Lost and Found | Jujutsu Kaisen Insert

Chapter 1: On Deck

"Yo, starfish."

Unlike some people...

Once the person approaching me spoke, I immediately recognized who it was. "Did you need anything, Hayato-senpai? I'm a little busy at the moment." I reply without looking away from the nets while crouched down.

"Do I have to need anything to be able to talk to you?"

Nikko Hayato is another crew member of the boat, he's older than me and has worked with the captain longer than I have. He's too peppy and talkative than I would prefer, but I can't deny that he's one of the most hardworking people around here, and he has my respect for that. So if you ask me, I say that he's good on my book, I just wish he isn't so nosy all the time.

I didn't give him a response, instead, I just kept my eye on the net and made sure there isn't any damage before setting it up.

"Put that thing down will ya? It's break time, and you should be resting with us." he says as he walks up to me with cans of soda on each of his hands, he then hovers one of them in front of me. "Here you go, starfish."

I didn't want him to dictate me, but the moment I saw the drinks, I noticed that I was thirsty, so I guess I could use a little break. I place the net on the floor then took the can from his hand, "Thanks, and will you stop calling me that name?" I said before standing up.

"Calling you what? Starfish? I could always go for Mrs. Crabs since you're always so grumpy and snappy" he annoyingly replies then leans on the metal railing.

"Tch, I'm not grumpy." I grumbled after joining him then opened my can of soda and took a swig. The drink was refreshing, accompanied by the cold wind passing by, I felt relaxed. I didn't realize how much I needed the break until now, although the quiet portion of this couldn't be given to me since the loud mouth beside me couldn't stop talking.

"How long do you think we'll stay out this time?" he initialized the small talk. After that, I contemplated on an answer using my prior experiences and the catch that we had so far.

"Hmm, I guess if we manage to catch about 2 times more than we have so far, I think we'll be able to go home midday tomorrow."

"Well look at you, turning into more of a smarty pants everyday." he remarks annoyingly, but he was actually able to release a chuckle out of me.

"Shut up... Well, that's my analysis at least."

"I'll hold you up to that guess, then. If we manage to dock tomorrow before 1:00, dinner will be on me." he negotiates with confidence, although I had to roll my eyes since he could barely save money for himself, yet he always insists on using it on buying things for others.

"You better quit that habit of yours before you officially go broke." I had to protest, I can buy food with my own money after all. "Sometimes I don't know if you're just too nice or too bad with money." I took another sip before continuing "Besides.. don't you have something to save up for? You know, like retirement or an expensive vacation, your own house maybe?"

Hayato chuckled before replying "Retirement? First of all, I'm not that old, and to answer your question, no. I don't have a reason in mind to save at all."

"Surely you're not planning to work here for the rest of your life."

It took a while for Hayato to answer, "Hmm.. I don't know. I guess I got too comfortable with this lifestyle that I just settled, I'm just... content with what I have now. I have comrades, a job, a place to sleep and eat in." then he paused, suddenly he showed a sad expression on his face, I could see in his eyes that a void of unhappiness is still present in him. "Either that, or I just gave up on my dream to become a technician for robotics."

Oh, that's right, Hayato has always been the chief engineer of the ship. In every problem the engines faced, he was always there to fix it, no matter how bad the damage is. I've seen how eager and upbeat he gets every time he gets to work on an engine, despite the challenge, he always faces it with his passion for technology. It's sad that he ended up here rather than fulfilling his dreams.

I'm not the best at comforting people, so it was difficult for me to say something to make him feel better. Usually, it has always been witty banter and jokes around him, but this time, it's like his peppy switch turned off for a moment. So, Hayato spoke again before I could, "What about you? What are you planning to do once you get enough money?"

"Pff, nanya business, sorry..." I reply in a slightly playful manner and I could tell Hayato was disappointed. After that, I quickly finished my drink and walked away. "Welp, time to get back to work."

"Oh come on! I bear my heart to you and this is what I get in return?!" he complains as he followed me, still eager to get an answer.

"I never asked you to do so."

"Did to~"

Another thing I'm not good at is opening up to people, I don't know about you, but I still need to keep parts of myself hidden, so no one ends up using my weaknesses against me. In this harsh world I live in, I learned that there's always someone out there who wants to hurt you, so I shouldn't be blamed for being discrete.

TO BE CONTINUED

-- minor changes have been applied --