“So, you really were about to call yourself ‘this king’?
Ohh… I knew it.
We’re the same type.” Riko Amanai gave him a look that practically screamed I’ve seen through you completely.
Ragnar Kagenou fell silent for a moment.
“…Just take it however you want.
It’s a pain to explain.” “Hehehe.
I knew it.
Stand users are always drawn to one another.” “…You really are deep in the chūnibyō phase.” Of course, Ragnar wasn’t exactly in a position to talk.
If anything, that was the pot calling the kettle black.
One thing became very clear before long— Riko Amanai was completely unfamiliar with this part of the city.
“…Why don’t we just check the map?” “S-Shut up!
This lady knows where she’s going!” Riko stubbornly pressed on, wandering through the streets with all the confidence of someone marching straight into the unknown.
Ragnar had already figured out that she was just walking around at random.
But since he had nothing better to do, he simply followed along, treating the whole thing like a form of entertainment.
Meanwhile, Riko was under immense pressure.
What is going on?
She was a Tokyo local.
So why was she the one getting lost?
After taking one wrong turn after another, the two of them eventually arrived in front of a remote, abandoned amusement park.
Ragnar stopped at the entrance, rapped his knuckles lightly against the rusted iron gate, and glanced inside.
“…What is this supposed to be?
Some hidden haunted-spot recommendation?” Riko immediately put on an indifferent expression, looked off into the sky, and casually nudged a pebble with the tip of her shoe.
“This lady has no idea.” At that moment, the weeds behind the rusted gate began swaying in a way that was anything but natural.
Riko’s attention was drawn to it at once, and she leaned forward to peer inside.
The instant she did— A bloodshot eye stared right back at her.
Their gazes met.
For one endless second, everything froze.
Then Riko let out a scream so genuine it came straight from the bottom of her lungs.
“Ahhh!
Th-There—!” She stumbled backward, pointing frantically behind the gate as if words alone weren’t enough to explain what she’d seen.
Bang!
The rusted iron gate was blasted open by an invisible force.
Ragnar turned his head.
There was no need for anyone to explain it.
That grotesque, sanity-eroding shape made the answer obvious.
A Cursed Spirit.
“C-Cursed Spirit!
Run, Ragn—” Riko started to flee, then caught herself when she noticed Ragnar hadn’t moved at all.
That was when it hit her.
Ordinary people couldn’t see Cursed Spirits.
Gritting her teeth, she rushed back, grabbed his arm, and tried to drag him away with her.
“Hey, hey, calm down, Amanai.” “Do you even understand what’s in front of you right now?!
It’s a curse!
Ah—damn it, even if I explain it, you won’t get it!” “Seriously, stop being stubborn and come with me!
I am not in the mood to see human sashimi today!” Ragnar glanced at her.
“Human sashimi?
That’s a pretty vivid way to put it.” “Now is not the time to be commenting on my wording!” Riko was on the verge of tears.
Because it wasn’t just one.
More and more Cursed Spirits were crawling out from inside the amusement park.
Their bodies were twisted and broken apart in all the wrong ways, like they had been stitched together from scraps that no longer remembered they were ever meant to be human.
Ragnar pressed a hand to his forehead, looking openly disgusted.
“Ugly things.” His crimson eyes turned cold.
“Who gave you permission to look directly at me?” Ten golden ripples unfolded behind him in an instant.
The golden light reflected in Riko’s stunned eyes, washing across her face.
“W-What is this?!” The nearest Cursed Spirit opened its enormous, revolting mouth and let out a harsh, grating roar.
Swoosh.
Swoosh.
Swoosh.
The Noble Phantasms floating within the ripples shot out like bullets of light.
Roar your ass.
Shut up.
The golden weapons tore through the Cursed Spirits in a single breath.
Bodies burst apart.
The earth was gouged open with heavy craters.
Then the weapons dissolved into particles of light and vanished, while the Cursed Spirits themselves crumbled into ash and disappeared into the air.
Ragnar narrowed his eyes slightly.
“No increase in Cursed Energy… So they were just low-grade curses.” Riko rubbed her eyes hard, then looked again.
No matter how many times she blinked, the result didn’t change.
The Cursed Spirits had all been skewered so cleanly they looked like grotesque candied fruit.
She slowly turned toward him.
“You’re a jujutsu sorcerer?!” “No.” “A-A curse user?!” “No.” Riko immediately put some distance between them, staring at him with full alertness.
“Then who are you exactly?
Why are you getting close to me?!” “What kind of question is that?” Ragnar lowered his head slightly, his golden hair falling over his red eyes.
For a brief second, Riko’s throat tightened.
Then he answered in a calm, almost lazy tone.
“Just a passing, enthusiastic citizen.” A question mark practically popped above Riko’s head.
“…What?” Ragnar looked at her, deadpan.
“What do you mean, I’m the one approaching you?
You’re the one who kept sticking to me.” Then he stepped forward and flicked her on the forehead.
Thwack.
“Uwaah!
That hurt!!” Riko instantly crouched down, clutching her forehead with tears welling at the corners of her eyes.
“Do you have any idea how to treat a lady?!
Your sense of restraint is nonexistent!” She grabbed the hem of Ragnar’s clothes and looked up at him pitifully.
“I-I need a proper meal to recover from this…” Ragnar scratched the side of his head.
In the end, he could only deal with the trouble he’d caused.
“…Fine.
Stop whining.
I’ll treat you to yakiniku.” “Yay!
It’s a promise!” “Yakiniku!
This lady accepts!” Ragnar immediately realized what had happened.
…Damn it.
I got played.
The scene shifted.
Inside a charcoal yakiniku restaurant.
Riko cut off a piece of gyūtan, popped it into her mouth, and her eyes lit up on the spot.
“Mmm!
Delicious!
Hurry up and try this!
Salted Wagyu gyūtan—it’s incredible!
It practically melts!” Even while eating, she still had time to pull out her phone and take pictures.
Though Ragnar had definitely been tricked into this, he had to admit the place was good.
The large floor-to-ceiling windows were spotless, and the private seating meant they wouldn’t be disturbed by other customers.
As for the price?
That was a joke.
On the way here, Ragnar had already exchanged a handful of gold coins for more than enough yen.
“Yeah.
Not bad.
Everything here’s pretty good.” Riko put down her fork, then suddenly moved to his side.
“What are you doing?” “Don’t talk.
Just look at the camera.” She took out her phone and, without hesitation, wrapped an arm around him.
Click.
With Ragnar looking blatantly unwilling and Riko grinning like she’d just won something, the picture was taken.
“Ohh, this came out great!
Super photogenic.
And seriously, way too handsome.” Riko stared at the screen, deeply satisfied.
She was already planning to show it off to her classmates tomorrow and make them all jealous.
By the time they stepped back outside, Riko stretched with the air of someone whose entire day had been redeemed.
“Mmm.
I’m satisfied.
Today really turned out to be lucky.” Ragnar glanced at her.
“Lucky?
I ran into a chūnibyō weirdo.
Sounds unlucky to me.” “Huh?
This lady is one of the chosen.
Even if I told you, you wouldn’t understand.” Riko puffed out her chest proudly, making it clear that she considered herself completely different from ordinary people.
Ragnar paused for a second, then replied: “How would I know if you never tell me?” Riko folded her arms.
“Even if you can use Cursed Energy and exorcise curses, you’re still not from Jujutsu High.” Then she added, with obvious seriousness: “I’m not allowed to tell people who aren’t connected to Jujutsu High.” So she really did have her own principles.
Ragnar already knew the general situation, of course.
But for now, pretending not to know was the better option.
It was getting late.
Riko was still a middle school student.
If she kept wandering around after dark and got picked up by the police, that would become a whole different problem.
When she was about to leave, Ragnar called out to her.
“If something happens, come find me.” Riko let out a snort.
“Hmph!
Who do you think this lady is?
There’s no problem in this world I can’t solve.” Ragnar watched her, then laughed softly.
“…You’ve really got some personality.”
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