Chapter 35: The Clown... Was Me All Along!
Smack. Smack. Smack. Tap...
Sounds of impact echoed down the street. If anyone happened to pass by, they'd witness a bewildering sight: two fully grown men being completely overpowered by a lean, youthful teen.
What was even more shocking was that the teen clearly wasn't going all out. He gracefully dodged their fierce attacks, occasionally drawing closer, all while casually critiquing them aloud.
"Too slow."
"Your leg strength is lacking."
"Your stance is unstable."
"You've got killer instinct, but no actual force."
Tatsuro weaved through their attacks with ease, using just enough movement to push them to their limits. Every now and then, he'd block a hit, but mostly, his goal was to draw out their full potential.
Learn. Guide. Correct.
It wasn't just about helping them improve—this was also practical training for himself. He'd adjusted his strength to match theirs using Cursed Energy, then built from there to coach them.
It wasn't exactly difficult, but it wasn't a walk in the park either. It gave him the perfect opportunity to reinforce what he learned the night before.
Their brawl quickly drew the attention of nearby patrol guards. At first, they only wanted to sneak a peek, but once they did—they couldn't look away.
"Why's Vice-Captain Tatsuro sparring with them? Shouldn't he be practicing with us in the inner squad? Those two are total scrubs."
"No idea. But it looks like he's teaching them. He's barely even attacking, mostly dodging and pointing things out."
"Wait, seriously?! Those lucky bastards just hit the jackpot!"
"Hey—quit gawking and get back to patrol!"
The sudden bark of Itou Shuichi snapped everyone back to their senses. His gravelly voice echoed sharply, causing all three fighters to pause and the spectators to stiffen.
"W-We're going now, Captain!"
Soroju, the first to speak, quickly waved his hand to signal the others to scram.
"Yes, yes! We're returning to our posts. Goodbye, Captain!"
The rest weren't dumb either. They immediately nodded and followed Soroju's lead.
But just as they were about to leave, Tatsuro's voice stopped them.
"You've all been watching for a while, right? How about joining training tomorrow morning? I won't teach you techniques, but I can give guidance."
Everyone froze mid-step.
Itou Shuichi chuckled quietly, clearly intrigued by his eccentric apprentice. The team rules were his creation, after all.
Weaklings were relegated to gate duty. The strong earned the right to rise. He wanted every squad member to be driven to grow stronger.
The lazy, the weak—those who tried to coast were long dead. Only those who kept pushing forward remained. There was still a gap in skill between them, sure, but by outside standards, they were elite.
As for "resigning"? Please.
The moment they signed that lifetime contract, there was no walking away. The pay was great, and everyone got three months off each year—but skip out on your return date?
You pay for it with your life.
Training was provided, of course—three months of it. After that, whether you learned enough or not, you were thrown into real missions. If you died, it just meant you weren't good enough.
Back with Goinroku and Ryusui Ruobing, both were stunned.
They had assumed this was their one shot at rising in rank. But Tatsuro, the Vice-Captain, was offering others the same chance.
It was a little disappointing, sure. But they didn't dwell on it.
After all, why should he show favoritism to two random guards just because of one training session? They'd already learned a lot today.
No time to whine—better to hit the gym and correct their flaws. Gotta get in a few more sparring rounds with the Vice-Captain before he leaves!
Somewhere in the squad's group chat, a message appeared:
[Vice-Captain Tatsuro is personally training people—if you're free, go find him and squeeze out every drop before he's gone!]
No one paid much attention at first.
Until the next shift swap, two hours later—
The group chat exploded.
Everyone started frantically messaging:
[Where's Vice-Captain Tatsuro?!]
[Location update please!!]
[Seriously, where the hell is he right now?!]
Back in his room, Itou Shuichi was lying in bed, ready to sleep. He glanced at the chat.
99+ messages.
He muttered to himself, "Damn brats. I'll probably get less hype when I'm dead."
He tapped into the thread. It was flooded with:
[Where's Vice-Captain Tatsuro?]
[Where's Vice-Captain Tatsuro?]
[Where's—]
Unamused, he grumbled, "Yell all you want, dig a hole in the ground for all I care—it won't help. That kid left with Yuto Mi already. Who knows when they'll be back."
He rolled over. "I'm sleeping."
It was now 7:55 AM.
Yuto Mi was jogging through the streets in a clean, white workout outfit, exuding energy and charm. Passersby couldn't help but turn their heads, drawn to her youthful glow.
Tatsuro jogged beside her, eyes drifting to her empty left hand.
He sighed.
She still wasn't wearing the ring. Which meant—no way to approach the cursed spirit.
If he picked a fight with a semi-Grade 1 curse inside the mansion, the casualties would be massive. Worst case? He loses. The curse goes berserk. Everyone inside? Wiped out.
"Hey, Sis—you look great today. If you wore that ring too, you'd be absolutely perfect."
"Really?"
Yuto Mi glanced at her bare hand, gently clenching it. For a second, Tatsuro saw her gaze soften—like she saw her mother's hand instead of her own.
She smiled bitterly. "Maybe next time. If I lost it… I'd never forgive myself."
"…"
Tatsuro didn't know what to say. It was like trying to convince an unflagged heroine in a dating sim—getting her to wear the ring outside felt impossible.
But without the ring, he couldn't snatch it on the last day.
No ring, no curse removal. No removal, mission failed.
There was no time limit on the mission, sure, but that also meant it could block all future tasks.
His Sharingan couldn't override her will, either. This wasn't just a difficult curse—it was a logistical nightmare.
[Mission Objective: Get Yuto Mi to wear the ring outside…]
"Tch…"
Tatsuro rubbed his temples. Terrible ideas flitted through his mind—thankfully, reason stopped them.
Like… letting the curse rampage and just ignoring the consequences.
Or calling in Gojo to delete it. The system would probably count that as failure.
Either way, both were terrible last-resort options.
Go toe-to-toe with the curse himself? Best-case scenario: he wins, gets 100 permanent CE, and a 12-roll bonus.
Worst case? Gojo-sensei finds out, and Tatsuro ends up hunted across Japan.
Even if no civilians died, prison would be guaranteed. The higher-ups might even sentence him to death.
Sigh. Guess it's back to trying to win her over.
13 days left.
Who would've thought the third system mission would be nightmare difficulty?
Wait—
Wasn't I the one who caused this whole thing?
If I hadn't saved her that day… there wouldn't be a ring, a curse, or this stupid mission…
Damn it. The clown… was me all along.
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