Please, leave a stain on this vast emptiness

Chapter 11

Of course Gojō omits the significant detail that they are meeting up in the flamboyantly fashionable district practically flooded with vibrant youth. Leaning against pedestrian guardrail in front of the modern Harajuku Station East Entrance, Tsumi frown at the king-sized window posters from across the road, oozing distaste for both Gojō and the bustling district.

Sighing, he looks at the others beside him instead, his two classmates appear far more relaxed than him, Yūji even leisurely munching on an ice lolly while he chats: "Isn't it too few for only four students in first-year?"

Tsumi shoots Megumi a glance indicating he is not opening his mouth.

"Then have you met another person who can see curses?" Megumi questions back.

Yūji pauses to ponder on the question before giving a negative response.

"That proves how small a minority shamans are."

"Also, aren't I the fourth student?"

"Apparently their entry was decided a while ago. You know how our school's like, everyone has unique circumstances."

"Sorry for the wait! Oh!" Gojō walks out from the station and notices Yūji's new attire: "The uniform made it on time, I see."

"Yup, it fits just right, although everyone's uniforms look different from each other." Yūji replies studying his classmates' uniforms before tugging at his collar: "It has a hood for one."

"That's because they can be customized upon request."

"Huh?" His answer leaves Yūji more confused: "But I never made any requests?"

"I was the one who put in the custom order." Gojō replies casually as if the word 'permission' does not exist in the dictionary.

Yūji is quick too brush it off too, the unconcerned attitude gets Megumi warning: "Be careful, Gojō-sensei has these tendencies, there's no telling what he can do next."

"Eh~ At least Tsumi's not complaining." Gojō whines.

"Because he's completely out of it." Megumi retorts. Yūji looks over to see the male vacantly gazing down at the pavement: "Ah yeah, he's been real quiet, I thought this is how he usually is, it's not?"

"Well... it's still distinctively different when he is responsive. He's fine at the moment, this is part of his problem with cursed energy." Megumi reassures before turning to Gojō who is starting to cross the road, while easing the torpid male into walking along: "More importantly, why are we meet up in Harajuku?"

"It's what she asked for." Gojō answers as they walk down the street, Yūji exclaiming about popcorn and running ahead.

Their encounter with the female student is in front of a row of shops where she is rowdily manhandling a talent agent. Yūji voices his concern about embarrassment, but with Yūji sporting a tourist look, Gojō and Tsumi attracting attention from passersby with their peculiar blindfold and lolita-fashioned mantelet respectively, Megumi cannot decide which group is more embarrassing.

When Tsumi snaps back to reality, everyone is standing around the appreciably more secluded rental lockers, a female slams one locker shut while Gojō gestures to her: "Once again."

"Kugisaki Nobara." The new student introduces herself: "Be happy boys, I'm the only flower of the group."

After a round of introductions she sighs deeply after scrutinization: "I'm not very fortunate with my circumstances."

"She sighs after looking at someone's face." Yūji mutters, Tsumi looks at Gojō expectantly while Megumi asks: "Are we going somewhere from here?"

"Hehehe." Gojō chuckles to himself at which Tsumi tenses, unsure of what the goof-loving mentor has up his sleeve: "I've collected all of my first-year students, not to mention two are from the countryside. So naturally... We'll be touring Tokyo."

This has Yūji and Nobara bouncing around Gojō with hearty glee as the three chant praises for the city, the two students argue over their destination as they eagerly jump at the teacher. On the sideline, Megumi is perplexed and Tsumi is dejected, the boy just wants to go back to the comfort of his dorm.

"I will now announce our destination." Gojō's declaration silences the two hyper teens as they kneel in waiting: "Roppongi!"

Ah yes, the district of nightlife paradise for the adults, what a delight, as if. Tsumi frowns at the floor, stark contrast to the other two whose starry orbs gleam as they breathe out the sacred name in a whisper.

Tsumi peers at them and sighs, who is he to rain on their parade, it is not like walking around for a while longer will be death-inducing, besides, a fraction of him is still curious, of the outside world he has not experienced in his life. At least he is not bursting with cursed energy for now, body adjusting steadily to the city's level.

When they arrive in front of a desolate vandalised establishment permeating cursed energy like odor from fetid landfill, Tsumi feels pity for the scammed teens and slight guilt for letting out a gratifying and relaxing sigh.

"There are curses in there." Megumi plainly states ignoring the exasperated accusations hurling at Gojō.

"The double whammy of being near a huge cemetery too, both places are infested." Gojō points into the distance, Yūji is quick to recover and starts asking questions while Nobara is still seething and ranting about being toyed as a country folk: "So they really pop up more around graves? Is Tsumi going to be okay?"

"The misinterpretation of cursed energy occurrences aside, what has this got to do with me?" Tsumi turns to the male.

"Gojō-sensei explained the concept of your technique's drawbacks to me and Nobara because we thought you weren't well. Ah, but that time you weren't quite there with us even though we were all walking together, because your mind was in overdrive from the body's sudden excessive intake of cursed energy?" Yūji gives him a puzzled look back as he continues: "Apparently if you absorb too much cursed energy you'll make a Release by cursing, so isn't this building bad for you."

"That's quite not what I meant." Gojō refutes making Yūji turn back to him in shock.

"There are some fundamental errors in the understanding, I don't absorb cursed energy, it's only negative energy, the raw emotions of others." Tsumi explains, feeling much better away from civilization: "I absorb negative energy from foreign emotions to create cursed energy, and store the product in my body. The Nidus Technique is about creation, one cannot create something that is already created, so cursed energy that has already formed..."

Tsumi points to the ominous block: "That has nothing to do with me, in fact, my body is not doing anything right now as the only sentient beings around is us. As for Release, I don't release from too much cursed energy, as a Jūnisakura shaman's body constitution allows the containment limit of cursed energy to regulate with the rate of production. The problem is my emotions, I'm constantly balancing my own cursed energy and foreign cursed energy by controlling my own emotions, but when I produce to much of my own, that is unaccounted for in the regulation, much like suddenly dumping another lake into a dam, foreign cursed energy would then be forced out in the form of Release and... nevermind."

Tsumi pauses as he sees Yūji, face serious but his incomprehension painfully obvious: "It's convoluted. Besides, it is not as important as explain the other question you have, but someone else should do it."

Tsumi coughs lightly when finishing, throat dry as he has never spoken this much in his life.