She slammed heavily against the tunnel wall and slid down.
The hammer in her hand also fell to the side.
“Cough, cough…”
Kugisaki clutched her chest, feeling as if her ribs were about to break.
Despair.
Deep despair.
Is this the strength of a Semi-Grade 1 Cursed Spirit?
They weren’t even in the same league!
“It’s over…”
Ijichi held his head in despair.
“We’re going to die here…”
The Gecko Cursed Spirit slowly crawled toward Kugisaki.
A greedy expression appeared on that twisted human face.
“Such delicate skin and tender meat…”
“It must be delicious…”
It opened its bloody maw, and foul-smelling saliva dripped in front of Kugisaki.
Kugisaki tried to stand up, but found her legs were weak and she couldn’t muster any strength at all.
“Damn it…”
“I haven’t even been to Harajuku yet…”
“I haven’t bought those beautiful clothes yet…”
“Am I going to die in this gutter?”
Tears spun uncontrollably in her eyes.
Just as that bloody maw was about to bite down.
A dark figure blocked her path.
He wasn’t particularly tall.
But he stood like an insurmountable mountain.
“Hey, ugly.”
“Is bullying girls really that much fun?”
Lin Ye’s voice was still as lazy and punchable as ever.
But to Kugisaki’s ears at this moment.
It was like heavenly music!
“You…”
Kugisaki looked up at his back.
Lin Ye’s right hand grasped the empty air.
A pitch-black long blade emitting a cold light appeared out of thin air in his hand.
The blade was slender, without any extra decoration, only pure killing intent.
Grade 1 Cursed Tool: Black Iron Long Blade!
“Don’t play dead over there.”
Lin Ye said without looking back.
“Watch closely, Nail Girl.”
“This is how a real Jujutsu Sorcerer fights.”
“Roar—!!!”
The Gecko Cursed Spirit was enraged!
It abandoned Kugisaki and lunged frantically at Lin Ye!
Massive claws tore through the air, letting out a piercing screech!
Lin Ye stood his ground.
He took a deep breath.
The world in his eyes once again became an intersection of lines and weak points.
“Ten-Stroke Cursed Technique.”
“Seven-Three.”
“Activate!”
In that instant.
Lin Ye’s figure vanished.
Fast!
Extremely fast!
Kugisaki only saw a flash of black lightning streak through the tunnel!
It was a perfect combination of pure physical explosive power and Cursed Energy!
“Swish—!”
Lin Ye appeared behind the Cursed Spirit.
Maintaining a posture as if he had just swung his blade.
He sheathed the long blade (though there was no sheath, he just gestured as if putting it behind his back).
“It’s over.”
Lin Ye said flatly.
“Huh?”
Kugisaki was stunned.
“What are you acting cool for?
That monster is clearly still…”
Before she could finish her sentence.
“Pfft!!!”
That massive Gecko Cursed Spirit.
From the top of its head to its tailbone.
A thin line of blood appeared.
Immediately following.
A massive amount of purple-black blood sprayed out!
Like a burst water pipe!
Splat—
The massive body split neatly into two halves!
They fell to the ground on either side!
The cut was as smooth as a mirror!
An instant kill!
Another instant kill!
And he had instantly killed a Semi-Grade 1 Cursed Spirit!
“This…”
Nobara Kugisaki was completely dumbfounded.
She forgot the pain, forgot to breathe.
She just stared blankly at the youth standing in the rain of blood, yet not a single drop touched his body.
The brilliance of this single strike.
Even many years later, it remained etched in her mind, impossible to shake off.
“How…
how is that possible…”
Ijichi was so frightened that his glasses fell off.
He scrambled to put his glasses back on and looked at the corpse.
“One strike?!”
“He cut through that Cursed Spirit with extremely high defense in one go?!”
“That’s an existence that even an average Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer would have to put some effort into!”
“This Lin Ye…”
“Who on earth is he?!”
“Mr.
Gojo…
what kind of monster did you pick up!”
Lin Ye turned around.
He walked up to Kugisaki and reached out his hand.
His face wore that signature, slightly mocking smile.
“Hey.”
“Can you still stand up?”
“Wild Rose of Morioka?”
Kugisaki looked at the hand extended before her.
The fingers were long and the knuckles well-defined.
It was this hand that had just casually swung a blade and saved her life.
Her face turned beet red with a “whoosh.”
This time.
It wasn’t out of anger.
She was truly embarrassed.
And there was a sliver of…
admiration?
She bit her lip and slapped Lin Ye’s hand away.
Her tsundere nature flared up.
“Who…
who wants you to pull me up!”
“I can get up by myself!”
Despite saying that, she struggled to stand up, only for her legs to give way, nearly causing her to fall.
Lin Ye was quick and caught her by the waist.
Soft.
That was Lin Ye’s first impression.
Slender.
That was the second.
“Be careful.”
“If your legs are weak, just say so.
It’s not embarrassing.”
Lin Ye teased.
Kugisaki’s whole body stiffened.
The distance between them was extremely close.
She could even hear Lin Ye’s heartbeat.
“Let…
let go of me!”
She pushed Lin Ye away abruptly, took two steps back, her face as red as a ripe apple.
that was an accident!”
“If this lady hadn’t been hungry, a small fry like that would have been…”
Her voice grew smaller and smaller.
Clearly, even she didn’t believe it.
[Ding!
Congratulations to the host for completing the mission!]
[Mission: Tame the Wild Rose (Phase 1).]
[Objective Achieved: Show overwhelming strength in battle and save Nobara Kugisaki.]
[Favorability soaring!]
[-5 -> 30 (That was kind of cool / I owe you one / Heart racing).]
[Evaluation: It seems the’suspension bridge effect’ really is a great tool for picking up girls.
Although she’s acting tough, she has already started to view you as a strong person in her heart.]
[Rewards distributed: Grade 1 Cursed Tool: Black Rope (Fragment), Points +800!]
Lin Ye looked at the favorability on the panel and nodded with satisfaction.
30 points.
It had already moved out of the “dislike” category and entered the ambiguous zone of “more than friends.”
Although there was still a long way to go before reaching “lovers.”
But for this tsundere, it was already a huge step forward.
“Fine, fine, you’re the best.”
Lin Ye didn’t expose her, instead going along with her words.
“So, can we go now?”
“This car looks totaled.”
“Mr.
Ijichi, you’re not dead yet, are you?
If not, hurry up and call for backup.”
Ijichi finally snapped out of it and hurriedly pulled out his phone.
“Yes!
Yes!
Calling right away!”
“I’ll call for another car immediately!”
…
Two hours later.
The new car finally arrived.
Along the way, the atmosphere inside the car underwent a subtle change.
Kugisaki was no longer as aggressive as before.
She occasionally stole glances at Lin Ye, who was resting with his eyes closed beside her.
Her heart was full of curiosity.
“This guy…”
“What exactly is his background?”
“That strike…
was really cool…”
“Aaaah!
Nobara Kugisaki!
What are you thinking!”
“He’s just a poser!
Although…
although he does have a bit of skill…”
Kugisaki was in a state of frantic inner conflict.
Meanwhile, Lin Ye was organizing his gains with his eyes closed.
[Current Attribute Panel:]
[Host: Lin Ye]
[Total Cursed Energy: 2700/5000 (Semi-Grade 1)]
[Physical Techniques: Proficient+]
[Cursed Technique: Ten-Stroke Cursed Technique (Modified Version).]
[Cursed Tools: Black Iron Long Blade (Grade 1), Black Rope Fragment (Special).]
[Points: 1800 (800 reward + previous remainder).]
[Current Conquest Progress:]
[Sasaki: 75 (Long-distance relationship candidate).]
[Nobara Kugisaki: 30 (Tsundere little kitten).]
Lin Ye looked at the “Black Rope Fragment.”
This was a good item.
In the original story, it was the divine tool Miguel used to stall Satoru Gojo.
Even though it was just a fragment, it should still be able to disrupt Cursed Techniques.
“Another trump card.”
“Going to Tokyo, I have even more confidence now.”
…
Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical College.
Located deep in the mountains on the outskirts of Tokyo.