Anime Collector: Starting With the Malevolent Shrine

Golden rays of the setting sun bathed the earth. Towering skyscrapers stood in neat rows as crowds flowed through the streets. The world seemed eerily quiet and peaceful.

Holding the girl's delicate hand, Daiki reflected inwardly.

He was, in fact, a transmigrator — Daiki Tsukasa. For seventeen years, he had inhabited this world, a fusion of slice-of-life anime. Now a second-year student at Sōbu High School, he lived alone in Chiba City.

The girl beside him had cherry-red hair cascading down her back, her right eye hidden behind her bangs. Headphones hung around her neck, and she exuded an introverted, melancholic aura. Most eye-catching were her smooth, silky black stockings, perfectly accentuating her leg lines — almost tantalizing.

Miku Nakano. The third of the Nakano quintuplets.

With a refined and classic personality, she harbored a particular fascination for Sengoku era warlords. Though her grades were unremarkable, she too was a second-year student at Sōbu High School.

Currently dating Daiki, their shopping excursions together were a rarity.

He glanced at Miku, a blush blooming on her face. In personality and other aspects, she seemed nearly flawless. His foreknowledge of her interests had smoothed the path of their relationship.

Their date had stretched across the day. As the sun dipped lower, the time to part ways drew near.

However, on their first date, neither seemed eager to go home. As they strolled hand in hand, they stumbled upon a newly opened shop.

Daiki felt a gentle tug and turned to see Miku gazing intently at the storefront.

"Let's take a look." She said, her soft voice melting his heart.

"Mm." Momentarily stunned, he nodded in agreement.

He examined the shop more closely.

"Exorcism Shop?" Daiki's eyes held a hint of confusion.

Though he was certain he'd never seen this shop before, it felt oddly familiar. The word "exorcism" seemed to touch a nerve.

"It's a small shop selling talismans and exorcism tools. They say hanging a talisman at home can dispel curses and suppress evil spirits. Sometimes they have beautiful Sengoku era replicas. I once bought a Sengoku-style folding screen from an Exorcism Shop." Miku's eyes lit up, clearly revealing her true interest.

Daiki was both amused and exasperated; he'd never seen someone so passionate about such things. Her gaze flitted over his face before quickly looking away.

In truth, she wasn't after the folding screen this time, but a beautiful talisman to hang at home. She wondered if giving it to Daiki might serve as a token of their relationship.

Taking a deep breath to quell her excitement, Miku led him into the store.

The interior decor lived up to the name "Exorcism". Dark and eerie, it featured a wrinkled old lady at the counter, dressed in strange, witch-like attire.

As the young couple entered, the old lady smiled eerily and said, "Are you two looking to buy exorcism tools to dispel curses?"

"No, we're just browsing." Miku replied hastily, waving her hands. Being introverted, her heart was already racing as she spoke, and the gloomy décor intensified her unease.

Daiki squeezed her small hand, helping to calm her nerves.

'Who would decorate a shop so creepily?' He wondered. The old lady's sudden raspy voice had made even his heart skip a beat.

Observing their reactions, the old woman simply sat at the counter, muttering incantations.

Miku made her way towards the talismans.

The narrow shop brimmed with strange objects. Daiki pressed close to her delicate form, her elegant scent enveloping him. The soft, smooth texture of her black stockings against her thighs quickened his pulse, and her small hands gripped his tighter, as if sensing his reaction.

Emboldened, he wrapped an arm around her slender waist, his fingertips grazing the surface of her stockings. Miku's face flushed crimson at his touch.

"Ahem, customers, please refrain from such behavior in my shop." The old lady suddenly interjected, shattering the intimate atmosphere.

Miku, naturally introverted and now thoroughly embarrassed, raised her little fists to punch Daiki — albeit with pitiful force.

"Hmph, if you do that again, I'll... I'll..." She meant to threaten ignoring him, but the words caught in her throat.

Finally, Miku broke free from his grasp and walked towards the beautiful talismans.

Daiki's eyes wandered around the shop, settling on a wooden box in the corner. Intrigued, he crouched down and picked up the dust-covered object.

Miku, holding two talismans, approached him, "Daiki-kun, does this interest you?"

It was unusual to see him so captivated by an item.

"Not exactly." Daiki replied, wiping dust off the box, "It's just... this box seems oddly familiar, though I can't quite place where I've seen it before."

He examined it closely. As he inspected the box, his finger inadvertently triggered a switch. The upper half sprang open, revealing an object roughly the size of a finger. It was wrapped in ancient cloth strips adorned with indecipherable patterns.

"Oh my, it looks ancient." Miku remarked, tilting her head. The wooden box reminded her of an antique — even older than the Sengoku era pieces she'd encountered.

However, the cloth-wrapped shape inside unsettled her. It bore an eerie resemblance to... a section of… a human finger bone.

A chill ran down her spine, and she instinctively moved closer to Daiki.

Meanwhile, Daiki stood thunderstruck, his mind reeling. He never imagined encountering such an object in this seemingly ordinary world.

Was this mere coincidence? Or was this world more than just a fusion of slice-of-life anime?

Indeed, sealed within the wooden box was what the Jujutsu world termed a "Special Grade Cursed Object".

It was a finger of Sukuna, the thousand-year-old King of Curses. A single finger contained cursed energy rivaling that of a Special Grade Cursed Spirit.

Suddenly, a cold, mechanical voice echoed in his mind.

『Absorbing special energy source, Great Collector System activated!』

『Special Grade Cursed Object — Sukuna's Finger — detected! Does the host wish to Collect it?』

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