Chapter 90: Chapter 90: A Reluctant Choice
These curses... were humans!?
How could something like this happen?
In his hesitation, Itadori Yuji was struck in the nose by the pitcher plant curse, stumbling backward for two steps, and blood began to flow from his nostrils.
"Hayashizaki-sensei, you said these curses are humans, what's going on?!"
While trying to fend off the curse's attack, Itadori shouted in panic.
Distracted, he left himself open and was punched in the stomach by the curse.
He immediately widened his eyes, hunched his body like a shrimp, then was sent flying by an uppercut, crashing to the ground in an awkward heap.
"Just take it literally."
Hayashizaki casually grabbed a handful of popcorn and chewed while watching Itadori Yuji get beaten by the curse.
Meanwhile, on Yukinoshita Yukino's side, the black-haired girl held her umbrella and slowly closed her eyes, her thin lips pressed tightly. Hayashizaki could see the sadness in her expression.
After a moment, Yukinoshita Yukino opened her eyes, and a hint of compassion flashed in her dark blue gaze.
An invisible slash shot from her delicate hand, slicing across the curse's neck.
"Your... ticket?"
The curse tilted its head in confusion.
The next moment, its head rolled off, falling to the ground without it feeling any pain, as it died.
Yukinoshita Yukino approached the curse's severed head, crouched down, and without any resistance, gently closed its eyes.
"May you never suffer again in your next life. Rest in peace."
The girl spoke softly.
Two clear teardrops flowed from the cursed spirit's closed eyes, trailing down its deep green skin and blending into the rain.
Hayashizaki, silently watching all of this with a smile, felt a moment of relief in his eyes.
Yukinoshita Yukino had finished her fight and was about to help Itadori, but Hayashizaki reached out to stop her.
"This is his fight. Don't interfere."
Hayashizaki said, jumping down from the rooftop. With the girl looking speechless, he shoved the bucket of popcorn into her arms.
Itadori Yuji seemed to be stuck in deep hesitation, just blocking the punches thrown by the carnivorous plant curse.
Damn it! A cursed spirit that was human? How am I supposed to strike it!?
After blocking another heavy punch aimed at his face, Itadori Yuji slid back a bit, steadied himself, and prepared for the cursed spirit's next attack.
But if this keeps going, I'll lose for sure...
Even though his strength and stamina were extraordinary, he couldn't keep taking this kind of beating.
Gritting his teeth, Itadori Yuji charged at the enemy for the first time, quickly dodging a punch and moving behind the cursed spirit. He then locked its arms and legs in a ground move, and the cursed spirit immediately started struggling violently.
"Hayashizaki-sensei! Can't you think of something to help him!?"
Itadori Yuji shouted at Hayashizaki.
"There's nothing that can be done."
Hayashizaki replied indifferently, "Once they turned into this, they were already dead."
"How can this be..."
Itadori stared in shock, loosening his grip just enough for the cursed spirit to break free, then elbowed him in the face. Itadori fell backward, crashing to the ground, with water splashing around him.
The back of his head hit the ground, making him dizzy. When he saw the cursed spirit sit down on him, Itadori Yuji quickly rolled aside and stood up again.
He was breathing heavily, his hands trembling, and even his clenched fists felt weak.
"I'm sorry, I can't save you."
He said with a pained expression.
Then, as if making up his mind, Itadori Yuji slapped his own face with both hands. His confused look cleared, and he said, "But I can't just give up here!"
The cursed spirit charged at him again, but this time its attack didn't go as smoothly.
With a punch imbued with cursed energy, Itadori Yuji landed a heavy blow on the cursed spirit's head. The cursed energy surged up from his abdomen into his arm, then exploded, creating a large hole in the cursed spirit's head.
"Washing... detergent..."
The cursed spirit fell back, its body lying still on the ground, gradually losing its life.
Itadori Yuji looked down at the body on the ground with a complicated expression. He murmured absentmindedly, "As expected, it hasn't disappeared."
He clasped his hands together and closed his eyes, silently mourning for the deceased.
"Well done."
Hayashizaki walked over, patted him on the shoulder, and handed him a bucket of popcorn. "This is your reward."
"Thank you... wait, Hayashizaki-sensei, did you just disappear to buy popcorn?"
Itadori Yuji was about to thank him when his expression dropped.
It feels like Hayashizaki-sensei is just as unreliable as Gojo-sensei.
"I didn't buy it, I took it."
Hayashizaki corrected him. "The cinema staff was gone, but I saw there was still plenty of popcorn left in the warmer, so I brought some over to avoid wasting food."
"One bucket per person."
He said, pulling out another bucket of popcorn from behind his back and starting to eat.
"Taking without asking is theft. Isn't that a simple concept Hayashizaki-kun doesn't understand?"
Yukinoshita Yukino's cold voice came from behind them. When they looked back, she had a bucket of popcorn stuffed into her arms too.
"This is a reasonable requisition."
Hayashizaki said confidently, even though he knew his reasoning was weak.
"You're not even trying to argue logically anymore. You're just being unreasonable."
Yukinoshita Yukino sighed helplessly, then picked up a piece of popcorn and put it in her mouth.
Watching their interaction, Itadori Yuji scratched his head and said, "You two seem to get along really well."
"Well, it's fine, I guess."
Hayashizaki replied with a smile.
"How can you tell?"
Yukinoshita Yukino glanced away, "What are we doing next?"
"There's nothing more to find here. Let's head back for now."
Hayashizaki glanced at the drenched Itadori Yuji. "Itadori, you should change into dry clothes, or you'll catch a cold."
"I'm fine. My body is strong. I don't think I've ever been sick," Itadori Yuji said, flexing his muscles and smiling. "But yeah, being all wet is uncomfortable."
"We won't get anything by staying here, so let's go," Hayashizaki said as he took the lead and headed back to the hallway.
Before leaving the cinema, Yukinoshita Yukino noticed the ticket counter. She walked over and placed the money for the three buckets of popcorn on the desk.
For some reason, a complex feeling rose in the girl's heart, as if thinking, "My child is causing trouble everywhere, and as a parent, I can only step in to clean up the mess."
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