Yoshiwara was originally located in Nihonbashi, Ningyocho, but after the great fire of the Meireki era, it moved to Nihonzutsumi in Taitō, Tokyo.
During the fire, many courtesans either burned to death or drowned after jumping into the water, leaving behind tales of vengeful spirits. It's said that if you visit Yoshiwara Shrine at night, you may experience some strange occurrences, making it a somewhat famous spiritual site in Tokyo.
The "female spirits" mentioned in these stories are, in fact, cursed spirits.
Cursed spirits are special entities born from the manifestation of negative human emotions.
The range of negative emotions is quite broad.
Resentment, confusion, fear, and anger from being burned alive could create cursed spirits, while rumors, gossip, and malice could also give rise to them.
Initially, the cursed spirits at Yoshiwara Shrine came from the former, but a hundred years later, in a different location, the reason cursed spirits are still born here is clearly due to the latter.
The reasoning is simple: as long as people believe there are ghosts at Yoshiwara Shrine, ghosts will manifest.
"Cursed spirits are that kind of subjective thing."
At this moment, Akira and his mother, Hayami, stood on the dam beside the shrine, enjoying the cool evening breeze.
Though spring had arrived, the night air was still chilly. Fortunately, neither of them were ordinary people; they had the "fire" of Tokyo coursing through them.
After listening to his mother's explanation, Akira gained some insight but still had a new question. "Since rumors can create cursed spirits, why not try to dispel the rumors and eliminate the spirits from the root?"
"There are two reasons. It's easy to spread rumors but difficult to dispel them. Dispel the rumors in one place, and it doesn't mean all cursed spirits will disappear. As long as humans exist and negative emotions are born, cursed spirits will continue to appear. Even if you wipe them out here, they'll appear somewhere else."
"So, jujutsu sorcerers deliberately let the rumors spread, consolidating the birth of cursed spirits."
"Exactly. Rather than letting cursed spirits appear randomly, it's better to control them and clean them up periodically. That's what most jujutsu sorcerers do. I did the same during my student years."
One person overseeing a large area, patrolling regularly—it wasn't much different from being a traffic officer.
The work of a jujutsu sorcerer is straightforward and monotonous.
"I see."
Akira understood clearly.
The exciting lives of main characters happen because they are at the center of major events, but that doesn't reflect the daily life of most jujutsu sorcerers.
Although it might seem less thrilling, that was just fine for Akira. Training Pokémon followed the same principle—steady grinding and training.
It seems that even after moving to Tokyo, my life won't change much.
Since the plot hasn't started yet and I'm not strong enough to handle Special Grades, I'll keep playing it safe and leveling up.
"Gardevoir, did you sense anything?"
"Gar~"
The sound of "Gar" was sharp and decisive.
Gardevoir was naturally sensitive to emotions. Cursed spirits, which are manifestations of negative emotions, stood out to her like fireflies in the night—her most hated enemy.
With her master's permission, Gardevoir lifted her hand, ready to unleash her power.
"Wait." Hayami quickly stopped her. "Doing it like this will draw too much attention. The first rule of jujutsu sorcery: concealment. The existence of jujutsu should not be known to ordinary people to avoid causing panic and fueling curses. So, before any official action, we need to put up a 'barrier.'"
As she spoke, Hayami formed hand seals and began chanting.
"Born from darkness, blacker than black, purify the filthy and corrupted."
The clear moonlight became shrouded in murky darkness, as if ink had been spilled into water, spreading and clouding the area.
The barrier, known as a "Curtain," isolated the dam, separating the inside from the outside, preventing ordinary people from noticing what was happening.
As Hayami lowered her hands, she stood tall and proud, as if to say, See? Mom's pretty impressive too.
Akira could barely suppress a smile as he turned to Gardevoir and said, "All set. Go ahead and deal with those pesky cursed spirits however you like."
"Gar~"
Gardevoir raised her elegant neck as if preparing to sing.
One moment, the river reflected the moon's light in gentle ripples.
The next, the reflection shattered.
A burst of Psychic energy rippled out, halting the river's flow.
Then, the water began flowing in reverse.
In the blink of an eye, the river parted, revealing a stretch of riverbed several meters long, covered in dense aquatic plants.
A few unfortunate fish were suddenly stranded, exposed to the air, wide-eyed and bewildered.
The kind-hearted Gardevoir quickly used her powers to send them back into the water, where they swam away moments later, as if nothing had happened.
However, the cursed spirits lurking beneath the water weren't so lucky. Gardevoir's overwhelming Psychic dragged them forcibly into the air.
One spirit appeared as a woman in white, with long, disheveled black hair, her figure swaying gently in the rippling light.
A faint sound of sobbing reached their ears, filled with sorrow and melancholy.
"I'm so lonely…"
"I feel so empty…"
"I'm so alone…"
"Why won't anyone come to be with me…"
Unfortunately, the hauntingly beautiful scene was ruined by the grotesque face hidden beneath the long black hair.
Her bloated face bore the marks of someone drowned, covered with deep black and red burns. Her mouth stretched unnaturally wide, her long tongue hanging down as if pulled out by someone.
Compared to the graceful, floating Gardevoir, they were like heaven and earth.
And soon enough, heaven crushed earth—Gardevoir's Psychic shattered the cursed spirit.
Though the spirit lasted longer than those in the countryside, it didn't matter. From the moment the water spirit was yanked into the air, the outcome was sealed.
Crushed to dust, leaving no trace behind.
But that was only the beginning.
After the water spirit was obliterated, the river surface began to churn once again.
At the boundary between water and sky, a white tidal wave surged forth.
It was a tide of white-robed female spirits—cursed spirits.
This scene was like a reverse reenactment of the horrific deaths from the Meiji-era fire, a sight so dreadful it could drive anyone who witnessed it insane, potentially leading to another tragic mass suicide by drowning.
However, neither Akira nor Hayami was surprised. One of the rules of cursed spirits: the weaker they are, the more they gather in groups.
A single water spirit wasn't worthy of Yoshiwara Shrine's legend.
Gardevoir's expression remained unchanged. These weaklings, no matter how many came, were just cannon fodder.
The Psychic Queen floated gracefully in the air, extending her slender fingers, poking at the air one by one. With each poke, another water spirit dissipated with a soft pop, like a child popping bubbles, thoroughly enjoying herself.
There was no need for any other techniques. One skill was enough to sweep through them all.
Psychic! Psychic! Psychic!
Before the tide even reached them, half the spirits had already vanished.
The remaining half tried to flee but couldn't escape Gardevoir's control over the battlefield.
Though kind-hearted by nature, Gardevoir had learned tactics from her master.
The closer you were, the more effective Psychic became. Naturally, she prioritized picking off individual targets, drawing in the rest before delivering a final blow.
Akira chuckled but stopped midway as he realized something. "The situation is... no, not over yet. Finally, this place is starting to live up to its reputation as a hundred-year spiritual site."
Among the horde of crushed female spirits, one was different—a higher-level cursed spirit. She had managed to withstand a wave of Gardevoir's Psychic and, taking advantage of Gardevoir's focus on the others, rushed toward the shore.
When she had been among the group, she hadn't stood out, but now, fighting solo, her aura and presence jumped several notches.
A dark blue mist gathered at her feet, while flames wreathed her body. She wielded two of the greatest disasters that humans have feared since ancient times.
"What's her grade? Grade 2? Quasi-Grade 1?" Akira asked with a slight frown.
"Quasi-Grade 1, but after being injured by Little Sa, I, a Grade 3 sorcerer, should be able to exorcise her."
In the jujutsu world, sorcerers typically matched against cursed spirits one grade higher, meaning a Grade 3 sorcerer would face off against a Grade 2 cursed spirit—this was Hayami's limit.
Of course, that was assuming the cursed spirit was in perfect condition. Gardevoir, who matched with Grade 1 sorcerers and Special Grade cursed spirits, had already weakened the spirit significantly, giving Hayami confidence.
"By the way, I never told you—my jujutsu technique is 'Barrier—"
Before she could finish, Hayami sensed a new surge of cursed energy. Although it wasn't as massive as the cursed spirit's, it was far more focused and condensed.
The source of the cursed energy was right in front of her—her son, Akira.
With a loud "Ora," Akira threw a punch.
It seemed casual, but Hayami could almost see the ripples of air trembling from the impact.
The female cursed spirit, who had just reached the shore, collapsed instantly, her chest completely caved in. Even the ground beneath her was affected, showing cracks that spread out like a spider's web.
Hayami: "…"