Chapter 100: Shock

Chapter 100: Shock

Curse Management Department Record:

- Date: June 3, 2018

- Location: Third Floor, Building A, Private Naoetsu High School

- Mission Overview: A student-led "Academic Trial" after school resulted in the death of a student named Hoshi Tsuru. Subsequently, students involved in the trial began to suffer mysterious fates.

- Affected Area: Unknown

- Mission Requirements: Investigate the cause and exorcise the cursed spirits.

- Assignee: Special Grade Curse Sorcerer — Fujiwara Riku

...

Private Naoetsu High School, renowned for its high college acceptance rate, is equally known for its strict rules, overwhelming homework, and unsympathetic teachers, deans, and principal.

Riku and his two companions stood at the school gates, which were eerily deserted, even during school hours. The security guard was nowhere to be found, and the gates were tightly shut.

"Is this a school closure?"

Miyami pulled out her phone and checked. "Several students have died recently, which has exhausted the school's reputation over three years. It would be strange if they didn't close it."

"… Suddenly telling a hellish joke?"

"It's not a joke."

Miyami said calmly, "Cursed spirits are most commonly born in hospitals and schools. Hospitals are where the sick and injured gather, and schools are high-pressure environments for teenagers. Bullying in Japanese schools is notoriously severe."

"Isn't there any corrupt business involved?"

"With wages as a means of emotional release, the resentment in businesses is heavier than in other places, but it's still within reasonable limits."

Miyami waved her phone. "I just checked, and according to local rumors, this school has implemented a 'tier system' where students are divided into A, B, C, and D grades based on their academic performance. A-grade students, who perform well, can bully and insult D-grade students at will."

"Is this a caste system in Japan?"

Miyami gave Riku a surprised look. "You're quite knowledgeable."

"No matter how much I know, I don't care. I only care about the people and events I encounter."

After years of toil, Riku had learned not to meddle in matters outside his professional scope. His goal was simply to exorcise the cursed spirits.

"Can't we just go and exorcise the spirits directly?"

"Usually, we need to investigate the cause before exorcising the spirits to prevent similar spirits from appearing again."

"Hmph, heartless adults."

Yuu, who had been silent, suddenly chimed in, contradicting Riku. However, his eyes were fixed on his sister, clearly more interested in which side she would take than in the bullying issue.

Riku paid no attention to the child's comments and looked at Miyami. "Why did you bring this little troublemaker along?"

"His spatial techniques might be helpful. Are you jealous of a child?"

"I just think this kid might have a bit of a sister complex. Maybe he needs some correction."

"Want to show him your first performance video?"

Miyami flicked her hair and said casually.

Riku: "… No need."

Miyami's words made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

Yuu, upon hearing Miyami's words, turned into a gray, stone-like statue, completely petrified.

At that moment, a well-dressed middle-aged man approached the trio, breaking the tense atmosphere.

"I am the principal of this school. Are you the 'professionals' sent to solve the problem?"

He emphasized the word "professionals," clearly aware of something.

Curse sorcerers are not publicly known, but in Japan, the higher the social status, the more likely one is to encounter this world.

Relieved by the trio's confirmation, the principal visibly relaxed, opened the gates, and welcomed them in. Once in his office, he pleaded for them to exorcise the cursed spirits quickly.

"More than just the students in Class 3, even students from other classes are reporting strange occurrences. It's only a matter of time before more fall victim."

"I beg you, please prevent any more casualties at our school!"

He bowed nearly 180 degrees, making Riku worry if his spine would break.

Miyami, observing the principal's behavior, smiled. "I heard your school has a 'tier system.' Is this true?"

"Such absurd claims are a complete defamation of our school!"

The principal, who had been bowing, straightened up, slamming his hand on the table. "You know how fierce the competition in the education sector is. To recruit students, some of my colleagues resort to spreading rumors, trying to steal our students."

"Understandable. Since it's just a rumor, it's normal for it to be false. Can you show us the surveillance footage from the incident?"

Riku cut straight to the point.

"About that…"

The principal's confidence wavered. "The footage was damaged during the incident, so…"

"Wasn't there a security guard to repair and check the cameras?"

"That guard was a temporary worker and was let go due to poor performance."

Riku felt like he was back in the office, dealing with office politics.

"Without solving this, more students will die."

"But…" The principal's hesitation was suspiciously firm, revealing his ulterior motives.

"If the situation continues, it will affect future enrollment plans."

This statement had an immediate effect. The principal stopped wavering and handed over the video from the supposedly damaged camera.

"Fine, you can see the surveillance footage, but please sign a confidentiality agreement first."

He produced a well-prepared contract, clearly having anticipated this.

The surveillance footage began to play, and the principal started recounting the events. Combining the footage and his account, the truth slowly emerged.

The hierarchy in this school is very real and extremely strict.

At this school, top students have almost as much authority as the teachers, allowing them to do as they please. On the other hand, students with poor grades face bullying and harassment, and even if they report it to the teachers, nothing is usually done. There have even been cases of higher-ranking students raping lower-ranking ones, with no consequences.

The story begins with a routine preliminary exam. In Class 3, a group of students scored significantly higher than usual. Coincidentally, all of these students had attended a "study session" before the exam.

Clearly, someone had cheated and leaked the exam questions.

This led to a significant disruption in the class hierarchy. The class president, determined to find out who had leaked the questions, announced that everyone would have to stay after school until the culprit was found.

As the top student, the class president's orders couldn't be ignored. The entire class was forced to stay behind and gather in an old, unused classroom. Among them was Hoshiyo Tsuru, a student with asthma who was always in poor health.

"Until someone confesses, no one is leaving this room."

The class president assigned the strongest male student to block the door. He then ordered each student to come up to the podium, report their academic performance, share their thoughts on the cheating incident, and provide reasons why they couldn't be the culprit.

The weather was hot, and with the windows and doors closed, the students quickly became restless. They began to argue and blame each other, causing dust to fly around the old classroom.

In this environment, Hoshiyo Tsuru's asthma flared up. As a D-class student, she was often overlooked, and the other students, who were too busy arguing, didn't notice her until she collapsed.

"Medicine... in... jacket..."

It seemed she had been called to the classroom unexpectedly, leaving her jacket and medication behind in her regular classroom.

She gasped out these words, looking in great distress.

"What should we do? Should we help her?"

"Where is her medicine?"

"Call for an ambulance!"

While the students debated, some of the A-class students grew annoyed with the commotion.

"Let her die. She always drags the class down, and her poor grades affect everyone."

"Exactly. Besides, our class has a reputation to uphold. I don't want to be looked down upon by the students in Class 2."

"She's faking it. Her grades improved this time, so maybe she's the one who leaked the questions."

A few more level-headed students tried to help her, saying, "This isn't the time for your childish games. Move out of the way!"

This only angered the higher-ranking students, and a heated argument broke out.

The class president coldly declared, "No one leaves until we find the culprit."

Time ticked by, and Hoshiyo Tsuru's condition worsened. She transitioned from struggling to breathe to respiratory failure, her face turning blue. Despite the medication being just a few meters away, she lost her life.

Only when a life was truly lost did the students panic and scatter.

But the story didn't end there. Hoshiyo Tsuru's resentment, combined with the accumulated grievances of the school, broke through the boundaries and gave birth to a malevolent entity known as a curse spirit. It sought revenge on those involved in the "academic trial."

---

On the way to the incident location, Luk lowered his head in thought and asked, "Will the curse spirit based on Hoshiyo Tsuru target the students who tried to help her?"

"The report mentioned that the entire class has been wiped out. Don't have any sympathy for the curse spirit," Mimi's raspy voice replied. "After all, a curse spirit is a manifestation of negative emotions, and it has no connection to kindness or forgiveness."

Luk remained neutral. "I just want to understand the difference between a soul and a curse spirit."

As they approached the old classroom, the three of them stopped.

"Come on, let me see your technique," Mimi said, brandishing a massive axe that seemed out of place with her slender frame. "I won't intervene unless you're in mortal danger."

"Mortal danger?"

Luk raised an eyebrow. "You might be misunderstanding something."

Without any flashy techniques, a massive amount of cursed energy condensed in his right hand, compressing, colliding, and twisting.

Then, a black torrent of cursed energy surged forward with an unstoppable force, tearing through everything in its path.

Boom—

A brief, almost illusory scream echoed as the entire old classroom, along with the curse spirit inside, vanished in an instant.

Blinding sunlight streamed through the massive hole, illuminating the few people standing in the hallway. Mimi stared in shock for a moment before smiling.

"You've really grown, little man."

---

Half an hour later, the mission summary was presented to the upper echelons of the curse art world. After reading the information, the higher-ups remained silent for a long time.

Mission Name: Exorcise Special-Class Curse Spirit — "Hoshiyo Tsuru"

Mission Commissioner: Special-Class Curse Artist — Fujihara Luk

Mission Status: Completed

Casualties: None

Mission Duration: Investigation took 30 minutes, exorcism took 3 seconds.

Gathered Intelligence: The target possessed cursed energy surpassing that of Special-Class Curse Artist Yotsuba Yuta, with extremely strong control. The cursed energy surge destroyed the space containing the curse before disappearing, and no technique was detected.

Weakness Hypothesis: Two First-Class Curse Artists who once saved the target — Mimi and Nanami Kenjirou, and money.

Recommendation: Fully recruit, do not oppose.

The "academic trial" is based on the first episode of "Nisemonogatari."

While it has a unique art style, it's a great series. I'm not writing it, but if you're looking for something to watch and can't find anything interesting, you might want to give it a try.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end