[Hakari POV]
The day of the Intersquad Tournament had come, and Hakari couldn't help but feel like this was kind of a waste of time. At least the Sister-School Goodwill Event had a reason behind it. In the world of jujutsu, there were not many ways to actively hone a sorcerer's skills in ways that weren't deadly. Many sorcerers had died simply because they sought out the means to better their technique and unfortunately picked a curse or another sorcerer firmly above their ability.
The Goodwill Event was meant to give young sorcerers the means of testing yourself in as safe an environment as possible. This tournament felt more like a dick measuring contest.
He had gotten the info that because there were some "humanoid Shuuki" that had kicked another squad's ass, and that a certain vice captain had gone and run their mouth, which had gone and got the captain of squad seven to propose the entire idea.
As Hakari was brought to the squad seven dorms via Tenka's blessing, he couldn't help but feel bitter about this whole thing.
Firstly, was Yachiho's connection to it. After their fight, she had begrudgingly allowed him to do as he pleased, which meant he didn't want to leave anymore. Yeah, he could be some famous gambler, but that wasn't fulfilling. Here, he could feel some fever, and chase what he had to give up. A jackpot from a slot machine would never compare to the jackpot from his domain.
Yachiho had invited him to her room to talk privately, and when he saw her room was a fucking shrine to who he was soon told was her little sister, he wanted to stop talking to her entirely. She explained that she didn't think her sister was up to the challenges of being a vice captain, she needed to go home, blah blah blah.
Hakari realized she was a siscon and decided to stop listening. He did pick up her explanation of her blessing, and that only made his mood sour more. Time manipulation. She could pause or rewind time in five second intervals so long as she struck some pose.
Hakari left her room rubbing his face in disbelief. The blessings of the peach were as varied as cursed techniques, but this was actually stupid.
So yeah, knowing that this entire tournament was caused because Yachiho can't talk to her sister like a human being, it soured the whole idea.
"Our objective as the sixth squad is to win with a clean sweep." Tenka said as her power deactivated.
"Let's make it elegant," Yachiho added, tossing one of her twintails behind her. "An elegant and crushing victory."
Hakari spared a glance to Sahara, who seemed to just be looking around the hallway they had appeared in. The place was pretty clean, he noticed.
He had been told that he would be competing against the seventh squad's caretaker, but he hadn't been told how, beyond it being a chore battle. Hakari figured they were gonna brawl, that's what this whole tournament sounded like it was gonna be. Just a few one on one matches to show which squad was better.
The squad six group were soon intercepted by a duo that had moved into the hallway. One of them, a woman dressed in the standard Anti-Demon Corps attire, a katana set on her hip. Her silver hair was loose, falling down to her thighs. The other, a young man with short black hair dressed in what looked like some sort of basic military garb.
Hakari couldn't help but keep his eyes on the guy. He was the first one he had seen since being brought into the Anti-Demon Corps, and he looked rather...plain. He didn't look military though, despite his clothing.
'I wonder if they realized they didn't have a male uniform and so they found some old fatigues.' He thought to himself, looking down instead at his suede jacket. He straightened it slightly, and his hands moved up to make sure his afro was still where he wanted it while the squad seven members introduced themselves to him.
"I'm Kyouka Uzen, Chief of the 7th unit." The woman said, gesturing to the man. "This is Yuuki, our caretaker."
Yuuki bowed politely in greeting. "It's nice to meet another caretaker." He said easily, lifting a hand and clenching it with conviction. "I'm looking forward to our battle."
Hakari brought forth every bit of willpower to keep his face straight as he thought about their upcoming "battle". A contest of who could do the most chores was more the sound of it. It filled his head with that familiar static of uninterest.
Tenka and Kyouka began talking, but Hakari didn't pay much thought, too busy sizing Yuuki up. Compared to the girls with their peaches, his cursed energy was as normal as any other persons, but there seemed to be a sliver of what he felt to be Kyouka's cursed energy inside of him.
'A facet of her blessing?' he thought, looking at the 7th unit chief. 'What could her technique be for her to be leaving cursed energy in him? Something like tracking?'
Hakari was drawn from his musings as his chief spoke up. "I believe we have time to let your slave and Hakari face each other." she said easily. Hakari didn't know how to react to hearing that Yuuki was considered a slave. He didn't look enslaved, and he didn't look unhappy, but looks can be deceiving.
The two men were led to a dirty room, divided along the middle by a long piece of painters tape. Both sides had been left in utter disrepair. On each side, a small futon was piled high with trash, stained visibly in many places. Amongst the trash, various uniforms of the Anti-Demon Corps lay strewn about, crumpled in on themselves. At the entrance to the room, set up neatly, was a bit of basic cleaning supplies, including long rubber gloves, spray on detergents, and a hamper.
"The rules are simple. The first to fully clean half of the room wins." Kyouka said, giving Yuuki a confident look. "You can handle any issue as you like, but all the laundry must be clean and folded, and every stain must be removed."
Hakari slowly turned his head from the mess of the room to look at Yuuki to see he had gotten the gloves on, had undone his jumpsuit to tie the top half around his waist, showing a plain t-shirt, and a bandana was across his head, keeping his hair out of the way.
"If you wanna get the material ready, Hakari, you can." Kyouka said, evidently giving the idea of fairness, due to how fast her slave had gotten ready.
"Oh, uh, thanks." Hakari said, picking up the materials to look them over. He pulled on the gloves, sighing as Kyouka and Tenka raised their hands, aiming to start this contest.
"Get ready…" Kyouka started.
"Set…" Tenka followed.
"GO!" They both shouted, Yuuki lunging forward, aiming to make every second count.
"I forfeit." Hakari said simply, and with that, the end of the chore battle was here.
Yuuki didn't quite hear the statement, having strode over and picked up some errant pair of leggings when he paused and looked back at him with wide eyes.
Hakari turned, seeing the four women who had been about to bear witness to this battle of the housekeeper in various states of disbelief.
Kyouka looked quietly shocked, as if this wasn't an option they had thought was able to be chosen.
Tenka had a hand over her mouth, eyes looking over to Yachiro.
Yachiro had the look of someone experiencing a serious cramp, teeth gritted in near pain. She might have been holding back an aneurysm through sheer will.
Sahara…was snoozing, leaning against Tenka and using her shoulder as an impromptu pillow.
Hakari slid easily past them, looking back to Yuuki from the hallway. "Have fun cleaning all that."
As he walked down the hallway, aiming to find the kitchen for a drink, he heard the implosion of Yachiro's wrath impact the back of his head in the form of a flying kick, her heel digging into the base of his skull where it touched his neck, her words a string of curses, insults, and other nonsense.
Wait…shit they had said something about wanting a sweeping victory. Whoops.
Hakari looked worse than he felt, shoulders slumped and holding a very poorly made paper sign. After forfeiting, and being assaulted by Yachiro, he had gotten to meet the other members of the 7th unit. Himari, the vice chief, and Yachiros sister. Shushu, a pretty laid back, but excitable girl. Nei, a kid.
It didn't really sit that well with Hakari, that this eleven year old was in the equivalent of hell, but he understood the necessity when it was explained to him how rare an ability like hers was. Gojo had been kicking curses inside out since he stopped using his randoseru, and jujutsu society encouraged it.
It had been Nei who had given him the paper and a few markers to make a sign to cheer Sahara and Yachiro on from the sidelines, so he figured she was a nice kid.
It was lessened only by the fact that, not really feeling that enthused, had simply written the kanji for win about 30 times, filling the paper with cramped symbols that started big and then got smaller to fill the space left, like a written form of an echo.
So, as Yachiro faced off against her younger sister Himari, who was going to be using Yuuki as some sort of support item, he waved the sign lackadaisically, focused instead on the dome they were within.
The level this barrier was on was comparable to the ones Tengen would be able to put out. Hakari couldn't quite fathom the blessing Ginna Bizen had to be able to make it. At the cost of using chalk, and having to have your name on a piece of paper to be allowed in, this barrier could feasibly repel even special grade curses, and heal those inside.
The idea that if they had this, even after Shinjuku, it would have been such a relief. This with the goodwill event would have been invaluable.
Ginna's attitude to guys could be removed though. She had given Yuuki and him dirty looks as they signed the paper to be let into her barrier. Between her and Yachiro, maybe misandry was just more normal in this world.
The fights went…badly. Himari won by using Yuuki as a diversion at the last moment to land a shot on her sister, making Yachiho lose. Sahara, meanwhile, whooped Shushu's ass in her sleep, despite the blonde girl being able to grow to crazy size.
The tournament coming to a close, the attendants were milling around for a moment. There was gonna be one last bout between the chiefs, like a 'good job!' for them fighting. Himari called out, noticing that Shuuki were incoming, but Hakari didn't bother paying attention to that. His attention was on the being approaching the barrier.
"You call this a barrier?" It spoke, a grim silhouette amongst the smoke of the lesser Shuuki who threw themselves into the barrier and were removed from reality. It got close enough for his visage to be just barely visible, a white mask like face that reared back, and actually impacted the barrier in a fierce headbutt.
Hakari looked up with the others as the barrier began to crack like glass, its laughter echoing across the group. Special Grade, probably. A rush of excitement filled Hakari's veins, and he turned his attention back to the thing as they spoke again.
"It's so ridiculous, it makes me, Rairan, burst into laughter!" It said, walking through the broken hole of the barrier, Shuuki flooding in behind him.
"Obsolete rejects!" Rairan said, sauntering in. "It's time to meet your en-" He was cut off as, no longer waiting, Hakari had cleared the distance, fist slamming into the stocky shuuki's gut and sending him back through the hole in the barrier he had made.
The members of the 7th unit stared in shock as Hakari jumped after this evident attack leader, laughing heartily.
"IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME I GOT SOMETHING TO DO!" Hakari shouted, fever spiking, flying into melee with a being that, by every measurement he had, was an honest to goodness curse.