Half a month later, during a school club activity, Hayashi found himself relatively idle since he hadn't joined any club. However, because he wasn't part of any club, many people tried to recruit him, which gave Hayashi a bit of a headache.
In previous club activities, it was the same—he hadn't joined any club, but many came to invite him.
The clubs that invited him were all over the place, some quite unusual.
There was the Weather Observation Club, Social Interaction Club, Track and Field Club, Choir, Computer Engineering Club, and even the Student Council.
But Hayashi didn't want to join any club, so today, he sneaked away from those people and wandered around the quieter parts of the school.
"It's about to begin."
"Are you ready?"
Hayashi heard voices coming from a nearby room. Isn't that Yuji Itadori's voice?
"Sasaki-senpai, Iguchi-senpai!"
"Alright, let's begin! Dog fox, dog fox, tell me, what animal does the Student Council President fear the most?"
"A nudibranch."
"Hahaha, a nudibranch? That's so weak!"
Upon hearing this, Hayashi suddenly became alert. Isn't this the start of the main storyline? Something big is going to happen today.
"Hayashi, first-year student, you're not participating in any club activities. What are you doing here alone?" A calm voice came from behind Hayashi.
Hayashi turned around, smiling when he saw who it was. "Oh, it's the president of the Plankton Club. I'm just wandering around."
"Although you're a new student, I won't say much. However, club activities are important for your development, so I hope you'll participate. Even if you don't like any clubs, you could join any one, or even our Biology Club if you wish." Without waiting for a reply, the Plankton Club president pushed his glasses up and walked to the end of the hallway.
Watching him leave, Hayashi knew what was about to happen next, so he headed toward the school's sports field. It seemed he'd need to intervene early.
As Hayashi passed by the field, he noticed Fushiguro Megumi, wearing a white shirt. As expected.
Fushiguro noticed Hayashi as well. To him, Hayashi didn't seem particularly special, other than being tall for his age.
But after observing him closely, Fushiguro felt something was odd. He couldn't pinpoint what it was, but Hayashi had no visible Cursed Energy. So what was he paying attention to?
Fushiguro looked away and continued walking. He needed to find that Special Grade Cursed Object as soon as possible; otherwise, things could get very messy.
From the current situation, it seemed the Cursed Object had already been loosened. If he didn't find it soon, the consequences would be unpredictable.
Hayashi had no intention of greeting Fushiguro. After reaching the sports field, he found a place to sit and waited. It didn't take long before he heard shouting nearby.
"Come on, hurry! Takagi from the Track and Field Club is about to compete against the Tiger of Sigazawa Secondary School, Itadori!"
"Huh? What are they competing in?"
"Shot put!"
As the voices spread, many nearby students quickly made their way to the field, eager to witness the exciting competition.
Takagi was already there, rolling his neck and grabbing a shot put from the ground. He rubbed it in his hand and assumed a ready stance. "Itadori, watch closely."
"Whish!" Takagi quickly built up momentum and pushed the shot put forward, sending it in a long arc that landed on the grass.
The measurer quickly ran over and called out, "14 meters!"
"Haha!" Takagi cheered excitedly. Fourteen meters was one of his best throws in recent days—he had definitely outdone himself.
"Let's see how you can beat that," Takagi said confidently, looking at Itadori, who had a calm expression.
"Takagi is strong. He's still got it."
"Itadori, can you match that?"
"Itadori, Itadori, go for it!"
Yuji Itadori raised his eyebrows and walked to the spot where Takagi had stood. He took the shot put and asked Takagi, "Hey, can I throw it however I want?"
"Yeah, there are no specific rules. Throw it however you like." Takagi pressed a hand to his forehead with pride. "Sorry for picking an event outside your expertise. I just wanted to show my sincerity."
Whish!
Bang!
Before Takagi could finish speaking, he froze in place. While he was talking, Yuji had already thrown the shot put, and the result was beyond his imagination.
He felt like a clown standing there, his mind completely blank.
The measurer jogged over, scratched his head, and said, "Uh, about 30 meters."
"Thirty meters?"
"Wow, what kind of strength is that? That's got to be a world record, right?"
"The world record is only 23.12 meters, and this is almost 30. Do you think it's a new world record?"
The surrounding students were stunned, all of them looking at Itadori as if he were a monster. No wonder he was called the Tiger of Sigazawa Secondary School.
Sitting nearby, Hayashi was equally amazed. To throw a shot put nearly thirty meters with pure strength—that kind of power was incredible.
Hayashi, as confident as he was, didn't think his own strength could surpass Yuji Itadori's. However, based on his current level, he could definitely beat Takagi.
"Yosh, I won!" Yuji shouted happily.
Hayashi stood up, dusted off his pants, glanced at Sasaki, and headed back to the classroom. Soon it would be time to go home, but today Hayashi wasn't in a rush because he had something important to do.
"Hayashi-kun, want to walk home together?"
The bell rang, signaling the end of the day's lessons—it was time to go home.
Hayashi glanced at Yamano Momoe, offering an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I've got something I need to take care of today, so I won't be able to walk with you."
"Oh, okay. I'll head home then," Momoe said, grabbing her bag and practically fleeing the classroom. As soon as she left, her face turned slightly red, though it was unclear if it was from embarrassment or frustration.
The truth was, Momoe had invited Hayashi to walk home together several times already. She had noticed that her house wasn't far from where Hayashi lived, so it was convenient to walk together after school.
They had walked home together once or twice, and Momoe figured that since they were desk-mates, it was natural to go home together, especially since their routes aligned.
But Hayashi kept turning her down, and her expression was beginning to show her disappointment. Girls have their pride too, after all.
Hayashi didn't mean to be rude. He had planned to walk home with her today, but there was something important that needed his attention, so there was no helping it.
After Momoe left, the other classmates gradually trickled out as well. Even after the cleaning staff had finished their duties and left, Hayashi remained in the classroom. By now, no one was paying attention to why Hayashi hadn't gone home yet.