"Whatever, she knows, so what? It doesn't matter." Hayashi thought to himself as he walked to the bed and opened the milk carton. He took out a bottle, opened it, inserted the straw, and handed it to Nobara.
Then, Hayashi opened another bottle for himself, taking a sip and showing a satisfied expression. "The taste is really good. The stuff here is pretty decent."
"Hey, wasn't that meant for me? Why are you drinking it?" Nobara frowned at Hayashi. "And what do you mean by 'the stuff here'? What are you referring to?"
Hayashi chuckled without answering, his eyes landing on Nobara's leg sticking out from under the blanket. "Make sure you cover yourself up properly. Even if you're wearing stockings, you'll catch a cold. It's raining today."
"Huh?" Nobara was taken aback for a moment, but when she realized what he was implying, her face changed, and she shouted at Hayashi, "These aren't stockings! Damn it, Hayashi, I knew you were a pervert the first time I met you! Don't think just because you barely beat a special-grade curse that I won't beat you up!"
"Oh, so they aren't stockings? What are they called then? They seem to have a nice texture." Hayashi stepped back as Nobara's spit nearly landed on him. "Besides, you're a patient—don't get so worked up."
"Who asked you?! I'm not telling you, you pervert!" Nobara's voice was so loud that it caught the attention of the nurse outside.
"Please, both of you, lower your voices. This is a hospital, and we need to maintain quiet. Thank you for your cooperation." The nurse glanced at both Hayashi and Nobara, noticing that both of them were wrapped in bandages, yet still not behaving properly.
"Sorry, sorry. We'll keep it down," Hayashi quickly apologized. "Looks like the soundproofing here isn't great."
Nobara, too furious to say anything more, finished her milk in one gulp and threw the empty carton at Hayashi. She then turned to the nurse and said, "Please ask him to leave. He's disturbing my rest."
"Aren't you two together?" The nurse looked at Hayashi curiously, then back at Nobara, who was glaring daggers. Reluctantly, the nurse turned to Hayashi and said, "Miss Nobara needs to rest, so please leave."
Hayashi picked up the empty milk carton from the floor and walked out of the room with a chuckle. "Still full of energy, I see."
After the nurse left, Nobara was left alone in the quiet room. The sound of the rain outside was clear, and her face showed a strange expression. "He doesn't seem like a creep, so why is he…"
"Hey, Fushiguro, what's the situation? Are you and Itadori okay?" Hayashi called Fushiguro after leaving the hospital to check in.
"I'm fine. We'll talk when we're back at school," Fushiguro answered shortly before hanging up. From his tone, Hayashi could tell something was wrong. It seemed like something had happened with Itadori, but in a way, that was to be expected.
Hayashi prepared to return to Jujutsu High. He needed some proper rest and to "digest" the 200 points he had earned.
The rain had fallen all day. When Hayashi returned to Jujutsu High, just as he expected, Gojo wasn't back, and neither was Fushiguro.
Once in his room, Hayashi turned on his computer and checked his messaging app. No one had contacted him.
That made sense. He didn't have many friends in this world. Even Toushiro Hijikata was likely too busy lately, so he couldn't chat much.
"Well, now it's time for the exciting part," Hayashi rubbed his hands together, smiling.
10 points > Cursed Energy Overflow. [obtained]
50 points > Basic Azure-Black Flash. [obtained]
100 points > Technique: Cursed Energy Armor. [obtained]
150 points > Cursed Technique: Cursed Energy Release. [obtained]
250 points > Cursed Tool: Black Steel.
350 points > Time Flash.
450 points > Power Multiplier.
600 points > Domain Expansion: Sun and Moon.
800 points > Activate Time-Space Mirror.
Although Hayashi had been injured during his trip to the juvenile detention center, the rewards were worth it. He had gained 102 points and another 100 points from Sukuna's fingernail.
This gave him 202 points. Added to the 182 points he already had, he now had 384 points.
Hayashi could claim two rewards. The first was the Cursed Tool: Black Steel.
[Congratulations! You have obtained the Cursed Tool: Black Steel.]
Clang! A metallic sound echoed behind him. Hayashi turned around to find a long, black sword lying on the floor.
"So this is the Cursed Tool, Black Steel?" Hayashi bent down and picked up the sword, feeling its immense weight. It must have weighed at least 20 to 40 kilograms. A normal sword wouldn't be this heavy.
Though he could lift it, it was still a bit of a strain. The sword was about 1.6 meters long, a very lengthy blade. Both the hilt and blade were pitch black, and Hayashi couldn't even see how sharp the edge was.
When he infused it with Cursed Energy, Black Steel emitted a dark sheen and faint glow. The weight seemed to lessen, and Hayashi swung it with one hand.
Whoosh!
Crack!
A nearby wooden wall was split open, revealing a glimpse of the room on the other side. Fortunately, no one was there, but Hayashi had no idea whose room that was.
"So strong." That had only been a light swing. What would happen if he used his full strength?
Of course, Hayashi wouldn't test it here. Not only would people question where he got the sword from, but the sheer power of it made it impossible to experiment with on school grounds.
Now, the only problem was how to hide the sword and explain it to others.
There were likely plenty of Cursed Tools at Jujutsu High, but what if they accused him of stealing this one from the school?
That was a real problem. A 1.6-meter long sword would be hard to conceal anywhere.
After half an hour of experimenting, Hayashi was relieved. The Cursed Tool had truly been made for him. As long as he continuously infused it with Cursed Energy, he could make Black Steel invisible to others or choose who could see it.
When worn on his back, the sword's blade would appear to be sheathed, and it wouldn't interfere with anything he was doing. He could sleep, eat, or go out with it on his back without any issues.
It would remain hidden on his back, and whenever he wanted, he could summon it for battle or have it hang there, always tethered to him by his Cursed Energy.
"Not sure what grade this Cursed Tool is, but it's definitely upped my combat ability by several levels," Hayashi thought. If he had owned Black Steel earlier, defeating that four-armed special-grade curse wouldn't have been so difficult.
"Now, it's time to claim the next reward!"