"That uniform looks like it's from the Middle School Division. Why are they here?"
"Shh, they'll hear us."
"It's fine, why are you so scared?"
"You don't know anything, do you? Those two are delinquents. I heard the strongest delinquent here was defeated by them in one move."
"No way?"
Similar conversations kept popping up after the two entered the High School Division building.
Neither Eichi nor Suguru liked excessive socializing, so during breaks they usually stuck together or went off on their own.
After school, they often went to exorcise Cursed Spirits, rarely interacting with other classmates.
So the biggest impression both divisions had of them was that they teamed up to subdue all the delinquents.
It was said those delinquents later brought in many so-called seniors from outside, but the two racked up a hundred-man beatdown against them.
In short, the rumors sounded as terrifying as possible.
Eichi had no intention of explaining anything. He understood a principle in his previous life.
No matter when, if you try to prove yourself according to others' demands, you have already lost, regardless of the outcome.
"Suguru."
Eichi signaled with his eyes.
Suguru nodded.
A slit silently opened in the shadow beside them.
Several Fly Heads crawled out. Some perched on students' heads, others clung to their feet, hindering them without causing harm.
Soon, the two broke free from the crowd and reached the rooftop.
"It really wasn't an illusion."
Right after arriving at the High School Division, they first went to check where the girl had fallen, but found nothing.
The girl's body had disappeared.
Now, looking at the messy footprints on the ground, Eichi was sure what they saw had really happened.
"I found those people from earlier, they're in the infirmary."
"The infirmary? Did they take that girl for treatment?"
Eichi was a bit surprised. If so, it would just be a false alarm.
"No, the Cursed Spirits didn't see anyone injured, only those bullies from before."
As he spoke, Suguru clenched his fists, his eyes cold.
Eichi knew he must be furious.
Eichi was also angry, but with more experience, he stayed a bit calmer.
"Let's go take a look. We will find out what happened. If it is bullying…"
Eichi did not elaborate, but Suguru understood, they would teach them a lesson and make sure they were punished.
"Rabbit Escape."
Following behind Suguru, Eichi silently summoned Rabbit Escape, starting a thorough search of the entire High School Division.
He did this because a strong sense of unease would not leave him.
That feeling had been there ever since entering the High School Division. The strange unease, together with the vanished body, made Eichi extremely wary.
They had seen the girl fall with their own eyes. On the way over, their attention had stayed fixed on the spot where she fell.
Yet the body was gone, and even the Nue in the sky had noticed nothing.
Nue only saw a few people come down from the rooftop, then the body disappeared. Taking away a body in just a few seconds was clearly beyond what a human could do.
Led by Suguru, they quickly arrived at the infirmary door.
Bang.
Suguru yanked the door open. It slammed against the frame with a loud crash.
The noise clearly startled the people inside.
Suguru strode in, legs apart, collar and cuffs unbuttoned, his anger practically overflowing.
"Hey, everyone be careful."
The two males and two females in the infirmary immediately took a guarded stance.
"Ah, what's wrong, Ise-kun?"
Asuka, suddenly pulled behind Ise Takahiro, was flustered and a little shy.
"This guy is not easy to deal with."
Although not a delinquent, Ise, with his excellent physical abilities, had handled delinquents before and had personally witnessed Suguru beat up more than a dozen on his own.
Seeing Suguru's angry expression and the posture like he might attack, Ise instinctively pulled Asuka behind him to protect her.
"What did you just do?"
To Ise's surprise, Suguru did not attack immediately.
"Who are you? What do you want?"
Uranishi Shota, a well-dressed honor student wearing glasses, spoke from the side.
Suguru's gaze shifted, fixing on Uranishi.
"You were the one who made a move, weren't you?"
"Huh?"
Made a move? What move? Could it be… As if realizing something, Uranishi hurried to explain.
"No, people who don't know anything shouldn't be here…"
Hearing Uranishi still trying to argue, Suguru lost patience and threw a punch at him.
"Wait a minute."
Ise stepped forward, crossing his arms to block the strike.
Even without Cursed Energy, Suguru's punch still sent Ise flying.
Ise crashed into Uranishi behind him, and both fell.
"Ise-kun."
Ignoring her companion's attempt to stop her, Asuka ran to Ise's side. Suguru, about to follow with a kick, had to stop.
"My name is Azuma Eichi. What's your name?"
Seeing that Suguru still had some restraint, Eichi did not step in. Instead, he walked over to a girl who was trembling with fear.
"Rie, my name is Rie."
The girl's eyes were wet, her face pale, clearly terrified.
It was Suguru who made a move, so why are you scared of me?
Eichi scratched his head helplessly, then noticed Rie was not looking at him. She was staring behind him.
Is there something at the door?
Puzzled, Eichi turned around, and a disheveled figure came into view.
A girl stood there. Her uniform was messy and torn, her neck seemingly broken, tilted toward her shoulder.
When did she appear?
Eichi had not noticed her at all. He glanced at Rabbit Escape. It shook its head. Eichi understood.
She appeared suddenly.
"Do you need treatment?"
As he asked, he shifted his stance, ready to form hand seals with both hands.
The girl was too strange. Her skin was deathly pale. Judging by the damage to her clothes, she should have suffered immense trauma, yet apart from her broken neck, there was not a single visible wound.
Her eyes were lifeless, nothing like a normal person.
Seeing this, Suguru stopped pressing the other three and moved to Eichi's side, warily watching this unknown.
"Is she a Jujutsu Sorcerer?"
"Doesn't look like it."
As they spoke in low voices, the corpse-like girl finally opened her mouth.
"Please help me find my body."
"Huh?"
"What did you say?"
Eichi and Suguru stared at her in confusion.
The girl did not answer. After saying that, she turned and left.
A strange feeling rose from the depths of Eichi's heart.
"Hey, Suguru."
"What's wrong?"
Suguru, who was about to chase her, stopped.
"It seems we have been cursed."
"What?"
At that moment, new developments occurred inside the infirmary.
(To be continued.)
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