Looking at Shijima Naji's somewhat sad expression, Eichi stood up and walked over to her.
Eichi, 1.8 meters tall, stood in front of Shijima Naji, his shadow completely covering her.
Shijima Naji's heart began to pound as Eichi suddenly stood before her, his right hand resting on her head.
"A sad expression doesn't suit you. You're more suited to that crazy look you had when fighting the Cursed Spirit earlier."
The next second, Eichi's words brought Shijima Naji back to reality.
"Who are you calling crazy?"
Shijima Naji retorted loudly.
Who would "compliment" a girl by calling her crazy right off the bat?
"Yes, just like that."
Eichi smiled, seeing Shijima Naji's spirits restored.
Eichi bent down, picked up Shijima Naji, and then tossed her onto the bed.
"I'll take care of things from now on. You just rest easy. Lack of sleep is the enemy of good skin."
"From now on... rest... sleep..." Shijima Naji's face grew even redder.
"You get a good night's sleep. I'm going back to my room to rest too. Running around these past few days has been really tiring, ah~"
Saying that, Eichi even yawned.
"Eh?"
Bang, the sound of the door closing echoed.
Her own room? Weren't they sharing a room?
Watching Eichi leave without hesitation, Shijima Naji's thoughts paused for a moment.
On TV, this wasn't how it was supposed to go... Then Shijima Naji's entire face rapidly heated up, turning her into a steaming maiden.
"Ah ah ah ah ah, what are you thinking, Shijima Naji!"
Shijima Naji covered her face and began to roll around on the bed, finally burying her head completely under the pillow.
The next morning, Eichi, who was eating breakfast, received a call from Zenin Shuji.
"Hello?"
"Young Master Eichi, the Shijima couple has arrived."
"Oh, bring them up."
Eichi quickly finished the rest of his bread.
He felt a bit nostalgic for his previous life.
Soy milk, fried dough sticks, tofu pudding, rice noodles, steamed buns, rice rolls, soup dumplings, pan-fried buns... knock-knock.
"Come in."
Straightening his clothes, Eichi stood up and went to the door.
What met his eyes were the haggard-looking couple.
"Are you the Shijima couple?"
"Yes, where is our daughter, please?"
Shijima Naji's father's eyes held both unease and anticipation.
"She's next door. Don't worry, your daughter is safe."
Saying that, Eichi walked to the next room and knocked on the door.
Click.
The door opened quickly.
Before Shijima Naji could react, the Shijima couple rushed forward and embraced their daughter.
Shijima Naji looked at her parents embracing her, her expression flustered.
Her heart was filled with guilt, fear, joy, and other emotions all at once.
The complex feelings left her momentarily at a loss.
Looking at the family embracing, Eichi nodded with satisfaction, then gestured to Zenin Shuji with his eyes.
The two quietly turned and left.
"Wait!"
Seeing them about to leave, Shijima Naji struggled and rushed over immediately.
"What's wrong?"
Eichi turned back, looking at Shijima Naji with a puzzled expression.
"You're going to find Shadow Crocodile, right? Take me with you!"
"I refuse."
"Why? I can help too."
"What Rank of Jujutsu Sorcerer are you?"
"Eh?"
Eichi's words made Shijima Naji freeze.
Shijima Naji had no intention of becoming a Jujutsu Sorcerer, so she was indeed unclear about the strength of Jujutsu Sorcerers.
"You're too weak. I don't want to fight a strong enemy while carrying a burden, and also..."
Eichi's gaze fell on the couple behind Shijima Naji.
"It's not just you who lost family. Your parents also lost family. Do you want your parents to lose their daughter again?"
Shijima Naji's movements stopped.
She stared blankly, turning to look at her parents.
At this moment, Shijima Naji, whose eyes had been blinded by hatred, finally noticed the indescribable concern and worry in her parents' eyes.
"Dad, Mom, I..."
Shijima Naji bit her lip, almost losing her voice.
"It's okay, it's okay, Naji, let's go home, okay? Let's go home."
Shijima Naji's mother hugged Shijima Naji, hot tears falling on Shijima Naji's face.
"Okay."
Shijima Naji no longer resisted, allowing her mother to lead her outside.
The family left the hotel hand in hand.
"Let's go too."
"Yes, Young Master Eichi."
Shijima, Higashimura.
Eichi followed the clues given by Shijima Naji, heading to the village on Shijima to gather information about Shadow Crocodile.
However, just as Shijima Naji said, the old ancient books and items were too severely damaged, and instead, the oral traditions passed down by the elderly were more comprehensive.
He just wondered how much truth there was in things passed down orally.
In college, playing the telephone game, a sentence would change after being passed to 3 people.
After 6 people, it would directly become a different sentence.
After 10 people passed it, the first person wouldn't even recognize it as their own sentence.
Ding ding ding.
"Hmm? Yaga-sensei?"
Eichi, thinking it was another new mission, reluctantly answered the phone.
"Eichi, are you near Shijima right now?"
Yaga Masamichi's first sentence made Eichi a little confused.
"I'm on Shijima."
"Is that so? That's good then. The team dispatched by Jujutsu Headquarters yesterday to exorcise a Cursed Spirit lost contact. I need you to investigate the situation."
"Where?"
"According to the Assistant Supervisor, the last place they went was a cave on the west side of the island."
Cave?
Did they go to Shadow Crocodile's lair?
"I understand. I'll go shortly."
"Okay, please. If those two Jujutsu Sorcerers are still alive, try to get them out. If it's too dangerous, you can retreat first and wait for Gojo and Geto to rendezvous before proceeding with the exorcism mission."
"Understood."
Yaga-sensei was still so caring towards his students.
Soon, Eichi and Zenin Shuji arrived outside the cave.
"I have a feeling this is like a Dragon's Den and a Tiger's Lair."
"Should we call for reinforcements?"
Zenin Shuji asked from the side.
"No need."
Honestly, Eichi hadn't lost a cat or dog, nor friends, nor had his family gone missing.
Under these circumstances, actively going to a monster's lair always felt like asking for trouble.
If this were a horror movie and Eichi just happened not to be the protagonist, he would most likely be gone.
The mountain wasn't big. Why not just have Ria split the mountain?
Then they could just say it was a gas leak.
After watching the news for so long, Eichi knew how useful the phrase "gas leak" was in the island nation.
Lost in thought, Eichi stepped into the cave, holding a flashlight.
No matter how much he thought, work still had to be done.
[Shadow Crocodile]
Rank: Special Grade Cursed Spirit
Origin: Shadow
Technique: Shadow Devouring Cursed Technique
Moves:
Shadow Devour: Like a shadow engulfing everything, Shadow Crocodile can cause damage to enemies by devouring shadows. After devouring an enemy's shadow, Shadow Crocodile's Cursed Energy will increase to a certain extent.
Shadow Curse: Those injured by Shadow Crocodile will be corroded by the curse, eventually transforming into shadow Cursed Spirits controlled by Shadow Crocodile.
Domain Expansion:...
Preference: Dim places
Dislikes: Strong light