fics I read

"So. How are we feeling about your classmate's Domain Expansion, hmm?"

Following Satoru-niichan's unexpected arrival in the school, they end up spending the entire afternoon working with Kinji and his newfound abilities. By the end of it, they have a much better grasp on what the Domain Expansion involves, and it is a very great boost to Kinji's strength.

Kinji prefers fighting with his fists, but for sorcerers who do not have a cursed technique that allow them to fight in such a manner, they are often encouraged to rely on cursed tools instead. It's no longer a concern for Kinji; with a Domain Expansion that vastly increases the amount of cursed energy at his disposal and reverse cursed technique that operates automatically on his body whenever he is injured, there's no doubt that Kinji's abilities make him very suited to the role of a close combatant.

Although, this would rely on Kinji consistently being able to get 'jackpots' from the luck-based game simulated by his domain.

Kinji himself seemed to be confident in his luck, but from Shiki's perspective, it seems like something quite fickle to rely on. However, given that this is part of his innate domain, she's also sure that Kinji's perspective is different from her own. And if it's to the point where it's part of his cursed technique like this, then perhaps it's not fickle for Kinji himself at all.

As long as it feels right for Kinji, that's all that matters.

"It's an interesting Domain Expansion." Certainly a very unique one, to say the least, compared to the other examples that Shiki has learned of through the records kept by the Gojo Clan.

Satoru-niichan laughs. "I definitely agree with you on that front! A cursed technique and Domain Expansion all rolled into one… and a gambler's game at that, too."

Shiki follows after her cousin as he strolls ahead of her along the street. It's starting to get late into the evening, and the street lamps are beginning to flicker to life, casting long shadows along the ground. Satoru-niichan's shadow, too, stretches long over the pavement, then spins wildly under the headlights of a passing car.

Technically, there is a curfew that the school expects its students to keep to. But it's been awhile since Shiki has last been able to spend time with her cousin, and… well, Satoru-niichan was the one who'd suddenly picked her up and swung her around to carry her on his back out of nowhere. Her cousin's sudden fit of whimsy had struck right after they'd finished with Kinji's training, upon which Shiki then found herself spontaneously carted out of the school like she was six years old again.

… For all that Shiki is well-familiar with her cousin's habits after all these years together, there are still moments when he catches her off-guard like this.

But, she doesn't mind.

In front of her, Satoru-niichan turns around and beckons her over, brandishing a paper bag with an easygoing grin. With a flourish, he then procures a taiyaki from it –freshly bought from one of the many shops that they'd passed along the street just earlier.

"For my favorite little cousin," he says, presenting the fish-shaped pastry to her. "Don't worry, this one has a savory filling."

Shiki accepts the still-warm taiyaki, and bites into it. True to her cousin's words, it is indeed a savory flavor that greets her. The outer coating of the pastry is crisp, and the cheesy filling pulls unexpectedly messy long strands into the cool evening air.

Part of it nearly falls onto her cheek; Shiki hastily manages to catch the mess with her other hand. Satoru-niichan chuckles, and hands her another napkin.

"Careful, it's still hot," he cautions belatedly, clearly entertained. "The taiyaki isn't running anywhere."

Her cousin then takes out another fish-shaped pastry from the bag, and bites into it himself. Unlike the one that he'd given to Shiki, there are no messy strands following from the open bite.

"This one has red bean paste." Catching the line of her gaze, Satoru-niichan tilts the treat towards her coaxingly. The red bean paste is slightly chunky, instead of perfectly smooth; just the way that Shiki knows her cousin prefers it. "Want to try one?"

Shiki shakes her head. Satoru-niichan rolls his eyes, but his lips twitch up in a fond smile.

"You don't know what you're missing out on," he laments exaggeratedly.

"I do," Shiki responds, unimpressed. "Sugar."

"This particular shop uses natsume as a sweetener, actually," Satoru-niichan sniffs, and pointedly takes another bite of his taiyaki.

Even though the evening borders on the cusp of nighttime now, the streets of the commercial district are as active and bustling as ever. Her cousin ambles over to a nearby railing and leans against it. Shiki follows after him.

"… Suguru liked zaru soba."

The comment is sudden, with no prior context or forewarning. Shiki looks up towards Satoru-niichan questioningly, but her cousin only stares absently out into the crowd of people moving along the streets, each preoccupied with their own activities.

"We used to sneak out after curfew sometimes," he says idly. "And every time we came down here to Shinjuku, there would always be that one soba restaurant he wanted to stop at. He came here so often that the stingy old grandpa running the place remembered him –would even give him an extra serving, on the house."

Satoru-niichan lifts his taiyaki, and bites into it again. Somehow, even despite the background noise that they are surrounded by, the soft crunch is distinctly loud, still.

"I went there again, once, after Suguru left," the young man continues calmly. "The grandpa asked me if something happened to my friend, if he'd moved away or gone to college or something. Incidentally, that was also the last time I went back to that restaurant."

"… Did you run into Geto-san recently?" Shiki asks, confused at why her cousin is suddenly talking about Geto Suguru.

"Hm? Ah, no," Satoru-niichan shakes his head, and his expression adopts a hint of something faintly rueful. "I guess it's… well, you can just call it nostalgia."

With that said, the young man sighs.

Shiki… gets the impression that she's missing something here. Satoru-niichan isn't the type to indulge in sudden bouts of nostalgia like this. But she's not quite sure what prompted her cousin's strange introspective mood in the first place…

… Wait, did this have anything to do with Kinji's Domain Expansion?

It doesn't really make sense, except it also does. Together, Satoru-niichan and Geto-san had been heralded as powerful Special Grade sorcerers. While Kinji was not Special Grade –if Shiki recalls correctly, her classmate is still a Grade Four at the moment; doubtlessly, that rank would be subject to change soon– there's no doubt regarding his potential, now. And–

Kinji is a sorcerer capable of performing Domain Expansion. A feat which is a rarity that no one will be able to overlook. Not even the most willfully stubborn of elders who disdain modernized techniques will be able to dismiss him out of hand, no matter how heavy-handed the initial attempt to bring him under control, detaining him the moment his abilities became apparent.

In a way, one could say that it was precisely because of his outstanding potential that the higher ups had done what they did.

A powerful student from a non-sorcerer background. Was it possible that Kinji's situation reminded Satoru-niichan of Geto Suguru, somehow?

Shiki does not know precisely the circumstances behind Geto-san deciding to go rogue. She knows of his current manifesto –wanting to eliminate all non-sorcerers from this world, in order to create a world free of cursed spirits similar to Tsukumo Yuki's self-professed goal– but she does not quite understand what led up to it. The how and the why escape her.

… But she understands enough. She knows that sorcerers are outnumbered by the ever-increasing numbers of cursed spirits, leading to many tragedies. That the majority of higher ups cling to orthodox traditions and outdated values, using it as a shield to protect their own self-interests above all else, which often comes at the expense and suffering of others around them.

And perhaps this, too, had contributed towards Geto-san's sharp change in mindset. From someone who had once claimed that it was his responsibility to protect to declare that it was his purpose to destroy.

Satoru-niichan wants change in the jujutsu world. He had only started saying so once Geto-san had left.

Is it possible that there is some trace of Geto-san that he sees in Kinji, now? On her part, Shiki does not see any similarities… not aside from their shared non-sorcerer backgrounds, at least. Although if one was comparing backgrounds, then Geto-san would have more in common with Kirara than Kinji, really. Personality-wise, Geto-san and Kinji are very different.

Even as a student, Geto-san had been a young man filled with purpose. Granted, his goals had taken a steep turn upon his defection, but he had always been someone with a strong sense of responsibility. Which had made it all the more surprising when he'd snapped and slaughtered scores of civilians that day, but it was clear that he'd found a new goal to dedicate himself towards.

Kinji… is not irresponsible, exactly, but neither would Shiki call him someone who's particularly dutiful. But then again, Kinji didn't come here to the jujutsu school because of a burning desire to kill cursed spirits, or because it was the only path laid out before him.

Kinji likes fighting. He likes things that are dangerous and risky, that get his blood pumping with the thrill of a challenge or the exhilaration of the unexpected. This was a boy whose response to the chill of Shiki's cursed energy had been excitement.

More than anything else, he's here for a good time.

… Or something like that, perhaps.

Shiki still does not see her classmate as someone who's capable of killing a hundred civilians out of nowhere in cold blood, but she also admits that she might be biased. Satoru-niichan hadn't seen it coming with Geto-san either back then, had he? Even though they'd been best friends.

Shiki would not call Kinji her best friend. She's seen the way that Satoru-niichan and Geto-san had interacted with each other, and she can confirm that the same dynamic does not exist between her and her own classmates. Which is a good thing, what with her cousin's example of friendship laid out before her and all…

"Kinji isn't like Geto-san," she tells him.

Satoru-niichan blinks, pausing mid-bite into his taiyaki. "Eh?"

… Oh. Was that… not what he'd been concerned over?

But if that wasn't the case, then what had brought on his sudden musings about Geto-san and the soba restaurant that they used to frequent together?

Satoru-niichan stares at her for a moment, before catching on to Shiki's line of thought. He chortles, then reaches out and pats her on the head with the hand that's not full of taiyaki.

"Nah, that's not what I'm worried about," he tells her with a smile in his voice. There is also a twist of something fond, exasperated. "Your classmate still has a ways to go before potentially reaching Special Grade at some point, anyways."

"… Like me?"

Her cousin stills for a moment. Eats the last bite of his taiyaki, chewing and swallowing, and then leans down towards her.

"No way," the young man says confidently. "He's definitely not like you."

Shiki tilts her head questioningly.

"You," Satoru-niichan continues deliberately, "Are like me. If you ever decided to stop playing by the quaint rules set up in our world, then you could easily plunge everything into chaos and more."

Shiki blinks. "… And?"

"And… nothing, I guess," Satoru-niichan suddenly straightens and shrugs with a laugh, careful and cheerful once more. "Although, I don't think I was ever as patient as you at your age."

That's funny; patient is not an adjective that Shiki would use to describe herself.

Although, the sharp turn in conversation throws her for a bit of a loop.

"I used to think Suguru was patient," Satoru-niichan looks out into the streets again. At the back and forth of passerby moving along to the beat of their own lives, each preoccupied in their own worlds. "But everyone's patience runs out, eventually, doesn't it?"

It sounds as if there's a second meaning underlying her cousin's words. Shiki doesn't quite understand it, but–

"Do you need me to be patient?"

Satoru-niichan's gaze flits back to her.

"… No." The answer is strangely quiet, contemplative. "I don't need you to be anything. Not for me, and not for anyone else."

The white-haired young man huffs, a light exhale of breath that almost sounds like laughter.

"… I don't know why I'm saying so much today," Satoru-niichan shakes his head and reaches into his bag, handing Shiki another taiyaki. "This is all Tsukumo's fault."

Tsukumo? What did Tsukumo have to do with anything?

… Shiki had gone along with the woman and her desire for conversation in China, no matter her own dislike for the other sorcerer. But right now, she can't help but think…

The girl peers up towards her cousin, finding herself abruptly concerned as she second-guesses her prior inaction during that encounter. "Should I have tried to kill her?"

Tsukumo Yuki is a long-established Special Grade sorcerer. In contrast, the matter of Shiki's own Special Grade status is far more nebulous, and there exists a distinct disparity in their strengths. But at the very least, she could've still–

Satoru-niichan snorts, "I appreciate it, but no. If I wanted Tsukumo dead, then I'd do it myself."

Shiki nods. That makes sense, too.

"For now, though… it's not the time for something like that. Yet." Her cousin polishes off another fish-shaped pastry. "If she ever comes looking for you again, then you can definitely pull a knife on her."

"… Okay." Tsukumo had made it seem like she would very much like to have another conversation with Shiki again after they'd parted ways in China, but the way that Satoru-niichan is speaking about this makes it seem as if there won't be a repeat of the same situation. As if there shouldn't be a repeat of the same situation.

"What, just 'okay?'" Satoru-niichan arches an eyebrow at her. "Don't tell me you're actually interested in what Tsukumo has to say."

"I don't care about Tsukumo," Shiki replies candidly, inwardly wondering why she has to state the obvious like this. Maybe Satoru-niichan was really tired from his trip in Europe? He had finished his missions far earlier than expected…

"Hmm, really?"

"Really." Her cousin is just teasing her now, clearly. Shiki shifts closer to Satoru-niichan with a little side-step, which causes the older sorcerer to turn his head slightly in order to continue keeping her in view. "Why would I care about someone who only wants to use me?"

Tsukumo hadn't made a secret of the fact that she found Shiki interesting, and potentially useful towards her goals. In this, the woman is not so different from the higher ups that she doesn't get along with.

"… Maybe I should've killed Tsukumo," Satoru-niichan mutters under his breath. "Whatever, she's still on thin ice."

"Are there actually any rules against killing sorcerers if they haven't been declared as curse users?" Shiki wonders aloud.

"Nope, although I'd say that it's implied as part of the obvious, what with sorcerers being scarce in quantity and all" her cousin sounds amused by the question. "But if they make my cute little cousin upset to the point where murder is on the table, then they'd deserve what's coming to them."

Shiki bites into her taiyaki thoughtfully.

"… Or if they upset you, too," she says firmly.

The sudden sound of Satoru-niichan's laughter is loud in the evening air.

.

.

The weather cools, as summer comes to a close and autumn settles in with a chill. Shiki's thinner summer kimono is exchanged for a multi-lined one, and she also starts wearing a hanten on top of her school uniform. Unlike her kimono, however, the thicker jacket is not one that is issued by the school but instead one that comes from Shiki's own wardrobe.

Initially, Shiki wears one with a shippo pattern, light circles interlocked atop one another in a petal-like array across a dark cloth that is similar enough in coloring to the uniforms of the jujutsu school. Tsumiki, however, insists on something more colorful, especially once she recognizes the hanten as Shiki's own addition.

"… And I still think that you should try wearing more kinds of clothing beyond just kimonos and yukatas!" The other girl's voice is adamant. "Ah, this was a missed opportunity to get you an actual winter uniform too, wasn't it?"

Tsumiki slumps down in disappointment. Shiki casts about for something that will raise the other girl's spirits again. Yes, Tsumiki had suggested that Shiki try different types of clothing on various occasions before, but she hadn't realized that the other girl felt so strongly on the subject.

"I'll ask you for your help for my uniform in spring?" she tries.

It works; Tsumiki's head snaps up, and the girl instantly leans forward with bright eyes, snatching Shiki's hands in a tight grip.

"Okay! It's a promise, then!" she says cheerily. The sudden whiplash is a little… jarring, and leaves Shiki wondering if the younger girl acted like this on purpose.

… Well, as long as she's happy, Shiki supposes, staring down at their joined hands. Hands that Tsumiki releases with a happy hum, as she turns around and continues looking through the different pieces of winter apparel that Shiki already possesses.

It's a rare day when Shiki is back home in Saitama instead of being preoccupied with her other tasks; initially, Shiki had thought to check in on Kiyohira-sensei and maybe practice her sword forms with him, but the man had taken one look at her and scowled.

Go take a break, he'd said.

Then, he'd set Tsumiki on her.

… Not that Shiki is annoyed by it or anything. She likes spending time with the Fushiguro siblings, and if Kiyohira-sensei is otherwise busy, then far be it for Shiki to distract him. But the sheer exasperation accompanying his tone had still been a little befuddling.

Maybe the in-clan politics had been difficult recently? In that case, Kiyohira-sensei could certainly do with a break as well.

Tsumiki holds up an orange-gold tortoise shell-patterned coat, considering, and passes it to Shiki. Gamely, Shiki pulls on the chosen article of clothing over the dark kimono that she's currently wearing.

"Hmm… it looks nice enough, but there are still a few others that I think we should compare it with," Tsumiki decides. "How many are you bringing back to school with you again? Five? Ten?"

Shiki shrugs noncommittally. Her wardrobe is always well-stocked by the clan, and aside from a few favored outfits that she wears more frequently, she doesn't actually pay too much attention to her own dress. Whether it's five or ten or twenty different coats that she ends up bringing back with her doesn't matter much as long as she has something warm to wear when the weather continues growing colder.

Tsumiki rolls her eyes at the non-answer. "Okay, I'm picking out as many as I want, then! Let's see…"

Megumi leans forward and sets his chin on the low table with a small thunk. "You've been at this for over half an hour now."

"And it'll be a full hour and more if you distract me," Tsumiki retorts. "Now hush."

Megumi huffs. "Shiki is going to be wearing these while fighting curses, not going to a fashion show. Shouldn't you just grab the plain-looking ones you wouldn't mind getting ruined and be done with it?"

"Well, it's not like she's running missions twenty-four hours a day!" Tsumiki argues in protest. "And she has so many pretty pieces of clothing lying around, isn't it a shame if she never gets to wear any of them?"

For emphasis, the girl brandishes another coat, this one a lighter silken haori instead of a thicker hanten. The silk is dyed a vivid fuchsia gradient, with white plum blossoms dancing artfully across the surface.

It looks… vaguely familiar? Shiki thinks it was added to her wardrobe sometime last spring. Or was it the year before that?

But what Tsumiki says is true enough; there are numerous articles of clothing in her possession that Shiki hasn't worn very often. Then again, Shiki is only one person, and she doesn't make a habit of changing and wearing multiple outfits throughout the day for no discernible reason aside from her own fancy. Mostly because there are usually other things for Shiki to do with her time. In comparison, what she's wearing is far less of a priority.

Tsumiki holds the fuchsia-plum blossom haori up to Shiki, her gaze assessing, then nods as it appears to pass some invisible standard of hers. She sets it down on top of the pile of clothes for Shiki to bring back to the Tokyo school with her.

Megumi sighs, and begins helping to fold the discarded coats while Tsumiki continues to rummage through the rest of Shiki's clothing.

"Are you going to be taking more missions out of the country anytime soon?" Tsumiki asks.

"Possibly." Shiki isn't entirely certain on that front, seeing as she has yet to be called for another international mission after the one in China –likely due to the following events in Kyoto that had taken place immediately upon her return– but it's still a distinct likelihood. Quite likely to reoccur in the future, actually. If nothing else, then for the very simple fact that Shiki is one of the stronger Grade One sorcerers on the roster, and there is always a need for powerful sorcerers to take on more missions.

Which really makes one wonder what the higher ups had thought they'd achieve, doing what they did to Kinji…

"Hm. If you're going abroad, then you're definitely going to need to expand your wardrobe to include modern styles and Western clothing," Tsumiki nods firmly.

"Why?"

Both Fushiguro siblings turn to pin her with a flat look. Shiki stares back at them.

"Wearing traditional clothing is going to raise a lot of eyebrows in other countries," Tsumiki finally says when it becomes clear that Shiki is waiting for an explanation. "So it would help you blend in a bit more if you're at least dressed like others around you. Remember when you told me about that girl in China who asked to take photos with you?"

… That's true. Even though her manner of dress is not something that Shiki consciously pays attention to, that does not mean it's not something that others will also overlook.

Megumi covers up his laugh with a hasty cough at the reminder of the photo-girl that Shiki had encountered in China. "My sister has a point."

Shiki sighs, "I'm not disagreeing."

"So that's agreement, then!" Tsumiki beams. "Ooh, we should go on a shopping trip sometime. Megumi can come with us, too!"

"I don't need any new clothes," the boy instantly straightens, jolting up in wide-eyed alarm.

"You could use a new pair of sneakers," Tsumiki counters. And, right as Megumi opens his mouth to protest, "We can also stop at that tea house that you like."

Megumi pauses, considering.

Tsumiki instantly hones in on the weakness like a shark scenting blood in the water. "I'll also make shogayaki for dinner. With extra ginger!"

"… Alright, fine," the younger boy grumbles, seemingly in grudging acquiescence, although there is no real displeasure to be found in his countenance. "But not with that weird sweet sauce you tend to use."

"I guess that's fine, Satoru-san will still be out on his business trip. I know that neither of you are really fond of sweet things," Tsumiki stills in thought for a moment, then turns towards Shiki. "Come to think of it, we still have an entire box of milk candies remaining from all the edibles that you brought back from China with you. Have you thought about how you're going to be getting rid of them?"

"Kinji and Kirara both said that they don't want any more sweets."

"Y'know, I still can't believe the only thing you brought back from China with you as souvenirs were all kinds of different desserts," Megumi makes a face. "You don't even like sweets!"

Shiki tilts her head, uncomprehending. "But omiyage is supposed to be sweets, right?"

"What? Who told you that– … Wait, never mind, stupid question," Megumi rubs his forehead. "Okay. Just because your cousin likes to bring back desserts with him, doesn't mean that it's the only thing that can qualify as a good souvenir."

"Satoru-niichan said they were good," Shiki protests in her own defense.

"He has an incorrigible sweet tooth, so his opinion doesn't count," Megumi folds his arms across his chest, thoroughly unimpressed. "Besides, you could've just gotten him a bag of sugar, and he'd still be calling you his favorite little cousin."

"Satoru-niichan doesn't like sugar that much." Shiki doesn't think she's ever seen Satoru-niichan eating spoonfuls of sugar straight out of a bag. Just the very thought of that is a little… nausea-inducing. There's sweet, and then there's sweet.

"I guess I'll try to make something else with the remaining milk candies, then," Tsumiki adopts a thoughtful look on her face. "I wonder if you can melt these down, I'd be able to use them as a sugar substitute for cakes or something…"

"It's either that or we lie and say that there's someone in the family who went on a business trip to China and came back yet again with the exact same milk candies with the exact same expiration dates," Megumi sighs. "Why did you end up buying so many of these, anyways? You only got half the number of those lotus cakes."

"The sales assistant recommended them, and offered a discount if I doubled the quantity of my order," Shiki explains. She vaguely remembers the shop worker; they'd been polite and helpful even despite the language barrier.

Megumi's brows furrow. "Since when did you start caring about sales?"

"Kinji says it's good to save money. And that I also needed a stronger financial sense." Mostly because Shiki never really goes out to buy anything on her own, and when she does, she tends to pay more attention to the quality of the product in question rather than the price tag. Which Kinji had scolded her for, so she's attempting to be a little more mindful of that these days.

"Well, he's definitely got that right," Megumi mutters.

"Don't be like that," Tsumiki elbows her brother huffily, before turning towards Shiki. "So, something to keep in mind for the future –a sales assistant usually wants to convince a customer to spend as much money as possible, even though that's not necessarily always what you need. Finding a deal that works for you and finding a deal where you end up with a lot of excess things that you have no use for are two different things."

"I see." Was that related to why Choki had a slightly strange expression on his face after he'd seen Shiki come out of that particular shop? And why he then insisted on standing beside her for every subsequent purchase that she'd made?

Tsumiki nods firmly, then smiles. "We can get you some practice for this on our upcoming shopping trip!"

Oh. That does sound like it would be helpful.

"It's shopping, not training," Megumi makes a 'tsk' sound.

"There's more to life than just training," the dark-haired girl narrows her eyes at her younger brother.

Megumi promptly raises both hands in surrender, which is probably the wisest choice to make.

Tsumiki rolls her eyes. But it's fond, rather than exasperated. Looking at her like this, it's not so hard to imagine that this is the girl who'd thrown a carton of strawberry milk at a Special Grade One sorcerer.

The Zenins… are certainly growing impatient, it seems. But if they ever stepped out of line, then Shiki knows that she would not hesitate to–

The sound of a bell-like chime rings through the air. Tsumiki pauses halfway through unfolding a deep blue hanten patterned with golden ginkgo leaves, as does Megumi whose hands are full of another coat beside her, and both of them turn towards her questioningly.

Shiki, on her part, turns her attention towards her cell phone. There aren't very many people who have her number, and technically she's off-duty right now, so she's curious as to what this might–

Kirara?

Kirara and Kinji had left for Sendai yesterday, under Takagi-sensei's lead and supervision. They'd been assigned a new mission to look into mysteriously violent incidents at a local middle school there, according to what Shiki remembers overhearing from their debrief. A few students had been hospitalized, which prompted a more thorough investigation than what had been performed by the Window stationed in the area.

Has something gone amiss?

"Hello?"

… There's no responding voice on the other end to her greeting, only static. Which is broken by the sound of a loud crash, and a tinny shout that sounds like it's coming from somewhere a lot farther off in the distance.

"Get out of here, both of you! That cursed spirit is probably a special–"

Another loud crash, something rumbling like an earthquake in the background. The other end of the line goes silent.

"… Is everything alright?"

"Doubtful." Shiki does not like the sound of the snippet that she'd just heard. Her classmates may very well be in over their heads, and if this was Kirara's call for help, then–

"I'll get Choki," Megumi promptly rises to his feet.

That wouldn't be enough. Even if Choki was informed of the new situation with her classmates, the most that he'd be able to do was reaching out to contacts who were already in the area. If he were to make arrangements for Shiki to set out right this very moment, it would still be a solid hour's worth of travel by bullet train to reach Sendai from Saitama.

Which left only one other option.

Shiki scrolls down through her short list of phone contacts, and selects a rarely-used number. This particular individual is someone that she's only loosely familiar with, but Satoru-niichan had called them competent and reliable…

… on the condition that one had enough monetary funds to request their services, that is.

"Hello, Mei-san," Shiki greets once the call connects. "I need to go to Sendai. Immediately."

.

.

Extra.

.

Kirara is starting to get the impression that schools are cursed.

Like, the conventional definition of 'cursed,' not just sorcery-curse cursed. Because apparently all schools are actually sorcery-curse cursed, to some degree. According to Takagi-sensei, it has something to do with how schools commonly act as a 'receptacle' of negative emotions for many people.

... Takagi-sensei is currently unconscious, and bleeding from a nasty head wound. The tiger-shikigami that he'd managed to summon before getting slammed head first into a wall is still going strong, ferociously fighting the giant cursed spirit that's all but tearing the school gymnasium apart with its bare hands.

Kirara shivers. There's something that's downright terrifying about the cursed energy emanating from the cursed spirit. The hair-raising, scalp-prickling terror of a building falling down on you –and you can see it happen right before your eyes, except you know that you can't outrun the imminent danger. Except you know perfectly well that there's no escape.

But fear is no reason to just give up. His cell phone might've been crushed into itty-bitty pieces in the horrifying cursed spirit's rampage just now, but that doesn't mean Kirara is going to sit around and wait for the same thing to happen to him! He doesn't even know if the call actually went through to Shiki, but with any luck, hopefully it would've–

"Go, go, go!" Kinji shouts, hauling Takagi-sensei's limp body over his shoulder and sprinting. "I don't think that tiger's gonna last any–"

An eerie, discordant shriek that's either one of delight, or rage. Kirara can't really tell. What he can tell, though, is that Takagi-sensei's tiger just got turned into paste under a pale, clawed hand.

The cursed spirit's humanoid torso rears back in victory, shadowy snake-like tail whipping about in excitement beneath it and ripping out a set of metal railings from the ground.

"–longer. Damn."

Kinji flips over one of the low, crumbling walls, and Kirara follows him. But unexpectedly, instead of continuing to run, Kinji shoves Takagi-sensei towards him instead, which makes Kirara stumble a bit–

"What are you–" Oh. Oh no. Why is he turning back towards that scary cursed spirit? "Kinji, no."

"We don't have any other choice right now," Kinji says, cracking his knuckles. "And between the two of us, I'm the sturdier one. You need to–"

"Rika-chan, stop! Please stop, already!"

Kinji turns around. Kirara, too, squints his eyes and leans forward. Is that–?

"A civilian?" A student, judging by their uniform. Instead of staying well away from the destruction, there's a dark-haired boy running out in front of the cursed spirit and… waving his arms in front of himself? Trying to gesture for the cursed spirit to stop?

But you can't negotiate with a cursed spirit like that–

A piece of crumbling debris from the half-ruined building finally falls… and the boy is standing directly beneath it.

No time to hesitate. Not a single word is exchanged between the two of them; Kinji heads straight for the cursed spirit, while Kirara pumps cursed energy into his legs and tackles the boy, who lets out a startled yelp. Sorry for dropping you, Takagi-sensei, but you'll be fine as long as–

"Wait!" The insane boy actually struggles against Kirara. "Your friend, he can't– Rika-chan, don't hurt him!"

Something clicks in Kirara's mind, and he stares incredulously at the distressed boy. "Did you name a cursed spirit?"

"Uh, no?" The boy stares at him with wide eyes. "Rika-chan is… Rika-chan."

"Eh?"

"DOMAIN EXPANSION," Kinji roars from somewhere over their heads. Kirara looks up, just in time to see a large black sphere engulf both Kinji and the giant cursed spirit laying waste to their surroundings.

Okay. Okay. Kinji's Domain Expansion was strong, and hopefully it would… hopefully it would mean that things will be fine. Right now, Kirara needs to get Takagi-sensei and this weird civilian kid out of the blast radius, and he needs to contact the school.

"I don't suppose you have a phone I could use?" Kirara asks.

"I-I don't, sorry."

Oof. Well, at least the assistant manager shouldn't be too far off? And if Kirara wants to call for reinforcements, then he needs to… to…

Kirara sucks in a deep breath.

Calm down. Calm down. You're not going to be of use to anyone if you're panicking.

His chest is still heaving erratically, shuddering. The weight of this cursed energy –it's different from Shiki's, which is essentially just the ice-cold surety that you're going to die. There's something about this that incites fear, panic, in an almost primal way, and Kirara can only imagine how much worse it would be for Kinji, who's directly next to the source of it–

–wait a second.

Slowly, Kirara looks beside him towards the other boy. The one who's currently biting his lip, wringing his hands in worry. The student who is, somehow, inexplicably the only one still standing uninjured and well, even though Kirara has seen the mess of broken bones and bruises on the other students strewn carelessly in the hallways like a macabre trail of breadcrumbs.

… The boy who is the very source of all this suffocating, terrifying cursed energy.

.

.

…

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