Jujutsu Kaisen: Wheel Of Time

Chapter 11: The Mission

"...Tokyo Jujutsu High is not a place for someone like you to just muddle through!"

In the hallway, Maki said her last words to Yuta Okkotsu, and judging by his reaction, her words must have struck a raw nerve, causing a critical hit.

Panda, standing nearby, couldn't bear to watch and spoke up, "Maki, that's enough!" Inumaki Toge also chimed in, signaling her to stop. Couldn't she see how dejected their new classmate looked?

"Alright, you're so noisy." Maki, carrying her weapon case on her back, lifted her foot and walked forward.

Panda offered comfort to Yuta Okkotsu, "Sorry, don't take it too hard. Sometimes she just thinks she understands others really well."

Yuta Okkotsu lowered his head, "It's fine, after all… she was telling the truth."

Kamihara Hajime walked over and patted him on the shoulder, "Don't let it fool you, Maki is actually very kind to her companions…"

"Hajime!"

Maki's angry roar came from ahead. Kamihara Hajime quickly excused himself, "I'm going to find Gojo-sensei, I'm leaving now!" With that, he waved to the others and quickly slipped away.

…

"This mission is a bit special. It's not just Curses, but also potentially involves Curse Masters. However, they're probably only Grade 2 to Grade 1. If Hajime can complete it, promoting to Grade 1 only requires a recommendation and passing the assessment."

Gojo Satoru, looking very relaxed, continued, "And your Technique is very advantageous against Curse Masters, so this will be a solo mission for you. No problem, right?"

Kamihara Hajime naturally had no problem with it. The authority gained from being promoted to Grade 1, even if it's just semi-Grade 1, is different. Just the rewards for different grades of missions are not on the same level.

"I have no problem, but I need a cursed tool for close combat. Do you have one, Gojo-sensei?"

Gojo Satoru nodded, "The school's Repository has one. I'll register it for you later."

Afterward, Kamihara Hajime received a sword-shaped cursed tool. However, theoretically, it was still school property. Then, having received the mission intelligence, Kamihara Hajime prepared to depart.

The Supervisor assigned to accompany Kamihara Hajime was Nitta Akari, a beautiful woman with golden medium-length hair. Her exact age was unknown, but she looked quite young, lively, and cute.

The mission location was a small town. The cause was the disappearance of five adult women without reason. Initially, the local Police were investigating, but when the last victim was attacked, it was captured by one of the few surveillance cameras on the street.

Then, the eerie scene led them to seek help from professionals. Kamihara Hajime wasn't too surprised by this. Under normal circumstances, Cursed Spirits are not only invisible to ordinary people but also cannot be recorded by surveillance cameras, cameras, and the like.

Presumably, it was such a scene that made the Police realize that this matter was extraordinary, which led them to report it. Upon arriving in the town, Nitta Akari reported all the case information to Kamihara Hajime.

"So, the Window confirmed that there are still traces of a Curse in the town, and the victims' patterns are too regular, so you suspect a Curse Master is involved?"

Nitta Akari nodded solemnly, "Yes."

Kamihara Hajime stroked his chin and pondered for a moment. So-called Curse Masters can be understood as Jujutsu Sorcerers who have "fallen." Most of them engage in heinous acts, such as the currently well-known Curse Master, a former student of Tokyo Jujutsu High, and a Special Grade Sorcerer—Suguru Geto.

It is said that he defected after massacring 112 villagers in a village, and later even killed his own ordinary parents. Having committed such atrocious acts, he was deemed a Curse Master and was to be executed.

However, he seems to still be alive so far. As for him, there seems to be some history between him and Gojo Satoru-sensei… after all, they were classmates.

Putting aside these distracting thoughts, Kamihara Hajime focused on the suspicious points of this case: the commonalities among the five victims.

Firstly, they were all young, beautiful women, aged between twenty and twenty-five. Secondly, they were all attacked late at night, and their bodies all showed signs of damage. The scene could only be described as extremely gruesome. Even Kamihara Hajime, accustomed to the terrifying and disgusting scenes of Cursed Spirits, almost couldn't bear it.

"If the culprit is a human, then it seems they are somewhat psychologically disturbed. There were no signs of sexual assault on these victims. According to forensic examination, the victims were all conscious when they were brought to the crime scene and mutilated. Although their bodies were severely damaged, no parts were missing…"

It wasn't for lust, and these five people had no common connections in their lives, so it wasn't a revenge killing. Could it really be a perverted serial killer who only sought to vent dark desires? And a Curse Master at that!

And based on the current clues, if a Curse were killing, the pattern wouldn't be like this; it would more likely be a commonality like them all having visited a certain place.

"Let's go look for traces of the Curse first."

Subsequently, Kamihara Hajime and Nitta Akari began patrolling the town. However, after nearly an entire afternoon, apart from a few residual Cursed Energy traces, they found nothing unusual.

And the locations of those few residual Cursed Energy traces had no commonality and were quite far apart, offering no immediate value.

"Could the culprit be hiding?" Nitta Akari raised the question, but it was quickly dismissed by Kamihara Hajime.

"No, these Curse Masters, to put it plainly, mostly find it difficult to control the various negative emotions that arise with Cursed Energy. To some extent, they are insane… though most Jujutsu Sorcerers seem to be a bit like that."

"Five victims, the crimes were almost continuous. Even when the Police's investigation efforts were at their highest, the culprit did not stop committing crimes, so the culprit must be extremely rampant."

"True, with power that surpasses ordinary people and can control others' lives and deaths, it would be strange if these murderers weren't like this."

Kamihara Hajime, who had been silent for a while, suddenly spoke, "Ms. Nitta Akari, I have an idea…"

Nitta Akari, also worried about how to catch the culprit, perked up at his words, "Please tell me!"

Kamihara Hajime looked at Nitta Akari. She was wearing a women's suit, had a good figure, and while not stunningly beautiful, she was what ordinary people would call a beauty, with stylish and bright blonde hair.

"You fit the culprit's hunting criteria: young and beautiful. And you only need to appear alone on the street late at night. Then, if the wandering hunter sees you, I'm sure he won't let such an opportunity pass. And your Cursed Energy isn't prominent, so it won't alert the culprit. It's just…"

Nitta Akari pondered for a moment, then showed a determined expression, "I am willing to cooperate. Since a Curse Master is involved, the sooner we catch him, the fewer people will be harmed!"

Kamihara Hajime nodded, "But Ms. Nitta Akari, you don't need to worry too much. My Technique is speed-based. I will keep you in my sight. Once the culprit is confirmed, you only need to distract him for a few seconds, and I will be by your side immediately."

Nitta Akari nodded in understanding, and then the two began to discuss the specific action plan.

…

Night fell, and the streets were mostly empty. Only a few drunkards, night owls, and those whose work knew no day or night might still be walking the streets.

At this moment, a beautiful blonde woman was swaying along the street. Her fashionable attire, vibrant makeup, and slightly unsteady, drunken gait suggested she had just left a bar after drinking.

Late at night, with no one around, a beautiful young woman alone naturally quickly drew the attention of those with ill intentions, "foraging" in the darkness.

The woman was Nitta Akari. She walked down the street, feigning a drunken state, though she had only had a little alcohol. Before long, a man followed her from the shadows.

Nitta Akari secretly wondered if he was the culprit. The approaching footsteps seemed even more terrifying.

Soon after, the person following seemed unable to resist, suddenly quickened his pace, and then a somewhat low, slightly lecherous voice spoke, "Madam, are you drunk? Do you need help?"

A somewhat nervous Nitta Akari hadn't forgotten her disguise; her demeanor, movements, and tone were all those of a drunk person.

"Don't… who are you? If you don't leave, I'll… call the Police…"

The man followed Nitta Akari for a while longer, but seeing that she was still conscious and might call the Police at any moment, he gave up on this "prey" and disappeared back into the darkness.

"He didn't use Curses to incapacitate me, and he gave up the target when things looked bad. It seems he's not the culprit." Nitta Akari calmly made her judgment internally, then continued to feign walking towards "home."

However, not long after, Nitta Akari heard footsteps behind her again. She turned back and saw it was the same man from before. It seemed he wasn't willing to give up so easily, so he had returned.

Nitta Akari, having an important task, certainly didn't want to be entangled with this ordinary person who was very likely not the culprit. But she had no good immediate solution, as she was currently disguised as an ordinary person, and she couldn't guarantee that the culprit wasn't watching from the shadows…

So, she just acted panicked and hurried towards the area illuminated by the streetlights ahead. The man following her also quickened his pace, calling out to try and stop her.

The footsteps grew closer. Just as Nitta Akari was thinking about whether to pretend to abort the mission and deal with this person, she suddenly saw a taxi parked on the street ahead, and an ordinary middle-aged salaryman was getting out of it.

"If I go ask for help, it should scare off the ordinary person behind me." Thinking this, Nitta Akari quickly walked over.

The middle-aged salaryman had already left, but Nitta Akari saw the taxi hadn't driven off. Perhaps the driver saw Nitta Akari walking quickly towards him and thought she wanted a ride.

When she reached the car, the person following her indeed hesitated. Nitta Akari slightly bent down, ready to speak, but when she faced the driver, she froze for a moment, and then blurted out, "Hello, I need a ride…"

The driver, whose face was unclear, didn't even ask where she wanted to go, but smiled and said, "Get in, beautiful lady."

The rear door suddenly opened, and in a daze, Nitta Akari found herself already sitting in the back seat. Her mind at this moment was like a rusted gear, difficult to turn, and her body felt as if it carried a thousand pounds, making it hard to move.

"Damn it, he's the culprit!" Nitta Akari's barely movable gaze saw the taxi starting. The somewhat old car body seemed to have an unknown black substance surging within it.

"I can't call for help, what do I do…"

She tried to move to notify Kamihara Hajime, but after a futile effort, though she hadn't given up, she could only place her hope on Kamihara Hajime noticing the abnormality.

Based on the culprit's modus operandi, she seemed to be safe for the time being, until they reached the crime scene the culprit had decided upon. Looking at the driver's evil, chilling smile in the rearview mirror, and recalling the victims' gruesome state, fear gradually crept into her heart.

Kamihara Hajime, hiding in the shadows, saw Nitta Akari get into a taxi and shake off the man who was following her. He had originally planned that if she couldn't get rid of him, tonight's plan would have to be canceled.

He didn't expect Nitta Akari to get into a taxi… Why would she choose to do that? Moving in a taxi wouldn't allow them to lure out the culprit… The only explanation was: that taxi was problematic.