[15 days later]
The airport lobby was packed, a chaotic mix of voices, dragging suitcases, and loudspeaker announcements. Shiu Kong, his forehead glistening with sweat, clutched the strap of his backpack tightly as he checked his passport for the tenth time in five minutes. His eyes darted from his wristwatch to the flight board, where their boarding gate flashed in yellow.
He was pale, lips pressed tight, his foot tapping nervously against the floor. "Honey, we need to go now. Boarding's already started," he said to his wife beside him.
The woman tugged his hand gently and stopped in the middle of the corridor. "Shiu, wait. I need to go to the bathroom."
"The bathroom? Now?" He turned to her. "Hold it a bit, you can go on the plane."
She tilted her head, unwavering. "Shiu, if I don't go now, I'm going to pee my pants. Is that what you want?"
He opened his mouth, then shut it, letting out a frustrated grunt as he looked up at the ceiling. "Fine, fine! Just go already."
The woman laughed, gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, and walked toward the restroom. Shiu remained there, alone in the crowd, checking his watch every ten seconds.
"She seems like a good wife. I'm almost jealous."
!
The voice came from behind—playful, but with a weight that made Shiu freeze, his heart pounding so hard it drowned out the airport noise. 'No... it's over for me.' He lowered his head, fists trembling at his sides. "Don't involve her in this."
"Of course not." Satoru Gojo, wearing a black coat with the hood hiding his face, stopped beside him and threw an arm around Shiu's shoulders. "What kind of man do you think I am? A cruel monster? Nah, nah. I don't kill innocents, you know. Unlike you. But I guess someone who gave up on humanity wouldn't understand that."
Shiu swallowed hard. 'What the hell is he talking about?'
Satoru leaned in closer and whispered in his ear, "Now, you're gonna do a little something for me. You're going to walk out of here and head to the parking lot, where you left your car. Don't try to run, ask for help, or get on that plane. My eyes are on you, Kong Shiu. And they're very, very good. Understood?"
Shiu felt his stomach twist. "Y-yes..."
"Great!" Satoru let go and took a step back. "You can say goodbye to your wife if you want." With that, he turned away, the hood swaying as he melted into the crowd like he'd never been there.
Shiu closed his eyes heavily. 'I really… shouldn't have taken this job.'
***
A middle-aged man, dragging a scuffed rolling suitcase across the floor, walked briskly through level B2 of the airport parking garage. He had missed his flight to Tokyo due to a delayed connection, and now all he wanted was to reach his car and head home.
As he rounded a silver SUV, the man came to a sudden stop, his suitcase bumping into the back of his heel. His eyes, previously fixed on the keychain spinning in his hand, were drawn to something on the ground, partially hidden behind a pillar.
It was a man, lying face down, with a pool of blood spreading beneath his head, glistening under the dim parking lot light. The middle-aged man blinked, his heart pounding, until he noticed the handle of a knife, buried deep in the man's skull.
"My God…"
***
'I really need to find a better way to use Blue,' Satoru thought, balancing on the ledge of a low building in Okayama.
The afternoon wind tousled his white hair, which shone like silver under the last rays of sunlight. He tilted his head, eyes narrowed behind dark sunglasses, admiring the horizon where the sky was painted in shades of orange and purple.
The city below pulsed with the calm rhythm of the day's end, so different from the frantic chaos of Osaka, which he had just left behind, having covered the 182 kilometers using his technique.
'But let's focus on the mission for now.' With a light jump, Satoru descended from the building, landing silently in the alley below. He had ditched his coat, wearing only a plain white shirt along with black pants and matching shoes.
Emerging from the alley and walking through the streets, Satoru drew curious — and some nervous — glances wherever he went. He smiled at a girl who stared at him for a little too long, winking over his glasses just to see her blush and quickly look away. 'Hmm. Maybe I'll find a woman to spend the night with later.'
***
After a few minutes, the mission led Satoru to a distant neighborhood, where the vibrant lights of the city gave way to narrow streets and decaying buildings, their paint peeling and windows shattered.
He stopped in front of a vacant lot, surrounded by crooked barriers and overrun by weeds that intertwined like skeletal fingers. At first glance, it was just a plot forgotten by time, but Satoru's Six Eyes saw beyond the illusion, detecting the cursed energy pulsing beneath the surface.
"Interesting," he murmured, scratching the back of his neck with a mischievous smile. "And here I thought Okayama would be dead boring."
Satoru stepped forward, and the world around him shifted. It resembled the inside of a cavern, but the walls appeared to be made of living flesh, pulsing with black veins that oozed a viscous liquid. The ground was uneven, littered with broken bones that cracked beneath his feet. The air reeked of rot and sulfur, and a dense fog hovered, obscuring visibility for anyone without the Six Eyes.
"Such tasteful décor," he quipped, pausing as he sensed the approach of two cursed spirits. "You two must be such gracious hosts, huh?"
A guttural growl tore through the mist, followed by a high-pitched, dissonant screech. To the left, the first creature emerged: lanky, with disproportionately long limbs, and a face devoid of eyes—just a gaping mouth filled with jagged teeth. From the ceiling descended the second spirit, a massive spider covered in black spikes that dripped yellow venom, each drop sizzling upon contact with the floor.
"Cut... must... cut the grass..."
'Two Grade 1s. That'll do.' Satoru brought a hand to his face and removed his glasses. "I'll use you to practice my reverse cursed technique proficiency. So be useful, okay~?" With that said, he deactivated the Mugen and stood still, waiting for the cursed spirits to strike.
***
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, images or songs featured in this fic. Additionally, I do not claim ownership of any products or properties mentioned in this novel. This work is entirely fanfic.