Early the next morning, an unhurried knock sounded at the door.
There was no impatience in it, which created a good impression.
Soujun was already up.
These days he needed only four hours of sleep to feel fully restored.
By this time he had finished his daily cursed energy refinement.
He settled his mood and let himself feel cheerful again.
When he opened the door, a tall woman was half leaning on the frame.
A sheathed tachi hung at her waist.
She wore the standard aide uniform: brown leather shoes, black slacks, a white dress shirt under a black single-breasted blazer with three neatly fastened buttons that covered the lower half of her red tie.
The mostly black palette, with crisp white at cuffs and collar, projected mature steadiness.
A suit really is an adult's outfit.
Her hair was tied in a high ponytail. Light makeup framed a clean, pretty face. Her arched brows were slightly knit, giving her a sharp, stern air.
The moment the door opened, she straightened and gave a professional smile. "Good morning. I am Mishima Utako, your dedicated aide."
"Nice to meet you," Soujun nodded politely.
Bounty sorcerers and aides are colleagues, not a boss and subordinate.
Mutual respect. The handbook stressed this, explicitly.
Seeing his good attitude, Mishima clearly exhaled in relief.
Her collaborations with other sorcerers in recent years had seldom been pleasant. The last smooth one had been years ago, and that sorcerer had already died to a curse.
She had been forced to work as a temp aide, bouncing between different sorcerers, and had seen plenty of oddballs.
Some were arrogant and self-important. Some drifted without ambition. Many were lax, conniving, or prone to acting on their own.
Most of those people were dead.
Do not assume the survivors are normal. Those who have cleared many missions and are still alive usually skew even more extreme and unhinged.
She looked up at the boy before her. Black hair down, a stray lock looped to loosely tie the rest back. His clothes were casual.
He was very polite, yet a laid-back aura came off him in waves.
Please let this one be normal, she thought with a quiet sigh. She was tired of having to accommodate partners during missions.
Regaining her composure, she handed over a rigid ID card.
Soujun had been watching her and found the constant shifts in her expression a bit funny. Wearing emotions on her face that openly?
He took the card. It was his work ID.
At the top was Jujutsu High's emblem, a white spiral on black, with the words "Tokyo Metropolitan Jujutsu High Specialized School [Temporary Employee ID]" beside it.
No. 060711
Name Minamoto Soujun
Born July 11, 1991
This certifies the above is a temporary employee of this school.
At the bottom was a barcode. To the right was his ID photo with a small "2" printed in the upper left, indicating Grade 2.
All basic information.
The number seemed to combine the year of joining with the birth date.
Sorcerers are few, so duplication should be rare, right, he thought.
"If there is a duplicate, the later person's number is incremented," Mishima said suddenly. Seeing his curious look, she added, "A lot of newcomers wonder that. I asked my senior the same thing."
Soujun dipped his head. From the first exchange he had already gathered a lot about her.
First, in his perception she had at least Grade 2 strength, which counted as strong in the jujutsu world.
The muscles she revealed unintentionally still had a post-pump fullness. She had likely just finished training.
From the moment they met, even in the relative safety of the school, her hand had hovered near the hilt, ready to draw in an instant. She was very alert.
Her likes and dislikes showed on her face. Her expressions tracked her thoughts.
Soujun was not trying to analyze. She was simply easy to read. She could also be acting, of course, but that was not his problem.
Aides are not all weak or untalented. Some sorcerers prefer the aide role as a calling, and some people who dislike fighting choose it too.
Soujun did not pry.
"I am Minamoto Soujun, Grade 2 sorcerer. Nothing I especially like, nothing I especially hate," he said calmly. "Anything I should know for working together."
Mishima shook her head. "Other than traveling together for missions, I handle the rest."
Soujun had read the handbook carefully.
He was really asking if she personally had any must-knows, since they would be partners for a long time. Since she did not say, he would treat it normally.
"To make cooperation easier, I will move nearby as soon as I can," Mishima said, then shifted the topic. "Shall I show you the school departments."
Soujun agreed. It would help to learn the area. He walked with her while she explained benefits for bounty sorcerers.
She pointed to a building. "The cafeteria is free. Serving hours are 6:00 to 23:00."
They happened to have breakfast together.
Next, she brought him to the training grounds, also called Field No. 5.
"Sorcerers need to develop techniques and train skills. Besides the yards attached to dorms, the school provides dedicated training sites."
"There are Fields No. 1 to 5. The first three are for students. The rest are for bounty sorcerers."
Looking down, Field 5 sat in a shallow bowl, large enough for two regulation soccer pitches, centered on a ring track. Inside the ring were several equipment rooms.
It was not far from his lodging.
They walked down the steps onto the field.
Outside the track was open space. At the four corners stood large gymnasiums.
"These halls are divided by function: cursed energy refinement, equipment training, martial arts practice, and technique development. They are open free of charge. Choose any room to train," Mishima explained.
"Usage is not high, but there is still staff who maintain and clean daily."
Talking as they walked, she led him out the far side, across wide vacant grounds, and finally to a block of buildings.
"This is where bounty sorcerers handle business." She gestured to the complex.
"The one on the left is the Taboo Vault, where curses are stored. Cursed tools, cursed objects, talismans, barrier techniques. If you have money, you can exchange for almost anything."
Leaning closer, she lowered her voice. "They say there is a deeper vault as well, but it is not open to outsiders."
They stopped before a sealed warehouse-like structure. Soujun looked it over and found no entrance.
Mishima stepped forward, placed her palm on the wall, and rubbed back and forth.
A flick of black light flashed and vanished.
The vault showed no change.
"The vault is protected by Master Tengen's barrier. Without permission, entry is very difficult."
Very difficult, not impossible.
Soujun felt like her words contained a subtext, but he sensed no malice or negative intent.
They walked a little farther to the tallest building. Up close he found it was only three stories. The main hall alone was the height of several floors.
With quiet pride Mishima said, "The central building is the Mission Office. Taking commissions and claiming bounties both happen here. You could call this the largest mission dispatch point in the jujutsu world."
Looking at the still-sparse hall, Soujun realized that wide grounds and few people were the school's defining feature.
"Next door is the supply office," Mishima said as they entered another building. "Beyond the issued uniforms, Grade 2 and above also receive a dedicated car."
"Please wait. Let us sign out supplies."
She greeted the clerk, showed her credentials, confirmed the information, and soon came out with a set of uniforms and a key.
"Uniforms are issued by the school. The material is special. Best to wear it on missions. It identifies you and avoids trouble."
Handing him the uniform, she smiled. "Students and faculty can customize theirs. Staff uniforms are standardized."
Soujun nodded without much feeling.
If possible, he preferred his own clothes. Mrs. Minamoto had bought him piles of outfits from many countries. They were comfortable and matched his habits and preferences.
They returned to his place.
"Noticed how few people you see," Mishima asked at the door.
"Times change, and the mission system keeps up. Aside from emergency or major incidents, missions can be taken online now. After completion, the bounty auto-deposits to your linked bank card."
Her tone was slightly rueful, like an elder who felt left behind.
She quickly regained her rhythm. "Let us exchange contacts."
Holding up her phone, she added, "I will email you a link. Log in and register a codename. If you see a mission you like, accept it and tell me in advance where and when to meet."
Soujun nodded to each point. She hesitated, then added at last,
"One reminder. Please make sure your codename and your real name are kept separate."
She bowed and took her leave.
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