Chapter 65: No One Likes Getting Involved With Taxes.
—OoOoO—
“Did it come from here? Like, the Chiba Tax Office?”
Yuuji gaped at the building, which was known as the Chiba Prefectural Tax Directorate. His astonishment was understandable. Powerful cursed spirits, at least strong enough to produce an instantaneous energy surge, typically resided in notoriously haunted places, or places where negative thoughts were constantly drawn, such as hospitals and schools.
“Although it may seem random, cursed spirits appearing in government buildings and parliament is nothing new,” Komachi, who was standing next to him, replied to the question.
“Yeah, but the tax office is…—ah! That’s also part of the government building!”
As if he had just solved a complex puzzle, the pink-haired boy showed a face filled with pride.
“So, do we go in or call for help and wait here, Komachi-san?” Yuuji asked again.
"As far as I know, government offices always have people working until the last train or even staying overnight. And in some ways, civil servants are even more miserable corporate slaves than office workers."
Komachi paused as she walked towards the building, taking her smartphone out of her shoulder bag.
“It’s not that I doubt him, but taking Paisen as a reference for a working life…, I don’t think it’s really…, you know?” Yuuji seemed to be at a loss for words as he walked beside the girl.
“Actually, those are words I often hear from my mother, not from Onii-chan,” Komachi replied with a bitter and slightly ironic tone, “Anyway, what I want to say is, while we’re contacting people, we should go in to evacuate the victims, both survivors and the death bodies.”
A talisman, a human-shaped piece of paper, circled the short-haired girl. When it landed on her right shoulder, it ignited in blue flames, revealing a pitch-black creature shaped like an upside-down eggplant, its long body coiling around Komachi's shoulder and upper arm.
“Yuuji-san, could you put up the Curtain for us? And sorry if I sound bossy even though I’m younger than you.”
“Nah, don't mind, don't mind. You're much smarter and more experienced than me, after all,” Yuuji said enthusiastically, flexing his fingers.
Unfortunately, because of the dark sky and the only illumination from the streetlights, the boy didn't see the faint blush that appeared on Komachi's cheeks when he threw that casual compliment at her.
“Honestly, I've been wanting to try lowering the Curtain for a while now. It makes me feel like a real sorcerer, you know?”
“Then, please make it bigger to cover the surrounding buildings as well just in case,” Komachi replied.
Unlike other sorcerers who only need to press their middle and index fingers together, Sanji, due to his lack of control, clapped his palms.
"Emerge from the darkness, blacker than the darkness. Purify that which is impure."
Right after the spell was cast, a black barrier began to descend from the sky like a slime sliding down. It covered not only the tax office itself but also the nine surrounding buildings.
Meanwhile, Komachi was seen holding a talisman between her fingers. After ensuring the curtain was completely down, she released it, allowing it to be consumed by the blue flames, revealing a humanoid, cursed spirit in a tattered white housedress, resembling an old woman with long, messy white hair.
'So, this is that Turbo Granny? Her aura is truly terrifying and scarier than that Finger Bearer in the juvenile detention centre,' Yuuji muttered in his mind.
Seeing someone whose individual combat abilities were weaker than his own but who had a much stronger army made him realise how terrifying a Cursed Spirit Manipulation user was and why the association was so afraid of her in case she defected.
—OoOoO—
“You asked me how strong Komachi is?”
In his training attire, hair wet with sweat, Hachiman sat on the dry grass as they ended their sparring session.
“Why are you suddenly asking about my sister?” the boy continued in a sarcastic tone.
“No, no. I mean, Fushiguro is very strong, and you’re even more amazing,” Yuuji quickly clarified, “And as far as I know, you, Fushiguro, and Komachi-san as the youngest, have been training under Gojo-sensei since you were little. So, I was just curious, you know?”
The dead-fish-eyed boy snorted. He averted his gaze and raised his head to stare at the sky. His free hand then reached for a bottle of mineral water beside him and opened it without taking his eyes off the sky.
"If you compare her to Megumi individually, you could say Komachi is weaker. Furthermore, that guy naturally possesses excellent control over cursed energy. However, her true strength doesn't lie solely in her individual abilities."
Hachiman paused his words to take a drink of water from the bottle.
“Think of it like the trainers in Pokemon. Do you think they're strong?” the boy continued with a question.
"No. They're just normal humans, right?"
“Exactly,” Hachiman snapped back, “Compared to other jujutsu sorcerers, her individual combat abilities are only average, which is already good for her age. However, compared to other summoner or shikigami users, Cursed Spirit Manipulation is in a completely different league.”
Hachiman paused for a moment to gauge Yuuji's reaction. However, the pink-haired boy simply tilted his head innocently.
“Come on. I know you’re stupid, but you’re not that dumb enough that you don’t understand what I mean, right?”
“Uh…,” the guy muttered.
The wrinkles on Yuuji's forehead seemed to thicken, as if he was trying to get the thoughts out of his sluggish brain.
“So, Komachi-san can easily refill her ammunition by catching the cursed spirits she encounters like a Pokemon trainer?”
Hachiman's high expectations were instantly shattered with a long sigh. However, he couldn't blame his interlocutor. If anything, it was his fault for expecting too much from Yuuji's brain.
“What you said isn’t wrong, but that’s not what I meant, you stupid dimwit.”
The pink-haired boy immediately closed and covered his mouth tightly after hearing the insult.
"If we're talking about individual combat ability and experience alone, Komachi right now is probably only third or second grade at best. However, her true value lies in the cursed spirits she controls. On paper, you might only be fighting one person, but in reality, she has a battalion of cursed spirits, some of which are high-grade curses."
“But isn't Komachi-san only able to control those weaker than her, or those she has already defeated?” Yuuji asked.
“Yes and no,” Hachiman replied firmly and decisively, “She can indeed take over cursed spirits that are much weaker than her instantly, but for cursed spirits that are on her level or stronger, she can use others to beat them up and then make them submit.”
The black-haired guy then stood up with a slight groan while stretching his stiff waist.
"All in all, she’ll collectively get stronger as her collection grows, and she could even get the first grade or even a special grade like Turbo Granny without having to fight directly to tame them. In other words, even though she's weaker than Megumi right now, I see limitless potential in Komachi."
Hachiman then remembered how he had beaten the cursed spirit half to death and given Komachi the chance to restrain it with her abilities, under a strict condition.
“But I strongly discourage her from relying too much on her technique, and encourage her to improve her individual abilities,” the boy concluded his words.
—OoOoO—
Neither Komachi nor Yuuji had ever entered a tax office before, but they were certain that entering the building shouldn't be this intimidating. The cursed energy emanating from within didn't feel particularly strong, at least not like the previous surge, which had been felt two hundred meters away. However, cursed energy was only one factor, or method, in determining threat level, as many high-grade cursed spirits could instinctively disguise their presence.
Still, both Komachi and Yuuji, even with the faint glow of cursed energy, agreed that the building felt truly eerie.
“Are you ready, Yuuji-san?” Komachi asked.
Yuuji frowned as he swallowed hard. This would be his third time facing a high-ranking cursed spirit in just a few months since he enrolled at Jujutsu High. Even though his guts were used to such threats, his defeat at the hands of Finger Bearer and the possibility of his death if Mahito hadn't played along with him and Nanami had slightly diminished his confidence in his readiness for such a high-level job.
However, it would take time for help to arrive. And until then, someone must step up to evacuate those inside and prevent the cursed spirit from going berserk.
“Let's go.”
With those short, cold words leaving his mouth, Yuuji took a step forward. He unclenched his fists, then clenched them tightly again, doing this repeatedly to calm his nerves. His eyes occasionally glanced back, catching sight of Turbo Granny, left stationary outside the building.
'I don't know what Komachi-san is planning by not bringing her in, but I'm sure she must have her reasons,' the boy thought as he glanced at the girl walking next to him.
His gaze then returned to the front, to the entrance of the tax office. With a deep breath and a slow exhale, Yuuji pushed open the glass door, breaking the chains and padlocks that bound it, and then pushed it open, making a long, creaking sound.
“If there was still someone inside, would it be normal for the entrance to be locked?” Yuuji asked.
“Maybe? It’s not like I understand the rules of the workplace,” Komachi replied with a shrug. “It’s possible if the entrance is locked, and those working overtime will use the elevator connected to the parking lot or something.”
“You said you didn't understand, but in the end you came up with a reasonable explanation as if you know a thing or two, Komachi-san.”
As he said those words, Yuuji glanced around the lobby of the building. It was quieter than he had expected. Although it looked like there was no light inside from the outside, that wasn't because the lights had been intentionally turned off; rather, the generators on the grid and in the building were completely dead.
“Even the phone won’t connect,” Komachi said as she tried to call her home.
"The barrier should block the signal, no?"
The girl shook her head at the question.
“Did you also block the signal in your spell, Yuuji-san?”
“Eh? No, maybe? At least, I don't feel that way because all I do is what I was taught.”
“Then, there should be no blockade for signals either since the Curtain is a classic spell whose construction only emphasises the physical aspect within and how outsiders would perceive the situation inside.”
All the barrier spells used by modern sorcerers were derived from the basic spells taught by Tengen and optimised by the Tengen Barrier that surrounded Japan. In other words, many barrier spells of this era were based on outdated foundational structures.
Curtain was one of the basic spells that Tengen taught his followers, which has been passed down through generations and was part of the basic curriculum at Jujutsu High. Therefore, unless someone had an innate technique in the form of Barrier Technique itself, like Hiratsuka Shizuka, who naturally knew what to do with the barrier she wanted to create, one must study diligently just to add effects, such as preventing electromagnetic signals from entering and leaving the Curtain.
“Something is coming!” Yuuji shouted softly.
“Yeah…,” a bead of sweat fell from Komachi’s temple, “… Something unpleasant.”
The two teenagers immediately stared at the lobby, which, oddly enough, was the only electronic equipment still working.
Ting!
Along with the sound, the elevator doors opened, and a cold mist, which seemed to come from the cold of the afterlife, came out of the small cubicle.
Yuuji immediately took his fighting stance, while talismans began to come out simultaneously from Ten’s mouth, the name of the cursed spirit that was wrapped around Komachi's right shoulder and upper arm. The papers then flew in the air, forming a formation that would make it easier for her to give commands in various scenarios.
A long leg emerged from the cold mist, a leg seemingly wrapped in black trousers and brown loafers. When the figure finally revealed itself, they saw a man dressed like an office worker, wearing a bowler hat. However, what most strikingly distinguished him from a human was his lack of a face.
“A cursed spirit with a humanoid form?” the pink-haired boy muttered.
From what Yuuji knew, that kind of cursed spirit would never be good news.
"Yuuji-san, listen. There's a possibility we've entered his domain. But don't worry too much, it's likely just a normal, imperfect innate domain," Komachi said in a whisper.
“Huh? How did you know?”
"All the power in this building is out, and only that elevator can run. I can't think of any other answer other than we’re belong to his domain."
“I see,” Yuuji muttered.
The two teenagers seemed in no hurry to attack the creature. Their objective was clear: to stall it as long as possible until reinforcements arrived. Furthermore, they knew that the cursed spirit, in humanoid form, was at least a first-grade existence. However, with them trapped within its innate domain, even if it wasn't perfect, it was still the creature's territory, thus gaining a buff of at least 120%.
“HaVe YOu cOMe to pAy taXEs?” the creature said in a deep, hoarse voice.
Which made Yuuji surprised.
“Taxes? Is that a cursed spirit born from humanity’s hatred of the tax system?”
“Uh… I heard that Japan has one of the highest taxes in the world, and they said that cursed spirits born in the modern era would be even more absurd, but I really didn’t expect something like this,” Komachi replied.
The girl felt enough to observe the monster.
“Fly Heads, attack him.”
With that command, the twelve or so talismans floating in the air immediately shot towards the cursed spirit, their blue flames enveloping them. With a predetermined pause, Yuuji ran at a light pace following the papers, which had transformed into cursed spirits with large heads and insect-like wings.
The dozens of controlled cursed spirits immediately charged at the Cursed Taxman like missiles. However, the creature twisted his body, forming a rope-like structure from its arms that spun under centrifugal force, destroying the Fly Heads.
As the one controlling them, Komachi immediately turned half of the cursed spirits back into talisman form, and the other half collided with each other and exploded in the air, creating a cloud of dust and smoke.
The Fly Heads, who had reverted to their talisman form, managed to escape the whips, surprising the Cursed Taxman slightly, who prepared to defend himself in case they transformed back into him and attacked. However, instead of doing as he expected, they simply continued, even passing him by as if they were no longer targeting him.
Meanwhile, from behind the dust that hadn't completely settled, Yuuji emerged from beside the Cursed Taxman and was about to punch it in the head. Or at least, that was what he intended to do.
However, the flat face, like literally flat, suddenly split right in the middle and let out slimy, tongue-like tentacles that wrapped around Yuuji's hands, then around his body, and finally around his feet.
"Gross! What the fuck is this?"
As the boy's attention was diverted to the thing wrapped around him, the Cursed Taxman immediately pulled him closer and was about to punch him in the head. Seeing this, he immediately crossed his arms. However, the creature quickly shifted its direction to his body. The fist then opened into a palm, and it slammed into Yuuji's body.
“Ugh!”
The guy was thrown when the rope around his body was released, along with the impact of the palm.
Meanwhile, Komachi, who saw her colleague fly and crash into the reception desk, was briefly worried about him. However, she quickly dismissed those thoughts when she realised how tough the boy was.
“Let's go, Uwan.”
Komachi whispered as she accelerated and threw the talisman to the floor. As the paper was enveloped in blue flames, and before the cursed spirit inside could emerge, it sank to the floor, and nothing happened afterward. As if following her command, the six cursed spirits that had previously returned to their talisman form and were floating in the air also shot towards the creature, immediately releasing the Fly Heads sealed within.
The creature didn't just stand there letting him be attacked. It again produced two thin threads from each of its sleeves, which, upon closer inspection, resembled the ones that had wrapped around Yuuji earlier. Not wanting to be eaten by the decoys like before, it also jumped away from the Fly Heads, swinging the threads like whips, sending the curses flying all over the room.
And just as the Cursed Taxman was about to whip Komachi, the marble floor that separated the two suddenly rose, holding the whip with the ropes wrapped around it.
“Good job, Uwan.”
Uwan, a cursed spirit with almost no fixed form, was attached to anything containing the earth element and could manipulate it to his will. Therefore, Komachi had previously dropped the talisman on the floor, allowing the creature to follow her from below for extra protection and a surprise attack.
Just like Uwan was doing now. As soon as the creature protected itself by allowing the whip rope to wrap around its body, Komachi immediately darted through the small gap behind the marble hand. As the creature yoinked the Cursed Taxman closer, the girl immediately kicked her opponent straight in the heart.
A hiss of rage echoed from the vertical incisions on the creature's flat face, along with the wriggling, slimy tongues. Although the kick landed smoothly on its body, it managed to graze Komachi's leg before being thrown into the reception desk, where Yuuji was already waiting.
“The one earlier, I return it in cash.”
The pink-haired boy immediately punched the creature in the head. However, something surprised him.
“Huh?”
The blow wasn't as powerful as Yuuji had hoped, despite his full strength. He only managed to push the Cursed Taxman a mere three meters away, and even then, the creature quickly gained momentum by stomping its feet on the floor, and it immediately shot towards him to bury its fist into the teenager.
Yuuji was actually trying to deflect and capture his fist so he could coordinate attacks with Komachi. However, things sometimes didn’t go as he hoped, even though he thought he could.
And when the blow actually hit his hand, the force poured into it was so great, even stronger than the palm strike he had previously received.
“Ugh.”
Yuuji braced himself to prevent being pushed back, causing the floor around him to crack over a two-meter area.
'Is it just me who's become weaker, or has the creature suddenly become so strong? No, it feels like both at once.'
Komachi, on the other hand, was equally shocked by the sight. She knew all too well how absurd Yuuji's physical abilities were. And even when sparred purely in martial arts and physical strength, without cursed techniques, he was able to match her older brother, losing only because of a difference in intelligence. Therefore, seeing Yuuji overwhelmed by a cursed spirit felt unreal to her.
However, not only Yuuji, but Komachi herself also felt something was wrong, and Uwan's manifestation, which had taken the form of a marble hand, shrank to just two metres. Even without her cursed energy, Uwan could stand up to three metres tall, but now he was only two metres tall, and his overall size had shrunk.
'At first glance, there doesn't seem to be any change in that Cursed Taxman, but that doesn't mean there isn't any at all. Or rather, perhaps he has excellent power management.'
Komachi watched as Yuuji and the creature traded blows. The boy was occasionally pushed back or even overwhelmed by their opponent's intensity.
“Uwan, come back.”
Following Komachi's command, the marble hand retracted into the floor. From there, a talisman emerged, leaping out, causing ripples to appear on the floor, as if the solid floor had momentarily turned liquid.
'As I thought…,' Komachi muttered in her mind.
Her eyes were glued to every movement in the battle. Yuuji, who had previously seemed to be struggling, was now starting to find his rhythm, though the difference was still significant.
'Turbo Granny. You can go back now.'
Through her inner command, Komachi's strongest cursed spirit, which was previously left on standby and would break in from the outside if she were suddenly trapped in Domain Expansion, like when she fought Hasaba Nanako, was released and sealed back in the talisman.
As Komachi had expected, the Cursed Taxman's movements became slower, and his strength weakened. However, it was still strong enough to go head-to-head with Yuuji.
'His power likely involves taxing his opponents. This is an incomplete Domain, so his power can't come from it. In other words, his power probably comes from touch. That's why he chose to punch Yuuji-san with his palm earlier, and then took the opportunity to touch me when I kicked him.'
Komachi took a deep breath without blinking even once during the fight.
'What's the tax rate? Is it following the rate in Japan? Income tax here alone can reach 45% for high-income earners, but the average Japanese person probably gets around 25%, and that doesn't include insurance. If so, does that mean he's passing that amount on to us?'
While the girl was busy unravelling their opponent's abilities, Yuuji appeared to hit the cursed spirit's head, nearly knocking him over. However, the tentacle tongues protruding from the vertical mouth on his face caught the boy again and swung him into the corner of the room, sending him crashing hard into the table and the wall.
'And seeing as Yuuji-san also experienced a significant decrease in power and Uwan shrank, it seems that what was taken wasn't just the tax on cursed energy, but also the output and everything that could be used as an asset, including Yuuji-san's physical strength and all the cursed spirits I summoned. When I resealed them, it seemed that it also affected his power, as if I was pulling out or hiding my assets from the country.'
Komachi then stepped forward, slowly accelerating her legs to a running start, then leaping forward to kick the creature. Busy with the fistfight with Yuuji, the Cursed Taxman couldn't react properly and had to let his cheek kiss the sole of the shoe and send him crashing down the stairs.
“Yuuji-san, I think I understand how that creature’s cursed technique works.”
“Eh? He’s already using his technique?” Yuuji replied with genuine surprise.
Which made Komachi stare at him deadpan.
"I'll explain it briefly," the girl said with a sigh. "Essentially, his cursed technique is taxing us. Although I don't know the exact rate, what's clear is that all of our physical strength and cursed energy, including my cursed spirits, will be taxed by him, making him richer."
“Oh. So, you’re saying he can debuff us while buffing himself?”
This time, it was Komachi's turn to not understand the term the boy used. However, she simply nodded, believing he had grasped it with his intelligence, which others often underestimate.
“More or less like that.”
“So, he's the worst matchup for you, huh, Komachi-san?”
The girl was surprised to hear Yuuji's explanation, as she hadn't expected him to understand her so deeply. This brought a small smile to her face.
'It seems I also underestimated Yuuji-san's intelligence.'
As he said, the Cursed Taxman was a terrible matchup for Komachi. The monster considered all the cursed spirits she had tamed as her assets. In other words, by simply marking her, he could tax them immediately once she summoned them. Furthermore, her numerical superiority, which had always been her primary weapon, was now something she couldn't freely display, as it would only make the creature even stronger.
“Do you have any plans, Komachi-san?” the pink-haired boy asked.
His attention was locked on the curse that had risen as if the kick earlier had meant nothing to him.
"I do," replied Komachi briefly.
To which Yuuji glanced at the girl to listen to what she was about to say.
“I have only one plan…, attack.”
Komachi sped off, leaving Yuuji behind.
Meanwhile, ropes appeared to extend from under the curse’s sleeves. He swung them at Komachi like whips, shattering the floor as they struck. However, she managed to avoid them all by simply tilting her body, or even jumping and rolling forward to maintain her momentum.
When they were only three metres apart, she shot herself into the creature's body and pushed him back.
“Grrhrh!”
With a growl escaping from its vertical mouth, the Cursed Taxman attempted to elbow Komachi in the back from above. However, the girl quickly released her grip on him, slipped beside him, wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, and then lifted him and slammed him into the ground with a perfect suplex.
The floor around him cracked instantly. And before the Cursed Taxman could even get up, Yuuji was at his side and kicked him in the head like he was kicking a ball.
As if not wanting to give the creature any chance to recover, Komachi immediately rushed to catch and punched him in the stomach as hard as she could. However, the girl only grimaced slightly as her fist met what felt like a high-pressure water tank.
'It’s hard, damn.'
When Komachi withdrew her hand and switched to southpaw to give her right hand a break. The creature immediately exploited the slight gap and kicked her squarely in the head, sending her flying into the elevator.
Yuuji, who had been standing beside the Cursed Taxman, briefly glanced away when his comrade was sent flying by their opponent. However, his attention immediately returned to the figure before him as the alarm bells in his head blared.
'I only took my eyes off him for a second, but he's already back to keeping his distance?'
A whip flew and aimed for the boy’s neck, but he quickly widened his stance and lay down, allowing the whip to sweep over him. A poor building pillar in the lobby was the victim, instantly splitting apart when the blow struck.
'This place is the embodiment of the innate domain, so the building won't collapse, right?' Yuuji muttered as his eyes glanced at the slashed pillar.
Wasting no time, he immediately lunged at the creature. However, the curse also took a step back and swung his whip again, this time two at once, alternating with such intensity that his path to closing the distance was completely blocked.
'How do I get through this? Should I yolo there, or take a detour?'
Everything had its consequences. Dashing forward means risking being ripped to shreds, but taking a detour would give your opponent more momentum.
In the split second his brain was formulating the best plan, he suddenly felt a thin presence pass right past his feet.
'Right, I'm not fighting alone here,' the boy said to himself with a smile.
The aura of cursed energy surrounding the boy's body grew even denser. Less than a second later, a two-meter-tall marble hand emerged from the floor to block the whips' advance. This caused them to coil around it rather than strike Yuuji.
It was the same pattern Komachi had used before, and the Cursed Taxman clearly noticed it as his cursed energy and output increased again as she summoned her cursed spirit. Therefore, he was already prepared for any follow-up attack that might come from behind the marble hand.
However, it wasn't what he expected. When the marble hand disappeared, it also removed the "tax notes" he could extract from that curse. However, instead of Yuuji or Komachi, something that slid and bounced, accelerating each time it hit the floor, wall, or ceiling, appeared.
“Kraah….”
The Cursed Tax seemed to growl angrily, then glanced at Komachi, who was standing at the edge of the room with a grin on her face despite the dust that seemed to be sticking to her body.
“If you can tax all my cursed spirits, but the effect wears off when I reseal them, that means I just need to use it with the right timing, right?” the girl said.
Of course, the cursed spirit couldn't hear her. However, the aura of anger radiated even more strongly, as if it understood that Komachi was mocking it.
Although the creature wanted to attack the girl who seemed to be looking down on him, he couldn't do anything as the object kept bouncing and bouncing around him. However, the main problem was the pink-haired boy's figure, which had disappeared from sight. No matter where he looked, he couldn't find him, not even his residual energy, as if he had vanished into thin air.
Yuuji's disappearance wasn't the only thing the Cursed Taxman had to worry about. In fact, the bouncing object was getting faster and faster.
In fact, the ricochet path seemed to attack him, occasionally trying to hit him from the side and forcing him to tilt his body. Sometimes it would come from his blind spot, forcing him to roll forward by a narrow margin. It would even suddenly fall vertically from above, and, due to its increasing momentum, create a fairly wide and deep crater before continuing to ricochet.
The creature also tried to whip his two whips to cut or even slow the object's momentum. However, the object's speed and erratic motion made it nearly impossible to hit.
Yet, there was something the Cursed Taxman didn't realise. Every time the object tried to attack him, he would be lured to a corner of the lobby. And just as the object was about to strike again from above, he moved his feet to take a step back.
Something he hadn't expected. Before the object hit the ground as before, it erupted in blue flames and transformed into a talisman. However, what remained was the figure of Itadori Yuuji, who had apparently been hiding inside the cursed, bouncing spirit.
“Got you.”
The pink-haired boy whispered as he landed on the floor, causing the web-like cracks. The Cursed Taxman hissed angrily, but Yuuji immediately slammed his fist into his stomach as hard as he could. He then grabbed the back of his head with both hands and pushed him down with his knee, ready to kiss the cursed spirit.
A loud, ear-piercing sound of the blunt objects colliding with each other, but Yuuji's cold eyes remained completely unmoved as if his focus had locked onto one point.
Yuuji then grabbed the creature's left arm with his right, then slightly wrapped his arm around it to lock its movement. With a soft exhale, he immediately peppered the Cursed Taxman's body and head with relentless blows.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The intense, high-pitched sounds didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon. The cursed spirit didn't want to waste any time being the boy's punching bag. The creature opened his vertical mouth wide, even wider than before, to the point that his head appeared to be nearly split in two.
“Graah!!!”
Tentacle-like tongues protruded from the mouth, ready to wrap around Yuuji's head and rip it apart. However, he didn't even blink at all. There was no reaction in his eyes, except for a cold stare that made anyone feel like prey in his presence.
Just before the tentacles' tongues could touch him, a sudden vertical slash sliced through them, forcing the creature to let out a groan of pain.
“Don’t forget that I’m here too,” Komachi muttered with a machete in her hand.
The creature glanced at the girl, but Yuuji immediately slammed his fist into the monster's head, pinning him to the wall. Not wanting to give it a moment's rest, Komachi plunged her machete into her opponent's throat.
Yuuji then released his grip on the creature's left hand and grabbed his head with both hands instead. He then jumped, pulling the creature up by his head. At the same time, Komachi thrust her machete downward, creating two opposing forces.
No matter how much cursed energy and output he taxed Komachi and Yuuji, no matter how much of Yuuji's physical strength was forcibly taxed, when two opposing forces acted on each other simultaneously, it would create a resultant that effectively dealt damage.
Yuuji jumped up, grabbing the creature, while Komachi swung her machete down. This ripped the Cursed Taxman's body from his neck to his groin, nearly splitting it in two. However, the pink-haired boy saw the creature trying to regenerate his body.
“How persistent,” he muttered.
Yuuji then threw the curse, sending him flying and slamming him to the floor. Letting gravity do the work, he landed his foot directly on the creature's chest, puncturing it to the point where it was bleeding from his vertical mouth.
“Yuuji-san, please don’t exorcise him yet,” Komachi called out.
The girl appeared to be jogging with a phone in her left hand. If it weren't for the blood splattered on her body and the machete in her right hand, it would have been a cute sight.
“Do you want to tame him, Komachi-san?” Yuuji asked as he removed his feet from his chest.
“Yeah. It would be a shame if we just exorcised him like that.”
Komachi then stabbed her machete into the creature's head, in a spot that avoided his brain so it wouldn't kill him, which was already in a weakened state, but enough to prevent him from quick recovery.
“Ten, give me the empty talisman,” said the girl.
The cursed spirit circling her right shoulder then spat out a human-shaped piece of paper, which Komachi caught with her fingers. Yuuji then stepped back, allowing his partner to begin the ritual.
The talisman was then enveloped in blue flames, and, at the owner's inner command, it flew automatically and landed on the monster's chest. His body was then enveloped in a blue glow of energy, and the talisman simultaneously sucked in the cursed spirit. A circle with a star symbol printed in black ink immediately appeared, signalling the ritual was complete and the creature had been sucked in and sealed within the paper.
Simultaneously, the room's interior underwent a drastic change. The lobby, which had previously been their battle arena, was replaced by a lobby, still within it, but with a completely different view. While previously they had been in a classic, classy room with striking marble floors, what now appeared was a typical lobby of a Japanese public service building.
"So, that was a taming ritual, huh? A technique used by Abe no Seimei and passed down only to his descendants," Yuuji said.
“Yes, and since he left behind a manual book of his technique, the general consensus is that this technique will eventually be passed down to the Tsuchimikado Clan who are the direct descendants of Abe’s main line.”
After giving this explanation, Komachi then turned on the phone in her right hand, which she had taken out before she started the ritual.
"Though, I don't have the book because they refused to hand them over to me. Not to mention The Kamo Clan is backing them because they don't like the increasing concentration of power in Kanto after Gojo-san moved the Gojo Clan's household to Tokyo," the girl continued her explanation.
“Gojo-sensei didn’t do something about that? I mean, it doesn't make sense if he just stayed silent.”
“Well, he said it wasn’t necessary,” Komachi replied while operating her phone, “He trained me himself as he has experience with a Cursed Spirit Manipulation user who’s quite similar to my technique.”
Someone with a technique similar to Komachi's. Having lived with the Hikigaya Family for the past few weeks had given Yuuji a good understanding of the family's situation and history, including what led people to label Komachi as an asset who must be closely monitored, and even immediately eliminated if any signs of irregularities were seen.
“By the way, what are you looking for?” Yuuji asked.
The boy approached, trying to peek at what the girl was doing with her smartphone.
“Just looking for info on this cursed spirit in the digital encyclopaedia.”
With that reply, Komachi shifted her phone to the side, giving Yuuji some space to see the article she was reading.
“Hoo… didn’t know we had something like this,” the guy said, rubbing his chin.
Due to the significant height difference, he bent down slightly to make it easier to read the screen, bringing their heads to a level position.
“Well, keeping everything in book form and letting it gather dust in the library is no longer needed in this era, after all.”
Komachi then glanced to the side, just to see the boy's reaction. However, she flinched slightly, a blush appearing on her cheeks when she realised how close their faces were.
“The point is, it seems this cursed spirit is a semi-first grade,” Komachi said a little nervously as she immediately pulled her body away, “It’s said to have first appeared at the peak of the monetary crisis in Japan in the late 90s after the bubble economy burst.”
Yuuji was initially a little taken aback by Komachi's sudden reaction. He wasn't even paying attention to her explanation at all. However, even though Yuuji was all brawn and no brains, he wasn't that clueless as to not understand what was happening.
“U-uh, is that so? I didn’t know a semi-first grade could be that strong,” the boy replied.
He wiped at the blood seeping from his temples and mouth, as if they were annoying stains. In fact, it was merely a clumsy action after his face felt a little hot.
"W-well, it says here that all our unnatural and obvious assets, like cursed energy and output, will be taxed at 30% and will become his property. And perhaps because of your unnatural physical strength, Yuuji-san, you lost that 30%, and it went to the cursed spirit."
“So, it’s the type that can get stronger depending on his opponents even though its base stats are semi-first grade, huh?” the boy said with a sigh.
Komachi stared at that face. Seeing him fight in person, compared to the expression he always wore, was a stark contrast. Even during their sparring sessions, Yuuji's eyes had never turned as cold as they did when facing the cursed spirit.
"Here, a handkerchief. You can wipe your blood with it," the girl said, handing me a pink cloth from her bag.
“Ah, thank you. But I'm fine.”
“No, you’re not. Look, your blood’s still flowing, you know? At least clean it off first.”
“I mean, it’d be a shame if your handkerchief got dirty, wouldn’t it?” replied Yuuji, still hesitant to accept it.
Komachi then narrowed her eyes, as if she thought her gaze might make the other person nervous. Which it did, and Yuuji began to feel guilty.
"I said, that's fine, isn't it? Besides, the handkerchief should get dirty than to see your face covered in blood. That's what handkerchiefs are for, after all."
Then, the girl's face suddenly turned bright.
“Oh, even though you’re not Onii-chan, that line should earn a lot of Komachi points,” she said with her index finger pointing up and twirling around.
Komachi point and Hachiman point, Yuuji had heard the Hikigaya siblings' frequent banter during his stay at their house. Even by his standards, it sounded ridiculous, but also amusing, making him a little envious and wanting to join in whenever they joked.
"Thank you," said the boy as he reached for the handkerchief.
Along with that, the cursed spirit that was wrapped around Komachi's shoulders like a slime widened its mouth, and she put the machete back into it.
“So, where are we going next?” Yuuji asked again.
"I already told everyone that the battle here is over. Though, I couldn't tell them about your great contribution."
“Nah, I don't mind at all.”
Komachi stared at the boy with a confused expression. Even though he said that, stealing credit that wasn't hers left a bad taste in her mouth. However, she also understood the situation. While Hiratsuka herself didn't mind Yuuji joining the patrol, it would still be better if fewer people knew about his involvement.
“Anyway, I saw a message earlier that it seems like Iroha-san and Yumiko-san are also in trouble,” the girl continued her explanation.
“Are we going there then?”
Komachi shook her head slowly.
“No, we won’t. It’s quite a distance from here to the Chiba Museum, after all,” the girl turned off her phone with a sigh. “What I’m about to say is, with so many places being attacked, it’s easy to miss small details. So, we need to stay focused on what needs to be done.”
Komachi then walked towards the stairs, and Yuuji followed the girl, matching his steps to hers.
“Are you sure you don't want to help Isshiki and Yumiko-senpai?”
“Our goal is to save as many innocent people as possible. So, let's just trust them over there,” Komachi replied.
The short-haired girl lowered her head, letting her black mane fall over her face.
"That said, even though I want to help them, I don't think I can fight well there. At least, not now," she replied in a low voice.
—OoOoO—
Isshiki Iroha possessed a rather unique cursed technique. When she first manifested it, it granted her the ability to telepathically connect with others upon contact. Even though her family was a family of sorcerers, with a long history of developing their own unique Simple Domain techniques, Iroha's technique wasn’t recorded in their family history at all. So, it was a completely unknown realm for them.
Therefore, they simply called it "Telepathy" and allowed their daughter to go to Tokyo to learn more about her cursed technique.
And under the progressive teachings of Gojo Satoru and the structured guidance of Hiratsuka Shizuka, as well as the influence of Hikigaya Hachiman's creativity, Iroha cultivated the technique quite well.
A technique that initially enabled communication by sending the user's thoughts to a designated target and receiving the target's thoughts in return. It had now evolved after Hachiman asked her, "How does it fundamentally work?" and applied it in different forms.
Her technique works by marking targets, whether they were comrades or allies, Iroha was able to communicate accurately with them. This meant there was a continuous frequency between them, so she instantly recognised them because they were listed on the same channel. In other words, by simply roughly capturing the frequencies carried by the residual cursed energy, she would be able to track down sorcerers within her range.
At least, that was the insight Hachiman had once given Iroha, on that very ground, in the courtyard of that very Chiba Museum. And if she marked something and focused solely on tracking it, her accuracy would improve considerably. It was proved in the test Satoru had given her to test Hachiman's theory about the potential infiltration of the Tomb of Stars through Sukuna's finger, which was found in Yoshino's residence.
“I should have marked Tobe-senpai and the others to make it easier to track them and prevent this from escalating into a more serious incident,” the brown-haired girl let out a long sigh.
“But why are you so determined to go here, tho? We’re already this far away from the museum.”
Yumiko turned around after saying those words to see how far they had gone.
"We, and even the other sorcerers on standby, have searched every corner around Inohana Park, but we haven't found anything there. There's no choice but to expand the search area," Iroha said, her calmness evident in every word.
The sight of the girl, a year younger than her, was a stark contrast to the situation. No matter how hard Yumiko tried, she couldn't calm herself enough to erase the nervous expression on her face.
“If you're not sure about this, you know you can leave, right, Yumiko-senpai?”
Those words felt like a knife to Yumiko's heart. It wasn't just sarcasm, but a subtle expulsion from her, rather than simply burdening her with her doubts.
“Sorry, but I still won’t back down,” the girl replied, her fists clenching her yukata.
Iroha glanced at the girl, her senior at Sobu High. Her shoulders were slightly tense, and she had let out countless ragged breaths. Every now and then, her throat seemed to heave, revealing just how nervous the figure walking beside her was.
‘Haruno nee-san is something. She's someone who seems to have been born to be involved in this world from the start. But Yumiko-senpai doesn't have that knack.’
Iroha then turned her gaze forward, staring at the sidewalk ahead and occasionally scanning her surroundings.
'Hiratsua-sensei will probably scold me for ignoring her message and not evacuating Yumiko-senpai first,' the girl sighed inwardly, 'But I don't want to go alone. Whoever managed to slip under my radar without me noticing, they must not be just any sorcerer if we assume the worst.'
Once again, the girl looked at Yumiko. However, this time, a hint of guilt was evident in her eyes.
'I'm sorry, but I’ll do whatever it takes to increase my chances of survival. I’m Senpai’s cutest junior, after all.'
—To Be Continued—
Author Note: Hello, I'm back. How are you doing? I hope you're doing well, and may God bless you all during this challenging time.
Honestly, I'm a little dissatisfied with this chapter. I felt like the fight scene between Yuuji and Komachi vs. the Cursed Taxman was too short. I wanted to make it a little longer, but when I tried, it just didn't seem to last. Plus, I need to think about Yumiko and Iroha's scenes in the next chapter, and also Hachiman and Haruno's scenes in a different place. So, I'm really a little overwhelmed with writing all the upcoming fight scenes.
However, I was quite satisfied with Komachi and Yuuji's interactions. They were very cute, and I really liked Yuuji's character before the disaster at JJK struck.
Anyway, that's all from me. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and see you next time.