Curse Return: Demon Void Girl Doesn't Want to Be a Weakling

Mashiro took out her phone and sent a message to Itadori.

"Mashiro": [Link]

"Mashiro": Come here, quick.

"Yujin": Here I am.

"Yujin": What happened? Did you see him in person?

"Mashiro": Not yet, come here first.

Yujin: Okay, who is the student being targeted?

"Mashiro": Junpei Yoshino.

Yujin: Okay, I'll be right there.

Mashiro put away her phone and continued to follow him.

Yoshino Junpei walked to his front door and saw someone he didn't expect.

"Yoshino, I wanted to tell you this at school, but it's not appropriate to say this kind of thing at school," a fat, sweaty man stood up and said to him.

"Mr. Sotomura..." Yoshino Junpei looked troubled. "Is there something you need?"

"Ah, I just came to let you know. You and they were on good terms, weren't you? My condolences." The villager said, wiping the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief.

What is he saying?

Yoshino Junpei's eyes widened. He had a good relationship with those people?

Those people who burned him with cigarettes, forced him to eat insects, and even took photos of him being beaten—are they close friends?!?!

Yoshino Junpei's mind was filled with rage, and a violent impulse surged into his brain.

"Hey! Mashiro-neechan, what are you doing?!"

A pink-haired boy was kicked by a small, cute silver-haired girl with strange wheels on her head, interrupting his thoughts and causing the magical power surging in his hands to dissipate.

Mashiro breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily, Yuujin arrived just in time and kicked them away, otherwise she would have attacked.

Mashiro walked over and stood between Yoshino Junpei and the other villager. She said to the other villager, "Excuse me, we have something to discuss with him. Please tell us another day."

After saying that, she tilted her head, gesturing for Huzhang to take Shunping away.

"Hey, we're not finished yet," said Soimura, wiping the sweat from his brow, as he was being pulled away by Itadori.

"Who are you? What do you want with my student?" the outsider asked, looking at the girl in front of him.

Although she looks harmless, she might be the boss of some gang?

That's how it's written in light novels!

"Mr. Sotomura, you should investigate the relationship between Yoshino Junpei and the deceased, instead of assuming that they had a good relationship."

After saying this, Mashiro turned and left.

……

Yoshino Junpei was pulled to the riverbank by Itadori and sat down on the steps.

"Um, what can I do for you?" Shunping asked cautiously.

"Ah! This?" Itadori said, then paused, unsure why Mashiro had called him over. "Um, wait a minute, let me ask."

He picked up his phone, just about to message Mashiro, when he saw Mashiro walking towards him from the main road.

"Mashiro-nee, over here!" Itari waved to Mashiro, his voice so loud that it could be heard from the other side of the river.

Mashiro walked over and sat down on the steps next to Junpei.

She sat casually, her hands behind her back, looking up at the sky that was beginning to darken.

"You can see it, right?" Mashiro said.

Shunping was stunned for a moment. "What?"

"The ring on my head."

Shunping remained silent for a moment, presumably thinking about how to answer.

"You hesitated; you can definitely see that."

Shunping glanced at her, then lowered his head again: "Yes, I can see."

"Okay, I understand." Mashiro paused for a moment, unsure of what to say next.

But! She had the foresight to call Tiger over.

She decided to play a movie-themed deck: "What movies do you usually like to watch?"

Itachi sat down on the other side of Mashiro, cross-legged, and immediately leaned over when he heard the question.

"Oh, a movie! I've been wanting to see that new action movie that came out recently, the one with the poster showing a motorcycle flying over an exploding fireball, what's it called again?"

"...Explosive Chase," Shunpei whispered.

"Yes, yes, yes! You know that!" Kijima's eyes lit up. "Is it good?"

"I haven't seen it yet. I don't usually go to the movies alone." Shunpei lowered his head, his fingers rubbing the knee of his school uniform pants. "Lately, I've been watching old movies at home on my computer. Last month I watched 'Seven Samurai,' the one starring Akira Kurosawa."

"Black and white film?" Itari scratched his head. "I've never seen a black and white film."

"It looks great." Shunping said this a little louder, but then lowered his voice.

Mashiro listened silently without interrupting, nodding and secretly praising her own cleverness.

Huzhang got excited and said that when he was a child, he read Akira Kurosawa's "Ran" with his grandfather, but he didn't understand it. He only remembered that there was a large group of people running around on the grassland.

Shunping smiled slightly after hearing this: "That scene is the most classic part of the movie."

Itajō scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed, and said, "Then let's rent a videotape from the store another day and watch it again. Junpei, do you want to come along?"

Shunping didn't agree immediately. He looked at Huzhang as if to confirm whether the man was serious.

Itachi's expression was anything but polite. He glanced at Mashiro again, who was still looking at the clouds.

So you're really leaving it to him? A smirk played on Huzhang's lips.

"...Okay," Shunping said.

Itsuji grinned and asked Shunpei what he liked to do besides watching movies.

Shunping hesitated for a moment, "I'm learning to cook, and I want to cook for my mom."

"I can only make curry," he added.

"Curry is great! I can make sukiyaki." Itadori patted his chest. "I've mastered all the pots and pans in Mashiro's kitchen. Let me tell you, the secret to curry is to sauté the onions until they're caramelized, and you can't rush it."

Shunpei blinked. "You can cook too?"

"I cooked all the meals at home when Grandpa was in the hospital," Itari said, pausing for a moment. "Grandpa was a better cook than me, but he only taught me how to make sauces, nothing else. He said boys don't need to learn to cook all dishes, just one or two that they're good at."

Mashiro hummed softly beside her.

Shunping looked at the smile still on Huzhang's face after he finished speaking, and remained silent for a moment, then said, "Your grandfather is now..."

"He's gone," said Yuzhang. "It happened last month. I was the one who bought the flowers. He doesn't like flowers, but he always looks at them for a long time."

Shunping lowered his head, his fingers pausing on his knee. "My dad passed away when I was in elementary school. He didn't die, he left."

He said, "He left me and my mother behind. Maybe he thought I was too boring."

Huzhang didn't comfort him; he just sat there and listened quietly.

Mashiro remained in the same pose, looking up at the sky. A breeze blew across the river, causing a few strands of her silvery-white hair to flutter.

"...I don't think you're boring," said Itaryu.

Shunpei turned to look at him. Itachi's expression was very serious, completely different from when they were discussing the movie earlier.

This person is a good person.

Shunping thought silently.