Hayashi pulled out his phone to pay, then found a seat by the window. He glanced around, feeling safe—no cursed spirits of significant level were nearby.
After what had happened before, Hayashi had made it a habit to scan his surroundings whenever he went into a restaurant, checking for any dangerous entities. Thankfully, incidents like that didn't happen often. The previous event had been reported in the media as a strange paranormal occurrence, with no one knowing the real truth.
Curses and cursed spirits were still relatively unknown to the general public. Some people had no idea such things even existed in the world.
The ramen arrived quickly, with a strong traditional Japanese style. Hayashi could make dishes like this himself—actually better—but at the moment, he wasn't picky.
"Smells good," Hayashi muttered as he dug in, enjoying the cool air from the restaurant's AC and savoring the moment. It was in these rare times that Hayashi could feel the world was peaceful, as if everything was normal—no cursed spirits, no curses.
"Ah!!!"
Suddenly, a loud scream echoed through the restaurant. Hayashi's chopsticks shook, almost dropping his noodles onto the table.
"No way, no way! Don't tell me there's another cursed spirit?" Hayashi felt a headache coming on. Was he cursed to attract curses?
"No social anxiety, life is amazing! Ah, so wonderful!"
In Hayashi's line of sight was a young man, around twenty, shouting loudly from his seat. Clearly, this wasn't a cursed spirit—it was just a guy working on his courage, perhaps.
Hayashi sighed in relief. He couldn't believe there were people like this in Japan. He had been ready for a fight with a cursed spirit, only to find it was just some weirdo.
The man yelling looked rather strange too, wearing a red scarf around his neck and a Zhongshan suit, with a scar running along his chin.
After his outburst, the man glanced around, receiving looks of annoyance and disdain from the other diners. Many were visibly irritated by his loud behavior in a public place.
But the man didn't seem to care. His eyes scanned the room before finally landing on Hayashi. He quickly picked up his bowl and sat down across from Hayashi, looking at him like he was some kind of national treasure.
Hayashi frowned and asked, "What are you doing? If you're trying to overcome social anxiety, this isn't the way to do it. You're just disturbing the peace."
"Hehe, I know." The young man chuckled before saying something that nearly made Hayashi spit out his noodles: "The best way to overcome social anxiety is to make others anxious."
"You what?" Hayashi was speechless. This guy had such a bizarre way of thinking. Was this even normal?
But, in a way, his actions could indeed cause anxiety for others, leaving psychological scars behind.
"That's not important." The young man smiled and introduced himself: "My name is Xie Zhiyong, I'm 20 years old, and I come from a mysterious organization."
"Xie Zhiyong? That name sounds Chinese. Is this mysterious organization a social anxiety group?" Hayashi laughed, continuing to eat his noodles. This guy was amusing.
"Hahaha, I am Chinese, but no, it's not a social anxiety group. It's related to curses!" As Xie Zhiyong said this, his voice lowered significantly.
"What?" Hayashi's expression shifted. He had been searching for a curse-related agency for days with no success, and now he had randomly encountered someone connected to curses while eating ramen. What a strange twist of fate!
"My eyes can see things that others can't. Besides cursed spirits and curses, I can see deeper things. For example, I can see the black cursed tool hanging on your back," Xie Zhiyong said, his eyes lighting up.
Now Hayashi was truly surprised. Back at school, it made sense that Gojo Satoru could see the sword on his back, but now this guy could see it too?
"Don't worry. This ability is unique to me. Other sorcerers can't see the cursed tool on your back. At least in my organization, I'm the only one with this ability." Xie Zhiyong seemed excited as he looked at Hayashi. "Judging by your age, we're probably about the same. Even though your cursed energy isn't obvious, you're quite special. If you have the time, you should visit our Tokyo branch."
After a moment of shock, Hayashi became intrigued. "My name is Hayashi, but I'm not the same age as you. I'm only 14."
"What? You're only 14?" Xie Zhiyong was stunned. At 14, Hayashi already looked this tall. Even sitting down, it was clear that Hayashi was much bigger than the average 14-year-old.
"At your age, you should be in high school, right? Or just starting?" Xie Zhiyong asked, sounding a bit disappointed. In the end, it seemed Hayashi was just a student. While talented, students were still developing, and in actual combat, they couldn't match those with more experience.
"Yeah, I'm a student at Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical College," Hayashi replied casually.
Xie Zhiyong's interest, which had waned, was suddenly reignited. "You're definitely a top student! That's impressive."
Hayashi, ignoring the change in Xie Zhiyong's tone, asked, "I've been searching all over Tokyo for a curse-related agency, but I haven't found anything. Do you know why that is?"
Xie Zhiyong didn't even hesitate. "Of course you haven't. You won't find anything out in the open. Whether it's an agency or an organization, they're all very hidden. With so many curses around, showing up in public would be asking for death. What do you think this is—Jujutsu High or one of the Three Great Sorcerer Families?"
"No wonder," Hayashi muttered, finally understanding. If he hadn't run into Xie Zhiyong today, he might have spent a long time searching in vain. "Well, since I've met you, take me to your organization."
"That's the plan! But we're not exactly an agency. I'll explain on the way. Just finish your ramen first." Xie Zhiyong chuckled, content with his unexpected find.
Hayashi felt the same. He quickly finished his noodles, then left the ramen shop with Xie Zhiyong.
"Get in, I'll explain on the way." Xie Zhiyong pointed to a car parked near the shop.
After getting in, Xie Zhiyong started the car and put on a pair of sunglasses. "Will your school let you be out for long, or do you have to head back soon?"
"I've got some free time, but I need to return next month. Shouldn't be a problem."
"It's the beginning of the month now, so you have plenty of time. If you pass the test, you can join our Night Owl organization," Xie Zhiyong explained. "But here in Japan, it's tough. We can't even recruit enough people. There are too few sorcerers, and even fewer capable ones, so we value talent."
"Oh, I see. So, how many people are in your Japan branch?" Hayashi wasn't too concerned about joining organizations, as long as it didn't restrict his freedom. Besides, he hadn't heard of any school rules against joining other groups. In the end, they were all just dealing with curses.
Joining would be more of a formality. Hayashi would remain free.