Looking at the closed door, the high school students fell into a mysterious silence.

Xia Yujie held his forehead and said, "What should I do? He locked the door."

Gojo Satoru laughed without conscience: “Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha——”

Ieiri Naoko took out a cigarette from her pocket and said, "Okay, we'll go back to school after I finish this."

Xia Yujie: “…”

Five hours of rushing, five seconds of being rejected.

The blond-haired, blue-eyed boy gently patted Geto's shoulder. Geto turned around and looked at him. The only heroic spirit who supported him in completing the mission volunteered, "Three Color House's limited chocolate buns, only ten boxes, and I'll pry the door open for you."

Xia Yujie: “…”

Summer Oil: "Isn't this a bad idea?"

Al shook his finger and said, "Master, for the future of the world of magic, it is necessary to be appropriately shameless. Of course, as a Master, you can have some shame, but I don't."

"..." Xia Youjie decisively clapped his hands with him, "Deal."

Bang, bang ...

Al began to knock on the door persistently, banging it loudly as if he would keep banging on it until the end of time.

Seeing that the door was about to be smashed, Nanami Kento opened the door for them without any hesitation.

As soon as he opened the door, he was met with a pair of green eyes.

Al took full advantage of his big eyes and put his eyes directly in front of Kento Nanami.

Nanami Kento: “…”

Nanami Kento sighed, "Please come in."

The mixed-race boy is named Nanami Kento, and he is currently studying at Tokyo Seigakuin Junior High School. Just as Ieiri Naoko guessed, his grandfather is Danish and he has a quarter Danish bloodline.

“How about black tea?”

"Sure, thank you. But what about your parents? Will it bother you too much?"

"My parents are very busy recently and they can only come home very late."

"Really? That's good."

They sat down on the sofa in the living room, and Geto introduced them: "We are all first-year students at Jujutsu High School. I'm Geto, this is Gojo Satoru, this is Ieiri Nozomi, and this is Al. Sorry, I was the one who asked him to knock on the door just now."

Nanami Kento put the black tea on the tea table, gave each of them a cup, and put the Japanese sweets he brought over on the tea table.

"He was the one who threw the bus into the sky, right? If the entire Jujutsu High School has the same work style, I think I need to think carefully about entering the high school."

Xia Yujie: “…”

Al calmly grabbed a wagashi, as if the person they were talking about was not him at all.

Well, this black tea tastes good, and so do the Japanese confectionery that goes with it.

Xia Yujie laughed: "After all, the situation was urgent at the time, and Al did it for everyone's safety. By the way, we heard that the government of time has also extended an olive branch to you?"

"indeed."

Nanami Kento admitted it straightforwardly.

He said calmly: "The treatment there is also very generous."

Xia Yujie said: "I understand. The salary offered by the Time Government is very high and the job is relatively safe. In this regard, the sorcerer is indeed not as good as the judge, but I still hope you can consider the Jujutsu High School more."

Nanami Kento paused, and then said aggressively in a very calm tone: "Why? Knowing that this profession of sorcerer is very dangerous, you still encouraged me to become a sorcerer? Because this is the mission given to you by the school?"

Hearing this, Al raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Surprisingly, it's a character with a lot of personality.

He looked at Nanami Kento, then at his three owners. Geto Suguru, who was being questioned, still looked calm. Ieiri Shoko, like Al, was in complete spectator mode, while Gojo Satoru was sitting with his legs crossed and drinking tea, and didn't seem to care whether they could win over Nanami Kento.

However, for a few seconds, Al saw Gojo Satoru's eyes behind the glasses staring at Nanami Kento motionlessly. Although they quickly looked away, it was definitely not an illusion.

Gojo Satoru...did he see something?

"Yes." Xia Yujie said, "Japanese cursed spirits are rampant, and many people die at their hands every year, but there are very few people who have the talent to be a sorcerer, and even fewer who have the skills. Nanami-kun, you have excellent skills, and you can at least become a semi-first-class sorcerer in the future. I hope you can join the Tokyo Spell High School and save more people in danger."

Nanami Kento asked him: "Even if I die?"

Xia Yujie was silent for a moment, and then replied: "We learn magic in the technical high school and constantly hone ourselves, not only to protect ordinary people, but also to protect ourselves and our precious companions."

Gojo Satoru and Ieiri Shoko remained silent, and there was no sign of any special emotion on their faces.

Xiayou Jie continued: "If you are willing to become our companion, we will do our best to help you become stronger, and I promise you: no matter what kind of danger you face, the sorcerer will not abandon his companions."

“…”

"Of course, you can refuse, because I can't guarantee your safety 100%. But as a sorcerer, I will try to win you over no matter what. We...really need reliable companions."

Nanami Kento paused for a moment, then asked, "If one day you encounter an enemy that is difficult to defeat, will you feel regret before you die?"

Xia Yujie was stunned for a moment, then smiled helplessly and said, "That's something you can only know before you die."

Ieiri Naoko said lazily, "I won't be killed by anyone, but I'm ready to not sleep for the rest of my life."

Gojo Satoru seemed to be amused by her words and laughed lightly.

Finally, Nanami Kento said, "I understand. But there is one thing I need to explain. The reason why I no longer take the initiative to contact Jujutsu High School during this period is because I will soon face the entrance examination."

Xia Yujie was stunned, as if he realized the implication of his words.

Nanami Kento took out the information sent to him by Tokyo Jujutsu High School, put it together with the invitation letter from the Government of Time, and finally smiled and said:

"Compared to the Time Government, which refuses to reveal the specific content of the work, the Jujutsu High School, which informs all dangers in advance, seems more sincere. I have always thought so. More importantly, I want to pursue the value of life, not a generous salary. I prefer the Tokyo Jujutsu High School."

Xia Yujie said in surprise: "Nanami-kun——"

"But throwing the bus into the air is still unreliable. Because of you, I had to drink tea for an hour in the police station. Do you know how many math problems I can solve in this hour?"

“…”

The three high school students looked at Al silently.

Nanami Kento also followed their gaze and looked over.

The blond-haired, blue-eyed boy was drinking tea while quietly sweeping the Japanese confectionery on his plate. His movements seemed slow, but he actually emptied most of the plate quickly. After realizing that everyone was looking at him, Al was stunned: "Big questions? If it's a big question, I probably won't be able to answer many of them."

Others: “…”

Xia Yujie coughed lightly.

Al straightened his face and said to Nanami Kento sincerely, "Thank you, Mr. Nanami, the Japanese confectionery is delicious."

With his sincere praise, Nanami Kento's attitude softened a little.

"...Thank you. This time, I added more sweet sugar to the Japanese confectionery. It seems that you like sweeter foods."

Al Zheng nodded: "Yes, as long as I have enough calories, I can lift up a bus, even a Shinkansen, and throw it into the sky."

Nanami Kento: “…”

No, wait, throwing a vehicle into the sky isn't something to be proud of, right?

This person has no self-reflection at all.

Al asked expectantly, "So, Mr. Nanami, will you come to study at the technical college? Our technical college really needs an excellent pastry chef like you."

“…”

Because the other party's attitude was too serious, for a moment, Nanami Kento had the illusion that he was interviewing a pastry chef.

Nanami Kento was silent for a few seconds, and said dryly, "It's just some hobbies that are not worthy of being mentioned. It's not worth mentioning."

The three high school students exchanged glances quickly.

They understand!

As expected, Alji continued, "As for employment, the sooner the better."

Xia Yujie immediately responded, "You are too impatient, Al. The new students will not start school until April next year. Don't scare the junior students."

Just as Nanami Kento was about to say something, Gojo Satoru interrupted him:

"Nanami, are you interested in making desserts? If you come to the technical college, we can take you to try all the dessert shops in Tokyo."

Anyway, thanks to him and Al, they have already eaten in half of Tokyo.

Nanami Kento: “…”

Wait, what about "working hard to hone yourself in the technical college"? From what this white-haired senior said, he was planning to have classes from Monday to Friday, right?

Ieiri Naoko said, "I don't mind snacks, but Nanami-kun, I see you have a lot of red wine collection at home, how much do you drink?"

Inspired by Ieiri Naoko's nonchalant attitude, Nanami Kento blurted out, "Not bad."

He was stunned, then realized belatedly that this was not a topic for minors to discuss. Just as he was about to say something to make up for it, he saw Jiaru Naoko naturally take out a cigarette from his pocket.

Nanami Kento: “…”

Xia Yujie said: "Xiaozi, don't smoke in other people's homes."

Ieiri Nishiko sighed and said, "I forgot. Sorry."

Nanami Kento: “…”

What's going on? Did he realize that he had already decided to go to a technical secondary school, so he exposed his true nature without hesitation?

A closer look revealed that the senior who called himself Geto not only had long hair, but also wore earrings. The senior called Gojo Satoru also wore strange sunglasses and had white hair... was it dyed? The only one who looked normal was Naoko Ieiri, who was talking calmly about alcohol and cigarettes.

Al...Al, needless to say, is a tough guy who can throw a bus with one hand.

They stayed in Nanami Ken's house for almost half an hour, and through a series of jokes, they successfully made Nanami Ken forget the unpleasantness brought by the flying bus. Just when the atmosphere was getting better (?), someone rang the doorbell of Nanami's house.

Ding dong, ding dong.

"Wait a moment. I'll be gone for a moment."

Nanami Kento stood up and opened the door.

Geto asked in the team channel, "How is it? According to Nanami-kun, is there a good chance that he will be admitted to a technical high school?"

Ieiri Naoko said with relief, "Well, not bad, he is a hidden alcoholic. He should have a lot in common with the senior singer."

Geto Summer Oil: "...Don't judge someone based on his drinking capacity. Forget it. Actually, I think Nanami-kun is great. There aren't many serious sorcerers left. If he can join us, it would definitely be a good thing."

Gojo Satoru grinned and said, "Why? Jay, do you want to recruit a new spit-spitting role to help you share your heavy spit-spitting work?"

"...Don't add this weird new setting to me."

Al calmly joined the conversation: "Master, if you like him so much, why don't we strike while the iron is hot and use the information gap to fabricate some scandals about the Time Government to achieve the goal of severely injuring our competitors."

Kagome: "...Al, a noble heroic spirit cannot come up with such a mundane conspiracy."

"I'm just kidding."

"What?"

“…He’s dead.”

Al turned his head and saw a young man standing at the door of Nanami's house, his face pale and numb.

"... Nanami-kun, Kazuto is dead, Kana is dead, and I can't contact Tomita Aiko. Do you know anything?"

Al raised his eyebrows: "Master, something is wrong."

Xia Yujie also noticed the abnormality over there. He raised his voice and asked Nanami Kento: "Nanami-kun, what's wrong with you?"

Nanami Kento was startled, then he remembered the existence of the High School Four. He turned around and explained, "Mr. Suzuki's younger brother, Suzuki Kazuto, got into trouble."

He said to Suzuki Haruo, "Mr. Suzuki, please come in. These few people...may be able to help you."

Suzuki Haruo then raised his head and glanced at the four members of the high school. It was difficult for ordinary people to trust these four overly young faces, but at this point, Suzuki Haruo had no choice but to try his luck.

He followed Nanami Kento into the living room and sat down on the sofa in a daze.

"Three days ago, I received my brother's last phone call. He told me that he was dying and asked me to help with his funeral. I heard him shouting to others, 'Don't come over.' When I rushed to his house, my brother was already dead, and his eyeballs...exploded."

Death from eyeball explosion?

There is nothing normal about this way of dying.

The faces of the boys and girls all turned serious.

"Have you called the police?"

Suzuki Haruo nodded.

"I called the police. They said my brother died of heart failure and his eyeball burst was caused by heart failure and increased pressure inside the eyeball. But I clearly heard him say to others, 'Don't come over.' My brother's death must not be an accident. He must have been killed by someone!"

Nanami Kento explained to the four high school students: "I knew the deceased Suzuki-kun."

"I used to work in a restaurant, and Suzuki-kun, Ms. Kato, and Ms. Tomita were all my colleagues. But now Mr. Suzuki says that Suzuki-kun and Ms. Kato are dead."

Armin realized something sharply.

"Did Ms. Kato also die from an eyeball explosion?"

Suzuki Haruo said with difficulty: "...Yes."

Al looked at his owners and asked with his mouth: Curse?

Xia Yujie nodded and said solemnly, "Death by eyeball explosion is not an ordinary way at all, and it happened to two people who knew each other. They must have done something before they died - something that triggered the curse."

Gojo Satoru pointed at Nanami Kento and said calmly, "As for the curse, Nanami also has it."

Nanami Kento was stunned.

Xia Yujie and Ieiri Nozomi were also stunned.

Gojo Satoru pointed to his temple and said, "It's right here. It's very faint. I only noticed it after I entered the door. Hahahaha, Nanami, you've been cursed too!"

Nanami Kento: “…”

Don't say this in a tone like you're announcing an Easter egg!!!

According to Suzuki Haruo, two people died in mysterious circumstances next to Nanami Kento.

His heart stopped beating suddenly, his eyeballs exploded, and his death was extremely strange.

The first victim was named Kato Kana, who died in a restaurant six days ago while having dinner with her friends.

The second victim was named Suzuki Kazuto, who died at home three days ago. Before his death, he called his brother Suzuki Haruo to leave a suicide note and said suspicious words such as "he's coming" and "don't come over".

These two deceased people happened to have worked at the same place as Nanami Kento.

Gojo Satoru asked sharply, "Nanami, when was the last time you had contact with two dead people? What did you do together?"

Nanami Kento said with a heavy expression, "Half a month ago, I planned to quit my job to concentrate on the entrance exam, and Ms. Kato suggested that we go relax together, so the four of us, Kato Kana, Suzuki Kazuto, and Tomita Aiko, went to a hot spring hotel together."

"What's the name of the hotel?"

Nanami Kento mentioned the name of the hot spring hotel, and Summer Oil Jie turned to Al and said, "Al, help me look up some relevant information about that hotel."

Al took out his phone and complained, "Master, you think too highly of Berserker's intelligence, don't you? Don't leave the brainwork to Berserker."

Xia Yujie: “…”

Summer Oil: "Aren't you the best at surfing the Internet?"

Aldo: "Surfing is surfing, work is work, they don't use the same brain at all..."

Despite this, he still opened the mobile browser and searched for the hot spring hotel.

Nanami Kento rubbed his temples and recalled, "We had dinner at the hot spring hotel, and then we chatted in the lobby until late at night. Early the next morning, we went home."

Al scanned the reviews he found and said with his chin propped up, "Master, the reviews of this store are very average, and there have never been any rumors of ghosts."

Xia Yujie thought for a moment and said, "Then it's not a problem with the hot spring hotel itself..."

Gojo Satoru asked: "Nanami, have you four really never done anything together? For example, have you viewed strange antiques, strange books, touched strange boxes and strange doors together..."

Nanami Kento was stunned for a moment: "Wait, come to think of it, there is indeed something that I am concerned about. We were telling ghost stories in the hall, but suddenly a man named Watanabe came to serve us wine. He heard us telling ghost stories, so he joined us and told a folk story. After listening to the story..."

He frowned slightly, recalling how he felt at that time.

“I feel very sick.”

"uncomfortable?"

"Just some physical aversion."

Gojo Satoru snapped his fingers and said, "That's it. Cursors are naturally sensitive to curses. You were probably cursed at that time, Nanami."

Ieiri Naoko said with interest, "It seems that this is the story that has the problem. Nanami-kun, can you tell me about it?"

They were silent for a while, and everyone looked at Suzuki Haruo at the side.

Suzuki Haruo was stunned, "Ah... Can't I listen?"

Nanami Kento opened his mouth, but facing a brother who was investigating the truth about his brother's death, he really couldn't open his mouth to drive him away, so everyone turned their eyes and looked at Geto Suguru at the same time.

Xia Yujie: “…”

What? What?

Al said calmly, "Master, come on, I'm teaching you what you're best at."

Gojo Satoru urged, "Hurry up, Jay, convince him with the righteous arguments you are so proud of."

Summer Oil: "..."

Why does it sound so unpleasant?

The hardworking parent had no choice but to say, "Mr. Suzuki, if this matter is really related to the curse, it is no longer appropriate for you to continue to intervene."

Suzuki Haruo quickly said: "But——"

"I understand your grief, but this matter is too dangerous for ordinary people. I believe that if Suzuki-kun is still alive, he would not want his brother to be in danger."

“…”

Suzuki Haruo trembled his lips and suddenly said, "My mother died of dystocia when he was born."

He seemed to have been suppressing his emotions for a long time and urgently needed a channel to vent: "He always felt that he was the one who killed his mother, so he always blamed himself... That day, he called me and kept saying sorry on the phone."

Suzuki Haruo said in despair: "His last words before his death were just "I'm sorry" over and over again. This makes me feel very painful. I feel guilty and sad. I must do something for him."

Al patted him on the shoulder and handed him a pink wagashi.

Suzuki Haruo: "..."

Suzuki Haruo took the pitifully small Japanese confectionery and said with a smile, "Thank you."

Al patted him silently.

Xia Yujie assured in a gentle voice: "No matter what the results of the investigation are, we will inform you in time within three days."

Suzuki Haruo left.

After he left, Nanami Kento finally began to tell the story he had heard that day: "In a weedy mountain, a man was walking alone on the road. He suddenly realized that someone was following him, so he turned around and saw a woman in a witch's costume. The woman's eyes were scary big. She put her hands together, and a red rope with bells tied to it passed through her palms."

——The man asked, why are you following me?

——The woman replied, because you know I exist.

——The man said, No, I don’t know.

——The woman said, have you forgotten? My name is...

Before saying the name, Nanami Kento paused and explained, "Sorry, I suddenly feel that this name may be the key to the curse. It makes me feel very uncomfortable, so I won't say the woman's name. Anyway, the woman said that she would kill everyone who knew her name."

Name... Knowing the name of the cursed spirit, is this the reason for being cursed?

Why does this curse, which requires prerequisites to be triggered, sound so much like "The Grudge"?

The four of them exchanged glances and nodded affirmatively.

This is most likely the curse hidden in folk legends!

Nanami Kento continued: "The man was very scared, so he said to the woman: Now I am not the only one who knows about your existence, how about you kill them first? The woman asked: Besides you, who else knows about my existence?"

He glanced at Al, Gojo Satoru, Geto Suguru, and Ieiri Naoko. He hesitated for a moment, then imitated the scene that day and pointed a finger at them: "Now, there are you."

“…”

Xia Yujie touched his nose and said, "Is that what the person who told you the story said?"

"yes."

Gojo Satoru commented with a smile: "Not bad, it really scared me."

He hugged Al beside him and said, "Berserker, I'm so scared!"

Al said: "Do you need me to coax you to sleep? Number Two, a box of limited edition Daifuku will do."

"Wow, you're too dark, aren't you?"

"I am the only limited edition Heroic Spirit in the world. It is very expensive to coax people to sleep."

"Huh? I'm the only limited edition six-eye in the world!"

Nanami Kento: “…”

What are they talking about? Heroic Spirit? Six Eyes? Why does it sound so silly?

The terrifying atmosphere disappeared, Xia Yujie shook his head helplessly, went to the balcony and called Ye Mo Zhengdao, and told the class teacher what happened here. The class teacher immediately said that he would mobilize people to investigate.

Ieiri Naoko said, "It's almost time, let's go back."

The three boys nodded and stood up from the sofa. Nanami Kento also stood up and said, "I'll see you off."

He escorted them out of the community, and said, "Don't worry, Nanami-kun, the Jujutsu Society will soon arrange someone to protect Tomita Eiko. We may go to the hot spring hotel to check the situation... By the way, it's more dangerous for you to stay alone, so I'll give this to you for self-defense."

Xia Yujie summoned Kayako and said, "She is still a good fighter."

Although her fighting ability is not as good as that of Zhenzi, her personality is much more violent than Zhenzi, and she will actively attack other grudges to absorb them.

“Ku ...

The woman with blood all over her face waved her twisted limbs. Nanami Kento glanced at her, then quickly looked away, firmly refusing, "That's not necessary. I can still use my own techniques."

Xia Yujie said regretfully: "Really? What a pity."

Gojo Satoru couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"You just want to show off Kayako, Jay."

"Yes."

"Yes."

"…Shut up."

Nanami Kento hesitated for a moment, but still asked them: "But, is the mark on the back of your hands a mark used exclusively by sorcerers?"

Three high school students: "..."

Oh no.

Are you casting a command spell?

"I'm sorry, I asked a very rude question, but I just thought the signs looked familiar."

Of course it looks familiar.

FATE! Digimon! Doesn’t it look familiar?

The three high school students, feeling deeply embarrassed, were about to run away when Geto's cell phone rang. He took it out and saw, "Wait, it's Mr. Yemo."

He picked up the phone: "Hello? Teacher, what? ... Watanabe, is it Watanabe? I understand."

The black-haired boy hung up the phone with a serious expression and said in a deep voice: "Nanami, the man who told you ghost stories in the hot spring hotel is dead, Mr. Watanabe, right?"

“…”

A cool breeze blew by, making people feel cool in their hearts.

Nanami Kento was silent for a few seconds, then asked, "When did he die?"

"Nine days ago."

Gojo Satoru frowned. "Wait a minute, Nanami, when exactly was your dinner party?"

"Half a month ago."

"I want more detailed number of days!"

Nanami Kento had no choice but to open his phone and found the photos he had taken on the day of their dinner. When he saw the date -

"It was twelve days ago."

"That's right!"

Gojo Satoru's eyes lit up. "This cursed creature's action pattern is to appear once every three days, and each time it will only look for one target."

They are the curse that was triggered 12 days ago. Watanabe, who was telling the story, died nine days ago. Kato Kana died six days ago. Suzuki Kazuto died three days ago.

Aldao: "According to the rules, there will be new deaths today."

"Yes." Gojo Satoru said excitedly, "Today is the day!"

Xia Yujie was stunned: "...Oh no, Tomita Aiko!"

There are only two people who know the name of the female ghost now, and they are Kento Nanami and Aiko Tomita!

Nanami Kento immediately took out his cell phone to call Tomita Eiko, but the call was not connected. Kagome Suguru had no choice but to tell Yaga Masamichi their guess and let the teacher contact another survivor Tomita Eiko as soon as possible through the "Window" intelligence network.

But...is it too late?

With a 1 in 50 chance, who will win the grand prize? Nanami Kento or Tomita Aiko?

Or did Tomita Aiko already be killed by the Grudge?

Nanami Kento frowned, "No, she won't answer the phone. Is there no way to remove the curse immediately?"

Gojo Satoru quickly analyzed:

"Suppose there is only one cursed prey, then the probability of the cursed spirit finding you today is 100%, but if there are ten people cursed, then the probability will become 10%. If there are a hundred people cursed, then the probability will drop to 1%. If a million people are cursed, then the probability of each person seeing the cursed spirit is-"

Xia Yujie's face looked a little ugly.

"You mean, the most effective way to survive is to spread the curse and tell more people the name of the curse?"

Al raised his eyebrows. "Now that the Internet is so popular, if someone posts this 'folk tale' on a popular forum, it won't be difficult for it to spread to a million people. Because the cursed person will definitely try to spread the curse further to reduce the probability of being cursed. The curse may spread to the whole world."

If you want to survive under the curse, you must continue to spread the curse.

It sounds like a real curse!

Xia Yujie said anxiously: "Nanami, please tell us the name of that guy quickly. There are four of us. After you tell us the name, the probability of each of us encountering the curse will be one in six, and the probability of Tomita Eiko being affected will decrease. Maybe this method can save her life..."

Nanami Kento opened his mouth and was about to speak, but Al raised his hand and made a "huh" gesture.

Bell——

Bells

Suddenly, a series of crisp ringing sounds were heard on the deserted street.

A figure appeared at the end of the road.

The hero's excellent eyesight allowed him to clearly see the woman's appearance.

The woman was wearing witch-like clothes, with long loose hair and frighteningly large eyes. Her pale hands were clasped together, and the red rope tied with bells was cruelly passed through her palms.

She looks beautiful, but also scary.

Al said calmly: "Congratulations, we are the ones who won the big prize today.