Chapter 187
Those guys who bullied him are now suffering with someone else.
—This news left Yoshino Junpei stunned for a long time before he came to his senses.
Even though the fat and foolish teacher from the outskirts of the village was still muttering things like, "Sayama and the others are dead, and you didn't even go to their funeral," or "Didn't they always look after you? Hurry up and go save them," he no longer felt particularly angry.
Then another thought came to mind.
They're using this to blackmail him. It wouldn't matter if he didn't go, right?
Anyway, he didn't really want to rescue those scumbags.
"In this kind of situation, it's probably pointless for me to go... Wouldn't calling the police be faster?"
Yoshino Junpei forcefully pulled his hand away from the sweaty, sticky, and slippery feeling before he could breathe smoothly again.
Having been bullied for a long time, he habitually looked away from the self-righteous fat pig, but his slightly low and soft words showed no intention of saving Ito and the others.
“We’ve already tried, but for some reason, the police advised us not to get involved.”
The teacher, in a panic, started wiping his sweat with the already soaked handkerchief again, racking his brains to figure out a way to get Yoshino Junpei to agree to go over.
"Does this mean I'll be in danger if I go there?"
Yoshino Junpei said softly, without moving an inch.
Since even the police don't dare to intervene, and those scumbags are being taught a lesson, there's even less reason for him to go over there—especially this teacher, who's still going on and on about how they shouldn't be so close.
Yoshino Junpei remained silent, the emotions surfacing in his heart a mixture of mockery and resentment, as if covered by a layer of cold frost.
The fact that he didn't laugh out loud at the self-absorbed teacher or gloat over the misfortune of those scumbags was already a testament to the extent of his remaining tolerance.
Yoshino Junpei had made up his mind not to go over there, and was about to bypass the teacher from the outskirts of the village to go home when he heard him speak hesitantly.
"Yoshino, they've only specifically requested your presence; they haven't said what they'll do to you, have they? Besides, Ito and the others are being tortured so badly right now. What if that person comes knocking on your door and uses your family to threaten you..."
Mr. Tomura was halfway through his speech when Yoshino Junpei's expression suddenly changed—his furious glare made him afraid to finish his sentence.
"I'll go."
Yoshino Junpei began to speak slowly.
His mother was indeed his only weakness, someone he wouldn't allow anyone to approach with any malice.
However, the key to Yoshino Junpei's agreement to the past is that he now possesses countermeasures that transcend common sense.
Mr. Zhenren has adjusted his brain to a structure that allows him to use spells, and in recent practice he has been able to skillfully use shikigami in battle.
Even if someone tried to harm his mother, Yoshino Junpei was determined to kill the person first.
Even on the way there with his teacher, he was simulating how he should quickly use curses to subdue enemies—if the other party was also a sorcerer, should he be more cautious?
But Mr. Zhen also instructed that if you encounter students whose uniform buttons have a swirling pattern, you should be on good terms with them...
Yoshino Junpei was lost in thought the whole way until Mr. Sotomura stopped and started shouting at the people in the beach amusement park from afar.
"Yoshino is here! Quickly, release Ito and the others!"
Standing behind him, Yoshino Junpei remained silent, but his heart sank deeper and deeper, as if sinking into his stomach and turning into a stubborn rock that brought him pain.
Mr. Tomomura's tone was as if the two sides were exchanging hostages, and he was the discarded pawn that could be used once and thrown into the trash can.
At this moment, he also saw the scene of this beach park clearly—Ito and the others were indeed hanging in a neat row on the horizontal bar, like pieces of pork being smoked over a fire.
If you look closely, you'll see that their faces are covered in a mixture of sweat, sand, and blood, as if they had collapsed to the ground from exhaustion and were forced to go back to being hung up. Their expressions have become extremely mournful, and even their pleas for mercy have become just soft whimpers.
Meanwhile, two dogs, one white and one black, patrolled around the group, eyeing the increasingly close buttocks of the group.
This is probably the culprit behind the villagers' claim that "the buttocks were almost bitten to pieces"...
Standing opposite the horizontal bar were two boys, both wearing unfamiliar school uniforms; one of them was holding a dog and was also looking this way.
Having been bullied so many times, even the feeling of being stared at made Yoshino Junpei instinctively want to back away and hide in some secluded corner.
"Ah, Fushiguro, it really is Yoshino Junpei!"
Immediately afterwards, the boy with light cherry blossom hair held the black mulberry in his arms with one hand and waved vigorously in his direction with the other, as if he were greeting him—his tone was cheerful and lively, not at all like someone who would become a delinquent student.
Yoshino Junpei was speechless for a moment, but before he could figure out how to respond, another boy with messy black hair spoke up as well.
It wasn't directed at Yoshino Junpei, but at the teacher from the other side of the village who was standing in front of him.
“You,” Fukuguro Megumi said coldly, “go hang from the horizontal bar too.”
The teacher from the outer village glanced around in a panic, and only after finding that cold gaze fixed on him did he have no choice but to timidly reply.
"...Me too?"
Are there any other people here?
Since the other party refused to move, Fukuro Megumi drove one of the Jade Dogs to his side and bit the meter-wide buttocks hard. With a miserable "howl," the overweight out-of-town teacher had to limp to one of the horizontal bars and grab it as he jumped up, until he turned himself into a piece of particularly greasy smoked pork.
Yoshino Junpei's eyes widened in disbelief that this scene was actually happening right in front of him.
It wasn't that he was bullied by these scumbags, but that he watched these scumbags suffer.
Moreover, even teachers from other villages...
“Although they specifically asked you to come, how could someone who has been bullied all along be willing to come and rescue them?”
Noticing Yoshino Junpei staring at him with suspicion, Fushiguro Megumi remained silent for a moment before speaking up to explain.
"He must have threatened me with some method."
If that's the case, then Yoshino Junpei is probably also partly responsible for the fact that he has been bullied for so long without any improvement.
Fushiguro Megumi glanced coldly at the teacher, Tomomura, who was already groaning in pain from exhaustion, and succinctly summarized.
Yoshino Junpei had no rebuttal whatsoever.
He was even finding it increasingly difficult to hide the gradually rising corners of his lips.
Moreover, when he approached them, he discovered that the buttons on the two boys' uniforms had swirling patterns—they were sorcerers whom Mr. Zhenren had instructed him to befriend.
"Is there something you need from me?"
Yoshino Junpei took the initiative to ask.
If we were to materialize his current level of affection for Itadori Yuuhito and Fushiguro Megumi, it would be that when the scum on the horizontal bar let out a wail, Yoshino Junpei's affection would immediately increase by 1; with another wail, it would increase by 1 again... and so on, constantly ringing incessantly.
Meanwhile, during the afternoon that Yuji Itadori and Megumi Fushiguro were spending at the beach park, they received a call from Iri Glass.
“Those two corpses were indeed human—like the three victims in the movie theater, they were forcibly transformed into this form by magic.”
"It's not just a change in appearance; this technique even grants ordinary non-magicians spell power comparable to that of a spell spirit, allowing them to fight like one."
"Furthermore, I found traces of altered spell power around the brainstem. Based on the five speculations about the connection between the brain and the innate spell, we can reasonably suspect that this spell can not only transform non-spellcasters into spell spirits, but also enable non-spellcasters to use spells."
"Therefore, Yoshino Junpei's condition is of utmost importance."
Ieiri Shoko relayed Gojo Satoru's advice after he heard the whole story.
"First, we need to determine if he can see the spirits, and then test whether he can use spells and their effects—according to our investigation report, Yoshino Junpei has not shown any signs of being a sorcerer in the past. If he can use spells now, and the effects are unrelated to modifying humans, then we must find the person who can actually do all of this."
"If Gojo's guess is correct, Yoshino Junpei is most likely in a very dangerous situation."
This is why Itadori Yuujin and Fushiguro Megumi didn't let these people go after teaching them a lesson, but instead specifically asked Yoshino Junpei to come over.
"If you can see the black jade dog, you must also be able to see the existence of curses and cursed spirits, right?"
Hisahito Itadori said to him earnestly, "I hope Junpei can tell us what you saw in the movie theater that day."
“…”
Yoshino Junpei lowered his eyes. "I didn't see anything."
"Is that so? Then..."
Just as Itadori Yuuji was about to breathe a sigh of relief, believing Yoshino Junpei's words, he was stopped by Fushiguro Megumi, who was more suspicious and had a better understanding of cursed powers.
"Don't hide it from me. Both curse masters and curse spirits are extremely dangerous to you."
Fushiguro Megumi's tone was grave. "I can see a faint trace of cursed energy lingering around you. You must have been in close contact with someone who can use curses, or perhaps a cursed spirit itself."
Hearing for the first time that cursed power could leave behind residual impurities, Yoshino Junpei's expression froze.
This subtle sign of guilt was immediately noticed by the observant Fushiguro Megumi, who was certain that the other party had been lying.
Hisahito Itadori also sensed something was wrong, his smile faded, and he became serious and focused.
“Shunping, trust us.” He thought for a moment, “To be honest, I was only forced to come into contact with curse power half a year ago, and my situation is similar to Shunping’s…”
As they were talking, Yuujin Itadori simply slapped Megumi Fushiguro on the shoulder, signaling Junpei Yoshino to look over.
"Although Fushiguro always looks at people with a sour face, as if he's angry all the time," — Upon hearing this, Fushiguro Megumi, whose face was called out for being sour, protested with a "Hey!" but Itadori Yuujin ignored it as if nothing had happened and continued to persuade Yoshino Junpei to speak frankly.
“But Fukuro has been in the world of sorcery since he was a child, and his experience and judgment are much better than ours. If the person Shunpei knows is really a good person, we won’t kill or exorcise him, okay? You just need to tell us the location.”
Yoshino Junpei did not answer immediately.
Behind them, the row of people struggling to hang from the horizontal bar were still pleasing for mercy and crying out in pain.
Favorability +1 +1 +1 +1...
In the end, Yoshino Junpei relented and told them a location.
…………
The extensive sewer system was filled with the stench of decay and fermentation.
The soles of my shoes felt slippery in the dimly lit passageway, like some kind of moss, or perhaps a buildup of dirt and silt.
Walking in this kind of place, Yuujin Itadori held Shinmaru tightly in his arms, determined not to let the other's claws touch the ground.
This is so dirty!
If Mr. Kazuma were to revert to his human form, would he be wearing clothes or not...?
Compared to Hisahito Itadori, who was still lost in thought, Megumi Fushiguro looked much more nervous.
He could see countless strands of cursed energy dissipating in the passage, closer to cursed spirits than curse masters.
This means that any rustling sound could be a sign that the enemy is secretly planning a sneak attack on them.
“No, we have to go back first,” Fukuro Megumi stopped in her tracks. “The curse aura ahead is so strong that we can’t handle it. We have to go back and call a level one or higher sorcerer to deal with it.”
It's very strong, so strong that they absolutely can't beat it—unless the thing inside Itajō's body is also released, then that's a different story.
Since Itadori Yuujin didn't mention it, Fushiguro Megumi was unaware that the Shinmaru that the other party was always holding in his arms was actually Hatori Kazuma.
Yuji Itadori exclaimed in confusion, "Huh? We've only just walked in a few steps."
Although he had seen it, he was still somewhat clueless about the fine sensory perception required to distinguish between spirits of the same level.
Therefore, Yuji Itadori trusted Megumi Fushiguro's judgment and immediately followed him to retreat.
The two jade dogs that had been keeping watch by his side suddenly barked in a certain direction.
—It's too late!
As Fushiguro Megumi and Itadori Yuujin immediately assumed a fighting stance, a figure gradually approaching them seemed quite pleased and spoke to them.
"Oh, this is wonderful, this is the vessel for Su Nuo."
It had a human-like yet inhuman appearance, and stood there smiling, watching the two uninvited guests.
"I was thinking about how to lure you out, but you've actually come to me on your own initiative."
Kazuma Hatori opened the [Social] interface, and the other party's name was Makoto—like the previous Louhu, there was no surname, and the battle pop-up showed that he was a Special Grade Cursed Spirit.
"They even brought the detonator."
Without waiting for Yuji Itadori's response, it looked at Megumi Fushiguro, its eyes full of eager anticipation, as if this sewer was its stage, and it was about to cause a great disturbance.
Sensing the sharp malice in the other party's eyes, Fushiguro Megumi's alarm bells went off to their limit, his whole body tense like a bowstring ready to be released; as if facing some kind of death trap, his innate animal instincts urged him to escape as soon as possible, but he couldn't even move a single step.
"This is a huge problem." Fushiguro Megumi whispered to Itadori Yuujin quickly, "A cursed spirit that can communicate and use spells is definitely an unregistered special-grade one. We have to leave here and ask Gojo-sensei and the others for help."
Did Yoshino Junpei really not realize anything? The cursed spirit he came into contact with was so dangerous!
"Trying to escape? I won't allow it. We finally found the Sukuna vessel."
The real person smiled, and as soon as he uttered the first word, he had already rushed in front of the two of them. With the outstretched hand covered in stitches, the intense malice that came at him almost made Fushiguro Megumi gasp for breath. He reflexively crossed his forearms in front of his eyes, preparing to receive the next impact.
Or there might be something even worse. He even thought about the fate of those cyborgs in the movie theater, as if it were his own next moment.
—Pfft.
The expected attack did not come, but instead the sound of sharp blades piercing flesh could be heard.
The figure wearing a crested haori hakama was none other than Mr. Hatori, whom Fushiguro Megumi knew all too well, who silently blocked his way!
"Stay away from me."
Even his voice carried a familiar sense of calm and stability.
Even though he had anticipated this, Fushiguro Megumi still stood there stunned for a moment. He turned around, wanting Itadori to retreat with him, but saw the other man giving him an exceptionally proud look, saying, "That's right, we still have Mr. Shinmaru here, don't worry!"
Fushiguro Megumi: "..."
That guy Itadora isn't sitting in the stands watching a boxing match, isn't he worried about getting caught in the crossfire? Run!
Regardless, he did breathe a huge sigh of relief, like a drowning person who had sunk to the bottom of the sea and was suddenly lifted to the surface by a strong hand, feeling only the relief of surviving a disaster.
—That's right, both Fushiguro Megumi and Itadori Yuujin believed that Hatori Kazuma would definitely win.
"How strange, you actually have the ability to shapeshift?"
When the sharp blade that appeared out of nowhere pierced its arm and then swiftly severed it in half, the real man had no choice but to take a half step back—even childishly frowning.
"Can you also change the form of your own soul?"
Kazuma Hatake didn't answer its question at all, "Are you in cahoots with Ruko?"
"Huh? You actually know Louhu's name? How did you do that? Louhu didn't tell you on her own, did she?"
The real person curiously shook the forearm that was only held together by skin and flesh. It looked like it was seriously injured, but as long as it maintained its belief in its own soul form, this wound would soon be... Huh?
There was no response; the injury remained.
The real person tried several more times, but found that his forearm showed no signs of recovery—was it the short sword from before? Or was it the effect of the opponent's spell?
Damn it, Louhu clearly only said that the other party's technique was related to space!
What exactly is going on?
The man looked up blankly and saw another short sword being thrown by the other party, flying straight toward his head.
Kazuma Hatake ignored all the NPC's repetitive chatter during the battle, treating it all as background noise. After obtaining the crucial information, he focused solely on dealing damage, determined to quickly reduce the cursed spirit's health bar to zero, giving it no time to prepare for its attacks.
This narrow sewer provides [Ye Shuang] and [Shi Fang Mo He] with excellent output space.
Even if one or two of the techniques don't actually hit the real person, where can it hide in such a narrow space?
Not to mention the automatic retrieval effect of [Ye Shuang], the two short swords moved back and forth in the dim passage with almost no gap; under the illumination of the emergency lights, even the constantly breaking spatial fragments shimmered with a slightly transparent luster, forcing the real person into an extremely disheveled state.
Yuji Itadori and Megumi Fushiguro had already consciously retreated far away, trying their best not to interfere with Kazuma Hagoromo's battle.
Oh no, this location is too advantageous for his spell!
The real man was struck again by the [Ten Directions Maha], and it felt as if a small piece of his abdomen had been ripped out.
But this injury gave it a sudden inspiration, and it discovered that as time went by, the effects of the opponent's spell were gradually fading—the fact that the injured part could not change the soul's form was not permanent!
Moreover, it has come up with a solution!
Since Kazuma Hatori can transform into an animal, it can naturally do the same.
Before the next blow arrived, Makoto chose to leap to the top of the stone wall in the sewer and took the opportunity to punch and shatter countless dust and fragments—and in the very brief moment of chaos on the battlefield, a front paw belonging to a mammal stretched out and collided with Kazuma Hatori, who was raising his hand to swing his sword.
—[Non-action transformation].
Ha, it can change the soul form of any human it touches; with just a thought, that creature is bound to become…
"...Huh?"
The real person who was about to transform into the soul form of Kazuma Hatoki suddenly froze in place.
The sudden surge of blazing white flames seemed to be some kind of passively triggered mechanism, completely engulfing its body in that instant.
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