When the mischievous Pancham headbutted him, the mop-headed figure didn't get angry.
He just seemed slightly surprised, making a strange "Odo" sound. Casually grabbing the back of Pancham's neck, he lifted it up and carefully "examined" it through the visor that covered the upper half of his face, adding an extra headband effect.
"Hey↗… quite an interesting existence. Definitely not human, not a cursed spirit, not a typical living being. If I had to describe it, I'd say it's a spirit. Is this your cursed technique?"
"You could say that."
Akira nodded woodenly, thinking to himself that calling them "Pokémon" was indeed the right term, as it seemed that spirits did exist in this world. (Gojo Satoru once mentioned that Hanami was closer to being a spirit, and there's speculation that Tsukumo Yuki's cursed technique might be related to spirits as well.)
The mop-headed figure asked, "What's this little guy called?"
Akira replied, "Pancham."
"It's definitely mischievous and definitely a panda. Pandas are great, hehehe."
The mop-headed man let out an exaggerated laugh, as if he had thought of something amusing.
Meanwhile, Pancham, still dangling by the scruff of its neck, was flailing its arms and legs, trying to grab the mop-headed man's face. But no matter how much it reached, it always fell just short, and this frustrated the little panda to no end, making it grind its teeth in frustration.
Akira was pretty happy, though.
Because he saw another system prompt:
[Pokémon Meme Detected.]
Although it didn't reach the point of meme conversion or grant him a Pokémon egg, it was enough to validate Akira's theory about the system.
The way to obtain Pokémon seemed to involve a shared element or trait.
The birth of Pancham was the best proof—after all, Akira had met Panda the day before, and the Pokémon qualities of the mop-headed figure before him weren't as numerous. After all, humans were everywhere in this world, but there was only one Panda.
Still, Akira wasn't worried about obtaining more Pokémon in the future. After all, Jujutsu Kaisen author Akutami Gege had openly admitted to drawing heavily from Pokémon when designing characters. The most obvious were the three natural spirits—Jogo, Hanami, and Dagon—corresponding to the three elemental starters from various Pokémon generations.
Even if a single individual didn't yield enough, he'd just have to find more to make up for it.
Akira felt the pace was just right. Raising Pokémon took time, and if the system gave him ten or twenty at once, he wouldn't be able to handle it.
By the way, considering the system's method of acquiring Pokémon, the most fitting golden finger for the Jujutsu Kaisen world would probably be the "Tribute Restoration System."
Jujutsu Kaisen incorporates elements from so many sources: Naruto, One Piece, Bleach, Dragon Ball, Hunter x Hunter—you could spot shadows of all these classics. After all, the author's name, Akutami Gege, literally means "borrow everything."
"Akira, don't leave our guest standing at the door. Invite him in," Hayami called out.
And so, the white-haired, mop-headed man walked into the house, still "wearing" Pancham on his head. The first thing he said gave both mother and son quite a shock.
"Domo~ I'm Gojo Satoru, editor from MF Bunko DESU. Regarding RED-san's work… why are you two looking at me like that?"
"Go-Gojo Satoru?"
Even someone as out of touch with the world as Hayami had heard this name. He was the man who made her ex-husband feel envy, jealousy, and hatred all at once.
"Editor?"
Akira was stunned at Gojo's self-introduction.
When he parted ways with Maki and the others, Akira had expected Gojo to come looking for him, but not in this way.
Since when did this guy become an editor?
And why did he make it seem so legitimate?
Business cards, a suit, and even a properly stamped contract?
Could all of this really be legit?
"It's all real," Gojo said, reading Akira's thoughts. "All we need now is the signature of your guardian, Miss Hayami, and it'll take effect immediately. The royalty share, promotional resources—everything's at the top level. We're also planning animation and game adaptations, a small token of gratitude for saving my adorable students."
"This is allowed?" Akira gulped. He had only intended to sign the most basic contract.
"Why wouldn't it be? I'm a major shareholder of MF Bunko, also a big stakeholder in MAPPA, and I've been steadily increasing my shares in SONY too."
Akira remembered two things.
First, the Gojo family was filthy rich—spending ten or even a hundred million wouldn't make them blink.
Second, Gojo Satoru was a hardcore otaku. He was a master at watching anime, binge-watching shows, and gaming, with a record of marathoning for hundreds of hours without sleep.
All of these were things Akira had once admired.
Too bad Akira didn't have the right words to express his admiration.
"Actually, it's not that big of a deal," Gojo said as he put down Pancham, looking a bit disappointed. "I really wanted to experience what it's like being an editor, but you guys aren't giving me a chance."
"It's because you're too famous," Akira said bluntly.
"I see," Gojo said with a look of sudden realization—whether genuine or an act was unclear. "Next time, I'll use a different name. What do you think of 'Gojo Goku'?"
"Could you try being a little more sincere? Is the name Gojo that uncommon? Or is Goku not famous enough?" Akira couldn't help but retort.
"You pick a name, then."
"Kakashi Hatake."
"Rejected. I can sense the deep malice behind that."
Yes, Naruto existed in this world too. In fact, all the works published under Shueisha, which housed JUMP, existed. Akira had spent a lot of effort choosing the right light novel concept for himself.
"Well then, why don't you take off that blindfold and put on some sunglasses?" Akira suggested.
"My sunglasses broke, and the new ones haven't arrived yet," Gojo explained. The blindfold wasn't just for show—it was a necessity, just like the sunglasses, which needed to achieve the same effect and required custom ordering.
"Excuse me, but… are you really the head of the Gojo family?" Hayami, who had been bringing in tea, couldn't stay as calm as Akira.
A person's name carries weight.
The Gojo family was the third of the Big Three Sorcerer Families, alongside the Kamo family where Akira was from and the Zen'in family where Maki hailed from.
And Gojo Satoru wasn't just the head of the Gojo family; he was the strongest jujutsu sorcerer, the true pinnacle of their world. Even before Hayami had moved to the countryside of Shikoku, Gojo had already been an invincible force. To this day, no one could shake his position.
He alone could make the other two families of the Big Three lower their heads. No one in the jujutsu world dared to challenge Gojo Satoru.
"Head of the family sounds a bit too stiff. Just call me Satoru."
Gojo could say that, but Hayami couldn't comply. After living in the Kamo family for so many years, the hierarchy had become ingrained in her, and even eight years of distance hadn't erased it.
"Stop radiating charm at other people's mothers so casually," Akira protested, partly to break the tension.
Not only was Gojo unbeatable in strength, but his looks were also ridiculously high. It was a good thing Akira himself was quite handsome, in a more traditional, refined way. Otherwise, he might have lost his cool entirely by now.
"Ahem, my apologies," Gojo said, showing through his actions that he had no intention of becoming Akira's stepfather. "How about you call me 'Instructor Gojo'? After all, that's my real job, and it's also the true reason I'm here today."
Akira put aside his casual demeanor and sat up straight, knowing that the important part of the conversation was about to begin. From the moment Gojo had walked through the door, Akira had been waiting for this.
Gojo also sat up properly, speaking with a seriousness that matched the moment. "Akira-kun, I formally invite you to join us at 'Tokyo Jujutsu High.'"