Even outside of Kyoto, curses still roam the earth.
They are definitely not an easy thing to get rid of, that's why the E.S.C. has to take care of things.
Surprisingly, there are more Elite Safety Committees all around the world, but Kyoto holds the original location.
For example: America tends to use its military in its E.S.C. due to the high amount of crimes in the country.
However, not all places use the Elite Safety Committees to exorcise curses…
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ZZZAAAPPPPP….!
[Somewhere on the other side of the world…]
"Mmmm~ I love the smell of burning curses with electricity."
A man with white hair, light blue eyes, cracked glasses, and a white professional tactical suit inhales the scent of the curses he just incinerated with electricity.
He exhales with a satisfied moan, the condensation from his breathing masking the cold air.
"This bores me. They aren't even strong enough to handle my power…"
He narrows his eyes before turning away.
"I need to find something that seeks my thrill." The man said in a low tone while licking his lips.
He crouches down and channels electricity around his body before zipping away. The electricity from the zip evaporates the snow around him as he disappears into the cold night.
Back at Kyoto, the 3rd Division is currently patrolling the streets to make sure everything is clear of entities.
"I'm sooo bored… I wanna go to the inner city after my shift so we can go shopping!" Fumiko pipes up.
Aiko chuckles softly, "I will tag along, but I'm sure the boys might not be too interested in it."
Aoto looks at Kazu then back at the girls before rolling his eyes.
"Yeah… of course we would loooove to join you guys on your girly shopping trip," Aoto said sarcastically.
Fumiko also rolls her eyes before crossing her arms, "Oh shut up, idiot! You boys can do your boring boy stuff while we're out having the time of our lives!
The boys eventually get back to the E.S.C. building, while the girls are already going out to the inner city.
"Pfft, stupid girls. I'm gonna take a shower…" Aoto mumbles under his breath before walking away.
Kazu is the only one left, and he decides it's time for… You guessed it, a smoke break.
While Kazu is standing outside of the building smoking a cigarette, he is currently having a conversation with his "burden."
"So… what was your life like when you were born?" Kazu said while puffing out the smoke.
Shaba hums in thought, "I was a salaryman. I wasn't anything special, just working a normal job."
He paused before continuing, "That was before I killed a man by pushing him off a bridge."
Kazu's face hardens as he grunts softly.
"Why the hell would you do something like that…? Did you catch him with your wife or something?" Kazu mumbled as he took another puff of his cigarette.
"He owed me money… he arrogantly said that he wasn't paying me, so I took his life in return," Shaba replied coldly.
Kazu gets even more upset as he puts out his cigarette.
"You should have just sued the man… You didn't have to take his life! What if he had a family waiting at home for him?" Kazu said with a serious tone.
"Don't worry, he was divorced anyway. And he also had no kids, so there wasn't anything holding me back from killing him."
Kazu just shakes his head and groans.
"You're killing me here man…" He said while leaning over the railing.
Suddenly, a voice can be heard from behind him…
"Hey you, do you have the time?" The mysterious voice muttered.
Kazu hums, "I wouldn't know at all man, I'm as blind as a bat."
The man taps his chin and walks closer to Kazu.
"Why would a blind man be outside all by himself? That's pretty dangerous."
Kazu lets out a small chuckle, "I can manage things on my own. By the way, you seem unfamiliar. I haven't heard your voice around here before, what's your name?" Kazu glances over at the man.
The man smiles and adjusts his glasses.
"The name's Rin. Rin Zeusu. I'm a curse hunter and I work overseas. I came to visit Kyoto because I wanted to see the main place and I must admit, this place is huge!"
Kazu slowly nods his head and he takes out his pack of cigarettes and offers one to Rin, however, Rin refuses and shakes his head.
"Heh, no thank you. I happen to like my lungs very much." Rin said jokingly.
Kazu lets out a low chuckle as he pops a cigarette in his mouth and lights it.
"So, where are you from?" Kazu questioned.
Rin's smile falters a bit but he keeps his composure.
"Well I'm from Japan, but I live in the Arctic. There's not a lot of E.S.C.s in the Arctic, but there are fewer curses than in any other place in the world…"
Rin pauses before continuing,
"The curses are pretty weak there, and I really want to find a good challenge once in a while, you know?"
Kazu takes another puff of his cigarette before blowing out the smoke.
"Mmm. Have you ever tried fighting summons? They're basically-"
Rin cuts Kazu off.
"Human-spawned entities. Yes, I am familiar with them. Unfortunately, I haven't gotten the chance to fight one since no one is stupid enough to spawn one." Rin grumbles while clenching his fist.
Kazu doesn't say anything, he takes another puff of his cigarette.
"You know what makes it even worse? Anomalies never spawn either because there's not enough deaths for them to spawn, and I really… REALLY want to fight one just for the fun of it~"
Rin mutters while clenching his fist even tighter, causing electricity to crackle on his hand.
This catches Kazu's attention as he senses a strong current of holy energy.
"That electricity just now, was that your holy energy?"
Rin puts his hands in his pockets.
"Yes, it was. I can convert my holy energy into electricity. It's quite simple, and it's unlimited. I can turn my entire body into pure electricity to move at the speed of lightning."
Rin said with little to no energy in his tone.
Kazu is secretly impressed with his ability, even though he isn't the type to show it.
"That sounds incredible. I don't use holy tech weapons everyone else uses. I got my weapons blessed the traditional way back when the E.S.C. was still new."
Rin's eyes widen slightly as he glances over at Kazu.
"Wait, what did you say your name was?" He questioned while tilting his head.
"Kazu Hidemi. I forgot to tell ya, sorry about that." He chuckled slightly.
Rin felt a wave of excitement go through his body, he realized the person he was talking to was an original curse hunter.
"I've heard about you! You're one of the best curse hunters in the world, I've seen you work before and I gotta way I'm quite impressed." Rin acknowledged.
As they continue to converse, the girls return from their shopping trip, their hands full of bags.
"Ugh… my back is killing me Aiko-Kun~" Fumiko whined out.
As they put down their bags, they notice Kazu talking to someone they haven't seen before.
"Who is that man with Kazu-San? I haven't seen him around here before." Aiko commented while tilting her head.
"We should go check it out, let's go." Aiko grabs Fumiko's arm and they make their way to the back.
Rin looks behind him and his grin fades from his face.
"Well it was nice meeting you, Mr. Blind Man. I'll leave you to your smoke break. Your friends are making their way towards you."
Rin winked before snapping his fingers and zapping away.
"W-What the hell? Where did that guy go?" Fumiko asked while crossing her arms.
Kazu turned around and waved to the girls.
"Hey what's up, how was the shopping trip ladies?"
Aiko smiled, "It was nice, but I have to ask… Who was that man just now? He looked pretty shady…"
Kazu shrugged before walking into the building, "He's a curse hunter from overseas. He said he was visiting the original E.S.C."
After hearing Kazu's words, the girls slowly nod, but there is a slight uncertainty in their expressions.
"I don't know about you, Aiko-Chan, but something about that man felt kind of… off," Fumiko muttered to Aiko.
Aiko hums, watching as Kazu walks away.