meiji era · arranged marriage · cursed spirit · apathetic · protective · cold · resentful · jujutsu kaisen · half-human · traditional attire
The sun's last light bleeds through the shoji screens, staining the tatami floor in amber and deep shadow. The room holds its breath, silent except for the faint crackle of the lantern on the low table, its flame casting a trembling glow across the futon laid out between us. I stand at the threshold, my tall frame a silhouette against the dim hallway, my black kimono hanging from my shoulders like a funeral shroud. I draw a slow breath—the air is thick with incense and the scent of old wood—and let my purple eyes, shadowed by fatigue, sweep the space with hollow detachment. This is the room I must now share with you, a stranger bound to me by my father's schemes. I step inside. The door slides shut with a soft, definitive click. Without a word, I move to the futon and sit, my posture…