Curse Returns: Eight Extraordinary Skills? I lack nothing.

Then, as if all its strength had been drained, the enormous heart abruptly shrank into a fist-sized black lump, which fell to the ground with a crisp sound. Several cracks appeared on the surface of the black lump, from which a ghostly blue light shone.

The next second, the hard block shattered, turning into a handful of black ash that dissipated into the air.

The entire third floor fell silent.

The muscle fibers on the walls and floor lost their vitality, quickly dried up, and shrank, turning into a layer of grayish-white powder. With a gust of wind that seemed to come from nowhere, the powder was swept up and scattered, revealing the original cement wall underneath.

The four people stood in the empty third-floor hall, panting heavily.

Itadori's school uniform was torn in several places, and there was a shallow wound on his left arm. Kugizaki's right arm was still weak, but the rest of his body was fine. Fushiguro Megumi's curse power was greatly depleted, and the veins on his forehead were bulging. Junpei's right hand was trembling slightly from his fingertips to his wrist—the full power of the Sea of ​​Annihilation was putting a heavy burden on his body.

But they won.

The four of them looked at each other and then burst out laughing almost simultaneously.

"It's alright." Kugizaki wiped the sweat from his forehead. "It's simpler than I expected."

"Simple?" Itajimaru's eyes widened. "That's not what you said when you were sent flying!"

"That's called a tactical movement!"

"Tactical... that's more like ramming into a wall!"

Fushiguro Megumi didn't join the banter, but a subtle, almost imperceptible smile played at the corners of his lips. Junpei stood to the side, his slightly trembling right hand tucked into his pocket, a faint smile on his face.

“Let’s go,” said Fushiguro Megumi. “Yuto is still waiting outside.”

The four of them helped each other down the stairs. As they passed the first-floor corridor, Itajō took a special look at the spot where he had fought the humanoid cursed spirit—only a small black mark remained on the ground, proving that something had once been there.

They pushed open the building's doors, and the afternoon sun rushed in, so bright it made them squint.

The sky over Roppongi remained clear, with blue skies and white clouds, just as it had been before.

In the distance, beside the black sedan, Yuto Amamiya leaned against the car door, his hands in his trench coat pockets, watching them walk out with a calm expression.

His gaze swept over the four people, and after confirming that their injuries were not serious, he nodded slightly.

“Not bad,” he said, his tone as flat as usual.

Kugizaki raised his chin: "Just one sentence, 'Not bad'? We exorcised a cursed fetus!"

“A near-first-class cursed fetus,” Yuuto corrected, then smiled slightly and added, “However, it is indeed quite good.”

Itadori grinned, Junpei smiled slightly, and Fushiguro Megumi let out a soft breath.

Kugizaki wanted to say something, but Yuto had already opened the car door and sat back in the driver's seat.

"Get in the car," he said. "I'll treat you to barbecue."

The four of them were stunned for a moment.

“When you said ‘not bad’ just now, we thought you were going to say something like ‘but don’t be arrogant,’” said Yuzhang.

“You don’t need to hear those kinds of things from me.” Yuuto glanced at them through the car window. “You’re no longer newcomers who need to be reminded not to be arrogant.”

As the car drove out of the cemetery area and onto the main road, the bustling streetscape of Roppongi once again came into view through the car window.

Shunping turned his head to the side, his gaze sweeping over the three people's faces, and then he smiled slightly.

"What's wrong?" Huzhang asked.

"It's nothing," Shunping said. "I was just thinking that among the first-year students, there doesn't seem to be another group like us who often go on missions together."

Kugizaki thought for a moment and nodded: "That's true. But we were originally recruited by Yuuto, and our styles complement each other quite well. If I were to go out with those who specialize in barrier techniques, I'd probably be furious."

"You're easily angered," Huzhang muttered under his breath.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing, nothing. I was just saying that Lord Kugizaki is wise and mighty..."

The car slowly came to a stop at a red light.

Yuuto turned his head slightly from the driver's seat, glancing at each of the four people in turn in the rearview mirror.

"Brother Yu Ren," Hu Zhang suddenly called out.

"Ok?"

Which barbecue restaurant should we go to?

Yuuto was silent for two seconds.

“You choose,” he said.

Kugizaki immediately perked up: "I know a super delicious Wagyu BBQ place in Roppongi! But it's a bit pricey..."

“Let’s go to that one,” Yuuto said.

The atmosphere inside the car instantly exploded.

Kugizaki began to describe the restaurant's signature dish at length, with Itajō adding his own embellishments. Junpei was infected by their excitement, his lips curving into a smile. Even Fushiguro Megumi shook his head slightly, a hint of a smile on his face.

The car merged into the traffic in Roppongi and headed towards the yakiniku restaurant.

Chapter 141 Eat

After returning to Japan, Yuto took care of all his affairs and sent a message to Tsukumo Yuki.

"Are you free tomorrow? Let's meet up."

After sending the message, he waited more than ten minutes before receiving a reply. Ninety-nine replied with a single word: "Okay."

They didn't ask where we were going or what we were doing, just one "okay".

Yu Ren stared at the screen for a while, then put his phone in his pocket, leaned back in his chair, and gazed at the twilight outside the window.

Qiong was watching TV downstairs, while Miwa was washing dishes in the kitchen. The clattering of the dishes came through the wall, faint and fragmented, like the distant, indistinct sound of a radio broadcast.

He closed his eyes for a moment, his mind racing with thoughts of tomorrow.

Yuto has known Tsukumo Yuki for a long time.

She is a top-tier sorcerer, of the same generation as Gojo Satoru and Natsuyu Suguru, and the master of Toudou Aoi. She is tall, beautiful, and has an unusually cheerful personality; sometimes she will suddenly burst into laughter, laughing without a care in the world.

But she's also notoriously unreliable.

As a top-tier sorcerer, he rarely accepts missions and spends most of his time traveling the world, pursuing the ideal of eradicating cursed spirits. He has proposed extreme theories such as granting all of humanity cursed power or eliminating all cursed power.

The habit of asking her "What kind of woman do you like?" was actually learned from her.

The first time she met Dongtang, he was in the third grade of elementary school. He stood in front of her, and she squatted down, patted his shoulder, and asked that classic question.

From then on, Dongtang remembered it and asked everyone he met about it.

Yuki Tsukumo had quite a few complaints about Yuuto's large harem. She had often made sarcastic remarks about him during meetings of the Sword-Wielding Academy in the past.

"Lord Kasuga, are your wings still alright?" She sat on the chair with her legs crossed, a smile playing on her lips, her tone full of teasing.

"Yuto, are the women around you almost enough to form a football team?"

"Are you done with things at the Kamo family's place? Aren't you going to spend some time with your female confidantes?"

Yu Ren never responded, letting her mock him. He knew she didn't really hate him; she just had a sharp tongue.

Gojo Satoru watched the show from the sidelines, occasionally adding his own embellishments.

But after her trip to Europe, she changed.

Yuuto saved her during the battle with the Pale Knight.

At that moment, the Arrowless Curse Wave invaded her consciousness, her fingers began to tremble, and the light of the Phoenix Wheel dimmed.

Yuuto used his lightning teleportation technique to appear before her, holding the Kikuichimonji horizontally in front of him, its blade blocking the invisible curse wave. A golden light membrane condensed on the blade, deflecting the curse wave.

"Ninety-nine!" he shouted.

She gritted her teeth, pulled a mint from her pocket, popped it into her mouth, and chewed it a couple of times. The light of the Phoenix Wheel shone again, and her consciousness returned.

"Thanks," she said.

That was the first time she thanked him. It wasn't a joke, it wasn't sarcastic, it was sincere.

From then on, she never mocked him again at the Sword-Wielding Academy meetings. During meetings, she sat quietly, occasionally glancing at Yuuto before looking away. Gojo Satoru noticed, glancing at her a few times, a slight smirk playing on his lips, but said nothing.

Yuuto noticed it too. But he didn't say anything.

The next morning, Yuto drove to Tsukumo's place. She lived in an old-fashioned Japanese house on the outskirts of Tokyo; the yard was small, paved with gravel, and several neatly trimmed pine trees. The door was open.

Standing in the entryway, Jiujiu wore a beige knitted cardigan over a light-colored round-neck undershirt, paired with dark casual trousers. Her long, golden hair cascaded over her shoulders, the ends slightly curled, shimmering softly in the morning light. She had tucked the Phoenix Wheel into her sleeve, now appearing as still as an ordinary ornament.

"Get in the car," Yuuto said.

Ninety-nine glanced at him, didn't ask where he was going, opened the passenger door and got in.

The car drove out of the alley and merged into the main road. The scenery outside the window changed from houses to fields, and then from fields to mountains.

Yuuto gripped the steering wheel, his gaze fixed straight ahead. Tsukumo leaned back in his seat, pulled a mint from his pocket, unwrapped it, popped it into his mouth, and crunched it a couple of times.

"Yuuto."

"Ah."

"Why did you ask me out today?"

"Can't I ask you out if there's nothing wrong?"

Jiujiu glanced at him sideways. Yuuto didn't look at her, his gaze fixed on the road ahead. Jiujiu looked away, watching the scenery rushing past the car window.

“You’re not the kind of person who would ask someone out for no reason.” Ninety-Nine swallowed the mint. “Okay, what’s up?”

Yuuto was silent for a moment. "I just wanted to ask you out, have a meal, and go for a walk."

Ninety-nine didn't ask any more questions. The car was driving on the highway, and sunlight streamed in through the window, falling on her profile and gilding her blonde hair with a pale gold hue. She closed her eyes, leaned back in her seat, and breathed steadily.

Yu Ren glanced at her in the rearview mirror, said nothing, and turned the music in the car down a bit.

After driving for more than forty minutes on the mountain road, the car turned onto a small path surrounded by greenery. The trees on both sides grew denser, and the streetlights became sparser. An old Japanese garden appeared at the edge of the view.

"Where is this place?" Ninety-Nine looked out the window, her brows furrowing slightly.

"Hakone." Yuto parked the car at the gate. "I had someone order it."

Ninety-nine glanced at him but didn't reply.

The courtyard is small, but very exquisite.