At the foot of a mountain, a young girl carrying a suitcase and a long sword strapped to her back stopped in front of a staircase. She looked up at the steep path ahead.

"Ugh… do I really have to go to this godforsaken place?" she muttered in frustration.

Suddenly, a snake slithered out from her hair.

The snake was entirely pink, with two sets of black eyes gazing in the same direction as the girl. Oddly enough, the girl didn’t seem afraid. Instead, she began to climb the stairs slowly.

What was even more bizarre was that the snake spoke.

"Hiss~ What’s the big deal, Fujino? Isn’t failing the mission way scarier?"

That’s right. My name is Fujino Jingyuan. I’m an orphan. Not long ago, I was just an ordinary high school student. But then, everything changed.

One day after school, while walking home, I found a strange card lying on the road.

The card was pitch-black with a peculiar design—some kind of sun? After picking it up, I started noticing weird things. For example, I could vaguely see strange figures… like something crawling across my classmates’ faces.

At first, I thought I was just hallucinating and didn’t take it seriously. But the next morning, I woke up to see monsters everywhere!

They were grotesque and terrifying. I asked my classmates about it, but they just brushed me off, saying I must not have slept well and was seeing things.

But I knew I wasn’t imagining it!

I had a bad feeling. If these terrifying creatures discovered I could see them, I’d probably end up dead! So, I pretended I couldn’t see them, trying to act natural.

But why didn’t they follow the rules and stay away from me?!

Imagine a horrifying face suddenly appearing right in front of you. You’d understand that kind of thrill, right? It’s like… "What, do you have a crush on me or something?"

Naturally, anyone would scream in that situation. I did too. The moment that thing realized I could see it, it opened its gaping mouth and lunged at me.

I thought I was going to die. But then, out of nowhere, a voice echoed in my head, and… a snake appeared!

It’s the same snake now resting on my shoulder. The snake told me I could use the card to defeat that disgusting creature.

This feels like some kind of cliché story for kids! But I had no choice. I gave it a try.

And to my surprise, it worked!

So, does that make me some kind of badass now? Haha!

Uh… that’s when I met this weird guy. What was his name again? Masamichi Yaga or something? He asked me to join Jujutsu High. Seriously, doesn’t he realize he comes across like some shady kidnapper?

Even worse, the snake insisted I join! It even threatened me, saying I’d get electrocuted if I didn’t complete the mission.

How cruel! How can anyone treat a cute girl like this?!

But fine, I came anyway. Not because I was scared! I was just curious… Yeah, curious!

….

On her way, Fujino learned more about these strange creatures during her conversations with the little pink snake. They were called Curses—creatures born from the negative emotions humans unconsciously radiate.

Curses are entirely made of cursed energy, invisible to normal people, immune to physical attacks, and vulnerable only to cursed energy attacks.

Fujino was also given a sword—a completely black blade with a higanbana (red spider lily) pattern on its hilt. "It suits a beautiful girl like me, doesn’t it?" she mused. "But how did you even know I practiced swordsmanship? You must secretly have a crush on me, right? Hahaha!"

The little pink snake, visibly annoyed by Fujino’s smug expression, bit her on the neck and snapped angrily, "Hey! I can hear your thoughts! Who has a crush on you?! I just didn’t want you to get eaten by a Curse before you even did anything! Do you think I’d fight to get you a cursed tool for fun?!"

Fujino, rubbing her neck where the snake had bitten her, retorted, "Hey! Why are you so mean?! Also, what the heck is a cursed tool?"

The little snake puffed up proudly. "You’re so clueless! Haven’t I already explained curses? Curses are manifestations of negative human emotions, but the term ‘curse’ is broad. It can refer to cursed energy, Cursed Spirits, cursed objects, cursed tools, and so on.

"Cursed tools are special weapons used in the world of sorcery. That sword on your back is something I fought hard to secure for you! As for how I knew you practice swordsmanship…"

Before the snake could finish, Fujino’s face lit up with a knowing expression. "Because you’re in love with me!"

"Idiot!! Absolutely not!" The pink snake fumed, hissing as it yelled, "Didn’t I already tell you? I’m a high-level entity from beyond this world! I can read memories, you fool!"

"Ohhh, well… same thing anyway." Fujino waved her hand dismissively and suddenly exclaimed, "Ah, we’re here!"

She had reached the school gates. Standing at the entrance, she raised her hand in a dramatic pose as if scanning the view.

"It’s so quiet here!"

"Enough with the theatrics! Get inside already! How long are you planning to stand there?" The pink snake rolled its eyes in exasperation.

Fujino sighed and waved her hand lazily before pushing her suitcase through the gates and stepping inside.