Chapter 9

**Mission Start** (特命始, *Tokumei Hajime*?) is the ninth chapter of the *Jujutsu Shori* series.

## Plot Outline

Dr. Stein reads a book while Allen and Lena work out in the training area of the Tower of God. Stein's timer goes off, signaling the end of the class. He lets both his students know it's time for their lunch break and apologizes to Allen because his second day hasn't been as eventful as the first. Allen is actually thankful for this which he says with an awkward smile. He glances over and notices Kanda finishing up training with a blindfold and a bokuto. Lena tells Allen that Kanda can be way too intense sometimes. She guides Allen to the cafeteria and says she'll see him when classes resume later.

In the cafeteria, Jerry announces which meals are ready for those waiting. Jerry is the head chef and his kitchen serves everyone who works on the tower from sorcerers to maintenance crew. Allen goes to the scout and Jerry immediately notices that he's new. He calls him a cutie and Allen says it's nice to meet him. Jerry asks what he can do for Allen and he basically orders the entire menu. Jerry is surprised and asks if Allen can really eat all of that but Allen's order is interrupted when he notices another man in the cafeteria making a lot of noise.

Bazu, one of the scouts, stands up from his seat and yells out how he's tired of his group being treated so expendable. He feels he's lost too many allies and snapped after learning about someone who just died in Mater. Annoyed, Kanda tells Bazu to quiet down while he's eating at another table. He says he just got here after training and needs to refresh. He's interrupted halfway through his sentence when Bazu gets irate. He claims jujutsu sorcerers are just high and mighty maniacs who contribute to the problem. scouts are out in the field supporting sorcerers but their lives aren't treated with equal value. He decides that he's done with that and throws a punch at Kanda. In an instant, Kanda grabs Bazu's throat and lifts him in the air.

Allen arrives and grabs Kanda's arm. He says he should try not to be so insensitive, it's rude to talk to people like that. Kanda just tells bean sprout to stay out of it and let go of him. Allen says his name isn't bean sprout but Kanda says he'll be dead soon too so his name isn't worth remembering. Allen squeezes Kanda's wrist, forcing him to drop Bazu. Allen repeats that its no way to talk to someone and Kaada forces his hand away. Kanda says Allen is the type of person he hates most and he'll die before his time. Allen gives him a sarcastic reply and Reeve notices the tension from the hallway.

While carrying some books with Lena, Reeve asks Kanda and Allen to meet in Komui's office after lunch. They all arrive to Komui sleeping on his desk. Reeve gets him to wake up with a lie about Lena getting married. Komui apologizes for pulling an all-nighter but Reeve claims he was right there with him all night. Komui says they don't have much time so he asks them to change into their uniforms and read their mission packets. Allen and Kanda realize this means they'll be working together.

Komui didn't realize they didn't like each other but he says too bad because he's not having any of it. He wants Allen to work with Kanda while he's available and adds that Kanda's classmate and teacher are both still in China anyway. Komui pulls down a map over his whiteboard and marks a small town in southern Italy called Mater. scouts have located a paranormal hotspot where many Hallows have appeared. Not only that, but the scouts also reported the sighting of an artificial cursed womb. Communications cut out soon after man. He assigns Allen and Kanda with investigating the situation, rescuing the scouts, and neutralizing any enemies.

After putting on his uniform, Allen meets with Komui at an underground waterway. He finds Timcanpy floating round, which surprises him since the little golem hs been missing for a while. Komui reveals Tincanpy has been with him. It has a memory feature that allowed Komui to study Allen's past. That's why he ended up pulling an all-nighter as well. Reeve arrives with Kanda, who still seems annoyed. Komui introduces them to Toma, their assigned scout, who'll be rowing their boat. He sees them off as they sail down the waterway.

Meanwhile, in Mater Italy, a team of scouts stand on top of buildings and cast a light using projectors on enemy Hallows. The projectors are fueled by cursed energy and imbued with a simple barrier that can trap curses. They believe this will buy them some time but are unsure for how long. One of the scouts is particularly concerned with the artificial cursed womb that's been sealed. This is a sign that a Hallow is evolving beyond grade 3. Suddenly, the cursed womb begins to throb and move, eventually shattering the barrier and horrifying the team of scouts.

The cursed womb emits malicious cursed energy that freezes the scouts in their tracks. The squad leader tells everyone to retreat immediately, yelling out that the Hallow is evolving. The cursed corpse develops intelligence as well as a unique personality. It thanks the humans for nurturing it with their fear and breaks out of the womb, fully evolved and taking the form of a clown.

The team of scouts hide and plug in the communication devices on their backs into a golem. They radio into the Tower of God and report for the first time in a while. They discover backup is on the way and focus on protecting the Ghost of Mater until jujutsu sorcerers arrive for reinforcements.