What is the most valuable asset of a transmigrator?
There are many answers—systems, cheats, special abilities, the advantage of foresight...
These things are indeed very useful and precious, but in Akira's eyes, the most valuable thing is something often overlooked: "methodology."
That is, the way and method you use to observe things and handle problems. It's the fundamental measure of a person's maturity.
As long as the "methodology" is correct, no matter which world you are in or what starting point you have, you won't fare too poorly.
Systems, cheats, and special abilities only serve to accelerate the process, but the core remains unchanged.
Of course, having the right methodology still requires the will to execute it properly. After all, everyone knows that going to bed early and rising early is good for your health, but actually doing it often leads to the mindset of "I want to be a celestial being, having boundless joy!" As for practical skills—there's no need to even mention them.
That's why those who manage to drink a glass of milk before bed, do twenty minutes of stretching exercises, and never carry their fatigue into the next day—those people are truly impressive.
Akira, while not adhering to such a strict standard, never hesitates when it comes to matters that affect his future.
First, he never acts on impulse.
Second, he never puts all his eggs in one basket.
Third, he plans comprehensively, preparing for success by considering potential failure.
Requesting to be banished from the Kamo family and becoming a light novel author to earn his first pot of gold—these are things Hayami Minami knows about.
What she doesn't know are his other plans, such as the "Fragrance Technology Full Warehouse Plan," "Cryptocurrency Speculation Plan," and "Real Estate Investment Plan in Japan," along with a long list of secret money-making strategies.
Don't forget, Akira awakened his cheat ability after leaving home, but before that, his mind was fully occupied with the idea of emigration and earning money.
Jujutsu sorcerers are the mainstream in Jujutsu Kaisen, but not in the world as a whole.
In fact, jujutsu sorcerers and cursed spirits are only particularly active in Japan. In other places, both are rare and scarce—so rare that if you're not particularly unlucky, you might never encounter one in your lifetime. This is where the importance of money comes in.
Even though Akira had awakened his cheat ability and gotten his adorable Ralts, charming Kirlia, and beautiful Gardevoir, he didn't stop working hard because, frankly, he had a lot of free time.
Fighting cursed spirits to level up could only happen periodically, and with the remaining time, what else could he do besides sleep all day?
Akira's success with Infinite Stratos wasn't due to his great memory or high skill level—it was the result of long periods of refining. During that time, he read many light novels, analyzed different genres, and combined various popular elements to produce a final product.
And that's only because Infinite Stratos capitalized on buzzwords like "mecha," "mecha girls," and "the only boy in a girls' school." Many things seem easy, but you only realize their difficulty once you try them yourself.
As a result, Akira's life motto gained a new item:
Fourth, endure loneliness and resist temptation.
Awakening the system and hatching Ralts led to a fifth rule:
Fifth, slay cursed spirits.
Only by keeping these tools hidden and waiting for the right moment can one rise like a dragon when opportunities present themselves.
Now the time had come, and the sword that Akira had sharpened for over ten years was finally ready to be unsheathed and test its sharpness.
Seeing the confident gaze and radiant spirit in her son's eyes, Hayami Minami felt a bit melancholic. "Suddenly, I feel so useless."
Knowing that her child was extraordinary was one thing, but being outshone in a shared field was another.
Her "idleness" was real—most of the things she did were simply to pass the time and ward off loneliness.
Akira's "idleness" was fake. He had been quietly working hard in the background for a better future.
"No, no, haven't you heard the saying? Behind every successful man is a woman who silently supports him. Without your support, I wouldn't be where I am today."
That might sound a bit exaggerated, but Akira's decision to take Hayami Minami along wasn't without risk.
Strictly speaking, Akira was the child of Hayami Minami's "enemy." It was only natural for resentment to transfer from the enemy to him as well.
Though Akira had been prepared for that possibility, if he had lived in a truly dysfunctional family, his current state wouldn't be as good as it was. He wouldn't have been able to endure hardship and sharpen his skills as smoothly.
That was the greatest fortune of his second life—equivalent to awakening his cheat ability and hatching Ralts.
"So, Mom, you don't need to feel burdened. I'll take care of you."
That statement was undeniably a bit patriarchal, but Akira had to admit, saying it out loud felt incredibly satisfying.
"That's exactly the problem—I'm supposed to be the mother." Having a son who was too competent and worry-free only made Hayami Minami feel useless.
"There's something I need your advice on," Akira said as he opened a map of Tokyo. "Do you know which areas of Tokyo are more prone to curses?"
"I know a few. Are you planning to exorcise cursed spirits?" Hayami Minami narrowed her eyes slightly.
"That's the plan. Gardevoir's growth requires cursed spirits as nourishment. Plus, I want to see if I can find a few more companions for Gardevoir."
"Isn't having Gar-chan enough?"
"Gar~" Upon hearing this, Gardevoir pouted, looking pitifully at Akira.
Seeing this, Akira couldn't help but laugh and feel a pang of affection. He comforted her while explaining, "Of course, Gar-chan is the most important. In my heart, she's unique. Besides, not all of her companions would look like her. In fact, very few Pokémon look as close to humans and are as cute as Gar-chan."
In his memory, there were only Diancie, Meloetta, and Primarina—barely half a match—and Latias was the other half.
Compared to the vast number of Pokémon, such human-like and adorable ones were rare.
Akira didn't believe his luck was so good that he could continuously pull such high-ranking Pokémon.
It wasn't possible, no way.
If his luck were that good, his next worry would be whether he'd get hit by a speeding truck again.
"When the time comes, if some of them look a bit strange, don't be too put off, Mom."
"Don't underestimate me—I've fought cursed spirits before." Hayami Minami felt the need to regain some of her dignity as a mother.
"You're the mom, whatever you say goes."
Akira gave in verbally, but in his mind, he was thinking.
The lower end of Pokémon included ones like Grimer and Muk—probably on par with the average cursed spirit in terms of appearance. Akira didn't think he'd be unlucky enough to draw one of those.
With that thought, Akira couldn't wait to get his second Pokémon.
"Is there a suitable location nearby? I'd like to try my luck tonight."
"There is. Yoshihara Shrine. I'll take you there after dinner."
"Uh, wait, Mom, you're coming too?"
"Why wouldn't a jujutsu sorcerer go to exorcise cursed spirits?" Hayami Minami sat upright with a serious face, feeling her authority restored.
"Of course, of course."
Akira quickly nodded. He wasn't sure why his mom was so eager, but it didn't matter. In Tokyo in 2017, as long as he avoided two particular people, there wouldn't be any danger—it would just be a post-dinner stroll.
"Gardevoir, protect Mom."
"Gar." Gardevoir nodded immediately.
"First, protect yourself. I'm still a Grade 3 sorcerer, after all, and you don't even have jujutsu." Hayami Minami knew she shouldn't act so childishly, but after being outdone by her son so many times, she had to find a way to regain some ground.
"Yeah, yeah."
Akira smiled, accepting his mother's protection, though he still signaled Gardevoir with his eyes.
Akira might not have jujutsu, but that didn't mean he had no combat ability.
A trainer capable of raising Pokémon with supernatural powers—how could the trainer himself be weak?