Chapter 5- First Curse...wasted

It was around four in the afternoon when Megumi decided to stroll a little bit in the city which was not much far away from the school.

For the whole day, he has been practicing his skills and getting this new body accustomed to those powers that the previous Megumi couldn't have even thought of using.

Wearing his school uniform he strolled his way down the hallway, which led to the main entrance of the school, Megumi felt someone approaching him from a distance.

He could have dodged them by fastening up but the approaching party was himself a lot faster than one could anticipate from a normal human walking pace.

"Fushiguro? You are going somewhere?" It was Itadori who walked up to him with his hands tucked inside his pockets.

Megumi nodded, prepared to decline if Itadori asked to tag along but thankfully, "Can you bring me something sweet and soft to eat? Pretty please?" Clasping fingers in front of his face to show how desperate he was, Itadori requested something out of the blue.

Megumi raised his brows before he replied with a simple, "... Sure. "

Hearing such a smile bloomed on Itadori's face before he thanked his best bud and walked away happily.

Megumi watched Itadori's back with a complicated expression. To think such a positive guy has such an amount of negativity stored inside...

'Well, I hope I can help him from breaking down afterward... ' The massive event of Shibuya was what actually tore Itadori after he lost two precious people in his life.

Now that Megumi was here with the knowledge of the future and the skills to back himself up, he at least could prevent many deaths from occurring.

****

The city streets of Tokyo have always been busier during this time of the day.

Along with the hustle of the main streets, there was unpleasant silence in the alleys as well which provided insecurity and a sense of danger to anyone who passed by them.

At one of those alleys, a young boy of age ten or so could be seen sitting beside a garbage bin with his knees curled up and arms wrapped around his knees. His body was trembling all over with stains of tears making it hard for the boy to see clearly.

The boy can see it...his probable death coiled around his body like a grim viper. The boy had run away from home this morning and after going through a lot he found himself in this dark and hopeless alley where this 'thing' was slowly eating him away.

The boy had no one to save him when he talked rudely to his parents and walked out of the house saying he could take care of himself better than how they did.

He was so thoroughly wrong.

"Nee-san...help me... " Muttering under his breath which sounded more like a hopeless plea, the boy found himself dwelling in the darkness even more when suddenly...

[Khrewk? ]

The cursed spirit wrapped around the boy suddenly found its elongated arm being dissected by a thin almost invisible wire. The lapse between the reaction and the deed was almost non-existent which indicated, how quickly the process transpired.

*SQUELCH*

The two limbs that were keeping the boy in place were no longer there, rather they burnt into cinders. However, the curse had four more limbs remaining and its grotesque form, ugly to just look at.

"Felt like bread and butter..." From the shadows, the figure of a young individual wearing a dark blue jacket and pants of the same shade. His hands were tucked inside his pocket, even though the curse knew the preparation behind his lost limbs was this human.

"Oi, are you really a third-grad curse?" The Curse didn't respond, rather it focused more on fleeing from the scene.

Even curses could sense whom they could fight, and this individual was above its league. Way above.

*SLICK*

The sound of screech reached Megumi's ears before he tilted toward his right and dodged the incoming punch of the Curse.

However, against his expectation, the Curse was not primarily trying to hit him, but rather to create an opening to escape.

Megumi internally grumbled before his palms adjoined to summon his Shikigami.

"Chase him." Just as the figure of Divine Dog appeared, it lunged forward and marched toward the Curse at an astonishing pace.

The Divine dogs, or to say every curse have evolved into their better versions, thanks to all that training Megumi did with them back in the Goddess Sanctuary.

Megumi knew the wolf would find its prey, so he rather focused on the victim.

"Are you alright?" Crouching down, Megumi patted the boy's shoulder to wipe off the dust as he asked in a gentle tone...well, he tried to.

"Uuu..." In response, the boy suddenly leaped toward Megumi, nearly making the latter fall on his back.

"Easy there..." Megumi sighed as he caught the boy in his arms and began patting his back to soothe him.

It was then when suddenly,

[Alert!]

[Addition: 20 Karma Points]

[Current Balance: 620 KP]

[Option: Inventory/Shop]

....

Megumi sighed and dismissed the message for now. He has a wailing child to take care of.

*****

Since the boy didn't live far, Megumi decided to drop him off rather than report to the police.

All the way to the house, the boy, who introduced himself as Shirakawa Sato was holding Megumi's game tightly and barely spoke anything; given how the kid must be traumatized by now.

Reaching his house, Megumi found the police car already parked there and two people in civil clothes fanatically reporting to the police.

"Mama!" Sato yelled and ran toward his mother.

Every person turned to look in their way, and of course the police as well. Megumi sighed and walked up to them to report everything about the incident. But well of course he hid the Curse out of the story and just confessed that he found Sato unconscious in the alley.

He has told Sato to say the same story and convinced the boy enough to not spill the beans.

'Well, not like it would matter if he told them the truth...'

The police noted everything and asked some more questions before they finally got the whole situation reported.

"Thank you for your cooperation and also, for your kindness to bring the kid back." The two police officers saluted, only earning a solemn nod from Megumi.

Soon Megumi was about to turn away and leave when suddenly,

"Wait, Fushiguro-kun!"

*****

A/N:- Drop a comment~