In reality, Satoru Gojo wasn't the least bit surprised that the readers' reviews of his avatar were a mixed bag.
Unless people see with their own eyes that a character actually possesses the capital to be arrogant, those conceited declarations will inevitably cause a bit of pushback. Fortunately, looking at things now, this face—which he had spent a great deal of effort tweaking—still played a significant role in pulling in favorable impressions.
What was worth noting was that a small portion of the audience had already detected that the avatar's personality possessed numerous similarities to his original body, who had already debuted in the parallel world's timeline. However, due to the vast difference in outward age and the cover of his identity as a police academy student, there was temporarily no risk of his identity being exposed.
After finishing his contemplation, Gojo flipped through the subsequent contents.
As for the plot following the conclusion of the opening ceremony... the manga seemed to have omitted his conversation with Wataru Date. Continuous grid boxes instead depicted the scene where Furuya Rei and Hiromitsu Morofushi walked shoulder-to-shoulder back to the dorm building after having lunch at the cafeteria.
"Hiromitsu's cooking tastes much better after all."
"It's alright, it's not as amazing as you make it sound." Hiromitsu Morofushi smiled. "There should be a kitchenette in the dorms, right? If there's time, Zero can just come over to my place to eat."
"Sure. If we're roommates, it'll be much more convenient. If we end up living with some eccentric stranger, it might cause a lot of conflicts."
"Ahhhhh, this is exactly that wholesome childhood-friend goodness—dreaming of Hiromitsu and Rei living together!"
"An eccentric stranger... Hisano: Just call me out by my ID card next time."
"The cafeteria food really seems to be pretty bad, it's the same at my school, 55555."
"I'm a bit excited for the room assignments, hurry up and let me see!"
"Are you my roommate... Ah?! Holy crap, you blond bastard!"
"Jinpei Matsuda, why is it you?!"
As it turned out, Rei's roommate happened to be none other than Matsuda, the very guy he couldn't stand. The panel of the two appearing completely petrified caused the bullet comments to burst into uncontrollable laughter.
"Hahahahaha I originally thought it would be the childhood friend duo, turns out it's the destined rivals duo!"
"Talk about a small world, Matsuda's astonished chibi close-up is so funny."
"Thanks for the invite, currently at the police academy, recording "The Daily Cohabitation of a Husky and a Golden Retriever"."
While things were loud and chaotic on that side, the other side was significantly calmer, and could even be described as entirely peaceful. With just a few simple strokes, the handsome black-haired youth leaped onto the paper, greeting his partner with a lazy expression.
"Yo. Good afternoon, roommate."
Hiromitsu Morofushi was only startled for a brief moment. "Pleasure to meet you. My name is Hiromitsu Morofushi."
"『The radiant glow of a breathtaking scenery』... That's a pretty nice name."
"An inexplicable sense of atmosphere... I really didn't expect these two to be paired up together?"
"Ahhhhh, author, how are you so good at drawing! Nozomi-chan is so beautiful, let me lick lick lick~"
"Wow wow, if this segment gets animated and voiced, it would be even more amazing! Dreaming of Koki Uchiyama's youthful voice!"
"Eh? His attitude is better than expected. He actually praised him, Hisano doesn't seem that difficult to get along with."
"Wife Hiromitsu's eyes look so enchanting in every single panel, wwwww."
"The person upstairs, didn't you just say a moment ago that Hisano was your fated wife?"
"Hehehe, how could anyone complain about having too many wives? (Dog holding a rose in its mouth)"
The black-haired youth tossed his suitcase aside, flopping down onto the bed in a star shape with a loud thud. He rubbed his cheeks back and forth against the soft pillow, causing his already flared-out hair tips to stick up even more.
"Just call me Nozomi."
"Eh?"
Faced with his intimate behavior of requesting to be called by his first name right upon getting acquainted, the readers were just as dazed as Hiromitsu was at that moment.
「I heard Hisano-kun entered Todai at fourteen... Could it be that this is what a genius is like? He doesn't place the common sense of ordinary human society in his heart at all.」
Seeing Hiromitsu Morofushi's internal monologue in the small grid box, rows upon rows of bullet comments flooded the screen once more.
"What what what, entering Todai at fourteen? Meaning the current Nozomi-chan is only eighteen, right?"
"As expected, I felt his face looked super tender before, www. This wave is a younger-guy trope, younger-guy!"
"No way, right?! Although I guessed he was a genius from his perfect test scores earlier, the main story's protagonist, Great Detective Shinichi, is still a seventeen-year-old high schooler... I refuse to accept this, Old Man Aoyama, come out right now!"
"This level of intelligence is pretty close to Haibara's. To think there isn't a single trace of him in the main story, it's a complete waste of a character. He should at least be arranged as the Superintendent General of the National Police Agency, right?"
"Possessing both face value and talent, no wonder he's so arrogant... No, no, no, no matter how you look at it, this guy's speech earlier was way too excessive!"
"There are plenty of outrageous character settings in Detective Conan, one more for Hisano doesn't make a difference. I reckon he's just all bark and no bite."
The plot where Nozomi intentionally flashed a disappointed expression to force Hiromitsu into agreeing to use his first name, then unilaterally decided to address him as "Hiro-kun," triggered another wave of reactions.
"Eh? I originally thought he was the type to look down on everyone, but he actually uses little calculations, what an adorable contrast~"
"He's already using a nickname! Even a rocket wouldn't have this fast of a development!"
"What the heck, he completely disregards other people's opinions. Going straight to first names is very troubling, okay?"
"I feel like these two get along pretty well, Nozomi-chan and Hiro-kun (Clutches face with love hearts)"
"Are these... all your luggage?"
"Mm, is there a problem?"
"Isn't this a bit too many sweets? Won't it affect your health?"
"No, I've always eaten like this, and I've never been sick."
"There are even ice cream stickers on the suitcase, hhh, what a cute little detail."
"Good heavens, this kind of sweet tooth can almost rival 『——』, right?"
"So true, it's hard not to let it remind someone of that man (laughs)."
"Eaten like this the entire time?! Nozomi-chan, your iron stomach is just as durable as Naruto's next door, hahahaha."
"The emoji of Hiromitsu's pupils shaking has already been screenshotted by me, hehe."
"This panel of Nozomi eating a Pocky is so adorable, I'm going to use it as my avatar—"
Within moments, these cheerful comments encountered a critical strike.
"No, I mean..." Hiromitsu Morofushi said with a headache, "Does your family not cook?"
In the manga, the black-haired youth's expression was as devoid of ripples as plain boiled water. Beneath his feet lay a suitcase packed to the brim with junk food and entertainment items.
"I don't have a family."
The drifting bullet comments felt as though a pause button had been pressed. After a five-second void, an explosive eruption suddenly burst forth.
"Wait, I was just passing by, okay? (Cries loudly) Completely caught off guard by a knife to the heart!"
"Waaaah, I know why they're roommates now... they're both pitiful children."
"For such an excellent Nozomi-chan to actually be an orphan, I thought he was a noble young master like Hakuba Saguru, so heartbreaking right now."
"Save me, it's completely the 'beautiful, powerful, and tragic' trope... now I have no choice but to stan him!!"
"Even though Hisano looks like he doesn't care at all, I can sense a fragile, broken vibe, or is it just my illusion?"
"??? Could it be related to the Black Organization? Could his family have been silenced by the Organization because of certain events?"
"Hahaha, the Organization is like a brick, moved wherever it's needed, right? Don't overthink it, how could it be that coincidental~"
"Hailing from a Nagano orphanage yet able to afford Todai? Maybe there's a financial backer behind the scenes (Conan's flash of inspiration.jpg)"
"Stop with the conspiracy theories, is it impossible for someone to just have excellent grades and a scholarship?"
Watching the readers' speculations regarding his avatar grow increasingly far-fetched, Satoru Gojo broke into a silent laugh.
An eight-nation mixed-race illegitimate child of the Suzuki Group... are you serious?
To be honest, if I could inherit the Suzuki family, I wouldn't have to work so hard managing the Gojo family. I'd easily skip ten years of struggle.
Following a bizarre mental elaboration filled with added details regarding his roommate's background, Hiromitsu Morofushi's attitude softened at a speed visible to the naked eye. He even proactively invited him to purchase groceries at the supermarket and share a meal. The black-haired youth unceremoniously rattled off the names of the dishes he wanted to eat, and his hands-clasped posture took on an extra layer of innocence when captured in manga form.
"Please, this is the request of my lifetime!"
"Waaah, this relationship instantly became great, hhhh."
"Damn it, I feel like I can't bring myself to hate him... his character setting is way too sly!"
"I still think Hisano feels like a villain. Tsk tsk, those little cute expressions are all intentional, right?"
"I don't care, I'm investing in the Hiro-Nozomi ship right now—a straightforward younger guy and a gentle older guy is the absolute best!"
"+10086"
Furuya Rei called to inquire, only to discover that a strange fellow had suddenly hopped onto his and Hiromitsu's ship of friendship. Afterwards, he was even mocked by Jinpei Matsuda, who popped out from the side, causing cross-shaped popping vein symbols to sprout directly on his forehead out of pure rage.
"Hahahahaha, left for just a brief moment and his home base got stolen, hey! Amuro is going to bite his handkerchief—"
"No way, the childhood friend ship needs to stand tall for me! Hiro-Rei is the absolute truth!"
"A little Golden Retriever abandoned by its owner, hahahaha, Matsuda, you really know how to phrase things!"
"So annoying, can shipping fans keep their brains in check? Anyone would be unhappy if their best friend got too close to someone else."
"Who said shipping has to be romantic? Can you be a bit more open-minded?"
Furuya Rei waited until Hiromitsu and Hisano returned, and the three of them entered Room 144 together.
"Wow—as expected, three handsome guys standing together is highly therapeutic for my eyes (Throws flowers)"
"Want to see a battlefield, this emperor demands a river of blood!"
"Bought the dishes that Rei and Nozomi like to eat, Hiromitsu is so thoughtful, www."
The dark-skinned youth dressed in uniform flashed a glittering, gentle smile, only to receive a direct blow to the head.
"I get it, you're a foreign friend, right? Hi, how are you?"
"...No, I was born and raised in Japan, I am simply mixed-race."
"Is that so? Then you must sunbathe quite often, right?"
Furuya Rei didn't throw a tantrum, merely speaking up to expose him: "The person who was staring at me from the gymnasium roof earlier was you, right? And... during the speech as well."
"Who was looking at you? Are you a narcissist?"
Seeing that innocent, pure expression, Gojo found a brand-new sense of affirmation for his own acting skills.
"Hahahahaha laughing until I sound like a chicken clucking, Hisano, you are way too savage!!"
"Black hair, red eyes, and a toxic tongue—baby, you are a willful little cat~"
"Damn it, on what grounds is he targeting Rei!! If someone said that to me, I'd definitely be driven to anger."
"Good news, Rei charged forward!"
"Bad news, the enemy didn't drop a single drop of blood, hhhh."
Amidst the occasional bickering between the two, Hiromitsu Morofushi had already brought the final dish to the dining table. A specific panel was dedicated to it, appearing exceptionally appetizing.
"Hiro-kun's cooking really is delicious!"
"I'm glad you like it."
"Ahhhhh so hungry, I already want to order takeout! Hiromitsu has disrupted my weight-loss plan—"
"Nozomi-chan's ahoge stood straight up from eating, puhaha."
"New anime series: "Today's Menu for the Morofushi Family""
"Rei nearly choked on his water, hhhhh. Is this the power of 'Hiro-kun'?"
"However, don't you think a nickname like 'Hiro-kun' is a bit..."
"It's very cute, right? Isn't it super—appropriate?" Facing Furuya's hint, Hisano didn't seem to care at all, even adding a line to stir up more trouble: "You want a unique nickname too, don't you?"
"How about Rei-chan?"
"Hisano is not allowed to spread rumors, our Amuro is a Top!!"
"Hahaha look at that, Hiromitsu is trembling from holding back his laughter, save your childhood friend already, hhh."
"(All-Rei ascendance) Thank you, this child has eaten very well."
"Furuya Rei changes his name to Furuya No.1 overnight."
"Nozomi-chan: A wicked fully automatic nickname generator."
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100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
10 Reviews = 1 Bonus chapter