The moment he saw the joker card, Minamoto Habu understood what was going on.
He decisively pinched the small king card in the box between two fingers and flicked it casually into the air. The card rotated and flew midair, then silently burst into a spray of fireworks.
As the fireworks exploded, a brilliant and eye-catching red rose pattern appeared before everyone’s eyes.
“What is going on here?” The brief spectacle in the sky was not noticed by other customers, but Gojo Satoru and the other two who had been paying attention to him saw it clearly.
Geto Suguru’s eyebrows knitted tightly. Was that card a bomb? If Minamoto Habu had not reacted in time, the bomb would probably have blown up right in their faces!
Gojo Satoru’s expression was also quite unpleasant. Although the Limitless would keep the bomb from hurting him, his Six Eyes should have been the first to notice that something was wrong with the card, yet he had missed it due to carelessness. If Minamoto Habu had not reacted quickly, the three of them would have been injured.
Only Ieiri Shoko remained calm, looking at Minamoto Habu, “Teacher, is the other party coming for you?”
Minamoto Habu nodded, and then added, “Just a small surprise from a friend.”
That guy had come to find him out of the blue, and he did not know what he wanted. It seemed he had to find time to ask him, though fortunately the other party used a mobile phone as well and was not some primitive person.
“A small surprise?” Geto Suguru had a complex expression, “This can already be called a scare, right?”
Gojo Satoru sneered, “Do you have some kind of misunderstanding about what a friend is?”
Minamoto Habu did not defend the other party, merely changing the subject, “It is almost dinner time, where shall we eat?”
“Let us eat dessert hot pot!” Gojo Satoru was surprisingly lighthearted, directly following Minamoto Habu’s topic.
Geto Suguru and Shoko exchanged glances, pressing down Gojo Satoru’s sticking-up head, “Hot pot is fine, dessert is not.”
Shoko held up a thumb, “I agree, dessert is a no-go.”
“Can you eat spicy food?” Minamoto Habu asked while taking out his phone to search for hot pot restaurants near Ginza.
“No.”
“A little bit.”
“I can eat very spicy food!”
The three of them managed to produce three completely different tastes.
Minamoto Habu nodded, brought them to a hot pot restaurant, and smoothly ordered a split pot. One side was clear broth, and the other side was a spicy hot pot. Along the way, he also ordered a small cheese pot for Gojo Satoru, barely satisfying his request.
Geto Suguru looked sideways at him, “Teacher, are you actually a Virgo?”
This kind of personality that had to cover all bases was way too perfectionist.
“No.” Minamoto Habu separated the plastic chopsticks and handed them to the three, shaking his head at the same time, “This is the care a mature adult should provide. Since it can be done, why not do it?”
“Tch!” Gojo Satoru sneered, “How old are you even right now?”
“Twenty-eight years old.” Minamoto Habu calmly pushed up his glasses, “An age where you can call me uncle.”
These three kids were only sixteen at most, so he was more than a full twelve years older than them.
“You are actually twenty-eight years old?!” Gojo Satoru’s eyes widened, and even Geto Suguru and Shoko looked over. In their eyes, Minamoto Habu was twenty-four years old at most.
Gojo Satoru activated his Six Eyes to observe closely, only then noticing that Minamoto Habu’s bone structure indeed seemed slightly older than twenty-four. It was just that because of his cold and aloof temperament, he gave off a relatively young impression, making them overlook his age.
Minamoto Habu smiled, “Mm, so can we eat properly now?”
Just at this moment, the dishes were all served, and several of them chatted while eating hot pot. It was mainly the three of Gojo Satoru chatting.
Now it had been barely a full year since school started, and there were too many cursed spirits to exorcise. Even though they spent day and night together, they did not have much time to understand each other deeply. A meal like this was actually a good opportunity for them to get to know one another.
During the meal, Shoko and Geto Suguru wanted to order a bottle of alcohol. Both of them could drink, especially Shoko, who was already practically a heavy drinker.
Minamoto Habu stopped them without mercy.
Shoko expressed her confusion, “Teacher, why can we not drink? Is it not a waste to eat hot pot without beer?”
“Minors are not allowed to smoke or drink,” Minamoto Habu answered, “Learn from Student Gojo, he is not clamoring for alcohol.”
Hearing Minamoto Habu actually take Gojo Satoru as an example, both of them showed expressions as if they had swallowed yellow lotus.
Moral values were declining day by day. Since when was it Gojo Satoru’s turn to be a role model and require them to learn from that guy?
Gojo Satoru, on the other hand, had a triumphant look, “That is right, both of you delinquents should learn from me!”
Geto Suguru laughed in anger, “Satoru, shall we spar a bit after going back?”
This time Ieiri Shoko stood by Geto Suguru, “Feel free to hit him, Geto, I will heal you.”
Watching them fool around, Minamoto Habu felt emotional that young people were really energetic while quickly and deftly snatching away the last few slices of fatty beef. As an older person, eating food was much more important than bickering.
After finishing the meal, Gojo Satoru wanted to pay, only to learn that Minamoto Habu had already paid.
He looked at Minamoto Habu, who was packing up the leftover dishes, “Hey, why did you pay by yourself again? Don’t tell me you don’t know my identity?”
It was the same with the desserts earlier, most of which were bought for him. Yet Minamoto Habu quietly paid out of his own pocket, looking completely without any intention of asking for reimbursement or claiming credit.
Gojo Satoru was the Six Eyes divine child of the Gojo family, one of the Big Three Families in the jujutsu world, and the confirmed next head of the family. In a sense, he was the literal definition of someone rich and easily taken advantage of.
Minamoto Habu naturally knew this, having investigated it clearly before coming. But
“A mature adult would not let a minor pay.”
Gojo Satoru had not expected Minamoto Habu to give such an answer.
He froze for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing, “Then it seems the adults I have encountered were all extremely unreliable!”
Driving the kids back to Jujutsu High, they were going to talk to Masamichi Yaga about the special grade cursed spirit they encountered today. Meanwhile, Minamoto Habu had to go back and write a report.
Speaking of writing reports, Minamoto Habu had not written one for a long time. Although he ostensibly served the Special Division for Unusual Powers before, he was actually a freelancer.
It was just that because the Special Division for Unusual Powers could give him what he needed, he would help them do a few things out of exchange of benefits.
Precisely because he was a freelancer, he did not need to write a mountain of reports every day for those guys like his corporate-slave friend Ango Sakaguchi.
Tracing back to the last time he wrote a report, it was probably during his Police Academy days, causing trouble together with those guys and then writing self-criticisms for Instructor Onizuka.
Sitting at his desk and swiftly finishing a simple report, Minamoto Habu submitted it directly to his superior at the “Window.” He was currently considered a part of the “Window.”
After finishing the report, Minamoto Habu opened his phone and sent a question mark to Gogol.
Today’s joker card was clearly given by that guy, after all, whether it was the card element or the joker element, both suited Gogol far too well. Ah, and of course, his style of using a little girl to force him to accept that box.
Minamoto Habu did not lie today, as he indeed considered Gogol a friend. But as for Gogol as a person, the more he liked someone, the more he wanted to kill them.
For details, one could look at his relationship with his close friend Fyodor. To tell the truth, given Gogol’s abilities, the fact that Fyodor was still alive was something that surprised Minamoto Habu quite a bit.
They had once devoted a period of time trying to drag Minamoto Habu into the Decay of the Angel organization. However, Minamoto Habu had zero interest in joining any organization.
Whether it was the Decay of the Angel, the Special Division for Unusual Powers, or the Armed Detective Agency, he had no interest in joining any of them.
Nothing was more comfortable than being a freelancer, as he hated being bound.
Entering Jujutsu High was indeed somewhat beyond his expectations, but Minamoto Habu did not think he was bound. He could leave at any time, staying only because he did not want to break his promise with Osamu Dazai.
Moreover, that promise could only bind him for a year at most, and Minamoto Habu could afford to wait.
Ring ring ring ring ring ring!
Suddenly, the phone rang. Minamoto Habu glanced at the caller ID; it was the “Window.” In other words, the caller was his superior at the “Window.” It seemed that report just now had made them anxious.
Minamoto Habu twitched the corner of his mouth and answered the phone.
Sure enough, as soon as the call connected, the other side began asking about the special grade cursed spirit encountered today. Minamoto Habu truthfully relayed the inferences made by Gojo Satoru and the others to the other party.
The person on the other end pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Teacher Habu, actually I am rather curious, how is the treatment over at the police department?”
From the perspective of the higher-ups in the jujutsu world, Minamoto Habu was sent by the National Police Agency to supervise them and incidentally cultivate the flowers of the motherland.
Hearing this, Minamoto Habu raised an eyebrow, “Just standard level.”
“Then… have you considered truly joining our ‘Window’?” The other side directly sent a recruitment signal, “Our treatment is definitely much better than being a police officer, and you do not need to do much, just report the daily intelligence of Jujutsu High truthfully to us.”
So that was how it was. Seeing that he had accidentally obtained important intelligence this time, the other party suddenly realized the importance of planting a mole in Jujutsu High. Thus, they wanted to win him over. Minamoto Habu revealed an understanding expression.
However, immediately after, he refused without hesitation, “No need, I temporarily have no intention of joining the jujutsu world.”
The person on that end was not angry either, saying cheerfully, “Teacher Habu, do not be in a hurry to make a decision. After a while, someone else will probably contact you. I hope by then, you can make the correct choice.”
It sounded like he might be having trouble coming up next.
Minamoto Habu raised his eyebrow slightly, looking at the hung-up screen with a half-smile, sincerely hoping the other party would bring him a big trouble directly. If it was really just secretly disgusting him, that would truly be a bit troubling.
Ding-dong!
The sound of an incoming message rang out. While sighing at how many people were looking for him today, Minamoto Habu opened the chat interface and found that Gogol had replied.
“Dear Minamoto, long time no see! Did you like today’s small surprise? This is a gift specially prepared for you by the versatile Mr. Joker!”
Even though it was text, it was as if he could already hear Gogol speaking in front of him with that cadence.
Minamoto Habu sighed and slowly typed.
“If what you call a gift is that empty box, thank you.” An exploded item could not be counted as a gift after all.
“I already locked the outside of the box, so I would not let others steal it.”
Next, Minamoto Habu watched as the chat interface repeatedly showed “typing…” He put down his phone and went to do his own things.
It was not until five minutes later that the phone rang once more.
Ding-dong!
Minamoto Habu picked up his phone to look, and it was still a message from Gogol.
“…When can your bad taste be a bit less? Joker is going to get angry.”
Making the joker angry meant life was a bit safer. Minamoto Habu pushed up his glasses and typed a reply—
“My honor.”
The other side seemed to not want to talk to him anymore, typing out a line of words quickly and immediately going offline right after.
“Meet at the old place on Saturday.”