[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-sparked-the-hundred-demon-night-parade-in-toky":3,"chapter-i-sparked-the-hundred-demon-night-parade-in-toky-i-sparked-the-hundred-demon-night-parade-in-toky-chapter-21":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I Sparked the Hundred Demon Night Parade in Tokyo",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2326239,4550,"Chapter 21: Is This Reality?","i-sparked-the-hundred-demon-night-parade-in-toky-chapter-21",21,"\u003Cp>Left the jewelry store.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is it raining?” Kamikawa Mitsu lifted her snow-white forehead and blinked her long eyelashes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was too busy chatting with classmates and didn’t notice it had started raining.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mizushima Iori suggested: “The rain’s too heavy to stop anytime soon. Let’s go back to the jewelry store and buy umbrellas.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long after.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They stepped out again, each now holding an umbrella.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mizushima Iori opened her umbrella and stepped out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rain fell heavily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sky was veiled in drizzle, dark clouds rolled, and thunder cracked sporadically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The streets were emptier, the bustle gone, the atmosphere cold and quiet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kamikawa Mitsu’s mood remained untouched by the terrible weather.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When one’s heart is light, everything looks good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was Kamikawa Mitsu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raindrops struck the Japanese-style roof tiles, and to Kamikawa Mitsu’s ears, the sound was tinkling, crisp and pleasant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She tilted her head slightly, gazing at the Japanese eaves along the street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rainwater splashed down, flowing into the gutter along the eaves, murmuring softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two utterly different sounds on the roof converged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked down at the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath the heavy rain, small puddles formed across the pavement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raindrops fell like pearls scattering on a jade plate, sparkling as they splashed, their sound like a rattle—muffled yet light, intertwined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Listening to the symphony of rain sounds around her, like various instruments playing a beautiful melody, Kamikawa Mitsu stepped over a small puddle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While chatting with Mizushima Iori and the others, Kamikawa Mitsu glanced toward the eaves of a corner building.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There sat an old homeless man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stood beneath the eaves to shelter from the rain, but the rain was too heavy and the eaves too narrow—he couldn’t escape much of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His hair was soaked halfway, his shirt shoulders drenched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Due to his homelessness, his body was thin and frail, with nothing to shield him from the rain; he could only rub his arms repeatedly to ward off the cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Achoo!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man sneezed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too cold, he leaned toward the shop beside him, only to be shooed out like a fly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With no choice, he returned to the eaves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sigh.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When will this rain stop? It’s so cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Will it rain all day? There doesn’t seem to be any real shelter here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heaven seemed to be taunting the old man—a gust of wind blew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wind mixed with rain, biting cold in this season when autumn turns to winter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man shivered, wiping rain from his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Will I freeze to death today…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, the grieving old man froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where’s the rain?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rain still fell before him, yet he realized none had touched him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man instinctively looked up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Above him, an umbrella had appeared out of nowhere, and beside him stood a girl—holding the umbrella.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stared at the umbrella, then at the girl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man was stunned, utterly astonished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This girl wasn’t just coincidentally standing beside him with her umbrella covering him—she was deliberately shielding him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze fell to the girl’s shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The umbrella was small, and she had tilted it to cover him fully—her left shoulder was damp from the rain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Old man, take this umbrella,” Kamikawa Mitsu offered hers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the first time since his son had stolen his house and thrown him out—since becoming a homeless man—that anyone had given him an umbrella.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even as he took the umbrella, he remained dazed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Goodbye, old man.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, the old man snapped back to reality and hurried to speak: “Um… you take your umbrella back. If you give me yours, you won’t have one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kamikawa Mitsu smiled, pointing to Mizushima Iori and Komuro Mie, who were rushing over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s fine—I’ll share an umbrella with my friends.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh my god, Mitsu, why did you run off so fast? You were giving away an umbrella? You’re so…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mizushima Iori wanted to say Mitsu was foolish—after all, he was just a homeless man—but seeing the old man present, she held back the final words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kamikawa Mitsu seemed to know what Mizushima Iori was about to say and quickly spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Iori, let’s go. Aren’t we going for dessert?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she spoke, she squeezed beside Mizushima Iori, who had bought a large umbrella, and beamed—a picture of cuteness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Mitsu and the two girls were about to leave, and the old man opened his mouth to thank them—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, little girls, you’re going for dessert? We’re heading there too. Want to join us?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A voice like a duck’s quack rang out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From afar, five or six youths approached.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The speaker was a youth with a Japanese-style fringe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One hand in his pocket, the other holding an umbrella, he strode forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His demeanor was thoroughly delinquent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other youths weren’t much better—each wore earrings, tattoos, or dyed their hair gold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing these six clearly street-hustling youths approach, the three junior high girls couldn’t help but fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They instinctively huddled together, trembling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The six youths acted as if they didn’t notice their fear, surrounding them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Little girls, what kind of dessert do you like? Tell us. Don’t worry—we’re not bad people.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fringe-haired thug spoke with a flippant tone, flashing a smile he thought was refined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, forgot to introduce myself—I’m Togashi Shinji. You can call me Shinji. These are my friends—he’s Nakata, that one’s Horii…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, yeah, we’re not bad guys.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other youths chimed in, then crowded forward to chat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are your names, little girls? Don’t be scared—I just think you’re so cute, I want to treat you to dinner.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dinner? Pfft, didn’t you just say you wanted dessert? Heh, I know a great dessert shop—I’ll take you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know a dessert place that’s amazing too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dessert? I love treating girls to chocolate bars.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The last youth’s comment sent the other thugs into roaring laughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their laughter was brazen, deeply lewd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three girls had never seen anything like this—they were terrified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three junior high girls huddled together, unsure what to do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rain still fell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Torrential rain poured down, pattering incessantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Faced with the thugs’ encirclement, Kamikawa Mitsu felt fear—just like Mizushima Iori and Komuro Mie—her body trembling, legs weak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, everything felt terrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thugs’ faces, their words—terrified her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The once-pleasing symphony of rain sounds now no longer sounded beautiful; gathered in her ears, they became like a snare drum pounding erratically—noisy, grating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nii-san…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In her fear, Kamikawa Mitsu thought of Kamikawa Mitsu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the street, outside other shops, people had stepped out, watching this scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were men and women, teenagers, adults, middle-aged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each pair of eyes held pity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most people just watched; only a tiny few tried to approach Kamikawa Mitsu and the others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as soon as they took a step forward, they were glared at by social thugs, shrinking back and abandoning their intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or they were pulled back by those beside them, who shook their heads and whispered, halting their steps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, not a single person stepped forward to help Kamikawa Mitsu and the others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not one person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They merely observed, whispering among themselves, gossiping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And when Kamikawa Mitsu and the others looked toward them, pleading for help with their eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every one of them turned away, avoiding their desperate glances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Either pretending not to see, or walking off outright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Kamikawa Mitsu and the other two felt colder and more heartbroken than ever before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>",1244,"2026-06-20T17:56:08.120Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","5fce9fbd1528473b31e9cef82cfc29292c3853fd6c4f1bb5ba8e4ec098009f9e","i-sparked-the-hundred-demon-night-parade-in-toky-chapter-22","i-sparked-the-hundred-demon-night-parade-in-toky-chapter-20",477,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-sparked-the-hundred-demon-night-parade-in-toky-cover.jpg"]