Not far away.
The man who had just stepped out of the black sedan was approaching with light, brisk steps.
His snow-white hair was somewhat dazzling under the sunlight.
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, vast sky.
Seemingly calm, embracing all things.
But as long as he stood there, his very existence was an insurmountable "rule."
"Yo! Ijichi."
Gojo Satoru's voice was clear, even carrying a hint of cheerfulness.
He waved at the trembling Assistant Supervisor beside him.
"Why the long face?"
Ijichi Kiyotaka's face was deathly pale as he pointed at the collapsed Juvenile Detention Center ahead, his voice shaking:
"Mr. Gojo... the students... are still inside..."
"Ah?"
Gojo Satoru stopped in his tracks.
He pulled down a corner of his blindfold, revealing a single eye as brilliant as a sapphire—the Eye of the Heavens.
That eye swept over the ruins.
Then,
his gaze pierced through dozens of meters, accurately locking onto Lynn, who was standing under the shade of a tree.
"Eh?"
Gojo Satoru let out a puzzled hum.
The next second,
Lynn only saw a blur before his eyes.
A gust of wind rushed toward him.
The man who had been dozens of meters away just a moment ago instantly appeared right in front of him.
He was too fast.
So fast that even the retina didn't have time to capture an afterimage.
"Who are you?"
Gojo Satoru leaned down, his impossibly exquisite face moving close to Lynn's.
Despite the blindfold, Lynn could clearly feel that all his secrets were being scanned by those "Six Eyes."
The corner of Gojo Satoru's mouth curled into a playful arc.
"How strange."
"Clearly an ordinary person, yet you possess the power of a rule."
"And..."
Gojo Satoru leaned in and sniffed near Lynn's collar.
"You have that Sukuna guy's scent on you."
"It's very strong."
Lynn's heart skipped a beat.
Is this what the strongest is like?
Forcibly suppressing the instinct to retreat,
he raised his hand and adjusted the gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Gojo Satoru."
Lynn's voice was steady.
At least, it sounded steady.
"I am a merchant."
"My name is Lynn, and I run a small shop that can solve any trouble."
"A merchant?"
Gojo Satoru straightened up, hands in his pockets, tilting his head as he sized him up.
"So, the commotion inside just now was your doing?"
"Where are my students?"
Though his tone was still light, the temperature in the surrounding air instantly dropped to freezing point.
Lynn knew.
If a single word of his next answer was wrong, this man would snap his neck without hesitation.
"They are safe."
Lynn pointed to the exit of the ruins behind him.
There, Megumi Fushiguro was supporting an unconscious Nobara Kugisaki as they walked out, followed by a dazed Yuji Itadori.
"See, all in one piece."
"Aside from that girl having a bit of a concussion, the Fushiguro boy having a few broken ribs, and Itadori being a little shaken up,"
"everyone is still alive."
Gojo Satoru turned to look.
When he saw Yuji Itadori waving energetically, his eyebrows under the blindfold twitched slightly.
Gojo Satoru rubbed his chin and looked back at Lynn.
"You did this?"
"You saved them?"
"I wouldn't call it saving."
Lynn pulled out a plain business card from his breast pocket and handed it over with both hands.
"It was just a transaction."
"Megumi Fushiguro paid the corresponding price to purchase my 'rescue service'."
"After all, I have to make a living too."
Gojo Satoru took the black business card.
On it was only a strange balance scale symbol, with no contact information or address.
"Exchange No. 8..."
Gojo Satoru muttered those words.
Suddenly,
without warning, he reached out and grabbed toward Lynn'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 pocket?"
Lynn's pupils contracted sharply.
He'd been found out.
As expected, in front of the Six Eyes, Sukuna's Finger, even wrapped in layers of handkerchief, was as conspicuous as a lightbulb in the dark.
Moreover, Gojo Satoru's hand didn't stop.
Though it seemed casual, that palm was covered in suffocating Cursed Energy.
It felt as if the moment it touched him, it could instantly crush Lynn into mincemeat.
Lynn's heart pounded violently.
But he just stood his ground, not even making a move to dodge.
Gojo Satoru's hand stopped.
It hovered three centimeters above Lynn's shoulder.
The strong wind ruffled Lynn's bangs, but he didn't budge an inch.
"Oh?"
Gojo Satoru's palm remained suspended in mid-air, and his eyes under the blindfold narrowed slightly.
"Not dodging?"
"Aren't you afraid I'll actually snatch the item and kill you while I'm at it?"
Lynn adjusted his glasses.
This time, his smile held a bit more sincere composure.
"Mr. Gojo must be joking."
"You are the 'strongest' Jujutsu Sorcerer, not a common bandit."
"Besides, if you kill me, you'll forever lose a partner who can help you solve major troubles."
"That loss would be far greater than a single finger."
Gojo Satoru stared at Lynn for a few seconds.
That terrifying pressure suddenly vanished without a trace.
"Hahahaha!"
Gojo Satoru withdrew his hand and laughed loudly, patting Lynn on the shoulder.
This time, it was just a normal pat.
"You've got guts!"
"You're weak as a chicken, yet you're bolder than a Special Grade Cursed Spirit."
"I'm starting to get interested in this Exchange of yours."
Lynn secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
His back was already soaked with sweat.
He had won the gamble.
"Since you're interested, shall we discuss another piece of business?"
Lynn struck while the iron was hot.
"Business?"
Gojo Satoru put his hands in his pockets. "You want to do business with me? Do you know if I have money?"
"No, I don't want money."
Lynn shook his head.
He pointed to the three students not far away.
"Mr. Gojo, although you are the strongest,"
"you can't guard these children every second of every day, can you?"
"Like today."
"If I hadn't happened to pass by, if Megumi Fushiguro hadn't happened to walk into my shop,"
"no matter how strong you are, by the time you arrived, all you would have seen were three corpses."
The smile on Gojo Satoru's face vanished.
It was only for an instant,
but that suffocating, terrifying aura made Lynn feel as if he were standing naked in a blizzard.
This was Gojo Satoru's sore spot.
He wanted to nurture new comrades and change the Jujutsu World; his greatest fear was these young sprouts being cut down prematurely.
"Go on."
Gojo Satoru spoke those two words flatly.
Lynn knew the fish had taken the bait.
"I am a neutral merchant."
"I don't belong to The Higher-Ups, nor do I belong to the Curse User groups."
"I only recognize money and price."
Lynn spread his arms as if demonstrating his sincerity.
"I can move into Jujutsu High."
"As an external... well, let's call it a 'logistics consultant'."
"I can provide your students with some special goods."
"For example, items that can save their lives, information that can boost their strength, or even..."
Lynn lowered his voice and threw out the biggest lure:
"A plan on how to completely resolve the 'Sukuna Vessel' issue."
Gojo Satoru fell silent.
Though his eyes were covered, Lynn could feel that gaze pinned firmly on him.
He was weighing it.
Weighing Lynn's danger against his value.
A man of unknown origin, with no Cursed Energy, yet able to trade with Sukuna and possessing strange rule-based abilities.
Keeping him close was a risk.
But if he could be utilized... "Alright! I agree!"
Gojo Satoru suddenly burst into laughter and threw an arm around Lynn's shoulder.
"logistics consultant, was it? No problem!"
"It just so happens the old man at the High School's convenience store retired. That spot is yours!"
Lynn: "..."
"However."
Gojo Satoru leaned into Lynn'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."
Lynn nodded with a smile.
"Of course."
"Integrity is a merchant's bottom line."
Yeah, right.
As long as the profit was high enough, a bottom line could be adjusted at any time.
"Then it's settled!"
Gojo Satoru let go of Lynn and turned toward the three students.
"Hey—Yuji! Megumi! Nobara!"
"Your teacher is here to pick you up! Did you miss me?"
"And also, let me introduce someone to you!"
Gojo Satoru pointed to Lynn behind him.
"This is the new convenience store owner!"
"In the future, if you want to buy snacks or... uh, life-saving charms or whatever, you can go to him!"
Yuji Itadori was still in a daze.
"Eh? That shrewd merchant uncle?"
Megumi Fushiguro's face darkened.
He had a premonition.
Life at Tokyo Jujutsu High from now on might become very... expensive.
Lynn stood there, watching this scene.
The afterglow of the setting sun spilled down, stretching his shadow very long.
[Ding! Obtained residency rights at Jujutsu High.]
[New function unlocked: Shop Materialization (Can select a site within the Jujutsu High area).]
Lynn touched the finger in his pocket.
Looking at the still-robust numbers on the system interface, the corners of his mouth finally couldn't help but curl upward.
"A convenience store?"
"That works too."
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 in school..."
"are the highest quality leeks, most prone to impulsive consumption."
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