Reinhard fell silent for a moment, carefully thinking over Satoru Gojo's words.
Under the surprised gazes of the knights behind him, he took out two silver coins and handed them to Gojo.
"This should be enough for two nights at an inn, plus meals."
"You're really generous. A genuinely good person."
Gojo gave Reinhard a thumbs-up, praising him openly.
Then he accepted the money without the slightest hesitation.
The cool weight of the silver coins pressed against his fingertips.
With a light flick of his finger, the coins spun into the air, only to be caught firmly in his palm.
"Thanks."
Gojo's tone was bright as he waved at Reinhard.
"I'll probably still be around here for the next couple of days. If you run into any trouble, come find me."
With that, Gojo turned and prepared to leave.
As for whether Reinhard would actually look for him, Gojo was not worried in the slightest.
As a local patrol force, they were undoubtedly familiar with the area. With Reinhard's connections, finding him would be easy.
Not to mention, the man in front of him was a rare kind of powerhouse.
That was right.
Even Gojo had to admit it.
This young man, who looked about the same age as him, was extremely strong.
They had not fought, nor had they interacted any further.
Even so, among the strong, the sense of recognizing one's own kind was unmistakable.
Satoru Gojo stood almost at the very peak of the jujutsu world, and it had been a long time since he had encountered someone like this.
Before coming to this strange world, even so-called veteran seniors had not been worth much in his eyes.
Yet not long after arriving here, he ran into someone like this right on the street.
For someone who was nearly invincible in the jujutsu world, this was genuinely good news.
Compared to being strong alone.
Having more strong people around made things far more interesting.
Just as Gojo took two steps forward, he seemed to remember something and turned back, adding one more line to Reinhard.
"Oh, right. If you run into a particularly troublesome 'monster,' the kind that won't die and keeps regenerating, come find me. I'm really good at dealing with stuff like that."
Those words made Reinhard pause slightly.
Regenerating monsters?
Is this related to the royal selection period?
He was about to ask more when Gojo waved casually, his figure slipping lightly into the crowd, completely lacking any trace of the earlier awkwardness of being broke.
Reinhard watched his retreating back, a thoughtful glint passing through his blue eyes.
He could sense the immense power hidden within Gojo. Yet that power felt strangely unique, carrying a quality he could not quite put into words.
Behind him, the other knights were still talking about the brief encounter, their gazes filled with curiosity and confusion as they looked toward where Gojo had disappeared.
"Sir knight, that guy…" one of the guards said, sounding puzzled.
"No need to worry about it." Reinhard shook his head and withdrew his gaze.
"He has no ill intent. He's just an interesting traveler."
With the borrowed money tucked away, Gojo walked down the street in a good mood.
It was not much, but at least tonight was settled.
Based on his impressions from earlier, it did not take long for him to find an inn.
Gojo stepped inside and slapped one silver coin onto the counter, his tone lazy.
"One best room. With whatever's left, go to the cake shop at the street corner and pack up some berry cake. Make sure it's fresh."
The innkeeper's eyes lit up at the sight of the silver coin, and he nodded eagerly. "Right away, sir!"
As the royal capital of Lugunica, lodging prices were naturally not cheap.
There were more affordable rooms, but Gojo had no intention of shortchanging himself.
This world felt like a trip to him. Since he was already out traveling, there was no reason to pinch pennies.
Led by the innkeeper, Gojo was shown to his room.
It could not compare to anything from modern times, but it carried a certain exotic charm.
Gojo took a bath in the inn's bathhouse, then flopped onto the bed, feeling light and relaxed.
"According to that so-called prompt, the so-called protagonist should arrive tomorrow, right?"
"I'm actually kind of looking forward to it. What kind of guy does it take to be called the protagonist, anyway?"
Gojo took off his sunglasses. Under the lamplight, his clear eyes gleamed brightly.
---
Nothing happened that night.
Early the next morning.
Gojo woke up nice and early.
Life at Jujutsu High could be busy at times, but overall it was fairly relaxed for him.
Besides, today was the day the "protagonist" would arrive. He needed to be in good shape.
After a quick wash, Gojo went downstairs to the inn's main hall.
Following his instructions, the innkeeper had already picked up berry cake from the shop at the street corner, along with a cup of warm milk.
Starting the morning with several pieces of berry cake, Gojo hummed to himself as he began a pleasant day.
Not long after finishing breakfast, just as Gojo wiped his mouth, familiar pale blue text suddenly appeared in his vision, carrying a distinctive electronic feel.
[System Notification: The protagonist of this world, Subaru Natsuki, will arrive shortly. Arrival location has been marked. Countdown: 10 minutes. Supporting character, please prepare to welcome him.]
Unlike before.
This time, it was not just text.
In the upper right of his vision, something like a game mini-map appeared. At his current position, there was a triangular arrow.
Not far away, there was also a red dot.
If nothing unexpected happened, that should be where the protagonist would arrive.
"Oh? So it's finally happening?"
Gojo raised an eyebrow, an arrogant smile tugging at his lips.
"Even marked the location so clearly. Saves me the trouble of looking."
He stood up and headed toward the direction indicated on the map.
It was already morning, and the streets were lively again, much like when he had first arrived yesterday.
Judging by the mini-map and his memory of wandering around the day before, the destination should be a small plaza with a fountain.
On the way there, Gojo passed by the same fruit stall from yesterday.
The scar-faced middle-aged vendor was busy arranging fresh apples.
Gojo walked over, greeted him casually, picked up an apple, wiped it off, and took a bite.
Hearing the movement, the vendor was about to greet a customer, but when he looked up and saw Gojo, his expression froze.
Yesterday's incident had left quite an impression on him.