After the five of them had their fill, they returned to Jujutsu High, and Gojo Satoru arranged a separate dorm for Nobara Kugisaki.
There were plenty of dorm rooms at Jujutsu High, and the dormitory itself had several floors. There wasn't any rule that specified that female students had to live in the same area, nor were certain areas designated only for male students.
So, the room where Nobara would be staying wasn't far from Hayashi and the others. You could see it just by turning a corner.
The doors could all be locked from the inside, and there were jujutsu barriers placed within the female dorms, so there was no need to worry about any guys barging in.
That day had been quite eventful. After returning to his room, Hayashi realized that the entertainment options at Jujutsu High were quite lacking—there wasn't even a TV on the wall. Thankfully, he still had his computer, even though it was a bit outdated and the specs weren't great, it was still usable.
After turning on his computer, Hayashi read the news for a while and then logged into his social media accounts.
His friend Hijikata Shichirou was online. Smiling, Hayashi sent him a message.
Hayashi: Shichirou, watching some anime, huh?
A few minutes later…
Hijikata Shichirou: What the heck? How did you know? Did you install a camera in my room? Where is it? Tell me, and I'll take it down.
Hayashi: You're as funny as ever.
Hijikata Shichirou: Haha, Hayashi, how are things over there? Doing alright? You got enough money?
Hayashi: Everything's fine. How about you? Things going smoothly?
Hijikata Shichirou: Smooth as can be! I'm managing the crematorium even better than my grandpa did.
Hayashi: That's good to hear. Your father overseas must be proud.
Hijikata Shichirou: Bah, why bring him up? For all I know, he's dead by now.
Hijikata Shichirou's father was a mercenary, and it had been a long time since he'd seen him. Being a mercenary was a dangerous job, and licking the blade's edge every day meant you could die on any battlefield at any moment.
Hijikata Shichirou didn't feel much about it—his grandfather had raised him, and their relationship was stronger than with his own father.
Hayashi: It's getting late. You should get some rest. Let me know if you ever need anything.
Hijikata Shichirou: What could I possibly need? Just take care of yourself out there. If you run out of money, don't hesitate to ask. No need to be shy.
Hayashi: Got it. Goodnight!
Hijikata Shichirou: Goodnight, Hayashi!
After closing the chat window, Hayashi leaned back in his chair, a smile creeping onto his face. "Now then, it's time to claim the next reward."
Previously, Hayashi had accumulated 142 points. Adding the 40 points he earned from today's battle, his total was now 182 points.
Here's the breakdown:
10 points = Cursed Energy Overflow
50 points = Azure Black Flash (Beginner)
100 points = Technique: Cursed Energy Armor
150 points = Jujutsu: Cursed Energy Release
250 points = Cursed Tool: Black Steel
350 points = Time Flash
450 points = Power Multiplier
600 points = Domain Expansion: Amaterasu Tsukikage
800 points = Time-Space Mirror
With 182 points, he could now claim Cursed Energy Release. However, to claim the next reward, Cursed Tool: Black Steel, he would need 250 points—just a bit further away.
That small gap wasn't much of a problem for Hayashi. He only needed to take down a few more Grade 3 curses, and he'd be set.
"Let's claim Cursed Energy Release," Hayashi thought, focusing his intent.
[Congratulations! You have obtained Cursed Energy Release!]
"Time to test it out," Hayashi said, immediately channeling his newfound ability. In an instant, his cursed energy expanded like ripples, spreading throughout the entire room and even extending beyond to envelop the entire dormitory building.
In this state, Hayashi could sense everything around him. He could even vaguely make out what Yuji Itadori and Fushiguro Megumi were doing at that very moment.
"This… this is incredible!" Hayashi was shocked. This wasn't just cursed energy release—it was like a sensory radar!
Not only that, Hayashi realized he could manipulate objects within his sensing range, though it consumed quite a bit of cursed energy.
But, Hayashi had an abundance of cursed energy, so he didn't care about the consumption.
He started chuckling to himself as he saw Yuji Itadori wearing headphones, reading a manga. Noticing a cup next to Yuji, Hayashi used his cursed energy to nudge it off the table.
Clatter!
"Huh?" Yuji took off his headphones and stared at the ground, confused as the cup rolled across the floor, spilling water everywhere.
"What the heck? Did it just fall on its own?" Yuji muttered but didn't think too much of it. He picked up the cup and mopped up the water.
"Hahaha, this is fun!" Hayashi laughed. This ability was seriously overpowered. The range might not be huge yet, but it was bound to expand with time.
Now, some people might wonder—why didn't Hayashi use this ability to peek into Nobara Kugisaki's room? To see what she was doing, or if she was scared alone?
Bah!
What kind of person did they think he was?
Besides, what if he got caught? Could he still stick around at Jujutsu High? Gojo-sensei would definitely know.
What kind of idiotic thoughts were those?
Hayashi would never do something like that. He wasn't that kind of person! Of course, he might make exceptions in special situations, but what exactly counted as "special?"
If Nobara were attacked in her room, if she fell unconscious, or if something dangerous happened—those would be the situations where Hayashi might use this ability. But using it to spy out of sheer curiosity? No way! Even though most men might have those thoughts, Hayashi preferred to avoid them.
Now that he'd tested the Cursed Energy Release ability, Hayashi felt a bit of his confidence return. With this power, if he ever faced that purple curse spirit again, things wouldn't go as badly as before.
Just then, Hayashi sensed Yuji quietly leaving his room and heading in his direction.
"This late at night? What's he up to?" Hayashi wondered, curious about Yuji's actions.
Knock knock knock.
There was a soft knock at the door, followed by Yuji's voice: "Hayashi~ Are you asleep?"
"I'm still up, just come in," Hayashi said, using his cursed energy to unlock the door. Yuji opened it and stepped inside.
"You're really still awake, huh?" Yuji noticed Hayashi was sitting at his desk, staring at his computer screen, rather than being in bed.
"Isn't it weird for you to ask that? You're the one coming to see me. What's up?" Hayashi asked, curious about why Yuji had come over.
"Well, it's nothing big, but..." Yuji glanced at Hayashi, a bit embarrassed.
"???" Hayashi raised an eyebrow. "What is it? Just say it. No need to be all mysterious."
"Haha, well, it's just... I'm a bit hungry, but I don't feel like eating cup noodles. If you're hungry too, how about cooking some noodles? And, uh, make me some while you're at it," Yuji said, a little sheepishly.
So that was it—he was just hungry! Hayashi laughed. "No problem. I'll make it right now."
"Awesome!" Yuji wiped a bit of drool from the corner of his mouth.
Just as Hayashi was about to head out the door, he stopped and said, "Oh yeah, go check if the others are still awake. Ask if they want a late-night snack too. If not, I'll just make enough for us."
"Got it!" Yuji pounded his chest. "Leave it to me!"