Night Parade of a Hundred Demons

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Several days had passed since Geto and his cohorts declared war on the jujutsu world.

As expected, tension gripped the surroundings of the school grounds. The once serene atmosphere had been replaced by a palpable sense of urgency, with sorcerers and staff alike scurrying about in preparation for the impending war.

Shiki noticed numerous unfamiliar faces; most likely other sorcerers who had been called back for this emergency situation.

"Sigh...it's that man's fault," Shiki exhaled a weary sigh. Clad in a blue kimono, she gazed at the ceiling in her room, lost in thought.

While she understood the necessity of calling back other sorcerers, it made her uncomfortable. The atmosphere surrounding the school, coupled with the tense atmosphere, made it difficult for her to focus on her training.

"Should I follow Panda's advice and take a little rest?" As she pondered, she realized that since arriving at the school, she had done nothing but train.

With that in mind, Shiki rose from her bed and changed into a more suitable attire. She selected a pure white kimono with a floral pattern adorning one side of the shoulder.

Retrieving her cell phone, she made sure to send a message to Gojo. The sound of tapping on the screen filled the room as she typed her message: "I'm going out, will use your money."

After sending the message, she dialed Akari Nitta's number. Akari was an auxiliary manager at Tokyo Jujutsu High School. "Ah, Hello, Nitta-san, could you take me to the city? I have some business there. Yes, I'll be waiting for you at the front gate."

With all her preparations complete, Shiki left her room.

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"I'll call you back once I'm finished."

As Shiki bid her farewell as stepped out of the car.

She found herself in the heart of Tokyo. The towering skyscrapers loomed overhead, casting shadows over the busy streets below.

People hurried along the sidewalks, their footsteps a constant echo against the pavement. The air was alive with the sound of chatter, laughter, and the occasional honking of car horns.

Shiki walked along the bustling sidewalks, observing the diverse crowd going about their activities. She took note of every passing individual before sighing. "It's a pity, in a few days, this place will become a battlefield."

As Shiki strolled around the town, she took her time, allowing herself to fully absorb the sights and sounds of the bustling city around her.

Amidst the crowd, Shiki's attention was captured by a quaint antique shop nestled between two towering buildings. Its weathered sign, bearing the name swayed gently in the breeze.

"Kirihara Antique Shop,"

Intrigued, Shiki decided to step inside. Slowly, she pushed open the creaking door, the soft chime of a bell announcing her arrival.

"Welcome" after entering the shop, shiki was greeted by the owner who is sitting right at the counter. She looked up at the counter where an old gentelman with gray hair is sitting.

Shiki curiously glance around after entering and took the enviroment in; old furnishing, murky windows, and cheap shelves with random "antiques" strewn randomly along the cabinets, the perfect representation of what this business dealt with.

"Do you have something in mind?" He sounded like a real antique store manager. "Take what fate befalls you."

"What a unique way of selling." Shiki remarked, intrigued by the notion to take what away what one destined for ignoring the items involved.

"Fate and destiny aside, you must also have money, the shop owner smiled back. "Fortunately, the things here are not expensive. Do you want anything?"

"Eh... I'm not here to buy anything actually, I'm just looking around honestly. Your sign in the front just piqued my curiosity."

"One doesn't have to buy, just having a look is good too. Anything that catches your eye?"

With nothing to lose, shiki just accept the shop owner suggestion and take a look around. Shiki wandered through the antique shop, she found a fascinating array of objects, ranging from victorian era pocket watch watch, painting, vase and other kinds of antiques.

"Is everything here genuine?" Shiki asked while looking at the items on the shelves.

"Of course not." The owner said with a reasonable look, "Why would anything here be real? I don't even have security in place for the store. Well maybe there a several pieces that were geniune since I'm a collector."

Shiki cheeks noticeably twitched over the explanation. She probably didn't expect that the antique store's owner could have such a calm attitude when saying something so blunt.

"Those that are good at persuading themeselves will take this as an antique shop and het a pleasureble experiences. Look at that vase over there" The store owner pointed his finger in the top corner of the shelves. "For a simple 1.000 Yen, you can enjoy a moment of pleaseure that only those with immense wealth can experience."

Shiki listened to the shop owner twisted reasoning and found herself to stunned to respond. Obviously, the vase was not an authentic antique. Even from where she stood, she could see the label of a certain pottery workshop with a manufacturing date from just last week.

Then her sight noticed something next to the counter. She streched her hand over and grabbed onto something.

"This thing..." Shiki had pulled out a well-preserved katana in the middle of a debris pile. Its appearance is deceivingly simple, resembling a traditional katana with a sleek black blade and a hilt wrapped in dark leather. "Is it aslo 'good' in the store?"

Shiki implication was quite obvious: Why is there a real thing in your pile of trash? Shiki is certain that this thing is a cursed tool.

Shiki's instinctive judgment regarding the sword and the cursed tool mostly comes from her intuition and gut feelings.

After trying every weapon available back in the school, Shiki has developed a keen sense of what works best for her. While other weapons may have their strengths, none have matched the comfort she feels when holding the sword. Its grip feels natural in her hand, and its weight and balance seem to align perfectly with preference.

Retracing his smile, the crummy shop owner puts on an air of mystique. "See, didn't I say you might find something you are fated to have?"

The shop owner explained that he got this sword from a friend who claimed it had been a cherished family heirloom, passed down for many generations. It was said to be unbelievably durable.

Unsheathing the sword, Shiki traced her fingers along the blade's edge. She noted its sharpness, despite its age, the sword was in remarkably good condition.

"If this katana is a cherished family heirloom, why did it find its way into your collection?" Shiki inquired; her curiosity piqued.

The shop owner's response was straightforward "Well, we all have our reasons, don't we? My friend had a sudden need for funds. I offered to buy the blade."

Then he cleared his throat and got serious. "Most of goods in the store are discounted, except for a few, such as this one on your hand."

After a long period of consideration Shiki casually spoke. "How much?"

"You make the offer young lady"

"Are you sure? Is there a catch?" Shiki asked carefully. This was a perfectly reasonable question. If the shop owner let the buyer determine the price of the items he sold, wouldn't he incur a loss?

"Then, if you give me a satisfactory price, I'll give you a bonus reward for free."

Shiki pondered the issue, but not for long though.

"700.000 Yen, this is my offer" Shiki finally spoke after a brief pause, she considerd the number a little before settling on it. It felt right, not too high or low. Without knowing the sword's exact value, she went with her gut. And if she paid more than necessary, it wasn't her money anyway.

"Deal" said the shop owner. Quickly, sealing the deal

Contrary to the shopowner's straightforward attitude, on the other hand, shiki felt that the owner had agreed to the deal so easily and felt a little cheated.

Noticing shiki's expression, the shopowner spoke "Actually...I'm taking a loss at this price. By normal estimate, the katana should fetch another ten or twenty percent, but..." The shop owner scratched his nose and seemed a little embarassed "I spent a bit too much money on collecting books in recent days, so my hands are a bit tight right now"

"I think it's a good price, and the difference in the middle should be because of fate" The shop owner says with a smile, and the he got up and walked behind the counter. "By the way, since I was satisfied with the price, here is my promise"

Shiki watched curiosly at the shop owner until he saw the small blade being pulled out from a small drawer behind the counter.

It is a switchblade with a plain hilt, with its blade and hilt of a length around 10cm.

"This knife is a set with the sword. I occasionally pocket it when I go out for self-defense, just in cae something happened." the owner explained.

Shiki examined the knife closely. As she suspected, this knife was also a cursed tool. She couldn't help but wonder if the knife shared the same durability as the sword, being a part of the same set.

"Do you take credit card?" Shiki asked the shop owner, reaching for her wallet.

The elderly man behind the counter smiled warmly and nodded. "Yes, we do accept credit cards," he replied, gesturing towards the card reader on the counter.

Relieved, Shiki handed over her credit card, completing the transaction with a quick swipe. As the payment went through.

"Thank you for your patronage," the shop owner said with a warm smile.

With the transaction completed, Shiki left the antique shop, feeling a sense of satisfaction enveloping her. It was her first personal weapon, entirely hers, and the thought brought a smile to her lips.

The impending war loomed on the horizon, but Shiki couldn't contain her excitement at the prospect of testing her new weapon against curses.

With the cursed weapon in hand, she wouldn't have to worry if she missed the "lines" should she make a mistake in mist of battle

With nothing else to do, Shiki decided to relax in a café before heading home. As she strolled through the city in search of a café with a good vantage point, she caught an unusual but familiar smell in the air: a distinct sharp metallic odor, reminiscent of iron or copper.

With her keen sense of smell guiding her, Shiki followed the source of the scent, weaving through the bustling streets until she entered a narrow alley between the towering skyscrapers.

As she ventured deeper into the alley, the bustling atmosphere of the city gradually faded into silence until only the faint echo of her footsteps remained.

"It seems I've walked quite deep," she noted to herself, her senses sharpening as the scent grew stronger with each step.

Arriving at a dead-end, Shiki surveyed the empty area, her gaze falling upon a tragic sight-a twisted and distorted corpse lying in the corner. The man's body was contorted beyond recognition, the extent of his injuries too severe to discern any semblance of his former self.

Ordinarily, such a scene would instill fear or revulsion in any normal person, but Shiki remained eerily detached, her gaze fixated on the lifeless form before her.

She was actually aware of the abnormality of her own reaction, recognizing that such a sight would instill fear or horror in any normal person. Yet, she felt nothing.

Shiki couldn't deny that something fundamental had changed within her emotions dulled by an inexplicable numbness that had settled within her since her awakening from a coma.

Suddenly, a prickling sensation crept up her spine, prompting Shiki to turn her gaze upward. There, in the shadows above, she felt the weight of a stare bearing down on her.

Normally, she would investigate further, but today was meant for rest. With a sigh, she decided to leave, turning away from the scene and heading back toward the alley entrance, choosing to ignore the entire situation entirely.

From within the shadows, a glowing eye with a mystifying red color watched her as she walked away.

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"It's time," Shiki whispered to herself.

December 24th has finally arrived.

She observed the gathering of sorcerers in the streets, their presence replacing the usual bustling activity.

The evacuation efforts had been thorough, with most residents cleared from the area under the orders of Principal Yaga. He ordered to minimize the city's destruction, just in case there were still some civilians left behind who had not been evacuated.

Despite her initial impression of the number of sorcerers in Japan, seeing them all gathered here made Shiki realize their strength in numbers was greater than she had anticipated.

With the imminent battle only hours away, tension hung palpably in the air, evident in the expressions of her fellow sorcerers.

Suddenly, a tap on her shoulder broke her concentration. It was Gojo.

"Are you nervous?" he asked.

Shiki's response was casual. "Not really."

Gojo just smiled in response.

As Panda and Toge joined them in conversation, Shiki learned that Maki was prohibited from participating in the battle due to her injuries sustained during her mission with Yuta.

As the day turned to dusk and the sun began to set, Shiki felt a surge of pressure. She turned her gaze towards the source and was met with a sight that took her breath away.

A sea of cursed spirits stretched out before them. She had heard from Gojo that Geto had the ability to manipulate cursed spirits, but to think he managed to amass this many cursed spirits.

Though fear lingered in the eyes of those around her, they steeled themselves for the battle ahead.

They readied their weapons.

They steeled their resolve.

As night descended, the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons began.

[END]

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