The Night Shift of [redacted]

They Come Bearing Gifts

        'Fuck I'm sore.' was the only thought running through the mind of Nishinoya at the time. It was 3:30am and he had just left work after collecting some things from the mall left to him by the 'Justice Spirits' as he's learned. There had been a small bag for him with various items in it, meant to help cope with this hellish job. First off was his refill on his, what he called 'suppression pills' which he had found at the bottom of the bag. The next item was another medication bottle, once again with no pill name or anything, rather the instructions, telling him to replace the other pills with this after his shift. The new pills, as he read, was a form of melatonin, but stronger and suppressed any trauma dreams, meant to only be taken after his shift, and only one a night. Though he was still meant to only take 1 of the original pills in the morning, which he was thankful for, it meant he wouldn't need to run out so fast.... however, this did make him all the more curious, wondering where these things came from, and who their mystery deliverer was... who 'Jimmy' was.

        Noya sat on a bench and sighed before starting to look through the bag to continue his discovery of the items. Besides the pills, he also found a blanket, with a note saying, 'it'll start getting colder' attached to it, in the same fancy writing of the mysterious 'Jimmy'. Next, he found a necklace... it was a small, golden necklace with a small, white, what he assumed to be a piece of porcelain, scythe as the pendent. He turned the fragile looking charm over in his fingers, wondering why the spirits had given this to him, "The fuck can I do with a necklace? Strangle a demon or what?" his thoughts went to words as he thought aloud, his mind reeling with possible uses for this little trinket. Yuu dug around the bag, hoping to find an explanation, hoping that his 'personal J.S' had left him some sort of context for the necklace.... and he wished he never looked, because at the bottom was an envelope, with a golden wax seal, the décor of which was a fancy, Victorian era like 'J'. The teenager turned over the white envelope, checking for a name, an address, anything to help him figure out anything... he didn't find anything other than 'Highly Important Information Disclosed, Read Carefully' printed out in a strange, unfamiliar handwriting... a handwriting that was not Jimmy's.

        Noya read through the letter, his eyebrows scrunching up as he went. So many things rose so many questions that were left unanswered...

    Long Lasting Mortal,

        I know this is confusing, and I know that the necklace makes little sense. However, it is crucial to your survival from here on out. I shall keep this brief so you may rest before your daytime-proceedings. Things will be much more dangerous now and many of us Justice Spirits have left for the permanent afterlife, for this is a redemption job, unless, however, one chose to stay here for good. That doesn't matter as of now though, what matters to you is that we're short on staff at the moment and we still need a security guard, so we've decided to arm you. The necklace you were given is a J.S weapon, made of a compound unknown to humans, but it's incredibly dangerous, made of the same sorts of materials you'd find in an angel's halo, or a devil's trident. Similar material. It's able to banish a spirit if needed. We've also provided you with such a disguise, because by existing here and surviving for so long, you may experience some... paranormal.... activity outside of your shift, this will also act as an indicator of when you'll need to flee an area to protect those around you.

        By taking up this job you are also taking up some of our responsibility to protect society from the evils of the spirit and nether world. When a malevolent spirit is near, you will feel the pendent begin to warm, however, it'll be faint, but enough to be uncomfortable. Although, if you feel the necklace begin to heat up further, weigh more and float... run. Get out and prepare to fight, it'll turn into a weapon when you're ready, and it will adjust to your style, it will shift and morph according to its user. I wish you luck, please survive, it's such a hassle to find new hires. And I was asked to tell you that corporate has decided you have earned a pay raise for this inconvenience, so until your untimely demise or your resignation, your pay will now be boosted to 6500. However, because of this raise it will now be your monthly salary, and so you will receive your pay at the end of each month.

        Thank you from your personal J.S and Coporate,

Jimothy (Jimmy)

        It took several moments for Noya to processes what he had just read... he wondered about the necklace now, just wondering what the hell he had signed up for... 'is 6500 really fucking worth my life? I didn't sign up for this shit. This was NOT in my god damn contract... can I sue spirits?' he just stared down at the letter, then his eyes drifted to the necklace, which he had sat on the bench next to him. A shiver ran down his spine, his posture going rigged at the very sight of it now... though what he wondered was: did he really have to wear it? Or could he put it in his pocket so he could still feel the heat, and avoid questions, or would he have to bear the questioning and wear it around his neck and hope it didn't interfere with his volleyball life. In spite of his better judgement, he picked the necklace up and hung it around his neck, it reached down to about his clavicle, the smooth material resting lightly on his skin.

        His mind traveled to the team, how he could keep them safe when he's around them so often and for so long. Noya knew he wouldn't be able to just run out of the gym or class on such a short notice if the necklace went off in the middle of something, at least, not as quick as he knew he'd have to move, anyway. Even if he could just run out of the gym to go off fighting demons and hostile entities, he surely would be followed by his teammates, who would be curious as to why he had suddenly run out on yet another practice, on another practice game... or hell, even an actual game. But he knew he didn't have a choice, the thought of the team getting injured because he couldn't be fast enough made him sick, a feeling of dread and duty swirled inside of him, expanding to the point of fueling him. Though despite his fierce desire to keep his teammates safe.... one face in particular stuck with him... memories swirled of long talks and evening walks, promises of keeping in touch, sharing their hopes and dreams.... his promise and assurances to have his ace's back no matter what. His memories of a long-standing friendship stuck with him. While he's close with most to all of the team, Yuu has always felt a peculiar attachment... a unique connection and bond with Asahi he hadn't sensed or thought he shared with any other member of the team.

        Noya thought back to their talks, Asahi telling him his plans to resign from volleyball and pursue his passions of design, of fashion. Which he knew fit the soft brunette well, he could see him staying up late at night drawing countless outfits, setting trends, traveling far and wide showing his works. It pained the teen to think that it could all die with a singular wrong move... he knew the others had their own ambitions, and it hurt thinking that it could all be ripped away from them in an instant if he screwed something up, that they wouldn't be able to live their lives... or live at all, if he didn't take up this role. Besides, he knew he was in far too deep to back out now, he's been given the tools he needed, and he had been given the warning already... well, that, and he's already angered the spirits by taking up this job and surviving so long, he didn't have another option. It was either accept this role or be killed off being defenseless against the evils he's encountered and have yet to encounter at all. As memories flooded his head of his first year, of meeting the team for the first time... a sense of duty came over him, not just of being their 'guardian deity' but being their protector, the defender from the paranormal.

        With that final thought, he looked in the bag one last time to make sure he missed nothing... he did. He picked out one final bottle, with nothing but a caduceus on the sticker, with the words: Only when you need it. No sooner. No later. Printed in straight lettering across the white sticker wrapped around the little orange bottle. He tilted his head, wondering what it meant, though he vaguely remembered English and how they had covered classic myths. A small spark ignited in his mind as Noya remembered the meaning, then his heart sank at the implications....

        He then returned home for the night, downing one of the melatonin-like capsules as he went. Before heading to bed, he stuffed everything in the safe he had bought a few months ago when the pills had first appeared. Noya then managed to stumble into pajamas and fell to his mattress. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, falling into a dreamless slumber.