Work is Shit!

Ideals were full and plump; reality was harsh and bony.

Three plus one—four days in total. Akesato had thought that would be enough to hatch his third Pokémon, but things did not go as hoped.

Four days had passed. He had slept holding it for four days, yet the egg showed no sign of movement.

No, it could not even be considered an egg.

It was a mass of black and white, surrounded by a unique energy that resembled black flames, yet also black mist.

If the system had not explicitly identified it, Akesato would have taken it for a "Cursed Womb"—the embryo of a Cursed Spirit.

It had to be said, the meme collected from a special-grade vengeful Cursed Spirit truly was extraordinary.

Its mode of existence differed from the first two Pokémon Eggs as well. It could be either tangible or intangible, allowing Akesato to keep it with him at all times.

Just what kind of Pokémon would hatch from such an extraordinary egg?

Judging by Rika's standing—would it be a pseudo-legendary? A Mythical Pokémon? It could not possibly be a true god, could it?

At that thought, Akesato laughed at himself.

No matter which it was, he would raise it well. The "Trainer" trait guaranteed it.

Before that, Akesato needed to honor his agreement with Satoru Gojo and meet someone—a reliable adult man.

A cup of coffee, a newspaper, and a pristine white suit without a single crease.

His shirt and tie were immaculate, and even his blond hair was combed with meticulous precision. Other than the device over the bridge of his nose, which Akesato could not tell was a detector or sunglasses, he looked like a Wall Street elite who moved millions in minutes.

When he saw Akesato, he immediately stood to greet him, entirely free of the Japanese obsession with seniority and status.

"You're Akesato? I'm Kento Nanami. Pleased to meet you."

"Pleased to meet you too."

Akesato leaned forward slightly, as though he had returned to his old workplace.

But Kento Nanami's next reaction was far less professional.

"What on earth is that man thinking? Setting aside learning 'Black Flash,' why send such a young kid to face Curse Users?"

After a moment's thought, Akesato replied, "Maybe he thinks we're trustworthy? You too, Mr. Nanami—and me."

"No, he may simply be lazy." Kento Nanami shook his head solemnly. "Classmate Akesato, how did Mr. Gojo introduce me?"

"Kento Nanami, twenty-seven years old, lives in Tokyo, unmarried. He was once an ordinary office worker at a securities company, and every night he had to work overtime until eight before going home. He doesn't smoke, only drinks lightly, goes to bed at eleven every night, and gets a full eight hours of sleep each day. Before bed, he always drinks a glass of warm milk, then does twenty minutes of stretching exercises. Once he gets into bed, he immediately falls asleep. He sleeps until dawn and never carries fatigue or stress over to the next day. Even doctors say he's very healthy..."

Those really were Satoru Gojo's exact words, though Akesato knew whom Gojo was referencing.

Unfortunately, such a reliable person as Kento Nanami had nothing to do with 2D culture and did not get the reference. Instead, he earnestly corrected him. "I don't do stretching exercises. And when I worked at my old job, I worked past eight all the time. But none of that matters anymore. What matters is—work is shit! Overtime is even more shit!"

With the most serious expression, dressed in the most refined manner, he spoke the most down-to-earth words.

Akesato nearly applauded. What a legendary scene—he had voiced the feelings of working people everywhere.

Kento Nanami had no idea what Akesato was thinking and continued in the same vein. "So, I don't care what Mr. Gojo thinks. When you work with me, it's nine in the morning to six in the evening. Absolutely no overtime."

"That doesn't sound any different from a job," Akesato muttered.

"Exactly. During my brief time studying at Jujutsu High, I realized that being a Jujutsu Sorcerer is shit! Since it's all shit anyway, I might as well choose the kind I'm better suited to. That's why I came back. Please don't think I share Mr. Gojo's way of thinking. I trust him and rely on him, but I do not respect him!"

He got the second and third legendary scenes too. What a shame—you were merely a good JoJo man, not Dio-sama. Otherwise, what you would have realized was the limit of Jujutsu Sorcerers, and then surpassed Jujutsu Sorcerers.

"To put it simply, Classmate Akesato, let's do this shitty job together. I just hope you yourself aren't so shitty."

"If we're comparing me to Satoru Gojo, I'm fairly confident. First, I'm not late. Second, I don't fool around with people just for fun."

"Those are the most basic requirements of being a person. Please do not use Mr. Gojo as your standard." Despite his words, Kento Nanami nodded in satisfaction.

Akesato smiled faintly. Sharp tongue, soft heart—that was Kento Nanami's true nature.

"Understood. Next—"

"I originally planned to spend one or two days giving you some adaptation training, but I received a last-minute notice from above. I can only teach you while we're on the job. This is common in the Jujutsu world, and it's also the shittiest part of this work."

"That's fine. Without an opponent with enough weight behind them, there's no point in using Black Flash."

At Akesato's words, Kento Nanami's expression darkened instead.

"Classmate Akesato, our opponent this time is not a Cursed Spirit, but Curse Users—human beings. Do not approach this lightly. Human intelligence, as well as the weight of human lives, differs from that of Cursed Spirits. Be prepared."

"Yes, Mr. Nanami."

Akesato knew that Kento Nanami meant well. It was just that Nanami did not know Akesato's mental age was greater, and that he had long been prepared—whether to fight people or take human lives.

If he could not overcome that hurdle, Akesato would not be standing here, much less entering the Jujutsu world.

"Not for me. For yourself. In the end, whatever happens to you is none of my concern."

Akesato's smile did not diminish. If Nanami truly did not care, there would have been no need to say it. Jujutsu Sorcerers were in such a high-risk profession; was it not normal for one or two to die?

So, Retsu Kento Nanami, King—you did well. Very well indeed!

The only pity was that this reliable adult man had every quality except a meme related to Pokémon or Trainers. Perhaps that was why nobody was perfect, just as Satoru Gojo was outstanding in every respect yet had been saddled with such a terrible personality.

"Who is the enemy we'll be facing this time? Teacher Gojo didn't tell me any of the mission's specifics or intelligence."

"As expected. It is that man, after all." Kento Nanami's expression did not change in the slightest. "Our enemy this time is Curse User Group Q."

"Now that's a ridiculously simple name."

Going by Japan's bone-deep chuunibyou naming style, it should have been something like the "Jujutsu Orthodox Doctrine Church."

"A name is just a label. This Curse User group has quite the background. Do you know Lord Tengen? This Curse User group's goal is to make Lord Tengen go berserk and thereby overthrow the entire Jujutsu world."

"With such an 'ambitious' goal, are just the two of us enough?"

"Certainly not when the organization was at its peak. But Q was destroyed once by that person ten years ago. This time, it's merely rising from the ashes."

With that said, Akesato remembered. The background faction from the Hidden Inventory Arc, crushed beneath the power of two special grades.

Time could bury many things, but it could also bring many things back, like a cycle of reincarnation.

But Lord Tengen...?

Akesato narrowed his eyes, his expression utterly unreadable to Kento Nanami.

PS: Many thanks to reader Sakutos for becoming a Hall Master. Truly, thank you. And please continue supporting with monthly votes, bookmarks, and tips.