The new recruit


Sighing, he looks up at the sky and suddenly notices a cluster of black clouds over the sun. He thinks for a second, with relief, how much he has been looking forward to rain after so many hot days. Temperatures are breaking records, and so are the summer curses.

All it takes is for the date to approach for them to begin to "be born", so to speak. Kusakabe closes his eyes with regret every time he sees an old woman blowing air with a fan in the street. Because he knows it's close. The season is already beginning.

When the first raindrops fall he is in a dark alley finishing exorcising a medium-sized curse, the kind that hangs on people's necks and backs. Grateful that he listened to the weather forecast when choosing his raincoat.

His only regret is that rainy days, for some reason, make him feel a craving that can hardly be replaced by a sweet. Not because of its taste, sometimes even a toothpick or a dried weed is enough for him. Kusakabe has given up cigarettes five years ago, but only manages to overcome the craving with something stuck in his mouth that reminds him of the sensation.

On the way to the Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical School there is a small grocery store with good prices and quite a variety. He walks at a brisk pace, as his pessimism did not allow him to carry an umbrella believing that, possibly it would be another day without rain.

With one foot inside the store, his raincoat soaking wet and his hair damp, Kusakabe walks at a slow pace observing the shelves. He takes his time waiting for the rain to stop before he finishes paying for his purchase. But the intensity of the drops copiously hitting the window panes doesn't seem to diminish.

As he looks at the variety of candy, internally debating whether he should try something new or just take a box of Pocky as usual, he notices a sudden growth of cursed energy inside the store.

It's not too big, not so much of an overflow that it could cause the birth of a curse in less than five minutes. But it is larger than average. Kusakabe picks up a box of Pocky and cranes his neck between the shelves looking for one person in particular.

It's the cashier. Young, looks about thirteen or fourteen. Black hair hidden under a cap with the name of the store. Large navy blue eyes.

Seeing her, for some reason, Kusakabe relaxes. The girl is talking to the store owner and from what he can hear he's teaching her how to use the cash register and she's very afraid of making a mistake at checkout. She is so nervous that all her energy is pouring out of every pore, like a gas leak.

He knows there is nothing he can do, that these are simply things he must observe and deal with the consequences later. He walks to the cash register after taking an unnecessary stroll through the corridors, wondering if a solution to this endless energy source for curses will ever present itself.

Finally, when he sees that the rain has begun to subside, he traces an accurate route to that young girl. The store owner has left and she watches him walk, eyes wide as plates, with a drop of cold sweat running down her cheek.

Kusakabe looks at her name tag and then greets her.

"Miwa-chan," he says before handing her the candy.

She smiles. A warm smile spreads across her young blushing face. She scans the code on the box as she greets him.

"Good afternoon, is there anything else I can get for you?" she says with a puffed out chest.

For those who didn't know, for those who couldn't feel the leakage of energy; Miwa-chan would seem to have a lot of experience in the field. But to him that sweet smile is nothing more than a facade, he knows perfectly well that she is dead nervous.

Kukasabe denies and she hesitates for a moment trying to remember the buttons she has to press to issue the ticket. Her smile fades and an uncomfortable expression is painted on her face.

"Relax, take your time," Kusakabe says and Miwa watches him out of the corner of her eye.

The cursed energy suddenly recedes, slowly returns to its container after Miwa took a moment to take a deep breath. He can feel the way the leakage recedes and finds this exercise just interesting and smiles to himself.

Miwa has thought, "how lucky I am to have my first customer be so kind."

Kusakabe has thought, "If it takes a little longer I won't get so wet in the rain."

"First day?" Kusakabe asks as she slowly presses the first buttons.

She nods.

"Yes," she replies and smiles as her first ticket is printed. "Thank you very much for your purchase! Come back soon!"

Kusakabe takes the ticket, nods and leaves as Miwa gives him a most polite bow. Although he ends up sighing when he sees that it hasn't finished raining on the other side of the door.


"Summer nights," sounds very nice and even romantic. But when the temperature reaches one hundred and four degrees Fahrenheit and there is no breeze, it sounds more like torture.

His shoes are tight, his tie has come off and is balled up in his pants pocket, his shirt is unbuttoned and he walks heavily like a zombie in search of the only thing on his mind. Nothing but a couple of cold beers to cheer him up.

It's been a long day, three minor curses and one of those third degree curses that form when there is a power outage and a large group of human beings begin to hate life itself. Nothing complicated for him, although he prays that no one will think of sending him on a more difficult mission.

"God bless Gojo Satoru," he says as he mentally thanks that the heaviest burden is carried by the strongest.

He is completely comfortable with his mediocrity, he sees no reason why he should move up a step if it ends up threatening his life. Better leave him as he is, alive, dead hot in search of a beer.

He enters the same convenience store and the first thing he hears is a group of teenagers, too loud for his taste. To his bad luck they are standing right in front of the cooler with the beers.

"Take any..."

"That looks good."

"It's the one my dad drinks."

After deliberating, the group grabs a six-pack of cans and leaves amid uproarious laughter. Kusakabe doesn't have the energy to stop and think about them. He only does when he realizes they've taken the last six-pack of his favorite beer.

"Shit..." he whispers and then sighs. He glances at the other brands and his expression twists, one of them is, in his opinion, beer water, one is glorified cat piss, one he hasn't even tried, the rest are not blondes.

He doesn't know whether it's better to leave empty-handed or with a beer that he ends up flushing down the toilet.

"Sorry, no ID, I can't sell you alcohol!"

The girl's voice makes him turn around. Suddenly he hears a bustle, someone banging on the counter.

The group of boys huddle in front of her, what was her name? The girl from the other day. They surround her like a pack and she, with a frown, looks at them defiantly. But he knows what is really going on inside her. She trembles like the last leaf of a chestnut tree in the middle of a storm. She's like an open faucet, dripping with energy.

The largest of the group, in an upturned cap and dark T-shirt, rests a hand firmly in front of her. He drops his weight on the counter and plants his face mere inches from the attentive eyes of the dark-haired young woman.

"ID? Girl! Don't you realize we're college students? Look at us!"

She hesitates, unable to close the still dripping faucet. She puffs out her small chest and lifts her chin.

"If you don't leave, I'll call the police!"

They recoil at her threat, then one in the group notices the presence of Kusakabe watching them intently from a reasonable distance. That one gives a light punch to the one next to him, and then he whispers to the next one until they all seem to be aware.

"W-we're going to leave now, but we'll be back with IDs, dumb girl!"

As they leave she looks like she's about to collapse. As if she had been holding her breath throughout their interaction. When she turns to Kusakabe and finds him smiling, she smiles too.

She thinks it's because she's managed to get those bullies off her back. But in reality Kusakabe smiles at the pack of beer the guys have left on the counter for him.

"Good night!" she says to him after recovering from the scare.

He, once standing in front of her, looks at the name tag again.

"Miwa," he says, "Isn't it too late for you to be working here by yourself?"

"The store owner had a personal problem and my partner went on a trip. Besides, I can really use the money."

Kusakabe takes his wallet out of his pocket and looks sideways at her.

"How old are you?"

"Fourteen, sir."

"You should be studying, do you have good grades?"

"I-I..."

"Are you failing?"

"N-no! Not yet... The truth is that I've barely passed the last tests," she answers with a crooked smile, unable to hold his gaze.

"You should quit and dedicate yourself to school."

"That's not an option, my family is very poor."

Kusakabe feels his throat close up and coughs after handing her a couple of bills.

"I'm not telling you this to make you feel sorry for me, it's just the truth. Here, good night, sir, come back soon!"

He has a strange feeling in his chest and doesn't know exactly what to attribute it to. Whether it's that Miwa-chan is poor, that she has to work at night, or that maybe those boys will decide to bother her again when he's gone.

Whatever the reason, Kusakabe was not able to take more than ten steps. He sat on a bench across the street and opened a can of beer to drink it while keeping an eye on the surroundings. He only left when Miwa turned off the lights in the store.


"Kusakabe-san!"

Miwa has been greeting him by name since the day he paid for his purchase with a card. A chuckle escaped her when she saw his ID card and he snatched it away growling under his breath. He admits it's not his best photo, if he has one at all.

He's come to this store more than a dozen times and crossed a few words with Miwa a handful of others. He gives her little tips that she thinks help her behave like an adult, but in reality Kusakabe slyly teaches her to control her cursed energy.

Another rainy afternoon, intense and untamed.

Kusakabe glances sideways at her, tempted by a carton of cigarettes. She watches the rain with too much concern and again her energy boils over. For some reason Miwa's mere presence in that store makes him choose a healthier option and he ends up walking back to the candy aisle and grabs a box of strawberry vanilla Pocky from the shelf. It's like he doesn't want her to know he's a recovering smoker or something. Maybe it's because he likes the way she looks at him, with a bit of admiration he's not used to.

When he walks back up to the register, she bites her lip.

"You didn't bring an umbrella?"

She denies.

"I forgot it at home, I was going to be late."

"Relax, it's just rain."

"Yes..." she repeats and takes a lock of hair in her hands, "it's just rain."

She swallows saliva, looking distressed. Kusakabe looks out the window as if trying to look for someone behind the rain, someone who scares Miwa to her bones. But there is nothing but water.

"What time does your shift end?"

"In five minutes."

"I'll walk you to the bus stop," Kusakabe says and Miwa's eyes grow wide.

She smiles at him and the energy returns to her body. A weight seems to have lifted off her back. Kusakabe almost blushes, but rolls his eyes and pays for his purchase.

He waits for her by the door and watches her from afar say goodbye to his co-worker. But before she leaves, she gathers her hair into an updo. Then she walks quickly up to him and smiles at him as the automatic doors open and she quickly ducks under his umbrella.

"Do you want some?" he asks, offering her the candy he just bought.

Miwa nods and opens the box, takes one and then offers him the box. Kusakabe, with one hand on the umbrella, uses his free hand to take a long candy out of the box.

"Do you live near here, Kusakabe-san?"

"Yes, ten minutes away."

"Are you a policeman?"

"Why do you think so?"

"First I thought you were an executive because of the suit you wear, but the beer you buy is very cheap, so you don't have much money. Then I thought you might just be a clerk, but your hours are strange. Are you a detective?"

"No... I'm a... teacher. Among other things."

"I didn't know teachers worked so late."

"It's a private school."

The pedestrian light turns red, Kusakabe and Kasumi stop and fortunately she keeps quiet. She averts her gaze and when the light changes, she doesn't move forward. Kusakabe says nothing to her, takes a quick glance at her face and finds her eyes unhinged. She is terrified. She has seen something frightening. And it's not until he turns around that he realizes what this atrocity is that has paralyzed her.

A curse.

Kusakabe looks back at Miwa, following the path of that man with a curse wrapped around his neck, whispering things in his ear. The wretch walks with a cowering, crestfallen face. With a face full of hardship.

"Come on," Kusakabe says softly to Miwa and she reacts as if awakened from a trance.

She nods, tries to smile, but the result is somewhat forced and unnatural. Kusakabe and Miwa walk side by side saying absolutely nothing and he suddenly sighs as he realizes he is standing next to his next recruit. If she can see the curses perhaps she could serve as an assistant, or a window.

"You can see it, can't you?"

"Huh?"

"That thing, on that man's neck. You can see it, right?"

She purses her lips, her face troubled. Then she nods carefully.

"It's a curse, Miwa-chan. There are many of those all over Japan. All shapes and sizes. I'm in the business of exorcising them."

"Are you an exorcist?"

"No! Not an exorcist! A sorcerer..." Kusakabe slaps his face and Miwa takes a sudden breath before running away.

Kusakabe looks up, hears water splashing and sees Miwa crossing the street without looking. On the other side a bridge from which the man with the curse has jumped. And she seems to be going after him.

Throwing his umbrella to the ground, Kusakabe runs cursing his luck. By the time he reaches the other side of the street, Kasumi has already jumped. He barely has time to take off his raincoat and loosen his tie when he sees that neither of them surfaces.

He doesn't think too long before jumping into the water. Barely able to open his eyes, and after blinking a couple of times, he begins to look for them.

She tries to drag the man's body away, but the curse tries to attack her with a sharp sting. First he has to exorcise it.

Kusakabe pulls out the katana he usually brings hidden under his long trench coat and gives him an accurate blow in front of Miwa's stupefied eyes, then grabs the suicidal man by one arm and Miwa takes the other.

A puff of air as he emerges from the freezing water, dragging his body heavier than usual through soaked clothes and another almost lifeless one. Kusakabe and Miwa push that guy until he starts coughing up all the water that got into his lungs.

He breathes with some relief until he hears a shriek from the other side. Miwa's clothes are stained black, her hair is dripping with cheap dye, and underneath it is revealed something she was hiding too carefully.

"Your hair?" asks Kusakabe with wide eyes, staring at something he has never seen before in his life.

Miwa's hair is dyed black and underneath it, her true bright cyan hue, pulsing with cursed energy.

She looks like she is about to burst into tears, she crinkles her mouth and chin, her eyes fill with tears taking her hair in her hands, watching her natural hue show through under the ink. Miwa looks up and sees Kusakabe's eyes, as if expecting him to say something horrible to her, as if it's wrong to have hair that color.

But, to her surprise, Kusakabe strokes the crown of her head.

"Would you like to be a sorceress, Miwa-chan?"