The atmosphere in the observation room instantly became tense and unpredictable, like drawn swords and nocked arrows.
At that moment, everyone's nerves were stretched taut.
What exactly had happened?
Why was Mechamaru associating with cursed spirits?
"Young man, don't you dare make baseless accusations!"
Having been unreasonably accused by Roy of colluding with the enemy, Gakuganji Yoshinobu immediately flew into a rage.
He sprang up from his chair, glaring furiously at Roy.
"In all my years, I've never stooped so low as to associate with those cursed abominations! I don't know why Mechamaru is behaving this way, but if he's truly conspiring with cursed spirits, I'll personally clean house!"
"Clean house? More like silencing Mechamaru to destroy the evidence, isn't it?"
"You insolent brat!"
Seeing Roy's attitude of stubbornly insisting on his collusion with cursed spirits regardless of explanation, Gakuganji was beside himself with anger.
While Gakuganji considered himself part of the conservative faction, that was the extent of it—he had never once contemplated allying with curses!
If anything, precisely because he was conservative, colluding with curses was unthinkable. He couldn't even tolerate vessels like Itadori Yuji—how could he possibly conspire with cursed spirits?
"Speechless, aren't you? It's obvious Mechamaru is acting under your orders!"
"You...!"
Gakuganji gnashed his teeth in fury.
Yet he found himself at a complete loss for words.
The footage clearly showed Mechamaru conversing with cursed spirits, and anyone could see there wasn't the slightest tension in the air.
For a jujutsu sorcerer, this was nearly impossible. Every sorcerer's first instinct upon encountering a cursed spirit was to exorcise it—if unable, they'd flee immediately. Never would they engage in such amicable discussion.
Mechamaru was indeed conspiring with cursed spirits, their familiarity suggesting long-standing acquaintance.
But how could a semi-grade 1 sorcerer like Mechamaru have either the audacity or means to associate with special-grade cursed spirits? The likelihood of him acting under someone's orders was considerable.
And if he was following orders, the probability that Kyoto High's teachers—or even Principal Gakuganji himself—were the masterminds behind it was extremely high.
Truly, he was like yellow mud stuck in his pants—even if it wasn't shit, it might as well be.
Watching this unfold, Mei Mei showed no signs of tension. Instead, she wore an expression of someone enjoying a good show, having no intention of intervening—content to watch the drama from the sidelines.
Even Ieiri Shoko was momentarily unsure how to react. While she didn't believe Principal Gakuganji was the type to collude with cursed spirits, she currently lacked evidence to refute the accusations.
Yaga Masamichi felt a headache coming on, his face displaying rare irritation.
"Now isn't the time for arguments!"
"Our priority should be ensuring the students' safety—either exorcising or driving away those cursed spirits!"
Yaga slammed his palm on the table as he stood, barking orders at those present.
"Shoko, you stay here to monitor the students' status and maintain contact. The rest of us will head to Mechamaru's location—this might not be a simple meeting, and there's high probability of other enemies appearing! Mei Mei, please accompany us—your payment will be settled afterward."
You're right, arguing about this now is pointless.
"I'll prove it to you!"
Gakuganji Yoshinobu grabbed the music box beside him, glared fiercely at Roy, and then leaped out the window.
"Going to silence the witnesses? Count me in!"
Roy laughed heartily, taunting Gakuganji with his words while swiftly giving chase.
"If it's a fight against a Special Grade, at least eight figures. If no combat occurs, six figures. If it's not against a Special Grade, seven figures. Fair enough?"
Mei Mei smiled as she pulled out a massive axe nearly as tall as herself from her oversized travel bag, seeking Yaga Masamichi's opinion.
"You're getting greedier. Deal!"
Yaga's eye twitched.
Though the numbers made his heart race, he agreed without hesitation.
If it meant protecting his students, no amount of money was too much!
He'd just apply for funding from the higher-ups later.
This expense shouldn't come from the school's budget.
At the foot of the mountain.
Three figures stood waiting.
Not in any other direction—right near the main entrance.
Among them, one was a middle-aged man wearing only a blacksmith's apron, and another was a young man with golden hair tied into a side ponytail. Both exuded an eerie, unsettling aura.
One gripped a heavy hammer, the other a chilling one-handed sword with a severed hand for a hilt, as if awaiting a signal to charge up the mountain with battle cries.
The last figure was entirely shrouded in shadow, indistinct in form or features—like a ghost.
"Miss Okita, even hidden, your beauty shines through!"
Shigemo Haruta gazed at the shadow with infatuation, his face flushed, making no effort to hide his admiration.
"Shut up. One more word, and I'll kill you first."
A mechanical, genderless voice emerged from the shadow, devoid of emotion, radiating only pure killing intent—like an executioner's.
Shigemo immediately covered his mouth, signaling his obedience.
His face was the picture of meekness.
Yet, unbeknownst to him, his cheeks flushed even deeper, as if relishing the shadow's scolding.
Okita silently shifted further away.
Disgusting.
"I don't get it, Haruta. Did a donkey kick your brain?"
Juzo Kumiya watched the scene with disdain, shooting Shigemo a look of utter revulsion.
"She's nothing like us. She doesn't even take pleasure in tormenting the weak! Killing should bring ecstasy, torture should elevate the soul! This woman understands none of that. What could you possibly find appealing about her?"
Shigemo pointed to his sealed lips.
Emphasizing his compliance—not a word more.
Juzo Kumiya's face twisted in disgust.
You're a masochist, aren't you?
Absolutely a masochist.
A man like that has zero appeal.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Juzo Kumiya let out a surprised sound.
From the main gate of the high school atop the distant staircase, several figures appeared in succession, descending a dozen steps at a time in urgent haste.
"What's going on? Weren't we supposed to wait for the signal before attacking from our side?"
Juzo Kumiya hoisted his pitch-black heavy hammer warily, his expression guarded.
"Why are they coming down first? One, two, three, four... four in total? That's one more than us!"
Okita, her entire form shrouded in shadow, observed the four figures charging down. Among them was her Master, and an imperceptible smile curled at the corners of her lips.
Then, in a voice dripping with killing intent, she continued,
"It seems there's been a slight change of plans. Our scheme may have been exposed."
"What do we do then?"
Juzo Kumiya turned to Okita, cautiously seeking her opinion.
Though he hated to admit it, she was undeniably the strongest here. The decision was hers to make.
"Kill!"
Before the word had fully left her lips, Okita was already charging forward.
Her target was clear—she surged ahead, straight for the white-haired youth among the four.
Her blade, drawn at some unseen moment, gleamed in her grip as an aura of bloodlust—as though she'd waded through mountains of corpses—radiated from her. Her stance was vicious, poised for a fight to the death.
The moment she moved, Shigemo Haruta, as if receiving a command, rushed forward with exhilaration.
"Out of the four, that white-haired one is Okita's enemy, and way too strong for me to mess with. Among the remaining three, the woman with that massive axe looks tough, but this old man seems like easy prey. You're the one!"
With that thought, Shigemo Haruta swung his one-handed sword straight at Gakuganji Yoshinobu.
Left with no choice, Juzo Kumiya followed suit.
Faced with the choice between the sunglasses-wearing old man and the axe-wielding beauty, he didn't hesitate to pick the latter.
"Old men are useless—best they can do is become a table! But a beauty like you... you'd make a fine piece of furniture. A mirror, perhaps!"
Meanwhile, as the four descended from the mountain, they had already spotted the trio below.
"So it's not just that Special Grade cursed spirit. These three are curse users? What exactly are they after?"
Yaga Masamichi's expression shifted slightly as he took in the clearly abnormal trio below.
Their vision, enhanced by cursed energy, allowed them to clearly see the figures of the two who weren't shrouded in shadow.
Before they could react, the shadow-cloaked figure had already lunged forward, blade flashing as it aimed straight for Roy.
Yaga, witnessing this, swiftly pulled a pair of brass knuckles from his pocket and slipped them on.
"Roy, you're the strongest here—handle the Special Grade cursed spirit! We'll take these three. Mei Mei, you take one too!"
He dashed forward, cursed energy enveloping his fists and reinforcing his body, and punched directly at the oncoming blade!
On the other side, Gakuganji Yoshinobu faced off against Shigemo Haruta. Without hesitation, he opened his instrument case and pulled out a guitar.
"Though it's frustrating... this will have to do."
"I won't let a seven-figure bounty slip away!"
Mei Mei swung the massive axe in her hand as if it were a child's toy, her face full of glee as she hacked at the heavy hammer hurled by Juzo Kumiya.
Roy swiftly dodged, extricating himself from the chaotic battle.
He cast a slightly odd glance at Yaga Masamichi.
He had been wondering how to find an excuse to end this act with Okita, but Principal Yaga had already come up with a reason for him.
Well, he wouldn't refuse such a gift!
"Then I'll leave this to you all! I'll bring back that Special Grade curse's head!"
Roy bent his knees slightly before leaping high into the air, soaring dozens of meters in an instant. He cleared the center of the battlefield and shot off into the distance.
...
Mechamaru broke away from the Kyoto school's group, sprinting through the forest at full speed. He dashed past vast stretches of trees and babbling streams before arriving at a secluded clearing at the foot of the mountain.
The school only had one set of stairs leading up the mountain—everywhere else was untouched natural terrain like this, making it the perfect spot for an underground rendezvous.
"Hey, it's me. The situation's changed. Get to the location I'm sending you now. You have three minutes. No delays."
Mechamaru activated his communication function and sent out a voice message.
As the only insider within the school, even the Special Grade curses couldn't ignore his words. Otherwise, no one could predict what kind of chaos might erupt within the school.
Sure enough.
In less than three minutes, the ground beside him suddenly bulged, and a tree sprouted from it.
No—it wasn't a tree. It was a curse with bark-like skin, covered in dark patterns—a Special Grade curse born from humanity's fear of forests: Hanami!
Also, the commander of the curse faction's current operation.
"You called me here in such a hurry. What's the problem?"