Making Money Outside School

Three days later.

News of Yuji Itadori's death had spread throughout Jujutsu High. Whether they were upperclassmen still outside or students on campus, everyone knew.

Over the past few days, the school had also been handling Yuji Itadori's funeral arrangements. Satoru Gojo was primarily responsible; after all, he had been the one to bring Yuji Itadori to the school, so it naturally fell to him to clean up after what had happened.

Fushiguro Megumi and Nobara Kugisaki had indeed been in low spirits during the first few days, but after Lin Ran helped lighten their moods over the past few days, they felt a little better.

There really had not been much going on lately, and the school had no missions either. Lin Ran did not have much money left in his pocket, so he planned to check out the nearby cities for opportunities to make some money.

Lin Ran submitted an application to the school, and Satoru Gojo approved it.

"I mean, why are you going out alone at a time like this? Wouldn't it be better to just stay at school?" Nobara Kugisaki could not understand Lin Ran. The weather was getting hotter and hotter, yet he still wanted to go out without even saying what he was going to do. Teacher Gojo seemed to be the only one who knew.

"Ah, I'm just going out for a stroll. Making a little extra money while I'm at it sounds pretty good, doesn't it?" Lin Ran waved a hand, looked up at the glaring sun, and said, "Teacher Gojo has been so busy lately. I won't add to his troubles."

"You're clearly making more trouble for Teacher Gojo, okay? What if you run into danger while you're out there? Don't think you're so impressive just because you got lucky and beat a Special Grade!" Nobara Kugisaki got angry just thinking about it. Lin Ran had stolen all the spotlight.

"Alright, I'm not talking to you anymore. I'm leaving." Lin Ran pulled a face and turned toward his dorm.

"You jerk!" Nobara Kugisaki immediately stood up, but Lin Ran vanished in the blink of an eye. "Huh? Where did he go?"

"Don't worry about him. He's different from Itadori." Fushiguro Megumi walked out with his hands in his pockets, sunlight falling over his handsome face. "We won't have nothing to do next. Let's focus on getting stronger."

"Yeah, yeah, hurry up and get stronger. Otherwise, I'll leave you two far behind." Lin Ran emerged with a huge backpack slung over his shoulders. It resembled the kind of tactical pack used in the military and could hold a lot of things.

"Are you going out on vacation or something?" Nobara Kugisaki looked at Lin Ran speechlessly. "At a time like this, could you at least have some sense of urgency? And why have you been appearing and disappearing like a ghost lately?"

Nobara Kugisaki had noticed something: Lin Ran had been strange lately. He would suddenly appear and suddenly vanish, as if he could teleport.

But she knew that was basically impossible. Lin Ran could not possibly teleport. If he could, why had he not gone to help before Yuji got into trouble?

Forget about him having suffered serious injuries. When Nobara Kugisaki had seen Lin Ran at the hospital, he had looked full of life and energy, without any serious wounds.

"Haha, I won't keep talking to you guys. Call me if anything comes up. I'm off." Lin Ran chuckled. There was no way he was going to tell Nobara Kugisaki that he had gotten stronger.

"Get lost, then!" Nobara Kugisaki waved him off.

"But it kind of looks like you want me to stay." Lin Ran said with a broad grin, "Is it because once I'm gone, no one will cook tasty food for you anymore?"

"Get lost, get lost, get lost! Who cares about your food? I'll go out and buy my own." Nobara Kugisaki put her hands on her hips.

"Stop pretending. What would it hurt to admit it just once? In a backwater place like this, are you going to order delivery? Who would even be willing to bring it to you?" Lin Ran laughed. This girl was seriously stubborn.

"Lin Ran, if you keep talking nonsense, you won't be leaving at all." Nobara Kugisaki flashed an inscrutable smile.

Lin Ran suddenly felt a chill run down his back. He turned and hurried away.

Only after Lin Ran left did Nobara Kugisaki smack her lips and say, "Looks like I'll have to diet for a while."

Fushiguro Megumi glanced at Nobara Kugisaki and understood what she meant.

The moment Lin Ran stepped out through the school gate, he saw a tall woman approaching, her hair tied in a ponytail and glasses on her face.

For a moment, Lin Ran could not remember her name, but he knew she was probably from the Zenin Family.

Behind her were two people, one tall and one short. One of them could barely be called a person—a large, sturdy-looking panda. The other was a man with an extremely high collar that covered his mouth.

"Hello, seniors!" Lin Ran greeted them politely. He had not expected them to return today.

"Hello!"

"Salmon."

"You must be a first-year student. Where are you going with that backpack?" Ponytail Girl stopped and looked at this freshman she had never seen before.

"Yeah. My name is Lin Ran. I've got something to take care of outside. Nothing much."

The three could tell that Lin Ran did not want to elaborate, so they did not press him. After exchanging greetings, they went their separate ways.

"There's something off about that freshman." Ponytail Girl looked back at the departing Lin Ran.

"Indeed. He doesn't have any cursed energy on him at all. Is he deliberately concealing it?" Panda nodded.

"Salmon."

"No one can conceal their cursed energy to that extent, right? There's not the slightest trace to detect." Ponytail Girl did not think Lin Ran was capable of hiding his cursed energy. Could it have something to do with his cursed technique?

Lin Ran then walked into the city. His destination was Shibuya District, one of Tokyo's twenty-three wards and an incredibly bustling place.

Originally, Lin Ran had wanted to visit some agencies. Aside from Jujutsu High, there were also many private agencies, which existed to deal with cursed spirits and cursed objects.

But those agencies were rather weak and understaffed. Powerful Jujutsu Sorcerers were unwilling to stay at such small agencies, while the agencies themselves did not seem interested in weak Jujutsu Sorcerers.

As a result, those private agencies had become largely irrelevant, nowhere near as capable as specialized places like Jujutsu High.

This world had both good and evil. There were many Jujutsu agencies operating openly, but there were also evil agencies in the shadows, naturally gathering wicked Curse Users and even cursed spirits.

Lin Ran could not come into contact with that side of things yet. He did not even know where those people were. His purpose in coming out this time was simply to make money.

As he looked at the bustling streets and buildings of Shibuya District, Lin Ran's longing grew even stronger. He began searching for those so-called agencies.

Yet half a day passed, and he did not see a damn thing. In a place this prosperous, where would there even be such agencies?

Lin Ran felt his head starting to hurt. The weather was hot, and he was beginning to lose the desire to keep looking.

"Maybe I should find a temporary job at a restaurant first." Lin Ran thought that would work too. At least working at a restaurant came with meals.

Near evening, Lin Ran found a Huaxia restaurant. After cooking a few dishes, he left the Boss stunned, who immediately offered Lin Ran a high salary along with meals and lodging.

Lin Ran was naturally willing to stay and work. The pay here was much better than at ordinary restaurants, so why not?

Still, at his age, wouldn't that count as child labor?