Chapter 153
The classroom wall exploded outward.
Two figures shot through the cloud of dust and landed in the open courtyard beyond—Maki and Kiriya.
Maki would have loved nothing more than to apply a little physical memory loss to Panda and Inumaki, but they had been her teammates for too long.
She could not seriously bring herself to hurt them over a misunderstanding.
Besides, the real culprit was standing right in front of her.
And she still had plenty of anger left for him.
Their fight immediately resumed.
Maki’s spear swept through the air with fierce, powerful movements, every furious strike producing a sharp whistle.
Kiriya met her with a sword in hand, his movements light and effortless.
He slipped past her attacks by the narrowest margins, always seeming to move at precisely the right moment.
Whenever he felt like it, he would interrupt her rhythm with a well-placed counter—and occasionally offer another infuriating piece of advice.
"He’s seriously strong," Panda said in amazement.
After seeing Kiriya tear through the curses at the school, he had assumed the boy was a straightforward fighter who relied on overwhelming speed and strength.
He had not expected his technique and combat awareness to be just as impressive.
Every adjustment was perfectly timed.
Every response came naturally, without hesitation or wasted movement.
"Salmon," Inumaki agreed.
He had sparred with Maki often enough to understand how skilled she was with both weapons and close combat.
She might not have reached the level of veteran sorcerers yet, but among students her age, there were very few who could match her.
Yet Kiriya was controlling the fight so easily that it barely seemed real.
"Ahahaha! Look at all that energy."
Gojo watched with a pleased smile.
"Wonderful. Youth really is beautiful!"
"Mustard leaf?"
Inumaki looked at him with concern.
He was not worried that Maki would hurt Kiriya. At this point, that seemed unlikely.
He was more concerned about their relationship!
They were supposed to become classmates, and things would be troublesome if they genuinely hated each other.
"You’re worrying too much."
Panda chuckled and pointed toward Maki.
"Look closely. She’s smiling."
"Hm?"
Inumaki turned back toward the fight.
Sure enough, the corners of Maki’s mouth had lifted.
It was not a gentle smile.
It was the fierce, exhilarated grin of someone finally being pushed to her limit.
"Maki’s always wanted someone she could seriously practice close combat with," Panda explained.
"But there isn’t anyone among the students who can really match her with weapons."
"She’s complained before that she’s starting to hit a wall, remember?"
He watched her press forward with another series of attacks.
"Now she’s finally found someone strong enough to fight without holding back. Of course she’s enjoying herself."
"Salmon?"
Inumaki glanced toward Gojo.
Perhaps that was one of the reasons their teacher had been so eager to bring Kiriya into the school.
"You’ve all gotten a little too comfortable lately."
Gojo shrugged, wearing a smile that sent a chill down their backs.
"It’s about time I gave you some pressure!"
"But I’m only a cursed corpse," Panda protested.
He would much rather continue living a peaceful, lazy life.
"Bonito flakes."
Inumaki sensed danger as well.
"Stop complaining. Look at Maki," Gojo said, nodding toward the field. "She’s adapting just fine."
They looked back.
The anger had already faded from Maki’s face, replaced by intense concentration.
She kept adjusting her rhythm and changing the angles of her attacks. Even in the middle of the fight, her technique was becoming sharper.
The battle continued for nearly twenty minutes.
By the end, sweat soaked Maki’s clothes and her chest rose and fell heavily. Kiriya, meanwhile, still looked perfectly relaxed, his stamina showing no signs of failing.
"You’re good," he said. "Fighting you is actually pretty fun."
"Hah..."
Maki struggled to steady her breathing, but her eyes remained bright and determined.
"I’ll catch up to you soon."
There was only one thought in her mind now.
Catch up to him.
Then surpass him!
’I’ll have to train even harder.’
"Good luck."
Kiriya gave her a thumbs-up.
"I’m rooting for you."
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Gojo approached while applauding.
"What a magnificent battle! Watching the two of you reminds me of all the sweat I shed beneath the setting sun in my own youth."
He raised one hand dramatically.
"Ah, youth!"
"Hmph."
Maki turned away.
She had no desire to look at either of the two idiots who had spent the day provoking her.
"To welcome our newest student, we should throw a huge party!" Gojo announced cheerfully.
"I’ll pass."
Kiriya immediately waved the idea away.
"Gojo-sensei, I’ve joined the school and already done the training you asked for. Isn’t it time we got to the important part?"
He held out a hand.
"Where are my curses?"
"You’re really impatient, Kiriya."
Gojo placed a hand against his forehead.
"And here I was planning a wonderful surprise for you."
"Curses are the only surprise I want. The more, the better!"
Kiriya kept his hand extended.
"Don’t tell me you don’t have any."
"Of course I do."
Gojo pulled out a phone and handed it to him.
"Here. Ijichi is waiting by the front gate. He’ll take you to the Hapina Shopping District. Several curses have appeared there recently, and apparently they’re causing some trouble."
"Good enough. I’m leaving."
Kiriya took the phone and headed off immediately.
"He’s certainly dedicated," Panda remarked.
Then he noticed Maki walking toward the training grounds.
"Maki, where are you going?"
"To train."
Her answer carried such firm determination that Panda, Inumaki, and Gojo all exchanged knowing smiles.
...
At the Hapina Shopping District, Ijichi held a folder open while explaining the situation to Kiriya.
"Most of the shops in this area have already moved out. The original plan was to demolish everything and redevelop the land for larger businesses."
"However, several cursed spirits were discovered during an inspection. We initially sent a few Grade 3 sorcerers to deal with them, but everyone who entered disappeared without a trace."
"So we had no choice but to ask Gojo-san for assistance."
Ijichi adjusted his glasses.
"If curses began appearing after the new shopping center opened, it would cause a great deal of trouble for everyone involved. The client therefore wants the area cleared as quickly as possible."
He bowed politely.
"We’re counting on you, Kiriya-san."
Kiriya nodded, adjusted the equipment he was carrying, and walked into the abandoned shopping street.
"Emerge from darkness, blacker than darkness..."
Behind him, Ijichi began the incantation.
A Curtain descended over the area.
The once-bright shopping district was swallowed by shadow, its empty streets becoming dark and oppressive.
Kiriya activated Energy Perception.
Almost immediately, he sensed numerous small sources of energy rapidly approaching.
"Mom’s not fair..."
"Brother got more than me..."
"I want sushi..."
Broken, childish whispers drifted through the air.
Then the first few curses appeared.
They resembled fish swimming through empty space, their distorted bodies twisting as they floated between the buildings.
At first there were only a handful.
Then more arrived.
And more.
Within seconds, hundreds of them had gathered into a vast, swirling column, forming a gigantic tornado of cursed spirits that rushed toward him.
"Well, aren’t you enthusiastic?"
Kiriya looked at the countless creatures surrounding him, but his expression showed more disappointment than excitement.
Weak curses had a habit of gathering in groups.
There might have been plenty of them, but their individual energy was so poor that he would gain very little from exorcising them.
"Gojo really is unreliable."
Kiriya sighed.
"He promised me powerful curses, and this is what he sends?"
Despite his complaints, his hands were already moving through a sequence of seals.
A shadow clone appeared beside him with a puff of smoke.
"Whatever. Let’s clear them out quickly."
The clone finished the first technique.
"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"
Kiriya followed immediately.
"Fire Release: searing migraine!"
The violent wind caught the flames and drove them forward.
A roaring sea of fire, dozens of meters wide, surged through the shopping district like a tidal wave.
The enormous tornado of fish-shaped curses vanished inside the inferno.
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