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"Do you think the rumors are true?"
Noritoshi glanced over at Momo, who continued to watch the emptying train that had just pulled into the station, "What rumors?"
Momo's eyebrow twitched, and she sent Noritoshi a quick glare, "Don't act stupid. You know what rumors I'm talking about. Do you really think he's killed over ten thousand curses?"
The corner of Noritoshi's mouth twitched, but otherwise his expression remained neutral, "No, I don't. Special grade or not, he's only a first-year student, and we're only a couple of months into the school year. There's no way he's had enough time to exorcise a few hundred, let alone a thousand curses."
"Yeah, but apparently all he does is take on missions and use that as an excuse to get out of school to go hunting," Momo continued, "No normal person does that."
"He's the furthest thing from it," Noritoshi agreed, "Not only are his abilities an enigma, but he apparently has a rather antagonistic personality and is known to be spontaneous in his actions."
Momo glanced over at Noritoshi, "You've been looking into him, on your own, haven't you?"
"Of course," Noritoshi confirmed shamelessly, "It would be a waste not to use the resources granted to me as Heir to prepare for such a strong opponent."
Momo pouted, "Were you ever going to share that with the rest of us?"
"I thought of discussing details with Todo, but realized he would probably turn me down in favor of having a more engaging fight," Noritoshi explained impassively, "As for you and the first years, it wasn't worthwhile."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Momo muttered with a hurt look in her eyes.
"You don't specialize in combat and the first years are far too inexperienced. Even if they knew every single one of his abilities, it wouldn't change the outcome," Noritoshi replied with brutal honesty, making Momo flinch, "Truthfully, the only one of us I see even having the slightest bit of success would be Todo."
"Hmm, I really hope you don't mean that."
Momo and Noritoshi stiffened as a new voice responded, a voice that was far too close for them not to have noticed. Both whirled around while flaring their cursed energy, as they stared at the newcomer who had been standing less than two feet behind them.
Watching their reactions with a level gaze, the stranger smirked, "Sorry I couldn't help but over here. It's a bad habit of mine."
"Are you crazy?! Who the hell just eavesdrops on people as a habit!" Momo cried out as she gripped her broom, "Now get lost before I kick-"
"Momo."
Hearing the serious tone in Noritoshi's voice, Momo fell quiet and glanced over at her classmate, only to find his face a stony mask, "W-what is it?"
"Look at his cursed energy," Noritoshi prompted, making Momo blink, "What are you talking about? He doesn't have any-"
Momo froze as she realized what was so wrong halfway through her sentence, 'He doesn't have any cursed energy.'
It should have been impossible, but no matter how hard Momo looked, she couldn't find a speck of it on the stranger. 'That's how he got so close; I couldn't sense him at all.'
Taking a closer look at the stranger, Momo noted the multitude of piercings across his face and ears, as well as the rather alternative aesthetic of his clothing, with him wearing a pair of baggy linen pants and a cropped sweatshirt with a cut-out neck, letting it rest low on his shoulders.
Physically, there was nothing intimidating about him; he was on the shorter side and, at first glance, skinny. But then Momo took a closer look and noticed the veins standing out on the back of his hand, the thickness of his upper traps, and, finally, his eyes.
Two bright pink orbs that were almost glowing and gave off an almost unsettling hunger.
As if sensing Momo's appraisal, the stranger smiled, "Like what you see?"
Despite her best efforts, Momo felt her cheeks grow warm as the stranger smiled at her with a twinkle in his eye, "W-who the hell are you?"
"You already know who I am." The stranger replied confidently, confirming Momo's fears.
"Kiniro," Noritoshi answered in a monotone as he carefully regarded the special grade, "Though I'm afraid we don't know your surname."
"Oooh, how polite," Kiniro replied with a small laugh, "But don't feel bad, I don't know it either. So how about we skip all the formalities and just call each other by our names. We're all comrades after all."
'So forward,' Momo couldn't help but think as she listened to Kiniro speak so familiarly with them.
"Ummm, normally this is the part where people introduce themselves." Kiniro prompted when neither Noritoshi nor Momo replied.
"I am Noritoshi Kamo." Noritoshi offered first, though he certainly didn't look pleased about it.
Kiniro's eyes glistened as he heard Noritoshi's name, "Kamo, huh? You must be their heir then…I hope you were just being humble earlier when you said Todo would be the only one who could manage me. Surely a member of the big three has more to offer."
Noritoshi's jaw clenched, but Kiniro ignored him and instead turned his gaze over to Momo, who tensed, feeling his eyes on her, "And what about you, short stack?"
'Who is he calling short?! He's only a few inches taller than me!' Momo glared at Kiniro but managed to keep her outburst controlled, "Momo Nishimiya."
"Momo, I like it," Kiniro replied before his eyes landed on the broom in Momo's hands, "So you're a cursed tool user…interesting. Have you ever considered getting an upgrade? I could help you with the process."
Momo clutched her broom, possessively feeling a need to protect it from Kiniro's eyes, "Why are you some expert on cursed tools?"
"Expert is a bit of a stretch," Kiniro muttered as he reached down and grabbed the pitch-black gourd by his side, "Though I do have a certain level of insight."
With his thumb, Kiniro popped the cork on his gourd as he went to take a sip. But Noritoshi and Momo's eyes went wide as instead of water, a pitch-black substance poured forth that practically radiated cursed energy.
Still, Kiniro drank it all the same, and after two heavy gulps, he brought the gourd away from his lips with a pleased sigh, "Hmmm, that hits the spot."
Momo and Noritoshi regarded Kiniro with a wary look as he let go of the gourd, letting it drop back down to his waist, "So what's on the itinerary? Do we head straight back to campus or is there a bit of time to explore the city and see some sights?"
"Our orders were to escort you right back to campus," Noritoshi replied in a tone that made it clear he was expecting some pushback. However, Kiniro just nodded, "Figured, but it never hurts to ask; guess we should get going then."
Noritoshi stared at Kiniro for a moment before nodding, "Right this way."
Momo moved to walk next to Noritoshi, but with a sudden burst of movement, Kiniro was suddenly standing beside her with a knowing smile, "You wouldn't be opposed to keeping me company, would you? I've got a few questions about Kyoto that I hope you could answer."
"Uhhhh," Momo stalled for time as she stared urgently at Noritoshi, silently begging for help, but her classmate either didn't notice or didn't care for her plight as he continued to stare straight ahead, 'Damnit!'
Forcing a smile, Momo turned to Kiniro, "I-I'd be happy to, what kind of question did you have?"