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Life in general is hard — or so most people said. You rarely find happiness on the face of ordinary humans and it is even harder to find it on the face of sorcerers. It is much easier to find angry sorcerers or sorcerers with dark clouds looming above them than finding one like Gojo Satoru. Gojo Satoru’s exuberance and easy-going nature is perhaps due to his tremendous ability to protect as many people as he wishes — but then, even the mighty Gojo Satoru had his falling. An ordinary sorcerer such as you who barely gets by day-to-day and has a hard time surviving as a semi-grade 1 sorcerer does not have the luxury to be happy. You only have the capacity to protect yourself and you are not going to call yourself a hero nor a saint for you have no intention of keeping ordinary people safe. The only reason why you keep exorcising curses is because that is what the elders had taught you and had hammered down to your core conscience that you take it for it is.
It is as if you are a robot made to exorcise curses.
“Zen’in.” A familiar voice calls and when you look up, you find Nanami looming above you. “We have a mission.”
Nanami Kento is one constant you have in life since your first year in Tokyo Jujutsu High. There are numeral missions you have gone with him and Haibara Yu, the other classmate of yours — at least, until his passing in the later year. The loss, perhaps, was what pushed Nanami to quit being a sorcerer and instead, pursued a career as a salaryman. The missions you took without him were not much, however, for in the end, he came back and became a constant in your life.
Nanami Kento is a man of few words. He spits the bitter truths instead of sugar-coating them; one people would call a realist — some would even say he is one hardcore realist. But, Nanami Kento is an idealist hiding behind the facade of realist — in your opinion, at the very least. He has a strong hold on his belief and ideal of society and how adults should behave in the face of danger and children. His definition of kindness is well-kept. His indifference is one he shows to hold onto his leftover sanity. Despite being one of his peers, you look up to him and as little respect you have, you pour it to him.
In this mundane life, Nanami Kento is the hold of your sanity.
“Zen’in.” His call distracts you from staring into the ceiling of the infirmary. The wound on your side hurts — it hurts so bad you could not utter a word but a hum to respond to his call. His wound is not any better, yet he can still speak. You wonder how strong he has grown from years back then. “Why do you become a sorcerer?” His gaze is not on you. Instead, he digs hole into the ceiling.
That question is not something new for you. There are some people who questioned your reason for staying in the job instead of quitting. The answer you always give them is: “Because I’m a Zen’in.” But, you do not think that answer is what Nanami wanted to hear. “Because that’s what I can do best,” you answer after mustering enough strength and searching behind racks of things in your childhood. “I was born to this, so it’s not like I have another choice.”
There is something unlucky in being a Zen’in — at least, to you. The burden of expectation and constant comparison are something you take on a daily basis — like the medication you consume every day and night for the past seven years. When they said one must be crazy enough to stay sane as a sorcerer, you do not think you have the craziness within you — at least not enough to meet the minimum. The thought of quitting had been occurring to you since the day of your graduation but never did you take action. Shameless and ungrateful are two labels you could not stand.
“I don’t think you don’t have any choice at all.” He sounds far even when he is right by your side. “The world is not limited to this country, after all.” For the first time after the end of the mission, he looks at you with one smile he rarely shows — it is soft and subtle and warm. “I wish to get a home on the seaside in Kuantan one day,” he admits. “And live a quiet and normal life. Away from curses and any practice.”
***
It is his dream; to live quietly and away from the hustle bustle of the cursed world. To someone who did not dare to dream such a luxurious life, his dream sounds appealing to you. To someone who did not dare to step out of your shell, carrying his dream forward is something big and you are willing to sacrifice your comfortable (yet dangerous) life for his dream to be true. Carrying his wish with the wind of his far away voice, you will go forward.