Mane of Bayard.
That was the name of the cord bracelet Ritsuka had temporarily lent to Nanami.
It was a Valentine’s Day return gift from the Servant Georgios, an accessory woven from the mane of Bayard, the phantom warhorse that was itself a Noble Phantasm of invincibility.
What’s more, the cord had been blessed by multiple saints, holy women, and a pope—Georgios, Jeanne, Martha, and Pope Johanna among them.
Wearing it not only brought peace of mind and various other benefits, but also granted immense purifying power against evil spirits.
She hadn’t tested its effects in this world, but cursed spirits—born from the accumulated negative emotions of humanity—surely fell squarely within the category of malevolent beings, no matter how you looked at it.
Nanami departed alone to investigate the other location, while Ijichi drove Ritsuka and Yuji to the known haunts of their suspect, Yoshino Junpei.
According to reports, in the two days since the movie theater incident, Junpei had not attended school.
In the end, they decided to stake out the area near his home and wait for him to appear.
It didn’t take long.
“Found him.”
Spotting Junpei, Ijichi quickly shifted into work mode.
Yuji asked, “So what’s next?
What do we do?”
“We use this.”
Ijichi gestured toward a small cage sitting in the front passenger seat.
Inside were several diminutive winged cursed spirits.
“Fly Heads.
Low-grade cursed spirits, not even Grade 4.
Once he reaches a deserted spot, release the Fly Heads to attack him.”
“Eh?!”
Ijichi continued his briefing.
“Scenario one: if he’s an ordinary person who can’t see cursed spirits, the two of you will rescue him.
Scenario two: if he can see cursed spirits but doesn’t know how to handle them, you rescue him first, then question him about that day’s events.
Scenario three: if he exorcises the spirits using a technique, detain him first, then handle the situation from there.
Scenario four: if he demonstrates considerable potential, then retreat and report the situation to Nanami-san.”
“That covers the operational plan.
The rest is in your hands now.
I’ll remain in the car awaiting updates and provide support as needed.”
“Right.”
“Understood.”
Ritsuka and Yuji took the cage of Fly Heads and exited the vehicle, tailing Junpei discreetly and waiting for an opening.
As they followed, Yuji couldn’t help but grumble under his breath.
“This kind of self-staged act…
it just doesn’t sit right, somehow.
What do you think, Ritsuka?”
“I don’t feel one way or the other about it.
But at least this way, no one gets hurt, right?”
“Yeah, true.”
Finally, they found their moment to act.
“Alright then, now we just release these guys—”
“Wait!”
Just as Yuji was about to unleash the Fly Heads, Ritsuka suddenly stopped him short, startling him in the process.
“What’s wrong?”
“There’s someone else here.”
Yuji quickly looked over.
A short, heavyset middle-aged man was sitting on the steps in front of Junpei’s house.
The potted plants flanking the stairs had obstructed their view, preventing them from spotting him immediately.
The man seemed to know Junpei.
As they watched, the two had already struck up a conversation, though it appeared to be entirely one-sided—the man talked while Junpei listened passively.
“What do we do now?
Should I go try to lure the old guy away, and then you release the Fly Heads?”
As Yuji made his suggestion, he seemed practically itching to spring into action.
Ritsuka quickly held him back again.
“Wait just a bit longer!”
“Huh?
What now?”
“Nothing, really.
I just want to observe a little more.
My instincts tell me we might see something revealing if we wait.”
Ritsuka kept a hand on Yuji to prevent any sudden, impulsive blunders, while keeping her gaze fixed on the pair conversing at the doorstep.
If she remembered correctly, by this point in time, Junpei had already mastered his technique.
And…
Just then, the dynamic at the doorstep shifted slightly.
Junpei, who had been passively listening the whole time, suddenly said something.
Then, he extended his right hand and formed a technique-activating gesture.
At the same time, right before Yuji’s astonished eyes, a translucent jellyfish more than two meters tall slowly materialized behind Junpei.
Ritsuka’s eyes lit up.
This was it!
“He can use a technique!
He’s a sorcerer?!”
“Wait, that guy’s in danger!”
Yuji stared in shock at the jellyfish shikigami Junpei had summoned.
A heartbeat later, seeing Junpei’s hand move, his expression shifted sharply—and he bolted forward in an instant.
On the other side, Junpei was now blind to everything in the outside world.
His vision had narrowed to the pig of a teacher before him, and his fury had reached its boiling point.
What do you even know?!
What do you even know?!
You actually call those animals who’ve been bullying me at school my “good friends”!!
What do you even know?!
WHAT DO YOU EVEN KNOW!!!
Scum like this…
yeah, should just go die.
“STOP!!”
Just as Junpei was about to make his move, Yuji’s fist arrived first, slamming hard into the jellyfish shikigami’s bell-shaped head!
Though Yuji’s attack didn’t destroy the shikigami outright, the tremendous force behind the blow sent the jellyfish crashing backward into Junpei.
Unable to react in time, Junpei was sent flying along with it, smashing into the wall of a neighbor’s house.
“…!”
The middle-aged man stared in utter shock at the scene unfolding before him.
But before he could even process what was happening, Ritsuka, catching up from behind, promptly knocked him unconscious, getting him out of the way.
Meanwhile, Yuji had already pinned Junpei to the ground, immobilizing him.
But Junpei still seemed to be struggling, trying to fight back.
He directed his jellyfish to continue attacking Yuji.
Ritsuka arrived right on cue.
Seeing the situation, she immediately summoned the Shadow Servant of Ryougi Shiki.
Hidden within the dense black mist, the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception fixed on their prey.
An utterly unremarkable dagger traced a line across the jellyfish’s form, and with that simple, understated stroke, erased its very existence.
“Whoa, that’s incredible!
One hit and it took out that shikigami!
What was that just now?!”
Seeing Ritsuka effortlessly handle the shikigami he had failed to destroy, Yuji’s eyes went wide with amazement.
Curiosity piqued, he asked.
“You could call it…
my shikigami, I suppose,” Ritsuka replied offhandedly.
She looked at Junpei, pinned beneath Yuji.
“Give up.
There’s no point resisting.”
Watching his technique be utterly killed, Junpei finally ceased his struggles.
And now, the fury that had been stirred up moments ago began to ebb, replaced by sheer bewilderment in the face of the unknown.
Flustered and at a loss, he demanded, “Wh-who are you people?!”
“We’re jujutsu sorcerers.
We’re here to investigate your connection to the cursed spirit attack at the movie theater.”
As she spoke, Ritsuka dialed Ijichi’s number, calling him over for support.
At the same time, she looked at Junpei and thought to herself: No matter how things develop from here…
surely it can’t end up worse than the original outcome?