Kurosawa Jin's dorm seemed like a special single room, and the bed was quite comfortable. Gojo Satoru slept soundly through the night, yawning as he felt good seeing the faint light filtering through the window.
He wanted to stay in bed a little longer, but then he noticed Kurosawa Jin, fully dressed, frowning at him as if he were some filthy thing. Jin tossed a black tactical turtleneck—identical to his own—toward him.
"Put it on. We're gathering outside."
Gojo Satoru narrowed his eyes and slowly began to get ready.
Originally, he should have shot back some harsh words at this kid, but he had already tested it. Even a slight out-of-character move wouldn't trigger a system warning. Perhaps because of the deep integration with the original Gojo Satoru's memories, he could now effortlessly display the proud demeanor unique to a Gojo family heir, feeling as though this was how he ought to be.
No wonder everyone yearns for strength… the feeling of looking down on others is truly exhilarating.
Gojo Satoru put on his clothes and looked in the mirror. His delicate, porcelain-like face was fair and tender, almost glowing. Indeed, good-looking people could pull off anything. The black turtleneck made him even more striking. Even the hardworking boy looked decent, though admittedly a bit less impressive than him.
He had to admit… he had been a little narcissistic since childhood.
After quickly washing up, he followed the main group to the training ground. Everyone lined up neatly. After Instructor Tequila blew his whistle, they began pairing up to spar bare-handed.
Except for the annual "elimination round" or regular class demonstrations, where weapons were allowed, for now, they could only fight with fists and feet.
Gojo Satoru watched from the sidelines. He saw solid blows exchanged; even though it was just practice, no one held back. One boy was punched so hard he lost a few teeth. After spitting out blood, he retaliated, forcing his opponent to vomit.
"Shack against Christopher. Shack wins."
As the recorder's voice announced the result, Shack limped forward to claim his prize—a bag of soft, delicious blueberry bread. The children's daily meals were far from gourmet, only providing basic nutrition; a proper assassin had to learn to endure harsh conditions.
Gojo Satoru looked at the bread but was thinking about chocolate, ice cream, and other sweets. The craving made him lick his lips, his mind blank.
Just then, he unexpectedly heard his name.
"Gojo Satoru versus Kurosawa Jin. Step forward."
The two teenagers walked to opposite sides—one with white hair, one with golden hair—and the atmosphere tensed immediately. Seeing the lazy-looking Gojo, seemingly out of it, Kurosawa Jin let out a cold laugh.
Gojo Satoru read a sentence in his eyes: "I will beat you into a cripple."
Tequila, standing nearby, said, "Gojo Satoru, though you're new, I believe in your strength. Therefore, I've assigned the camp's chief as your opponent… Be careful, stop once you've made your point."
The whistle blew.
Gojo Satoru saw a calm resolve in Kurosawa Jin's green eyes, but his body radiated a chilling, murderous intent. To the spectators, the outcome seemed predetermined. Compared to an assassin, the refined white-haired boy looked more like a noble young master—dignified but seemingly defenseless.
They whispered among themselves:
"Last time I saw Kurosawa like that… he broke Yamada's leg.""That white-haired kid is finished… He's so arrogant, he should've been taught a lesson long ago.""Not necessarily… Have you forgotten what happened yesterday?""So what? That's Kurosawa.""Kurosawa! Beat him good!"
Kurosawa Jin exploded instantly, his fist cutting fiercely toward Gojo Satoru's chest, accompanied by a whooshing sound. Gojo Satoru calmly dodged and attempted the same trick, kicking his opponent away.
However, Kurosawa Jin reacted in time, dodging and continuing his relentless assault, each punch sharper than the last, aiming at Gojo Satoru's vital points.
His attacks were razor-sharp. Gojo Satoru, in contrast, repeatedly dodged without shifting his center of gravity.
"Coward, all you can do is dodge?" sneered Kurosawa Jin, trying to find a weakness. But his heart began to waver.
This kid… I can't hit him at all!
Bored, Gojo Satoru sighed, "Forget it. I'm done playing with you."
"What?"
Before Kurosawa Jin could react, the white-haired boy appeared behind him like a ghost, springing forward with lightning speed. Pivoting lightly on his left foot, stepping forward with his right, he bent his left arm, gripped Jin's wrist, and executed a flawless over-the-shoulder throw.
"Too slow."
Kurosawa Jin crashed heavily to the ground, suppressed by exaggerated force, dust rising around him. For a moment, there was silence. Even Tequila hadn't clearly seen the move, rubbing his eyes in astonishment at the formidable youth.
Kurosawa Jin was still in shock. One strike—and he lost. To this arrogant kid.
How could it be? Since arriving on the island, he had never been defeated. Everyone kept their distance in fear. And now… he lost so easily.
Suddenly, he remembered what Gojo had told Vermouth: "Because I am the strongest."
So… he wasn't lying.
[Ding! Impression value from character Kurosawa Jin increased by 500 points.]
Gojo Satoru slowly released him. Kurosawa Jin froze, stood up, brushed off the dust, and looked up at him. He should have expected the intent to seriously injure him, yet Gojo Satoru had only thrown him to the ground without a scratch. Jin, whose worldview was not fully formed, felt his pride slightly bruised.
But Gojo's nonchalant dominance in plain sight was infuriating.
"Tsk… You win."
Kurosawa Jin muttered, signaling the recorder to announce the result. Gojo Satoru received a bag of blueberry bread, tasted it, and found it sweet and delicious, even with jam. His naturally sugar-craving taste buds were satisfied, putting him in a good mood.
About half an hour later, exercises ended. Some went for treatment, others practiced with firearms. Some worked desperately, while others, realizing that another absurdly strong freak besides Kurosawa Jin existed, despaired at ever earning a codename and gave up.
Gojo Satoru didn't care what others thought. His 'Gojo' side was only interested in strength.
Though Kurosawa Jin could not last more than a few rounds against him, Gojo Satoru acknowledged that for his age, Jin was indeed strong. As for himself… the Six Eyes were too abnormal, almost like a cheat code.
"Hey, want some?"
Gojo Satoru held out a piece of nut bread to Kurosawa Jin, who was about to resume training. The golden-haired boy, expressionless, didn't understand what the annoying kid was doing and ignored him.
"Actually, your hand is injured, isn't it? The one I grabbed. I saw it yesterday, bandaged."
"…So what? A loss is a loss. Next time, I'll make you beg for mercy," Kurosawa Jin spat, snorting through his nose as he tried to push Gojo away.
"Well, you're still far from me, but not bad."
Jin paused, trying to figure out if that was an insult or compliment.
"You…"
Then, a piece of bread was shoved into his mouth. The sweet-and-sour blueberry flavor danced across his taste buds. Jin was forced to eat half, then spat it out.
"Do you want to die?!" the golden-haired boy shouted. "I don't like sweets!"
"Huh? Then what do you like?" Gojo Satoru asked, cocky, with bread in his mouth. "Are there people in the world who don't eat sweets? I don't believe it."
"I… why should I tell you?"
Kurosawa Jin, enraged and embarrassed, looked a little childish, but his words were violent: "You wait, I'll kill you sooner or later."
"Sooner or later? In your next life?"
Gojo Satoru watched his expression change, as if hearing the dreamlike sound of impression points stacking, feeling inexplicably joyful, wearing the mischievous smile of a young cat.
"Don't be stubborn. Sweets are delicious, aren't they?"
Kurosawa Jin brushed past him.
"Hey—I only offered you a bite because you're not bad. Don't be ungrateful, okay?"
"I said—"
"Shut up!" Jin cursed. "I'm going to train. Don't bother me."
Those clear blue eyes blinked in confusion.
"What's there to train for? You can't beat me anyway."
Kurosawa Jin remembered he was connected to the boss and couldn't fight him. He endured the humiliation in silence, secretly plotting to tear Gojo's mouth apart one day.
"…Why are you following me?"
"To see how cannon fodder trains—Ouch!"
Finally, Kurosawa Jin lost patience and scuffled with Gojo Satoru.
According to Gin's later recollections, he ended up with a bruised face, and Gojo Satoru also took several punches and kicks. On closer inspection, Gojo had definitely held back, though he hadn't realized it at the time.
Having missed dinner, they shared the remaining bread, gloating over each other's injuries, before returning to their shared dorm.
"Hey, annoying white-haired kid.""Huh? What's the blond hooligan saying?""…How did you do that over-the-shoulder throw?"
Gin didn't really like sweets. However… the blueberry jam in his memory wasn't bad.