-Mayu's first Solomission-
-From Mayu Ryomen's Point of View-
After arriving at an abandoned shopping mall that resembled a ghost town, Kiyotaka brought the car to a stop.
During the short drive, the guys chatted about trivial matters and news that didn't bring anything earth-shattering — which, in our everyday life, was already considered good news.
At least, that's what I gathered from the bits and pieces of conversation I occasionally caught, as I had mostly been absorbed by my own inner voice, which I had been actively conversing with.
"There we are," Kiyotaka's calm voice informed us, glancing at me through the rearview mirror.
I couldn't help but throw a rather uneasy half-smile in the glasses-wearer's direction.
He surely already knew what was in store for me...
"Stay on standby, Kiyotaka," Satoru ordered him as he was already stepping out of the car.
"Of course," Kiyotaka acknowledged dutifully, just as I got out too.
I was greeted by a corner of Tokyo that one could safely assume no one would want to move into anytime soon.
The facades of the few buildings standing nearby were practically shedding their plaster, as if trying to free themselves, with shattered and broken windows completing the desolate picture.
Not to mention the countless colorful graffiti tags that lent a bit of color to the rundown neighborhood, while the dead-end street was slowly drowning under heaps of trash.
Not something you would typically expect — after all, Tokyo's streets were usually known for being extremely clean and well-kept.
Here, the exact opposite prevailed.
As I scrutinized the surroundings thoroughly, Satoru had already retrieved a long case from the trunk and signaled Kiyotaka that he could drive off, immediately drawing my attention back to my teacher, whom I eyed curiously.
But then I noticed the shopping mall in the background, and my breath caught in my throat.
That wasn't seriously where he was sending me, was it?!
Taking an instinctive step backward, fear rising within me, I looked up and down at the tall building, which stretched over several floors.
A black-violet cursed aura seeped dangerously from the boarded-up windows, cloaking the building like a protective shell and practically hissing at us for daring to approach.
All that was missing were long, clawed hands reaching out to drive us away.
Suddenly, the whole situation became overwhelmingly real.
He wasn't seriously planning on sending me in there, was he?!
I wasn't unfamiliar with places like this — but up until now, I had always explored them together with Megumi or Kento, or I had simply avoided them altogether.
Suspiciously, I now eyed the case he held, from which an ominous aura radiated, matching the cursed energy emanating from the shopping mall.
"Ready for some fun? I know I am," he grinned maliciously.
Without any emotion showing on my face, I stared at the part of his face covered by the black blindfold.
I watched closely as he pulled a long silver scythe from the case, adorned with ruby-red ornaments.
Unlike the traditional curved blade you would expect from a scythe, this one had two differently sized blades that pointed sharply toward each other.
Even if he didn't mention it, I could tell immediately that this weapon harbored the devastating cursed energy of a special-grade curse.
Which was anything but good news — because Satoru didn't need weapons to fight, whereas without one, I would die a miserable death.
"Ours? Let me correct that. Mine."
"Exactly!" he said, delighted by my conclusion, and held the deadly weapon out to me.
Oh, great.
I didn't need to mention that I'd rather have run away overnight, right? Hopefully, I'd make it out of there alive...
Hesitantly, I wrapped my fingers around the extremely dangerous weapon, surprised at how light it actually was, and took a closer look at the ornaments — which, unfortunately, didn't make me any wiser.
Maybe they didn't have any particular meaning after all, but they were certainly pretty to look at.
And I had to admit, I felt a tiny bit proud that I was even allowed to use it.
"I want you to exorcise the Grade 3 cursed spirit inside," he instructed. "This weapon already contains the cursed energy of a special-grade curse — with that, it should be child's play.
However, you're only allowed to use it if you really can't summon your own cursed energy!"
I raised an eyebrow before frowning almost indignantly.
I got such a gorgeous weapon and wasn't even allowed to use it?
Apparently, he had forgotten that there was absolutely nothing stirring inside me except for my overwhelming fear, right?!
"You know," he preempted my about-to-be-voiced protest, "necessity is the mother of invention — it demands special measures. If you find yourself in trouble this time, alone, it has to happen: your cursed energy must finally awaken."
Oh, I see?! So that's what this was about?
This was his so-called "throwing me into the deep end"? Handing me a scythe and hoping for the best?
Easy for him to say, that guy.
"Okay," I began warily, already having no choice but to accept it, "and what if your plan doesn't work the way you imagine, and there are even more cursed spirits wandering around in there, and I end up dying?!"
I shared my fear with him openly.
After all, none of us ever had a cursed spirit evacuation plan at the ready.
"I'm not about to let you walk straight into death. If things get too dangerous, you just shout 'Cherry' at the top of your lungs! I'll be right here and come to you immediately."
Cherry?! How did he even come up with 'Cherry'?
I would have loved to question it, but definitely not at that moment.
"Not a second longer!" I demanded sharply. "Not even a millisecond!"
He chuckled, "You won't even have time to blink," he said with a grin, secretly referring to his teleportation ability I had no clue about yet.
"Your word to God's ears," I sighed heavily.
Alright. Time to clench my cheeks and deal with this vermin.
Hopefully, it wouldn't be the other way around.
"Then I'll go unleash my beast," I muttered, half amused, half discouraged, and headed toward the mall entrance.
"My scaredy-cat, that is."
"Good luck!" he laughed loudly after me.
Alright then! Time to let my non-existent domain expansion do the talking and unleash the power of the scaredy-cats! While the sound of my amused teacher's laughter still echoed behind me, I was already stepping into the abandoned shopping mall.
And holy hell, was it creepy! It felt, from the very first step, like I had crossed into another dimension. The atmosphere immediately flipped, and it felt like everything was being cloaked in mist and veils of darkness. Not just because of the dark purple aura that had been seeping from the building — it was pure chaos in there.
First, the musty smell hit me, coming from the thick layer of dust covering the countless cardboard boxes, between which old receipts and documents peeked out.
With every step I took deeper into the building, the floor crunched and cracked beneath my shoes because of the shards of glass scattered everywhere — fallen from the once-glass ceiling above, now lying in all shapes and sizes across the floor.
I clutched the formerly cold steel tightly in my sweaty hands.
The special-grade curse within it probably wished someone would finally turn on the air conditioning.
"Why do I even have to do this?!" I muttered under my breath, eyeing the deactivated escalator leading to the numerous other shops upstairs. From down here, it was obvious that the upper levels were just as messy as the ground floor I was slowly making my way across. Here and there, nature seemed to have made an attempt to reclaim the place, with weeds sprouting through the cracks.
Alright then.
Whining wouldn't help either. And I did want to try out Megumi's little tool. Behind the escalator, the spot seemed shady enough to bring our little experiment to life. I immediately rummaged for the small white capsule, knelt down and carefully opened it. Gently, I spread the dark ash across the floor and traced the pattern of Megumi's hands with my finger.
I watched eagerly—only for absolutely nothing to happen.
Not a single thing.
Frowning, I double-checked the sign I had recreated with my hands and noticed I had missed a tiny corner. I quickly filled in the missing piece and stared at my little work again, hoping this time it would work and the hellhound would materialize.
Instantly, the ash was engulfed by a familiar turquoise glow, and to my delight, Megumi's aid began growing at a rapid pace. But that wasn't all—once fully summoned, the creature threw back its head and let out a loud, echoing howl, making me jump out of my skin and slap my hand over its muzzle.
Crap! Satoru!How did he put it again?"By the way, try not to let him find out, okay?"
Yeah, well... mission failed.
"Pssst, little guy," I whispered, heart hammering in my chest, "our teacher out there isn't supposed to know about you."
How stupid of me! How many times had I seen Megumi's dogs howl when he summoned them? Apparently not often enough to react faster. I gave the soft white fur a quick stroke before getting back on my feet.
I crossed both my thumbs and mentally crossed dozens more imaginary ones that maybe, just maybe, I had been fast enough and Satoru hadn't heard anything.
I firmly gripped the scythe again, which I had leaned against myself while opening the capsule, and decided to stick to the lower floor first. I made my way straight or more like stumbled towards a section, tripping slightly over the torn corner of a cardboard box.
…!
Suddenly, my phone started ringing in the pocket of my skirt.
Startled, I jumped, looking completely the wrong way as I fumbled to process the noise, before finally recognizing it for what it was.
"Stupid..." I muttered as I pulled out my still-ringing phone.
Just great...
Who else could it have been but Satoru, huh?
"Yeah?" I answered, feigning innocence.
"Say," his voice came through, way too knowingly, "did I just hear a hellhound howling?"
I grinned sheepishly to myself. "And... how could that be?" I replied seriously, despite my guilty expression. "I would have had to smuggle Megumi in with me, wouldn't I?"
"It could've been your own curse energy manifesting into something new," he pointed out slyly.
"Nope, unfortunately not," I said regretfully. "I didn't hear anything just now, and my cursed technique is still playing hide and seek."
As if he'd actually believe me but I wanted to keep my fluffy companion for a little while longer.
"Good luck then," he said cheerfully before hanging up.
Phew.
I continued clinging to the false hope that he had bought my story and quickly opened my chat with Megumi to send him a message.
*** Mayu: It worked :D!! I successfully summoned the hellhound – but he howled really loud and Satoru just called me about it >.> ... I hope it won't cause too much trouble...
Megumi: That's great! Keep me updated if I gave him too much cursed energy or not enough. Don't worry about Satoru ;) Good luck, Mayu.
Mayu: Thanks :) ***
I smiled in satisfaction and tucked my phone back into the pocket of my skirt. It was a huge relief to know I wasn't completely alone even if the hellhound wasn't exactly a replacement for backup.
"Alright, come on," I said to my new companion, and we continued moving along behind the escalator, entering our first destination which appeared to be a clothing store.
The first details that caught my eye in the fairly dark and spacious room were the round silver clothing racks, some still precariously holding onto a few hangers. Several ceiling panels had collapsed into the center of the room, exposing the pipes and dangling wires above. Any real light source was non-existent, but at least the glass dome of the main hall allowed just enough daylight to see that no cursed spirit seemed to be lurking here.
Still, being the coward that I was, I didn't dare venture much further in. Instead, I gave the fluffy white head beside me a gentle pat.
"You'd like to tell me your name so I can command you a little deeper into the room, right? How about Mio?"
A wagging tail and a few eager pants seemed like agreement to me. Hopefully, he wouldn't decide to howl again.
"Very good, Mio. Now, go check the room for the cursed spirit!"
At my command, the hellhound trotted deeper into the store.
As for me?
Honestly, I didn't really have the guts to follow, but I couldn't risk my shikigami getting taken out right at the beginning of my mission either. So I grabbed my courage by the scruff, dragged it out of its corner, and picked my way across the clothing scattered on the floor toward the darkest part of the store:
The fitting rooms.
Maybe the cursed spirit wanted to pick out a new outfit for itself?
With a trembling hand, a queasy feeling in my stomach, and a cold shiver running down my spine, I gripped the heavy, thick fabric of the curtain and yanked it aside with a swift motion.
Lucky!
Nothing but a stool and a shattered mirror lying on the ground, reflecting the intact ceiling in countless shards.
My tension dropped a few steps down the victory podium, though my pulse still raced at what felt like 50 beats per second. I moved on to the next curtain. Tension rising, curtain grabbed with shaky hands, same quick motion applied and again, nothing but emptiness. I blew out the breath I'd been holding in a loud rush. Why wasn't I just lying in bed right now, watching a horror movie where I could close my eyes during all the famous jump scares?
"Because this is my goddamn own horror show. Starring Mayu Ryomen. Unwillingly! … All cameras on me? Action!"
Third and final fitting room.
I once again reached for the concealing fabric, ready to rip it open when the sudden vibrating of my phone scared the life out of me.
"...! You sock philosopher!" I hissed through clenched teeth, shaking out my hand in hopes of loosening my nerves.
Taking a deep breath, I pulled out the heart-attack-inducing device again.
A new message from Megumi.
***Megumi: We've been busted :')!***
He had even attached a screenshot of his chat with Satoru, which made me chuckle as I quickly typed back.
***Mayu: Damn it! I'm so sorry, Megumi :/ This is definitely going to cause trouble... I'll explain it to him later.
Megumi: No need. I'll handle it. Are you okay?
Mayu: Haha... define "okay"... I mean, technically yes, but honestly, if I could, I'd be shitting myself nonstop!***
One last try for fitting room number three.
Holding my glowing phone at chest height, I grabbed the curtain again, yanked it open with force and stared straight into another person-sized figure illuminated by my phone's light.
"Holy shit!" I gasped loudly. "How can... someone be this stupid?!" I huffed in panic, squeezing my eyes shut.
A cold shiver ran down my back before retreating slowly from my limbs as I pressed the smartphone against my chest.
"Couldn't you have been one of the damn broken mirrors lying around on the floor?!" I scolded the mirror I'd been reflected in.
First deep-seated scare of the day undoubtedly with many more to come. But hold up. Why hadn't I been using my phone's flashlight this whole time? Yeah... the excitement. Thinking straight had never been one of my strong suits under pressure...
Another buzz from my phone.
***Megumi: Believe me, that's exactly how I felt on my first solo missions too. It gets better with time and experience.***
More missions? Honestly, I had hoped this would be my one and only...
***Mayu: Such comforting words. I'll think of you ^-^ ***
"Come on, Mio," I called out across the room to the hellhound. "We're moving on."
Luckily, Mio didn't react to anything suspicious, and we left the store, heading back into the main hall where, oddly enough, I felt the safest.
Given the size of the building, it was a miracle I hadn't already gotten hopelessly lost.
I placed a finger on my chin, listened carefully to the suspicious silence, and glanced around briefly.
Apart from the soft whisper of wind breezing through the hall, I didn't hear anything else. Good.
The subtle, eerie whistling was already giving me enough goosebumps as it was.
But let's be real here! The cursed spirit could be absolutely anywhere... or nowhere at all!
With a sigh, I tried to get a better overview from where I stood.
Some of the shop entrances were so heavily barricaded that there was no way I could even get inside.
Pity, really, because one of them had really caught my attention though, at the same time, I was also very much not eager to investigate it. There had to be another way to track down the cursed spirit, right? I ran a hand over my face, mentally flipping through my lessons.
Kento! Right; residuals!
"Residuals are lingering traces left behind when using cursed techniques. Skilled curse spirits and sorcerers can either deliberately leave them or conceal them."
Cursed techniques, then.
If the cursed spirit I was after had recently used a technique, surely I should be able to spot his residuals, right?
Immediately, I swept my gaze more thoroughly and focused across the neglected floor.
Kento had explained to me multiple times what I needed to pay attention to in order to see residuals.
Still, it wasn't easy.
So far, I'd only ever managed it once under Kento's supervision.
Alright, focus.
I let my gaze linger for a few seconds on several different spots, concentrating with all I had on finding any trace.
But nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Either I was completely incompetent which I highly suspected or the cursed spirit had wiped away his traces, or... maybe he hadn't used any techniques at all yet.
Resigned, I exhaled sharply through my nose, crossing my arms tightly over my chest as I continued forward.
"Brilliant work, Special Grade Sorcerer," I muttered with heavy sarcasm. "How the hell did they ever promote me to Special Grade?!... What a joke."
I shook my head, as if that could rattle loose my frustrating thoughts.
Clearly, I would have no choice but to deepen my search.
Meanwhile, Mio had taken it upon himself to sniff around within a safe radius, inspecting everything carefully without indicating anything suspicious yet.
Onward to the next abandoned store!
It was impossible not to notice that it must have once been an optician's shop.
Had I carelessly wandered ahead, I would've crushed even more of the already shattered, colorful eyeglass frames, blending them into the broken shelves littering the floor.
Not to mention the blindingly white fluorescent lights lying shattered everywhere, hinting at a seriously high damages bill.
Taking my own advice for once, I lit up the small former salesroom with my phone flashlight and saw nothing but scattered rainbow reflections and crumpled papers marked in big bold letters: "Purchase Agreement."
In the back, a break room was labeled with a sign on the wall, so naturally, I headed there next.
The retreat for the former employees was decorated with a large dining table in the center, where toppled coffee mugs and stained napkins lay scattered.
Past a small anthracite-colored kitchenette, I spotted another door labeled: "Storage Room."
And that one gave me an immediate sense of dread.
Everyone knew how it went in horror movies something terrifying always fell out of suspicious storage rooms once you opened them.
Honestly, I'd rather have stumbled into a dumb scandal than deal with this.
It certainly didn't help that Mio darted straight past me, planting himself firmly in front of the pristine white door, nose pressed tightly against the lock, sniffing loudly and impatiently whimpering.
Yeah.
Of course, it had to be this door.
With trembling legs, I approached my agitated companion, hesitantly placed my hand on the doorknob... and hesitated.
Did I really have to do this?!
Suspiciously, I shot a glance at my imaginary buddy, who meanwhile stepped to the side and finally pushed the door open. Fully expecting something large to fly at me, I squeezed my eyes shut and heard Mio march past me into the storage room.
So calm, in fact, that it made me suspicious enough to open my eyes again.
And I saw... nothing.
No skeleton, no terrifying figure, no cursed spirit.
Why on earth did the hellhound want to come in here so badly?
There was nothing here except the typical contents of a storage room: a silver shelf stocked with various cleaning supplies, cloths, soap containers, and hygiene products illuminated by my phone's flashlight.
Yet Mio came to an abrupt stop in front of one of the brooms and sat down on the cold floor.
With furrowed brows, I watched him sniff at the broomstick and scratch it with his paw.
It had to be some kind of hint.
So I focused my attention on the broomstick and concentrated.
But I couldn't detect anything at least, not at first.
Either my vision was playing tricks on me, or I was just imagining that the broomstick started to shimmer like mist swirling faintly.
But when I began to see violet smoke-like patterns, I realized that the little furball was pointing me toward some cursed residues.
"Oh yes!" I whispered under my breath, cheering. "Thanks, Mio."
My inner joy surged for a brief moment as I patted my hellhound.
A small victory for me as a young sorcerer even if I did get a lot of help with it.
I couldn't tell how old these curse traces were, but judging by their intensity...
"The curse must have been here recently," I mused, trying to locate more residue – but without success.
"Alright. Let's keep moving. We should pick up the pace and sweep through the stores faster," I shifted my muttering now towards Mio. "At least as long as no noises are heard or that ball goblin shows up. I just want to get this over with."
Another wag of the tail as if the little furball could actually understand me.
With my Shikigami leading the way, we turned our backs on the optician and moved on to the next devastated shops, checking out the ones that were still accessible.
To my regret or maybe my relief everything went smoothly and without incidents.
Of course, there were a few jump scares here and there I was, after all, practically destined to be easily startled but there was no clear trace of the cursed spirit.
At least not on Level 0.
In a hurry, we ran up the inactive escalator to reach Level 1.
I could've sworn we hadn't really changed floors at all. It looked suspiciously similar but my curiosity still pulled me toward the shop across the way.
From the dozens of overturned chocolate-brown tables and matching cushioned chairs, it could only have been a small restaurant.
The scattered silverware on the dark red carpet confirmed it.
"Well, welcome to the home of a cursed spirit redecorating its new place in style," I mumbled to myself.
To my delight, several of the wooden planks on the window front had loosened, letting in some glorious, bright daylight.
I stuffed my phone back into the pocket of my skirt and took a quick look around.
Carefully, I navigated around the toppled furniture, making my way deeper inside.
At first glance, there was no creepy figure to be seen here either.
After my minor success earlier, I tried once more to focus on random objects in hopes of spotting more cursed traces but unfortunately, I failed again.
I hadn't truly believed in miracles anyway... but it had been worth a shot.
But what did I see there?
The stainless-steel commercial kitchen.
Who could claim to be able to look around one completely uninhibited without wandering around drenched in awe? Sure, employees, cleaning staff, and those trained to use the equipment but I certainly wasn't one of them, and my interest had just been lovingly piqued.
Curious and grinning broadly, I stepped closer to the large ovens and couldn't resist the temptation to peek inside.
"What do you think, Mio? Will we find a corpse, food leftovers, or maybe even our opponent in here?"
Strangely enough, it calmed me that Mio didn't suddenly dart toward anything again, so I allowed myself to believe that the cursed spirit wasn't hiding inside one of the ovens.
3... 2... 1... and – open!
"Ugh!" burst from my lips like a shot, "someone hasn't cleaned this in ages, but at least there aren't any moldy food scraps inside. Nope, no corpse either," I reassured Mio with a giggle and couldn't resist peeking into the next oven.
Good thing I wouldn't be eating anything served from this place anymore.
You could tell from the ridiculously expensive appliances that they hadn't been in operation for quite some time.
I moved past the huge mixers and refrigerators, all presenting the same dusty, abandoned appearance. Of course, I couldn't resist taking a closer look at them too, including the cobwebs gathered in the large bowl of the industrial mixer.
Since the hallway ended with large kitchen cupboards, I guessed the staff rooms must be located on the other side of the restaurant, and since there was nothing left for me to find in the kitchen, I headed back into the messy service area, following the sign marked Private.
But suddenly, a short chiming sound echoed from the main hall.
I froze instantly, looking down at Mio, who also stood stiffly. His hackles immediately rose.
Dead silence.
My loyal companion began to growl softly in the direction of the restaurant's exit.
The blood froze in my veins as I didn't even dare to take a breath.
What the hell was that?!
Did it come from the right? Or from the left?
Almost painfully, I gripped my scythe tighter and crept step by step toward the exit.
I took shallow breaths, as quiet as possible, trying to listen intently to my surroundings. Nearly impossible, with my heart hammering in my ears.
Still, I heard no other sounds. No footsteps. No rustling. No voices.
Yet, it was my task to exorcise the curse haunting this place, so I had to go back to the main hall anyway.
Watching the approaching glass doors of the restaurant with eagle eyes, I moved forward.
My personal horror scenario would have been this cursed thing jumping out at me from the side.
My first step back into the main hall.
I quickly glanced left – nothing unusual – then finally to the right, from where I suspected the ringing sound had come, and held my breath.
Nothing.
No cursed spirit in sight.
Shakily, I let the trapped air escape through my lips while already gripping my weapon with both hands. What on earth was that? Strangely, it didn't sound threatening, more like sweet and suggestive, but I could also be terribly mistaken.
…!
Once again, the bell rang more clearly to my right.
I sharply inhaled again, looking in the direction of the sound, and I could make out a tiny, extremely bright lilac butterfly on the broken-down ground, losing barely visible, same-colored particles.
I swallowed hard. A never-before-felt goosebumps surged through me, almost painful. I didn't trust this one bit.
Was that the cursed spirit?!
A butterfly?
It was sure to turn into that hideous cursed spirit any second and charge at me!
But the butterfly took flight, and I swung my scythe defensively in that direction, only to watch it fly, bell ringing, into the shop behind it and dissolve into thin air at the last moment.
Mio, on the other hand, continued to growl menacingly, making it clear that this couldn't have been an ordinary creature.
And if I didn't completely misunderstand, the butterfly had just given me a clue I would have to follow, whether I liked it or not.
"Shit," I whispered shakily, as my stomach twisted and turned five times in every direction.
My knees buckled as I grew colder, cold from fear that was spreading from deep within me.
Carefully, on tiptoe, hoping I would surprise the cursed spirit and not the other way around, I moved toward the shop the butterfly had flown into.
Instantly, a loud bang followed by deafening crashing porcelain echoed through the abandoned building, causing a sharp scream to escape me, and I flinched violently.
"A-ah-," I quickly slapped my hand over my mouth to silence myself, as Mio stood protectively in front of me.
"W-who a-are you-u, v-visiting m-me?!," came a mechanical-sounding, stuttering voice.
It went through my bones.
I pressed my lips tightly together.
Footsteps immediately followed, slowly approaching me.
Everything inside me screamed to turn around, as long as it was still possible, and run the hell out of there. But my shock paralyzed me, keeping me firmly trapped in its grip, and I didn't move a single inch. On the contrary, it was almost as if I wanted to see what was coming.
"D-did you-u c-come t-to v-visit me?," the cursed spirit asked again in its broken voice, suddenly appearing in the doorframe, emotionlessly staring at me.
I almost burst into tears!The Ring. The Grudge – those two films flashed through my mind at the sight of my opponent. The pale, white face covered by pitch-black long hair, under which far too large button eyes peeked out.
Mio growled threateningly, bared his teeth, and would have charged at the cursed spirit without hesitation if it hadn't suddenly collapsed to the floor.
Its uniform-like clothing tore open as it fell. In the next moment, the cursed spirit moved at a breakneck speed, crawling on all fours with grotesque contortions toward me.
Holy shit!!
Having just panicked, I finally managed to break free from my confusion and was about to run backward. As fate would have it, I stupidly tripped over my still-rooted feet and fell flat on my back. But I didn't realize that this had been a curse technique from my opponent, which held me fast by the feet.
"V-visit!" the monster croaked, swinging a blow at Mio.
The Shikigami skillfully dodged and countered immediately. I saw him sink his teeth into the cursed spirit's shoulder with strength, leaving a gaping wound.
But the cursed spirit wouldn't allow that a second time. At the last moment, it swung a counterattack at Mio and slammed its large hand down, its long nails digging into the fur. My companion immediately dissolved into the shadows.
Now or never!
While I fumbled for my weapon that had fallen from my hand when I tripped, I didn't take my eyes off the cursed spirit for a second. It was the same for him, who lustfully and bloodthirstily scrutinized me.
"V-visit," he muttered oddly again, crawling toward me with the same terrifying speed, his icy hands gripping my ankles.
Where the hell was that damned scythe?!
With shaking hands, I desperately searched for my defense while the cursed spirit continued to loom threateningly over me.
"Ugh! Will you get off me, you damn leek parade!" I complained in disgust, pushing my knee against his slippery and cold body.
At least that gave me a tiny advantage in distance, and I finally felt the metal – but at the same moment, a sharp pain shot through my right leg!
I gasped hastily and looked down at myself. The bastard had dragged his claw from my thigh to my ankle! Immediately, my hot life essence began to leak from the huge wound and ran down my leg.
Shit!
I had to hurry!
With a swift motion, I swung the scythe blade and quickly severed the torso from the middle of its ribs.
"V-visi-," he tried to whisper his last words, but they faltered as the severed halves of his body slid to the ground, his black button eyes lifelessly staring at me.
"Gross," I whispered, bracing myself on my elbows and glancing down at my throbbing leg.
It hurt just as much as it looked. Deep and bleeding heavily.
"My former boss would rush in with needle and thread," I assessed the situation, crumpled, "that bastard. I saw it coming…"
My heart was still racing, and I was still trembling all over. I carelessly let the scythe fall beside me and tried like hell to process the scene I'd just experienced.
I... I had just killed a cursed spirit!
The very one that dissolved beside me – and dropped something to the floor.
...?
What the hell was that?! A long, brownish-red object with a beige note attached?! Looking closer, it seemed like it had a violet fingernail.
Wait a minute! That was a finger!
Furrowing my brows, I hesitantly reached out for it.
No sooner had I touched it than I suddenly felt a hot tug at the back of my neck.
Fuck!
I wasn't alone anymore!
I abruptly held my breath. Stopped every single movement.
Around me, I could feel threatening presences hovering.
I would have preferred to avoid it, but I risked a glance up toward the ceiling.
And what I saw made me swallow hard.
Cursed spirits!
Massive numbers of cursed spirits!
They hissed. No, they panted and growled in a frenzy.
Whatever had driven me to it, I grabbed the so-called finger at the last second and pressed it tightly against my décolletage.
Trapped in fear, I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for nothing but further hellish pain... until death.
But...
I didn't feel anything. Nothing but my already burning leg.
Satoru?!
With all the courage I could muster, I cautiously looked around – straight into the grotesque faces of the monsters. But no sign of Satoru. Let alone anyone else.
The cursed spirits around me maintained a... reasonable distance?!
"W... T... F...," I stammered, astonished but suspicious, "why aren't they attacking?! What's going on here?!"
Sharp-witted but bathing in fear, I observed this abnormal scene. It seemed like a test of courage for them to approach me. One or two distorted figures dared to inch closer, only to then retreat with a growl.
I had no plausible explanation for this, but without a doubt, I suspected it had to do with the finger. Still, I had to put that aside for now! I needed to seize the moment while they apparently feared me and finally finish what I had to!
Without thinking, I tried to get up, only to be immediately greeted by pain from my injured leg. Grimacing in pain, I clutched my thigh to keep the discomfort from crawling further up. On a scale of 1 to 10, I was easily at a 12!
Still! I had to get out of here!
Painfully and with effort, I gathered myself and propped myself up on the stable ground. I quickly grabbed the scythe from the floor and realized I needed to keep an eye on that strange finger, so I tucked it into my skirt pocket.
I made my way toward the escalator. With the excruciating pain, I barely cared if the cursed spirits attacked me or not! I felt like screaming! Crying!
Then it hit me out of nowhere.
Cherry.
Why didn't I call out?!
Because stubborn me was too close to my goal, trying to do it alone, and it was already too late for that! Grimacing with pain, I limped toward the now-shut escalator, my leg fiercely rebelling with every step. Gradually, a dizzying sensation overtook me.
Damn! I must have lost too much blood by now.
I also noticed that I was starting to feel hotter. Hotter in a way that didn't come from my leg, but more from my chest and head.
Feverish would have been the best description for it.
Hopefully, that cursed spirit hadn't poisoned me! Or worse, infected me!
Dazed, I turned my attention to the cursed spirits hovering around me, still seemingly avoiding me.
But the number of them had doubled by now. At least, that's what I thought in my increasingly foggy perception.
Step by step, I dragged myself down the escalator – stopping for a brief rest in the lower third. With waning strength, I leaned against the railing, closed my eyes, and took shallower breaths than before.
Come on, Mayu! You're almost there...
I gathered my last bit of strength, looked back up toward the exit door, which wasn't too far away, and sluggishly continued my way toward safety.