One week later...
Shinkuro opened his eyes and woke up.
The current state of his life? Well, more or less... shit. It had been a week since he had no money, dreams, or any hope for the future.
Venom? Yes, he is strong and Shinkuro could probably make good money through illegal activities and stuff like that.
The problem then? Shinkuro had never done anything wrong his whole life. He didn't have the courage to commit crimes and didn't know how to deal with the guilt if he did something like that.
"God, I know I was never your best son, but please lend me a hand here." said Shinkuro, who never believed in religion.
He was lying in a forgotten corner of the city. Amid the gray of the cold streets of Tokyo, surrounded by torn garbage bags and the smell of rancid grease, the young man had found his new home: an abandoned marquee behind an office building. The walls were covered in soot and the dirty concrete was his mattress.
Schools, police stations, and orphanages could help the miserable boy, yet he realized something.
What if they did medical exams on him? In the Marvel world, where creatures, gods, and monsters were everywhere, maybe they wouldn't think much about the "parasite" in Shinkuro's body.
But in modern common Japan? He'd be on a lab table before he even noticed!
That's why he couldn't even ask any institution for help and instead sometimes begged on the street.
"It's lunchtime..."
He got up, stretching his bones with an uncomfortable crack, and walked through the narrow streets. The cracked concrete and graffiti-covered walls of the alleys formed a labyrinth of shadows between the buildings. Some cats rummaged through trash bags, and the smell of urine and sour food spread through the stuffy air.
Moving to an alley so his way of feeding wouldn't be seen, Shinkuro quickly moved to the trash can at the back of the alley.
"Venom, it's all yours."
As soon as the man said that, little black twigs and tentacles started to extend from his right arm and a grotesque black head with sharp teeth and huge white eyes stared at him.
"Can't we just kill someone, Dad?" said the aberration while it started to eat the trash in the bin.
That was the method Shinkuro found to have healthy nutrition. Venom didn't complain about the taste of the food and could absorb the nutrients while discarding the rest.
So that was Shinkuro's feeding method. Letting the head on his arm devour trash.
Sighing at the situation, Shinkuro shook his head "no" and lowered his head without saying anything.
At that moment, voices were heard in the alley.
"Hey, that's the young homeless guy who stays at the square."
"What young? I wonder how stupid someone has to be to end up in that situation so early in life."
"Nah, maybe his mother was just a whore or something like that and he had no chance in life, I don't know."
"How about I hire her for a night to help that shitty homeless guy?"
Three delinquents dressed in rocker style mocked Shinkuro while Venom started retracting into Shinkuro's arm.
"My mother wasn't a whore, no, your mother took over the whole district with that loose pussy and no one else had a chance to compete in the market with her." replied Shinkuro, unmoved by the insults the Japanese had to offer.
"Hey guys, how about showing the homeless guy his place?"
"Well, since he still hasn't noticed, we might as well help him with that, dude."
The three teenagers entered the alley smiling at Shinkuro.
The alley where they were was dark and damp, with puddles of water accumulated from an old rain. Flickering lamps projected distorted shadows on the graffiti-covered walls, and the echo of the boys' footsteps seemed louder than usual. A smell of rusty metal and rotten flesh lingered in the air.
At that moment, without the three having a chance to notice, Shinkuro almost cried with joy.
Finally! Damn, it took too long!
Every single day Shinkuro woke up and went to a dark alley without cameras looking for a meal, but was that all?
Obviously not! Shinkuro also wanted someone to attack him!
After all, it would be too perfect. The alley had no cameras to witness the son of Shinkuro's abilities, and besides?
Shinkuro didn't attack because he would feel guilty, but if someone attacked him? Then, the enemy shouldn't expect any mercy!
While the three advanced towards the 17-year-old youth, 1.63m tall, stubbly beard, and weak body, they suddenly saw something they would never forget.
The young man's body simply bent! Now, at 2.56m and huge, bulging muscles, his face became just a mouth full of sharp teeth and giant white eyes. Besides that, his skin, completely dark and strangely liquid, made the three not even dare to scream.
"Money, give it to me now. If I hear any complaints or see any wrong move, then... don't blame me for being cruel." said the horrendous aberration, revealing his long red tongue.
Now with survival instinct at maximum, at record speed, the three simply took their wallets out of their jacket and pants pockets and placed them on the ground while bowing.
Huh, these young guys are much smarter than they look...
Scratching his head in his Venom form, Shinkuro admired the potential of future Japanese society.
Picking up the wallets and leaving the alley, Shinkuro returned to his normal form before looking at the delinquents.
"If I hear a peep about this, you die. Understand?" said Shinkuro, leaving the alley without looking back.
"Damn Japanese society and its lack of crimes!" said Shinkuro, remembering how it took a whole week for someone to follow him to a dark alley.
"9-9,600!!! Japanese yen... damn, I thought it was dollars."
That should be about 50 dollars, more or less. Not much, but it's enough.
Shinkuro started thinking about what to do with the money. It wasn't much, but he could be efficient.
Signing up for a gym shouldn't be too expensive. With that, I'll have a place to shower with locker room showers. The rest of the money I can buy a good change of clothes. That way, I'll have hope to look for a job.
"Looks like I'll keep eating trash and drinking rainwater for a while." said Shinkuro, sighing.
If I knew it would take a week for someone to follow me into an alley, I would've already committed a crime!
Sighing, Shinkuro remembered a simple gym nearby and headed towards it, passing through as many dark alleys as possible.
Upon arriving, Shinkuro sighed sadly. No one followed him to rob him or worse...
Entering the gym, Shinkuro looked around. Simple machines, lots of cardio, and little weight training — suitable for Shinkuro's goal.
The place smelled of old sweat mixed with disinfectant. Fans spun lazily on the ceiling, and the fluorescent light made the floor look cleaner than it really was. A motivational poster stuck on the wall said: "Don't quit until you're proud."
"Good afternoon!" said the receptionist as Shinkuro entered. However, the closer Shinkuro got, the more the man's face distorted at the sight of the smelly and stained clothes.
At that moment, Shinkuro heard a voice in his head.
"Dad, why are we here? Can't we use the money to have a good meal?" questioned Venom, speaking to Shinkuro.
"I need clothes and a bath to get a job." the young man answered mentally.
"No, Dad, you don't need that. You know I can absorb the dirt and cover you like brand new clothes, right, Dad?" asked Venom, confused.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN DO THAT!!!" shouted Shinkuro, outraged, making everyone look at him.
"Huh, Dad? You created me, how didn't you know that? I just thought you didn't want and I would never do anything with you that you didn't ask for, you know?" said the voice in Shinkuro's head trying to calm him.
Sighing, Shinkuro calmed down and just decided to leave that place.
"Never mind." said Shinkuro, turning and leaving the place.
While the attendant felt relieved by the homeless guy leaving, someone calmly stared at Shinkuro, watching the young man's back as he walked away.
Transition displayed to you by Angewomon blushing.
Once again in a dark alley, Shinkuro thought he urgently needed something to relieve his anger.
The alley was now another — even narrower than the previous one. The floor was covered with dry leaves and cigarette butts. A post trembled at the end of the corridor, flickering with weak orange light. Broken bottles reflected light irregularly on the peeling walls.
"Young man, could you talk to me for a moment?" a voice echoed in the alley as someone put a hand on his shoulder.
That's it, enough of a crime-free life. I'm beating and robbing this guy.
Turning with an angry look while planning his first criminal act, Shinkuro turned and got confused.
A cosplayer?
Tall, very light blond hair and round glasses. Wearing a light suit, he looked very much like a company executive.
He also looked very much like the character Nanami Kento from Jujutsu Kaisen. Even Shinkuro, who had never seen the anime or read the manga, recognized the man because of the time he spent on the internet.
"My young man, if you've seen strange and supernatural things and have been tormented by them... you might want to come with me. " said the older man seriously.
"What? Who are you?" said Shinkuro, confused by the cosplayer roleplay.
"I'm Nanami Kento, first-grade jujutsu sorcerer." The man still looked serious while saying those words.
Shinkuro watched as the man actually pulled a license from his pocket proving what he said.
"So, young man, are you interested in following me?" Nanami asked again in a professional tone.