After what happened at the school, Itadori Yuji will undoubtedly be forced to join Jujutsu High, meaning he will leave Sugisawa High School #3.
Hayashi leaned back in his chair, the moonlight shining on his pale, resolute face, as he stared out the window, deep in thought.
"If Itadori Yuji goes to Tokyo Jujutsu High, I'll be here on my own, which wouldn't be too bad. But being with them would bring more opportunities, and we could watch each other's backs."
"But I can't join Jujutsu High right now. First, my background is unclear. Second, where does my cursed energy come from? And third, how would I even join Jujutsu High?"
These were indeed troublesome questions. Once Itadori Yuji left for Tokyo, there wouldn't be many chances left. Gojo Satoru also wouldn't return to Sendai anytime soon.
After all, Gojo and Fushiguro Megumi came here specifically to retrieve one of Sukuna's fingers. Now that Itadori Yuji had eaten it, there was no reason for them to stay here anymore.
"If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have come back last night. I might've had a chance to meet Gojo." Hayashi shook his head. It was too late to regret now; he'd have to stay in Sendai for a while.
"Whatever, I'm getting hungry. Time to make some noodles." Hayashi stretched and got up, preparing to cook himself some noodles.
In his previous life, Hayashi had been a food blogger, but unlike others, he didn't just eat food made by others—he cooked it himself.
Many so-called food bloggers simply bought tons of food from other places and ate it on camera, but Hayashi was different. He cooked his own food and then enjoyed it.
As a result, Hayashi had developed quite the skill for cooking. Almost anything he could make with his own hands was better than what restaurants served.
First, Hayashi soaked the noodles in cold water. While they soaked, he chopped some green onions and prepared other ingredients.
He boiled water in a pot, and after five minutes, he took the noodles out of the cold water and put them into the boiling water.
Everything went smoothly, and the noodles were almost ready.
Suddenly, Hayashi heard footsteps. The sound of the footsteps grew closer and closer.
"This building should only have me living in it. So, who could it be?" Hayashi stopped what he was doing and turned to look at the closed door.
Knock knock knock!
The sound of knocking echoed. Hayashi frowned slightly. From the sound of the footsteps, it definitely wasn't the landlady. Whoever was outside was someone else.
Just as Hayashi was about to ask who it was, the person outside spoke first.
"Uh... No need to be nervous. I'm Gojo Satoru from Jujutsu High. I need to talk to you. Can you open the door?"
"Gojo Satoru?"
Hayashi froze on the spot. Why would Gojo Satoru come looking for him?
If he remembered correctly, they had never met. So how did Gojo know about him? And how did he know he was here?
But there was no point in overthinking it now. The man had already come knocking. Hayashi quickly adjusted his clothes and opened the door.
"Yo! Hello!" Gojo Satoru's tall figure stood in front of Hayashi, dressed sharply as always, with an air of effortless coolness that only Gojo could pull off.
"Hello." Hayashi tried to stay calm and collected.
To be honest, this was his first time meeting the "ceiling" of power in this world. If Gojo wanted to, he could end Hayashi's life at any moment.
But Hayashi wasn't too worried. After all, he wasn't a cursed object or a curse spirit, so Gojo had no reason to exorcise him.
"Ah, it smells great in here! What are you cooking?" Gojo's sharp nose twitched as he caught the scent of something delicious.
"Oh, just some late-night noodles. If you don't mind, you could..."
"Mind? Of course not! I won't be shy." Gojo laughed, cutting Hayashi off mid-sentence as he stepped inside.
Hayashi wasn't surprised. Apart from being powerful and handsome, Gojo Satoru was also known for not playing by the rules. Anything that seemed out of the ordinary was normal for him, and he was never shy about things.
"I've got bowls and chopsticks here. Want me to serve you?" Hayashi asked, watching the taller man's back.
"No need, no need, I got it." Gojo didn't hesitate. He grabbed the chopsticks and bowl, scooped some noodles into his bowl, and poured a ladle of golden-red soup over them. He brought the bowl to his nose and inhaled deeply. "Smells amazing!"
Hayashi, who was also hungry, served himself and began eating without worrying about asking Gojo why he was here. They could talk after the noodles were finished.
But Hayashi had a pretty good idea of why Gojo was here, considering who he was.
"Your name's Hayashi, right? You're the only one living here now. So why did you make so much food?" Gojo asked before starting to eat.
"Yes, that's right. There used to be another tenant, but they moved out over two weeks ago. Now it's just me. I tend to eat a lot, so it's not too much food for me." Hayashi explained before slurping some noodles.
Gojo was already eating while Hayashi spoke. He had intended to ask more questions, but once he tasted Hayashi's cooking, he smiled and began devouring the noodles.
The bowl was soon empty except for the soup. Gojo lifted the bowl and drank the last of the broth.
Satisfied, he let out a contented burp, his face slightly flushed as he said, "That was so good!"
"Heh," Hayashi chuckled. This was exactly the reaction he had hoped for. If Gojo hadn't enjoyed the noodles, the meal would have been wasted.
Even the strongest had to bow to good food. It was an unchanging truth—food reigned supreme.
"I was on the fence about something, but now, you have to come back with me," Gojo said suddenly, putting down the bowl and chopsticks.
"Huh?" Hayashi didn't understand at first.
"With cooking skills this good, how could I leave you here? Even such a simple dish is this delicious. If I leave you here, it would be such a waste of talent." Gojo laughed. "We have lots of food lovers back there. You'd be perfect for them."
Though Gojo's words were sudden, Hayashi understood. He was implying that Hayashi should go with him to Tokyo.
"You thought you were hiding well, but I found traces of your cursed energy at the scene. I asked Megumi, and he told me that someone had been eaten by a curse before he arrived upstairs. After observing the area, I noticed the lingering presence of your energy. It was faint, but I could still tell that you were there. With that level of cursed energy, you shouldn't have had any trouble defeating that curse. So why did you leave?"
Gojo's expression turned serious as he waited for Hayashi's explanation.