Inside the quiet car.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Akutagawa."
Watching the scenery retreat outside the window, Kenmei Isayama suddenly spoke up.
"Why are you apologizing to me?"
Akutagawa, who was driving, glanced at Kenmei in the rearview mirror, his tone unreadable.
"Because I rejected your kindness."
"Kenmei, everyone has their own aspirations."
Hearing the guilt in Kenmei's voice, Akutagawa shook his head indifferently.
"I just gave you another option. If you don't want to take it, I won't force you."
"Thank you, Mr. Akutagawa."
Thinking back to what had just happened, Kenmei couldn't help but sigh.
The "Yaga" that Akutagawa had mentioned earlier was the buzz-cut, middle-aged man who had the three problem children completely under his thumb.
His full name was Masamichi Yaga, a Grade 1 Sorcerer.
Not long ago, the Jujutsu Association had released an appointment notice, which was why Kenmei remembered him.
Masamichi Yaga, Male, Grade 1 Sorcerer. Appointed as Principal of Tokyo Metropolitan Jujutsu Technical High School.
That meant he was one of only two Jujutsu High principals in all of Japan. Jujutsu High was a specialized institution for training Sorcerers. Shoko Ieiri, whom Kenmei had just met, and those three "human charcoals" were all students there.
Masamichi Yaga hadn't come to see the students who raised his blood pressure just by looking at them; he had come at Akutagawa's invitation.
As Sorcerers of the same generation, Akutagawa had entered the industry a few years before Yaga and was considered his senior and mentor, so they had a good relationship. For example, Akutagawa's pre-requisite technique, [Fictional Soul], was developed in collaboration with Yaga, who was known as the "Puppet Master."
So, Akutagawa had asked Kenmei point-blank:
"Kenmei, do you want to join Tokyo Jujutsu High and become a real Sorcerer?"
Although Akutagawa didn't know what technique Kenmei had awakened, anyone capable of causing such a terrifying explosion couldn't be weak.
If Kenmei wanted to, his enrollment was practically guaranteed since Principal Yaga was standing right there.
They could have settled it on the spot. With Akutagawa as his recommender, Kenmei could have transferred to Jujutsu High the very next day.
It was impossible to enter Jujutsu High without a recommender. If the Sorcerer betrayed the Jujutsu world later, the recommender would also be implicated.
"After graduation, you won't even need to look for a job. You'll be on the government payroll immediately."
Being a Sorcerer was exhausting, but it came with establishment benefits. The Association paid very well, overtime was compensated, and all insurance premiums were paid at the highest bracket.
Take Akutagawa, for example. The vintage Porsche 356A he drove cost him 150 million yen (over 8 million RMB).
And that hammer Kenmei had carried out—an expensive Grade 1 Cursed Tool—Ishihara was still paying off the loan for it.
If you wanted social status, you could even hold a position in the Japanese government. Kenmei felt the Sorcerers' perks were justified; they were humanity's last line of defense.
Akutagawa had essentially laid out a golden path for Kenmei.
But Kenmei still rejected the offer. Because the path he walked was not that of a Jujutsu Sorcerer.
The power he awakened wasn't Cursed Energy.
It was Psychic Power!
Barring any surprises, no one in this world could teach him except the mentor in his mind.
Kenmei wouldn't learn anything at Jujutsu High. If he failed every class and got expelled, Akutagawa would lose face big time.
So, under the heartbroken gazes of two girls, Kenmei rejected it outright.
His reason was simple:
"With my Jujutsu talent, going to Jujutsu High would only make me a burden to everyone."
Sorcery talent is innate. When Kenmei was born, the Kamo clan had authoritatively appraised him: Zero Jujutsu talent.
"Furthermore, I want to fulfill my sister's dying wish and attend Tokyo University."
Kenmei chose the path most ordinary people took: higher education.
Masamichi Yaga simply nodded to show he understood, adding that if Kenmei ever had issues with his technique or training, he could come find him at Tokyo Jujutsu High.
In doing so, Kenmei had effectively rejected Akutagawa in front of everyone, despite the man's good intentions.
In this hellish, apocalyptic setting, the number and threat level of Cursed Spirits had been exploding in recent years. Mastering a power meant a better chance of survival.
"Kenmei, not walking the path of a Sorcerer is a good thing too."
A complicated expression appeared on Akutagawa's face, and he laughed self-deprecatingly.
"I'm sure you've seen what happens to us old folks."
"When we were young, for the sake of the greater good, we burned ourselves out without hesitation. Every high-grade Curse we killed potentially saved countless lives."
"In exchange, we suffer the pain of Cursed Energy exhaustion that only we understand. Takahashi, Kinoshita, and Hongo have lost ninety percent of their strength. If they use their techniques again, their bodies will collapse first."
"Even Ishihara, Kiyono, and Iwata, who are in slightly better shape, have to rely on my technique just to use their own."
"But even so, compared to our fallen colleagues, we are the lucky ones. At least we're still alive, dragging out our existence."
"I don't know how many more years we can go on. I don't want you to experience what we have."
Hearing this, Kenmei sighed as well.
The [Cleaners] were a microcosm of the pitiful people forced to retire from Sorcery due to disability, hidden beneath the facade of the Association's strength.
They use their souls as fuel, holding high the torch of life, just so humanity can survive this unimaginable winter of Curses.
Yet the higher-ups were corrupt. They cared more about gaining power than exorcising Curses.
"Sorry, Kenmei."
"I made you listen to my rambling the whole way."
Akutagawa parked the car steadily on the road next to Kenmei's house and pulled the handbrake.
"Good work today."
Akutagawa handed over a thick envelope. It was Kenmei's pay for the night. Since Kenmei wasn't an official member of the Association, just a contractor, he was paid in cash immediately.
"Mr. Akutagawa, this..."
As soon as Kenmei took it, the weight felt wrong. Not too light, but too heavy.
There was a thick stack of Yukichi Fukuzawa bills.
"Nothing wrong with it. This incident involved a Grade 1 Curse. The higher-ups gave us two months off, which means you won't have any work for two months. So this money is just right."
With that, Akutagawa rolled up the window and drove off.
"If it's not enough, remember to ask me."
"Mr. Akutagawa..."
Having worked in this line for a while, Kenmei knew the rules. Official members got paid a lot, sure, but contractors didn't get this much.
Kenmei knew Akutagawa must have subsidized a portion of this pay from his own pocket.
"1.5 million yen for two months? What am I, a prodigal son?"
Well, Savings +1.5 million yen.
This job was Kenmei's most profitable trip to date, in terms of both money and Points.
The 150 Grade 3 Cursed Spirits killed by Special Tactics Unit 1 earlier? Kenmei had absorbed them while treating the wounded.
150 x 80 = 12,000 Points.
And the real jackpot was the Grade 1 Curse Kenmei blew up.
20,000 Points (First kill bonus for Grade 1 Curse: 10,000 Points x 2).
A net profit of 32,000 Points in one night. At this rate, Kenmei would soon have enough Points for a second D-Rank simulation.
Indeed, following strong allies and harvesting from the backline was the fastest way to earn Points.
"Hm?"
Kenmei suddenly felt the streetlights dim a little. Thinking it was just aging wiring, he didn't pay it much mind.
Not far away, under a streetlight flickering between light and dark, a massive lion-shaped Cursed Spirit melted into the shadows. Its ape-like, hideous head had twelve green eyes, and its tails were three muscular snakes as thick as anacondas, hissing with open mouths.
When the light was on, it vanished. Only when the streetlight plunged into darkness could the terrifying figure be seen.
But it just watched quietly as Kenmei walked into his house.