Two in the morning, the rain was coming down in sheets.
Ijichi Kiyotaka felt like he was on the verge of death. As an assistant supervisor for Jujutsu High, he had been working for forty-eight consecutive hours.
And just ten minutes ago, Gojo Satoru had called him. In a voice so cheerful it made one want to consider self-termination, he asked Ijichi to buy some Kikufuku—in this weather, where on earth was he supposed to find Kikufuku?
"Damn it... damn it..."
Stumbling blindly, Ijichi turned into a small alley.
He only wanted to find a place to hide from the rain and smoke a cigarette to soothe his nearly-shattered nerves.
However, when he wiped the fog from his glasses, he froze.
This wasn't a street he recognized.
Neon signs on both sides flickered wildly as if they had a bad connection, and deep within the alley, a warm yellow kerosene lamp was lit.
It was a retro Japanese-style shop.
The wooden sliding doors were half-open. A plaque hung from the eaves, devoid of any name, bearing only a strange symbol of a scale painted in black lacquer.
"A shop... in a place like this?" Ijichi instinctively sensed something was off.
But he was simply too exhausted. Ijichi folded his umbrella and pushed the door open.
"Excuse me..."
Accompanied by the crisp ring of a wind chime, a wave of dry, warm air mixed with the scent of old books and paper washed over him, instantly dispelling the damp chill from his body.
The shop's interior was small but its layout was bizarre.
The four walls weren't lined with ordinary shelves; instead, they were covered in countless dark drawers, resembling the medicine cabinets of an old apothecary.
Behind the counter, a young man wearing a dark gray vest and gold-rimmed glasses sat with his head down, focused on wiping an object in his hand.
It was a colorful little cube.
Ijichi squinted. A Rubik's Cube?
No.
Every face of that cube seemed to be carved with countless 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 smooth as polished jade, yet it carried an underlying sense of detachment.
"This is Exchange No. 8. Although we are technically closed, the fact that you found this place in such a downpour means you have a 'predicament' that needs urgent resolution."
Ijichi rubbed his hands awkwardly, rainwater dripping from his suit onto the floor. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to get out of the rain... By any chance, is there a sweets shop nearby that's still open?"
The young man's hand stopped.
He slowly raised his head. He had a face that was impossible to forget—a sharp nose, refined features, and pale skin. He wouldn't have looked out of place as a superstar.
"There are no sweets shops around here." The man set down the 'cube' and pointed to a high stool in front of the counter. "But there is a cup of tea that can save your life."
Ijichi sat down, letting out a bitter laugh. "Save my life? I certainly feel like I'm about to die from overwork right now."
"It is not just overwork."
The man turned and took an unlabeled glass jar from the cabinet behind him, pinching out a small amount of dark red tea leaves and placing them into a teapot.
"Anxiety, panic, self-doubt. You feel like an ordinary man caught between monsters. Whether it's the 'Strongest' you serve or the 'Curses' you face, they are slowly crushing your spirit."
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 bolted upright, cold sweat breaking out instantly. "You know me? Which curse user group are you with?"
This was no coincidence! This was a trap!
"Sit down."
The man softly uttered those two words.
There was no ripple of Cursed Energy, yet Ijichi felt an invisible weight press down on his shoulders, making his legs buckle as he collapsed 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 running a small business." The man smiled, though it was a smile so perfect it felt somewhat fake. "My name is Hayashi En. This tea is called 'Absolute Calm'."
"It will allow you, for the next 72 hours, to strip away all unnecessary fear and cowardice. You will process your work like a precision machine. You will be able to flee from a Special Grade Cursed Spirit without flinching, and you'll be able to... well, at least talk to Gojo Satoru without stuttering."
Ijichi stared at the tea, his throat tightening.
This was exactly what he needed right now. He was on the verge of a breakdown. If he didn't find something to lean on, he might actually end up hanging himself in the high school's bathroom tomorrow.
"And the price?" Ijichi's voice was dry. "How much is this tea?"
"I don't want money."
En rested his chin on his crossed hands atop the counter, his eyes fixed on Ijichi.
"I'll trade this cup of tea for your 'luck' over the next year."
Ijichi was stunned. "Huh?"
"For the next year, you won't win a single lottery, you'll always be late for the train, your instant ramen will never have a seasoning packet, and you'll probably step in dog poop while walking down the street." En shrugged. "Exchanging such trivial bad luck for the 'Absolute Calm' you need for the most critical 72 hours of your career. It's a fair trade, isn't it?"
'Madman.'
'This guy is a complete lunatic.'
Inside, Ijichi was screaming at himself to run, but his hand reached out uncontrollably for the teacup. That enticing aroma drifted into his nostrils, making every exhausted cell in his body scream 'drink it'.
"If it's just luck... then take it." Ijichi gritted his teeth. "Anyway, someone like me has never been lucky."
He tilted his head back and drained the cup in one go.
A wave of heat slid down his esophagus into his stomach, then exploded, rushing toward his brain.
The sensation was wonderful.
Every bit of anxiety and fear in his mind was instantly smoothed away. His heartbeat returned to a steady rhythm, and his vision became clearer than ever before.
Ijichi set down the cup and adjusted his glasses.
This time, his hand didn't shake.
"Thank you for the treat." Ijichi stood up and straightened his soaked suit, his voice steady. "I don't know what your goal is, but this tea is indeed effective. Farewell."
He turned and walked out the door with a firm stride, no longer showing any of his previous despondency.
En remained seated behind the counter, watching Ijichi's back disappear into the curtain of rain.
"Deal struck."
En snapped his fingers.
In the air, a faint golden speck of light rose from where Ijichi had been sitting—it was the 'luck' that had been stripped away. En produced a small transparent bottle, caught the speck inside, and tossed it into a drawer.
As the drawer closed, a line of pale blue text visible only to En manifested in the air.
[SYSTEM: TRADE COMPLETE!]
[SYSTEM: ITEM OBTAINED: IJICHI'S ONE YEAR OF LUCK.]
[SYSTEM: SYSTEM VALUATION: 500 POINTS.]
[SYSTEM: CURRENT BALANCE: 570 POINTS]
"Only 500 points? That's not even enough to exchange for a low-grade Cursed Tool."
En took off the gold-rimmed glasses he used to look sophisticated and rubbed the bridge of his nose, letting out a helpless sigh.
He didn't belong to this world.
A week ago, he was still living the life of a corporate slave on the other side of the planet. Then he woke up to find he had transmigrated into this world called 'Jujutsu Kaisen' and become the owner of 'Exchange No. 8'.
He didn't have the Six Eyes like Gojo Satoru, nor did he have a stomach of iron like Itadori Yuji that could swallow fingers.
According to the Jujutsu world's ranking, his physical strength was Grade 4 at best—he could probably win a fight against an unarmed assistant supervisor.
In this world where Special Grade Cursed Spirits roamed and curse users were as common as dogs, this level of strength was just asking for death.
His only reliance was this eerie shop that came with him, and the system called 'Equivalent Scale'.
"Inside this shop, I am invincible."
En tapped the counter. This was one of the shop's rules: Absolute Peace Domain. Even if Ryomen Sukuna walked in, he wouldn't be able to initiate any form of violence.
And the shop's other rule was 'Wish Resonance'.
This shop did not exist at a fixed physical coordinate; it only appeared to characters from Jujutsu Kaisen who were on the brink of a mental breakdown and desperate for change.
This also meant that anyone capable of pushing open that door was a prime target just waiting to be harvested.
"But as soon as I step out of this door, I'm just an ordinary human."
En chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Unless... someone owes me money."
This was the most terrifying and core ability of the 'Equivalent Scale'—the 'Compulsory Default Right'.
As long as someone struck a deal with him, they were his 'private property' until the debt was paid in full.
By spending points, he could ensure that both he and the debtor were protected by the system when facing a fatal threat.
Beyond that, the system's shop contained all sorts of strange and wonderful items.
From small tools with special effects to various Cursed Techniques, physiques, and even Domains—everything was there.
This was the source of his confidence to walk tall in this world.
But all of this was predicated on one thing—someone had to be willing to trade.
"Activating a 'Compulsory Default' starts at 100 points... these points really aren't enough."
En looked at his pitifully small balance. According to the system's metrics, one point was equivalent to ten thousand yen.
"An assistant supervisor's luck might not be worth much, but if it were *that* person..."
En picked up the colorful 'Rubik's Cube' again.
If Gojo Satoru were here, he would have recognized this thing's true identity—the Special Grade Cursed Object, the Prison Realm.
Though it was just a Grade-A replica he had bought for a low price, it shared a similar structure and some functions with the original.
The rain was coming down even harder now.
"Go on, Mr. Ijichi."
En whispered to himself. "You'll need that calm. After all... tomorrow you'll be sending those three children to die at the juvenile detention center."
"Next, it's time to meet that truly big client."