In fact, Minamoto Habu did not have any particular views on smoking, as he neither thought smoking was cool nor found it detestable.
However, as far as he knew, people smoked for only three reasons: one was thinking it looked cool, one was to fit in, and the other was due to feeling vexed or troubled.
In Shoko’s case, it certainly was not for the first two reasons, so it could only be the third.
As someone who considered himself a very qualified teacher, Minamoto Habu would not meddle in others’ affairs under the condition that smoking did not affect her physical body.
The reason he wanted to ask was simply that he wanted to know why Shoko Ieiri smoked.
Hearing his question, Shoko Ieiri froze for a moment. It seemed like, she had never been asked this before.
People who knew she smoked either thought she was unconventional and a delinquent, or would tell her not to smoke because it was bad for her health, or like her two classmates, did not care at all.
But no one had ever asked her why she smoked or whether she had any troubles.
“I just, because I was too busy, so I needed to smoke to refresh myself.”
Before Shoko could finish, Minamoto Habu interrupted, “Tea or coffee can both achieve that purpose.”
Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto also looked at Shoko with equal curiosity, “That is right, Ieiri, why did you start smoking in the first place?”
Starting to smoke at the very beginning, that was probably one or two years ago. What happened back then?
“It should be when I truly started treating sorcerers on a large scale,” Shoko answered.
She did not start treating sorcerers with the Reverse Cursed Technique only after enrolling in school. Ever since being discovered by the jujutsu world, she had been undergoing training, and then became a real doctor two years ago, although without a medical license.
Sorcerers were truly very few, while cursed spirits were many, so getting injured was a daily occurrence. Shoko had to treat a large number of sorcerers every day, among whom missing arms, broken legs, or being on the verge of death were not uncommon.
Then, without realizing when it began, by the time she snapped back to reality, she was already inseparable from cigarettes and alcohol.
Speaking of which, this period of time at jujutsu high was actually a rare moment of ease for her.
Although she still had to treat sorcerers, because most sorcerers could not freely enter and exit jujutsu high, her workload had decreased quite a lot.
Although her classmates often gave her a headache, they were all pure and sincere at heart, completely different from those profit-driven fellows she had interacted with before. The teacher, as well as the senior students, all genuinely cared for her without any need for intrigue.
In such an environment, even those cigarettes had been brought in over a month ago. Running out only after more than a month was already a miracle.
Minamoto Habu had just arrived at Jujutsu High, so he did not really understand Shoko’s past experiences. However, he had seen enough, and with a little thought, he could easily figure out what was going on.
Just like Akiko Yosano’s experiences in the army, although Shoko might not have had it as miserable as the former, being busy was a certainty.
With a healer who could quickly restore someone to perfection, who would be willing to undergo slow recovery treatments?
The reason Shoko Ieiri smoked was firstly because she was very busy, and secondly probably because she had seen too many of those severed limbs and broken arms.
Forcing a minor to do so much, this jujutsu world was indeed rotten beyond cure.
Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto actually knew somewhat about Shoko’s situation, but there was no choice, as the current jujutsu world was indeed short of hands.
“If those rotten oranges come again next time, Shoko, you just come find me directly!” Satoru Gojo snorted coldly. Most of the people Shoko treated before were indeed people injured from exorcising cursed spirits.
However now, those who could freely enter and leave jujutsu high were mostly those rotten oranges. Most of them merely had sore waists or backaches, yet they still wanted to occupy precious medical resources.
He had not stepped in before only because Satoru Gojo was not sure what Shoko thought. After all, they had only known each other for a month, and unlike Suguru, who was a boy, she did not become familiar with him very quickly.
Looking at it now, however, Shoko was probably troubled by it as well, right?
Suguru Geto also said thoughtfully, “If you feel stressed, you can talk to us. Talking about this kind of psychological pressure should make you feel much better. Do you listen to music? I have collected a few songs that are very good at relieving stress, which I can share with you. If you are tired, you can also ask Teacher Yaga for help, he will definitely help you.”
Shoko could not explain what kind of feeling she had right now. She had not expected her two classmates to care so much about her after learning about her stress.
She had originally thought her two foolish classmates were the standard careless boys who, despite being very strong, could not hide their carelessness and childishness. Looking at it now, however, it seemed that was not the case.
They really were good kids.
Minamoto Habu pressed his eyebrows, feeling that things might become troublesome for him.
He had actually always known that the reason he was sent to Jujutsu High, aside from Dazai Osamu’s scheme, was also largely due to the effort put in by the Special Division for Unusual Powers.
At first, Minamoto Habu only thought Dazai had promised them something, which was why the Special Division for Unusual Powers helped. But looking at it now, it seemed to be more than just that.
It seemed he needed to find some time to go to the Armed Detective Agency and ask Dazai Osamu.
Arriving at Ginza, just as Suguru Geto had said, Satoru Gojo directly pulled everyone and rushed toward the dessert shop.
The dessert shop he wanted to go to was a very famous shop, with a very long line waiting outside. Satoru Gojo said triumphantly, “The Kikufuku from this shop is particularly delicious, but it is limited in quantity. If you guys do not eat it, you can just buy them for me.”
“Do not even think about it,” Suguru Geto refused without hesitation. No matter what, he had also lined up for a long time, so how could he let Satoru Gojo take advantage of him?
Minamoto Habu walked over to line up, and hearing this, casually asked, “Does Student Gojo like sweets very much?”
Just as Suguru Geto was about to answer something, he was suddenly bumped by Satoru Gojo. Turning his head, he saw his best friend making eyes at him.
Before he could react, Suguru Geto saw Satoru Gojo take out a small packaged Kikufuku from his pocket.
He showed an expression of realization, as it seemed Satoru Gojo’s plan to prank Teacher Habu was not over yet.
Suguru Geto looked at Minamoto Habu with hesitation, but in the end, he chose to remain silent. He also kind of wanted to see the always unruffled Minamoto Habu lose his composure.
The boys thought they were being very covert, but in the eyes of adults, it was actually as obvious as a hedgehog swaggering across the road.
Having not felt this kind of playfulness from student days for a long time, Minamoto Habu decided to see what they were up to.
Satoru Gojo smilingly put the Kikufuku into Minamoto Habu’s hand, “That is right, does Teacher want to try it? It tastes very good.”
It seemed there was something wrong with this Kikufuku. Minamoto Habu revealed an understanding look, but still took the Kikufuku, opened it under the expectant gazes of the other three, and put it into his mouth.
Satoru Gojo and the other two watched eagerly as Minamoto Habu calmly ate the entire Kikufuku, without even frowning once.
“How is that possible?” Suguru Geto asked in surprise, “Could it be that Teacher Habu is also an extreme sweet lover?”
“Is there something wrong with your sense of taste, Teacher?” Shoko asked sincerely. She had also eaten Satoru Gojo’s Kikufuku before, and the taste, could be described as overwhelming.
Satoru Gojo also had a shocked expression. He knew clearly how sweet the things he ate were. This Kikufuku was specially customized by him, with three times as much sugar added. When he tricked Shoko Ieiri and Suguru Geto into eating it before, neither of them could handle it.
Minamoto Habu immediately understood that this Kikufuku should be extremely sweet, no wonder Satoru Gojo gave it to him to eat. To be honest, his mouth indeed felt a bit dry right now, in a very literal sense.
He simply answered Shoko’s question, “I am not easily bothered by tastes.”
“Huh? Then do you not have any favorite flavors either?” Satoru Gojo shouted exaggeratedly, “Then would that not be way too boring!”
“To be able to accept a Kikufuku with this level of sweetness, this is no longer just simply not being bothered by tastes, right?” Shoko said admiringly.
Among the three kids, only Suguru Geto pursed his lips slightly, suddenly revealing a complicated and obscure expression, “Is it, so?”
No one noticed his change, except Minamoto Habu. Minamoto Habu looked at Suguru Geto thoughtfully, without asking him.
Although he did not know what secret the kid Suguru Geto was hiding, Minamoto Habu had no intention of prying into other people’s privacy.
Nor did he have such kindness, probably?
“By the way, so is Student Gojo an extreme sweet lover?” Minamoto Habu asked.
Just when everyone thought Satoru Gojo would nod, Satoru Gojo surprisingly shook his head, “Actually not really, it is just that Six Eyes consumes a huge amount of energy every moment. And sugar can better replenish this energy, so eating sugar makes me feel a bit more comfortable. Speaking of it this way, it can also be considered that I like eating sugar.”
“Is it actually like that?” Suguru Geto and Shoko showed surprised expressions, as they had always thought Satoru Gojo simply liked eating sugar, not expecting there was such a reason.
Satoru Gojo pulled down a corner of his sunglasses and winked at the three of them, “So the Kikufuku bought later will all belong to me, alright!”
Suguru Geto and Shoko exchanged a helpless glance, smiling as they nodded. Since neither of them was a sweet lover anyway, if eating sugar could make Satoru Gojo feel more comfortable, then letting him have it did not matter.
“Habu? Why are you not talking?” Noticing Minamoto Habu who seemed to be zoning out, Satoru Gojo asked in confusion.
He certainly would not think Minamoto Habu did not want to give him the sweets, after all, the other party had just said he was not sensitive to taste. Moreover, Minamoto Habu did not look like a stingy person either.
Zoning out suddenly seemed more like he had thought of something.
Minamoto Habu snapped back to reality and let out a light sigh, “No problem, what you like to eat is Kikufuku, right?”
“That is right!”
“Speaking of which, I previously thought Student Gojo wore sunglasses to cover eyes that attract too much attention, just like me. Now looking at it, it seems that is not the case?” Minamoto Habu asked.
“How could that be?” Satoru Gojo sneered, “It is because sunglasses can slightly block the information transmitted from the outside world, making me feel a bit better.”
Suguru Geto was truly worthy of being Satoru Gojo’s best friend, understanding him very well, “No wonder, if it were not uncomfortable, Satoru would probably wish everyone could see your eyes, right?”
Satoru Gojo was clearly quite proud of this, “Of course, even in terms of looks, I am going to be the strongest!”
Hearing this, Minamoto Habu felt it somewhat funny for the first time in a long while.
“You really carry chunibyo through every moment.”
Finally it was their turn. Minamoto Habu stood at the very front, showing that the four of them were together, and then bought four portions of Kikufuku. Next, he looked toward Suguru Geto and the others, asking, “Is there any other dessert you want to eat?”
“Anything that is not too sweet is fine.” Suguru Geto and Shoko gave a unified answer, as their tastes were quite similar.
Hearing this, Minamoto Habu nodded, ordering two more portions of matcha biscuits and coffee bean cookies.
Seeing him finish ordering, Satoru Gojo prepared to take out money to pay.
However, Minamoto Habu had already paid naturally, carrying the bags and turning around to smile at them, “Let us go, where do you want to go next?”
Before the three could speak, suddenly, a black-haired little girl with a ponytail walked over holding a red wooden box, her mouth bulging as she chewed on something, saying in a baby voice, “Big brother, someone asked me to give this to you!”
Minamoto Habu said gently, “Then can little friend help me throw this box away?”
Hearing this, all three of Satoru Gojo looked at Minamoto Habu in astonishment.
The little girl looked at the box in her arms with some reluctance, then obediently nodded. Though puzzled, she still intended to throw the box away.
“Wait!” Minamoto Habu suddenly thought of something, “What is in your mouth?”
“It is the candy given to me by that masked big brother!” The little girl said joyfully, “Big brother said if I deliver the item successfully, I can go to the small shop over there to claim another piece of candy. If not successful, there will be no second piece of candy.”
“…Give the box to me.” Minamoto Habu changed his mind, squatting down to look directly at the little girl, speaking warmly but seriously, “Go claim your candy, and make sure to eat it quickly. But remember, do not eat things given by strangers next time!”
“I got it!” The little girl’s face flushed slightly, and she nodded vigorously. Handing the box to Minamoto Habu, she ran away quickly.
Minamoto Habu sighed and opened the red box.
Inside was surprisingly a black joker card.