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pkken
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As she neared the hotel, Kasumi picked up on another hunter's presence. She turned to see Kukiko lounging on a nearby bench, chiding her for lateness. "Ehhh sorry!" With a strained smile, Kasumi rubbed the back of her neck. Despite the call-out, the other hunter being here was a relief. Kukiko knew how to keep a level head in battle, and made everything seem so effortless.
"Uh, not sure if anyone else is turning up, but... We've got this!" The tremor in her voice sounded rather less than encouraging. At least Bunbuku did a good job of taking on the moral support role, even earning a little smile from Kukiko. Thankfully, two more presences drew near. Kasumi glanced over her shoulder as a familiar figure approached, a dark-haired boy in ripped punk clothes. A regular at Chiba Cafe. When they'd first met, she'd picked up right away that he was a hunter, but she hadn't had time to talk to him besides taking his order. Behind him, a younger, nervous looking boy in a bear beanie followed.
"Oh! Hello." She bowed, still in the habit of being formal from her cafe work. "We were just about to investigate the hotel." Her eyes flicked to the building, her fists clenching by her sides. Even from a distance, that aura of corruption from inside was palpable.
She turned her attention back to the boys, the teddy bear tsukumogami bound to Kaito putting a much-needed smile on her face with her introduction. "Nice to meet you. Uh, Chiba Kasumi, but ehh, you can just call me Kasumi." First name basis, she hoped, would help her come across as approachable rather than an awkward mess. She glanced towards the older one. "And your name is?"
A tingle ran through Ukiko, the telltale sign of a fellow hunter approaching and entering the world between. Looking over at Suyin, she grinned to mask her fears of the upcoming encounter. Suyin, with her psychokinetic powers, was a force to be reckoned with. Sora was next to join, the vibrant pink and blue of her outfit standing out from the grey surroundings. "Hey!" Ukiko pumped her fist in the air, in a deliberately over-the-top gesture. "Yep, let's go kick some onryo butt!"
She headed towards the clearing, from where that malicious aura seethed, only to whirl round as Burabura spoke up.
"Over there-bura!"
Eyebrows furrowed, Ukiko followed the lantern a short distance to the side. She gasped. One of the victims lay curled up by a tree, motionless. "Don't tell me he's..." Rushing over, Ukiko dropped to her knees beside him, close enough that his features sharpened into view, those of a middle-aged man. A sigh of relief left Ukiko's lips as she saw his chest moving, white puffs of breath rising above his face.
"He's alive," she called, "but he's in a bad way." He simply lay there, shivering from the unnatural cold, eyes unfocused. People in the living world couldn't see or hear hunters in limbo, but Ukiko knew he probably wouldn't notice her even if she stepped out. Glimpsing movement in the corner of her vision, she turned her head. Someone else in the spellbound horde stopped and slumped, sitting hunched on the ground. One by one, more did the same, as if waiting for the curse to claim them.
"Oh shit..." Jumping up, Ukiko dashed into the clearing, towards the source of the hex. "We're really gotta act fast!"
