Chapter 2
Eriri sat in her computer chair, her body as tense as a statue. The half-finished layout on her tablet screen still blinked with a cursor, but her pen hand remained motionless.
In her peripheral vision, an indigo figure leaned against the doorframe of her bedroom. Genji had kept his promise—he hadn't stepped a single foot inside the room. He simply stood quietly at the boundary between the hallway and her space, like an ukiyo-e painting that had no business existing in a modern apartment.
"So," Eriri finally spoke, her voice still trembling slightly, "you think you can help me?"
"Anything within my ability, I can try." Genji nodded slightly. Moonlight fell on him through the gaps in the curtains, making the silver cloud patterns on his hunting robes shimmer faintly. "It seems you have an urgent matter, girl."
Urgent. Eriri almost laughed out loud.
For a person from the Heian period, what would "urgent matter" even mean in terms of a manga deadline? She glanced at the time in the bottom right corner of her screen—3:52 AM. Editor Kosugi would knock on her door right at noon, with that professional smile and those deadline-pushing eyes. And here she was, still fighting with an empty background.
"Yeah... work," she said vaguely. "Drawing. But you can't help me with that."
"Drawing?" Genji's eyes lit up for a moment. "Picture scrolls? Buddhist paintings? As a child, I studied the basics with court painters. I wouldn't dare call myself skilled, but I did manage a few sketches—"
"It's not that kind of painting!" Eriri cut him off, turning around and finally feeling a little more grounded in reality. "It's modern manga. You see—"
She picked up her stylus and quickly made a few strokes on the tablet. The lines flowed smoothly across the screen, forming the outline of a girl's face. Then she tapped the layer window to show the complex layered structure. She also adjusted the color palette—hundreds of colors arranged in a grid.
"You draw on this tablet, using this software. Layouts, line art, effects lines... and also—" She paused, her cheeks flushing slightly. "—the human body. It's complicated. Someone without training couldn't even begin."
Genji watched in silence.
His gaze moved across the glowing screen, across the modern tools that Eriri took for granted, and finally settled back on her face. There was no confusion in his eyes. Instead, there was something like... sudden understanding.
"I see." He said quietly, then paused and smiled apologetically. "You're right, girl. This kind of skill can't be learned without years of training. I truly cannot help with this."
It was true. Genji had no contact with any related craft in his past life, and he knew nothing about it in this one. Naturally, there was nothing he could do for Eriri.
Eriri felt an inexplicable sense of relief—but also a little disappointed. Even she couldn't say what she had been expecting. Had she really hoped a thousand-year-old ghost could draw manga?
She turned her attention back to the screen and forced herself to grip the stylus.
But the fatigue from staying up late hit her like a tide. Her eyelids were too heavy. Her wrist ached. Her shoulders felt like rusted gears. She drew a few strokes, but the lines came out crooked—far less smooth than usual.
"Damn it..." She cursed under her breath, picked up her cold coffee, and took a big gulp. The bitterness made her frown, but it couldn't clear the fog in her head.
Genji was still standing at the door. He looked at Eriri's trembling hands, at her forced endurance, and suddenly said, "I can't help with drawing skills. But your body, girl... that, I might be able to help with."
Eriri looked at him.
Genji took a small step forward—still stopping at the bedroom door—and raised his right hand. His fingers were slender and almost translucent in the moonlight. A blue, flame-like light flickered to life.
"There is a technique called 'Reverse Cursed Technique.'" He explained calmly, as if he were saying something as ordinary as "I can brew tea." "It can heal wounds and illnesses, and regulate one's qi and blood. You're simply exhausted—your essence depleted. A short treatment should restore you."
Eriri's eyes widened. "Healing magic? Like superpowers?"
"Jujutsu," Genji corrected, a hint of ancient pride in his voice. "A basic skill for any sorcerer."
Reverse Cursed Technique is an advanced skill that ordinary sorcerers struggle to master. Cursed energy, originally a form of negative energy, is flipped and emitted as positive energy, which can be used to heal oneself or others.
But for Zen'in Genji, Reverse Cursed Technique truly was a basic operation.
Before Eriri could react, he had already gently flicked his fingers.
No sound effects. No light show.
But Eriri suddenly felt a warm current rush from the top of her head and spread rapidly through her limbs.
It was wonderful—like soaking in a perfectly heated bath, like sinking into a down mattress after extreme exhaustion, like someone gently massaging every inch of her aching muscles.
The heaviness under her eyes vanished. The pain and weakness in her wrists dissolved. Even her stiff, hunched back from sitting too long relaxed.
She couldn't help but take a deep breath, then slowly exhale. The lingering bitterness of coffee in her lungs seemed to clear away, replaced by a fresh, energetic sensation.
"This... this is..." Eriri stared at her hand in disbelief. Her fingers were flexible and strong. Even the small calluses from holding a pen for too long no longer hurt. She turned to look at the bathroom mirror—her reflection showed rosy cheeks and bright eyes. Where was the exhausted look from just moments ago?
"Reverse Cursed Technique. It neutralizes negative states at the physical level." Genji lowered his hand, his voice still even. "You should feel as though you've had a full night's sleep, girl."
"This is more than that..." Eriri murmured. She jumped up from her chair and bounced twice on the spot. Light. Full of energy. Even better than when she'd first woken up yesterday morning. "This is amazing! Doesn't this mean—"
Countless scenarios flashed through her mind in an instant: 24 hours a day, no more fear of deadlines. Staying up all night gaming and still being in top form the next day. Going an entire week without sleep...
"I could draw forever! No sleep needed!" She blurted out, her eyes shining.
Genji's expression turned slightly strange. He was silent for two seconds before speaking slowly. "...Reverse Cursed Technique restores physical fatigue. Mental fatigue and spiritual exhaustion cannot be healed." He looked at Eriri's excited face and couldn't help adding, "Moreover... is the use you're thinking of just working continuously?"
The bewilderment in his tone was too obvious. Eriri froze for a moment, then burst out laughing.
"That's because deadlines are terrifying!" She stuck out her tongue, showing a rare girlish playfulness. "But you're right... If I don't get tired, I'll have more time for gaming, reading manga, and chasing new fandoms! There are so many stories I want to create!"
"Gaming... manga... chasing fandoms..." Genji repeated the words, shaking his head, but a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "You truly live... a busy life."
"It's called an enriched life!" Eriri shot back, but her mood had completely lifted. She leaned back in her chair and picked up her stylus. This time, the lines flowed incredibly smoothly. The composition for the background, which had been stuck, was now clearly forming in her mind.
She began to draw quickly. The scratching of the stylus filled the room as a complete scene gradually appeared on the screen.
Genji didn't leave. He stood quietly at the door, watching Eriri's focused back.
"Hey..." Eriri finished one page and suddenly spoke softly, without turning around. "Thanks. For fixing me up."
"It was nothing," Genji replied.
"And..." She bit her lower lip. "I agree to let you stay temporarily. But the rules stay the same—no coming into my bedroom, no peeking, and you can't appear in front of my family or friends."
"Understood."
"There's a storage closet next to the bathroom... It's small and packed with stuff. But if you don't mind—"
"It's more than enough." Genji's voice carried a genuine smile. "Compared to sleeping in shadows for a thousand years, having a roof over my head is a blessing."
Eriri glanced at him through the reflection on her screen. The indigo figure still stood in the moonlight, quiet as a painting. The fear had faded, replaced by strong curiosity—curiosity about this person who had truly come from a thousand years ago.
She turned back and continued drawing the next layout. The stylus flowed faster.
Time passed quietly. When the clock struck five in the morning, Eriri finally finished the last stroke. She saved the file, sent the email, and collapsed back into her chair with a heavy sigh of relief.
"All done..." she murmured.
Outside the window, the sky was beginning to lighten. The first ray of morning light fell on Genji through a gap in the curtain. His figure seemed more transparent in the light, as if he might disappear at any moment.
"Are you going to vanish?" Eriri asked instinctively.
"Not vanish. I'll just return to sleeping within your shadow." Genji explained. "I'll remain silent during the day so I don't interfere with your daily life, girl. After sunset, if you permit it, I'll reappear and speak with you again."
Eriri nodded. She looked at his fading figure and suddenly remembered something.
"Hey, Zen'in... Genji?"
"Yes?"
"Tomorrow... no, later today, after school, I'll show you some manga. Real modern manga." She paused, then added, "And games. I'll let you see them."
A clear smile appeared on Genji's face, caught between light and shadow. There was curiosity and anticipation in that smile.
"I would be honored."
As the words faded, the indigo figure dissolved completely into the morning light.
Eriri sat alone in the gradually brightening room, staring at the empty doorway. After a long moment, she said quietly:
"Welcome to a thousand years later, Zen'in Genji."