"Meow!"
"Coo!"
"Vul!"
"Gengar..."
Sprigatito, Rowlet, and Vulpix were chasing and playing in the house, but Gengar, who was usually lively, had quieted down. It floated silently to the side, staring at Sprigatito, making sure that fellow didn't cause trouble.
It was already after school. Today had been peaceful, and afterward, Hoshino went to the suburbs as usual to study with Lillie.
Moon was also here, but she had forgotten something at home and went to get it. Her Rowlet stayed here and played with Sprigatito and the others.
Taking advantage of this free time, Lillie opened her laptop and clicked on the redesigned website page to show Hoshino the results.
Looking at the advanced page on the screen, which was completely different from the initial version, Hoshino didn't know where to start looking. The only thing that hadn't changed was the Yorozuya logo he had made at the very top.
"It's a bit impressive..."
"It's just average. The main thing is that I'm not very proficient in this area, so this is already my limit. There might still be some security issues with the website. It would be great if I could find a hacker expert to help."
Lillie explained with a bit of embarrassment, but unfortunately, she didn't know anyone in that field. However, Hoshino didn't care. He had a Rotom Phone, and as long as he didn't actively expose himself, no one would be able to trace his identity.
"So how does this thing work now? Do I still need to register and log in with my website account?"
"You're also using someone else's server, right? You can log in with their account, it's similar to a forum. Here, Trainers can post bounties and ask questions... Although it's unavoidable that some people might try to scam, for now, this is the only way."
Lillie explained some more things about the website to him. In fact, there were quite a few similar websites like this, and many had even developed and opened up to other Trainers.
Lillie was actually a bit worried about the Yorozuya website because Hoshino was the only one managing it. How could he handle so many people's questions? Moreover, his theoretical knowledge of Pokémon was not as good as hers, so she could only try her best to help.
Then she continued, "If possible, I'll anonymously promote it to my friends tomorrow. But I still have to remind you... this is quite difficult to do. Due to market and other reasons, it's highly likely to lose money. Don't have too much hope."
Hoshino shook his head and replied with a smile, "It doesn't matter, I'm already very satisfied. Thank you..."
Before he could finish, Lillie suddenly waved her hand to interrupt him. Then, with a serious expression, she said, "This is what I, as a member of the Yorozuya, should do. And I'm the one who should be saying thank you! If I hadn't met you that night and what happened afterward, I definitely wouldn't have been able to change!"
Looking at the serious young lady, Hoshino scratched his hair, sighed lightly, and replied, "You've left me speechless. What am I supposed to say?"
"Hehe!"
"..."
Hoshino didn't continue the topic. He looked at the website and said directly, "Let's do it this way. Let's try it first. Maybe our luck will turn around."
"Okay!"
"By the way, no one else knows, right?"
"No, just the two of us."
"That's good then."
Hoshino was already looking forward to the future development. Now that there was a Sprigatito at home, expenses had doubled. He was just hoping to trick some big fool online into giving him money.
...
After a busy evening, Hoshino went home with Sprigatito, who ate until it was full and then fell asleep. On the way, Gengar seemed to have something to say, but hadn't brought it up yet.
"Just say what you want to say. Is it about Sprigatito?"
"Gengar..."
Gengar sat in his arms, holding its belly, and nodded. Hoshino understood what it meant: Gengar hated it when someone tricked him as a Trainer, and after Sprigatito's personality was exposed, it made Gengar particularly unhappy.
After understanding, Hoshino had Cyclizar slow down a bit, freeing up a hand to stroke Gengar, and said with a smile, "Putting aside other reasons, isn't it also a bit like me...?"
"Gengar?"
"Have you forgotten? I was also disliked by my classmates before, but now they've started to accept me and even actively help me. Sprigatito isn't bad by nature; it just needs some change and a little help."
Temporarily solving Sprigatito's Curse problem was clearly impossible. That would at least have to wait until they went to the Paldea region to have a chance to do so.
Now, Sprigatito's good impression of him was likely just seeing him as a long-term food ticket. Would a guy who loves to eat dislike someone who can cook? Especially when the food is delicious and filling.
Hearing him say these things, Gengar also had no objections. Before rejecting, one must first try to accept, and everyone was a part of the Yorozuya, so there was no need to cause conflict.
The atmosphere immediately became calm again. Sprigatito, who had been lying on Cyclizar's head as if asleep, twitched its ears, opened one eye to look, and then closed it again.
Soon they returned to Kabukicho. Some Meowth at the street corner saw them return and quickly hid. Hoshino noticed them but didn't pay attention, though he still kept a little watchful eye on them.
...
The next two days were the weekend, and not having to go to school meant he had time to take on commissions.
And Lillie had already promoted the Yorozuya website to her friends, and indeed, some people had come in and were asking legitimate questions.
They were all students, only earning some pocket money, and most of their questions were about Pokémon training. However, Hoshino still answered them from his professional perspective and insights. He was very good at this aspect and had no problems at all.
Currently, it was the early stage of development, requiring reputation and accumulating popularity. Once it picked up, he would find an opportunity to set up his own server and fully develop the website.
However, there were also some strange individuals who would ask strange questions. For example, there was a user with the ID "Alola's Cutest Hell Girl" who felt like they were completely there to cause trouble.
[Who's the person behind this, huh?]
[The name is Yorozuya, does that mean you can really do anything?]
[Can I post blind date ads here? My Gengar wants a girlfriend.]
[By the way, besides simply answering questions, can you also help draw lewd pictures?]
"..."
Hoshino's head was spinning. A whole bunch of questions, and all of them were asked one dollar at a time.
If it weren't for the Yorozuya needing to build its reputation now, he would have really wanted to use his Rotom Phone's system to go AFK and verbally abuse the other party's entire family.
He also didn't know where Lillie found such friends, or if they simply learned about it through other channels and then snuck in to cause trouble?
When encountering such intentional troublemakers, he would just ignore them. Although the Yorozuya was labeled for Trainers to consult on Pokémon-related issues, there was no restriction that statements had to be about that.
Of course, he would also answer some non-Pokémon questions depending on the situation. For example, a familiar user with the very obvious ID "Mallow Has To Work Hard Today Too" was asking about cooking recipes here. Lillie probably mentioned it when she was promoting it.
...
The progress basically stabilized like this. Gradually, some passing Trainers also learned about the Yorozuya's existence through the students' promotion, but it was still too few. However, there was no hurry; they would take it slow.
Soon, a month passed. Hoshino had already passed all the make-up exams for the previous semester and the first and second grades on his first try, leaving only the third grade. This speed made some students exclaim how unbelievable it was.
As for the Yorozuya, the daily commissions from some Pokémon neighbors had increased significantly, such as helping with deliveries or buying things. As long as there was a commission, he would generally accept it.
During his free time, he would take Gengar and Cyclizar to train. Sprigatito spent most of its daytime eating until full and then sleeping in the sun. Hoshino also specially made a nest for it to rest in at night.
It had completely adapted to life here, but occasionally there were still some minor problems, such as being unable to control its subconscious urge to snatch food during meals...
Other aspects were relatively good. At least, the things Hoshino was most worried about hadn't happened. The Pokémon at home were indeed trying to get along, and no conflicts had occurred.
It was just that the household's food supply was running low. After paying the rent and the website server rental fees, it was truly becoming unbearable.
Moreover, not everyone had a ton of questions for the Yorozuya website every day. It finally hit a bottleneck, and traffic began to drop. Although it had never really picked up, there were simply too few people.
But just one week before the outdoor survival course was to begin, a user with the ID "Wallace" suddenly appeared on the Yorozuya website and left a question.
[I accidentally found this place where there are few people and no one knows me. Yorozuya means you can do anything, right? Can you listen to me complain?]
[Yes, go ahead.]
Occasionally, there were people like this, finding life difficult and seeking an escape online. Hoshino was used to it; at times, he seemed to be such a person himself. Anyway, a little comfort would do...
[My girlfriend is a Gym Leader, but she suddenly broke up with me yesterday. I want to know how to win her back. Teach me!!!]
Hoshino: "???"
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