A car drove on the road as a woman sat in the driver's seat with Kiyotaka next to her, reading through some files. Megumi, Nobara, and Junpei were packed into the back seats.
The woman then recited some details, saying, "Kanada Taichi in Morioka, in June. Shimada Osamu in Yokohama, in August. Yamato Hiroshi in Nagoya, in September. These three died in similar circumstances. They were stabbed to death by a Cursed Spirit at the entrance to their apartments, and all of them had filed the same complaint with the property managers several weeks before dying. They claimed their auto-locking doors were left wide open. None of the other residents have any idea what could have happened."
Megumi, in the back seat, looked at the computer, saying, "None of the dates or locations matches, though."
Junpei nodded, asking, "Are we sure this is the same Curse? Also, can Curses trigger sensors? I mean, Gojo-Sensei said they can't be captured on film but..."
Kiyotaka answered his saying, "The Cursed Spirit did something to the door operator, not the sensor, as he handed over the paper with that information to Megumi."
Kiyotaka looked at the information and asked, "Curses can lie dormant for years, right? Could it be they were cursed while being teenagers attending the same school, and it's only now activated?"
The woman then said, "Your theory is right. The three of them attended the same middle school for two years. The residuals are faint, so we can't tell whether this was all done by the same spirit or not. After all, a lot of time has passed, but it should be all but confirmed to be the same Curse at this point. We're heading to the middle school they attended now. There's someone there who knew the three of them. I want you four to see what you can find as sorcerers."
Kiyotaka contemplated it, asking, "Why would the Curse activate now after almost 2 decades?"
Junpei looked to them and asked, "Could it have been too weak to do it before, but now it's stronger?"
Megumi shook his head, saying, "Curses that get stronger over time are something that can happen, but taking almost 20 years to get strong enough?"
They all seemed to find this strange.
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They arrived at a house as the woman's sweat dropped at seeing a funeral, and Nobara asked, "Nitta-san, is this the house of the acquaintance?"
"Yes, it is..."
They drove off as Nitta then said, "Well, this sucks. He died the same way the other three did. He lived with his family, so there was no auto-locking door, but he was killed in front of the entrance. Previously, upon returning home alone, he reported, [The door was unlocked, but it wouldn't open] to his other family members. I asked his parents, too, but they said they didn't know what relationship he had with the other three."
They arrived at a school as they walked in with Nitta complaining, "Man, there goes our only lead!"
"Don't get so caught up in that loss. We still have time to investigate and find a new lead."
Kiyotaka said this as Nitta sighed and said, "For now, I've secured an appointment with a teacher, so I'm counting on you."
There were some delinquents smoking as Nobara smirked, walking over and saying, "There are some obvious punks. Let's beat 'em and set 'em straight."
Kiyotaka sighed, thinking, 'There she goes again, causing trouble.'
Junpei nodded, saying, "Yeah."
The punks looked at them, saying, "Huh?" in a pissed tone, but then they went pale, saying, "I-It's good to see you!"
Nobara smiled confidently, saying, "Heh, look at that. You actually get it."
Junpei nodded, saying, "Looks like they already understand their position.'
Kiyotaka looked at this, thinking, 'They're not referring to the two of you.'
The punks then said, "We haven't seen you since graduation, Fushiguro-San" as Nobara and Junpei looked shocked, looking to Megumi.
Megumi looked away, saying, "I... went here... for middle school
Nobara grabbed his cheek, saying, "That's a surprise too, but that's not the point!"
Junpei looked to him, asking, "Why are they scared of you, Fushiguro?"
Nobara nodded, saying, "Look at me!" while pulling at his face.
Junpei sighed, asking, "What did you even do to them?"
Megumi didn't answer as Kiyotaka asked, "What did Fushiguro do to you two?"
The two looked at them, saying, "We... or rather, every delinquent, gang member, and so on in this area got beaten up by Fushiguro-San."
Nobara and Junpei both looked shocked as Junpei asked, "Fushiguro? But you're not the type to play hero at all!"
Megumi looked away, saying, "I beat them up."
Nobara grabbed his chin, shouting, "Why do you keep talking so stiffly?!"
Suddenly, they heard a "Hey!" as they turned to see a teacher who asked, "Who are you?"
The teacher walked over, saying, "Students from other schools aren't allowed in here!"
Nobara pointed at him, asking with a shout, "And who the hell are you?"
Junpei looked at the man sceptically, thinking, 'Another teacher... no... not all of them are like Sotamura-Sensei.'
Kiyotaka deadpanned at Nobara's reaction, thinking, 'He's obviously a teacher. Don't get us thrown out.'
The man walked over, saying, "I'm a teacher at this school."
Kiyotaka looked to him and said, "We're not affiliated with this woman, so don't kick us out of the facility. We're here on important business."
Nobara glared at Kiyotaka, shouting, "You little!" before flailing her arms at him, to which he held her at a distance with his hand pressed to her face.
Nobara proceeded to bite his hand as Kiyotaka retracted his hand, saying, "You're completely savage when you're mad."
Nobara pointed at him, shouting, "Don't get so high and mighty, you bastard!"
Kiyotaka smiled slightly, feeling genuinely amused at the situation as Nobara thought, 'This monotone bastard is actually smiling? Damn it. That smile is too precious! Fuck you for using it against me' as she calmed herself down.
Kiyotaka smiled internally as well, thinking, 'My smile is good, huh? New tool acquired.'
Nitta looked at the teacher, revealing a badge and saying, "We have permission to be here."
The man fixed his glasses, checking the identification and saying, "Oh, you're the ones? You're all young. You need to hang your pass around your neck."
He smiled before looking behind Nitta, looking shocked and calling out, "Fushiguro-kun?"
Megumi looked embarrassed, saying, "Hello."
Kiyotaka looked to Megumi and said, "I never thought I'd see that kind of expression on your face."
Megumi grew a tick mark, saying, "Shut up!"
Kiyotaka sighed, thinking, 'I was only making a statement. Everyone is so trigger-happy today.'
Nobara smiled, saying, "He remembers you!"
Junpei sighed, thinking, 'He seems like a good teacher. If only I had one like him.'
Nitta then asked, "So this man's been here for a long time?"
Megumi nodded, saying, "Probably. Takeda-San's a permanent employee."
Nitta gave him a thumbs up, saying, "Then I leave the rest to you!"
Megumi and the teacher walked off as the teacher recited the names, "Kanada, Shimada, Yamato... and Morishita, huh? I was shocked by their passing, but I guess it's been nearly twenty years since they graduated. I remember it like it was yesterday."
The teacher smiled, saying, "They were problem children in their own right, though not as bad as you. What did you want to know?"
Megumi looked to him and said, "Strange rumours, dark rumours, connections to bad adults..."
Nobara slid in, saying, "You were a problem child."
"... and anything of ill omen," finishes Megumi completely ignoring her.
"Dark rumours? They may have been troublemakers, but they never went beyond average middle school stuff."
The teacher said this before grabbing his chin, saying, "But wait... ill omen?"
One of the punks spoke up, asking, "You mean that tale?"
The other spoke up, asking, "About the Yasohachi Bridge bungee jumping?
Nobara looked to them, asking, "Oh? You two are still here?"
Junpei spoke up, asking, "Yasohachi Bridge?"
Megumi filled him in, saying, "A notorious suicide spot. It's well-known in this area as a haunted location."
The teacher seemed to recognise as he said, "Oh, that's right! Back then, it was all the rage among delinquents to bungee jump off Yasohachi Bridge late at night. It was one of those tests of courage."
Nobara deadpanned, saying, "What a weird tribe."
Junpei just stared, asking, "People actually do something as stupid as that?"
Megumi then asked, "What do you use for a cord?"
The punk raised his hand, saying, "We don't do it. I just heard some students from our parents' generation talking about it."
"One day, Kanada and the other three were absent without permission. That wasn't all that unusual by itself, but when we contacted their families, we learned that those four hadn't come home the day before. It caused a pretty big stir. Then they were found unconscious under the bridge. They got chewed out good, but all four swore up and down they didn't remember a thing."
The five stood by Nitta's car, who said, "I think that's it."
Megumi then said, "I've been to Yasohachi Bridge, too."
Junpei paled, saying, "I feel like the Fushiguro I've gotten to know has been a lie this entire time."
Megumi got a tick mark saying, "I didn't bungee jump, idiot."
She sighed as he continued saying, "It's easy for Curses to take root in haunted locations, just like in schools, so people from Jujutsu High regularly patrol it. There wasn't anything unusual at the time, though. It might be a bit famous, but it's still used as a normal bridge."
Nobara looked to Nitta, saying, "We still have to go check it out, though."
Nitta nodded, saying, "Yes."
Junpei sighed, asking, "Doesn't this seem a bit strange, though? I don't know why, but none of this really feels like it's adding up."
Kiyotaka contemplated it before saying, "I agree. There are two options. Either it was dormant this entire time and can hide its cursed Energy well enough to deceive Fushiguro, or... it was so weak that Fushiguro didn't pick up on it, and it has now experienced exponential growth. Another option, though unlikely, is that it can hide its Cursed Energy through a Cursed Technique or a Cursed Energy Trait like mine."
Megumi nodded, but before he could say something, the teacher from before called out to him, "Fushiguro-kun?"
He walked over, saying, "Sorry, I was curious about something."
Megumi turned to him, asking, "What is it?"
"Tsumiki-kun took awfully good care of you when you were in school. Is she doing well?"
"Yes."
Megumi answered like this, but Kiyotaka instantly caught on to the lie. Nobara leaned over, asking, "Who's Tsumiki? Your girlfriend?"
"My older sister."
Nobara looked annoyed, saying, "Huh?! You tell us too little about yourself!"
Megumi sighed at this.
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The group arrived at the bridge as Nitta said, "We're here. Koi no Kuchi Canyon, Yasohachi Bridge. Once you confirm a Cursed Spirit's here, I'll lower a veil."
That was what she had said, but they hadn't found anything as they sat at the bridge with Nobara yawning and saying, "Hey, we didn't find hide or hair of any Cursed Spirit."
They then went to a convenience store with Megumi saying, "We didn't sense any presences or residuals."
Nitta sighed, saying, "I see."
Junpei stretched his arms, saying, "Well, that was 3 hours of my life that got wasted."
Nobara deadpanned, saying, "You've wasted longer than that in a theatre."
Junpei sweats and says, "Are you still mad at me for that?"
Nobara points at him angrily, shouting, "Yeah, I am! You wasted my time, too!"
"I saw you crying at that one scene!"
"Only heartless bastards like Ayanokoji won't cry at a scene like that."
Kiyotaka looked to them, saying, "I feel like I'm... catching stray bullets here?"
Megumi sighed, saying, "You don't have to add the [bullets] part."
Kiyotaka nodded, saying, "I see."
Nobara then shouted, "I'm never going to see those dumb movies with you again!"
Junpei glared, shouting, "They're not dumb movies!" as the two began butting heads.
Nitta looked at the contrast between the two duos and deadpanned at it.
Nitta sighed and said, "Well, since you guys didn't find anything, that means this isn't it. Guess it's back to square one."
Then Nitta got a light bulb moment, saying, "Ding-Ding! Bungee jumping was all the rage back then, right? So what if jumping off is the key?"
Junpei sweatedrop as Nobara asked, "Did she just say "Ding-Ding"?" seeing it as completely adorable.
Megumi sighed and said, "Junpei already tried that."
[Junpei clicked his fingers, saying, "What if... You have to jump off to summon the Curse?!"
Junpei felt very proud of himself before looking to Nobara and asking, "Why are you looking at me like that? And what's with that rope you're holding?"
Nobara proceeded to kick Junpei, who was tied to the rope off the bridge as he screamed for his dear life, shouting, "I'll curse you if I die!"]
Nitta looked shocked, asking, "Seriously?!!"
Junpei shouted, "Don't make it sound like I consented!!!"
That's when the punk with the pompadour rode towards them on a bike with a girl sitting behind him, saying, "Thank goodness! Fushiguro-San!"
Nobara looked at him, asking, "Who's that again?"
Kiyotaka answered, saying, "I think you referred to him as idiot A?"
"Ah, right."
The boy then said, "You guys were talking about Yasohachi Bridge, so... I'm really glad I found you here!"
The girl looked to Megumi, who asked, "Fujinuma?"
Megumi then turned to Nitta, saying, "She's a classmate."
The boy gestured to her, saying, "My older sister."
Fujinuma bowed before smiling and saying, "I'm glad you remember me."
She went on to say that she had been to Yasohachi Bridge too and then described how the automatic door would be open when she got home and how it scared her.
Nitta looked at her and asked, "When did the issue with your automatic door start?"
She answered, "It's happened about every other day for exactly a week now."
Kiyotaka and Maegumi thought the same thing at the same time, 'There's at least two weeks between the four victims noticing something and their deaths.'
Kiyotaka sighed, thinking, 'Her time is running out. We have a week to solve this.'
Nobara then asked, "You didn't go to Yasohachi Bridge by yourself at the time, did you? Do you remember who you went with?"
She looked shocked, saying, "Um, so this really does have something to do with..."
Kiyotaka stopped her, saying, "We're not saying that. We're just investigating the area for electrical disturbances. If you can tell us something, then we may be able to resolve our investigation sooner. As for your automatic door, if it stops opening like that, then please know that we've resolved the issue."
She sighed in relief before saying, "I went on a test of courage with two others from my club."
She turned to Megumi, saying, "That's right. Fushiguro-kun, Tsumiki-san was with us then, too."
Nobara and Junpei froze up in shock as Kiyotaka's eyes only widened for a second.
Megumi nodded, saying, "I see. Then I'll try asking Tsumiki, too."
Nitta then said, "Okay, then I'll escort these two home."
The pompadour guy then asked, "Something really is going on, isn't it?"
Nitta looked to them, saying, "I can't let you go home on the same bike."
Junpei walked over, grabbing Megumi's shoulder, saying, "Fushiguro! Fushiguro! Fushiguro, are you alright?!!"
Megumi had been sweating bullets with a horrified expression as he finally snapped to his senses and said, "Sorry, I'm stepping away for a sec" before walking away and making a call.
After a while, Megumi returned as Nobara asked, "Hey... is your sis okay?"
Megumi nodded, saying, "She's fine", as both Nobara and Junpei sighed in relief.
Megumi looked to his three teammates and said, "It looks like the mission's danger level just shot up. Other sorcerers will be handling this mission. You three can go home"
Junpei got up and said, "That doesn't matter, and I know you're not going to sit back. This is your family. I'm helping."
Nobara smirked, saying, "Same here."
Kiyotaka simply looked to Megumi, saying, "I can read people very easily, but even I need information to work off of. Tell us what's going on."
Megumi took a breath and sighed, saying, "Tsumiki's... still bedridden" as Nobara and Junpei looked shocked.
Kiyotaka looked to Megumi, thinking, 'I believe I understand you a bit better now.'
Megumi continued saying, "The Curse of Yasohachi Bridge only appears before its victims. Since she can't communicate herself, I have no idea when she'll be killed by the Curse. So I want to exorcise it right away. But it's true that our mission's danger level has increased."
Nobara sighed, saying, "Okay, okay, we get it now."
"Burdening yourself to do it alone was unnecessary. Don't do something like this again."
Kiyotaka said this as they turned around, and Junpei thought, 'Is Fushiguro... smiling?'
They began to move out towards Yasohachi Bridge.
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To Be Continued
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Rating Out Of 10 For This Chapter?
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