The TV blared news of a mansion explosion in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, blamed on a gas leak.
Masamichi Yaga, listening to the report, glared at the four students kneeling before him.
Clench, clench—fists clenched!
"One of you said you'd set up a curtain, then ditched the assistant supervisor, right?"
"And completely forgot about it! Fess up!"
Sawa Gojo, Suguru Geto, and Shoko Ieiri, in perfect sync, pointed at Satoru Gojo.
Satoru, flustered, raised a hand. "Sensei! Can we skip finding the culprit?"
"So it's you!"
THWACK!
A fist landed, leaving a steaming lump on Satoru's head.
In the gym, Satoru and Suguru played one-on-one basketball.
Shoko, wearing Satoru's sunglasses, tested if they were special.
She then snatched Sawa's sunglasses from him as he munched on sweets.
"Huh, nothing fancy? I thought they'd be like Cyclops's visor from X-Men!"
Sawa took his sunglasses back from Shoko's face, putting them on. "Just regular shades to limit my vision. Six Eyes' 360-degree view overloads the brain with junk data that it could fry it!"
Shoko returned Satoru's sunglasses and sat beside Sawa.
"Brain fry? Learn Reverse Cursed Technique with me! You can heal a fried brain!"
Sawa gave her an odd look. "Why assume anyone can learn from your teaching style?"
On the court, Satoru spoke up. "Shoko's teaching is confusing, but why do we even need curtains?"
Suguru caught the ball. "Cursed spirits come from human cursed energy. To control their numbers, we keep people calm."
Satoru grimaced. "Worrying about normies is such a hassle!"
Suguru countered, "Satoru, the weak need a safe space. That's how society should work. Sorcerers exist to protect non-sorcerers!"
"Huh?"
Satoru stole Suguru's ball.
"Using lofty ideals to limit power? That's weakling talk!"
Satoru mimed gagging.
Suguru's eyes chilled. "Unrestrained power only destroys!"
As the tension spiked, they turned to Sawa.
"Sawa (bro), what's your take?"
Sawa, mid-sweet, paused, then shrugged.
"No opinion. I live by one rule."
"What?"
They leaned in, curious.
Sawa grinned. "I don't eat beef!"
"…"
They didn't get the joke.
Sawa continued, "It's simple: do what you want, but don't cross the line."
"As for your views—sorcerers should protect non-sorcerers, or don't have to? Both sound pretty dumb~"
"Huh?" ×2
Sawa's words turned their ire on him.
He set down his unfinished sweets. "You two brats wanna fight?"
Satoru and Suguru exchanged a glance, smirking.
Sensing a brawl brewing, Shoko's legs turned turbo, and she zoomed out.
Cursed Spirit Manipulation: Ghost Eye!
Technique Reversal: Blue!
Satoru and Suguru shot dangerous glares, but Sawa just smiled, arms wide.
Showdown imminent!
Whoosh!
The gym door swung open.
One second, they were ready to clash; the next, they were casually doing old-man stretches.
Yaga, eyeing the bizarre scene, sensed something off.
"What were you just doing? Where's Shoko?"
"No clue!"
"Maybe the bathroom?"
Yaga rubbed his brow. "Whatever. You three have a new mission!"
"Ugh!"
They turned away, exasperated.
"What's with those faces? Missions boring?"
"Not at all~"
They denied in unison.
Ignoring their expressions, Yaga said flatly, "Honestly, I didn't want you on this mission."
"But it's direct from Lord Tengen. I've got no say!"
"Two tasks: protect the Star Plasma Vessel, Lord Tengen's physical match, and kill her at the appointed time!"
Satoru froze. "Protect and kill her? That's insane!"
Sawa, knowing the deal, played dumb.
"Heard Yaga-sensei's up for principal. Must be so thrilled he's lost it!"
Suguru frowned. "How do we fix that?
Hospital?"
Sawa shook his head. "That's just a Band-Aid."
Satoru perked up. "How about me and big bro use family connections to cancel Yaga's principal promotion?"
Yaga: "…"
"Next time you plot, hide from me. And lower your voices!"
Ignoring their antics, Yaga continued, "This mission concerns Lord Tengen's reset."
"As you know, Tengen's technique is immortality, but not agelessness. Past a certain point, the technique triggers bodily evolution to a higher state."
"Isn't that good? Evolution sounds dope—like super evolution or armored evolution?"
"Satoru, watch less Digimon!"
"Evolution sounds nice, but Tengen's path is unknown. A wrong turn could birth the worst cursed spirit ever!"
Yaga's tone grew grave. "So, Tengen must merge with the Star Plasma Vessel to rejuvenate, delaying the technique for five hundred years!"
Sawa raised a hand. "What happens to the Vessel after merging?"
Yaga hesitated. "Well… she's said to fully assimilate with Tengen, indistinguishable, existing as another spiritual form."
"You believe that, Sensei?"
"…"
The trio got it.
Assimilation? More like devouring.
Another form?
With Tengen's millennia of memories, the Vessel's teenage years were a pebble in the ocean—mere ripples, then nothing.
Suguru, stone-faced, said, "That's murder, isn't it?"
Satoru's face twisted in disgust.
"Assimilation? What a sanctimonious term!"
Yaga sighed. "If you really don't want to do it, your status might get the mission scrapped."
"Nah."
Sawa stood, stretching lazily. "Something this big—can the higher-ups trust anyone else? Plus…"
He smirked.
"It's the Vessel's final trip. Better she's with three dashing, charming young guys than stuffy old geezers, right?"
Satoru and Suguru puffed out their chests, striking melodramatic poses à la Hong Kong star Andy Lau.
"You bet! You bet!"
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🤦 : Oops! You've reached the limit for today. But just for your power stone and recommendation I might— no I would add additional Chapter.
20PS — 1 additional Chapter
40PS — 2 additional Chapter and special mention if you've contributed 3 or more PS.
That's all. Enjoy Reading!