Chapter 84: Trial of Courage and Strength
"Good work, everyone. Go take your lunch break," Nanami Kento said to his team members inside a private equity firm.
Because the amount of capital Hikigaya Hachiman entrusted to him was so large, Nanami Kento could not handle the trading entirely alone, making this a full team effort. Nanami was a highly responsible person; he planned to review the morning's market performance first. The market had been quite volatile lately, and one wrong move could mean falling into a trap. Even a veteran like him felt physically and mentally exhausted.
Having a large amount of capital didn't mean one could do as they pleased; there were even larger institutional players out there. To avoid being "nuclear-buttoned" by a larger institution, one had to stay low-profile and constantly review the data to minimize the margin of error.
"Work is truly a pile of shit."
After leaving the Jujutsu Headquarters, Nanami Kento became a freelance sorcerer, but to everyone's surprise, he actually went and found a job. Looking at it now, this job was even more like a pile of shit than his career as a sorcerer; he couldn't stand it at all.
Nanami took a sip of coffee to refresh himself and felt his phone vibrate slightly. He saw a text message from a number that had been dormant for a long time. The message was from his former operator, conveying an order from the Jujutsu Headquarters. To Nanami, his current job and his former life as a sorcerer were both shit—it was just a matter of which pile smelled worse. Furthermore, Nanami was now a free agent and had severed ties with the Jujutsu Headquarters; they had no authority to command him.
However, Nanami still clicked the message to read it.
"Messenger? What is that?"
Nanami briefly summarized the information they sent. Messengers belong to the "Post Office," an unknown entity that appeared a thousand years ago. In short, Messengers are extremely dangerous, possessing Special Grade cursed tools not registered by the Headquarters and incredibly dangerous cursed techniques, which would cause immense destruction to the balance of the jujutsu world.
Traces of a Messenger have currently been identified: the Special Grade Cursed Spirit sealed by the Fujiwara family a thousand years ago—Tamamo-no-Mae (Hagoromo Gitsune)—has now been unsealed.
This was a grave situation; even during the peak of the jujutsu world a thousand years ago, that era could only seal the cursed spirit rather than annihilate it, yet it was released by a Messenger.
Currently, Grade 1 sorcerers in the Headquarters essentially each have a file on the Ghost Post Office and the Messengers. For the people at the Headquarters, it was truly one disaster after another.
The matter regarding the Special Grade Vengeful Cursed Spirit Rika Orimoto hadn't even been resolved, and the intelligence they received suggested that Messengers were more dangerous than Special Grade cursed spirits.
The Ghost Post Office has a total of eight floors, and within each of those eight floors are imprisoned terrifying cursed spirits; most of these spirits were formed from the fall of Messengers killed by other factions in the past.
History has proven that the Ghost Post Office has the power to mass-produce "Special Grades." However, it last appeared a thousand years ago, and after a millennium, everyone thought the Post Office had vanished. But now it has made a comeback, while much of the data recorded by the jujutsu world back then has been lost over the passing centuries.
"I've already quit the Jujutsu Headquarters, so why are they still sending such a troublesome task to me?" Nanami rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly.
"Here we go again."
Nanami felt his phone vibrate again. He was already feeling a mountain of pressure. When he saw the caller ID was Hikigaya Hachiman, Nanami felt a chill down his spine but ultimately answered the call.
"Hello, Hikigaya-kun. I assume this isn't about adding more capital."
For Nanami, this junior of the Headquarters brought a considerable amount of pressure; one could say that whenever this guy called, nothing good ever happened. All the pressure Nanami felt as a weary office worker was given to him by Hikigaya Hachiman—the pressure increased significantly with every extra cent managed. After all, Nanami was a perfectionist and would not allow large losses in the account; that would violate his standards for his clients.
"Not quite."
Hikigaya Hachiman estimated that Nanami was about to go on lunch break, so he called him directly. The morning exams for two subjects across all grades at Shuchiin were finished, and Hikigaya had cleared them with no difficulty. The next exams would be in the afternoon, leaving plenty of time to rest in between.
"Are you busy tonight, Nanami?"
Nanami opened his notebook and checked his working hours. He looked every bit the professional.
"I started work at ten today, and I hope to be off by six in the evening."
Nanami's underlying meaning was that if there was anything, he hoped to resolve it all before 6:00 PM. Nanami had a self-imposed vow to not work more than eight hours; once he exceeded eight hours, his cursed energy would become violent, counting as "Overtime." Once past eight hours, he would consider himself to be working overtime. Nanami had always followed the eight-hour workday system and was extremely resistant to overtime.
Hikigaya Hachiman knew Nanami's quirks and wasn't surprised, simply acting as if he hadn't heard.
"Got it. So you're free after six, right? I'll come find you at six."
Nanami sighed; this kid was definitely playing dumb.
"My meaning was that if there's anything, let me resolve it all together before six o'clock."
"That won't work, there isn't enough time."
Hikigaya Hachiman was mainly considering the student's factor; Mutsumi wouldn't be available that early.
"I was thinking of having you play the role of a teacher for once."
"That sounds very troublesome. Can I refuse?"
Nanami felt that whatever Hikigaya was talking about was going to be a massive headache; for him, he simply didn't want to work overtime.
"Of course not."
Hikigaya knew that as long as his attitude was slightly firm, Nanami would usually agree.
That reliable middle-aged man was quite soft-hearted; if you asked him earnestly, he usually wouldn't refuse. Furthermore, the status between them was inherently unequal; Hikigaya Hachiman naturally had a kind of suppression over Nanami. Because Hikigaya Hachiman was Nanami's major client, he was someone even Nanami's boss would have to flatter. If Hikigaya filed a complaint, it would be quite distressing for the perfectionist Nanami. But he wouldn't actually do that, since they were friends after all.
"How can accompanying a client after work be considered overtime?"
And Nanami's crooked logic was endless; working eight hours was just the base, anything over eight hours was overtime. While drinking after work should be a pleasant thing, given Nanami's personality, he preferred to drink alone.
"How is accompanying a client after work not overtime?" Nanami sighed. And it was the kind without overtime pay, too.
"There are so many talented people in the Jujutsu Headquarters, why don't you go find them? Why look for me, someone who has already quit?"
Regarding his own strength, although Nanami was at the tip of the pyramid among Grade 1 sorcerers, his power was still far from those top-tier monsters.
The gap between a Grade 1 sorcerer and a Special Grade sorcerer was as absurd as the gap between a monkey and a human. And the person he was talking to on the phone was a monster among monsters, an existence even the Jujutsu Headquarters didn't dare to provoke. Otherwise, Nanami would have hung up long ago. He pushed up his glasses.
If Hikigaya Hachiman couldn't teach someone, how could he possibly do it? He was being completely overestimated. To be honest, Nanami never liked getting involved in such murky waters.
"Because her technique is especially similar to yours; it's also a technique that creates weak points and then destroys them. In the entire Headquarters—no, even including me—no one is more professional in this area than you."
Nanami reminded him: "Let's get this straight first—my method might only work for me."
Hearing that he was helping to cultivate new blood for the jujutsu world, Nanami's expression finally relaxed slightly. After all, simply imparting his experience was the easiest thing compared to other troublesome matters. "Whether they can learn it or not is none of my business."
Hearing this, what else could be said? Nanami sighed and gave his agreement.
"Don't worry, I won't make it hard for you."
After Hikigaya Hachiman hung up, he went to the school store and bought a piece of bread as rations. Normally, Hikigaya made his own breakfast, but since he wasn't at home last night, he had no time to prepare. Upon reaching school, Hikigaya bought the bread and headed toward the Service Club; the things he bought yesterday for the club were still a mess and hadn't been organized.
The Service Club was in the activity building. Since it was currently school hours, students were quite scarce, making it a very good place to eat. But to Hikigaya Hachiman's surprise, the Service Club—which should have been empty—already had a figure there.
It was Yukinoshita Yukino, who had been absent this morning and hadn't even shown up for the exams, her whereabouts unknown. Hikigaya had sent her a text earlier, but she hadn't replied; based on their relationship, it shouldn't have come to that. He felt that something about the Yukinoshita before him was strange.
This feeling became even more prominent when Hikigaya Hachiman heard movement inside the Service Club, making him even more concerned. He leaned closer to the club door and heard the sound of a conversation. Yet, through the shadows from outside, he could see that Yukinoshita Yukino should be the only one inside.
Was she talking to herself? To an imaginary friend?
Just hearing the noise inside even made Hikigaya think: has Yukinoshita become so desperate for friends that she's started having dialogues with imaginary ones?
But in fact, if Hikigaya Hachiman were to push open the door, he would discover that on Yukinoshita Yukino's exquisite face, there was another small pair of red lips and slender phoenix eyes. The two were communicating without obstacles.
This situation occurred because the "Special Grade Vengeful Imaginary Cursed Spirit"—Tamamo-no-Mae (Hagoromo Gitsune)—inside Yukinoshita's body had been "made real" by a single strike from an unknown, terrifying existence in the Ghost Post Office.
The Hagoromo Gitsune, now in an "I'm old-fashioned, please let me go" state, had merged into Yukinoshita Yukino's body, making her into something like a Jinchuriki.
Previously, Yukinoshita had lost consciousness because she couldn't withstand the terrifying power of the cursed spirit; when she woke up, she found a human mouth on her face that could talk, which nearly made her heart stop from fright. After an initial self-introduction, she learned that the other party was the brutal cursed spirit she had released during her mission.
The "Lord of the Frost Moon" from a thousand years ago, a legendary Great Cursed Spirit known to all. However, she had been sealed due to the vile methods of the Fujiwara family and remained sealed for a thousand years until she was unsealed by Yukinoshita Yukino last night.
Moreover, due to the suppression power of the Ghost Post Office, even though the opponent possessed the strength of a Special Grade Vengeful Cursed Spirit, as long as she didn't use jujutsu, Hagoromo Gitsune's cursed energy fluctuations remained near zero.
This was the reason why Hikigaya Hachiman, standing outside, didn't sense anything unusual inside. This was also the Post Office's way of protecting Yukinoshita's identity as "Messenger No. 1 of the Modern Era" to avoid drawing the attention of sorcerers.
After all, Yukinoshita Yukino was still relatively weak in front of truly powerful individuals.
The topic Yukinoshita Yukino and Hagoromo Gitsune were just discussing was the "Trial of Courage."
To officially enter a branch, one must complete a branch mission. That was a benefit of preliminary clearance. It was a "newbie perk" Yukinoshita received upon joining the Post Office.
The Post Office provided four branches for Yukinoshita to choose from. Once a branch was chosen, it could not be changed, and different choices provided different power boosts for Yukinoshita.
The four choices were [Life and Reincarnation], [Love and Joy], [Wisdom and Strategy], and [Courage and Strength], each corresponding to a different path. At first, Yukinoshita thought it was strange—why did these paths all sound so positive and inspiring?
In the end, Yukinoshita Yukino chose the [Trial of Courage and Strength] because, in her view, what she currently lacked most was courage and strength; she certainly wasn't lacking in wisdom.
Logically, [Courage and Strength] shouldn't just be about training her courage.
However, the mission she received was the [Trial of Courage and Strength]. Time: Forty-eight hours. Mission Content: As a powerhouse, one must carry out the fight! Duel with eighty-eight powerhouses and offer up blood and glory!
This was the Trial of Courage and Strength. T
o become a powerhouse, one must first fight through a bloodbath.
Fight! Fight! Fight!
Hagoromo Gitsune gave a light chuckle. "This mission looks very simple; it shouldn't be hard."
Hagoromo Gitsune very kindly helped explain the mission to Yukinoshita: it was simply to challenge eighty-eight powerhouses and demonstrate courage and glory in battle to complete the trial. It was unrestricted death-match combat.
In short, it was "combat bliss."
However, with a Special Grade cursed spirit like [Hagoromo Gitsune], these battles would likely end in an instant. Yukinoshita Yukino reviewed her current situation; reflecting on everything from last night to now, it felt completely surreal.
A living, gargantuan fox beast had actually been stuffed into her body, becoming a life-and-death companion.
Yukinoshita Yukino was not a fragile person; she wasn't thinking about how to get out unscathed, but rather how to raise her clearance to the point where she could influence the Ghost Post Office.
"Little girl, someone's coming."
Hagoromo Gitsune sensed someone at the door and immediately hid her form. After a moment of hesitation, Hikigaya Hachiman knocked on the door of the [Service Club] and said toward the inside:
"It's me."
Hello everyone! I'm VarieTL
Thank you as always for your support!
I wanted to announce that I posted a new Fanfiction!
Saving the World with Crossovers, starting with replacing Natsuki subaru with Hikigaya Hachiman
Kawata Osamu transmigrated and became a God.
Wonderful start, right? Unfortunately, this world is destined to be destroyed by the Abyss...
The only thing he can do is try to merge many worlds together thanks to the "Children of the World."
If he can show everyone their adventures and evoke enough emotion, the worlds will merge! Kawata Osamu decided to start by replacing Natsuki Subaru with Hikigaya Hachiman!
2nd Arc: Ayanokouji Kiyotaka in Redo of Healer
3rd Arc: Shirogane Miyuki in Inuyasha
4th Arc: Kousaka Kyousuke in Overlord
I have already posted 264 Chapters of this Fanfiction!
Mostly because it's really really good, so I wanted to continue working on it XD
Read ahead (40 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting