"True, but you can't avoid fighting forever." Gojo Satoru smiled as he spoke, clearly satisfied with Yuji Itadori's response.
"Ah, you were testing me, huh?" Yuji looked a bit displeased.
Gojo extended his hand in front of Yuji, cutting him off: "If it were that easy, all the fingers would have been found already. Some emit too much cursed energy, some conceal it, and some are already fused with cursed spirits. When it comes to finding things, cursed objects are the most troublesome. But now that you're here, Sukuna, within you, will want to regain his power and will guide you to the locations of his fingers."
Gojo flashed a sly smile, spreading his hands wide: "You're the vessel, and at the same time, you're the detector. Basically, you're the radar. So, if you're not there, we can't locate them."
Yuji touched his chest. "Is that guy really that generous?"
"That's for you to figure out and establish a mutually beneficial relationship." Gojo patted Yuji on the shoulder and left the room.
Hayashi and Yuji followed him out, and after a few steps, they saw a wooden door ahead open. Fushiguro Megumi stepped out from within.
"We were just next door?" Yuji suddenly laughed.
Fushiguro glanced at Yuji and Hayashi. "There are plenty of empty rooms, right?"
Hayashi looked at the layout of the rooms. While Yuji's room was indeed next to Fushiguro's, Hayashi's was a few rooms further away.
"A little liveliness is good. I want you all to communicate more," Gojo said. He knew Fushiguro's personality—usually solitary and not very talkative. This was the perfect chance to help them bond and build trust with each other.
"Classes and missions are enough. You're just making trouble for no reason." Fushiguro replied, his expression neutral.
"Haha, always so serious." Yuji leaned on Fushiguro's doorframe, peeking inside. The room was spotless and neatly arranged.
"I said, stop causing trouble." A vein appeared on Fushiguro's forehead as he grabbed the door and slammed it shut on Yuji.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch!" Yuji yelped as he withdrew.
Fushiguro glanced at Hayashi, who remained quiet and calm. This guy sure was silent.
"Alright, that's enough for now. Tomorrow, we'll head out to welcome the fourth first-year student. But before that, Hayashi will cook dinner tonight," Gojo grinned, turning to Hayashi.
"No problem. Do we have ingredients here?" Hayashi was happy to show off his skills. After all, he had won over Gojo's stomach. Winning over Fushiguro's and Yuji's wouldn't be too hard, right?
"Of course, we have plenty. I'll take you to the kitchen now and explain as we go." Gojo led Hayashi toward the kitchen, explaining along the way: "Even though this is the outskirts, fresh ingredients are delivered here daily, so you don't need to worry about that. You can request whatever you want, as long as it's not too expensive."
"That's no problem. The ingredients I'll use might be a bit different from what you're used to. Ever had Chinese cuisine?" Hayashi asked, aware of the types of ingredients common in Japan but mostly skilled in Chinese cooking.
"Oh, have you lived in China? There are plenty of cursed spirits there," Gojo seemed to recall something, then smiled. "I'd love to try some Chinese food. But Hayashi, can you also learn to cook some of our local dishes?"
"Of course, but first, I want you to taste some authentic Chinese food," Hayashi replied with a grin.
"I'm looking forward to it," Gojo's face lit up, his anticipation for good food clear. Hayashi was becoming even more likable in his eyes.
The kitchen wasn't far from the dorms, but it was clear that no one had used it for quite a while. It looked like it had been abandoned for some time, appearing more like a storage room now.
But Hayashi could tell that it had once been a kitchen. It just hadn't been used in a long time.
"It's a bit dirty, since no one's used it. But you can come here to cook anytime from now on," Gojo didn't expect it to be this messy. "It looks like dinner's off the table for today. I'll have the students clean it up later."
"It's not a big deal. You can go back; I'll clean this up and start cooking. Consider it a workout," Hayashi replied, seeing it as a manageable task.
"I feel bad making you work right after arriving," Gojo hadn't expected Hayashi to be so proactive. It made him quite pleased.
"This place will be my personal kitchen from now on. Of course, I'll take care of it myself."
"I'll take you to the cafeteria to grab some ingredients. You can bring them back here," Gojo said, leading Hayashi to the school cafeteria. There wasn't anyone around since the second- and third-years were out on missions. With no one eating, the cafeteria was practically empty.
Hayashi selected some ingredients and returned to the kitchen to clean it up and begin preparing dinner. Gojo went back to wait for the meal.
Cleaning wasn't difficult for Hayashi. The kitchen was about 60-70 square meters—not too big, but not small either. Cleaning it up was quick.
An hour later, Hayashi had retrieved all the kitchen utensils he needed from the cafeteria and was ready to start cooking.
First, he prepared the ingredients: peeling, washing, and soaking them in water. Then, he began cooking dinner.
As evening set in, Yuji lay on his bed, reading. Suddenly, he caught the scent of something delicious. He sniffed the air and climbed out of bed.
"What's that smell?" Fushiguro opened his door and stepped out at the same time Yuji did.
"Fushiguro, do you smell that too?" Yuji's mouth was practically watering from the aroma.
"My nose works fine," Fushiguro replied dryly, heading out to find the source of the smell.
"It looks like you two have sharp noses. I'd say Hayashi is already cooking. Let's go check it out," Gojo appeared around the corner, waving at them.
"Hayashi's cooking? No wonder it smells so good! If it smells this amazing, it's probably going to taste even better," Yuji said, eager to eat Hayashi's food.
"Always thinking with your stomach," Fushiguro muttered, finding Yuji's food obsession a bit strange.
The three of them headed toward where Hayashi was cooking, and the closer they got, the stronger the aroma became. Gojo couldn't help but lick his lips. The smell was truly intoxicating.
"Wow, Hayashi! You made so many dishes!!" Yuji exclaimed as he pushed open the door to find seven dishes already laid out on the wooden table, with Hayashi still cooking more.
"Yeah, isn't this a bit too much for just the four of us?" Gojo was also surprised. He hadn't expected Hayashi to prepare so much food. Was he planning to really show off his skills?