Chapter 52
"Failed again... Well, it was expected."
A young man dressed in a kasaya sat in the corridor, but he had no interest in appreciating the scenery before him.
When he placed the paper he was holding beside him, several more radiating creases appeared on the letter, which already had only a few creases.
The sentence didn't contain any strong emotion, yet the wind chimes on the eaves were shaking more and more rapidly, as if driven by some invisible, chilling wind, yet it was merely their own constant trembling—
Until it suddenly burst open, scattering fragments all over the ground.
At this moment, he seemed to finally exhale a breath of pent-up frustration, and put the paper back into his pocket.
“If the [container] doesn’t get to where it’s supposed to be, then there’s no point in even starting any plans.”
"And if they discover my current physical identity... that would be even worse."
“This person has even made contact with Itadori Yasuke and found the [mark] I left behind.”
"They actually want to take over the position of head of the General Manager's Office? That's utterly absurd."
"Everything is heading in the worst possible direction... all because of this guy."
His self-talk grew increasingly somber with each word, and the anger buried deep within his heart poured out with unmistakable intensity—this thousand years of anonymity was not meant to end in failure at the last moment!
Having already obtained such a useful body, and with all his previous plans going smoothly, he was looking forward to grasping the darkness at the center of the chaos in his palm and witnessing its appearance with his own eyes!
This guy is utterly unenjoyable, an extremely superfluous presence, and an unpredictable variable.
And that guy was just one step away from finding his true identity.
No, perhaps Itadori Yasuke had already discovered something, but he kept it to himself until his deathbed when he revealed his last words.
"Murphy's Law... how annoying."
The young man in the kasaya still had a furrowed brow, and emotions such as irritability and anxiety rarely filled his heart. It was as if he had returned to the anger he felt when he discovered that he could not break the cycle of curse power even when he tried to kill [Six Eyes] and [Star Essence Body]. It was even more unbearable.
But in the next moment, he completely suppressed these surging emotions, and no abnormality could be seen on his face.
"The slots for [Sealing] are already full."
The young man in the kasaya opened his palms, as if he were holding something.
"And you, who act without any scruples yet get straight to the point... that's perfect, I've already gotten to know you pretty well."
"Well, luckily we made it in time."
…………
The temperature has risen even higher than before, and the chirping of insects echoes from morning till night, making this summer hotter day by day.
Kazuma Hatake looked up at the bright, intense sunlight and couldn't help but marvel at how realistically the game simulated temperature.
If you wear the crested hakama that comes with the initial equipment and go out in the sun, you'll get so hot that you'll be covered in sweat after just a few movements.
Therefore, Kazuma Hatori also started wearing the shirt and trousers that Daigo had bought for him before, and unexpectedly received a lot of praise.
In Yujin Itadori's words, it was something like, "After changing into this casual outfit, I suddenly felt that Kamo-sensei was much more approachable." Then, after being casually told the price of that string of zeros by Fushiguro Megumi, he gasped in shock.
Suddenly it doesn't feel so familiar anymore...!
—That was a joke. Yuujin Itadori has always admired Gojo-sensei and Kamo-sensei, especially after discovering that the latter could easily explain problems to him and even help him catch up on missed lessons, which made him even more enamored with them.
He thought that all the teachers at the Jujutsu High School were like Gojo-sensei, only responsible for teaching knowledge related to jujutsu power. He didn't expect that Kamo-sensei would even know such difficult high school exam points. He's amazing!
Kazuma Hagoromo could only remain silent, unable to explain the reason.
...After all, these were the knowledge points he had just learned last year.
Aside from his time as a college teacher, Gojo Satoru would take Hatori Kazuma around, fishing, buying sweets, playing games, playing golf, or they would go to an izakaya (Japanese pub) to sit, but they would order two non-alcoholic drinks, which would often draw incredulous and shocked looks from the bartender.
"I can't drink alcohol, why don't you order a drink?"
Gojo Satoru slowly sipped the bubbly apple juice in his glass, wondering why Hagoromo Kazuma didn't order a cocktail, but instead, like him, ordered a glass of non-alcoholic de-alcoholized grape juice.
It's not surprising that two grown men sitting in a bar without ordering drinks would be stared at by the bartender.
"I can't drink alcohol either."
Kazuma Hatori, whose original body is not yet of legal drinking age, calmly answered, and then turned the question on Satoru Gojo.
"Is it because Wu is allergic to alcohol that he can't drink?"
"Hmm? It's not an alcohol allergy..."
Gojo Satoru deliberately picked out ice cubes from the glass, chewed them between his teeth making a crunching sound, and explained to Hagoromo Kazuma in a low voice.
Even though it's okay to speak loudly, even someone as strong as him can feel a little embarrassed...
"If I drink alcohol, the output power of my technique will be unstable."
Gojo Satoru whispered to Hato Kazuma, "It's like I only intended to fire a [Hah] the size of a coin, but my hand slipped and I used too much magic power, so I fired a [Hah] the size of a cannonball..."
He himself is mostly unharmed, but if he's not careful, he could endanger a large number of innocent people...
This is far more dangerous than the consequences of drunk driving.
"So I've never drunk alcohol—well, because I've never drunk alcohol, my alcohol tolerance can't be developed like it is with glass, it's a vicious cycle."
Gojo Satoru took another sip of the cool apple juice, exhaled contentedly, and began to play with the small paper umbrella stuck on the edge of the cup, opening and closing it, even pinching the handle with his thumb and forefinger and rubbing it back and forth, making it spin rapidly in circles.
When he is with Kazuma Hatori, he can always relax and be himself without having to deliberately show any emotions or worry about his behavior being looked down upon.
For example, this cherry blossom-colored paper umbrella that goes well with apple juice is really fun!
For example, it's hilarious when two people come to an izakaya and only order non-alcoholic drinks, and the bartender's shocked expression is just too much!
Even if you talk to a black-haired youth about topics you're not good at, or simply express some other feelings, you don't have to worry about being criticized like "[This is not like you at all]" or "[You must be thinking some terrible thoughts]".
There is only one person who is willing to set aside any titles attached to him and simply look at him seriously and unwaveringly.
There is only one person who could not bear even hearing a few bad things said about him, and who would be so angry that he would punch the other person until they were on the verge of death.
Hmm... Oh no, even just drinking apple juice makes me feel as excited as if I've had alcohol. My spirits are high, and just looking at the other person makes me unable to help but curl my lips into a happy and relaxed smile.
"Unlike drinking, I'm really good at eating sweets,"
Perhaps it was the juice he had drunk, or perhaps it was the dim lighting in the izakaya, but Gojo Satoru's voice was low and soft, yet the last syllable of each word seemed to float upwards like clouds, making it clear that he was very happy.
"However... just like no one knows where the end and the beginning of a Möbius strip are, it's hard for me to explain whether I eat sweets often to replenish brain energy, which is why I became a super sweet tooth; or whether I was a super sweet tooth and chose to eat desserts to replenish energy... Of course, in other words, either explanation is fine."
"After all, sweets not only give you dopamine to keep you in a good mood, but they also make people you meet for the first time feel very friendly and harmless. Isn't that amazing?"
"That's amazing. I used to be someone who didn't eat much sweets."
Gojo Satoru was chatting casually with Hatori Kazuma, neither of them caring where they were talking or what they were about to talk about.
After listening attentively to Gojo Satoru's words, Kazuma Hato also gave a serious response.
“To give you an example, perhaps you feel happy right now because you drank sweet juice,” he continued.
"It's also possible that I want to drink sweet juice because I'm happy sitting here with you."
"————"
During the long yet brief period that followed, Gojo Satoru did not respond.
There were too many people in the izakaya. In order to absorb as little information as possible from the [Six Eyes] and not put too much burden on his brain, he wore almost completely black sunglasses, which also prevented Kazuma Hatori from seeing his extremely beautiful blue eyes.
But at this moment, it seems it doesn't matter if we can't see it.
Because Gojo Satoru was smiling at him, his laughter low and husky with an indescribable huskiness—and then, Hato Kazuma saw his lips curve open and close, uttering words that were soft and seductive, as if he were drunk.
"So,"
When he heard the other person say that, his smile was tinged with a hint of mischievous delight.
"Would you like to taste the sweetness of apple juice now?"
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