A line of sedans rolled quietly into the open-air parking lot beneath the Kihara Apartments.
The moment he stepped out of the car, Noritoshi Kamo felt the thick, filthy aura clinging to the building.
"Is this a place where Cursed Spirit incidents happen often?"
Shisei Tagoto nodded.
"That's right. Based on tracking and observation, the incidents here were all caused by 'Your Turn.'"
He turned to Akira Nitta.
"The details on Kihara Apartments are on page 17 of Notebook No. 2."
Akira Nitta hurriedly flipped through her notes.
"Page 17… here… found it.
Since the suicide website exchange murder incident three years ago, thirty-three residents of Kihara Apartments have either died in accidents or committed suicide.
Even the three survivors developed mental abnormalities and are still in recovery.
All of them reported hearing knocking at their doors late at night, along with strange voices.
It has been confirmed that the first four cases were due to personal reasons. The ones after that were Cursed Spirit incidents."
After finishing, Akira Nitta looked up at Shisei Tagoto.
"Tagoto-san, according to this, does that mean the Cursed Spirit teleported here thirty-three times?"
Shisei Tagoto rubbed his brow.
"Like I said, a Cursed Spirit isn't some rule-bound ghost that kills one person and leaves. Once it arrives somewhere, it attacks indiscriminately.
Based on observations and Todo Sorcerer's mission reports, it has teleported here about four times.
Due to special circumstances, we can only evacuate residents who live farther from the 'mark' for now.
What a headache. If this were the usual type of Cursed Spirit attached to a fixed location, we could just buy out the apartment building and the surrounding houses and demolish them. Though with land prices here, the higher-ups would probably argue for quite a while…"
He glanced at the nine fully equipped "Special Window" personnel behind him. Their attacks, lacking Cursed Energy, could not kill a Cursed Spirit, but they could at least serve as interference. More importantly, their presence gave people a sense of security.
"Alright. Enter the apartment in your assigned teams. If anything happens, press the alarm immediately to alert Kamo Sorcerer. Do not disturb the 'marked' individual, or it may interfere with the Cursed Spirit's behavioral pattern.
If you encounter the Cursed Spirit, report first and then retreat immediately."
"Yes!"
As the nine "Window" personnel split into groups of three and headed inside, Noritoshi Kamo noticed one of them walking with trembling legs.
"Wait. Are you afraid?"
"N-no… not at all…"
The voice from beneath the mask sounded young.
"Tell me your age."
"Thirteen."
Noritoshi Kamo did not ask why he was here. Children and the elderly tended to have stronger "spiritual sensitivity," so the proportion of minors among the "Window" personnel was not insignificant.
As the "eldest son," Noritoshi Kamo had long been accustomed to such things within his household. It stirred nothing in him.
He took out a cracked mirror from his clothing and handed it to the special operative.
"This is a Cursed Object: [Unkai-kyō].
It reveals the true appearance of things, ignoring concealment by Cursed Energy, allowing non-sorcerers to see Cursed Spirits.
Though that's not necessarily a good thing.
If you observe a Cursed Spirit below Grade 1, it will have difficulty moving under your gaze. Even a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit will slow down.
Since you can't use Cursed Energy, don't stare into the mirror for more than five seconds. It will cause hallucinations."
The boy gripped the edge of the [Unkai-kyō Mirror] tightly.
"Understood!"
After all the "Window" personnel had entered the apartment, Shisei Tagoto walked over to Noritoshi Kamo.
"Kamo Sorcerer."
"What is it?"
"You're somewhat different from the other members of the Kamo family I've met."
Noritoshi Kamo shifted his gaze back to the apartment building.
"Perhaps.
Don't lose focus. Be ready to receive information from Todo. I'm going in."
"Yes."
After briefly surveying the structure of the apartment, Noritoshi Kamo pushed open the entrance door with a solemn expression.
On the surface, the hallway looked normal. The pale walls were tinted with a faint green under the emergency lights.
But in the eyes of a Jujutsu Sorcerer, the corridor was covered in dense black and red footprints and handprints. Residuals stained nearly every inch of the space.
The deeper he looked, the more concentrated they became. The amount of Cursed Energy emanating from the Residuals was so heavy that no careful inspection was necessary.
Noritoshi Kamo crouched down and examined them.
"The shapes and types of these Residuals are almost identical. Some are faint, which means they've been here for a while.
It was indeed caused by a single Cursed Spirit moving back and forth…"
…
A circular earpiece by Noritoshi Kamo's ear suddenly crackled to life with Tagoto's voice. It was a small Cursed Corpse device, completed under Akira Zenin's guidance. It could transmit information within the "Curtain" and even communicate with the outside. The sound quality still needed work...
"Red!"
That was the code from Todo's side indicating the Cursed Spirit had teleported. It looked like this time the Cursed Spirit had appeared on his end first.
Inside the "Mechamaru" communication channel, everyone went on alert, reporting in every fifteen seconds on average.
"Early Warning Team 2, first floor. No anomalies."
"Early Warning Team 3, second floor. No anomalies."
...
"Early Warning Team 1, fourth floor—"
A burst of static hissed in his ear. The signal was being disrupted by another source of Cursed Energy. Noritoshi Kamo immediately sprinted toward the fourth floor.
...
Night had fully fallen outside the window, though it wasn't yet midnight. Dressed in home clothes, Ai Yamanoya had just finished cleaning and was sitting on the sofa watching Mrs., Handle with Care.
The show was just background noise to pass the time. Lately, her younger brother, who was still in school, hadn't been himself. She worked part-time during the day to support the two of them. With so little money, the only place they could afford was the cheapest nearby apartment, the Kihara Residence.
She shook her head. Her education level was low, and she didn't really understand what her brother was going through. Did going to school really make someone more and more withdrawn?
"I was a bit harsh with him the other day. I should sit down and have a proper talk with him soon..."
Losing interest in the show, Ai Yamanoya stood up, about to head back to her room.
Then she caught a strange, metallic tang in the air.
Her brother's door suddenly burst inward as if struck by an invisible force. It slammed against the wall and shattered, fragments of wood flying everywhere.
"Shō!"
Startled, Ai Yamanoya cried out her brother's name in panic. But when she rushed over, all she saw beyond the broken doorway were chunks of flesh scattered across the floor.
At the same time, a wave of cold dread crawled up her spine. Through that overwhelming sense of danger, she vaguely made out a humanoid monster slowly taking shape beside Shō Yamanoya's desk. Its arms were covered in clusters of sharp, blade-like fingers.
Most horrifying of all was its face.
Seven vertical eyes were arranged across it in a chaotic pattern, each one staring wide open.