"..."
"What I mean is, now that you're leaving, it's perfect timing—I can just replace you with a Pikachu."
"Eh? Aren't you even going to try and stop Paimon from leaving?"
"No."
"Scumbag! Take my Paimon Headbutt!"
Seeing Paimon and Lumine bickering like that—so lively and close—Nanami Kento adjusted his glasses and muttered, "How disappointing. Honestly, I was starting to like that little sprite."
Zephyr leaned over to Itadori Yuji and said, "That guy's a pervert. Stay away from him from now on."
Itadori nodded seriously and immediately hid behind Lumine.
Nanami's finger twitched slightly as he adjusted his glasses. "I believe… you've all misunderstood something."
Gojo Satoru chimed in, "Well, I know Nanami better than anyone. I trust you more than anyone else."
Nanami was a little moved. "Gojo Satoru… I guess I've misjudged you in the past."
"Those who get it, get it. Those who don't—no need to ask. Everyone trusts you. For real. I'm serious."
Nanami looked at this bouncing, nonsense-spewing man and felt like something in his brain had snapped.
"…Maybe you should just go die for a bit and see how that feels."
"Haha, just kidding, just kidding!"
Suddenly, Itadori Yuji said, "Sensei, can we stop messing around? Ijichi-san is still waiting outside."
"Ahem, right, almost forgot about Ijichi. Okay then, let's get down to business."
Itadori raised his hand. "Excuse me, I have a question."
"Please, go ahead, Yuji-kun."
"If you were going to quit being a corporate slavecough, I mean, quit being a salaryman—why didn't you just become a sorcerer from the start?"
Nanami Kento cleared his throat. "A good question. I was rude not to introduce myself properly earlier."
He bowed slightly. "Nice to meet you, Itadori-kun."
Itadori quickly bowed in return. "Ah, sorry! Hello, nice to meet you. I look forward to working with you!"
"And to the two of you as well—hello, Paimon, Lumine. I've heard a lot about you from Gojo Satoru.
To think that first-years like you managed to exorcise a Special Grade Curse on your own—that's truly admirable."
With him being so polite, Zephyr couldn't bring herself to throw any more snark. "You're too kind. The admiration is mutual."
Paimon mumbled under her breath, "Such a classic corporate-speak introduction…"
Nanami turned to Itadori and said, "Now, to answer your question. When I was studying at Jujutsu High, I came to a realization—
Human ability has its limits…
Being a sorcerer is crap."
"…How do those two statements even connect!?" Itadori exclaimed.
"And when I worked at a company, I realized—corporate life is also crap!
Since both are crap, I just chose the one I could tolerate more.
That's why I came back."
Itadori Yuji muttered quietly with Gojo Satoru, "Man… he's really gloomy."
"Totally."
Nanami Kento responded, "So, please don't assume I share the same outlook as Mr. Gojo."
"I trust him, and I rely on him."
Gojo struck a confident pose, clearly pleased.
"—But I don't respect him!"
"Eh!?"
"I dislike the higher-ups' methods, but I stand on the side of the rules. Anyway, I've said too much. That's basically it. I look forward to working with you."
"…Yes, I look forward to working with you."
Zephyr commented, "Ah, so he's a Lawful Neutral type."
Nanami added, "By the way, just so you know—killing a Special Grade Curse on your own doesn't automatically make you a Grade 1 sorcerer.
You still need to pass an official evaluation by the proper authorities. Only after that can you be certified as Grade 1."
Itadori was shocked. "Eh!? You're only saying that now!?"
Nanami calmly adjusted his glasses. "That wasn't a complaint. I was correcting your statement."
"Ah… Nanami-san is seriously a super earnest guy."
You could just tell he wasn't the easiest person to get along with.
Gojo whispered, "Don't be fooled by his appearance. Deep down, he's actually a huge slacker."
"Huh? But he looks like a responsible, upright person!"
"Well, he did work in a real company. In front of seniors and new colleagues, you gotta put on a show, right? Once you get to know him, you'll see his true nature."
"…Such a corporate slave…"
"Alright, enough chit-chat. Let's get to work," Nanami said.
Itadori looked at Gojo with a puzzled expressionthis is the lazy guy you mentioned?
"After all, I get off work at six."
Itadori's eyelid twitched. Okay, guess he really is.
---
After leaving the basement, the group headed toward the movie theater. Zephyr, Paimon, and Lumine entered together.
Gojo didn't come along—after all, if he showed up, Mahito might not appear at all.
So instead, he just sat in the car, munching on popcorn and sipping a drink.
"Who knows when that curse will show up… Honestly, I kinda hope it doesn't. Then I could just keep skipping work."
…
The group entered the scene.
Paimon quickly covered her eyes. "S-So cruel…"
"Can you see it? The lingering traces of cursed energy."
"…Not at all."
Zephyr activated Elemental Sight and easily spotted a trail.
Nanami Kento said, "That's because you're not truly trying to see it. We sorcerers naturally rely on our vision to detect curses. When a technique is used, it leaves behind a trace—that's called residuals.
But compared to actual curses, residuals are far more faint. You have to focus, concentrate your eyes and your mind."
"..."
Itadori Yuji clenched his teeth, exerting himself with all his might.
Zephyr remarked, "I said concentrate, not bulge your eyes out like that."
Paimon added, "His eyes are bulging like bronze bells, shooting out lightning-like focus!"
"Pfft… Paimon, stop singing! You're gonna make me lose it."
Nanami muttered, "Focus. Don't get distracted. I seriously wonder how you even got into Jujutsu High."
"Mmm…"
Itadori tried focusing again—and this time, he finally saw it.
"I see it!" A row of distinct footprints appeared on the ground.
"As it should be. You need to sense the cursed energy before you even see it—only then can you stand on your own."
Itadori grumbled, "Can't you at least say something encouraging? Like, 'Well done' or 'You're improving'?"
Nanami, hands in his pockets, replied flatly, "I don't offer praise or criticism. I stick to the facts and keep myself disciplined. That's who I am."
"Although… I used to mistakenly believe society worked the same way. But let's not get into that. Let's move."
"Alright, let's go full throttle!"
"No. Let's just aim to get it mostly done, and be done with it."
Itadori twitched at the comment.
"…I really don't think I get along with this guy. Ugh—Big Sis was way better!"
---
"The security cameras didn't catch anything, did they?"
"Nope. Other than the victims, there was only one teenager seen."
"So the culprit must be a curse?"
"Well… Let me think. It's not impossible that the teenager did it, but identifying him is the police's responsibility."
Zephyr said, "No, that boy is innocent. I already asked Ijichi to go find him."
"Oh? So you know him?"
"More or less."
"I see."
//END
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