{Somewhere in south Tokyo}

"Hey, did you hear the news? Grevia is coming to our area for a performance? I am so hyped."

"I know, right? Who knew a big shot like him would show up here? Just thinking about him makes me dizzy; he is so hot."

"Should we ask for his number when he arrives?"

"Absolutely, and we can ask him out. We are hot, so he won’t deny us, right?.........Nao?"

She turned around and saw the lower body of her friend’s body while the upper part was in a curse’s mouth, staring at her. She started hyperventilating while taking a few steps back, “N-Nao?” [Am I dreaming? What is that monster thing? It just ate N-Nao, and it's eyeing me next. I have to run; move, you stupid legs.]

She was frozen in fear, unable to move. The curse picked up the lower body and ate it, taking its time, knowing she was not going anywhere. While all of this was happening, Rina felt like she was going to pass out due to the gruesome scene in front of her. The curse finished eating her, turned towards Rina, and smirked with blood dripping from its mouth and flesh stuck between its teeth.

It slowly approached her, showing its grotesque appearance and massive disgusting teeth. It let out a breath towards her that almost made her feel like passing out because of the smell.

[Crap, crap, I am going to die.] She was scared that her body couldn’t stop trembling, and she even wet herself; the fear in her eyes was very clear.

The curse appeared in front of her and circled around her, sniffing her, even going so far as to sniff under her skirt. [Someone, please help me!] Tears started falling to the ground; this was truly a bad day for her. The curse, now ready, grabbed and raised her up in the air with its mouth wide open.

[No… please nooooo!!]

When she was starting to lose all hope, the curse’s arm suddenly got destroyed, and she fell down, hurting her butt. She looked up at the curse bleeding, and beyond that, right behind it, a girl appeared like a superhero to Rina. [I-I am sav-] The curse ripped off her head, throwing it towards Nobara, who easily dodged and attacked with a nail gun which proved ineffective.

[Tch, get your head straight, Nobara. I can’t lose focus now.]

She looked at the dead girl, exhaled, closed her eyes, and opened them with a determined look in her eyes. She took out more nails and imbued them with her cursed energy, making them float in the air. The curse closed the distance and tried to grab her, but she jumped back, firing one nail at its left without doing any significant damage. She ran towards it, firing more nails at its legs and arms, still not doing much damage. She slid under it and stared at its neck.

“I wonder if that part is as durable as the rest.”

She fired her last nail full force at its neck, piercing it and causing it to stagger before falling down. She stared at it with a smug look, [Yeah, I knew I could deal with the curse alone. I am glad I found it first; now they won’t look down on me anymore.]

She turned around to walk away, and in that instant when she lowered her guard, the curse took the chance to grab her. It got up, healing its throat while smiling, [Dammit, I forgot this thing has intelligence, just like that one from before.] It began squeezing her and enjoying her screaming out in pain.

“AGHHHHHH!!! PUT ME DOWN, DAMMIT!!” [Why?...]

The curse threw her into a lamppost, picked her up again, and threw her into a wall, causing her serious damage. [Why… why am I feeling so bitter inside? His death has really shaken me up; I barely knew him, so why do I feel so sad?] The curse started landing punches without her doing anything to dodge. After seeing that she was no longer moving, it stopped and took a step back to admire her bloody appearance.

[Maybe…. I should just die….] While being picked up to be eaten, the memories from her childhood started flooding her mind, [Soari…I see. I cannot let myself die yet; I am just beginning to live my life.] Suddenly, she remembered Megumi’s words when he told her to move on from Yuji, [Right, I have experienced this pain of loss before; I will use it to make myself stronger so my friends never die again.] She stared at the curse with a smile and burning will in her eyes.

“Sorry, but I can’t be your dinner.” (straw doll technique, Razer Gale Barrage) The nails she fired earlier were still stuck inside the curse; they all grew in length, even taller than her, destroying the curse's arms and legs, making it fall to the ground, slowly healing.

She stared at it and exhaled, “Heh, thanks to you, I have overcome this nasty feeling inside; thank you for that. Nobara Kugaski is back.” She waved her hand, raising one of the four nails up in the air directly above the curse.

“Mission complete.” She waved her hand once more, bringing the nail down at the curse, completely destroying it, or so she thought. A huge surge of energy came from the curse, sending her flying back. Its form began transforming, becoming more human-like, with a sinister smile peeking through its hands.

“This is bad.”