“Your eye—is it okay?” A soft cotton cloth brushed lightly against his cheek, and the clean fragrance belonging to the girl forcefully shoved aside the residual stench still lingering in the air.
Too close—the distance was far too close.
So close that Uchiha Ayato could even count each tremble of Wakaba Mutsumi’s quivering eyelashes.
This sudden, boundary-crossing concern slammed squarely into Ayato’s social defense mechanisms.
He instinctively wanted to lean his head back, but seeing the girl looking as if she’d mustered every ounce of her courage, so fragile she was on the verge of shattering, he halted his retreat.
And then there was that System mission that had suddenly popped up…
What the hell.
Uchiha Ayato grumbled inwardly, then smoothly flashed his signature smile to mask his emotions.
At a time like this, just smiling should do the trick, right?
“It’s nothing—it just looks scary, that’s all.” “I got a little carried away; call it a small price for the technique.” Ayato gently raised his right hand and, with perfect ease, covered the back of Wakaba Mutsumi’s hand that held the handkerchief, guiding her hand slowly away from his cheek: “It’s stopped bleeding already.
Thank you.” He pulled back a little, dispelling the cloying atmosphere with a breezy tone.
To reclaim control of the conversation, Ayato’s gaze swept across the luxurious bedroom that the earlier storm of cursed energy had thrown into utter disarray: “But then again…” “Why would that thing come barging straight into your home?” Cursed Spirits of this urban-legend type generally pick their victims at random on the streets; cases of one targeting a specific individual and breaking into their home are exceedingly rare.
After Ayato drew her hand away, the warmth of the boy’s cheek still lingered on Wakaba Mutsumi’s fingertips.
She stiffly clutched the white handkerchief now stained a glaring dark red, lowering her head to stare at the wood splinters on the floor.
Silence spread between the two of them, and only the sound of the wind outside poured into this ruined bedroom.
A full half-minute passed before Wakaba Mutsumi finally spoke: “Outside, I saw her.” “I thought that, like always, if I just took one look and pretended I hadn’t seen anything, nothing would happen.” The curve at the corner of Uchiha Ayato’s mouth slowly drew in, his eyes narrowing slightly as genuine surprise surfaced on his face: “You said…’like always’?” Ordinary people cannot see Cursed Spirits.
Unless on the brink of death, an ordinary person could go their whole life without ever perceiving the existence of those twisted monsters.
Being able to break through this veil meant that the seemingly delicate little cucumber before him was not entirely a “non-sorcerer.” Uchiha69: Guess I’m the clown now.
Here I was thinking about keeping her from stepping into this world, only for it to turn out she’d been inside it from the very start.
Cutting all of a sudden from a god-tier slice-of-life to a paranormal film set—what’s going to become of our girls’ band (choking up)…what will we turn into (choking up again)?
“So you’ve…been able to see those things this whole time?” Ayato asked softly.
Wakaba Mutsumi slowly lifted her head.
There was no fear of monsters in her eyes; instead they brimmed with the relief of finally being able to pour out a secret she’d hidden for over a decade: “It started when I was little.” “In the ditches along the way home from school, behind Minami-chan and Aron…there were always so many things, things that looked utterly revolting.” “You’re different.” The girl’s gaze stayed glued to Ayato, not drifting away for even a moment: “Last night, back then—you were clean.” Clean?
Ayato raised an eyebrow.
On the other side, a long-absent note of solid reassurance had crept into Wakaba Mutsumi’s voice: “Around you, there was nothing at all.” “Those things—they can’t get near you.” “…And it’s the same for that weird white-haired guy wearing an eyepatch beside you.” Just as Uchiha Ayato had said earlier, ignorance is bliss.
Ordinary people can’t see Cursed Spirits, while those who can are subjected to visual bullying almost every waking moment; it was hard to imagine how this child had managed to endure all this way.
“Haah…” Ayato heaved a heavy sigh and pressed at his temple, a note of helplessness creeping into his voice: “Well, this just got complicated.” Those words made Wakaba Mutsumi’s body flinch slightly.
She had never liked being a burden to others, and she dreaded being seen as dead weight.
“You know, if you were a thoroughly ordinary person, this would actually be very simple.” Ayato gestured toward the night outside the window and said: “After I report to the assistant supervisor that the mission is complete, the people who specialize in cleanup would rush over and string a cordon around the house.” “Since you don’t have the talent to exorcise monsters, they wouldn’t drag you into this circle; as a victim, you’d be taken away for psychological counseling.” “Then they’d cast some kind of technique on you and wipe every last trace of tonight’s memory of monsters clean from your mind.” “After that, the higher-ups would release a notice on the news saying the Wakaba household had suffered a gas explosion or a violent home invasion by some criminal.” At this point, Ayato lifted a mocking smile: “Who knows, your superstar parents might even seize on the gimmick of their daughter being caught in a terrorist attack to squeeze out a few dramatic tears in front of the public, frantically harvesting a wave of ratings and sympathy—their buzz exploding, their careers soaring to new heights.” Listening to this account, Wakaba Mutsumi’s breathing grew rapid.
Wipe her memory completely clean?
Forget everything about tonight, forget this warmth of being protected, and then be thrown back into the mire where she had to face her fear all alone?
No…
Absolutely not.
Unaware of her thoughts, Ayato went on: “But as it happens, you have the potential to see these things.” “They’d most likely judge that you have the makings of a sorcerer and recruit you into Jujutsu High.” “That’s no fun life.
You’d undergo training and guidance, then risk your life against Cursed Spirits day after day, living a life where you could lose a limb at any moment—or even be chewed up and swallowed whole by them.” “You have your own life, your own interests, your own bonds—you definitely wouldn’t like that kind of existence, right?” Forget everything and pretend nothing had happened, or step into that world that sounded unbearably cruel?
As Uchiha Ayato’s voice faded, all that remained in Wakaba Mutsumi’s mind was this seemingly unsolvable deadlock.
Saki still needs me…
But I also…
“I…” “Hold it.” Uchiha Ayato suddenly raised his index finger, resting it airily against his lips: “Don’t be in such a rush to decide—I haven’t finished talking yet.” “Whether it’s forgetting everything and going back to a daily life where you have to tread carefully, or being shipped off to exorcise monsters—both are too extreme for you, aren’t they?” “So, actually, there’s a third path.” He paused, watching the light gradually kindle in the girl’s eyes: “I’ll use a little trick to help you slip past this whole thing.” “When the guys in charge of cleanup show up in a bit, you just keep your head down and play the part of an ordinary victim scared out of her wits—I’ll handle the rest.” “Once this whole mess is over today, your life goes on as usual—go to school when you should, keep playing the guitar when you want to.” “As long as you keep the secret of ‘being able to see’ rotting away in your gut, you won’t have to set foot in that dangerous world.
As for the Cursed Spirits…” Ayato leaned down slightly, drawing a little closer to Wakaba Mutsumi’s pale little face, and winked at her: “Once you’ve gotten through this, I’ll find time to privately teach you a few means of protecting yourself.” “I can’t promise you’ll be able to solve problems as easily as I do, but giving you the means to fight back, or to save your own skin and run, is no problem at all.” “That way, you won’t have to live on edge every single day anymore.” “No need to give up your peaceful life, no need to have your memories wiped—this is a special cram session known only to you and me.” “So?
Not a bad offer, is it?” Mutsulian, you must spend your whole life hiding yourself!
Uchiha Ayato: For the record, I’m not some wooden-cabinet fetishist, nor some soft-hearted pushover who melts the moment he sees a little girl sniffling—this is all just to complete my mission.
Yes—the mission!
“…” The girl stared blankly into Uchiha Ayato’s eyes, those pitch-black pupils like a bottomless well.
She could go on being an ordinary person.
She wouldn’t have to forget what happened today.
And what’s more…
He would come find me.
He would teach me.
That cleanness and warmth would not only never disappear from now on—it would become a secret belonging to just the two of us.
Belonging to only me…
“…Okay.” She gave a tiny response, and without warning, great big teardrops gathered in her eyes.
“Then the contract is sealed.” Uchiha Ayato smiled faintly, his eyes once again staining crimson.
The Tomoe spun one silent revolution, and the still-sobbing girl lost consciousness the very next second, pitching forward into Uchiha Ayato’s arms.
The girl’s body was feather-light, as if he were holding an armful of air.
Ayato shook his head, took out his phone, and dialed Ijichi Kiyotaka: “It’s me.
Yeah, the Cursed Spirit has been exorcised.
You can take down the Veil now.” ____ 👻🔥Read More: Walnut-chan🔥👻 🔥 New history: Uchiha Reborn in Jujutsu Kaisen: The System Thinks I’m in Konoha, but I’m Not Help us hit our community goals: