In the story I knew, Yaeko was supposed to return to work as a nurse, stepping back onto the path she had once left behind with firm conviction and the hope she had once held so tightly.
But now, things are different.
Because I have met Yaeko in person, learned about her real situation, and witnessed for myself how she struggles to endure a life that is far from easy, I made a different decision—a decision that might completely change the course of her life.
This Cursed Tool shop is not just an ordinary business. Inside, it holds various objects that possess not only value, but also stories that not everyone is capable of understanding.
This is an opportunity I deliberately created, a path that may be unusual, yet enough to alter the direction of someone's life who is trapped in difficult circumstances.
And Yaeko… perhaps she can begin to rebuild her life from here, little by little, without having to return to the past that has already left her behind. In short, with this shop, Yaeko will earn a large income and won't have to distance herself from Shoko just to work tirelessly to support her family.
"Do you know what kind of shop this is?" I then asked Yaeko. My voice sounded calm, yet carried a deeper intention than a mere question, as if I were testing how she perceived this place.
Hearing my question, Yaeko fell silent. Her gaze slowly moved, observing her surroundings more carefully than before.
Her eyes swept across the neatly arranged shelves, the glass display cases softly gleaming under the light, and the objects that appeared unfamiliar yet radiated a strangely compelling presence. It was as if she was trying to grasp something that had previously escaped her notice.
Yaeko seemed unsure of how to answer. Her lips parted slightly, as if words had already reached the tip of her tongue, only to close again without a sound. Her hesitation was clear in the way she took a slow breath, her shoulders lowering slightly, as if she was gathering the courage to respond.
A few seconds passed in a silence that felt longer than it should have, before Yaeko finally tried to answer.
"An antique shop?" she said, her voice attempting to sound firm, though a faint tremor could not be hidden.
Her expression did not fully support her answer, as if she herself was not entirely convinced by what she had just said.
Her brows furrowed slightly, a thin line forming between them, revealing a confusion that had yet to be resolved.
Her gaze was no longer as calm as before, as though something was disturbing her thoughts, making her doubt the answer she had just given.
"No, this is a shop… of mystical objects," I said softly, my tone remaining calm. I deliberately paused for a moment before continuing, letting the words hang in the air, giving Yaeko time to process their meaning.
With a controlled and unhurried movement, I raised my hand. My fingers slowly spread, my palm facing upward, as if presenting an empty space that, within seconds, would become something else.
In an instant, a purple flame appeared in my palm.
The flame was unlike any ordinary fire. There were no wild sparks, no heat spreading across the skin. On the contrary, it appeared calm—almost too calm to be called fire.
Its color was a deep, rich purple, as if it absorbed the surrounding light, yet at the same time remained striking and impossible to ignore.
The flame rotated slowly, forming a small vortex that moved with a steady rhythm. The air around it felt slightly heavier—not because of heat, but due to a subtle, invisible pressure that could still be felt.
From within the flame, a shape slowly began to emerge.
At first, it was only a faint shadow, lacking any clear outline, like mist gradually trying to take form. The shape trembled softly within the purple vortex, shifting aimlessly without a definite form.
However, as time passed, that form began to solidify. Its outline grew clearer, its details gradually emerging, as if an invisible hand were slowly shaping it. Little by little, the shadow transformed into something real.
Until finally, a necklace was fully formed in the palm of my hand.
Interestingly, Yaeko didn't react when the purple flame first appeared.
That alone made one thing clear—Yaeko was just an ordinary human. Even though ordinary humans still possess Cursed Energy, that energy constantly leaks without control, making Yaeko unable to fully perceive my Innate Technique.
To Yaeko, what had just happened most likely looked like an object appearing out of nowhere, without any process that logic could explain. And that became obvious from the reaction that only surfaced after the necklace had completely formed.
"How is that possible?" Yaeko finally spoke, unable to hide her shock. Her eyes widened, her breath caught for a moment, and her shoulders tensed slightly.
Her gaze fixed on the necklace in my hand, as if she were trying to comprehend something that contradicted everything she had believed in until now.
"I told you, this isn't an ordinary shop. This is a place that sells mystical items—or you could say magical ones. That's why even the cheapest item here can cost up to ten million yen," I said calmly. My voice remained steady, without hesitation, as if all of this were completely normal.
Yaeko fell silent.
Several dozen seconds passed without a sound. The silence inside the shop grew heavier, almost suffocating. There was nothing but the faint sound of breathing and the sense of time moving slower than usual.
Sweat began to form on Yaeko's forehead, even though the temperature in the room hadn't changed. Tiny droplets slowly appeared, revealing the tension she could no longer hide.
Her gaze shifted back and forth between the necklace in my hand and my face, repeatedly, as if searching for a logical explanation for everything happening before her.
The hand resting on her lap began to tighten. Her fingers intertwined firmly, her joints tensing, as if it were the only way to keep herself composed.
Slowly, Yaeko's view of the world began to change. Or perhaps, to crack.
What she once believed to be a simple world no longer felt certain. The boundary between what made sense and what didn't began to blur, replaced by something far broader and harder to comprehend. And right now, before her eyes, that reality was no longer just a possibility—it was something that truly existed.
"Magical items? Then does that mean… you're a sorcerer? Or perhaps an Onmyoji?" Yaeko asked hesitantly, her brows slightly furrowed as her eyes stared straight at me with caution, as if she were weighing whether the question was appropriate to ask.
Her voice was much softer than before, almost like a restrained whisper. There was a subtle pause between her words, as if she feared the question might sound strange… or worse, touch upon something she wasn't supposed to know.
"Yes, something like that." I nodded lightly, giving a short answer without further explanation.
My tone remained calm and relaxed, almost devoid of emotion, as if it wasn't something worth making a big deal out of. To me, it was just an ordinary fact—something I had dealt with far too often for it to feel special anymore.
Hearing my answer, Yaeko immediately fell silent.
Her gaze lingered on me for several seconds that felt much longer than they should have. The shock was clearly visible on her face, with no attempt to hide it.
Her eyes widened slightly, her pupils trembling faintly, and her breath caught in her throat, as if she had forgotten how to breathe normally. She looked like she was struggling to understand—or perhaps accept—what she had just heard.
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[Note: This novel is updated on every even-numbered date]
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