Hayashi realized that Jie Zhiyong had a point. Tokyo, being vast and filled with curses, meant that Night Owl's headquarters wouldn't leave everything to Yan Dao's branch. There were certainly stronger divisions within the city.
"Honestly, it doesn't really matter if you go. There's tons of cursed techniques lying around anyway, no one looks at them—they just gather dust," Zhang Yiyi commented casually.
In fact, she knew that Hayashi was very interested in cursed techniques. A few days ago, he had privately asked her if there were any techniques here that he could study. The answer was, of course, no. Those things were left to gather dust, having no real utility, merely as objects to observe, not to actually learn.
But headquarters was different. While it was nearly impossible to learn cursed techniques through postnatal study, there were techniques preserved for the sake of allowing juniors to observe and reflect, serving as a form of learning aid.
Every cursed family, organization, and school had these foundational techniques, though to varying degrees.
"Are you saying there's a lot of cursed techniques to study? Are you sure?" Hayashi's interest was immediately piqued. As long as there were techniques to observe, the trip wouldn't be a waste. Who knew, he might even come across some extraordinary cursed technique.
While others might not be able to learn them, Hayashi could. He also suspected that the cursed techniques in China might differ from those here, due to different lineages and influences.
But of course, he'd have to see it for himself when he arrived. Hayashi was already looking forward to it.
"As expected!" Zhang Yiyi's curiosity deepened, and she couldn't help but ask, "I don't really understand—why are you so fascinated by cursed techniques? Do you really think looking at them helps?"
"Heh, you don't need to worry about that, Yiyi-senpai. I've decided to go to headquarters. How's that?" Hayashi weighed the pros and cons and felt this was a win-win situation with no downsides.
Only a fool would pass up such an opportunity.
"You're really strange sometimes," Zhang Yiyi pouted. What was there to hide? Did Hayashi really think he could learn cursed techniques just by observing? If he actually could, she'd marry him on the spot.
But was that even possible?
No way. She had never heard of anyone in the jujutsu world learning techniques that way. She decided to give up that notion.
"Great! Thank you, Hayashi! Your arrival is a godsend—oh no, I mean, a blessing in disguise. Look at me, getting all flustered and mixing up my words!" Yan Dao quickly shook Hayashi's hand, so excited that he fumbled his phrases.
"Yan-ge, I've been telling you for ages to read more when you have free time. Look at you now, can't even get an idiom right. We're Chinese, we need to know our basics," Jie Zhiyong teased, though he was thrilled that Hayashi had agreed to go to headquarters for evaluation.
"Go away. Can you even compare yourself to me when it comes to idioms?" Yan Dao, the oldest among them, had read extensively. Jie Zhiyong couldn't possibly compete with him.
"Hey! Don't underestimate me. How about we make a bet? Whoever loses has to pay for tomorrow's dinner. How about it?" This was a high-stakes bet. If he lost, the cost of treating everyone to a meal would be significant.
Technically, the meal was supposed to be covered by their operating budget, but a bet like this would mean personal payment, effectively saving the budget for another meal later. It was a win-win situation—saving money and still enjoying a good meal.
Who wouldn't want that?
"Getting bold, aren't you?" Zhang Yiyi suddenly smiled, looking at Yan Dao. "Yan-ge, are you up for it?"
"Why wouldn't I be? Do you think I'm afraid of Jie Zhiyong?" Yan Dao hated being looked down upon, especially when it came to his knowledge of their cultural heritage. He had to win.
Kong Yue glanced at Zhang Yiyi. It seemed like she hadn't smiled this much in a while. Ever since Hayashi arrived, her laughter had become more frequent. But why?
"Let's go, now!" Jie Zhiyong raised his hand and pointed at Yan Dao. "I'm younger, so I'll start!"
"Fine, you start. Let's see what you've got!" Yan Dao didn't flinch.
Hayashi, amused by the scene, walked to the couch, patted Zhang Yiyi's leg to make her move aside, then plopped down on the couch himself.
Time to watch the show.
"Alright, I'll start—'doing as one pleases!'" Jie Zhiyong slapped the table.
Yan Dao responded by slapping the table too. "That doesn't count. That one never ends."
"Fine. Then 'by any means necessary.'"
"'Thoroughly prepared.'"
"'Fully focused.'"
"'Rare and refined.'"
"'Daydreaming.'"
"'Dreams of bears and tigers!'"
"What?"
Jie Zhiyong froze. What in the world was 'dreams of bears and tigers?' He had never even heard of it.
"What's wrong? Can't keep going?" Yan Dao smirked. Everything was within his control. Jie Zhiyong was still too inexperienced to challenge him.
Kong Yue knew Yan Dao well. Despite his earlier mistake with idioms, Yan Dao was actually highly educated. Otherwise, how could he be their superior?
Though Jie Zhiyong wasn't uneducated, he still lagged behind Yan Dao.
"That doesn't count. Best two out of three!" Jie Zhiyong protested. He felt like he had just been unlucky and happened to choose something Yan Dao knew. He needed to come up with something Yan Dao wouldn't recognize.
"Nope!" Yan Dao waved his hand dismissively. "No cheating. You lost, so you're paying for tomorrow's dinner."
"Come on, I was careless! Really, just one more round. What's wrong with best two out of three? Can't you cut a junior some slack?" Jie Zhiyong pleaded.
"Nope. A loss is a loss," Yan Dao firmly rejected him. Who wouldn't take advantage of someone else paying the bill? He wasn't about to let Jie Zhiyong weasel out of it.
Jie Zhiyong felt like crying. Treating everyone to a meal would cost him dearly. He loved collecting Japanese figurines, so he spent most of his paycheck and mission rewards on them. Now, it seemed his precious collection was going to be devoured by these people.
"Just let him have another round. He clearly isn't convinced," Zhang Yiyi, despite her usual teasing, showed some sympathy for Jie Zhiyong.
Jie Zhiyong had lost his parents at a young age and had been bullied by classmates during his childhood. As a result, he developed social anxiety, which had only improved in recent years.
Everyone in the group had their own difficult pasts, so they shared a sense of camaraderie and mutual support.
Yan Dao looked at the disheartened Jie Zhiyong and, after a brief pause, agreed with Zhang Yiyi. "Alright, I'll give you one last chance. But this time, it's winner-takes-all—no more excuses."
"Thank you!" Jie Zhiyong glanced at Zhang Yiyi gratefully. Without her intervention, he really would have been footing the bill tomorrow.
He had always known that Zhang Yiyi, despite her sharp tongue, had a soft heart. He just hadn't expected her to be so understanding.
"Alright, let's get on with it," Yan Dao said, taking a sip from his insulated bottle filled with ice water.
Jie Zhiyong thought for a moment before starting. "Hanging oneself by the beam!"
"Like a palm in the hand."
"Always appearing."
"Contradicting oneself."
"Tricking others."
"Hold on, isn't it supposed to be 'tricking each other?' You got it wrong—you lose!" Jie Zhiyong clapped his hands in triumph.
"No, both forms exist. 'Tricking others' and 'tricking each other' are both valid. If you can't continue, then you've lost," Kong Yue explained, barely holding back his laughter. It seemed Yan Dao was determined to make Jie Zhiyong pay, or maybe he just wanted to win for the sake of it.
"Ah, it hurts!" Kong Yue chuckled but winced as the pain from his injured ribs returned.
"Is that true?" Jie Zhiyong hesitated, looking to Hayashi and Zhang Yiyi for confirmation.
"Yes."
"It's true."
"It's over." Jie Zhiyong's heart sank. He really had no comeback for that.
In the end, the real clown was himself.