4 A Goal To Strive Towards

The girl wore a black uniform and had short black hair. The jacket uniform she wore went up high to her collar. She had a smile on her face seeing Arai. "You're finally awake." She spoke while a smile never left her face.

She began sorting out things on a desk. 'What is a student like her doing at a hospital seeing me?' Arai questioned but quickly shrugged. "I'm alright. May I ask which hospital I am in?"

She then turned to him holding a needle. "Oh no, you're not in a hospital."

"Eh?" Arai was confused. This looked like a hospital and he was injured, then where was he? But when he looked back at the girl, she still had the same smile on her. But knowing that he wasn't in a hospital, this made him be weary as he looked around to try to find a clue.

"Yeah, that's right. We didn't come there to save you." She then stabbed a needle through a jar filled with unknown substance. "We brought you here to take your kidneys!" She made a overdramatic gesture while laughing like an absolute maniac.

Arai immediately got out of the bed and took on a stance. Curse energy gathered around his body as he prepared to fight. The girl then began laughing hysterically as she dropped to the floor.

"I was joking! Can't believe you actually fell for that." She wiped the tears of her eyes. "But this really isn't the hospital. This is the infirmary of 'Jujutsu Tech'. A private school. On the outside, we're a private religious school and well I guess that isn't wrong. But we're more than that."

She sat on the bed as she tapped on it gesturing him to take a seat as well to which he did. "Tell me. Did you feel lonely being the only able to see curse spirits?" Arai looked at her with surprise.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. That's what we call them. And the energy you use is called curse energy. Born from the negative emotions of mankind. We call the ones who used it curse user or jujutsu sorcerers. But you still didn't answer my question. Did you feel lonely?"

Arai looked down at his hands. "Yeah... I really did. I thought I was the only one who had that ability. I thought I was special. But weirdly, I feel that its better that way. I really am happy that I found people like me."

He smiled bitterly. "I guess being special isn't as important as being alone. Specialness can't break the bitterness of loneliness. That's something I learned a while ago." Arai then laughed a bit as he covered his face. "Why am I even telling you this? I literally just met you."

"It's the same reason as what you just said. You felt lonely and knowing that you weren't alone made you happy and want to share it." Yaga walked in as he held a piece of documents in his hand.

"I'm Yaga Masamichi. A teacher at this institute. Ieiri-san, can you leave us?" Yaga asked and she nodded leaving the room and close the door. The two of them were now left in the room. Arai was a bit intimidated by this man.

'Now that I think about it, if I wasn't so confused back then. I would've realized that girl had more cursed energy than even me. And this Yaga has an even greater amount!' Arai was beginning to sweat but he calmed down remembering that both of them told him that this was a school.

"You told me that you're a teacher, right? Are you here to tell me to become a student here? If so then I accept." Arai smiled wearily trying to see what Yaga was going to say.

Yaga didn't answer immediately. He instead pulled up a chair and sat down looking at Arai straight in the eye. "Tell me. Do you know what we do at this school?"

"You teach students how to kill curses, right?" He asked puzzled at the question.

"That's right. We teach students how to kill them. But what we teach the most is not how to kill them but how to survive against them. How to accomplish a mission without suffering a single casualty. In the end, we can't save everyone but helping sorcerers is something that we at Jujutsu Tech can do."

"But getting into this world is tough. You'd have to be highly motivated and a little crazy. It's an unpleasant job that one shouldn't strive towards if they want to retain their humanity. Yet you've been doing without anyone telling you. You have the drive. So the question isn't how motivated you are but what do you hope to accomplish by exorcising these curses." Yaga said.

From all the reports he had received of Arai, he could immediately tell that the kid was ready. The problem is, if he wanted to study here. He could go out and do his own thing but knowing the limit of his curse energy, Yaga wanted to help him grow stronger.

"You already know my answer. Since you heard the conversation I had with that girl. I want to fit in and since this is the place that can give me that. Then I'll grasp that opportunity that you've given me." Arai bowed respectfully.

'If these people can help me get stronger, then its a good opportunity. But the thing is, I don't know the restriction. How much will they restrict me, how much will they obstruct me. I don't know yet, so the decision should be that of waiting for a bit. But-

"Can I test something out?" Arai asked looking up to Yaga who nodded.

"I, Arai Isao, desire to form a pact with Yaga Masamichi." Curse energy from Arai formed around him as it slowly formed into a sheet of paper. "That if he or I lie with the next questions asked, punishment shall fall down upon us." Yaga who saw this was stunned.

A pact had forcibly had been placed on him. A pact that he did not consent to. Yaga who realized this tried to resist but ultimately let go. It wasn't a bad thing as now Arai could confirm the truth from his words.

"So your cursed technique is forcibly placing 'pacts' or is there more than just that." Yaga asked curious.

Arai panted a bit from the use of his technique. It seemed very draining. "For now I think that's it but I think there's more than that. I just awakened this ability when I woke up." Still not sure of his own capabilities. When he woke up, he didn't know why he but he knew how to use this technique. It was like an instinct of his.

Arai began asking his questions. "My first question is, what did you have planned for me?"

"We were planning to teach you so that you could grow stronger into a jujutsu sorcerer. Though from what I've seen, the best you could become is a grade 2 curse user. The rankings of the sorcerer are 4 to special. 4 being the weakest and special being the strongest." Yaga summarized.

'So I'm below average huh. Well placing pacts on people isn't the best, there are plenty other ways to defeat someone.' Although sad, he wasn't about to give up.

"You know you could be a 'window'. It's a person that can see curses but doesn't fight them. They are usually used to monitor a situation and put up veils which are basically barriers to prevent people from interfering."

"I'll take that as a joke since you know that I won't take that. I'll become a sorcerer. Whether you want me to or not." Confidence swelled up at him. But to him, it felt more like a drive.

A goal that he needed to strive upon. And that goal, was to become strong enough that nothing could threaten him.

Ever.