When Gojo Satoru's face got really close to Hayashi's, Hayashi could even feel Gojo's breath. What kind of experience was this!?
"No matter how much money you earn, give me half," Gojo said softly, quickly pulling his face back to maintain some distance.
"That's your condition?" Hayashi didn't think much of it at first, but after a moment, he found it a bit inappropriate. "Really, handsome? I'm going to work hard and sweat for that money, and you want half? Isn't that a bit much?"
"No, no, not too much at all. I'm taking on a lot of pressure for you, so half isn't too much," Gojo chuckled, pulling Hayashi a little closer. "Besides, I have many things to deal with. Money is just a tool for me to manage things; it's not really that important. After all, I can't leave Japan right now. You understand, don't you?"
Hearing this, Hayashi understood. Because of the Tengen barrier and the current situation, Gojo couldn't leave Japan for other countries.
As long as Gojo Satoru was in Japan, no major incidents would occur—at least not for the time being.
But if Gojo were to die or be sealed, no one would care about Hayashi. Unless Hayashi displayed overwhelming strength to shut up those folks, no one would show him any respect.
But showing too much power might also have the opposite effect. The stronger you are, the bigger the threat you become, and not everyone wants powerful people to stay alive. Gojo Satoru was the only thorn in everyone's side.
At least in Japan, Gojo could be considered the focal point of both curse users and cursed spirits alike.
"Alright, I agree, handsome," Hayashi said after thinking it through. After all, giving Gojo half, say five million out of ten million, was fine. He'd consider it a gesture of respect. Plus, he'd need Gojo's help with other things in the future, so he couldn't just take advantage of him without offering something in return.
"Show me a bit more respect, Hayashi. Don't call me handsome—it's a bit embarrassing, even though... I won't deny it," Gojo laughed, stood up, and sat back in his original seat. "So, we're all set. By the way, did you bring Todo here for this as well? Are you two planning to go together?"
Gojo had noticed the good relationship between Hayashi and Todo. While he didn't know Todo very well, he knew enough to understand that Todo didn't easily accept other men. The fact that he acknowledged Hayashi said a lot.
Todo was very strong. If he accompanied Hayashi to China, Gojo would feel more at ease. Though China wasn't as dangerous as Japan, it still couldn't be underestimated.
However, from Gojo's perspective, the entire world wasn't much different. As long as those "terrifying things" remained sealed, there wouldn't be any issues.
Even if they were revived, Gojo had ways to suppress them—it would just be more of a hassle.
"Yes, I plan to bring Todo with me. If possible, I'd like to bring Itadori Yuji along too," Hayashi replied. He wanted to expose others to the broader world but knew he wasn't strong enough to protect everyone yet. If something went wrong, he'd regret it deeply.
"Todo Aoi can go with you, but Itadori Yuji can't. He needs to stay here. Sukuna is an unstable factor, and we can't risk bringing him to another country. There's something you might not know—the Tengen barrier also suppresses Sukuna. He can't leave."
Hayashi had heard about Tengen. He was an immensely powerful barrier master, probably the strongest in Japan, if not the world.
"Well, no need to drag this out. I'll be on my way, sensei," Hayashi said as he got up to leave, noticing Todo had already finished a can of soda. His lips twitched slightly.
"Be careful on the road. Same thing as always—don't die. And make sure you're back before the exchange event," Gojo said casually as he crossed his legs and picked up a newspaper to read.
"Got it," Hayashi replied as he headed out.
Todo Aoi stood up too, nodding respectfully at Gojo before leaving. This man, known as the strongest, was someone Todo deeply respected.
Hayashi needed to act quickly. The situation in Tianjin, China, was becoming delicate. That cursed user monk was constantly having warriors absorb fear and negative emotions, strengthening them.
The longer he delayed, the worse it would get. However, the warriors weren't the real issue—he could just deal with the cursed user monk directly. Even if he couldn't kill him, he could ruin his plans.
As long as the domain collapsed, the ten million would be in Hayashi's pocket.
Hayashi could handle solitude and often worked alone like a lone wolf, but having company wasn't bad.
Actually, having a woman as company would be even better. But for now, Hayashi didn't have any strong feelings for any woman in particular. Nobara, Zhang Yiyi, Miwa Kasumi, and Maki were all good options.
However, their relationships were still purely as friends, colleagues, and classmates. They hadn't progressed to that level, and they didn't have many chances to hang out one-on-one.
Oh right, he did spend more time alone with Zhang Yiyi. But they had a purely innocent relationship, and Hayashi wasn't sure how to feel about Zhang Yiyi's tattoo-based bloodline ability.
Zhang Yiyi's personality, combined with her tattoos, gave off a somewhat "gangster" vibe.
If she wore a tank top and walked through the streets of Japan in the summer, she'd definitely have the aura of a Yakuza boss lady.
Hayashi shook his head, pushing those thoughts aside. By now, Todo had already caught up to him, asking, "Why are we going to China, and why bring me along?"
"Why did you come looking for me so early in the morning?" Hayashi replied, looking straight ahead as they stepped out onto the grassy field outside the building.
Todo's expression became serious. "I had a nightmare about you, and it wasn't good."
Hayashi gave Todo a puzzled look and laughed. "It's just a dream. What's so bad about it? Everyone has nightmares. Wait—why were you dreaming about me?"
"That's not the point. The point is, I usually don't have nightmares, but when I do, bad things always happen. And this one involved you, so I came to see you first thing in the morning. I didn't expect you and Gojo to be discussing this trip to China. What exactly are we going there for?" Todo asked, having overheard the conversation between Hayashi and Gojo. He figured it was related to exorcising cursed spirits to earn a hefty reward, which they'd then split with Gojo as compensation for the risk.
"Let's go. We'll talk about it on the way. First, I need to pack a few things," Hayashi said as he quickly headed to his room. After packing, he and Todo prepared to set out.
By this time, Fushiguro and the others had finished breakfast and were getting ready for their training session. Seeing Hayashi about to head out, they didn't find it strange anymore. They didn't even bother asking questions.
They just gave him a simple warning: "Don't die out there."
It was a form of concern for Hayashi, but Hayashi knew what they were really thinking. If he died, they'd never get to taste his cooking again.
They'd probably be sad for a day. Maybe not even that long.
In the end, Hayashi realized they just saw him as a "tool person."