The life of two men living together began.
To clarify, ever since Akira crossed over to this world, he had mostly been living with women.
In the Kamo family, he was served meticulously by maids. Just this alone was enough for him not to harbor too much ill will towards the Kamo family—after all, when in his past life of 26 years had he ever enjoyed such treatment?
After leaving home, he lived with Hayami, a woman, and Gardevoir—a female Pokémon (thankfully the system clearly displayed her gender; otherwise, the idea of a Gardevoir with a large root stem would have made him feel quite awkward... Yikes).
When Akira started living at Jujutsu High, it wasn't much different from home. His closest friends at school weren't men either—besides Akira, the first-year students included Yuta Okkotsu (who arrived late), Toge Inumaki (who couldn't speak properly), Panda (who wasn't human), and Maki Zenin (a woman).
So, it had been quite a while since Akira had truly lived with another man.
This rare feeling... was pretty refreshing!
Don't misunderstand; Akira is very much a straight guy, not bending at all. But speaking frankly with another man did feel more carefree, especially since he and Nanami Kento had plenty in common.
For instance, both were hard workers, both were close-combat specialists, both were highly disciplined, and both were the type to dabble in everything, making life a bit more colorful.
Every morning, like clockwork, they woke up at 6 a.m.
Then they'd have a sparring session—intense, full of energy, and full of swordplay.
Ahem—Akira's cursed tool was a sword, while Nanami's cursed tool was a nearly 30-centimeter-long cleaver. In Japan, there's no strict distinction between knives and swords, so calling it swordplay was perfectly fine.
After their morning practice, Nanami would brew coffee and prepare breakfast, while Akira would go out to buy the newspaper and turn on the TV, tuning it to NHK.
During breakfast, the two would browse the news and chat about all sorts of topics.
Astronomy, geography, international affairs, philosophy... They didn't need to be experts on these topics—just having something to chat about was enough. Expertise didn't really matter.
Of course, the most frequent topic was economics—how to make money.
After realizing that being a jujutsu sorcerer was crap, Nanami had set a small goal for himself: to achieve financial freedom, then leave all the burdens behind and enjoy life.
Although he later found that his earnings as a sorcerer exceeded his former job, the goal remained unchanged.
Coincidentally, this was also Akira's goal.
Both of them were the type to research and take action, making them well-matched partners.
Nanami taught Akira about venture capital, futures, and securities, while Akira shared his insights on cryptocurrency, real estate, and the next "golden age" in China.
They weren't ordinary speculators.
Without saying it outright, both had already decided that even after their cohabitation ended, they would continue to stay in touch. After all, making money together—how could that not be fun?
Even though neither of them had an immediate burning desire for financial freedom, and even though neither had plans to retire anytime soon.
In the jujutsu world of Japan, there was a significant divide between the jujutsu world and ordinary society. People like Akira and Nanami, who paid attention to the world outside, were in the minority.
Take, for example, the dangerous and indestructible special-grade cursed objects. The jujutsu world's typical method was to seal them away in the heavily guarded Star Corridor under Master Tengen.
Akira thought that approach was foolish—it made the objects sitting ducks. If they really wanted to eliminate the threat once and for all, why not tie them to one of Elon Musk's rockets and shoot them into space? Let's see who has the guts to retrieve cursed objects from space! Maybe they could even meet Kars-sama out there.
Despite some differences in opinion, the two men kept things amicable, agreeing to disagree where necessary.
As Akira had realized before, he had been "lonely" for a long time, and Nanami's presence filled that void quite well.
Even though they had only lived together for a few days, it felt like they had known each other for much longer.
If not for Japan's strict laws prohibiting alcohol consumption before the age of 20, the two would likely have already shared a drink or two together.
This was the friendship of salarymen.
Interestingly, on the fifth day of their cohabitation, a third salaryman showed up.
It was Ijichi Kiyotaka, the assistant supervisor from Jujutsu High in Tokyo.
When Akira saw him, Ijichi was standing at Nanami's door, holding a stack of documents, hesitating to ring the doorbell and looking timid.
"Ijichi-san."
"Yikes!!!" Ijichi jumped, nearly dropping the files in his arms. It took him a moment to recover. "Oh, it's Akira-kun... Don't scare me like that…"
"Sorry, sorry. I just came back from a workout and didn't notice you."
Of course, practicing Black Flash couldn't be done at home. There was a proper training ground near Nanami's place where Akira had been practicing lately.
Each day, he would throw thousands of punches, seeking that one elusive moment of enlightenment.
"You're here to see Nanami-sensei? He's out on a 'sweep.' He'll be back around five."
In their slang, "sweeping" referred to the regular rounds made by sorcerers to clear cursed spirits from designated areas. Except for students, nearly all jujutsu sorcerers had such territories.
This was the most routine job for a sorcerer.
If it had been Maki or Panda, Akira might have gone with them to help Gardevoir or Pangoro gain more experience, but Nanami took his job responsibilities very seriously. So, Akira focused on training for Black Flash instead.
At most, he would prepare lunch or dinner as payment for staying and learning from Nanami.
At the mention of Nanami, Ijichi's body tensed again, shaking his head in a flustered manner.
Akira sighed at the sight. Only one person could have pushed the most patient and honest assistant supervisor, Ijichi Kiyotaka, to such a state.
"Did Gojo-sensei make you do something difficult again?"
Ijichi didn't respond. Even though Gojo wasn't present, he didn't dare say a bad word about him, even if it were true.
Gojo was so lucky to have such a hardworking assistant.
"Anyway, come inside and sit down. I'll get you something to eat. Tea or coffee? If you don't mind, stay for dinner. It's a rare chance—take a break and rest up. You'll need your energy to deal with a certain someone's torment."
Ijichi, used to being overworked and mistreated, was nearly moved to tears by this unexpected kindness. "T-thank you, Akira-kun…"
Akira shuddered. How much injustice had Ijichi suffered to react this way? Gojo, you truly are the source of all evil.
Once they were seated, Ijichi finally handed over the stack of documents he had been clutching tightly. "These are files Gojo-sensei asked me to deliver to Nanami-sensei. They're about Q. Since you're involved in the mission too, you can take a look first."
"Thanks, I'll take a look." Akira nodded, quickly opening the documents.
As a seasoned assistant, Ijichi's work was impeccable. The documents were neatly compiled, including Shoko Ieri's investigation report, records from Jujutsu High ten years ago, and even some internal police files.
However, after reviewing the content and conclusions, Akira sighed deeply.
"Well, I'm sure of it now. Gojo is definitely the 'source of all evil.'"