Two in the morning, the rain was pouring down in torrents.
Ijichi Kiyotaka felt like he was about to die. As an Assistant Supervisor at Jujutsu High, he had been working for forty-eight consecutive hours.
And ten minutes ago, Gojo Satoru had just called, using a lighthearted tone that made one want to commit suicide, asking him to buy kikufuku—in this kind of weather, where was he supposed to buy kikufuku?
"Damn it... damn it..."
Ijichi stumbled and turned into a small alley.
He just wanted to find a place to take shelter from the rain and smoke a cigarette to soothe his nerves, which were on the verge of collapse.
However, when he wiped the fog off his glasses, he froze.
This wasn't any street he was familiar with.
The neon signs on both sides flickered wildly like they had a loose connection, and deep in the alley, a warm yellow kerosene lamp was actually lit.
It was a retro Japanese-style shop.
The wooden sliding door was half-open, and a plaque hung on the eaves. There was no shop name on it, only a strange scale symbol painted in black lacquer.
"A shop in a place like this...?" Ijichi instinctively sensed something was wrong.
But he was simply too tired. Ijichi folded his umbrella and pushed open the door.
"Excuse me..."
Accompanied by the crisp sound of wind chimes, a dry and warm air mixed with the scent of old books and paper rushed toward him, instantly dispelling the damp cold on Ijichi's body.
The space inside the shop wasn't large, but the layout was extremely bizarre.
The four walls weren't ordinary shelves, but were covered with dense, dark-colored drawers, looking very much like a medicine cabinet in a traditional Chinese pharmacy.
Behind the counter, a young man wearing a dark gray vest and gold-rimmed glasses was looking down, focused on wiping an object in his hand.
It was a colorful little cube.
Ijichi narrowed his eyes. A Rubik's Cube?
No.
Every side of that cube seemed to be carved with dense eyes. As the man wiped it, those closed eyes seemed to tremble slightly.
"Welcome."
The young man didn't look up. His voice was as warm and smooth as jade, yet it carried a sense of detachment.
"This is Exchange No. 8. Although it's closing time, the fact that you could find this place in the heavy rain means—you have a 'dilemma' that urgently needs solving."
Ijichi rubbed his hands awkwardly, rain dripping from the hem of his suit onto the floor: "Sorry, I just wanted to get out of the rain... by the way, are there any dessert shops around here that are still open?"
The young man's hand stopped.
He slowly raised his head. It was an unforgettable face with a high nose, delicate features, and fair skin; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he looked like a celebrity.
"No dessert shops." The man put down the 'Rubik's Cube' in his hand and pointed to the bar stool in front of the counter, "But there is a cup of tea that can save your life."
Ijichi sat down and said with a bitter smile, "Save my life? I really do feel like I'm about to die from overwork right now."
"It's not just overwork."
The man turned around, took an unlabeled glass jar from the cabinet behind him, and grabbed a small pinch of dark red tea leaves to put into the teapot.
"Anxiety, panic, self-doubt. You feel like an ordinary person sandwiched between monsters. Whether it's the'Strongest' you serve or the 'Curses' you have to face, they are all crushing your spirit bit by bit."
The sound of water pouring into the teapot was exceptionally clear in the quiet shop.
"Mr. Ijichi Kiyotaka, the job of an Assistant Supervisor isn't easy, is it?"
Ijichi suddenly stood up, cold sweat breaking out instantly: "You know me? Which group of Curse Users are you from?"
This was definitely no coincidence! This was a trap!
"Sit down."
The man softly uttered two words.
There was no ripple of Cursed Energy, but Ijichi felt an invisible weight pressing on his shoulders, making his legs go weak and causing him to fall back into the chair.
The man pushed a cup of steaming black tea in front of him.
"Don't be nervous. I'm just a merchant doing a small business." The man smiled, showing a standard, somewhat fake smile, "My name is Lynn. This tea is called 'Absolute Calm'."
"It will allow you to strip away all unnecessary fear and cowardice for the next 72 hours. You will handle work like a precision machine, you'll be able to run away without a change in expression when facing a Special Grade Cursed Spirit, and when facing Gojo Satoru ... well, at least you'll be able to speak without stuttering."
Ijichi stared at the cup of tea, his Adam's apple bobbing.
This was exactly what he needed most right now. He was on the verge of collapse; if he didn't find something to support himself, he might really hang himself in the Tokyo Jujutsu High / Jujutsu High toilets tomorrow.
"The price?" Ijichi's voice was dry. "How much does this tea cost?"
"I don't want money."
Lynn crossed his hands on the counter, his eyes fixed on Ijichi.
"I'll trade this cup of tea for your 'good luck' for the coming year."
Ijichi was stunned: "Huh?"
"For the next year, you'll never win the lottery, you'll always be late for the train, your instant noodles will never have seasoning packets, and you'll most likely step in dog poop while walking on the street." Lynn shrugged. "Trading this insignificant bad luck for the 'Absolute Calm' of the most critical 72 hours of your career. This deal is quite fair, isn't it?"
A lunatic.
This person was definitely a lunatic.
Ijichi was screaming in his heart to run away, but his hand uncontrollably picked up the teacup. That enticing aroma entered his nostrils, making every tired cell in his body scream to 'drink it'.
"Since it's just luck... then take it."
He tilted his head back and drained it in one gulp.
A heat flow slid down his esophagus into his stomach, then exploded and rushed toward his brain.
The feeling was wonderful.
All the anxiety and fear in his mind were instantly smoothed away. His heartbeat returned to a steady pace, and his vision became clearer than ever before.
Ijichi put down the teacup and pushed up his glasses.
This time, his hand didn't shake.
"Thank you for the treat." Ijichi stood up, straightened his soaked suit, and spoke in a steady voice, "Although I don't know what your purpose is, this tea is indeed effective. I'll take my leave."
He turned and pushed the door open, his steps steady, with no trace of his previous dejection.
Lynn remained sitting behind the counter, watching Ijichi's silhouette disappear into the rain.
"Deal complete."
Lynn snapped his fingers.
In the air, a faint golden speck of light rose from where Ijichi had just sat; that was the 'luck' that had been stripped away. Lynn took out a small transparent bottle, put the speck of light inside, and casually tossed it into a drawer.
As the drawer closed, a line of pale blue text that only Lynn could see appeared in the air.
[Transaction Completed!]
[Item Obtained: One Year of Ijichi's Good Luck.]
[System Valuation: 500 points.]
[Current Balance: 570 points]
"Only 500 points? That's not even enough to exchange for the lowest-grade Cursed Tool."
Lynn took off those gold-rimmed glasses he used to look sophisticated, rubbed the bridge of his nose, and sighed helplessly.
He wasn't from this world.
A week ago, he was still living the nine-to-five life of a corporate slave on the other side of the Earth. Then he woke up to find himself transmigrated into this world called 'Jujutsu Kaisen', becoming the owner of this 'Exchange No. 8'.
He didn't have the Six Eyes that Gojo Satoru was born with, nor did he have the iron stomach of Itadori Yuji that could swallow fingers.
According to the Jujutsu world's ratings, his physical strength was at most 'Grade 4', probably enough to win a fight against an unarmed Assistant Supervisor.
In this world where Special Grade Cursed Spirits were everywhere and Curse Users were as common as dogs, this level of strength was just asking for death if he stepped outside.
His only reliance was this eerie shop that had transmigrated with him and the system called [Equivalent Scales].
"In this shop, I am invincible."
Lynn tapped the counter. This was one of the shop's rules: Absolute Peace Domain. Even if Ryomen Sukuna came in, he wouldn't be able to initiate any form of violence here.
And another rule of the shop was [Wish Resonance].
This shop didn't exist at a fixed physical coordinate; it would only appear in the eyes of Jujutsu Kaisen characters whose spirits were on the verge of collapse and who yearned to change their current situation.
This also meant that anyone who could push open this door was a potential high-quality 'leek' to be harvested.
"But as long as I step out of this door, I'm just an ordinary person."
Lynn laughed at himself, "Unless... someone owes me money."
This was the most terrifying and core ability of [Equivalent Scales]—[Compulsory Breach Right].
As long as someone reached a deal with him, that person was his 'private property' until the debt was paid off.
By paying points, he could ensure that both himself and the debtor were protected by the system when facing a fatal threat.
In addition, the system's mall had all sorts of strange and eccentric products.
From small props with special effects to various Cursed Techniques, constitutions, and Domains—it had everything.
This was the source of his confidence to walk tall in this world.
But the prerequisite for all of this was—someone had to be willing to trade.
"Activating 'Compulsory Breach' once starts at 100 points... these points are simply not enough to spend."
Lynn looked at that pitifully small balance; according to the system's measurement, one point was equivalent to ten thousand yen.
"An Assistant Supervisor's luck isn't worth much, but if it's that person..."
Lynn picked up that colorful 'Rubik's Cube' again.
If Gojo Satoru were here, he would definitely recognize this thing's true identity—the special grade cursed object, Prison Realm.
Although it was a low-priced knock-off model, it had a structure and partial functions similar to the original.
The rain was getting heavier.
"Go on, Mr. Ijichi."
Lynn whispered to himself, "You need this bit of calm. After all... tomorrow you're going to send those three children to the Juvenile Detention Center to die."
"Next, it's time to meet that truly big customer."
_____
I'll keep it short...an extra chapter every 20 energy stones or three revisions