Curse Returns, a gamble from the start, I awaken dual spells

the next day.

When we finished our morning exercise, the sun had just climbed above the treetops.

Rito wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, his breathing still not fully even.

My sparring session with Maki lasted for a full hour. Although I was still being suppressed, at least I didn't have a chance to fight back like I did the first time.

At the other end of the playground, Dingzaki tucked his hammer into his waistband and walked over.

She still had a flesh-colored bandage on her neck, and the bruises left by the steel factory had not completely healed.

"Hey, Rito." Kugizaki stopped a few steps away, cracking the empty sports drink bottle in his hand. "Want to play a couple of rounds with me?"

Rito glanced at her.

Kugizaki said this in a casual tone, but his expression revealed a hint of seriousness.

Since returning from the steel mill, she has been training much more frequently than before, and Fu Hei has done the same.

"Okay." Li Ren straightened up.

Without wasting words, Kugizaki immediately adopted an offensive stance.

The same applies to people.

Kugizaki's nails are ranged attacks, but her physical skills are also formidable.

Unlike Maki's precise and restrained attacks, Kugizaki's offense, like her personality, is direct and uncompromising.

She took her first step forward, her right fist aimed straight at Rin's face.

Rito raised his arm to block, his forearm colliding with her wrist bone with a dull thud. He then used the momentum to push her outward, trying to shift her center of gravity.

But Kugizaki held firm.

The moment her right fist was deflected, her left foot followed, her center of gravity extremely low, and a sweeping kick aimed straight at the outside of his front knee.

The authorities were forced to retreat.

This step created a gap in his block.

Kugizaki didn't let the opportunity pass. Using the momentum of her sweeping kick, she slammed her left elbow horizontally into his exposed ribs.

Li Ren lowered his elbow to protect his ribs, and their elbows collided head-on.

boom!

The bones collided with a dull thud, causing both of them to stagger back half a step.

Without pausing, Kugizaki's fist came crashing down again.

Her combos had no fixed rhythm; sometimes there was a half-beat interval between two punches, and sometimes three punches came in a line, as fast as a hammer striking nails.

Rito stopped trying to predict her rhythm and focused on defending the center line, using his arms and shoulders to receive the unavoidable attacks.

Despite his forearm going numb from the blow and his shoulder taking a heavy hit, he did not back down.

He is waiting.

Kugizaki's combos are dense, but the force of each punch is not exactly the same.

After a powerful punch, she needs a barely perceptible breathing gap to connect with the next punch.

The gap was very short, but after Maki's several days of intensive training, Rito was able to catch it.

Immediately afterwards, Kugizaki raised his hand and threw another hook punch, this time with more force than the previous punches.

The tiger's mouth grazed Li Ren's earlobe, creating a gust of wind.

It's now!

Li Ren's eyes lit up.

Seizing this fleeting opportunity, he took half a step forward.

Then, just before Kugizaki could raise his left fist, he rammed his shoulder into her chest.

boom!

The powerful impact sent Kugizaki staggering back two steps.

"Not bad!"

She steadied herself, glanced up at Rito, gave a slight twitch at the corner of her mouth, and then resumed her stance.

The person in charge also put on a show of force.

The dull pain from the block still lingered in my forearm, but my body didn't make any unnecessary movements.

As Maki once said, any unnecessary movement is a weakness in front of an opponent.

As the practice continued, the grass on the playground was trampled and bent over by the two men's footsteps.

As the morning light grew brighter, it cast two intersecting shadows on the two of them.

After a few rounds, the two stopped at the same time.

Kugisaki was panting heavily and wiped the sweat from his chin with the back of his hand.

Li Ren's breathing was also a little uneven, and a small patch of his school uniform on the back was soaked with sweat.

Just then, a figure slowly approached from the edge of the playground.

She is pure and noble.

He was wearing a gray suit, a light blue shirt, and a tie that was as tight as Nanami's, but it didn't give him the same imposing feeling as Nanami; instead, it made him look more reserved.

He stood at the edge of the playground, holding a letter in his hand, and bowed slightly in the direction of Kugizaki.

"Kugizaki-san, there's a letter for you."

"My letter?" Kugizaki was taken aback.

After deciding to become a sorcerer, she had not contacted her hometown for a long time.

And besides her family, she couldn't think of anyone else who would send her a letter.

Thinking it over, Kugizaki walked over and took it.

Rito stood there, watching her open the envelope, her gaze moving across the letter.

He thought it was some kind of notice or bill and didn't pay much attention.

But soon, Kugizaki's movements slowed down.

After reading it once, she quickly scanned it again from the beginning.

Although her expression didn't change much, Rito could keenly sense that she seemed somewhat down.

The wind on the playground suddenly picked up, blowing empty beverage bottles off the ground and sending them rolling far away.

Kugizaki turned around without saying a word and walked out of the playground.

"What happened?"

Rito quickly chased after him.

Kugizaki paused for a moment, his voice low.

"It's nothing."

Rito stopped; it seemed Kugizaki didn't want anyone to bother her right now.

But that's not the important thing. While Kugizaki was reading the letter, he also inadvertently saw something.

"Hometown...Grandma...Has something happened at home?"

Thinking of this, Rito frowned slightly.

In the original work, Kugizaki's background is almost entirely blank.

All he knew was that Kugizaki had a grandmother who was a sorcerer, and it was her grandmother who led her onto the path of a sorcerer.

Later, Kugizaki wanted to come to Tokyo, but her grandmother wanted her to stay by her side. The two disagreed and a conflict broke out.

Although Kugizaki eventually arrived there as he wished, the seeds of conflict were sown at that time.

"The original work never mentions any cursed spirit incidents in Kugizaki's hometown. Is it because I'm interfering with the plot again?"

Li Ren gently shook his head.

"No, you can't figure this out just by thinking about it. To find out the answer, we need Kugizaki to tell us himself, or..."

At that moment, Rito suddenly remembered something.

After the modification incident, Zhenren showed extra care for his companions.

Now that cursed spirits are appearing in Kugizaki's hometown, what if it's related to the real person?

Although it's just speculation, we have to be wary of this outcome; the students from Riyo High School are the best example of what can happen.

"No, we can't let Kugizaki go back alone. Even if it's just a simple cursed spirit incident, we can't let her face it alone."

"Whether it's to find out what happens next in the plot or to ensure Kugizaki's personal safety, I have a reason to go."

"Most importantly..." Rito looked up in the direction Kugizaki had left, "She's my classmate, an indispensable companion for all of us!"

Thinking about it, Rito walked forward.

With firm steps.