"Here?"

"it's just a normal elementary school."

You play with one of your drumsticks, keeping your distance away from Okkotsu while still being able to hear what Gojo was saying.

'I wonder what Toge's doing..'

"Just an ordinary school.. Where children go missing inside." Gojo adds, Making Okkotsu shriek.

"Go missing?!"

"A school is just a school. So, most likely, the disappearances are due to a naturally formed curse."

Okkotsu looked uneasy, "So you're saying the kids were abducted by a curse?"

"Yep, two of them." Gojo answers.

Maki then speaks up.

"Places that have a lot of memories of tend to be hot beds of curses. Schools, hospitals.. They're frequently thought of. Every time that happens, they become receptacles for negative emotions. As those emotions pile up, curses form, like what happened here."

Gojo then raises his pointer and middle finger up to his chin.

"Exorcise the curse and save the children. If they are dead, recover the bodies. Y/N would know what to do."

You scoff, briefly Making eye contact with Okkotsu.

"Don't burden me. I can handle dead bodies, but not a whole child." you say, not fully admitting that you hate seeing corpses.

It might be something you'll see regularly when you become older and take more dangerous missions, but for now, you weren't really looking forward to risking your life just to bring back a dead body.

Placing the risking part aside.. You just really didn't like being around corpses.

Gojo then continues.

"That which frightens more than darkness itself.. That which is darker than black.. Purify this defilement."

You look up the sky, seeing a veil starting to cover the whole school. Okkotsu on the other hand, as he was new to all kinds of sorcerer related stuff, was surprised.

"It's getting dark..!"

As the curtain was now forming a dome on the school, Gojo places a hand on Okkotsu's shoulder. The boy looks over to him.

"This is the screen. It makes you invisible from the outside and causes curses to disappear."

Gojo then began to walk to the entrance of the school, where the veil was near to closing up. He looks over his shoulder.

"You don't die."

You sigh. What was up with Gojo and his need to scare students?

"Die.. Sensei?!"

And of course.. That one student that actually gets scared. Not minding Okkotsu, you turn to where Maki was, drumstick already ready to use.

"Transfer student." Maki calls the boy, swinging her weapon, "Don't look away."

"Oh wow.. They're all ugly." you mutter, eyes on the three curses. They all had a vertical stitch from underneath their single eye and down to their body.

"Come in.. Come.." is what one of them says, voice wobbly.

It rips their stitches apart, revealing a full set of teeth.

"In?"

Now, all three of the curses began charging at the first years. Okkotsu panics.

"They're coming this way!" the boy then stammers, "W.. What should we do?!"

"Don't yell." Maki says, calm and ready to strike, "Remember this. When it comes to curses.. The weak ones always come in swarms."

She skillfully eliminates all three with a single swipe of her spear.

"Well, it's same with humans too, isn't it?" Maki ask.

Okkotsu says, "Incredible.. With just one stroke."

"Maki's the best." you say, a taiko suddenly appearing from beside you. You were getting ready for a fight.

"That's why you should just let us handle things." you mutter, Making Okkotsu sweatdrop.

The boy wondered; he had only met everyone earlier this day but were you already starting to dislike him? Did you hate him that much?

"Uhm..-"

"Alright, enough." Maki stops him from saying anything, "Hurry up and let's go."

"Huh? Go where to?"

Maki answers, "Inside, obviously."

And with that, all three of you head inside the school. Though Maki didn't mind when you tap on your taiko occasionally, Okkotsu was getting a little curious as to why you were playing the drums.

"Hokori-san.. What are you doing?" he ask, kind of nervous.

You respond, "Drop the honorifics and no, i'm not telling you."

You were trying to sense cursed energy around you as you currently don't have a have a specific target to focus on. You didn't really need to tap your drumsticks; it was just a habit you have.

Okkotsu turns to Maki, slightly disappointed as he didn't get a proper answer. He'll try next time..

"Zen'in-san, are you not scared?" the boy ask.

"Don't call me by my last name."

"Sorry.." Okkotsu apologizes before continuing, "But it looks like a ton of curses may jump out any second. Well, some already have, i guess.."

"Don't worry. Y/N has our back." Maki replies as if to reassure him.

'They're the type to try and leave me here..!' Okkotsu sweatdrops, sparing you a glance.

'Even though the screen is down, the number of curses is low.' Maki thought, brows furrowing, 'No, they're here. They just aren't attacking. Is it because he's here?'

She was referring to Okkotsu.

"Hey."

"Yes?!"

"..!!"

You and Okkotsu both flinch as Maki had suddenly called out to the boy. You huff, irritated that you were startled like that.

"What rank are you?" she ask Okkotsu. You, now interested as you also wanted to know, listened to their conversation.

"Huh?" Okkotsu tilts his head to the side.

'English proficiency test rank?' he was confused. Did sorcerers so have rankings similar to what a school has..?

Maki then explains, "Shamans are ranked from fourth grade to first grade. An example is Y/N here. A semi-first grade."

'Then they must be strong..' Okkotsu thought.

"But i just got to the school. I don't have anything like that.." you almost let out a chuckle at what he said. You really can tell that he's a beginner..

"Forget it. Show me your student id. You got one from that stupid blindfold guy, right?"

"Stupid blindfold.." Okkotsu sweatdrops. He then looks for the identification card before presenting it to Maki. By now, your curious eyes were already on the card.

"Here you go." Maki snatches it from him.

"Anyway, a student with no prior experience, probably grade four.."

Oh it was definitely higher. To make things more annoying for you, when you took a small peek to see what was on Okkotsu's id, you were shocked.

'A grade..'

Higher than you.

'This guy.. Who knows absolutely nothing about how the jujutsu world functions is..'

Higher than .

You scoff, now deciding to back away from Maki as she continued to stare at the card in disbelief. Were you bitter about this newcomer being a rank above you? Maybe.. Was Okkotsu worried about your lack of reaction? Yes.

You turn away for a second, not catching how Maki briefly looks up from Okkotsu's ID. Oh she knew this was going to be on your mind for the rest of the mission..

Okkotsu then started calling for the both of you. Annoyed, you turn to face them, immediately stopping as you see a huge curse.

'Special grade.. That's even higher than grade one. You only hear people joke about this..!' Maki thought.

"Maki!" you call.

"Zen'in-san!" you hear Okkotsu shout, finally catching the girl's attention