming strength before they could even touch Riko Amanai, without even attracting the attention of ordinary students nearby.
Riko Amanai went from initial tension to later numbness, and finally, she even got a bit used to it.
In the end, she was able to smoothly, time and time again, say her silent goodbyes to her friends, to her teachers, and to the familiar corners of the school with seemingly normal words.
...
Meanwhile, on the rooftop of a commercial building in the distance.
A tall and burly man was leaning against the railing, gazing into the distance, his eyes precisely fixed on the girl strictly guarded at the school gate.
He was wearing simple black sportswear, but it couldn't hide the fierce, wild beast-like aura about him.
His muscle lines were fluid and full of explosive power, and a bored yet extremely dangerous arc hung at the corners of his mouth.
It was Fushiguro Toji.
Relying on the ultimate senses granted by his far-above-average "Heavenly Restriction," he took in the entire process of Toho Hiroshi and the others easily and casually resolving wave after wave of attacks.
"Heh."
He let out a soft, ambiguous chuckle and lowered his binoculars. "Jujutsu High really spent a fortune this time. One 'Limitless,' one 'Cursed Spirit Manipulation,' and another, the youngest Special Grade Sorcerer of today..."
His gaze lingered on Toho Hiroshi for a few seconds longer, and a trace of inquiry and intense interest flashed in those beast-like eyes.
"A space-type ability? And that pair of strange eyes... Hmph~ A Cursed Technique I've never seen before. Interesting."
He saw it clearly; the reaction speed, combat style, and that eerie use of space by that black-haired, red-eyed kid were absolutely no less dangerous than the Six Eyes.
Kong Shiu appeared from the stairwell behind him and handed over a cigarette: "Did you see it clearly? The target is that little girl surrounded in the middle, Riko Amanai. The employer's request is to finish her off completely before the assimilation. The reward is this much."
He gestured with a hand sign.
Fushiguro Toji took the cigarette, put it in his mouth, let Kong Shiu light it for him, took a deep drag, and slowly exhaled a smoke ring.
"Three Special Grades, or brats close to Special Grade, as bodyguards..."
He grinned, the scar moving with it, adding a touch of ferocity. "This price is actually reasonable."
"So you're taking it?" Kong Shiu confirmed.
"Taking it, why wouldn't I?" Fushiguro Toji said in a relaxed tone, as if he had just accepted a delivery job. "High difficulty makes it fun to play."
He loosened his neck, making a clicking sound, his eyes flashing with the excited light of a hunter seeing precious prey.
Seeing him like this, Kong Shiu knew he had already entered the zone, so he stopped talking about the mission.
As if suddenly remembering something, he asked casually: "By the way, when was the last time you saw Megumi?"
"Megumi?" Fushiguro Toji, with the cigarette in his mouth, frowned, revealing a pure, unfeigned expression of thought, as if searching for a vague name in the corner of his memory. "Who is that?"
Kong Shiu: "..."
Looking at Fushiguro Toji's completely unfamiliar and even slightly dazed eyes, he was speechless for a moment, and finally just shook his head and sighed.
Fushiguro Toji, however, had long since thrown this trivial episode to the back of his mind.
His gaze once again turned to the school gate in the distance, locked on the Star Plasma Vessel girl who was tightly guarded, and the corners of his mouth curled into a cruel and expectant smile.
"Three top-tier Jujutsu Sorcerer geniuses."
He muttered to himself, as if speaking to himself, or perhaps declaring to his future prey, "Don't let me down for the final feast."
He turned around, flicked the cigarette butt downstairs, put his hands in his pockets, and walked lazily toward the rooftop exit.
The hunt was about to begin.
...
Riko Amanai almost rushed into the house, shouting happily: "Kuroi! We're back! So many things happened at school today..."
Her voice stopped abruptly.
There was no one in the living room, and the scene of the maid gently welcoming her, as she had expected, did not appear.
An unusual silence permeated the air, and the snacks and black tea prepared on the dining table had long since gone cold.
"Kuroi?"
Riko's voice carried a hint of panic. She hurried to the bedroom, kitchen, and balcony—every place where Kuroi might be.
Empty, deathly silent.
A cold fear instantly gripped her heart.
"Kuroi is gone!"
She turned back abruptly, looking at the three Jujutsu Sorcerers behind her, her face pale, her voice choked with tears. "She would never leave without telling me. Something must have happened to her!"
Toho Hiroshi's Sharingan was already silently activated, scanning the entire apartment rapidly.
Satoru Gojo's Six Eyes were also meticulously analyzing the environment. He frowned slightly: "There are no signs of forced entry. Either it was someone she knew, or the other party's methods were very sophisticated, able to completely avoid Miss Kuroi's vigilance or even make her open the door voluntarily."
Suguru Geto said in a deep voice: "Calm down, Riko. Let's see if any information was left behind first."
Just then, the phone in Riko's pocket suddenly vibrated. The screen lit up, showing a text message from an unknown number.
She tapped the message with trembling fingers. It contained only a few short lines, but it felt like an ice pick stabbing into her heart:
[Want to see your maid? She is enjoying her last sunbath in Okinawa. Come alone, or else collect her corpse.]
Attached to the message was a photo—Kuroi Misato was tied to a chair; the background seemed to be some abandoned guesthouse or warehouse, and a strange beach and the deep blue sea could be seen outside the window.
Her mouth was sealed with tape, and her eyes were full of fear, but she didn't look injured for the time being.
"Oki... Okinawa..."
Riko Amanai muttered to herself. The phone slipped from her trembling hands and was steadily caught by Toho Hiroshi beside her.
Satoru Gojo leaned over to look at the content of the text message and whistled, but his tone turned cold: "Luring the tiger away from the mountain? Or just pure bad taste? Okinawa? They sure know how to pick a place, far enough away."
"They took Kuroi, they want me to go to Okinawa..."
Riko seemed to have been drained of all strength, slumping to the ground, tears finally streaming down uncontrollably. "Kuroi... It's all because of me...".
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