The Building [2]

"Is that necessary?" A blond-haired man was sitting with Gojo on the benches under the building. There weren't many people passing by, so even placing a barrier here seemed unnecessary. Perhaps this area had become so sparsely populated long ago.

"They are the future of my entire plan; those young ones will change the world by my side, so they need to stay united. A simple mission like this will make them pay more attention to their relationship than to eliminating cursed spirits." Gojo knew his first students had to embody all the good he expected from this world. Initially, he didn't want Hisagi to fight and only supervise the mission, but clipping a lion's wings is like leaving a light unlit.

"That kid would kill the boy with the queen of cursed spirits or die trying. Doesn't that worry you?"

"Nanami, even I would kill Yuta's curse if it went out of control. But I feel that won't happen. Who knows why, but I fully trust there won't be any issues." Gojo leaned back on the bench nonchalantly, sitting there with Kento Nanami to watch for any other attacks.

What concerned the higher-ups was the possibility of an attack against Hisagi after he returned to work.

Little was known about the battle that night, but what they did know was that those cursed spirits wanted to kill Hisagi at all costs. This worried many high-ranking officials who had great expectations for Hisagi and his work.

That's why Gojo was here, but he was more concerned about anyone attempting to make a move against him.

"Your carelessness and arrogance will end up catching me off guard." Nanami hated Gojo's lack of professionalism; being the strongest has its downsides.

…

Hisagi had reached the top floor by now. There was no roof, but feeling that cursed energy meant this was his destination.

"Why's that guy going so fast?" Maki frowned. "Are you that motivated in this job?"

"How should we proceed?" Yuta knew Hisagi had gone up, so now only the middle and lower levels remained.

"Let's split up to finish faster. I'll start on the middle floor and work my way down while I search. You start from the ground floor. Let's get this done so we can go to that restaurant Toge keeps talking about." Maki waved her hand casually.

"Wait a minute, let's take this more seriously. Cursed spirits can be dangerous if we go alone." After Yuta spoke those words with concern, he saw Maki's face turn fierce.

Hearing what sounded like a trigger, Maki quickly headed downstairs, passing by Yuta, who was still hesitant about how to start working.

"I don't want to hear that from someone who's fought cursed spirits before. If you don't commit, you'll never achieve anything."

"It's just that I don't feel anything."

"Then open your eyes." Maki's voice grew more distant as she headed toward the middle floor.

Yuta stood there, stunned, and asked Panda, who was looking out the window, "Just by using my eyes?"

"Just walk; we'll be here as backup." Panda gave him a thumbs-up, and Toge kept reading his comic.

At that moment, Yuta had walked to the lower floor, still muttering what Maki had told him. However, he suddenly felt a strange presence right behind him.

Boom!

A cursed spirit appeared. This spirit was four-legged with two hands, one of which Yuta quickly cut off with his sword in a swift reaction.

"Here's the reception... Grow, grow, grow." The purple cursed spirit's mouth babbled incoherently, infused with the aggression of its emotions.

Here, Yuta began his first battle purely using what he had learned over the past few weeks, while Hisagi had encountered a cursed spirit on the building's broadest floor.

"Hey, is that a cat? Come here, little one, come to me." Hisagi was surprised to see a cat behind a cardboard box upfront, with only large boxes scattered around.

The cat shivered after curling up behind the box, but it cleverly approached Hisagi as he called it.

This cat was terrified; anyone entering this place with so much cursed energy would feel frozen. Seeing it move so slowly, Hisagi vanished from his spot and reappeared beside the cat.

After picking up the cat, Hisagi didn't see the cursed spirit appear. Standing in the center of the site, Hisagi smiled and said, "Since you're here, why don't you come out?"

The next moment, Hisagi swung his right hand, which held his sword sheathed within a staff, directly over the cardboard box with cursed energy. The hard wood of his staff was coated with a thin layer of spiritual energy, subtle enough not to be exposed, as there was no need to use his sword's blade for this type of enemy.

After all, he doubted this building could withstand even one of his attacks, plus he had to be reserved in urban areas.

Boom!

The cardboard box and the others around it were swept away by the seemingly weak attack, and the creature's head was shattered. Hisagi knew this seemed to be just one of them, and a larger one was hiding here.

"I said show yourself!" Hisagi stomped the ground forcefully, releasing his cursed energy, and what was hiding in the shadows instantly rushed out.

This was a cursed spirit that appeared furry. A brown beard covered its face, and its eyes grew independently from its head, like some sort of shark in the sea, with bulging eyes on the sides of its head.

"A hammerhead shark?"

Bakudō 61, Rikujokoro!

"Six rods of light restraint!" Instantly, six thin yet powerful beams of light materialized, restraining the Cursed Spirit's movements.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

At that same moment, the edge of a weapon pierced through the cursed spirit.

Hisagi turned his head quickly and saw Maki standing at the door with a hammer in one hand. She said, "I thought you couldn't handle this type; you're still recovering; don't push yourself."

She had witnessed Hisagi's recovery over an entire week after a recent fight with special-grade cursed spirits, his wounds proving it wasn't an old battle. So she came as soon as she eliminated the other cursed spirits.

"Wait, I can handle this without much effort!" Hisagi ignored the cursed spirit immobilized by his spell, which had been effective after studying it for weeks. "Just help me care for this cat; that's your duty!"

"Are you underestimating me? Besides, are you trying to impress me?" Maki held the small black-furred cat that Hisagi silently pushed into her arms. The cat seemed unwilling to be held by Maki.

"Look, you scared the cat."

"You should be happy to be held by such beauty." Maki looked at the blackfurred cat and pouted.

"Don't hit me, um, um, um." The cursed spirit let out a painful voice. After being suppressed by Hisagi's light beams and then injured by those two nails, it regretted ever coming out. Why did it use a cat as a hostage?

"Just watch; I'll finish this quickly and show you some of my super-awesome skills." Hisagi smiled and winked at Maki.

"Damn it, just finish it!" Maki wanted to set the cat down, but seeing the terrified cat, she couldn't.

"You're all here." As soon as Yuta arrived, he saw the cursed spirit immobilized by those beams of light, and Hisagi and Maki seemed to be arguing.

"Now that you're here, I'll leave you with the cat for safekeeping," Maki said, handing the cat to Yuta, as she wanted to eliminate the cursed spirit quickly.

But how could Hisagi let her have that opportunity? These points could be useful in the future. Besides, he was already delayed in doing it.

The next moment, Hisagi disappeared from where he stood and appeared directly in front of the cursed spirit.

"Hisagi, idiot!" As Maki reacted, Hisagi had already dashed toward the Cursed Spirit, lifting only his fingertip.

Oni Dekkopin!

Demon's Impact!

Boom!

There was a loud explosion, and the cursed spirit's head shattered, and then, as if by automatic reaction, flames erupted, incinerating the cursed spirit.

[You've killed a Grade 4 cursed spirit, earning 200 soul points!]

"Oh, yes!" Hisagi exclaimed excitedly. That looked so amazing, it surely impressed his friends.

Maki and Yuta looked at Hisagi in disbelief. It was too violent an attack; the head exploded directly.

"Did you see that? That's one hot fire!" Yuta's eyes gleamed with excitement.

"Hisagi, if you're ever dying, I won't help you!" Maki grumbled, going downstairs, feeling her goodwill had been thrown away today.

"Hey, don't get mad; I'm just speeding this up so we could go to that place Toge suggested!" Hisagi grinned as he watched Maki walk away.

"Don't give me that nonsense, idiot!" Maki stormed off, wanting to show she'd learned the skills Hisagi had shared.

"Alright, I'll stop talking." Although Hisagi felt a bit sore in his muscles, the rewards had been significant. "But you might forgive me if I buy you a gift!"

"Fine!" Maki replied with a slight smile, enjoying the mood.

Panda looked at Yuta and said, "Well, I think they're both in love; they're at the perfect age, so it seems like you're out of luck."

"Why me?" Yuta didn't understand Panda's comment and shrugged.