Chapter 70: At Least I Should Push Her Butt Once!
Hikigaya Hachiman walked into the extremely chaotic main hall.
Everything in his sight was a mess, which was within his expectations. The destructive power a Special Grade Cursed Spirit could cause was incalculable. Even Gojo Satoru was slow and unhurried when dealing with Orimoto Rika.
The ripple effects of their battle were an immense ordeal for the patients, doctors, nurses, and other staff at the Teikoku Institute of Technology Affiliated Hospital. It was no different from a major earthquake. The constant thudding sounds made everyone think the hospital was about to collapse.
There were many ordinary people in the hospital. Although ordinary people couldn't sense the existence of Cursed Spirits, the physical damage caused by the Cursed Spirits was real. After that floor was smashed so badly, even an idiot wouldn't stay there.
Fear was spreading. A large number of patients fled in panic. The power outage left everything pitch black at night, the stuffy air was irritating, and the sounds of patients crying and moaning in pain rose and fell in waves.
To make matters worse, it was pouring outside, and dripping inside. The hospital was not safe!
One of the three Sorcerers, Koji Nishida, who was previously tortured and killed by Orimoto Rika, had succumbed to despair before he died. During the earlier fight, the "unlucky guy," Koji Nishida, was slammed into a wall by Orimoto Rika. Without the convenience of Gojo Satoru's Limitless Cursed Technique, he was impaled through the heart by the steel reinforcement within the concrete and died painfully. However, he cursed his fate before he died.
"Damn Sorcerer Association... sending us to our deaths..."
A Sorcerer dying with resentment in a place full of curses will give birth to a new curse. With the suppression of Orimoto Rika gone, complex black skull-shaped evil cursed energy began to swirl around Koji Nishida's dead body. These wailing skulls wailed mournfully.
"Unacceptable! Unacceptable! Unacceptable!"
To have gone from an ordinary civilian to possessing the aptitude of a Grade 2 Sorcerer, only to die in such an unknown corner—anyone would feel unwilling.
The bloody, broken body twitched as if in convulsions, trembled, and finally began to swell and explode, turning into a large pool of black sludge, from which a large number of hard, carapace-like objects were forming.
Nishida Koji, whose head area was half-destroyed by Orimoto Rika and filled with black sludge, woke up again. With a hideous face, he was no longer a Sorcerer.
A Cursed Spirit formed from the death of a Grade 2 Sorcerer is at least a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit, and can even evolve into a higher-grade Cursed Spirit due to extreme resentment.
However, even if the pre-death resentment elevated the fallen Cursed Spirit's power, it was still far from Semi-Grade 1.
A Sorcerer who falls and becomes a Cursed Spirit loses all sanity.
They have an intense craving for human flesh and a desire to create slaughter. This instinct drove Nishida Koji toward the patients. He needed to feed as much as possible to evolve himself. Ordinary people facing even a low-grade Cursed Spirit are doomed, let alone facing a ravenous Cursed Spirit whose power was climbing from Grade 2 to Semi-Grade 1. It was like a tiger entering a flock of sheep.
The hospital corridor instantly became a bloody hell.
Fragile ordinary people stood no chance against a Cursed Spirit and were quickly devoured. In the eyes of ordinary people, this corridor had become the Grim Reaper's passage, as if an unseen Grim Reaper was harvesting their lives.
A lot of blood splattered. People fleeing in panic raced against the Grim Reaper.
In this life-or-death moment, Shinomiya Kaguya witnessed an old man in a wheelchair actually trembling and standing up from his wheelchair, running at a considerable speed—a true medical miracle. Shinomiya Kaguya and Hayasaka Ai knew more, so it was easy to guess that a Cursed Spirit was engaging in a wild slaughter.
"Young Lady, stay away from the crowd."
Hayasaka Ai pulled Shinomiya Kaguya away from the crowd.
She had no idea where their bodyguards were at this moment, which meant Hayasaka Ai had become the last line of defense next to Shinomiya Kaguya.
Although it sounds unprincipled, everyone could only look out for themselves in this situation. They didn't know the Cursed Spirit, and the Cursed Spirit didn't know them. This meant that avoiding the crowd would effectively minimize the risk of encountering the Cursed Spirit.
Large sections of the building had collapsed, and after the power failure, only the red lights of the emergency lamps were working. Hayasaka Ai, who frequently had her check-ups at this hospital, remained calm. She knew the hospital's layout.
Upon realizing that a Cursed Spirit was slaughtering civilians, Hayasaka Ai led Shinomiya Kaguya toward the administrative area, where there were fewer people since it was the staff's base.
However, she still underestimated the destructive power of a Special Grade Cursed Spirit—it was a walking natural disaster.
The originally unobstructed paths had become extremely challenging. Fortunately, the physical fitness of this mistress and maid was quite formidable. Although not comparable to Sorcerers, they were far superior to ordinary people. Their reflexes and judgment were top-
notch. Even if the path suddenly collapsed or a ceiling lamp fell, they would immediately react.
Strangely enough, despite facing a life-and-death crisis, Shinomiya Kaguya's heart rate was many times lower than when it was measured earlier. Shinomiya Kaguya felt nothing. Her heart wasn't racing, her face wasn't red; instead, she was remarkably calm.
The girls cautiously advanced, trying to avoid encountering any Cursed Spirits. They had no intention of saving ordinary people.
Unfortunately, their luck ran out quickly.
"Damn it! Why are we being targeted?"
Even though they couldn't see the Cursed Spirit, Hayasaka Ai and Shinomiya Kaguya could feel the intense heat emanating from the talismans they held—given to them by their families—and the light on the talismans was dimming.
They knew the Cursed Spirit behind them must be bad news, right?
The mistress and maid ran down the stairs. The sound of rapidly approaching footsteps followed them like a shadow. The Cursed Spirit was quite large, and the corridor could barely contain it, constantly deforming as it passed. In this situation, they would eventually be caught.
"Let's split up, Young Lady."
Hayasaka Ai's stamina was slightly better than Shinomiya Kaguya's, and since she had to undergo a check-up, she hadn't eaten dinner yet. Kaguya-sama would definitely tire out before her, and then both of them would be finished.
Considering this, Hayasaka Ai was 100% sure she could lure the Cursed Spirit away.
Hayasaka Ai actually carried a white candle with her—a special Cursed Tool, made from the wax drippings of a large candle. Once lit, its only purpose was to attract Cursed Spirits. Carrying this candle was equivalent to abandoning one's own life.
The Shinomiya family had already rehearsed this: if all the bodyguards died, Hayasaka Ai would be Shinomiya Kaguya's final shield, meaning Hayasaka Ai was expected to die for Shinomiya Kaguya.
It sounds unbelievable, but this kind of loyalty training was common in such major families.
Furthermore, Hayasaka Ai always harbored a serious sense of guilt toward Shinomiya Kaguya. She was also physically and mentally exhausted from her job as a Shinomiya family maid.
She barely saw her family throughout the year, and the pressure was immense.
Hayasaka Ai had long since wanted to quit. With such an opportunity for "release," Hayasaka Ai made her mental preparations without hesitation.
"But..."
Shinomiya Kaguya didn't want to separate from Hayasaka Ai, but the situation was dire, and Hayasaka Ai couldn't allow her to think too much.
Hayasaka Ai had the map of the entire hospital in her mind. The intersection ahead led to the outdoor garden on the second floor, while the other led to the emergency exit.
Hayasaka Ai thought the garden had a wide open space. She could leap down from the garden and jump directly into the trees and bushes below. While that height posed a risk to her life, it was better than being devoured in the Cursed Spirit's stomach. Once there, Hayasaka Ai would throw away the candle that attracted the Cursed Spirit.
"Hayasaka, what did you do?"
Just as Shinomiya Kaguya was about to run to the right fork, she suddenly saw Hayasaka Ai pull out a small, white candle-like object from her skirt pocket. She fiercely rubbed the tip of the candle against the wall, and the candle lit up. It emitted an ominous, eerie green light. By the light of that eerie green glow, Shinomiya Kaguya and Hayasaka Ai saw the massive Cursed Spirit that had been following them. It wasn't the Cursed Spirit's main body, but just a fragment of its torso. Its appearance was ugly and utterly ferocious.
"Nothing." Hayasaka Ai casually shook her head and smiled at Shinomiya Kaguya. "Young Lady, be happy."
After speaking, Hayasaka Ai sped up without giving Shinomiya Kaguya time to react, sprinting into that fork in the path. Just as Shinomiya Kaguya was about to follow, she was blocked by the Cursed Spirit's massive body. The moment the candlelight appeared, it seemed to ignite the Cursed Spirit's innate hunting instinct. It instantly went berserk. The already distorted corridor was shattered even further by its impact. The fierce wind knocked Shinomiya Kaguya flying from the shockwave. Fortunately, she wasn't seriously hurt, only sustaining a scrape.
The effect of the candle was remarkably immediate. The Cursed Spirit didn't even spare a glance for the fallen Shinomiya Kaguya. It roared and immediately followed Hayasaka Ai.
"Hayasaka, this idiot."
Shinomiya Kaguya was shaking with anger. She wanted to live, but she didn't want Hayasaka Ai to sacrifice her life to protect her.
Did she really think the bond they had, growing up together, could be so easily erased?
Even for the cold Shinomiya Kaguya, Hayasaka Ai was the person she trusted the most, holding a status in her heart that no other Shinomiya family member could compare to.
"If we're going to die, we die together. Who allowed you to die before me?"
Shinomiya Kaguya's heart ached. She hated herself for being powerless. If she had power, what was this Cursed Spirit in front of her? She always needed others to protect her.
She deeply resented her weak self and wanted to head in Hayasaka Ai's direction, but the path ahead was completely destroyed by the enraged Cursed Spirit's massive body.
Shinomiya Kaguya couldn't move forward. She wanted to dig a tunnel through this massive pile of rubble, but could a pampered young lady like her really move reinforced concrete?
What looked like a rough and simple crossroads of rubble symbolized the complete separation of Hayasaka Ai and Shinomiya Kaguya's destinies.
.
.
.
Hayasaka Ai ran for her life.
She didn't even dare to look back, afraid that if she did, she would lose the courage to run. All she had to do was keep running to buy time for Kaguya-sama.
But for an ordinary person to outrun a rampaging Cursed Spirit was clearly a joke. The Cursed Spirit was only unable to catch the human in front of it because its massive size was constantly being hindered in the narrow environment.
'Then I'll just shrink my size a bit.'
It was easy for that sludge-like thing to change its shape.
"Roar!!!"
The sludge-like Cursed Spirit, which had limbs like an animal, struck the ground with force. The ground immediately shattered like fragile glass. The force completely destroyed Hayasaka Ai's balance, and she crashed heavily onto the floor. The candle she held tightly slipped out of her hand. What made Hayasaka Ai's blood run cold was a massive black claw that completely pulverized the exact spot where the candle had dropped, literally destroying that entire floor.
Hayasaka Ai, caught in the impact, suddenly felt she had lost her footing, feeling completely helpless, like a small boat in a storm. She was immediately grabbed by the Cursed Spirit.
The immense force made it difficult for her to hold on, feeling like all her bones were being simultaneously crushed. Hayasaka Ai coughed up a large mouthful of blood as her internal organs were squeezed. Hayasaka Ai thought of struggling, but now, tightly bound, she recalled how ridiculous her previous struggles were.
They say one's life flashes before their eyes before death, but that was not what appeared in Hayasaka Ai's memory. Instead, it was regret.
After all, in this miserable life, she had finally found one good thing.
'Why can't I experience something good before I die!'
Even the hardworking employee, Hayasaka Ai, longed for a different kind of school life. Being eaten by a Cursed Spirit like this meant that neither helping Kaguya-sama with her romance (pushing her butt) nor experiencing the "overturning of the established order" would happen for Hayasaka Ai.
It was a waste to not get to see the embarrassingly adorable Young Lady.
Hayasaka Ai, with blood streaming from her lips, was filled with regret and unwillingness. How could her life end like such a joke?
"At least I should push her butt once!" Hayasaka Ai mocked herself.
Suddenly, Hayasaka Ai's heart seemed to be infused with a powerful force and beat violently.
This was the scene Hikigaya Hachiman saw as he arrived from a distance: Hayasaka Ai was firmly grasped by the fragment of a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit's body, which looked about to shove her into its mouth.
However, Hikigaya Hachiman did not intervene in this moment of life-or-death crisis for Hayasaka Ai. He let it happen because he could sense a different kind of power surging from within the originally weak-spirited Hayasaka Ai.
It was Cursed Energy! The power of mental distortion within Hayasaka Ai had clearly reached its peak.
Hikigaya Hachiman realized that Hayasaka Ai was awakening her Innate Cursed Technique.
.
.
.
New Fanfiction!
Hachiman please tone down your Inner Thoughts
While waiting for Yukinoshita in the clubroom, he unexpectedly travels to the world of Classroom of the Elite and becomes the representative of Class B.
Initially, he only intended to keep a low profile while helping Class B escape its tragic fate from the original story, and incidentally saving Ichinose Honami.
However, why these girls seems to know what am I Thinking?
Read ahead (40 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting