Tokyo Jujutsu High.
Hayashi quickly finished his dumplings and left in front of everyone's eyes. On a normal day, Hayashi would usually chat with the others, strengthening their bonds.
But today, after Todo Aoi arrived, Hayashi fled immediately. This guy even shed tears while eating dumplings—how embarrassing!
When Todo saw Hayashi leave, he naturally didn't stay in the kitchen either and quickly chased after him. The rest of the people looked at each other, clueless about what was going on between Todo and Hayashi.
"Hayashi, why are you in such a hurry? I have something to talk to you about." Todo caught up with Hayashi and placed a hand on his shoulder.
Without turning his head, Hayashi responded, "Next time, tell me in advance if you're coming to see me. We had just enough food for everyone at breakfast, but when you arrived, you ate one-fifth of it. If I hadn't left just now, you would've eaten even more, and they would've had a problem with that."
Of course, they would have a problem!
Even Panda-senpai eats a lot of dumplings on his own, but because Todo was there, he kept a low profile. If it were just their usual group, Panda would've eaten freely.
Clearly, Panda-senpai didn't enjoy his meal today because Todo ate the portion Panda usually devours.
"Don't be so stingy. I'll treat you to a buffet next time," Todo laughed, completely ignoring Hayashi's words. But then he thought about it, "Wait, didn't I tell you I was coming?"
"Yeah, you mentioned you were coming but not that you were coming for breakfast," Hayashi said, extending his cursed energy outward. Soon, he spotted Gojo Satoru sitting in a room, drinking soda and scrolling through his phone.
Hayashi quickly rushed toward Gojo, while Todo, still wanting to say more, decided not to speak further seeing Hayashi's urgency.
Gojo Satoru was lounging on the couch, drinking soda while scrolling through his phone. His lips curled into a slight smile as he saw something amusing.
At that moment, he sensed something and turned his gaze toward the sliding door, his eyes hidden behind a black blindfold.
'Whoosh!'
The sliding door was flung open, and Hayashi appeared in Gojo Satoru's room.
"My adorable student has arrived. Have a seat," Gojo smiled slightly.
Without hesitation, Hayashi plopped down on the couch next to Gojo. There were a few bottles of soda on the table, and Hayashi, not one to stand on ceremony, grabbed one and started drinking.
Cough, cough.
After a couple of sips, Hayashi noticed something was off. He looked at the soda. "Why does this taste so weird?"
"Oh, those bottles are expired. I was about to throw them out," Gojo said casually.
Pffft!
Hayashi spat out a mouthful of soda and tossed the bottle into the trash can. "Expired? Sensei, you left expired drinks on the table without warning me?"
"It's hot, and you looked thirsty, so I didn't say anything. My bad," Gojo replied with a chuckle, putting down his phone and looking at Hayashi. "So, what brings you here?"
Compared to the last time Gojo saw Hayashi, he could sense a different aura around him. Had he grown stronger?
Just as Hayashi was about to speak, Todo Aoi walked in. Gojo turned his head to look at Todo, who returned the gaze.
The two of them stared at each other for about ten seconds before Gojo finally asked, "Aoi from Kyoto School, what are you here for? You're not here to cause trouble again, are you?"
"I'm here to see Hayashi. Since you two have something to discuss, I'll step outside," Todo said, surprisingly understanding and ready to leave.
"Wait, Todo. Come in and sit down. You can listen to this," Hayashi called after him. He planned to go to China to deal with a curse user issue and wanted to take Todo along—it wasn't something he was stingy about sharing.
Todo hesitated for a moment, then returned to his usual expression and sat down on the couch opposite Hayashi.
He noticed the drinks on the table and, without any hesitation, grabbed one and started drinking.
Gojo and Hayashi both remained silent, watching Todo curiously.
Todo drank several gulps without any reaction, then looked at the two of them. "Is there something on my face? Why are you staring at me like that?"
"Is he okay?"
"He's fine."
Gojo and Hayashi exchanged questions. Gojo had been drinking the non-expired sodas, while the ones on the table were all expired. When Hayashi drank one, he reacted strongly, but Todo seemed totally unaffected.
Gojo leaned back, resting his elbows on the couch. Watching Todo take several more gulps of expired soda, Gojo turned his head toward Hayashi and said, "Alright, what's up?"
Hayashi withdrew his gaze and said, "I'd like to go to China and I need your approval, Gojo-sensei."
"China?"
Gojo didn't seem too surprised by Hayashi's request. Smiling, he replied, "Didn't you already go once? You didn't tell me the first time, so why tell me now?"
"Maybe because this time is different from last time, right? Tell me more," Gojo said calmly.
"You already know, don't you, Gojo-sensei? As expected of you. I'll get straight to the point. I want to go to China to make some money, and I hope you can help me by dealing with any pressure that comes my way," Hayashi said bluntly. It wasn't his first time seeing Gojo in action.
Now, even though he and Gojo weren't particularly close—no, that's not the right way to put it. It wasn't like their relationship was very tight, but they got along quite well.
After all, Gojo often ate the food Hayashi cooked, and the two had some good exchanges. Their relationship was quite harmonious, and Hayashi wasn't as weak as he was back when they were in Sendai City. There was no longer any need for him to be overly cautious.
Of course, he still couldn't defeat Gojo, but why would he need to? They were on the same side. Gojo was there to protect him.
So, Hayashi planned to use Gojo's authority to make things easier for himself. After all, in Japan, Gojo's word carried a lot of weight. The higher-ups wouldn't dare mess with him; at most, they'd grumble a bit.
That's just how Gojo was—he did whatever he wanted, depending on his mood. If he was in a good mood, he'd back you up. If not, he'd crush you.
In chaotic times, not using such a powerful shield would be foolish on Hayashi's part.
Todo thought Hayashi had some serious business, but it turned out he just wanted to go to China. Todo's expression became serious. Could it be that China was the signal of the dangerous dream?
Gojo didn't say anything for half a minute, just stared at Hayashi. Hayashi felt like he was being watched by the king of beasts, feeling uncomfortable all over. He didn't know how Gojo-sensei would respond.
Would he refuse?
Hayashi wondered in his heart.
"Haha," Gojo suddenly stood up and plopped down next to Hayashi, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. A strong masculine scent wafted over as Gojo said, "Sure, sure. But, I have one condition."
"What condition?" Hayashi's heart lifted when he heard Gojo agree. As long as Gojo approved, he'd accept any condition—except anything involving compromising his dignity.
Gojo's handsome face moved closer to Hayashi's, creating a subtle tension. Todo, sitting nearby, felt increasingly uncomfortable but didn't know why.