Chapter 03

🎶 Tananm tanam 🎶 I'm cruising down this open road, with dreams to chase, my heart's bestowed. 🎶

My fingers tap rhythmically on the steering wheel as I sing along with the car's sound.

Gribes and I are on Carolina Highway 12, in the United States, driving a red 1967 Ford Mustang fastback that I had rented.

With the road clear and the coastline on our right, I glance to my side and smile as I see my little friend. Gribes seems to be having fun, sticking his head out of the window like a puppy, tongue hanging out, enjoying the breeze.

I shake my head, unable to understand what's wrong with him. Unlike other curses I've encountered, Gribes has always seemed more peculiar than the rest.

But going back to the scene, why was I there?

I needed a breather after all the chaos in Japan, the epicenter of the entire jujutsu plot. That's why I decided to take a "business" trip abroad.

And yes, I came with a purpose beyond just entertainment.

"Gribe," the little red curse points his finger in a direction.

"Yes, that's the ocean," I reply to the curious curse, acknowledging the scenery around us.

"Gribe."

"That's sand."

"Gribe."

"That's the mountains."

"Gribe."

"That?" I ponder as we pass by some young people on the roadside, wearing colorful clothes and holding signs that say "Save the whales." "I'm not sure... Mm... Some kind of exotic creature, I guess."

The little red curse looks at me confused, and I say again, "No. Just because they hold signs doesn't mean they are intelligent life forms. Someone else might have written those for them."

Gribes nods in understanding, seemingly contemplating my words.

The road had been relatively peaceful up until that point, allowing me to savor every picturesque scenery we passed. After checking in, I drove the car towards the ramp leading to a grand open-sea cruise ship.

It was a high-end cruise ship, its imposing presence anchored at the port.

However, as we joined the line of cars, I noticed the wait was stretching longer than expected. The traffic was congested, and my patience started to wear thin, resulting in frustrated honks.

"Don't eat all the fries," I complained to the little glutton beside me, as I grabbed some chips for myself, trying to ease the tension of the moment.

Gribes pointed at something ahead, and I followed his gaze, curious about his expression.

That's when my eyes widened in great horror. There she was, the woman with green hair, her golden eyes seeming to emit an intense otherworldly glow. Her slim and proportionate figure exuded an intriguing elegance. Her long hair was styled in two ponytails, creating a charming yet unsettling look.

"Oh no. Zeta Protocol, Gribes," the little curse quickly buckled his seatbelt, and I shifted into reverse, flooring the gas pedal, screeching the tires. "Damn it. Damn it."

But to my great frustration, the car seemed to have encountered a massive physical barrier, and no matter how much I pressed on the accelerator, we couldn't move an inch. I looked in the rearview mirror and saw a large brown belly blocking our view.

"Darling," a frightening feminine voice echoed, sending shivers down my spine.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it," I desperately looked at that terrifying figure, before turning to my companion and saying, "You have to buy me some time."

Gribes clenched his fists and stood up on the seat, demonstrating courage and determination. He wouldn't become a great curse if he were a coward, thought the little curse with pride.

He is Gribes, the fearless. No matter the challenges, he would face them with his head held high...

"Darling," the scary voice sounded again, now even closer.

The car's passenger-side window opened, and...

"Gribes," I screamed in horror as I saw the little red curse fleeing through the car window.

"That traitor," I gritted my teeth in frustration.

As he runs, Gribes offers a small prayer in his master's name. A good curse must learn when to retreat, he thought with composure. Living to fight stronger another day. He vowed to avenge his master's death in the future.

Tap tap.

I looked to my left, and there she was, smiling, lightly tapping her index finger on the still closed car window. Reluctantly, I decided to roll down the window.

"Um, is there a-any problem, miss?"

"Miss? Such a cold way to address me. After all this time we haven't seen each other," she said with a slightly puffed-up cheek, one hand on her waist and the other with her index finger raised, as if she were teaching something.

"I think you might be mistaking me for someone else. I'm Ruan Telles, I moved here with my family and-"

Before I could continue my explanation, she interrupted me.

"How cruel. You never replied to my letters."

"But I-"

"You never answered my calls," a dark miasma seemed to emanate from her as she trembled slightly.

"I promise I can explain," I said in great horror, sweat dripping from my forehead.

To say that I regretted this moment would be an understatement. Moving to the United States wasn't enough, not even buying fake documents.

But the greatest regret, undoubtedly, was this moment. There I was, facing the barrel of a giant submachine gun pointed at my face.

"I can explain, Lily. It's all a misunderstanding."

Tears welled up in Lily's eyes as the drum of the submachine gun began to spin, loaded with 5000 bullets that could be fired in less than 10 seconds, capable of easily piercing through a tank.

"I can't live in this world without my Darling," her tearful voice sounded, the submachine gun just seconds away from firing at my face. "It will hurt me more than you. But don't worry, once you're gone, I'll do the same with myself, and I'll make sure they bury us together. In our next reincarnation, we will surely be lovers."

A cold sweat ran down my spine, with a foreboding feeling that not even the veil of the afterlife could prevent her soul from haunting me. It seemed that even death wouldn't be an escape.

"No. Wait," I said desperately, trying to get her attention.

"That was a big mistake. I love my waifu," I exclaimed, waving my arms frantically. "P-Please, don't kill me."

She looked at me thoughtfully before asking, "But what about the letters?"

"Are you sure you didn't send them to the wrong address?"

With a fragile voice, she asked, "And the calls?"

"I-I changed my number. I changed my number," I replied hastily, feeling the pressure of the barrel of the submachine gun, which emitted a faint glow and smoke.

Our staring contest lasted brief moments; the teary-eyed Lily seemed unsure of what to do.

"Mm," she lowered the submachine gun's barrel, deep in thought.

Finally, I could breathe a sigh of relief.

"You said you love me, right?"

"YES. I love you very much," I shouted in response immediately, as the submachine gun's barrel once again came close to my face.

She lowered the barrel of the submachine gun again and muttered some incomprehensible words.

"Define 'very,'" she asked me again, in a 'gentle' manner.

"Very much. I would face a special curse for you," seeing her unconvinced expression and the weapon of mass destruction close to me, "I love you so much that I even want to have children with you. You'll be my eternal waifu, okay?"

Lily was stunned by those declarations.

Could she be wrong? The woman with green hair had the impression that her beloved didn't like something about her, but she didn't know what it was.

But now, it seemed that he really loved her, and that confused her.

Could he be shy? She shook her head, no longer caring about that.

But the most important thing is...

He really loves me.

He had no reason to lie about it, right? Nobody was forcing him to say that, and surely he must have been sincere, she pondered.

"Are you sure?" She shook her, Clotilde, her pink submachine gun, to make sure.

"With all my soul."

She hummed cheerfully, satisfied with my response.

He really loves me.

The best part is that he said it willingly and spontaneously, she smiled with her hand on her cheek and blushing brightly.

Looking at her beloved outside the car, who seemed bent over and gasping for breath, she fell into thoughts again.

Darling, you rascal. Children?

She was so young, and he was already thinking about children. He's so eager, she smiled.

Considering her chastity, she wouldn't mind giving that to him. In fact, it was his to take.

Now, about the children...

Perhaps twenty-two of them would be enough. The perfect number to form two soccer teams. But if Darling didn't think it was enough, they could have more. She didn't mind being his personal baby-making machine; in fact, she yearned for it.

She had even chosen the names for the possible twenty-two sons or daughters.

Returning to my perspective, what I wasn't aware of while breathing in the fresh air were the billions of thoughts racing through Lily's mind in quick succession.

"What a dream. How wonderful," Lily said excitedly, before taking my arms and saying again, "Let's go inside. You can leave the car right here. I have a place for both of us."

"Hey," I stopped her from pulling my arms. "I can't leave the car there. I haven't even paid its rent. The rental agency would kill me if it got stolen. I need to put it in a safe place."

That was my perfect alibi. As soon as I got back in the car, I'd get out of there as fast as possible.

"Huh?" She looked to the side before saying, "Silly. Don't worry about those things. Your waifu has already taken care of it."

"You bought my car?" I looked at her incredulously.

That Mustang is a classic and worth at least a fortune.

"No, silly," she lightly touched the tip of my nose and said passionately, "I bought the entire company with my black card. You can choose any car you want."

I looked at her with my jaw dropped.

"But I noticed that you liked that car," she said, looking in a certain direction, "Boo."

Roar.

Behind the car, I noticed the barrier that prevented me from reversing.

It was a giant, chubby brown bear with a pink ribbon near its left ear.

"Get that car and put it in a safe place, boo," she commanded.

His powerful paws lifted the car with ease, and with tears in my eyes, my car disappeared on the horizon.

"Shall we?"

I nodded, slightly annoyed.