JJK: Wheel of Time

When Shin returned to the Yamagata Shrine, he didn't disturb anyone, except for Fushiguro Megumi, who was lightly asleep. After briefly explaining the situation to him, the two decided to rest since it was already too late to investigate further.

The next morning, when they woke up, Akashino Emi, the wife of the shrine's head priest, had already prepared breakfast. The meal included fresh miso soup, rice balls, fried eggs with bacon, and some toasted bread.

After politely thanking the kind and gentle woman, they joined the table at the invitation of Akashino Hiko, the head priest. They also met his son and daughter, Akashino Nobunao and Akashino Natsuki.

Both children resembled their mother and didn't seem much older than Shin and Megumi. Interestingly, it was the older sister, Natsuki, who had a personality more like their father. The group of seven tourists also joined them shortly after, quickly becoming friendly with everyone at the table.

While Natsuki seemed to be more interested in getting to know Shin and Megumi, both of them were either quiet and stoic (Megumi) or more focused on eating (Shin), which made it hard for her to engage them in conversation.

After enjoying the delicious breakfast, Shin thanked the Akashino family once more. His attention shifted to the conversation happening between Hiko and the group as they discussed where they would be going next.

The place they chose just so happened to be one of the suspicious locations Shin had found in the recordings from the ghost hunter streamer. It was on the mountaintop behind the shrine, where an ancient tree stood. This tree was massive, hundreds of years old, and a popular spot for visitors who, after praying at the shrine, would often hike up to see the sacred tree.

The Yamagata Shrine was said to be dedicated to a local mountain god, and sometimes, people would believe this ancient tree was an earthly embodiment of that god, so it became a site of reverence.

When Shin asked if he and Megumi could join them, Hiko happily agreed and even invited his children along. After clearing the breakfast table, Hiko sent his son, Nobunao, to gather the group, saying it would be good practice for him to interact with people.

Nobunao was rather shy and didn't often engage with others. Since he and his sister were back home during their vacation, Hiko decided it was a good time for them to help out with shrine duties.

Though Nobunao wasn't the most social, he was polite, and before long, he returned with the group. Everyone was dressed casually, ready for a simple hike, as the location wasn't too far and the goal was just to enjoy the scenery.

As they walked, Shin struck up a conversation with Nobunao, and the two got along well. Despite his reserved nature, Nobunao became quite talkative when the subject turned to things he was passionate about, like video games and anime.

Through their conversation, Shin learned more about the surrounding area. Apart from the shrine itself, there weren't many attractions nearby. The ancient tree at the top of the mountain was one, and there was a path lined with cherry trees, though it wasn't the season for blossoms. Down at the base of the mountain, there was a river with crystal-clear water, which people often visited in the summer, but it wasn't very popular this time of year.

And, of course, there was the forest—neither too large nor too small—once a beautiful, peaceful area, but now tainted by a growing reputation for suicides. While it wasn't as famous as the Aokigahara Forest, several suicides had occurred there, and after some ghost hunters went missing, the forest quickly gained notoriety online.

When the group finally reached the mountaintop, they were greeted by the sight of the majestic tree. The area around the tree had been carefully maintained, and white shimenawa ropes adorned its thick trunk. The massive canopy spread out above, and in the summer, it would surely be even more impressive with its full foliage.

While the others took photos and made wishes at the base of the tree, Shin wandered around, uninterested in the natural beauty that was now so familiar to him from his time at the Jujutsu High School. Instead, he focused on sensing for any traces of curses.

After some searching, Shin did manage to find a faint remnant of cursed energy, so weak that it had almost dissipated. It was White Wolf who had first detected it, lingering near the ancient tree. However, there were no dense leaves to obscure Shin's view, and he saw no signs of an actual curse.

From the mountaintop, Shin could look down and see the rooftops of the shrine peeking through the forest below. Shifting his gaze, he spotted a silver thread of a river snaking through the forest, leading far into the distance.

Megumi, who had also noticed the lingering cursed energy after Shin's subtle signal, glanced at him and made a gesture. He asked if Shin wanted him to summon the Divine Dogs to search the area.

But Shin shook his head, declining the offer. He walked around the area as if merely admiring the scenery. At Natsuki's suggestion, he, Megumi, and White Wolf posed for a photo in front of the tree. After taking in the breathtaking view from the mountaintop, the group descended along a path that followed the river.

The crystal-clear stream flowed over green stones, gathering at the base of the mountain. Occasionally, small fish and shrimp could be seen darting through the water, and lifting a stone might reveal a crab scurrying away.

As they followed the stream, they eventually came upon a gray, rocky beach. Some of the group entertained themselves by skipping stones, while Shin and Megumi continued searching for any signs of a curse. As if drawn by the group's presence, a small fly-head curse briefly surfaced in the middle of the river, but it was not their target.

The fly-head curse quickly disappeared again, and Shin ignored it. There were no other notable anomalies near the river. Based on the information from the streamer's recordings, the most likely location for any paranormal activity had been near the ancient tree. It was possible that the streamer's missing companion had come into contact with a curse, which left a lingering mark on him, leading to his illness.

However, no curses were found near the ancient tree itself. This meant the curse must be wandering around the area, but there were no traces by the river. Would they have to rely on slow, methodical searching to find it?

After enjoying a fun outing, everyone returned to the shrine for lunch. Despite Akashi Hiko's polite refusal, Shin still insisted on giving him payment for the accommodations. Shin then mentioned to him that he and his friend would rest for a while and asked to be called for dinner.

Once back in the room, Shin called on Fushiguro Megumi, and the two of them headed out, their destination being the forest they had visited the night before. When they arrived, Shin asked Megumi to summon his Divine Dogs.

The black and white shikigami leapt from Megumi's shadow, circling around him. After giving them instructions, the two Divine Dogs and White Wolf split up to search for any cursed spirits.

In a place where many had taken their own lives, it didn't take long to find a few curses. However, much like before, they were mostly weak fly-heads, hardly dangerous to anyone. Shin either dispatched them quickly or ignored them entirely, as they posed little threat.

Not long after, White Wolf barked loudly, signaling that it had found something. Shin and Megumi rushed over to discover they had reached the edge of another area, overlooking a steep cliff.

As Shin peered down, he noticed that the area below seemed to be shrouded in a gray-black mist, despite the clear daylight.

"Did we find it?" Megumi asked, glancing at Shin.

Shin nodded. "Its presence is well hidden, and I didn't expect it to be here."

Looking back toward the so-called "suicide spot," Shin speculated that some of the people who had taken their own lives might have jumped from this very cliff. He then set up a barrier for safety, even though the area was remote, ensuring they were still taking precautions.

"Let's go."

Without hesitation, Shin stepped to the edge of the cliff and jumped down. Megumi blinked, then crossed his hands in a gesture resembling wings, and his shadow surged behind him.

"Nue."

A large, bird-like shikigami emerged from Megumi's shadow, its talons gripping him as it flew down the cliffside.

When Megumi landed, he saw that Shin had already reached the ground. After dismissing Nue, Megumi turned his attention to the strange black mist hovering in the air in front of them.

"What is this?" Megumi asked. "It feels like cursed energy, but do curses normally take this form?"

Shin stroked his chin thoughtfully. The mist did indeed emit cursed energy, and now that they were closer, it was much more distinct. If it weren't for its odd appearance, Shin might have assumed it was just another curse. But this strange, fog-like shape...

"Why don't we test it out?"

Shin raised his hand and unleashed a small amount of cursed energy. As it shot into the mist, the black fog rippled and stirred as if something within had been awakened.

The dark mist suddenly contracted, gathering into a dense shape. Within seconds, it coalesced into the form of a massive black snake, its scales appearing almost lifelike.

However, the snake had no eyes—its head was smooth where the eyes should have been. Shin wasn't too surprised, considering curses weren't really living creatures.

The black snake seemed agitated by their presence, and its coiled body signaled its intention to attack.

Shin shrugged and turned to Megumi. "You handle this. Think you can manage?"

Megumi drew his blade, Onikiri, as his Divine Dogs flanked the snake on both sides. The forest terrain wasn't ideal for summoning Nue again, so Megumi decided against it.

Shin estimated the curse was around grade two. "It should only take one strike," he thought, deciding to let Megumi take it on for the sake of gaining more battle experience. After all, practice was always a good thing.

Meanwhile, Shin was more interested in the curse's origin. It didn't make sense for the number of suicides to have spawned a curse like this—it was unusual, if not impossible.

Furthermore, the curse didn't seem particularly aggressive. If Shin hadn't made the first move, it might not have reacted at all.

It had also done an impressive job of concealing its presence. If it hadn't been for the daylight revealing the strange mist, they might never have found it. In the dark of night, the mist would have been perfectly camouflaged, making the curse almost impossible to detect.

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