The man who had stepped out of the black sedan was approaching with a light, brisk pace.
His snow-white hair caught the sunlight, appearing almost blinding.
Gojo Satoru.
The strongest jujutsu sorcerer of the modern era.
If Ryomen Sukuna was a tyrannical active volcano, ready to erupt and destroy everything at any moment...
Then Gojo Satoru was the profound, boundless sky.
Seemingly calm, embracing all things.
Yet his mere presence was an insurmountable 'rule' in itself.
"Yo, Ijichi!"
Gojo Satoru's voice was clear, even carrying a hint of cheerfulness.
He waved at the trembling assistant director beside him.
"Why the long face?"
Ijichi Kiyotaka's face was pale as he pointed toward the collapsed detention center, his voice shaking.
"Mr. Gojo... the students... they're still inside..."
"Huh?"
Gojo Satoru stopped in his tracks.
He pulled down a corner of his blindfold, revealing an eye like a brilliant sapphire—the Six Eyes.
That eye swept across the ruins.
Then.
His gaze pierced through dozens of meters, locking onto Hayashi En, who was standing under the shade of a tree.
"Eh?"
Gojo let out a puzzled hum.
The next second.
Hayashi En's vision blurred.
A gust of wind rushed at him.
The man who had been dozens of meters away appeared before him in an instant.
Too fast.
Too fast for his retinas to even capture an afterimage.
"Who are you?"
Gojo leaned down, bringing his impossibly handsome face close to Hayashi En's.
Even through the blindfold, Hayashi En could clearly feel every secret he held being scanned by those Six Eyes.
The corners of Gojo's mouth curled into an amused arc.
"How strange."
"You're clearly an ordinary person, yet you possess the power of a rule."
"And..."
Gojo leaned in and sniffed near Hayashi En's collar.
"You have that Sukuna guy's scent on you."
"It's quite strong."
Hayashi En's heart skipped a beat.
'So this is the strongest?'
Forcing down his instinct to retreat.
He raised his hand and pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Gojo Satoru."
Hayashi En's voice was steady.
At least, it sounded steady.
"I am a merchant."
"My name is Hayashi En, and I run a small shop that can solve any problem."
"A merchant?"
Gojo straightened up, hands in his pockets, tilting his head as he sized him up.
"So, you're the one who caused all that commotion inside?"
"Where are my students?"
Though his tone remained light, the temperature in the surrounding air instantly dropped to freezing.
Hayashi En knew.
If his next answer was off by even a single word, this man would snap his neck without hesitation.
"They're safe."
Hayashi En pointed toward the exit of the ruins behind him.
There, Fushiguro Megumi was helping a semi-conscious Kugisaki Nobara out, with a dazed Itadori Yuji following beside them.
"See? All in one piece."
"Aside from the girl having a concussion, the Fushiguro kid breaking a few ribs, and Itadori being a bit rattled."
"Everyone is still alive."
Gojo glanced over.
When he saw Itadori Yuji waving energetically, his eyebrows twitched slightly under the blindfold.
Gojo stroked his chin and turned his attention back to Hayashi En.
"You did this?"
"You saved them?"
"I wouldn't call it saving."
Hayashi En pulled out a plain business card and handed it over with both hands.
"It was simply a transaction."
"Fushiguro Megumi paid the appropriate price to purchase my 'Rescue Service'."
"After all, I have to make a living too."
Gojo took the black card.
It only bore a strange scale symbol, with no contact information or address.
"Exchange Shop No. 8..."
Gojo muttered the words.
Suddenly.
Without warning, he reached out and grabbed for Hayashi En's shoulder.
"Since you're in business, I'd like to buy something too."
"How about you sell me that finger you're hiding in your shirt?"
Hayashi En's pupils constricted.
'He noticed.'
As expected, in front of the Six Eyes, the Sukuna finger wrapped in layers of handkerchief was as conspicuous as a lightbulb in the dark.
Moreover, Gojo's hand didn't stop.
Although he looked casual, his palm was covered in a suffocating amount of cursed energy.
It felt as though if it touched him, it would instantly crush Hayashi En into a pulp.
Hayashi En's heart hammered against his ribs.
Yet he just stood his ground, not even attempting to dodge.
Gojo's hand stopped.
It hovered three centimeters above Hayashi En's shoulder.
The gale tousled Hayashi En's bangs, but his feet remained rooted to the spot.
"Oh?"
With his palm suspended in mid-air, Gojo's eyes narrowed slightly behind his blindfold.
"Not dodging?"
"Aren't you afraid I'll just take the item by force and kill you while I'm at it?"
Hayashi En pushed up his glasses.
This time, his smile held a more genuine composure.
"You're joking, Mr. Gojo."
"You are the 'strongest' jujutsu sorcerer, not a common highwayman."
"Furthermore, if you kill me, you'll permanently lose a partner capable of solving your biggest headaches."
"That loss is far greater than a single finger."
Gojo stared at Hayashi En for a few seconds.
That terrifying pressure vanished without a trace.
"Hahahaha!"
Gojo retracted his hand and laughed, clapping Hayashi En on the shoulder.
This time, it was just a normal pat.
"You've got guts!"
"You're weak as a chick, yet your balls are bigger than a Special Grade curse's."
"I'm starting to get interested in this exchange shop of yours."
Hayashi En breathed a silent sigh of relief.
His back was already drenched in sweat.
'The gamble paid off.'
"Since you're interested, how about we discuss another deal?"
Hayashi En struck while the iron was hot.
"A deal?"
Gojo stuck his hands back in his pockets. "You want to do business with me? Do you even know how much money I have?"
"No, I don't want money."
Hayashi En shook his head.
He pointed at the three students nearby.
"Mr. Gojo, you are the strongest."
"But you can't be by these children's sides every second of the day, right?"
"Take today, for example."
"If I hadn't happened to pass by, and if Fushiguro Megumi hadn't happened to walk into my shop..."
"...then no matter how strong you are, by the time you arrived, all you would have found were three corpses."
The smile vanished from Gojo's face.
It was only for an instant.
But that suffocatingly terrifying aura made Hayashi En feel as if he were standing naked in a blizzard.
This was Gojo Satoru's sore spot.
He wanted to foster new allies and change the jujutsu world; his greatest fear was these young sprouts being cut down prematurely.
"Continue."
Gojo uttered the words flatly.
Hayashi En knew he had him hooked.
"I am a neutral merchant."
"I don't belong to the Jujutsu High headquarters, nor do I belong to any group of curse users."
"I only recognize profit and cost."
Hayashi En spread his arms as if demonstrating his sincerity.
"I can set up shop at Jujutsu High."
"As an external... well, let's call it a 'Logistics Consultant'."
"I can provide your students with special commodities."
"Items that can save their lives, intelligence to boost their strength, or even..."
Hayashi En lowered his voice, dangling the biggest bait.
"...a solution for completely resolving the 'Sukuna Vessel' problem."
Gojo fell silent.
Despite his eyes being covered, Hayashi En could feel the gaze pinned firmly on him.
He was weighing the options.
Weighing Hayashi En's danger against his value.
A person of unknown origin, with no cursed energy, yet capable of trading with Sukuna and possessing strange rule-based abilities.
Keeping him close was a risk.
But if he could be utilized...
"Sure! I'm in!"
Gojo suddenly burst into laughter and threw an arm around Hayashi En's shoulder.
"A logistics consultant, huh? No problem!"
"The old guy at the Jujutsu High shop just retired anyway. That spot is yours!"
Hayashi En: "..."
"However."
Gojo leaned into Hayashi En's ear, his tone becoming low and dangerous.
"If you dare do anything bad to my students..."
"...I'll blast you and your shop into dust."
Hayashi En nodded with a smile.
"Of course."
"Integrity is a merchant's bottom line."
'As if.'
As long as the profit is sufficient, things like bottom lines can be adjusted at any time.
"Then it's a deal!"
Gojo let go of Hayashi En and turned toward the three students.
"Hey—Yuji! Megumi! Nobara!"
"Sensei is here to pick you up! Did you miss me?"
"Oh, and let me introduce someone!"
Gojo pointed to Hayashi En behind him.
"This is the new shopkeeper!"
"In the future, if you want snacks or... uh, life-saving charms or whatever, you can go to him!"
Itadori Yuji was still in a daze.
"Eh? That swindling uncle?"
Fushiguro Megumi's face darkened.
He had a premonition.
Life at Jujutsu High from now on might become very... expensive.
Hayashi En stood there, watching the scene.
The afterglow of the setting sun spilled down, stretching his shadow long.
[SYSTEM: Ding! Acquired the right to reside at Jujutsu High.]
[SYSTEM: New function unlocked: Shop Materialization (A site can be selected within the Jujutsu High premises).]
Hayashi En touched the finger in his pocket.
Looking at the still-sturdy numbers on the system interface, the corners of his mouth finally couldn't help but curl upward.
'The school shop, huh?'
'That works.'
He had already begun browsing the system mall in his mind, thinking about what kind of stock he should get with this huge sum of money.
'After all, students at a school...'
'...are the highest quality marks for impulsive spending.'
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