NO. 30 - Gambling Night

Nestled atop Mount Mitsumine in the Chichibu-Tama-Kai National Park was the Mitsumine Shrine.

It stands as a testament to ancient Japanese spirituality and craftsmanship. This mountaintop sanctuary, often described as one of Japan's most beautiful mountain shrines, offers visitors or tourists a unique blend of natural beauty, historical significance, and spiritual energy.

With its rare wolf worship and intricate architectural details, Mitsumine Shrine provides a captivating experience for those willing to venture off the beaten path.

Or so this pamphlet in my hand says.

While all this was fine and dandy, I wasn't here for all that touristy crap.

No, I was here because I heard that this shrine is said to bring good luck to all who visit it.

And who needs a boost to their luck stat more than anyone? Well, that's me! The guy RNGesus and the Gacha gods seemed to have an issue with.

"We're all set up, Boss." Clone A said as he motioned to the table full of offerings and the burning essence sticks. "Phase 1 is done."

"Excellent," I said and raised a walkie-talkie. "Team B. How's it going on your end? Over."

"Team B reporting in. All the wolf statues have been prayed to, and we left plenty of offerings behind. Phase 2 is complete. Over." Clone C said from the other end.

I nodded and looked over to the majestic shrine. This location would typically be ripe with locals and foreign visitors, but it was empty due to the dark sky above me. It was around three in the morning, meaning there wasn't anyone around to disturb my ritual.

"Where's Hikari?!" I called out as I scanned my surroundings. After a few seconds of looking around, I finally found the crow. He was cuddling up next to Crow Kirara. "Get over here!"

(Tch! Yeah, yeah.) Crow Hikari muttered and flew to stand on my shoulder. (Why do you need me anyway?)

"Well, if you're anything like your counterpart. You'll be bursting with good luck for me to sponge off." I said while holding up some corn for him to eat, which he did. "After all, tonight we gamble away my hard-earned saved-up points!"

(Hah! I see! Let's gamble it all away then!) Crow Hikari said as he began to dance a little crow dance while rave music started to play in the background. Looking back, I saw two of my clones dancing while a large portable speaker sat on the ground.

"Alright, knock it off!" I yelled, causing one of the clones to turn off the music.

"…buzz kill."

"Who invited him?"

"Gueh," Zaiko muttered from his spot on a lawn chair.

I ignored their comments and brought out the prayer beads from my black and white kimono. With a snap of my fingers, the Gacha machine materialized to life. I then dismissed my clones and took a deep breath.

[Total SP: 9,949]

"I was somehow lucky to have pulled the Limitless a week ago; now all I need to do is get the Six Eyes. Hopefully, all my preparations will come in clutch." I muttered and mulled over what to do. "Let's see… while I could go all in and do two Platinum pulls, I could waste almost all my points if they fail like those other six other tries I did over the year. No, I need to play this smart. Start small and do one Platinum pull at the end."

With my mind made up, I reached over to the machine and used enough points for two Silver-tier pulls. Most of the rewards were more junk or clothes, leaving only two worthwhile rewards.

[You have pulled: Gakuganji Yoshinobu's Guitar! Rank: Silver.]

[You have pulled: Miwa Kasumi's New Shadow Style Techniques! Rank: Silver.]

"Not bad, not bad. Okay, next!"

Moving up, I used enough points to do two Gold tier pulls. Sadly, the majority of the pulls were some repeat skills, items, or techniques I already had. Fortunately, my last pull ended up being a decent reward.

[You have pulled: Yoshino Junpei's Shikigami, Moon Dregs! Rank: Gold.]

"Another Shikigami," I said as Crow Hikari and I watched a swirl of CE appear in the air before us.

Quickly, the CE formed itself into a large, glowing jellyfish-like creature with several tendrils flowing about. Its large black eyes looked around before settling on me with an unfocused look.

"Hey there," I said without much care. My hands pressed together to unleash a Piercing Blood attack. "I'm just going to ask you this once… are you loyal to me?"

Fortunately for the jellyfish, it nodded and flew to stand behind me.

"Good. You will be known as... Jello, from now on!" I said, causing Jello to tilt its head in confusion before nodding.

I then commanded Jello to go chill next to Zaiko. Jello followed my order and glided over to my wormy companion. The two of them turned to one another before nodding in acknowledgment.

"Hmm, maybe all of the Shikigami I pull will be naturally loyal to me? Then again, Rika is a different case. She's incredibly loyal to Yuta, so who knows if she'll be like Zaiko or Jello." I said, turning back to the gacha machine. "Ah, well. I'll leave future me to deal with that. Now then, let's keep going."

I twisted the machine's dial after using 1500 SP for a Diamond tier pull. As I waited for my reward, I grew more anxious now that I was at the more expensive tiers. I rubbed my prayer beads between my palms and prayed to any god who would listen.

"C'mon Gege! Give me something good!"

[You have pulled: Fushiguro Toji's, The Chain of a Thousand Miles! Rank: Diamond.]

"I mean... this is fine. It's fine. One more time!" I turned the dial after spending another 1500 SP. I waited anxiously, my hands blurring as they rubbed the prayer beads, causing smoke to bellow out from the friction. "C'mon, C'mon, C'mon! Hikari! Dance! Boost my luck!"

(You got it!) Crow Hikari cawed and began to dance back and forth while Crow Kirara turned the music back on.

[You have pulled: Zenin Naobito's Cursed Technique, Projection Sorcery! Rank: Diamond.]

"Yes! Great pull!" I pumped my fist and felt the knowledge of the technique fill my brain. Crow Kirara turned off the music and waited for her cue. "I was going to blow my brains out if I got another repeat technique."

(Can you do that while I'm not around?) Crow Hikari said as he flapped his wings.

I ignored my crow and turned to my remaining points. I had 3,549 SP left. It's just barely enough for a Platinum pull. I took a deep breath to calm my jittery nerves and reached for the gacha machine.

"...use 3500 SP."

Twisting the dial, my crows and I waited with bated breath as the machine vibrated and glowed. Due to the success with my last Platinum pull that resulted in me gaining the Limitless, I was worried all my good luck for the month was gone.

Clink.

(Yo, Boss... you got something.)

"I did? Huh, I thought my mind was just coping."

I reached out to the glowing prize ball and tenderly held it in my palm. I swallowed the lump in my throat as my mind whirled at what could be within the small plastic ball. "Come on, give me something good."

[You have pulled: Ryomen Sukuna's Domain Expansion, Malevolent Shrine! Rank: Platinum.]

"Holy... shit!" I yelled, my eyes wide as saucers. "Finally! A Domain Expansion! And not just any Domain Expansion! The Domain Expansion!"

Even though I was thrilled to have won one of JJK's best Domains, I felt my mind hit a roadblock.

"I see... This is like the Limitless." I said with a thoughtful expression. "To use Malevolent Shrine, I must already have Sukuna's Shrine technique. Without that, I can't use the domain. It's safe to assume that any other Domain Expansion I pull will need its original technique in order for it to work. Tch! I should have gotten Chimera Shadow Garden or Coffin of the Iron Mountain, then.

I flopped onto the ground and looked at the night sky with a disappointed but happy smile.

"Regardless, I got some great rewards today," I said, placing my hands behind my head. "Hmm, I wonder how the girls are doing?"

x x x

[General POV]

Three girls, Keiko, Mei, and Himiko, sat on the carpeted floor, surrounded by colorful blankets and pillows in Keiko's bedroom. The soft sounds of conversation and the playing movie on the blue-haired girl's laptop filled the air.

Keiko, dressed in her pajamas, excitedly pulled out a deck of cards out of her closet. Himiko, wearing an oversized shirt she had borrowed from Souta's closet, continued to style Mei's hair. Meanwhile, Mei, who was dressed in a loose shirt and shorts, nestled deep into the pile of cushions she had created for herself while Himiko worked on her hair.

In Mei's hands was the latest issue of Inventors Weekly. It was all she was able to grab before her mother all but snatched her from her room before driving her to Keiko's house for a "normal girl" sleepover.

"How about a game of Uno, girls?" Keiko asked as she crawled over to Mei's pile of cushions.

"That depends. How much are we playing for?" Mei asked as she flipped a page in her magazine.

"...you and Sou-chan play for money a lot, don't you?" she quipped, her tone light and playful.

"Yup." Mei smiled as she looked up from her magazine. "But he usually ropes my Papa in, too."

"Hm, that sounds like him." Keiko sighed, turning to look over at Himiko, who was humming. She continued to work on Mei's hair. "Hey, Himiko-chan. I know how Mei-chan met Sou-chan, but I never asked how you two met."

Himiko glanced up from Mei's hair, a small, warm smile on her face. "I ran into him one night while I was out for a walk. I hadn't eaten all day, and he offered me a meat bun." As she talked, Mei's mouth fell into a small frown. Confusing her before she shrugged the feeling away. "We started talking and discovered that we had a lot in common."

"Hmm." Keiko smiled knowingly as she looked at both Himiko and Mei. "I see. What a wonderful story. It seems like Sou-chan grew to be a lot more generous with age. Back at the orphanage, he wouldn't even think about sharing his stuff with anyone. Well, other than me, at least."

"That reminds me..." Mei said as Himiko stepped away, her work done. Her hair was now styled into twin tails. "You and Souta grew up together, right? How... how was he like?"

Keiko blinked as both Himiko and Mei looked at her with curious expressions. Keiko took a moment to collect her thoughts, her gaze drifting off to a corner of the room, where a small framed picture of her and Souta back from when they lived in the orphanage hung on the wall.

"Well, Sou-chan was always a bit of a mystery to me when we were younger. All he did was read or draw," Keiko started with a nostalgic smile on her face. "He was the kind of person who would ignore everyone around him, no matter who it was. Even though he didn't seem to care much about anyone, he always kept an eye out for me for some reason." Keiko said as she brushed her left shoulder unconsciously, catching Himiko's eye.

"I guess it was because I was quite a handful—more than any other kid. There was one summer when I tried to build a treehouse for everyone. I nearly got some kids and myself stuck in that tree behind the orphanage for hours! But then he showed up and helped us all down." Himiko and Mei smiled softly as they listened to Keiko. "From that point on, he always nagged me to be careful in whatever I did. Sou-chan would even share his snacks with me sometimes and tell me some of his made-up stories. He also helped me with my homework when I couldn't figure it out."

Keiko paused, a hint of laughter in her eyes. "But he could also be a little odd and overprotective, too. Once, a kid from our elementary school tried to bully me because I... didn't have any parents... but then Sou-chan showed up and began beating up the boy. He did end up getting in trouble, but he didn't care. It was hilarious and kinda scary at the same time." 

Looking back at Himiko and Mei, Keiko's happy expression melted into one of sadness. "But a few years back, I was lucky enough to finally be adopted. I was so happy when they told me I would go home with a new family. Only to quickly cry when I realized I'd be leaving Sou-chan behind." Keiko said as she quickly rubbed her eyes. "H-he said, "Don't worry about me, damn it. Go on and be happy. I'll be just fine."... He always had that bad habit of saying bad words. After I left, we'd talk on the phone every now and then, but it wasn't the same. I... I missed my big brother a lot."

"Keiko-chan..." Himiko whispered and crawled over to the now softly crying girl to give her a hug. Mei looked uncomfortable, but she quickly ended up copying Himiko, not too sure what else to do. The three hugged one another as a warm, comfortable silence hung in the room.

"Just so you know," Keiko whispered from between her two new but still precious friends. "If either of you do something to him... you'll regret it."

"...huh?"

-

AN:

And with that, we've reached the end of all your available chapters for the week. And it's only Wednesday, too.

I know this chapter gets very touchy and emotional, and that might not jive with some of you. But it was necessary for her character. Hopefully I was able to drive home that Keiko sees Souta as a brother and not a potential love interest.

Quick question, do you all prefer the way I'm currently releasing chapters? As in you all meet my PS requirements and you get a chapter immediately, or should I change it up so that you all get a new chapter everyday as long as the PS goals are met? At least that way you all aren't starved for chapters until Sunday.

Anyways, leave me your thoughts and comments and I'll see you all next time!