A gentle breeze blew in, bringing a touch of coolness and the scent of flowers from outside the window.
"Next, let's discuss Dissociative Identity Disorder..."
"...Should it be viewed as a genuine psychological phenomenon or a construct of subjective imagination? This question remains highly controversial."
"Before that, we can discuss some rare psychological conditions, such as Capgras Syndrome..."
Gojo Satoru leaned against the desk, speaking eloquently. He occasionally stepped down from the podium to interact with the students, ensuring the atmosphere remained lively and never dull. Sunlight danced on the tips of his hair, as if dusting them with fine gold powder.
Most students were focused, their hands moving rapidly as they took notes. However, some found their attention drifting to the dazzling face of the "Favorite Assistant Professor."
A boy sitting in the back row surreptitiously tried to pull out a portable camera. He wanted to get a close-up of this elusive campus celebrity to sell to the news club for some pocket money.
But before he could act, Gojo Satoru called on him with a smile.
"Mr. Alan Sanders."
The boy stood up in a panic, completely blindsided by the fact that the professor knew his name so well.
"Yes, Professor?"
"Would you please answer my question?"
"Um..." Alan had been busy adjusting his camera and hadn't paid attention to anything else. Facing those deep eyes that resembled the azure sky, he could only flush red and mutter, "I'm sorry, I don't know."
"It's alright~"
Gojo gestured for him to sit down and winked. "Though, I thought you were having a private conversation with your shoes."
A wave of good-natured laughter erupted from the other students.
As the minor interlude ended, the class drew to a close. Even when the bell rang, many felt unsatisfied, feeling that time had passed too quickly. A few students banded together, hoping to use a "course discussion" as an excuse to get closer to Gojo Satoru, only to find that the man who was just in the classroom had vanished in the blink of an eye.
They looked at each other helplessly.
"Professor Gojo's 'Ghost Step' really lives up to its reputation."
...
In reality, the reason Gojo Satoru ran so fast wasn't to avoid students—he actually enjoyed being a teacher and was never stingy about answering questions.
The main point was... he was hungry.
He had originally planned to fill his stomach at that highly-rated pasta restaurant, but he had eaten absolutely nothing in his rush to get to class. Come to think of it, the school cafeteria was a great alternative.
Because of the noise and crowds, Gojo rarely ate here, but he had to admit that MIT's dining services were better than many star-rated restaurants. Western, Japanese, Chinese... delicacies from all nations were available, making one's mouth water. Naturally, there was no shortage of colorful desserts to bring one back to life.
Gojo Satoru carried a tray piled high with food, greeting acquaintances along the way before finding an easily overlooked corner to sit by himself. It wasn't that no one wanted to eat with him; on the contrary, so many people invited him that he simply turned them all down.
With a waffle in his left hand and an osmanthus cake in his right, he was in paradise.
[Ding! Detected story character Shiho Miyano has appeared. Please work hard to obtain Impression Points!]
Shiho Miyano? Haibara Ai?
Gojo Satoru swallowed a bite of cake and quickly spotted a familiar little girl not far away.
She had strawberry-blonde (russet) short hair and a slender frame, appearing no older than twelve. Her delicate features, blending Eastern and Western beauty, made her mixed heritage obvious—especially those lake-blue eyes, which held a level of intelligence and composure far beyond her years.
The girl was eating her meal silently and alone. It was as if an invisible wall surrounded her, separating her from the crowd.
Gojo Satoru observed her secretly, recalling the current information on Shiho Miyano.
This genius girl, better known to most as Haibara Ai, was sent by the Organization to study in the U.S. at age eight. She would return to Japan at thirteen after earning her doctorate, receiving the code name "Sherry" and heading the development of the de-aging drug APTX-4869...
Since it was still eight years before the "Conan Era" began, she should only be ten years old right now. The manga never gave a definitive answer as to which university she graduated from; turns out, it was MIT.
A part of Satoru's soul (the original Jiang Wu) quite liked the character of Shiho Miyano. He hadn't expected them to become alumni.
As for why little Shiho looked so lonely... it seemed that because she had previously helped a classmate, Naomi, who was being bullied for her Asian face on a train, the others had turned their malice toward her.
Shiho Miyano had lived under the shadow of the Organization since childhood; she couldn't express a lively nature during her studies abroad. She focused entirely on her academics and wasn't skilled at handling interpersonal relationships. Faced with isolation from her classmates, she simply didn't care to engage and chose to remain solitary.
As Gojo pondered how to approach her, a thought struck him.
This little girl was known for having a "human radar" for the Organization. Would she catch the scent of the Organization on him and realize his identity as "Caesar"? If Shiho evolved into Xiao Ai, could he still keep his "Red Side" mask intact?
He asked the System, and the problem was solved.
Actually, because the System had caused trouble for the host previously due to being "incomplete," it had secretly petitioned its superiors at the Space-Time Administration. To compensate the host, they had automatically completed this specific part of the buff.
Meaning: When he is "Gojo Satoru," Shiho Miyano's radar will not be triggered at all. However, once he puts on the blindfold, wears black, and adopts the identity of "Caesar," she will immediately sense an incredibly evil Organization aura.
Furthermore, even people who have seen Caesar would find it difficult to immediately link him to Gojo Satoru; at most, they would think they look somewhat similar.
Gojo Satoru's blindfold = Edogawa Conan's glasses (lol).
With this, the chance of Gojo's mask slipping was significantly reduced. He truly looked forward to a certain "God of Death" elementary student suspecting him over and over in the future, only to end up with a confused expression. (Cat-like scheming face =^_^=)
He was very satisfied with the System's initiative this time and decided to stop calling it a "Wild System" for the time being.
Returning his thoughts to reality, Gojo Satoru saw several teenagers—around thirteen or fourteen years old—heading toward Shiho Miyano's table.
Leading them was an arrogant white girl and a tall boy with freckles, looking aggressive. They surrounded the solitary little Shiho, speaking in an interrogating tone.
"Hey, Miyano!"
the russet-haired girl with the cool voice didn't even give her a glance. She continued to chew her food slowly, only answering after a long pause: "Is there something, Miss Jones?"
Seeing her indifferent attitude, the white girl became even more enraged.
"Did you steal my notebook?"
Shiho Miyano frowned. "What notebook? I haven't done such a thing."
"After class earlier, our whole group went outside to play, and you were the only one left in the classroom!" Jones pointed at her nose and cursed, "How could it not be you? You definitely did it, thief!"
"...I already said I didn't do it. Do you not understand?"
The beautiful little girl remained ice-cold, her attitude firm.
Shiho Miyano had long since grown accustomed to this. At some point, she had been ostracized by all her classmates. Perhaps it was because she was the youngest yet had the best grades, perhaps because she looked aloof and difficult, or perhaps because she didn't join in on bullying that Asian girl... many reasons combined to make her a "ghost" in the class.
She ate alone, attended class alone, and went to the library alone.
It doesn't matter, Shiho told herself. If she actually made friends, the Organization wouldn't let them go. They might even use her friends as leverage against her, just like they used her precious older sister.
Isolation didn't matter. Strange looks and whispering didn't matter. Occasional pranks didn't matter—she had ways to make them pay eventually.
But being slandered as a thief made the proud girl very uncomfortable.
"Hmph, you're just stubborn... do you know how much that notebook is worth? I'm telling you, even if I sold you, you couldn't afford it!" Jones's voice was loud, and many surrounding students looked over. Some who didn't know the truth began to whisper.
The teenagers behind her also shouted, "Hand it over!"
Shiho Miyano stood up, looking coldly at Jones. "In my eyes, your notebook is no different from scrap paper in a trash can."
Jones's face turned red. "You—!"
A large boy behind her, wanting to please Jones, suddenly barked, "You parentless thief!"
The russet-haired girl, previously so cold, turned pale instantly. Her lips moved, but no words came out.
"Fine, I'm checking your backpack to get my notebook back." Jones tilted her head back, signaling her lackeys to step forward and take Shiho's bag.
Shiho Miyano held her bag tightly to her chest, unmoving. Why should a clean person bow their head to them?
"Get lost!"
Her voice trembled slightly, likely wounded by the boy's words. She shouted, "I'll say it one last time... I didn't do it!"
"Then show us your bag!"
"I won't!"
"Hmph, a guilty conscience!"
The tall boy was about to use force to push Shiho Miyano aside when a massive shadow completely enveloped him. His reaching wrist was suddenly gripped tightly.
"Sss—it hurts!"
Seeing the drastic change in his companions' expressions, he quickly looked up. A much taller adult male had appeared before him out of nowhere.
So tall?! At least 180... no, 190 cm...
"I thought a group of kids wouldn't go too far, but as expected, I just can't watch this anymore."
Gojo Satoru sighed.
Since it wasn't good to cause a scene at school, and he had no real intention of hurting a brat like this, he quickly released the boy. He didn't cause any physical harm.
However, while physical damage could be avoided, mental damage was inescapable.
"Everyone, did you know?"
The white-haired, blue-eyed man narrowed his eyes, his tone dangerous.
"Bullies... go to hell, you know?"