Ms. Gojo thought she was dating an ordinary person's boyfriend.

"Hey handsome guy in front~ could you give me your pudding, since I'm also just as handsome and it's almost my birthday?"

Sumire Kawakawa turned around.

A very tall man was standing behind him, wearing a strange black eye patch, his white hair standing up arrogantly.

Even with most of his face covered, one could tell from the exposed jawline and slightly upturned corners of his mouth that he was a remarkably good-looking person.

He was wearing what appeared to be some kind of uniform in black, one hand in his pocket, his posture casual, a smile on his face, but his complexion looked somewhat pale under the cold white lights of the convenience store.

Sumi Kawakawa blinked.

There are many people dressed in strange clothes on the streets of Tokyo, but this outfit is not too outrageous.

Moreover, although the person in front of me seemed unapproachable at first glance, upon closer inspection, he looked... very tired, and perhaps had low blood sugar, as his hands seemed to be trembling slightly.

Those still out at this time are probably working people who have been working until now.

Kikawa Sumi assumed he was just a stranger, worn down by life like herself, and without giving it much thought, smiled and handed him the pudding: "Here you go."

Then I casually grabbed a tuna rice ball from the shelf next to me.

Gojo Satoru accepted the pudding with some surprise.

He had already planned that if the person was unhappy, he would try to buy the pudding at three times the price. But to his surprise, the person wasn't unhappy at all and gave him the pudding directly.

The six eyes beneath the blindfold instantly gathered information about the man before them: an ordinary person, not a sorcerer.

Judging from his white doctor's coat and the faint smell of disinfectant, he must be a doctor from a nearby hospital.

"Well, just an ordinary person," Gojo thought.

He was probably a kind-hearted doctor who was too tired from working the night shift and didn't want to argue.

He gave a slight smirk: "Thanks."

The two walked to the cashier one after the other.

Sumi Kikawa held a coffee and a rice ball, while Satoru Gojo only held the pudding. The clerk scanned the QR code expressionlessly, not even glancing at Satoru Gojo's attire.

Tokyo has plenty of weird people, so what's wrong with wearing an eye patch?

In the corner dining area of ​​the convenience store, there are two small plastic tables and a few chairs. Two people sit down at one of the small tables.

Gojo Satoru sat down, tore open the pudding lid, and scooped out a large mouthful with a plastic spoon, stuffing it into his mouth. The rich caramel and milky aroma melted on his tongue, the sweetness perfectly soothing his overused nerves.

He squinted comfortably for a moment before looking across at the other side.

The man who looked like a doctor was slowly and methodically unwrapping the rice ball. His movements were unhurried, his fingers long and clean. He waited until only a small portion of the wrapper remained for his fingers to hold before taking a bite.

He ate very well, quietly, and almost without making a sound.

As he was eating, he looked up, his gaze falling on Gojo Satoru's face, pausing for a few seconds.

"Are you experiencing low blood sugar?" Sumi Kichikawa asked, her tone calm, as if she were conducting a consultation in an outpatient clinic. "You don't look too well, and your hands are shaking a bit. Pudding is high in sugar, but it takes a long time to work, so it's best to eat something else first."

Gojo Satoru paused for a moment while digging for pudding.

He didn't expect the other person to take the initiative to start a conversation.

Moreover, he offered advice in his capacity as a doctor.

"...Oh?" Gojo Satoru raised an eyebrow.

This kind of pure, professional, and even somewhat occupational-sick, mundane observation felt somewhat novel to him.

"...Ah, I guess it's because work is so awful." Gojo Satoru shrugged, his tone nonchalant. He casually scooped up another spoonful of pudding and put it in his mouth, his voice slightly muffled. "It's so unappealing, I even forgot to eat."

Sumire Kawakawa looked at him.

Even through the opaque blindfold, he could sense the faint weariness on the other person's face.

It doesn't simply refer to physical fatigue, but rather a deeper, cumulative kind of exhaustion.

He had seen similar signs on several veteran doctors who had worked in the emergency department for over a decade. But this man, though not very old, exuded a weariness even more profound than those older doctors.

He didn't say anything, but simply put down the coffee can, reached into the pocket of his white coat, rummaged around, and pulled out a handful of candies wrapped in colored cellophane.

The candies come in various shapes, including stars and hearts, and the wrappers are printed with cartoon characters, but there are no Japanese characters, making them look more like handmade products.

"Even if you hate work, you still have to eat." Sumi Kikawa placed a small handful of candy on the table in front of Satoru Gojo and pushed it towards him, her voice gentle. "Here, take this. It raises your blood sugar faster than pudding. At least it'll keep you going for a while. Remember to eat something proper when you get back."

Gojo Satoru looked at the pile of colorful candies, then glanced at the person opposite him.

The other person had already finished the coffee in a few gulps, then stood up and precisely tossed the empty can into the trash can a few steps away. Afterward, they picked up the white coat draped over the back of the chair, looking as if they were about to leave.

"You carry candy with you?" Gojo Satoru asked, fiddling with the star-shaped candy.

The candy wrapper was a shiny silver-blue with a pattern that looked a bit like a magic circle printed on it.

"It's a pediatrician's professional habit." Sumi Kichikawa smiled, stood up, and said, "Well then, I'll be going now. Was the pudding delicious? Happy birthday."

After he finished speaking, he nodded to Gojo Satoru and then turned and left the convenience store.

As the automatic doors opened and closed, his figure blended into the colorful neon lights of Tokyo's night, his steps steady, without looking back.

Gojo Satoru sat there, looking at the pile of sugar on the table, then at the empty pudding cup in his hand.

"...Happy birthday?" he repeated softly, then chuckled, "My birthday was way over."

Is it really possible for anyone to believe such a casually made lie?

What a kind-hearted pediatrician!

He picked up the star-shaped candy, unwrapped it, and popped the orange-yellow fruit hard candy into his mouth.

The sweet and sour orange flavor spreads across the tongue, very refreshing, completely different from the artificial flavorings of candies on the market.

Moreover, as the sugar melts and is absorbed, the slight dizziness and trembling in the fingertips caused by overthinking do indeed subside quickly.

"The effect is quite good."

Five insights.

He unwrapped another pink heart-shaped candy, which was strawberry flavored and equally refreshing and not greasy.

He put the candy in his mouth, leaned back in the plastic chair, and looked through the glass wall of the convenience store in the direction the doctor had left.

As night fell, the streetlights cast a soft, warm yellow glow, merging the figure into the gentle darkness, until it vanished from sight in no time.

"An ordinary person with no magical powers, a pediatrician on night shift, who also carries refreshing candies in his pocket."

"She had a very faint, almost imperceptible, smell of disinfectant, and her temper was incredibly gentle."

"And, just the right amount of sweetness."

Fragmented thoughts, like crushed starlight, gently swayed in my heart.

Gojo Satoru smirked as he stuffed the remaining candies into his pocket, the wrappers making a rustling sound as they rubbed together.

He stood up, swayed as he walked out of the convenience store, and hummed a tuneless melody in the night breeze, carrying a lightheartedness that he himself was unaware of.

The night breeze brushed against his hair, carrying the coolness of the night. He licked the lingering sweetness of strawberries from the corner of his mouth, feeling that sweetness spread from the tip of his tongue to the bottom of his heart, dissolving the gloom that had been stirred up by rotten oranges for days.

On the other side, Sumi Kichikawa was walking back to her apartment, slowly sipping her second can of coffee.

The cool night breeze dispelled the last bit of drowsiness from being on duty.

He remembered the "fortune candy" from Tomoeda Town that he still had in his pocket.

The candy given to that strange eyepatch guy was one that Sakura had forced on him last time; it was supposedly a blessed candy.

While the effect on him, a "former mission participant," is limited, at most providing a mental boost, it might bring a tiny bit of good luck to ordinary people, such as that young man who looks overworked and may have low blood sugar.

Hopefully, this will alleviate his low blood sugar and hopefully allow him to get a good night's sleep.

Sumi Kikawa looked up. The Tokyo night sky was devoid of stars, only lit by the city's perpetual light pollution.

He exhaled softly, and the white mist quickly dissipated in the cold air.

The world is generally normal and peaceful.

Apart from those occasional minor anomalies that need to be addressed.

As for that white-haired man dressed in all black and wearing an eye patch at the convenience store earlier...

"Probably just another tired night owl in this city, needing a little sweetness."

Sumi Kichikawa finished the last sip of her coffee and accurately threw the empty can into the roadside trash can.

"Well, never mind," he muttered to himself, his voice blending into the night.

Anyway, it was just a chance encounter.