The first day, he had decided to take Kusakabe and Mei Mei out going on an exorcism.

"Get in." Takumi said, head gesturing to his car.

A prestige-looking sports car rose out from his shadow, the door slid open upwards, not outward.

"No way..." Kusakabe steps back, eyes glued to the car, she doesn't know much about cars but she can definitely tell an expensive ride when she sees it.

"Sensei, I didn't know you were this loaded." Mei Mei said, tilting his head. "I wonder how much he charge."

"Not that much, you can put your tools in the back trunk." Listening to him, Mei Mei dropped his axe, Kusakabe, her katana into the back. They both got in, and Takumi started up the engine, driving away from the school grounds.

"To afford this car, Sensei must be quite rich. Can you tell us something about yourself as we go ?" Mei Mei strikes up a conversation as Takumi is driving.

"Hmmm, not much to say, I'm a simple man with a family. Just trying to make a living for them." He replied, "And you two ? Any goals for the future ?"

"Making as much money as I can." Mei's answer was simple and straightforward.

"I'm the same, but I'll do it because I have someone to look after." Kusakabe has a much deeper purpose than just money.

"Well, good to know. Just do your best, if it's too hard then you can call me. Kay?" While his eyes remain on the road, they can tell he was very supportive.

"Where are we going, sensei ?" Kusakabe asks.

"An old warehouse located on the bad side of the city. For today's assignment, we won't be dealing with just a curse spirit. But a group of them."

Getting out after a short ride, Mei Mei and Kusakabe stand behind Takumi as he sets up the veil to the warehouse.

"Kusakabe ?" Takumi said, startling the girl. "Yes!"

"Assess the danger of this place."

She gulped down nervously as her eyes squinted at the abandoned building. Normally, a threat would be evaluated beforehand, but she guessed that the teacher was just trying to see what they were capable of doing.

"Curse energy here is low but it is spread out, meaning it has multiple weak curse spirits. Judging by the flow I can see, I would assume this place has about three or four grade 2 curse spirits in here."

"Hmmm, good job." He turned to the white hair boy, "Can you use your technique to scout the place ?"

"Of course, teacher," Mei Mei winked. Takumi saw a flow of curse energy as Mei Mei summoned a raven to fly over the building, checking for any entrance and searching the place as recon. Through the bird's own eyes, Mei Mei can relay any information they saw back.

"The place has three curse spirits, one sitting at the front gate, the other two are at the further back." Seeing it, he described them in detail for Takumi too, before turning off his technique.

"Okay, you two, I want some teamwork and cooperation. I won't go in unless there's a danger you two can't handle, therefore make a plan and stay close." There was care in his monotone voice, he handed each of them an orb.

"What's this ?" Mei mei takes a closer look at the sphere in his hand.

"Something in case of an emergency." Was all he said before sending them in.

They were not familiar with their new teacher much, but his strength made it believable for them to listen.

The wind rustled through the rusted creaking of the old doors. Kusakabe huffed as she took the first step,

"I see it, in one corner, it has its back toward us." Kusakabe muttered, Mei Mei just got past her, hip swaying as he unwrapped his battle axe.

“I’ll go loud. You clean up the stragglers.”

“I still don’t like that plan. Senpai,” Kusakabe said in annoyance.

“I’m not asking you to.” He rushed the curse spirit with an overhead swing.

It didn't even have a chance to react as his axe split it in half, the instant death of the spirit alerting the others.

*Roar*

One cursed spirit rushed Kusakabe—a twisted, wiry thing with elongated limbs. She parried its strike with her katana, ducked low, and countered cleanly.

Crashing through the wall, another dropped down, baring rows of teeth. Kusakabe barely turned in time.

Suddenly—CLANG.

The curse was batted away by a blur of metal—Mei Mei’s axe, thrown like a missile, then returning to his hand by a bird he controlled back through the air.

“Warn me next time!”

“Next time, don’t get snuck up on.” Grabbing his axe, Mei ran to Kusakabe.

Standing back to back, Mei and Kusakabe each took off to face a curse spirit.

Kusakabe made a dash that turned into a slide as she maneuvered through a huge swipe from the cursed hand.

Her blade slashed the arm, then at one of the legs, earning a high-pitched scream from the curse. It tries to bite down on her.

"New shadow style: Batto sword swing." Kusakabe's blade is coated in cursed energy, she rotates it around the blade before drawing her sword with drastically high speed.

Severing the curse head and successfully exorcised the curse spirit.

*fuu* 'that was close.' She thought before turning around. "I'm done on my side, Senpai.-" her voice got cut by a huge wave of curse energy.

The girl witnessed Mei Mei's body being flung into a rusted support beam.

The grade 2 threat reveals itself to be a monstrous grade 1, a centipede-like cursed spirit, twenty feet long, with a human face stretched across its abdomen.

"Mei-Senpai!" Kusakabe’s eyes widened.

'Did I misjudge the curse spirit ?' She did not waste time on that thought for long

Charging in with her blade drawn and activating her curse technique again. Kusakabe was trying to bait it away but the creature was faster.

Multiple fast slashes were deflected by the curse, it slithers around, making arcurate attacks harder.

Then it struck, just as its claws were about to tear into Kusakabe. Time slowed. A blur of green and black dropped in between them.

Takumi raised his right hand, and a black sword appeared around his wrist.

For one frozen moment, the curse locked up paralyzed in mid-motion. A small pause for the moment as Kusakabe watched the curse got vaporized from a single slash.

"Pick up your classmate."

Kusakabe did. Mei Mei pulled himself to his feet, wiped the blood from his lip, and stared at their teacher with no surprise. Only calculation.

Outside the warehouse, Takumi leaned against the car again, acting totally nonchalant as if he hadn’t just saved a life with one move.

“…Thanks. You came in exactly when you needed to.” Kusakabe says in a quiet tone, more sincere than the tone she usually uses.

“Told you I would. You two did well, each handled themself. The grade 1 was not in the plan, so of course I have to step in.”

“Appreciated.” Mei Mei said, holding his rib.

He didn’t say much, but the slight incline of his head said what his words didn’t.

“Come here, let me see that." Takumi reached out, his curse energy shifted, and for a short moment, Mei Mei and Kusakabe could see what looked like some antler horn on his head.

"Done."

"What ?" Kusakabe exclaimed dramatically.

"Hmm." Mei Mei checks his injury and sees that it has healed. "Sensei, you are a man with quite the power." His voice was a mix of affection and thankfulness.

"Able to heal and attack in such potency, are you sure you are normal teacher, Sensei ?" Takumi just waved off the compliment and got into his car.