"Die..."
At my single command, the curse vanished.
A twisted humanoid born from hospital fear, its swollen torso wrapped in torn bandages, IV tubes fused grotesquely into its flesh, was erased as if it had never existed.
Its half-melted face, stitched into a permanent smile, dissolved first, hollow eyes leaking black fluid before turning into drifting smoke.
The stench of antiseptic and rot that had clung to the air disappeared in a blink.
Gone.
Cursed energy surged.
A pale fog gathered around my body, thick and heavy, before seeping through my skin.
The moment it entered, a chill ran down my spine.
Goosebumps spread across my arms as I shivered despite myself.
No matter how many times I experienced it, the sensation never stopped creeping me out.
I could feel it clearly, my cursed energy reserves skyrocketing once again.
Cursed energy and cursed techniques were, for the most part, fixed at birth.
There were only a handful of recorded cases where a person's natural reserves increased so drastically.
Yet it happened every single time I killed a curse with this broken, overpowered ability.
"Tsk…"
I clicked my tongue in annoyance, careful not to let even a sound escape my throat.
From a very young age, I had trained relentlessly, voluntarily, to control my cursed technique and cursed energy flow.
Energy circulation. Restraint. Discipline.
I had done everything right.
And yet, the growth rate still outpaced my control.
Cursed energy churned restlessly inside my body, scattering without direction, pressing against my limits.
I ignored it and swept my gaze across the ward, confirming that no other curses remained.
This was St. Luke's International Hospital, located in Chūō, Tokyo, my assigned mission site.
Before arriving, I'd done my own research.
Online forums were filled with complaints: overcharging patients, poor treatment, negligence.
Multiple lawsuits had already been filed against the hospital's management.
Even without reading any of that, I could tell just from the sheer number of curses I'd exorcised here how rotten this place truly was.
Curses were born from human negativity.
And this hospital was drowning in it.
More than fifty Grade 3 curses.
And five Grade 2 curses.
The official report had claimed there were only three Grade 2 curses.
If any other sorcerer had been sent here, they would have died.
This was the second time misinformation like this had happened since I started taking missions a month ago.
As I walked through the silent halls, I realized something else.
There were no humans left in the building.
Not a single presence.
Passing what looked like a physical therapy room, I caught sight of a mirror and stopped.
My reflection stared back at me.
A child, around ten years old.
Small. Thin. Quiet. Guarded.
Silver-white hair fell messily over his forehead, uneven strands shadowing his eyes.
Those pale brown eyes looked far too serious for a child, carrying a weight that didn't belong at this age.
A scarf was wrapped snugly around his throat, as always.
This is the current appearance of me now.
Appearance of a character I once saw only on fiction.
I was really reborn into this world as a character.
With no one around and the entire hospital sealed behind a veil to prevent outside interference, I took a moment to indulge myself tilting my head, shifting my posture, striking a few awkward poses.
No witnesses.
No consequences.
Satisfied, I stepped outside the veil.
Waiting there was a tall, lean man in his late thirties.
Short black hair streaked with gray.
Sharp, calm eyes.
A faint scar near his eyebrow gave him an intimidating, composed look.
He wore a dark overcoat over plain clothes, blending easily into the crowd.
Kuroda Shigenori.
He noticed me immediately and walked over.
"How was it?" he asked carefully.
I simply raised my thumb.
A moment of silence followed.
He swallowed hard, eyes scanning me from head to toe before blurting out, "You really exorcised three Grade 2 curses all by yourself?!"
Instead of answering, I walked past him, opened the car door, and took a seat.
He rushed into the driver's seat, barely able to contain himself.
"Inumaki-kun, you're really amazing!"
Kuroda Shigenori was someone completely unrelated to the story I knew of.
Not only him, there are lot of people here completely unheard of, from the anime I watched.
Ignoring his excitement, I pulled out my phone and began typing.
He immediately did the same, eyes focused on the screen.
To: Kuroda Shigenori
Message: Shigenori-san, the initial report was incorrect. I did not exorcise three Grade 2 curses. There were five, along with more than fifty Grade 3 curses. This is the second time the investigation information has been wrong. Who is responsible for the site assessment?
"What?! You exorcised five Grade 2 curses?!" he shouted.
People outside the car turned to stare, giving him strange looks.
When he had first been assigned to oversee me, he'd mocked my ignorance and told me to quit missions and go back to school.
Now?
Now he looked at me like I was some kind of big shot.
But I was not in the mood to be flattered by him.
I was currently pissed off at the people responsible for the site assessment.
Because of them, I had been forced to use a power I never wanted to rely on, and as a result, the cursed energy in my body was now completely messed up.
Without even reading the rest of the message, I sent another one.
[Who is responsible for the site assessment?]
Ding!
With a chime, he read the message and replied with an apologetic look.
"Preliminary assessment was done by the Auxiliary Manager of this region. He is actually from Jujutsu Headquarters. Even I don't have any more information about him. Please don't worry, I will report everything clearly and make sure you get paid accordingly."
I gritted my teeth in annoyance.
Did he really think I was asking about responsibility because I wanted compensation?
No
…Well, I do like money, but that wasn't the point.
If this mission had been assigned to someone else, a sorcerer might have lost their life just now.
And more importantly it was second time this happened to me.
I find it kind a sus.
I quickly typed another message.
Shigenori-san, do you really think I was asking about responsibility for compensation? This is the second time something like this has happened. Exactly three weeks ago, I was assigned a mission described as a group of Grade Three curses causing trouble in the metro. When I arrived, there was a Grade Two curse mixed in. It feels like someone is deliberately trying to make things difficult for me.