Chapter 150
Ikebukuro, Tokyo.
Inside a private room at an expensive-looking restaurant, Kiriya was eating as if he had not seen food in years.
Fried chicken, mapo tofu, pork in garlic sauce—dish after dish arrived at the table, only to be emptied almost immediately.
The servers were struggling to bring food in faster than he could finish it.
"Is this really necessary?" Maki stared at him in disbelief. "How many lifetimes has he been starving for? Did he grow up feral in the mountains or something?"
Kiriya nearly cried when he heard that.
Was it necessary?
Of course it was!
It had been more than half a year since he had eaten modern food!
He had plenty of money now, and he could visit any famous restaurant in Orario whenever he pleased, but the food there was completely different.
The Naruto world had not been much better.
Konoha had plenty of good places to eat, including the famous Ichiraku Ramen, but Kiriya had spent most of his time fighting on the front lines, gathering experience, or studying ninjutsu.
He had eaten more soldier pills than proper meals!
And their flavor was something he would rather forget.
A little roasted game had counted as a feast back then, and even that had usually been rushed and poorly prepared.
For someone who had grown up surrounded by modern food, it had been miserable!
He had simply been too focused on becoming stronger to dwell on it. As long as he kept his distance from anything familiar, he could pretend he did not miss it.
But now that food resembling the flavors of home was sitting right in front of him, restraint had become impossible.
So he ate without holding back.
Fortunately, his upgraded body could handle it. An ordinary person would probably have eaten themselves into the hospital by now.
Panda leaned closer to Maki and lowered his voice.
"Hey, Maki... do you actually have enough money for all this? This place isn’t cheap."
"Of course I don’t. I’m a student. Where would I get that kind of money?"
Maki answered as though it were obvious.
"The idiot teacher is paying."
Panda stared at her.
"So that was your plan?"
"What else would it be?" Maki rolled her eyes. "If he wants to recruit someone, the least he can do is buy him a meal. Besides, that idiot is loaded! Even if Kiriya eats the building itself, he can afford it."
"Hahaha! Exactly!"
A cheerful laugh came from the doorway.
Gojo Satoru walked into the room and looked toward Kiriya, who was still locked in battle with a roast chicken.
"Eat as much as you like. I’m paying for everything."
He approached the table and held out a hand.
"Nice to meet you. I’m Gojo Satoru."
Kiriya swallowed the meat in his mouth, then offered his own grease-covered hand.
"I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Senju Kiriya. Nice to meet you."
Gojo shook it without the slightest hesitation.
The contact confirmed what Maki had told him.
There was no cursed energy in Kiriya at all.
But Gojo could sense another kind of power inside him—vast, dense, and every bit as substantial as cursed energy.
The amount alone rivaled what many Grade 1 sorcerers possessed.
’Monstrous physical ability, and that much unknown energy on top of it.’
Gojo’s smile did not change as he sat down.
’This kid is interesting.’
"Need anything else?" he asked. "We can order more."
"No, I’m good."
Kiriya shook his head.
"I’m almost done."
"Great! Then let’s get straight to it!"
Gojo wasted no time.
"I heard you’re interested in joining Tokyo Jujutsu High."
"To work with you," Kiriya corrected. "You provide information, and I exorcise curses. Beyond that, I don’t want anyone interfering with my life."
"That’s all?"
"That’s all."
Gojo nodded slowly.
"That should be easy enough. A curse needs to be exorcised either way, so it doesn’t matter much who does it."
Then he leaned forward slightly.
"But I am curious. Why are you so determined to hunt cursed spirits?"
"To get stronger."
Kiriya’s answer was immediate and completely certain.
Maki’s eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at him.
That answer, at least, she understood perfectly.
"I see. So you’re using them to sharpen your abilities."
Gojo sounded impressed.
"You’re already this capable at your age, and you have that kind of drive too. Give it a few years and you’ll become someone extraordinary."
"Haha, you’re giving me too much credit."
Kiriya waved it off, but his guard quietly rose.
Gojo did not strike him as the sort of person who handed out sincere compliments for no reason.
Sure enough, the real question came a second later.
"So, Kiriya... what do you think of the current jujutsu world?"
Kiriya stared at him.
What was he supposed to think?
Preferably nothing.
He did not even belong to this world. Why would he waste energy worrying about its politics?
Seeing the hopeful look on Gojo’s face, Kiriya crossed his arms into a large X.
"Stop right there."
"I know almost nothing about the jujutsu world, and I have no interest in learning about it. My goal has always been simple: exorcise curses and become stronger."
"As for whatever dirty politics sorcerers get involved in, leave me out of it."
Gojo did not look offended by the blunt rejection.
Instead, a knowing smile appeared on his face.
’You’re still young.’
Kiriya might want nothing to do with the jujutsu world, but he had already stepped into it.
Once the higher-ups learned what he could do, there was no chance they would simply leave him alone.
Still, there was no point warning him now. Some lessons worked better when experienced firsthand.
"All right, we’ll change the subject."
Gojo pointed toward Maki and Panda.
"I’ll make sure you get plenty of information on curses. In return, how about helping me train these two hopeless students?"
"You wouldn’t need to do much. Just give them a few pointers during regular training."
Maki and Panda both froze, then turned to Kiriya.
"No."
Kiriya rejected the idea instantly.
"That sounds annoying."
The open disgust in his voice made both students clench their fists.
They really wanted to punch him!
"Hold on. There’s something in it for you."
Gojo leaned closer and lowered his voice as though offering a secret deal.
"One confirmed Grade 1 curse."
Kiriya raised his hand.
"Five."
"That’s greedy! Two at most."
"Deal."
Kiriya accepted immediately.
Gojo went silent.
He had the distinct feeling that he had just been outplayed.