Tokyo Jujutsu High, second athletic field.
The sky was a clear, brilliant blue without a single cloud in sight.
Since the Goodwill Event was interrupted by Hanami's invasion, neither school had been able to determine a winner.
In a sudden burst of inspiration, Gojo Satoru decided to change the event into a baseball game.
At the best viewing spot on the field—under the shade of a tree right behind home plate—
En had set up a massive parasol, a folding table, and even lugged over a small portable refrigerator.
A handwritten sign hung next to him: [Exchange No. 8: Event-Specific Supply Station]
"Step right up! Come and have a look."
En was wearing a casual shirt, his gold-rimmed glasses glinting with a shrewd light under the sun.
"Matches might depend on skill, but sometimes, 'luck' and 'condition' are part of that strength too."
The first one to take the bait was, naturally, Gojo Satoru—a man who felt physically ill if he wasn't spending money.
"Yo! En!" Gojo strode over with his long legs and slapped a black card onto the table.
"Give me the best seat, and get a crate of ice-cold cola for the students! We're taking the win today!"
En smiled as he put away the black card and swiped an amount on the POS machine that would have given Ijichi a heart attack.
"Not a problem, Mr. Gojo."
En pulled a specially prepared "Cursed Energy Chilled Cola" from the fridge.
"This is a special drink infused with trace amounts of cursed energy supplements. It can slightly relieve fatigue and boost concentration. At only five thousand yen a bottle, it's quite a bargain, wouldn't you say?"
Five thousand yen for a bottle of cola?
This was daylight robbery.
But to Gojo Satoru, if it meant his students would win in front of that old man Gakuganji, what did a little money matter?
"I'll take them! Two for everyone!"
With a wave of his hand, Gojo not only bought them but even took the colas over to the Kyoto side to show off.
Seeing the Tokyo students drinking high-end specialty beverages, looking refreshed and full of energy, Maki proceeded to knock the ball right out of the park.
In the Kyoto school's dugout, the atmosphere was oppressively heavy.
"Damn it... is that idiot Gojo giving his students performance enhancers?" Utahime gritted her teeth.
"Those aren't performance enhancers, Utahime-sensei." A gentle voice spoke up beside her at just the right moment.
Without anyone noticing, En had walked over carrying a tray holding several different colored drinks and some high-quality looking towels.
"These are just compliant 'sports supplements.' If the Tokyo school can buy them, the Kyoto school certainly can as well."
En adjusted his glasses, his voice dripping with temptation.
"I see that everyone is quite exhausted after the long journey and the battles of the past two days."
"If you were to lose to Tokyo just because of 'poor condition,' well... that would be a real shame."
Utahime's gaze wavered.
She looked at Miwa Kasumi on the field, who was trying hard but clearly lacked stamina, and then at Gojo Satoru's smug face across the way. Her competitive streak instantly crushed her rationality.
"How much?" Utahime asked, her face darkening.
"I'll give the Kyoto school a twenty percent discount. Four thousand yen a bottle," En said with a smile.
The cost was actually about a hundred yen. He had mainly just added a tiny bit of positive energy from the Reverse Cursed Technique; while it really did refresh the mind, it was nowhere near worth that price.
But in this specific scenario, it was a "necessity."
"I'll take them!" Utahime pulled out her wallet and paid, looking like it physically pained her.
"If we lose, I'm holding you responsible!"
With the first deal struck, the rest was easy.
The game proceeded to the third inning.
Tokyo was on the offensive, and Maki stepped up to the plate.
Faced with a 160 km/h fastball from Mechamaru—acting as the pitching machine—Maki blasted a home run.
Mechamaru's pride was thoroughly crushed.
During the changeover, En slipped over to the pitching machine.
"Muta-kun, simple linear acceleration is easy to read."
En patted the hunk of metal.
"Want to try this? The [Dynamic Visual Interference Sticker]."
En pulled out a small sticker with strange patterns drawn on it.
"Just stick it on the ball. It creates slight visual afterimages while in flight. I'm not sure if it counts as a foul, but it'll delay the batter's judgment by point-one seconds."
"The price is only twenty thousand points... oh, I mean, twenty thousand yen."
Mechamaru went silent for two seconds.
He really wanted to win for once, especially to show off in front of Miwa.
"...Apply it," Mechamaru's voice crackled through the speakers.
And so, in the next inning...
Panda swung and missed.
Inumaki swung and missed.
Kyoto took back a point.
The game gradually reached a fever pitch.
En was like a busy little bee, flitting between the two schools.
Every single item he sold hit their pain points with precision.
And the prices were all calibrated to that psychological sweet spot of 'it's a bit expensive, but I can justify it if it helps us win.'
The final inning.
Two outs, bases loaded.
The batter was Todo Aoi.
The pitcher was Itadori Yuji.
This was a showdown between "best friends."
The entire field held its collective breath.
Only En silently packed up his stall and retreated about ten meters, hiding behind a large tree.
"Um... Mr. En?" Junpei, holding an empty crate of drinks, looked at his boss in confusion. "Why are we hiding so far away?"
"Junpei, remember this."
En adjusted his glasses, watching Todo Aoi, whose muscles were bulging from over-excitement, and Itadori, who was preparing to pitch with a dead-serious expression.
"When two single-cell organisms collide, they don't usually create sparks."
"They create an accident."
Before he even finished speaking, Itadori threw the ball.
It was a fastball full of power, heading straight for the strike zone.
"Strike!! My brother!!" Todo Aoi roared. He didn't swing. Instead, he used his face—yes, his face—to catch the ball!
To him, this was a delivery of his best friend's love!
THUD!!! The baseball slammed hard into Todo Aoi's face.
The massive impact sent him flying backward, blood spraying from his nose.
Deathly silence filled the field.
Gojo Satoru froze for a second before raising his hand. "Hit by pitch! Todo Aoi takes first! Game over! Tokyo wins!"
"We won!!!" The Tokyo students cheered and jumped for joy.
The Kyoto side looked as if they were at a funeral, and Utahime was so enraged she snapped her fan in half.
Amidst the chaos...
En calmly walked out and produced a ledger.
"Congratulations to Tokyo on their victory." En walked up to Utahime and handed her a bill.
"This is the consumption list for the Kyoto school today. It comes to a total of one hundred and eighty-six thousand yen. Since you lost, this amount..."
Utahime's eyes widened as she looked at the long list of drinks, towels, blood-replenishing supplements, and stickers.
If they had won, this would have been the price of victory.
But now that they had lost, it was nothing more than an "idiot tax."
"HAYASHI!! EN!!" Utahime let out a cry of grief and indignation.
"Please, don't be so excited, Utahime-sensei." En smiled and took a step back, pointing toward Gojo Satoru in the distance.
"Mr. Gojo just said that if Tokyo won, he'd be in such a good mood that he'd cover half of your bill."
"So, you only need to pay ninety-three thousand yen."
"Doesn't that make you feel much better?"
Utahime was stunned.
Even though she was still spending money, the thought of that sucker Gojo Satoru paying half for her...
Why did she suddenly feel like she was getting a good deal?
"Hmph! Here!" Utahime paid with a dark expression and led her students away in a huff.
She swore she would never buy anything from this profiteer ever again!
En looked at the payment notification on his phone, then at Gojo Satoru celebrating with the students. A satisfied curve played on his lips.
He, Hayashi En, had just made a profit of three hundred thousand yen.
"What a beautiful afternoon." En stretched and tucked his ledger back into his clothes.
He turned his head to look at Fushiguro Megumi, who was currently messing around with Itadori and Nobara.
Just moments ago, En had seen Fushiguro answer a phone call.
His expression had been heavy and urgent. Clearly, the news regarding "Yasohachi Bridge" had arrived.
"Get the car ready, Junpei."
En adjusted his glasses.
"We're going to Saitama Prefecture."
"Your mission has arrived."
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