Anime Collector: Starting With the Malevolent Shrine-Chapter 208 ⟴ Saki’s Determination

In the night city, neon lights flickered and colors flowed like a living painting, creating a mesmerizing spectacle.

Standing under a streetlight, Saki was preparing to take Keika and her sister's classmate Rumi home.

Days ago, mysterious disasters had led to Rumi's parents' suicide, leaving her alone. According to Keika, Rumi was ostracized at school, with Keika being her only friend.

'Another isolated soul that others avoid? Why do I keep encountering people like this!' Saki's eyes filled with resignation.

Covering her sister's tuition was already a struggle, and now she might need to cover Rumi's too.

She felt a twinge of envy toward Daiki — though he too was a loner, he had no shortage of girlfriends!

He had Yukino from a local Chiba noble family, the wealthy Nakano quintuplets, and even the Shinomiya financial group's attention. Their family backgrounds were similar, but one thing set them apart: he had become a Jujutsu Sorcerer!

'Jujutsu Sorcerers must earn well, right? At Nakano Hospital, when Kirisu-sensei gave Keika that strand of Spiritual Power, I couldn't even properly thank her. And during the Parasite attack at Sōbu High, Yotsuba managed to withstand their powerful attacks with just a single strand of this power.'

Saki remained unsure how to thank her teacher, wondering about the origin of that Spiritual Power.

"Rumi, don't worry, you're family now." Keika squeezed her new friend's hand comfortingly, understanding the weight of losing both parents.

"Thank you so much, Keika. Without you all, I'd have nowhere to go tonight. Those people... they took the house." Rumi's voice trailed off as she mentioned her detestable relatives.

Her relatives had seized the house, refusing even to let her keep her bedroom. They'd promised to return it when she reached adulthood, but for now had thrown her out with a pittance. Though they suggested she could stay with family temporarily, each relative kept pushing the responsibility onto others.

Saki's heart sank — such things wouldn't normally happen, but Chiba's property prices were skyrocketing!

Wealthy merchants were eager to snap up properties outside Chiba — this wasn't just a house anymore, but a windfall! Greed had magnified human ugliness — how could a child like Rumi stand against such adult machinations?

If she mentioned this to Daiki, he might easily resolve it, but why should he? She hadn't even repaid him for saving them during the school attack, let alone ask another favor for someone else.

'I'll just have to work harder. Perhaps part-time jobs will suffice, or maybe...' Saki smiled bitterly, considering becoming Daiki's mistress if he'd have her. She glanced around, suddenly noticing the unfamiliar darkness surrounding them, and stopped in her tracks.

"Rumi, did you know that a huge dragon appeared in Tokyo? They say it flew over from our Chiba... Sister, what's wrong?" Keika turned to look at her sister's blank face, then glanced around, suddenly realizing she had never seen this road before.

They had walked the way home countless times — it was impossible for both of them to take a wrong turn unless they had encountered those monsters!

Her heart pounded violently as she instinctively gripped Rumi's hand tighter, making the other girl notice something was wrong too. All the pedestrians had vanished from the road, and the usual noise of cars and people had gone completely silent.

"Hee hee hee hee hee... helmet... helmet... hee hee..."

A hunched old man emerged from a dark corner, carrying a fishing rod and empty bucket, his body wrapped in green seaweed. His head appeared violently beaten, skull cracked with brain matter and blood oozing out — an utterly horrifying sight.

Saki's trembling hands pulled out her phone to make a call, but there was no signal. She quickly moved to shield the two little girls.

Rumi's small frame shook as guilt washed over her. Why had she let Keika call her sister? If she had just let Keika leave earlier, they could have avoided this disaster. Was she truly cursed to bring misfortune, as her relatives had claimed?

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

As these thoughts swirled, the crouching old man suddenly cast his fishing rod. Hanging from the sharp hook was not a fish, but the grotesque head of someone who had died horribly.

"Ah!"

The piercing scream echoed with pure terror.

Just as the hook descended, the strand of Spiritual Power in Keika's body erupted, transforming into a swirling black and white hand. Under Rumi and Saki's shocked gazes, it struck down both the flying hook and the ghost fisherman.

Boom!

Fierce winds swept away the darkness of night.

Saki shielded herself from the gale with her arm. When she could see again, they found themselves on a street near home. The streetlights along this stretch were out — likely due to the Cursed Spirits — leaving only clear moonlight to guide their way.

Rumi gasped in disbelief. She had always thought Keika was ordinary, but it turned out she herself was the ordinary one!

"Keika, did you see that figure?"

"Ah? I... seems like I saw... the hook... and..."

Originally, Keika couldn't see Cursed Spirits and Evil Spirits, but in this life-or-death moment, she had witnessed the hook dangling with its grotesque cargo of human heads.

"Hmm? Rumi, have you always been able to see things?"

Keika had heard about classmates who kept to themselves and could see ghosts. Though skeptical at first, her perspective changed after her sister's hospital visit — she realized the world held more than just ordinary people.

Saki's eyes widened as she looked at Rumi. Now she understood why the girl was so isolated — she possessed the ability to see Cursed Spirits.

Without lingering on this revelation, Saki quickly led the two girls away, knowing Keika's single strand of Spiritual Power was their only protection.

As she watched that faint power return to her sister's body, Saki felt not relief but dread—they had survived this encounter, but what of the next?

This thought sparked a shift in her resolve — even with slim chances of success, having some hope was better than none at all.

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