(Pov Satoshi)
My initial excitement about joining Jujutsu High may have been misplaced. I had assumed we'd get to go out on missions and exorcise curses, but since I was still a first year, most of my schedule was taken up with regular classes. The curriculum at Jujutsu High was divided into two main avenues: the regular classes to teach the students many standard high school topics, and the other was dedicated to teaching the students how to wield their cursed energy and techniques. The second area was the most interesting, especially as it would involve frequent sparing with the other students, among other training exercises, but the first part was the worst.
'I've already gone through high school once before. How does it suck even more the second time around?' I found myself thinking one day during a math class. Relearning all this stuff felt pointless, and the worst part was that the other stuff barely applied to me due to my lack of cursed energy.
"Oh man, that sucked. How do you sit through that and pay attention, Nanami-San?" The class had finally ended, so we first years were making our way to lunch. I couldn't help but complain. I wanted to get out there and fight actual threats that would be the best way to get stronger.
"I pay attention because these are important subjects. You would do well to do the same, Gojo-San." Nanami replied that he was the best in our grade. He always took things so seriously that it had been part of what made him one of my favorites when I first read the manga. Getting to know him and Haibara more had been an unexpected bonus to attending this school, even if it had only been a month since we all got here.
"Hey, I told you call me Satoshi, it's weird hearing you call me that."
"We haven't known each other long enough for that."
"Come on, guys, it's not that serious, let's just focus on lunch, they've got the tuna onigiri today. We need to get there before they run out again," Haibara said. He had always been something of a mediator between Nanami and me. I had expected his overly happy personality to clash more, but he somehow managed to know exactly what to say and when to keep things from escalating.
After lunch, we were supposed to head to our training, but were intercepted by Yaga-Sensei and a woman I hadn't met before. He began speaking quickly. "You three, it has been decided that you will take on your first mission. This is Kei. She will fill you in on the details and deploy the barrier once you have arrived at the location." With that, he left Kei a look before she began walking towards the main exit.
"As your teacher said, you may call me Kei. This mission should be rather simple, which is why the school felt it appropriate to assign you three despite only being Grade 4s." She said, "There has been a string of disappearances at an abandoned hospital outside city limits. There has also been a report of curse activity in the area." She had led us outside and to a black car that had clearly been waiting, as the engine was still running.
"We believe that there are several Grade 4 cursed spirits and potentially a Grade 3 making their home within you shall enter the hospital, confirm the presence of these curses, and exorcise them. Is everything clear?" She finished speaking as we entered the car, her in the driver's seat and the three of us climbing into the back.
I could barely even react. It was finally time to go on an official mission, and if there really was a grade three, I might be able to improve my own ranking. There are several grade ranks in the world of Jujutsu, from Grade 4 up to Special Grade. Given I had entered the school recently and any of my previous assignments had been off the record, I was considered just a grade 4, like most first years, but if there really was a grade three here and I exorcised it, I could already rank up. It shouldn't be much of an issue either, as if I had to guess, I would put my current strength at the level of a Grade one, not as much as I wanted, but until I fully awaken my restriction, it would have to do.
Nanami was the first to speak up. "Kei-San, if there is a Grade 3, shouldn't we be accompanied by a sorcerer of that Grade as well?"
"Usually you would, but the potential of a Grade 3 seems to be low, and with all three of you, the principal decided it would be enough for this mission." She responded, having begun her drive out to this hospital.
The rest of the ride passed in relative silence as we all prepared for our first mission, and once we arrived at the destination, it was easy to tell it was housing cursed spirits. Despite not being able to see them, my senses could still pick them up. I could even see a slight shimmer wherever a curse was, similar to the haze on a hot day. This place was covered in this haze; even if they were Grade 4, there were potentially dozens waiting inside.
Once we stepped out of the car, Kei began to speak. "Alright, I'll set up the curtain after that. You will have one hour to complete the mission. If you have not exited within that time, you shall be considered either dead or injured." And with that, she began the chant that brings down the Curtain.
"Emerge from the darkness, blacker than darkness. Purify that which is impure."
As soon as she finished the chant, an inky black dome began to spread around the hospital, covering it from being seen by non-sorcerers and making it darker to draw any cursed spirits out. Once the Curtain closed fully, we began to make our way into the hospital to face whatever may be waiting.