Not far away.
The man who had stepped out of the black sedan was walking over with a brisk, lighthearted stride.
His snow-white hair was almost blinding under the sunlight.
Satoru Gojo.
The Strongest Jujutsu Sorcerer of the modern era.
If Ryomen Sukuna was a volatile, active volcano ready to erupt and destroy everything at a moment's notice...
Then Satoru Gojo was the deep, endless sky.
Seemingly calm, encompassing all things.
But his mere presence was an insurmountable "Rule" in itself.
"Yo! Ijichi."
Gojo's voice was clear, carrying a hint of cheerfulness.
He waved at the Assistant Director, who was shivering beside the car.
"Why the long face?"
Kiyotaka Ijichi's face was pale as a sheet. He pointed a trembling finger at the collapsed detention center ahead.
"Mr. Gojo... the students... are still inside..."
"Huh?"
Gojo stopped.
He pulled down a corner of his blindfold, revealing a single Sky Eye that shone like a brilliant sapphire.
That eye swept over the ruins.
Then.
His gaze pierced through dozens of yards of distance, locking precisely onto Lynn, who was standing in the shade of a tree.
"Huh?"
Gojo made a sound of puzzled curiosity.
The next second.
Lynn's vision blurred.
A gust of wind hit him in the face.
The man who had been dozens of yards away was instantly standing right in front of him.
Too fast.
Fast enough that the retina couldn't even catch the afterimage.
"Who are you?"
Gojo leaned down, bringing that absurdly exquisite face right up to Lynn's.
Although separated by the blindfold, Lynn could clearly feel that every secret in his body was being scanned by the "Six Eyes."
The corner of Gojo's mouth hooked into a playful arc.
"So weird."
"You're clearly a normal person, yet you have the power of 'Rules' on you."
"And..."
Gojo leaned in close to Lynn's collar and sniffed.
"You reek of that guy, Sukuna."
"It's thick."
Lynn's heart skipped a beat.
Is this the pressure of the Strongest?
Forcibly suppressing the instinct to back away, he raised his hand and pushed up the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose.
"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Gojo."
Lynn's voice was steady.
At least, it sounded steady.
"I am a businessman."
"My name is Lynn. I run a small shop capable of solving any trouble."
"A businessman?"
Gojo straightened up, shoving his hands in his pockets and tilting his head to size him up.
"So, the commotion inside just now... was that you?"
"Where are my students?"
Although his tone remained light, the temperature in the surrounding air instantly dropped to freezing point.
Lynn knew.
If there was even a single word wrong in his next answer, this man would snap his neck without hesitation.
"They're 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 bewildered Yuji Itadori.
"Look. All present and accounted for."
"Aside from the girl having a mild concussion, the Fushiguro kid breaking a few ribs, and Itadori getting a bit of a fright..."
"Everyone is still alive."
Gojo turned to look.
When he saw Yuji Itadori jumping around and waving, his eyebrow twitched slightly under the blindfold.
Gojo rubbed his chin and looked back at Lynn.
"You did that?"
"You saved them?"
"I wouldn't call it 'saving'."
Lynn pulled a plain business card from his pocket and presented it with both hands.
"Just a transaction."
"Student Megumi Fushiguro paid the corresponding price to purchase my 'Rescue Service'."
"After all, I have to eat too."
Gojo took the black business card.
There was only a strange symbol of a scale on it. No contact information, no address.
"Exchange No. 8..."
Gojo muttered the name.
Suddenly.
Without any warning, he reached out, grabbing for Lynn's shoulder.
"Since you're in the business of selling things, I want to buy something too."
"How about you sell me that finger you've got tucked in your chest pocket?"
Lynn's pupils constricted.
He knew.
Of course. To the Six Eyes, that finger of Sukuna, wrapped layer upon layer in a handkerchief, was as conspicuous as a lightbulb in the dark night.
And Gojo's hand didn't stop.
Although it looked casual, that palm was coated in suffocating Cursed Energy.
It felt like if it touched him, Lynn would be instantly crushed into paste.
Lynn's heart pounded violently against his ribs.
But he stood his ground. He didn't even make a move to dodge.
Gojo's hand stopped.
Hovering three centimeters above Lynn's shoulder.
The wind from the motion messed up Lynn's bangs, but his feet remained planted.
"Oh?"
Gojo's palm hovered in mid-air, his eyes narrowing slightly under the blindfold.
"Not dodging?"
"Aren't you afraid I'll actually rob you and kill you in the process?"
Lynn pushed up his glasses.
This time, his smile held a genuine calmness.
"You're joking, Mr. Gojo."
"You are the 'Strongest' Jujutsu Sorcerer, not a roadside thug."
"Besides, if you kill me, you'll forever lose a partner capable of solving major headaches for you."
"That loss would be far greater than a single finger."
Gojo stared at Lynn for a few seconds.
The terrifying pressure vanished without a trace.
"Bwahahaha!"
Gojo pulled his hand back and laughed, patting Lynn on the shoulder.
This time, it was just a normal pat.
"You've got guts!"
"Weak as a chicken, but balls bigger than a Special Grade curse."
"I'm starting to get interested in this exchange of yours."
Lynn secretly let out a sigh of relief.
His back was soaked with sweat.
He won the bet.
"Since you're interested, shall we discuss another deal?"
Lynn struck while the iron was hot.
"A deal?"
Gojo put his hands back 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 at the three students in the distance.
"Mr. Gojo, you may be the Strongest."
"But you can't guard these kids every second of every day, can you?"
"Just 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, you would have only found three corpses."
The smile vanished from Gojo's face.
Only for a split second.
But that suffocating, terrifying aura made Lynn feel like he was standing naked in a blizzard.
This was Gojo's trigger.
He wanted to foster new allies, to change the Jujutsu world. His greatest fear was these young seedlings being cut down before they could grow.
"Go on."
Gojo spoke two words, his tone flat.
Lynn knew the fish had taken the hook.
"I am a neutral merchant."
"I don't belong to the Higher-Ups, nor do I belong to any curse user group."
"I only recognize money. I recognize the price paid."
Lynn spread his arms, as if demonstrating his sincerity.
"I can set up shop at Jujutsu High."
"As an external... let's say, 'Logistics Consultant'."
"I can provide your students with special commodities."
"Like life-saving tools, intelligence to increase their strength, or even..."
Lynn lowered his voice, casting his biggest lure:
"A solution on how to thoroughly resolve the 'Sukuna Vessel' problem."
Gojo fell silent.
Although his eyes were covered, Lynn could feel the gaze pinning him down.
He was weighing the options.
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 accept!"
Gojo suddenly grinned, slinging an arm around Lynn's shoulder.
"Logistics Consultant, was it? No problem!"
"The old man at the school store just retired anyway. That spot is yours!"
Lynn: "..."
"However."
Gojo leaned into Lynn's ear, his tone becoming low and dangerous.
"If you dare do anything to harm my students..."
"I'll blast you, along with your shop, into dust."
Lynn smiled and nodded.
"Of course."
"Integrity is a merchant's bottom line."
Yeah, right.
As long as the profit is high enough, the bottom line can be adjusted at any time.
"Then it's settled!"
Gojo released Lynn and turned to walk toward his three students.
"Hey—! Yuji! Megumi! Nobara!"
"Sensei is here to pick you up! Did you miss me?"
"Oh, and let me introduce you!"
Gojo pointed a thumb back at Lynn.
"This is the new owner of the school store!"
"If you want to buy snacks or... uh, protective charms or whatever in the future, you can go to him!"
Yuji Itadori was still confused.
"Eh? That shady uncle?"
Megumi Fushiguro's face went dark.
He had a premonition.
His life at Jujutsu High was about to become very... expensive.
Lynn stood where he was, watching the scene.
The setting sun cast his shadow long against the ground.
[Ding! Acquired Jujutsu High Residency Rights.]
[Unlocked New Feature: Shop Materialization (Selectable within Jujutsu High grounds).]
Lynn touched the finger in his pocket.
Looking at the number on the system interface that was still holding strong, the corners of his mouth finally curled up.
"A school store, huh?"
"That works."
He was already browsing the System Store in his mind, thinking about what stock he should bring in with this massive sum.
"After all, students in a school..."
"Are the highest quality marks, most prone to impulse spending."