Rin's movements were startlingly fast. He grabbed Negi by the back of his collar, lifting him like a small chick. With a slight exert of force from his fingertips, he hoisted the man up and turned to dash toward the snack shop's back door.
Negi was startled by the sudden pulling force.
Subconsciously thinking that his incessant chattering had annoyed Rin and that he wanted to have a one-on-one duel right then and there, his legs kicked wildly in the air. He tried desperately to pry Rin's hand from his wrist, shouting all the while:
"What are you doing! Let's talk this out!"
But Rin's grip was terrifyingly steady. His fingers clamped onto the collar like iron pincers, remaining motionless no matter how much Negi struggled.
It wasn't until he dragged the man out the back door that Rin let go, tossing Negi onto the ground. The movement wasn't heavy, but it was enough to make Negi stumble as he tried to find his footing.
Rin had no time to deal with Negi behind him. He immediately pressed himself against the glass of the back door, staring intently at the activity inside the shop through a gap, even quieting his breathing.
Negi rubbed his aching neck. As soon as he stood up and saw Rin's back turned to him, his nerves instantly tightened.
Thinking Rin was about to make a move, he immediately assumed a combat stance. Pale blue Cursed Energy condensed in his hands as he spoke warily:
"What exactly do you want to do? You didn't say anything in the shop, and now you want to fight? I'm not afraid of you!"
Rin didn't turn back at all. His gaze was deathly locked onto Mei Mei and Aoi Todo inside the shop. He thought to himself, how could it be such a coincidence?
On his very first mission, he had bumped into these two tough opponents. Mei Mei's Cursed Spirit scouting ability and Aoi Todo's physical combat skills were both difficult to handle. Why were the two of them together?
He watched as the two sat down not far from where he had originally been seated.
When Mei Mei's gaze swept over the two seafood bowls on the table that had only been touched for a few bites, Rin's brow couldn't help but furrow deeper. Damn it, inside the shop just now, Negi had been preaching endlessly and had barely eaten, and Rin had been too annoyed by the noise to have any appetite.
Rin held his breath, using the reflection in the glass to observe their movements, not even missing the way they raised their hands to call the waiter.
But Negi behind him had no intention of staying quiet. He stared at Rin's back, his mind racing with calculations. This guy is strong, but with his back to me now, I only have one chance to strike. I must defeat him with a single blow and absolutely not give him time to turn around and retaliate!
As soon as the thought formed, Negi lunged forward, his fist condensed with Cursed Energy aimed straight for the center of Rin's back.
At the same time, Mei Mei inside the shop suddenly narrowed her eyes and looked toward the back door. She thought she had just glimpsed the glass of the back door tremble slightly, as if someone had bumped it from the outside.
Aoi Todo happened to be holding the seafood bowl brought by the waiter. Seeing her staring fixedly in one direction, he asked in confusion:
"What's wrong, Mei Mei? What are you looking at?"
Mei Mei paused for a moment, withdrew her gaze, and lightly brushed her fingers over the white hair at her temples, her tone casual:
"Nothing. It seemed like the back door moved a bit; it might have been the wind."
She paused, then added with a smile, "It's probably because I've been on missions too frequently lately, making me a bit sensitive. Let's eat; the Salmon at this place looks quite fresh."
"I thought you saw some money, you were so serious," Aoi Todo laughed heartily and didn't ask further. He picked up his chopsticks and began eating in large mouthfuls, completely failing to notice the flash of suspicion in the depths of Mei Mei's eyes.
At the back door, Rin's other hand was already covering Negi's mouth, pinning him firmly against the wall.
Struggling muffled sounds came from Negi's throat, and his body continued to writhe, but Rin's strength pressed down on him like a mountain, making it difficult for him to even move a finger.
Rin's gaze never left the shop, not even sparing a glance for the person in his grasp. His ears carefully caught every sound from inside until he was certain the two were no longer paying attention to the back door; only then did he slightly relax his grip.
A few seconds later, however, two pitch-black Crows landed on the steps of the back door with a flutter of wings. They tilted their heads and cawed, their bead-like black eyes scanning the empty ground as if searching for something.
Inside the shop, Mei Mei took in the scene through the window. Her eyes, hidden under her white braids, narrowed slightly, but she did nothing more. She simply continued chatting with Aoi Todo, the conversation gradually shifting to tomorrow's mission.
A while later.
A rooftop five hundred meters away.
Rin's blood-red Sharingan still held the lingering images of the Crows from earlier. He couldn't help but sigh softly:
"As expected of top Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerers from Jujutsu High. Their alertness is indeed sharp; I was almost discovered."
Beside him, Negi crouched in the corner, touching the bruises on his face. Rin had taken a moment to teach him a lesson, and it still stung fiercely.
Crouching in the corner, he muttered in a low voice, "If there's a situation, just say so. Why did you have to hit me? It's not like I wouldn't cooperate..." His voice carried a hint of grievance, but the previous arrogance was gone.
Rin ignored his complaints, pulled the dossier from his coat, and read it carefully once more.
He had already read it once on the plane, and the content wasn't complicated.
There was an abandoned village on the outskirts of Hokkaido. Three months ago, rumors of hauntings began to spread, and seven university students who went to explore had already gone missing.
The police had investigated twice but found nothing unusual, eventually closing the case as "getting lost in the wild."
From the description, this seemed like an ordinary Cursed Spirit murder incident. The Cursed Spirit's strength would be Grade 1 at most, or perhaps even weaker. But how could such a mission attract Mei Mei and Aoi Todo?
It seemed this mission wasn't so simple.
Rin's fingers lightly tapped the dossier, his brow furrowed.
Negi, crouching in the corner, also slowly stood up and cautiously approached, his tone carrying a hint of testing:
"Rin, I think we should just withdraw. The Star Plasma Cult and Jujutsu High haven't reached the point of an open conflict yet. There's no need to face off against those two tough characters for a small Cursed Spirit. It's just not worth it."
His tone was completely devoid of his previous arrogance; clearly, the "lesson" just now had made him fully realize the gap in their strength.
Rin glanced at him, and Negi immediately shrank his neck, not daring to meet his gaze again.
"Do you think that if it were just an ordinary Grade 1 Cursed Spirit, Jujutsu High would send two top Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerers here?" Rin's voice was very quiet, but it carried an undeniable logic:
"The resources of Jujutsu High aren't that luxurious. Their appearance here definitely means there is a bigger objective."
Negi was stunned for a moment, lowering his head to ponder Rin's words before looking up to argue a moment later:
"But... it could also be a coincidence, right? Our intel said this mission was just a minor incident. Maybe they just happened to be nearby on another mission and stopped by on the way."
"I don't rule out that possibility," Rin nodded, but his gaze became sharp:
"But what if what's hidden in that village is a Special Grade Cursed Spirit? If we can subdue and capture it for Master Geto, have you thought about how much help that would be for the Star Plasma Cult's plans?"
Negi's eyes instantly lit up. A Special Grade Cursed Spirit! That was a treasure that could immensely boost the Star Plasma Cult's strength.
But he quickly calmed down again, his tone carrying worry:
"But the situation is urgent now. Even if it is a Special Grade Cursed Spirit, we can't possibly take it down in a short time. If those two from Jujutsu High reach the village first, we'll be caught in a pincer attack. At that time, forget about capturing the Cursed Spirit—it'll be hard to say if we can even escape unscathed!"
.....
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