𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐨 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 [𝐓𝐨𝐠𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢]

• Chapter 10 •

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❝8 people have recently gone missing at a nearby cemetery while paying their respects.❞
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Exiting the building, the bitter wind blows through the open door, causing you to brush your hair out of your face. The chocolates in your pocket rub against each other as you swiftly walk to the car, making a slightly unpleasant metallic noise. You put the now crumpled up aluminum back in your pocket as the chocolate melts in your mouth, leaving a sweet aftertaste.

Quickly looking through the tinted windows of the car you try to see which side of the car is unoccupied, finding the seat on the side closest to you empty. You grasp the cold handle and open the door, sliding into the vacant seat and clicking your seatbelt. The sky is still blue, you observe, so you deduct it's the sudden wind making the atmosphere colder.

The objects on your utility belt sit uncomfortably on either side of you, so you place the sheath and matches in your lap for the drive, securing them loosely with your arms. You hear rustling to your left, so your eyes move cautiously towards the boy, finding him fidgeting with a small bottle in his lap.

"Now that you're both here, I'll brief you on the job." Your eyes shoot to the familiar driver, now focusing your attention to him. "8 people have recently gone missing at a nearby cemetery while paying their respects. We've looked into the case and have concluded that this is the work of a grade one curse."

The fabric of your skirt bunches up a bit as your hands grasp it tighter. You loosely let out a breath, trying to subside your nerves. "Now, Satoru said that this should be quick work considering the both of your skills combined, but this is L/N's first mission, which is why we also recruited Inumaki-kun as backup." Your hands loosen, a little relieved they have faith in the two of you.

"The goal of this mission is to obviously exorcise the main curse, as well as any lower-grade curses lurking around. Finding out the cause of these disappearances would also be helpful in case there's some type of curse placed there. It should deactivate when the curse at work is exorcised, but just in case."

You nod, even though he's looking ahead. The car drives over a small bump, and you realize he'd started the car while your were focused on taking everything in. The chocolates taste in your mouth fades away, but as you reach for another you hold back. Something about the idea of using Inumaki's gift when he's present is a little embarrassing.

For the rest of the brief car ride you fiddled with a match in silence. You had to admit the quietness was a little awkward, but you remember Inumaki isn't really known for his sociality. Skillfully twirling the piece of wood around your fingers, the car comes to a stop. You look out of the window to see an extensive piece of field, along with neatly placed gravestones dotting the landscape. A few plastic poles had been set up, to which bright yellow police tape was hung between.

Pulling the key from the ignition, your somewhat cold driver exists the car. You and Inumaki do the same, meeting up with him next to the driver's door. You notice him slip something into his pocket. 'Probably the bottle.' "I'll cast the veil, and the two of you can start looking for the curse. Good luck." You hear him muttering some words as you walk past.

Ducking under the tape, you throw an inquisitive glance at Inumaki. He picks up on the queue almost immediately. "He means he's going to create a veil so bystanders can't see us exorcising the curse. Here, look up." You tilt your head upwards to see an inky black substance spreading over the semi-cloudy sky. You jolt back a bit at the sight. "It'll just look like a normal field to non-sorcerers. They can't see the veil since it's jujutsu." You nod back at him, a little embarrassed you weren't aware of this before. 'Jujutsu really is amazing...' you think, passing your first gravestone.