Please, leave a stain on this vast emptiness

Chapter 4

Tsumi's arms are immediately raised to brace in front of himself as he sneaks a bleary glance at the yari Maki is currently wielding, he has seen her insane close combat skills when observing before, he just prays that she will only beat him to a pulp, not dead.

"Uh, you feeling okay?"

Out of all the scenarios that might happen next, Maki's question is one Tsumi is not expecting.

"Wait, that's your first reaction? Shouldn't you be angry?" Flabbergasted, Tsumi dares to peeks up from his arms, he could not quite read the expression of the four in front of him through his hazy sight, but it seems like none of them are going to strike.

"Well that just happened out of the blue, so my first reaction is too shocked to be angry." Maki rubs her head: "Plus you were really polite up to that point, so what spurred that on?"

"Wait Maki, he looks a bit paler, check if he's alright first before asking your question!" Panda raises his paw while Toge mutters 'mustard leaf' softly.

"No I'm quite alright, but first, I'm very sorry." Tsumi lowers his arms gingerly while sporting a guilty look on his face: "I didn't mean to, really, I promise."

"It's one of the drawbacks of the Jūnisakura inherited technique." Someone speaks up from behind Tsumi, he turns his head to see a man walking down the large stairs towards them, Tsumi wonders how he is walking so normally with a black blindfold over his eyes: "What he did was just throwing a little curse at you Maki."

"Cursing others through his words?" Maki glances at Toge: "So he is like Toge except the speech impairment?"

The man laughs: "If it is that simple the Jūnisakura clan would consider the drawback more a blessing than a curse then."

"Took you long enough to finally show up Gojō-sensei." Megumi mutters irritatedly: "What kind of teacher doesn't show up for their new student's first day?"

"I'm just a little late! Besides I'm here now right?" Gojō protests while bending down and patting Tsumi's hair: "Your head finally clearing up? How many fingers am I holding up?"

Tsumi eases the man's waving hand away from his face, the constant movement giving him a headache when he is currently still trying to clear his mind: "Five."

Gojō's retreating hand moves to hold his chin as he thinks: "How should I explain this... Right, Jūnisakura clan shamans' body constitution are a little unique, not only do they produce their own cursed energy from negative emotions, they are like sponges that can soak up other negative energy surrounding them too, and their body stores everything inside for future use."

Everyone listens attentively while eyeing Tsumi up and down from time to time, he wants to shrink away if not for Gojō's grip on his shoulder while the man's other hand draw invisible diagrams over his body, focusing mostly between his abdomen and mouth: "Even though their body can hold in an insane amount of energy, they are bound hit a limit if they don't adjust in time, and when there's an overflow, their body will instinctively lose what it can to keep itself safe, much like throwing up after eating too much."

Ew. Everyone makes a face, even Tsumi.

"And Tsumi-kun here just happens to lighten his load through speaking out cursed energy." Gojō makes an exploding motion in front of Tsumi's mouth: "Energy comes out here and forms itself into a curse, attacking the person who his negative words are directed to. After the release his mind will enter a state of blankness from the sudden loss of energy, other symptoms might include paleness, dizziness, dyspnea, fatigue etc, similar to that of an anemia patient."

"Huh... That was actually... helpful, this is surprising considering it's Satoru. I understand now" Maki ignores Gojō's unhappy protests as she looks like she is deep in her thoughts, then her head suddenly snaps up as realization and panic fills her eyes: "W-wait, you mean he just cursed me!?"

"That was the first thing I said." Gojō is laughing his head off: "Your reaction time is a bit strange sometimes Maki."

Maki pounces at Tsumi with ungodly speed and starts shaking him vigorously: "What's going to happen to me? Can't you undo it?!"

"Stop that Maki, you might break his neck. He would have taken care of it already if he could." Gojō places a hand behind Tsumi's dangerously swinging head for support: "Relax, he managed to cut it short, the curse had little energy when it was formed. I would imagine it's at the level of making you accidentally slip and fall or something, nothing you can't handle."

"Well, if it's not so serious..." Maki visibly calms down at his words.

"Well! Now that I popped in and checked on all my cute students..." Gojō cheerfully clap his hands together and chimes: "Everyone's doing okay, so I will take my leave now, keep up the good work~"

And he is gone before anyone could stop him.

"That blindfolded idiot." Maki cusses before turning to Tsumi: "Well nothing can be done about that now, you should take the morning off."

"Why?"

"Satoru said you would act quite anemic after a release right? Better rest even if you feel fine."

"I'm alright now, thanks for worrying, but I really should start my lesson after taking so many days off."

"I'd say you are still looking a bit pale, plus we were already finishing off our morning training when you arrived so there is nothing to do right now." Panda chips in and offers his suggestion : "How about doing something relaxing until the afternoon so you are all well and ready to go then? Is there anything you like to do? We can help if it's something like touring the school."

"I've done that." Tsumi replies but then remembers something: "But there is something else I really need help with..."

"I can't believe this." Maki grumbles as she mops the floor, Megumi is sorting out the trash, Panda and Toge are sitting on Tsumi's bed teaching him the correct way to fold his uniform: "You can't do simple chores, are you from a rich family with too many servants?"

Tsumi does not respond.

"You are aren't you?" Maki teases.

"I'm trying to learn, please don't distract me." Tsumi blushes and sidesteps the question.

"What can you do then?"

Tsumi racks his brain: "I can cook."

"Really?" Maki probably did not intend to sound so surprised, but she did: "When you can't even make the bed?"

Tsumi thinks back to the first time he saw Komen's dinner tray.

A bowl of plain rice, a bowl of soup he would had mistaken for water if not the few chunks of vegetables floating on the surface, a plate of fish that was definitely burnt on the edges. He compared the tray to his, and frowned.

Since that day he began to steal all sorts of ingredients, until little by little there was enough to make a meal.

His first attempt nearly killed him.

His second attempt made him threw up everything in his stomach.

On his third attempt he was caught by the family bodyguard Kabaya, who was kind enough to not report it to his parents and even gave him a few tips, the meal turned out edible.

His fourth attempt was good enough, not even commis chef standard, but good enough.

Since that day him and his sister started a routine, whenever he had sneaked enough ingredients away he would make a meal and deliver to Komen's room in the dead of night, the next night he would sneak back into her room to take out the hidden bowls and plates for wash up.

"Well if you can cook, maybe you could do it for us sometimes, we sometimes would train deep into the night and work up an appetite and ACK-" Maki does not get to finish as she trips over the mop bucket and spills dirty water over her legs and the clean floor.

And so the curse dissipates.