After Hayashi finished his introduction, he sat next to a female classmate. The girl seemed a bit nervous, shifting in her seat and too embarrassed to look at Hayashi.
"Hello, my name is Hayashi. May I ask what your name is?"
"Huh? You're… you're talking to me?" The girl turned her head and met Hayashi's gaze, suddenly at a loss for words.
"Hehe, yeah." Hayashi smiled.
"Oh, um, my name is Momoe Yamano. Nice to meet you." Momoe quickly introduced herself, then turned her head back, acting as though nothing had happened.
"Hey, did you see that? Momoe, the queen of sarcasm and the tough girl, actually has this side?"
"Yeah, she's usually so fierce around us, but she's acting totally different with the new guy."
At that moment, the two boys gossiping about Momoe suddenly felt a chill, as if a tiger was glaring at them from behind.
When they looked over at Momoe, they saw her smiling at them with a rather unsettling expression.
"We're done for. Don't look at her, or we'll be dead!"
"We'll be killed!"
Hayashi had also noticed that Momoe's personality was probably not as it seemed right now, but it wasn't his concern. Though Momoe was attractive, she wasn't his type.
Class was harmonious, and most of the students listened attentively. Only a few seemed a bit lazy.
After school, Hayashi didn't interact much with his classmates and went home alone.
A few days later, his classmates started seeing Hayashi as someone quiet, cold, and aloof.
This made the boys dislike Hayashi even more, while the girls were increasingly drawn to him, constantly trying to get closer.
This gave Hayashi a headache—he just wanted to live peacefully and had no interest in romance.
If Hayashi's inner conscience could hear this, it would definitely scold him: "It's not that you don't want romance. It's just that none of these girls are your type. If you met someone you liked, you'd be all over her!"
Of course, Hayashi wasn't the type to fawn over someone. That wasn't his style.
A week later, Hayashi was on his way home from school as usual, but he noticed that Nobara Kugisaki, whom he often ran into, was nowhere to be seen. Normally, he would've bumped into her by now, or at the very latest, within ten minutes.
But today, even after Hayashi waited for half an hour, she hadn't come back. He began to wonder if something had happened to her.
The only things that could cause trouble for Nobara were Cursed Spirits or Cursed Objects. Life's usual challenges were no match for her—no one could stop her with that bold personality.
In the end, Hayashi went home to cook for himself. Even if Nobara was in trouble, he didn't know where she was, so he couldn't help. Besides, Hayashi believed Nobara wouldn't get into any real danger.
Dinner was simple: stir-fried cucumber and sausage, spicy shredded potatoes, some sushi from a nearby convenience store, and a rice cooker full of rice.
Hayashi enjoyed the process of cooking, even if the dishes weren't particularly complicated. He could still find some fun in it.
After dinner, Hayashi cleaned the dishes and glanced at his phone. It was already 7:30 p.m. Normally, Nobara would be home by now, but there was still no sign of her.
"Let's check upstairs." Hayashi knew Nobara wasn't home, but he still wanted to take a look.
When he reached the fifth floor, he noticed a small note stuck to Nobara's door. Stepping closer, he could read the words written on it.
"I'm leaving. Don't miss me."
Hayashi stared blankly at the short note. She just… left?
"She left without a word?" Hayashi had been living here for nearly a month now, and while he wasn't close enough to Nobara to hang out together, they'd at least seen each other often. He had even helped her carry her deliveries to her door.
That put them on better terms than mere strangers, yet Nobara left without saying anything and left a note that just said "Don't miss me"?
"Great. Just great. Did you really think you could escape?" Hayashi ripped the note off the door with a snort. Just a few days ago, she had promised to treat him to a meal for helping with her packages. Now she had vanished.
What Nobara didn't know was that they'd probably meet again soon, and Hayashi wasn't about to let her off the hook for that meal.
"You think you're going to get a free meal out of me? Dream on, Hayashi. Bye-bye!" Nobara was sitting on the bullet train, looking out at the city lights with a slight smile.
After finishing her business in Sendai, her first priority was to return home, pack her things, and move to the city she had always dreamed of. That city was her true home, where she could live the life she wanted, with all kinds of delicious food, a convenient transportation hub, and countless new and exciting things.
Despite spending time with Hayashi over the past few weeks, Nobara knew they weren't the same type of people.
Knowing Nobara had left gave Hayashi some peace of mind. It was better than her getting into a dangerous situation with a Cursed Spirit, where the outcome would be uncertain.
The days continued as usual. Hayashi kept up with his training, and his physical condition improved day by day. His ability to manipulate Cursed Energy seemed to be increasing as well.
Hayashi often saw Yuji Itadori, though they didn't talk much. Sometimes they exchanged smiles, but that was the extent of their relationship.
It wasn't that Hayashi didn't want to become friends with Yuji, but he was purposely keeping his distance. Hayashi didn't want to alter the natural course of this world by getting too close to Yuji.
Though, in truth, Hayashi's very presence in this world might have already changed its course. The future could unfold in unpredictable ways, different from the original path.
Because of this, Hayashi maintained some distance, especially with Yuji. If Hayashi's presence caused Yuji to miss out on consuming Sukuna's fingers, it would prevent the chain of events that should follow.
Hayashi's goal was for Yuji to remain on the front lines as the vessel for Sukuna, someone feared and coveted by Cursed Spirits. That way, attention would stay off Hayashi as much as possible.
The key was for Hayashi not to reveal too much of his power. Until he could fully stand on his own, Yuji would need to remain the face of the fight.
It might sound like Hayashi was using Yuji as a shield, but Hayashi had no intention of letting Yuji die. Even if Sukuna took full control of Yuji's body in the future, Hayashi would help him regain it.
Even if it meant battling Sukuna himself, Hayashi believed that once he mastered his Domain, he could take on Sukuna.
Though Hayashi didn't know yet what his future Domain Expansion—Amaterasu Tsukikage—would be, he was confident it wouldn't be weak.
And if he earned enough points, he'd go straight for the deluxe version of the Domain Expansion: Shinsei Shoku. It would probably be incredibly powerful.
He wondered if it could rival Gojo Satoru's Unlimited Void.