Ritual

At dusk, the setting sun was like blood, casting an eerie dark-red glow over Tokyo's shopping streets.

In Japanese folklore, twilight—the transition between day and night—was known as the Demon Hour, the time when all manner of spirits and monsters could most easily pass between the worlds of yin and yang.

After watching the movie, Lu Ping and Shoko strolled through the bustling streets.

At the intersection ahead, several well-dressed, friendly-looking men and women were smiling as they handed out flyers to passing pedestrians.

A middle-aged woman in a gray business suit stepped into Lu Ping's path with a professional, gentle smile. She offered him a brochure printed with a twisted star pattern in both hands. "Hello, sir. Living in such a stressful society, have you ever felt lost or pained?"

"Would you be interested in learning about the Pan Star Religious Group? Lord Tengen can grant peace to our souls."

At the words "Pan Star Religious Group," Lu Ping abruptly stopped, his pupils narrowing slightly.

The Pan Star Religious Group worshipped the immortal sorcerer Tengen. It was an extremist religious organization that rejected all non-sorcerers as filth.

It was this group of ordinary people, who outwardly spoke of morality and righteousness, that would soon raise an astronomical bounty and hire Toji Fushiguro to assassinate Riko Amanai, the Star Plasma Vessel.

"No, thank you." Ieiri Shoko politely reached out and pushed the flyer aside. Then she turned her head and said quietly to Lu Ping, "They're just ordinary people looking for spiritual support in a cruel reality. Faith may be illusory, but to them, it's a crutch that keeps them going."

Lu Ping did not take the flyer. Instead, he stared at the still-smiling Pan Star follower and slowly said in a voice only the two of them could hear,

"Don't think ordinary people are too fragile, and don't think they're too kind. Sometimes, the malice and ignorance produced when the weak gather together are more nauseating than any cursed spirit you or I have ever seen."

Ieiri Shoko paused for a moment, but she did not ask further. She simply nodded and continued onward beside Lu Ping.

Lu Ping said nothing more. He still needed to lie low for now, but in the near future, he would not mind personally sending the Pan Star Religious Group's leaders to meet the real "Tengen."

After passing those somewhat eerie missionaries from the Pan Star Religious Group, the two followed the flow of people into Shinjuku's central shopping district.

By then, the streetlights had come on. Red-and-white lanterns hung along both sides of the street, while stalls selling festival snacks and traditional handicrafts stretched on for miles.

The air was filled with the aromas of takoyaki, grilled squid, and fried noodles. People in colorful yukata could be seen everywhere, their laughter rising and falling as they enthusiastically prepared to take part in tonight's Nagoshi Grand Purification Ritual.

Lu Ping looked around. Though the area was packed with people, the Azure Corpse lurking within him showed none of its restless hunger, which meant there were no newly born low-grade cursed spirits nearby for the moment.

He withdrew his gaze, then took out his phone with some confusion and asked Shoko beside him,

"Come to think of it, where did those two, Gojo and Geto, run off to? They disappeared halfway through the movie and still haven't contacted us. Didn't Principal Yaga send them out on patrol too?"

Ieiri Shoko pulled out her phone and checked it. With a helpless shrug, she turned the screen toward Lu Ping.

It displayed a text message she had received not long ago. The sender was Suguru Geto:

"Shoko, Satoru and I just received a notice from Principal Yaga. A Window detected an emergency fluctuation in cursed energy on the outskirts of Shinjuku, possibly signs of a high-grade cursed spirit. We were specifically assigned to assist with it. It's a secret mission. The routine patrol inside the shopping district is up to you and Lu Ping."

"Those two said it's a secret mission, but they probably just found an excuse to go somewhere and cause a scene again."

Shoko put away her phone and sighed. She casually bought a local Shinjuku seasonal Uji Kintoki dessert from a roadside stall, picking at it with a bamboo skewer as she complained indistinctly,

"In the end, we're the only two actually working overtime like good little employees."

Lu Ping smiled faintly but said nothing. He knew full well that, as the "strongest duo," Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto already had a workload far beyond that of ordinary people during this period.

Still, this was good. Without the Six Eyes' all-pervasive scrutiny, he could relax more and better sense his surroundings.

The two walked side by side, their gazes constantly scanning the noisy crowd.

As they passed a stall selling traditional masks, both Lu Ping and Shoko slowed their steps.

Not far away, two girls who looked to be around six years old stood on a street corner. One had distinctive curly blond hair and wore slightly oversized casual clothes. Her lively eyes held a timid longing. The other had smooth black hair cut to her ears and was somehow dressed in a miniature, somewhat worn shrine maiden outfit, making her seem quiet and dull.

The two girls stared without blinking at the sweet-smelling local dessert in Shoko's hand. Their small throats bobbed slightly as they unconsciously swallowed, but their upbringing kept them from begging. They merely fixed Shoko with clear, longing eyes.

Shoko noticed the two gazes. She looked down at the half-eaten dessert in her hand, then at the two little girls who seemed somewhat lonely amid the bustling city. The corners of her mouth rose slightly, revealing a rare gentleness.

"Boss, one more of that local dessert, please. To go." Shoko turned and called out to the stall owner.

After receiving the freshly made, steaming dessert, Shoko walked over to the two girls, bent down, and handed them the box with a smile. "Here, this is for you. Running around outside so late at night must make you hungry, right?"

The two girls froze for a moment and looked at each other. The curly-haired blond girl in casual clothes looked pleasantly surprised. She tugged at the sleeve of the little black-haired "shrine maiden," and then the two of them gave Shoko a neat ninety-degree bow.

"Thank you very much, big sister!" the blond girl said brightly, reaching out to accept the dessert.

"Thank you, big sister..." the black-haired girl murmured softly as well.

After receiving the food, the two little ones broke into satisfied smiles. Then, chattering away, they held the paper box and skipped toward a shrine in the distance, soon disappearing into the flowing crowd.

Lu Ping watched their retreating figures and felt there was something unusual about those two children, though he could not figure out what it was. He turned and followed the direction they had gone, looking toward the brightly lit large shrine at the end of the shopping street.

"Shoko, this so-called Nagoshi Grand Purification Ritual sounds like some kind of traditional religious ceremony. What deeper connection does it have with the shrines around here? Why did Jujutsu High designate this place as an area with frequent cursed spirit activity?"

As they walked, Lu Ping took the initiative to ask Shoko. For the study of jujutsu, such a large-scale folk ritual was well worth examining.

Shoko crushed the ice in her mouth and patiently explained,

"The summer purification rite, Nagoshi no Harae, is actually a very ancient Shinto ritual.

Its central purpose is to drive away the misfortune and impurities people have inadvertently accumulated over the past half year, while praying for health and safety over the next six months."

"So, a half-year's worth of negative human emotions will appear here today?"

Before Lu Ping had even finished speaking, the Three Corpses within him suddenly became active, as though something had drawn their attention.

The corner of his eye swept over the crowd and precisely locked onto several figures in white robes. He could faintly sense weak fluctuations of cursed energy coming from them.