"[sad]……Why was I the only one who survived?" The moment the words left his mouth, Kazuki hastily clamped his lips shut. The morning sun streaming through the assistant supervisor office window bleached the documents on the desk white. The sky was so blue, yet inside his chest, a dull cloud still hung heavy. The time was 8 AM. Today was his first day on the job at Jujutsu High. There was a scene that always, without fail, surfaced in his mind. Roaring flames. A roof collapsing. Someone's screams. The "Cursed Spirit Cataclysm Incident" that occurred roughly thirty years ago — a great disaster where countless cursed spirits overflowed across the Kanto region, centered on Tokyo, claiming the lives of over eighty jujutsu sorcerers. Kazuki's family, the Todo family, was annihilated in that event. His grandfather, the family head, his still-young parents — all of them died. The only one who survived was Kazuki, still just an infant. "Why only me?" Even now, twenty years later, this question remained unanswered. He wanted the power to protect someone. But he was utterly hopeless at combat-oriented jujutsu. What he acquired instead was barrier techniques — a method meant to protect people. That was why he became an assistant supervisor. A job supporting jujutsu sorcerers from the rear. Even without fighting directly, he could be of use to someone. With that in mind, he had come to this Jujutsu High — a jujutsu sorcerer training institution on the outskirts of Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, protected by a barrier. It was vast. Huge. The school building alone was five floors above ground and two below. On top of that, there were training grounds, a cursed tool storehouse, student dorms — the grounds were just absurdly spacious. He recalled the tension he felt when he passed through the gate this morning. A white shirt and black slacks. A work cursed tool belt around his waist, and a jujutsu scroll on his wrist. The small piercing in his left ear made a soft clink with every step. He looked in the mirror and tried on his usual light smile. —Alright, I can do this. That was what he'd thought. "……No good after all. I'm nervous." Just as he muttered that, someone slapped him on the back from behind with a thud. "[excited]Kazuki-kun! You came!" He turned around to find a girl with vivid emerald-green short hair. Her left eye was gold, her right eye silver — heterochromia. They sparkled like jewels had been embedded in them. She stood about 158 cm. Petite, with a school blazer that looked a little too big for her. "[surprised]Huh, who are…" "Fukuzawa Rinka! Second-year at Jujutsu High! I've heard the rumors about you!" Rinka puffed out her chest proudly. Then she revealed what she had been hiding behind her back. It was a handmade banner. 『Congratulations on Your Appointment, Kazuki-kun! The Hope of the Assistant Supervisor Office!!』 The letters were so huge they spilled off the cloth. "[laughing]Well? What do you think? I made it myself~!" "……Ah, thanks." "But man~, honestly, I'm shocked! I heard a hot guy was coming to the assistant supervisor office, but you're a hundred times more ordinary than I imagined!" "Is that supposed to be a compliment?" He did a mental pratfall. "[angry]Rinka, you're being noisy from the morning." A low, calm voice came from behind. Turning, he saw a tall man with short silver hair slightly flipped back at the ends. 182 cm. His ice-blue eyes glinted coldly. Miyamoto Toa. A senior in the assistant supervisor office. "That's a violation of regulations. I'm confiscating that banner." "[surprised]Whaaat!? But I worked so hard on it!" "Senpai, you're so strict~!" Rinka clutched the banner tightly and fled. Toa chased after her, expressionless. A commotion from the morning. "……Noisy." In the corner of the hallway, a lone girl muttered. Semi-long black hair with a single streak of vivid red mesh. Sharp eyes. But their color was, unexpectedly, amber — somehow soft. She stood about 165 cm. A slender frame, wearing an old tracksuit. Saying only that, she quickly turned her back and walked away. The long spear-type cursed tool on her back tapped against the floor with a clack. "……Who was that just now?" "Zenin Maki." Placing the banner confiscated from Rinka on the desk, Toa continued flatly. "She's your partner for today's mission." —What. "[surprised]The Zenin family… as in, one of the Big Three?" "That's right. A prestigious lineage spanning over a thousand years. One of the three families that reign at the apex of the jujutsu world." Toa folded his arms and leaned against the wall. "However, Maki was exiled from the main family three years ago." "Exiled?" "The reason is that she's a woman, and her cursed energy is weak." Kazuki swallowed hard. "The Zenin family adheres to a strict bloodline doctrine. Those who do not possess strong cursed energy are not acknowledged as part of the clan. Even more so if they are women." "……That's awful." "But after that, Maki honed her physical combat and cursed tool manipulation skills on her own and enrolled in this school." Toa's voice seemed to carry a faint hint of respect. "That's why she shows no weakness to anyone. It's also certain she's not pleased about being paired with an assistant supervisor. 'I won't tolerate dead weight,' she says." Before those words could even fully land, the door to the room clicked open. Maki stood there. "[cold]If you're done talking, let's go." Her amber eyes pierced through Kazuki alone. "I'll leave any dead weight behind." "I haven't even told you my name yet…" "[serious]Not necessary." Saying just that, she turned her back and started walking. —Not necessary, huh. Kazuki gave a wry smile and followed after her. In the mountains of Okutama, western Tokyo. A satellite monitoring outpost at an altitude of 800 meters. The single-story wooden building was surrounded by a forest of cedar and cypress. Tall trees rose thickly all around, their branches creaking and groaning every time the wind blew. Normally, three staff members were stationed here, but today, no one was around. It's a special day, Toa had said. The air was chilly and cold, his breath turning white. "[serious]This is today's mission site. Normally, it's a simple task of just checking for cursed spirit activity." Maki's voice rang out especially cold in the stillness of the forest. "But there's a reaction over here. Confirm it." Where she pointed was unmistakably an animal trail. An area outside the monitoring zone. Kazuki read the atmosphere. —Ah, she's testing me. "[gentle]Understood." But he didn't resist. If he chickened out here, he'd truly become "dead weight." Passing through the animal trail, they emerged into a slightly open area. In that instant, his skin prickled with goosebumps. "……Cursed spirits." Before his eyes, a swarm of Grade 3 cursed spirits teemed. Each about 1.5 meters long. Residual thoughts solidified into form. It wasn't just one or two. There were at least ten of them. "[surprised]W-Wait, this is a swarm of Grade 3s!?" "That's right." Maki took a step back and folded her arms. "What will you do, Assistant Supervisor?" Those amber eyes held a testing light. —This girl, she did this on purpose. Kazuki was certain. She was seeing how far he could go. Alright, I have no choice but to do it. As an assistant supervisor, identify the cursed spirits' grades. Deploy the cursed charms, set up a barrier—. Rrrrip. A sound. The zipper on the pouch holding the cursed charms broke. FWOOSH!! A massive number of cursed charms scattered all over the ground. "……………………" Silence. Maki pressed her fingers to her temple. "……Was it really a good idea for you to come?" "S-Sorry! I'll pick them up right away!" Kazuki frantically threw himself to the ground, scraping the charms together. All the while, the cursed spirits steadily tightened their encirclement. A cold sweat ran down his back. —This is bad. But even as he picked them up, Kazuki's eyes were carefully observing the swarm of cursed spirits. There was a pattern to their movements. The swarm was patrolling a fixed route. Some went to the east side, others circled to the west — their movements were easy to read. If he set up a barrier on the east side, he could block the cursed spirits' path. Then, Maki-san could—. The calculation completed in his brain. "[serious]Maki-san." Having gathered all the scattered charms, he stood up. "I'll set up a barrier on the east side. I'll act as a decoy. In the meantime, secure an escape route and sweep them all away with your spear." "[surprised]……Hah? If you become the decoy, who's going to maintain the barrier?" "I'll maintain it." "I'll keep it up until my cursed energy runs out." Maki's amber eyes widened. "……You idiot." Her words were cold. But for just a fleeting moment, her eyes narrowed. Kazuki readied the cursed charms. He closed his eyes and circulated his cursed energy throughout his body. The charms emitted a pale, bluish-white light. The scroll on his wrist fluttered wildly despite the lack of wind. "Barrier Deployment—" A wall of light rose from the ground on the east side. A barrier roughly 3 meters high and 5 meters wide. The cursed spirits' movements stopped dead. "Now!" As if in response, Maki kicked off the ground. She pulled out the spear-type cursed tool from her back in one fluid motion. Total length: 180 cm. Weight: roughly 8 kg. The heirloom weapon of the Zenin family roared. "[serious]……I'll finish this in one go." Her body spun as if dancing. The spear's tip traced an arc, cleaving one of the cursed spirits clean in two. The cursed spirit vanished into black mist. Two, three—. "—O-Oh, crap." The barrier began to crackle and groan. His cursed energy was draining rapidly. His head spun. His vision blurred. "……Just a little more, just a little more…!" He clenched his teeth and kept maintaining it. Seven, eight — the last cursed spirit dispersed into mist under Maki's spear strike. In that instant, Kazuki's barrier vanished with a sound like shattering glass. At the same time, his knees buckled and he collapsed. "Whoa—" As he started to fall, someone's arms caught him. "[cold]……You did well." An unreadable voice fell from above. But her arms were firmly supporting Kazuki. He couldn't see her face. Yet, the hand gripping the spear seemed to have relaxed just a little. —This guy, even knowing he'd collapse, he tried to protect. Something creaked faintly deep within Maki's chest. Her expression was its usual blank mask. But a tiny shock, imperceptible to anyone, had run through her. The way back. The two descended the mountain path in silence. The sun had already completely set, and stars were floating in the sky. Being deep in the mountains with no light pollution, even the Milky Way was clearly visible. Kazuki was still unsteady on his feet. His cursed energy was completely drained, and he had no strength in his legs. Just as he was about to stumble— Swiftly, Maki moved beside him. She didn't offer a hand. But she maintained a perfect position, preventing him from falling. "If you fall, I'm leaving you behind." "[gentle]……Thank you." "It's nothing. It'd just be a hassle if you got injured during a mission." Maki said it quickly. In the starlight, her cheeks seemed faintly flushed, but that was probably just his imagination. Kazuki looked up at the night sky. A shooting star streaked across, leaving a tail before vanishing. "[gentle]Zenin-san, you were really amazing today." Maki's steps stopped abruptly. "……Obviously." A short reply. But her amber eyes softened for just a moment — something Kazuki, as usual, didn't notice. —It's been a while since someone praised me. Maki pressed her lips tightly together and quickened her pace. Some part of her heart felt a warm, tingling sensation, and that somehow frustrated her. The a