C4: Competition

C4: Competition

With Fumiko gone, the Sorcerer Killer finally has his opportunity to focus on the curse users again. 

Toji shuts his eyes again and searches the room filled with cursed energy to pinpoint the location of the curse users again. He senses it from the location he has spotted it before. 

The table filled with the four strangers, sharing food and drinking beers cheerfully. 

However, just sensing the cursed energy is no help for Toji. 

He focuses harder on the table at the corner, his range of hearing extending the more he focuses. 

"Hahaha, Emi-san. Who's the next man you've decided to charm? Maybe you'd finally give me a chance?" 

"Pfft, are you kidding me, Daichi? I'd never fuck you, sweetheart." 

"AHAHAHAHA!" 

From the conversation that is continuing at the moment, Toji sees nothing interesting. He tries to stray away from the focus of the curse users as nothing interests him there – yet – right at that moment. 

Another voice speaks up. 

"Ok ok, enough joking," the calm and cold voice says. "Back to focusing on capturing the Special Grade Curse stuck in this house, guys. We have to capture it as soon as we can before the jujutsu sorcerers come." 

A grin appears on Toji's face. 

'So, I do have competition here?' He thinks, focusing his ears on the conversation at the corner table. 

"Ok ok, you don't have to be so serious always, Kaito," a feminine voice replies. 

"Yeah, but Kaito-kun is also right. We can't forget why we're here, right?" 

"Yes. And this is an opportunity that can't possibly be overlooked. This special grade curse, do you feel the presence? It's like we're standing right above it. But still – it doesn't come out to kill us. This means that our assumption is correct, Emi." 

Toji's forehead wrinkles. 

From all the experiences and knowledge he has about special grade curses, he too had an idea about this place before coming here. 

Normally, a special-grade curse would kill all residents that reside within its domain in a matter of seconds. But somehow, Fumiko is still alive and well. 

Not to mention, no harm has been brought upon her.

However, the indomitable cursed energy arising from the pub has already given off the fact that a powerful curse already resides here. The question is – where. 

Toji already had the idea of why it wasn't coming out and eating the customers alive. 

"The curse is trapped within the pub, somewhere. Sealed? Maybe. A natural seal probably," Toji says to himself, opening his eyes again. 

Fumiko walks toward the counter with another tall glass of water in hand, her cheeks reddened. She is pouting. 

"Here." 

Annoyed, she places it down before Toji. Toji smiles again and says. "Thank you for your hospitality." 

Fumiko only gets more annoyed upon hearing this. 

"Hospitality?" She repeats the word. "No, I'll charge you for that glass of water." 

Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.

Toji places the glass down and wipes his mouth from the back of his hand. With his uneven green eyes, he stares into the lady. 

"Charging for a mere glass of water for a thirsty man? You're a cruel woman befitting this unjust society." 

Fumiko turns away, huffing. Then, she crosses her arms. 

"If you didn't do that disgusting grin of yours like you were mocking me, maybe I would've given you more than just two with much hospitality." 

Toji gives the same "disgusting" grin to her once again. 

She frowns and stares at him in annoyance. 

"As for the plan to take the Special Grade Curse, what do you think, Kaito?" 

All the while listening to the curse users speak, Toji talks to the woman before him too. He was always good at multitasking. 

"Anyhow… I will not take any money for the water. I was just joking," Fumiko says, breathing out and calming herself down. 

She is always the type to never get irritated. She is too kind for any sort of outrage. 

"Is that all you need though, Mister?" 

Toji smiles. 

"Hm. Before I say mine. Why don't you three suggest your ideas?" The cold voice from the corner table mutters. 

Toji looks into the counter lady's eyes. 

He came into the pub with a simple plan formulated inside his mind. It was to simply put the shopkeeping girl to sleep and search around the house at night. If the curse is somewhere, it's somewhere inside the pub. 

He knew that much. 

But now, his plan is changing. 

With the interruption of the curse users, his plan begins to extend. Before more sorcerers begin to notice the curse, the job must be done too. 

'I have competition,' Toji ponders, still gazing at the woman's eyes. 'Now I realize why that guy decided to hire a reputed Sorcerer Killer for the job.' 

"I've heard you lost your family recently in the fire," Toji begins. "I'm sorry to hear that." 

Suddenly, Toji is no longer grinning. Instead, he's frowning, 

A sudden spark comes into Fumiko's eyes. She lowers her eyes and attempts to form her next few words. 

"I – I – you don't need to worry, Mister." 

Toji nods. 

"I say we kill the girl," the feminine voice at the corner table says. "And then just find the curse tonight. It won't take too long, right? What? Oh, don't give me that look. It's not like it's going to add to our karma… we've done worse shit."

Toji's face grows darker when he hears this statement.

"But –" Suddenly, Fumiko speaks up again. "How did you know that my family was dead? I haven't seen you in Hagura. And you've never come here before either."

Toji smiles at the girl, bangs covering his eyes. 

"Yeah. I'm new in town. But it seems work here is tiring, just like in Hakaichi. So, I came here to blow off some steam. To drink something. But I've never really drunk before," Toji lies through his teeth, a perfectly formed lie he has been making since he was in the taxi. 

"I just came in here. Sat down before you. And asked for a glass of water. Does that explain it to you?" 

Fumiko nods. Yet, her question isn't clearly answered by Toji. 

"But, how did you know about my family?" 

"Well, you are kind of famous now," Toji replies. "The taxi driver told me a few stories about the tragic burning of the Fushiguro Family on the way to this pub. So, I felt a little sorry for you, miss." 

She smiles lightly, still lowering her eyes, and puts a strand of hair behind her ear. 

"Thank you." 

Toji's attention instantly switches back to the table. 

"We have to have a better plan," a masculine voice suggests to the group. "After all, she's too pretty to die."

"Nope. She has to die," another objects. "We can't have the girl walking about after seeing our faces here. But, there's an issue alright. We can't have the girl die until we find where the curse is. For all we know, she might have some hidden artifact capable of sealing in a special grade curse within the house. Might be a family heirloom. Right? That's possible, right?"

"You're welcome, Miss," Toji replies to the girl.

The voices continue to plot. 

"No," the cold and deep voice speaks again. "We can't have the girl dead for a while. The reason why the curse might not be attacking is because of affection for this girl. I hear cases like that have occurred a few times throughout Japan. If we are going to capture this curse alive, we might as well have a trump card up our sleeves. So… I say we kidnap the girl and not kill her right away." 

"Yeah yeah," the feminine voice replies. "What happened to you, Kaito-kun? You were never the type to show a soft side." 

"It isn't sympathy. It's called a successful plan, Miss Emi."

"Oh yeah?" 

"And, we aren't going to kidnap her right away either. First, we must get the girl to befriend us. She's lonely and vulnerable after all. In a situation like this, anybody will be down for a distraction from the loss and grief. We can be that distraction… only she doesn't have to know our motives." 

"Oh. That's dark," the feminine voice chuckles. "Kaito-kun, you are fucked up as always." 

Toji lowers his head and contemplates the situation. 

He's a stranger in a pub, one that hasn't been around in Hagura much. His job isn't assassinating anyone here, but any distractions for his mission must be handled. 

Soon, the curse users will attempt to befriend the kind girl too. 

But before all that – he has to make a choice.

The cold-voiced curse user is correct. His plan would work on a normal day in the sorcerer underworld… but today – Toji is there. 

So, Toji turns to the girl again. "So, was your family good, Fumi-chan?" 

Fumiko raises her eyelids with a spark in her deep dark eyes.