After waiting for the soul of the "newly minted millionaire" Kaito to return to earth, we start walking along the bustling streets of Setagaya. Of course, I remain invisible to normal people, floating beside him like a guardian ghost (or a persistent debt collector, depending on how you look at it).

  Kaito still seems unable to let go of his questions. He walks while sneaking glances at his palm, where the contract seal hides.

  "Itsuki-sama," he whispers, trying not to look like he is talking to himself.

  "Why do gods fight over Sensitives so much? I mean... is being a 'Vessel' really that valuable?"

  I lightly flick my tail, brushing a falling leaf off my shoulder.

  "What do you think the human world is? It is a dense material environment, extremely hostile to pure energy forms like us gods. Every time I cast a Divine Law here, I have to expend a large amount of FP just to counteract the resistance of this world."

  I raise a paw, mimicking a shooting motion with my fingers.

  "But when acting through a Vessel, you are like a protective suit, a perfect power adapter. Not only does it minimize FP consumption to the maximum, but the effectiveness of the Divine Law is also amplified many times over. A flame I create inside your body burns hotter, longer, and... is cheaper."

  I narrow my eyes, emphasizing the point.

  "However, there is a prerequisite. That is consent. It only happens when the Vessel is completely voluntary and opens their heart to allow the god to enter. If you resist, the compatibility drops to zero, and we get ejected immediately."

  "Oh, I get it!" Kaito nods, his face brightening. "So it means lower mana cost and buffed magic damage like in an RPG!"

  I sigh, my soft fox ears drooping slightly.

  "You can understand it simply like that. But kid, that is just the tip of the iceberg."

  I float up in front of him, my voice becoming more serious.

  "The true value of a Sensitive lies not just in being a shell during combat. Look back at human history. Pope Lucius IV, Master Genku, Onmyoji Abe no Seimei, or even Laozi... Do you think they were just mortals with some tricks?"

  Kaito freezes, his eyes wide. "Are they..."

  "Most of them were legendary Vessels, or high-level Sensitives who signed lucrative contracts with The Nexus," I smirk, my snout crinkling slightly.

  "Their talent lies not just in containing divine power, but in the ability to expand faith. They use their influence, intellect, and connections to build empires of faith, bringing in huge and sustainable FP revenue for their patron gods."

  I pat the frozen kid on the shoulder with my paw.

  "So, don't feel inferior. You are stepping into the same industry as those great men... Colleague."

  Kaito gulps loudly. Suddenly being placed at the same table as names in history textbooks seems a bit too much for a high school student to handle.

  After walking for a while (and listening to Kaito mumble about how much Abe no Seimei’s annual salary was), we stop in front of an elegant structure, nestled in a quiet residential area but exuding discreet luxury. Dark brown wooden walls, white gravel paths, and an exquisitely carved wooden sign.

  "We are here," I announce.

  Kaito looks up at the sign, spelling out each word.

  "Hot Spring... Yuen Bettei Daita? Isn't... isn't this that super fancy ryokan my friends always gossip about? A night here costs a fortune!"

  "That's it," I nod. "But that is just the business cover in the human world. This is also the entrance to one of the 'Sensitives' Hub'—our transit station in Tokyo."

  "But..." Kaito looks around, hesitant. "Do I just walk in like this? I have no reservation, and no money..."

  "Just walk in naturally," I push his back lightly. "No one asks you anything."

  Kaito tiptoes through the main gate. A receptionist in a neat kimono stands bowing to a wealthy couple. But when Kaito walks right in front of her, her gaze slides over him as if he is air. No one stops him, no one asks, even the security guard looks right through him.

  We stop in front of a Japanese-style sliding door (shoji) at the end of the hallway. It looks exactly like the dozens of other guest room doors in this ryokan: dark mahogany frames, opaque white paper, and a few elegant falling cherry blossom patterns. It is normal to the point of being suspicious.

  Kaito gulps, his eyes darting around as if he fears a ninja might jump out at any moment. He whispers with an air of mystery.

  "Oh, I get it. Now we recite an ancient password, or do I have to drip a drop of blood onto the door to open the secret passage?"

  I roll my eyes, and the two fox ears on my head give a slight twitch of amusement.

  "Cut down on the movies, kid. What era do you think this is? Blood and passwords? That’s unhygienic and too easy to forget."

  I jerk my slender snout toward the wooden wall beside the door.

  "See that tiny, stylized sun symbol over there? Whip out your spiritual phone, open the Camera app, and scan it. Chop-chop."

  Kaito clumsily complies. He raises the phone of light and aims the camera at that seemingly harmless decorative pattern.

  Ting!

  [Identity Confirmed: Fresher Sensitive Kaito Ishikawa. Access: Granted.]

  A robotic voice chimes from the phone. Immediately, the shoji door slides open without a sound. But what appears behind it is not a cramped tatami room; instead, it is an overwhelmingly vast space, expanding infinitely thanks to dimensional expansion technology.

  "Next time, you can come here yourself to collect your salary or update your missions this way," I say, patting the frozen kid on the back.

  "Memorize the process. Don't stand in front of the door muttering 'Open Sesame' or the guards will laugh at you."

  We step inside, and the door slowly closes behind us, completely cutting off the sounds of the outside world.

  The interior is a strange combination of traditional tea ceremony architecture and futuristic convenience. Pillars of incense wood emit a gentle fragrance, yet the ceiling is a massive dome screen simulating the starry sky of The Nexus. The floor is paved with a glossy black stone, reflecting light from lanterns that float without any strings.

  "Welcome to the Sensitive's Hub, Tokyo Branch," I announce, my tail wagging slightly with pride as if I own the place.

  "This is where Sensitives like you often come to complain... ah, I mean, submit procedural feedback to HR, learn from experience, and socialize with colleagues. It's like a private club."

  I point toward an area with floating massage chairs.

  "And more importantly, this is a favorite rest stop for gods on field duty, like my subordinates or Xiaolang from the security team. Good service, tasty drinks, strong Wi-Fi, and the cost here is extremely cheap for gods."

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  Kaito looks at the tables and chairs carved from jade, vases that I bet are thousand-year-old antiques, and service robots designed like intricate Karakuri puppets. He turns to me, his face utterly bewildered.

  "Extremely... cheap?"

  "Yeah, just a few dozen FP for an hour of rest," I shrug. "Practically free."

  We approach the reception desk, where a local deity is on duty. It is a chubby, middle-aged Tanuki (Raccoon Dog) wearing reading glasses and a hotel staff suit that is a bit too tight for his big belly. His round ears and striped tail wiggle when he sees us approaching.

  "Oh, Itsuki-sama from The Jade Palace Conglomerate," the Tanuki uncle beams, his eyes crinkling into slits, his voice booming. "It’s been a long time since you stopped by. Do you need a room today, or..."

  "Take me to The Jade Palace Conglomerate's representative office,"

  I cut him off, showing him the seal on Kaito's hand. "I need to process HR files for a new recruit. Urgent."

  "Yes, yes, understood," the Tanuki uncle nods repeatedly, quickly typing on an illusionary keyboard. "Please go this way. The Taoist office is in the East Wing, right next to the Buddhist office."

  We are guided by an administrative goddess to sit at a round ebony table. Kaito buries his face in the spectral phone, tapping away on the virtual keyboard to fill in the final lines of the personnel declaration form on the Solak app.

  "Home address..."

  The kid mutters, his fingers clicking on the holographic keys.

  "Sunrise Apartments, Shakujii-machi area, Nerima District, 5th Floor, Room 502."

  "School?" I ask, resting my chin on a hand covered in soft white fur, my claws tapping a rhythmic beat on the table surface.

  "Nerima Kita High School, first year, class 1-B."

  After filling out a bunch of boring administrative information, Kaito scrolls down to the final section of the electronic contract. Suddenly, his finger freezes. His eyes widen behind his thick glasses, looking like they are about to pop out.

  "C-Contract... Term: 1 Lifetime?"

  He stammers, his voice cracking with horror.

  "You mean... my whole life? Or...?"

  "Literally," I reply calmly, my fox tail wagging slightly behind the chair.

  "After you die, the contract automatically expires. At that point, the Underworld Departments of the conglomerates proceed to collect and redistribute souls back into the reincarnation cycle of the worlds. If you are lucky, accumulate enough good 'Karma Points', and continue to reincarnate as a human in this World 1031, maybe we meet again. I invite you for a cup of offering milk tea as a reunion gift then."

  Kaito swallows hard, his face turning pale.

  "R-Reincarnation?"

  "Of course. Standard soul energy recycling procedure," I explain as if I am talking about sorting trash.

  "But here is an important difference. Since you now sign a labor contract with the Jade Palace Conglomerate, the side handling your funeral procedures and next life is the Court of Yanluo under our banner. Normally, for a local Japanese person like you, the Shinigami Bureau of Takama-ga-hara or local branches handle this. Consider it a special 'transfer' benefit."

  Kaito nods mechanically; it seems his brain still cannot process the information about death and rebirth. Then suddenly, a light flashes in his eyes.

  "Wait... You just say... World 1031?" The kid looks up and stares at me. "You mean... that number isn't a department code?"

  I blink, my two fox ears twitching slightly.

  "Huh? I think you realize it earlier? I mentioned 'Market Monitoring Department 1031' all this time, and you don't find it strange?"

  "I... I think it is just an administrative name!" Kaito cries out.

  "Fine, let me explain briefly," I sigh, using a claw to draw a small circle in the air.

  "The Multiverse is real. And this reality you live in, breathe in, and go to school every day, has the identification number 1031 in the Nexus's system. It is just one of the countless 'markets' we operate."

  "Woah..."

  Kaito's jaw drops, his horror about death instantly replaced by the extreme excitement of a sci-fi fanatic.

  "Why don't you say so sooner! Multiverse! Parallel worlds! So... so can you take me to visit other worlds? I want to see what World 1032 looks like! Is there a world full of Gundams?"

  "WAAAAH! Don't be stupid!"

  I jump, the fur on the back of my neck standing straight up. I lunge forward, covering the kid's mouth with my hand.

  "Listen here, kid, drop that idea immediately! Do you think inter-dimensional travel is like a backpacking trip? What if you wander around and bring back a pathogen or strange bacteria from another world to World 1031? That isn't just a global pandemic; that is a multiversal-level bio-hazard!"

  I glare at him, my fox snout wrinkling with worry.

  "At that time... I get fired immediately, do you know that? Please have mercy on this old fox body working hard to earn every single FP!"

  Kaito shrinks back from my threat, mumbling through the gaps in my fingers: "S... sorry..."

  I let him go, smoothing my fur back down, trying to regain my composure.

  "I just mentioned it so you know. Regulations for mortals traveling between worlds are extremely strict. The application paperwork is thicker than your textbooks, and the approval rate is lower than winning the lottery. So, just be content with being a Sensitive in this World 1031."

  After Kaito carefully fills in every digit of his bank account into the "Payment Method" section on the Solak app (I have to remind him to triple-check, because reclaiming money sent to the wrong account is more exhausting than collecting bad debts), we leisurely stroll along the clean, paved sidewalks of Tokyo.

  The night breeze blows gently, ruffling the white fur on my neck. The feeling of a job well done is refreshing; my tail lazily wags to the rhythm of my steps behind me.

  Ting!

  The spiritual phone on Kaito's hand vibrates, emitting a soft, pale yellow glow.

  "Notification from The Jade Palace Conglomerate HR Department..." Kaito mumbles, his eyes glued to the screen. "Supplementary Labor Regulations for Contracted Sensitives."

  The kid starts reading aloud, his tone shifting from surprise to excitement, and finally to pure horror.

  "Article 1: Sensitives have the right to sign simultaneous labor contracts with any human resource organization, provided it does not interfere with assigned missions... Great, so I can still work part-time at the convenience store."

  "Article 2: Starting salary is 30,000 USD/year, paid monthly on the 5th. In case the human banking system encounters errors, please bring your identification QR code to the nearest Sensitive's Hub to receive cash... That's thoughtful."

  "Article 3: Promotion path. Ranks are divided into: Fresher, Junior, Middle, and Senior. The base salary doubles after each promotion... Double?! So a Senior gets... 240,000 dollars?!"

  I smirk, revealing a small, sharp fang.

  "Don't celebrate too soon, kid. To reach Senior, you have to survive enough missions first. Read on."

  Kaito gulps and continues reading.

  "Article 4: Strictly prohibits acts that damage the Conglomerate's brand image, leading to a decline in FP revenue. All violations are tried by the Inter-Corporate Labor Court. Maximum penalty: Contract termination and... 10 consecutive reincarnations in F-Class Worlds (Extremely Terrible)."

  "Article 5: Violation of laws in the Human World. Depending on the severity, the Conglomerate reserves the right to unilaterally terminate the contract and hand the subject over to local authorities..."

  Kaito stops, his face drained of all blood. He looks up at me, his eyes wide with panic behind his glasses.

  "Itsuki-sama... What does 'reincarnation into extremely terrible worlds' mean?"

  I sigh, scratching an itchy ear with my claw.

  "Ah, to put it simply... you humans often call those places Hell."

  Kaito freezes, his chest heaving as if he just ran a marathon. "H... Hell...?"

  "Don't be afraid, it's not the boiling oil pans or mountains of knives in your paintings."

  I explain calmly, my tone soothing like I am telling a fairy tale.

  "It is just a parallel world like this one. It is just that the living environment is a bit... harsh. Especially World Code 444, also known as Naraka. There, residents have the biological trait of 'Hyper-Regeneration'. It means no matter how you are tortured, sliced, or burned, your body heals instantly... just to endure the pain repeatedly."

  "HUHUUUU...!!!" Kaito wails, almost screaming right in the middle of the street.

  "I don't want to! I don't want to go to hell! I haven't even got a girlfriend yet!"

  "Good grief, this guy!" I slap his back firmly with my paw.

  "You are as gentle as a lump of dirt, who has the heart to banish you there? That is only for traitors or serious saboteurs. Rest assured, live uprightly and there is nothing to fear."

  Seeing the kid still trembling like a wet dog, I decide to change the subject to distract him.

  "By the way, do you know," I lower my voice, acting secretive. "Actually, the salary you receive... goes through a very cumbersome processing procedure."

  Sure enough, Kaito's curiosity wins over his fear. He wipes his tears, sniffing. "Huh? Don't you just use Divine Laws to conjure money, or turn stone into gold?"

  I snort in disdain, my whiskers twitching.

  "It is possible to do that. Using Laws to materialize a kilogram of pure gold costs me almost no FP. Only creating complex living bodies is expensive. However..."

  I raise a finger with a sharp claw and wag it.

  "Doing so is a serious violation of Inter-World Economic Laws. Imagine, if thousands of gods just randomly conjure tons of gold to pay salaries, what happens? Hyperinflation. Gold loses value, becoming bricks for you people to throw at each other, and the human economy collapses in a single note."

  "Why is that?" Kaito asks, bewildered. "I thought gold was the ultimate currency in every universe?"

  "It is, but the law of supply and demand is immutable," I lecture. "Too much of anything is bad. If everyone has mountains of gold, gold isn't rare anymore, right? Therefore, economic manipulation using Divine Laws is heavily punished by The Nexus."

  "So... if you don't conjure money," Kaito scratches his head, "where do you get the cash to pay us? Don't tell me..."

  "What kind of nonsense are you thinking?" I cut off his dark train of thought.

  "The Inter-Corporate Administration Bureau, through branches in every world, establishes a series of legal shell companies. These companies use Laws to create and sell actual resources to humans like gold, silver, steel, rare earth, oil... things humans need to build society. The cash flow collected from that 'clean' business is then used to pay salaries to Sensitives."

  I wink at him. "Understand? We don't print fake money."

  Kaito nods, his eyes looking at me with a little less innocence and a little more respect (or fear). It seems after tonight, this high school kid understands a truth: Even in the world of gods and miracles, the market economy is still the true supreme being.