𝐉𝐉𝐊 𝟎: 𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐔𝐧𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝 || Okkotsu Yuta

iii. Separated and Lost / Divide and Conquer

Where was Maki?

Panic struck me as I roamed through the halls again. It was just an endless loop!

"Maki?" I called out to the empty space. No response. I really messed up big time. I scour the room one last time before settling down. Maybe if I do nothing or pretend to be weak it will come after me. Was it all an illusion? Or the curse itself? Is it an unfinished domain?

There's no point in stalling around. I walked the place again, searching for anything I might have missed. Suddenly, there was a spike in cursed energy behind me. I whipped my head around to face the thing, creature that could be present.

From the cursed energy itself, it could classify as Grade 2 or Semi-Grade 1. Why was it classified grade 3? I must have been tricked. This cursed spirit's intelligence is...!

In my trance, something tapped me from behind, causing me to snap back into reality and turn to the thing's direction. It was the curse in all its glory. A horrifying-looking curse staring at me. Staring at me?

I kept my eye contact with the curse as I explained my technique to it to further improve the efficiency of my technique against it. Before it could do anything, I had sliced it in halves of halves and so on with my kunai, in the blink of an eye. Its disgusting dark blood splattered all over the space, slowly collapsing and releasing me from its hold. Now that I was out of this predicament, I had to find Maki and the others.

• ↳ - - - - ** ☆ ** - - - - ↲ •

I was the only one standing. Both Maki and Panda were injured. The mission said it was a grade 3! But this curse is too strong to be that grade! My throat was sore, and Y/n was missing.

I don't know how much longer I can stall this curse.

The curse lunged at me again and I was able to hold it back for a little longer, but things went downhill.

I had barely escaped death when a blurry silhouette emerged from the darkness and approached us at an inhumane speed.

Y/—!

• ↳ - - - - ** ☆ ** - - - - ↲ •

"Inumaki" I cried out as he disappeared from my sight.

Was I too late? Am I going to perish too? No. Go back to those thoughts another day.

"Mother. Could I have your assistance in saving my friends?" I muttered out loud. From my back, she came crawling out slowly, with sharp, glaring eyes on the other curse.

"Thank you," I smile at her in her cursed form. I eye the curse and unleashed my many eyes again, throwing my kunai into the air as I run forward to the curse, manipulating my kunai trajectory and coming in for a front attack.

In a flash, Mother sliced through the curse and retrieved Inumaki's unconscious body while I immobilised it and finish it off, the curtain slowly dissipating into nothingness.

I, with Inumaki, returned to the area in which we arrived at to exorcise the curse and complete our mission. Maki and Panda were both getting patched up, and Inumaki needed to go to. I was the one with the least injuries.

"Gojo Satoru!" I rage at the man who brought us all here, "You said it was a grade 3!" I slowly dropped Inumaki onto the floor on both feet as my arms got sore, supporting his standing position as he was unconscious. I wrapped my arm around his shoulder, another hand tilting his head upwards to lean against my arm.

"Sorry, Ijichi! There's one more person!" Satoru cheered, snatching Inumaki from me and dropping him off into Ichiji's car.

"Now you and I have some free time!" Satoru smiled cheekily. I rolled my eyes as I healed myself with reversed curse technique.

"No. I'm going to rest," I argued. Satoru whined as we arrived at the school using his technique. I took the time to speed to my room and lock out Satoru before he could try to break in normally. I have sleep at last. I thought, smiling to myself. That was until someone's head poked through my door.

"WAHH—!!" I screamed in distress, staring at the face of the head. Satoru's giggling caught my attention as it was he who intruded my room. He went to put on his blindfold cloth back on, teasing me about my reaction. I tried not to scrunch my face up and to keep a straight face.

"So what?" I glanced away, calming myself moments after, "What do you need, Satoru-sensei?" I asked him in a polite tone.

"How flattering. Well, since you treated me kindly, I thought, why not bring you out for a treat!" Satoru spread his arms around me and hugged me gently, "You've been hard at work after all, and deserve a break too!"

I tried to refuse, but ended up going with him anyway.

We went to a small ice cream shop to have some dessert, hearing the occasional blindfolded man gossip from older-than-me girls or teens.

I chose to get a [flavour with wanted toppings] ice cream, while Satoru... chose something else. I glanced around the area absentmindedly while enjoying the time of peace while it lasted.

Needless to say, we had a very awkward bonding time, exorcising tiny curses along the streets while eating ice cream in the heat of Japan's heartland and crowded metropolis, Tokyo. Foreigners were one in many.

It was nice having a peace of mind, but my thoughts always wandered back to my friends, who were recovering from their injuries. If I had noticed earlier, or if I wasn't so reckless and hasty, maybe they wouldn't have...

"Y/n! You're making that face again!" Satoru pouted childishly, snapping me out of my dark thoughts. He dragged me further to a set of colourful buildings, or rather, an amusement park.

"Come on, loosen up! Today's your lucky day off!" He cheered happily, turning to one of the rides and dragging me with him. A rollercoaster.

"Are you... sure?" I eyed him suspiciously.

"Yes, of course I am!" Satoru shouted back at me.

Did I trust his word? No.

Did I go along with it? Of course.

I stared blankly in front of me, with Satoru happily chatting away to deaf ears. The cart ascended the railway, slowly going up. It was all good until the cart plummeted and Satoru started crying and screaming. I let out a loud chuckle at him, the humour getting to me in spite of my mood. An adult man screaming like a child at a rollercoaster ride would be one of a funny sight. Other people riding the cart burst out in laughter as well.

He turned his back to me when we exited the ride, seemingly embarrassed. There were some aiming and shooting game stalls, so I went ahead and tried them out, with Satoru.

We both nailed it, literally and metaphorically. Before I knew it, dusk hit and I was back in my dorm. It was like time flew by like an arrow. As Satoru was about to leave, I tugged on his arm, "Are Maki and the others okay?" my tone faltered, my mood dropped dejected.

"They will be okay. Inumaki is returning tomorrow, and Panda the following day. Maki will still stay in the doctor's office to rest," he replied to my question with reassurance, "Don't worry, Y/n. Everything's gonna be alright, I hope."

"Thank you, sensei," I muttered back, my lips stretching to form a small smile while I turned my back to him, "It's good to know you care."

"I'll go rest for now. Uh, thank you." I turned my head to Satoru while talking, eventually walking off without any more words to give him.

I went off to shower, brush my teeth and sleep, as simple as that. I was wiped out, completely. Then, I fell asleep in my bed, warm and cozy.