Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, another month had passed.
Although September in Japan was no longer as hot as July and August, it was still a transitional period into autumn, with clear skies and crisp air.
At the training grounds of Tokyo Jujutsu High.
"Penetrate!"
Ryu unleashed a powerful blast with all his Cursed Energy.
The overwhelming cannon fire created shockwaves that rippled outward.
But Satoru, who was directly in front of the blast, looked completely unfazed.
The impact of the Cursed Energy cannon was entirely blocked by Limitless. Not a single hair on Satoru was touched.
"Not bad, not bad. Your burst output of Cursed Energy is pretty high. Few people can match that—except for me, of course."
While Ryu's veins bulged as he gave it everything he had, Satoru casually offered commentary.
Limitless remained broken as ever.
Against someone like Satoru, only Domain could potentially inflict damage.
But now that Satoru had his own Domain, Ryu was completely suppressed.
Of course, in a few more years, when Satoru became even stronger and traded his glasses for a blindfold, he'd be able to crush Ryu without even using his technique.
"Haa... haa... you're too strong."
Thud.
Finally, with his Cursed Energy nearly depleted, Ryu collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily.
At that moment, he suddenly recalled what Eichi had told him earlier.
This morning, with no missions assigned, Ryu had gone to Eichi, asking for someone strong enough to give him a good fight.
He'd been battling Cursed Spirits for nearly a month without meeting a single worthy opponent, and the boredom was driving him crazy.
So he remembered what Eichi had said when recruiting him—there were at least four people here who could satisfy his craving for battle.
"Feeling restless?"
Eichi looked at Ryu with a helpless expression.
But knowing Ryu's personality, he still agreed.
"There just happens to be a lot of people at Tokyo Jujutsu High today. I'll find someone for you. But after you lose, remember to say a certain line, or it'll be hard to arrange next time."
"No problem."
Ryu had assumed it would be some typical phrase like "thank you," but Eichi's request left him speechless.
The words sounded like something a clown would say.
"I apologize, Gojo-sama, for not being able to make you use your full power."
Although it felt embarrassing before, after giving everything he had and still losing to Satoru, Ryu didn't feel any shame in saying it now.
After all, Ryu had never made the claim that he would win.
Even in defeat, he never said things like "I'm the strongest."
Before the fight with Satoru, he never made arrogant statements like "you're the challenger."
Eichi and Suguru, standing to the side, never once offered over-the-top narration like "it's Ryu's victory."
"Huh? Don't worry about it, isn't that just natural?"
Satoru responded nonchalantly.
Leaving Ryu lying on the ground, Satoru walked straight back to the dorms.
Eichi and Suguru were both there.
"The tea's still hot. Drink it."
Eichi handed Satoru a cup of tea.
"Speaking of which, Geto, have you lost weight?"
Satoru took the tea and glanced over at Suguru with a concerned look.
"Huh? Has Suguru lost weight?"
Eichi turned to take a closer look at Suguru.
Suguru's dark circles had returned. A faint weariness lingered between his brows, a clear sign something was weighing on him.
Eichi, who had been sitting opposite him, hadn't noticed until now.
"Yeah, he's thinner. His arms used to be a little bigger. Looks like he's lost two or three catties."
Satoru gave a detailed observation after a quick glance.
"You can notice a small change like that... What about me?"
Eichi hadn't realized Six Eyes could be used for that.
"Ah, didn't notice anything. You seem the same."
"…"
So you only observe Suguru that closely, huh? Damn it, I'm shipping this.
Feeling Satoru's concern, Suguru, who had seemed somewhat distant, forced a smile. With gentle eyes, he looked at Satoru and said, "It's nothing. Just suffering from the summer heat lately."
"Is that so?"
Satoru turned away and drank his tea.
He trusted Suguru.
He believed that his best friend, the one who always walked the Righteous Path and whom he could entrust his back to, would be able to handle whatever came his way.
How much did Satoru trust Suguru?
Gege once said that at one point, Satoru had used Suguru's moral compass as his own standard for good and evil.
Eichi stood to the side, utterly speechless.
He looked at Satoru, who trusted Suguru so deeply, and then at Suguru, who forced a smile and looked at Satoru with such gentle eyes.
Suddenly, Eichi had a strange feeling. Then, he gave Satoru a look.
Eichi: Suguru clearly has something on his mind. He's only pretending to be fine so you won't worry. Can't you tell?
Satoru: That's Suguru. It's fine. He'll deal with it on his own.
The two of them managed to understand each other perfectly just through eye contact.
Eichi suddenly had the urge to possess Satoru, stretch out his long legs and slam Suguru against the wall, then grip his chin and say:
"Don't try to act strong, Suguru. It breaks my heart."
Then he'd pull off his sunglasses and, with Six Eyes glowing, say,
"Lean on me more, Suguru."
...The mental theater ended.
After a while, Eichi suddenly realized something.
"Suffering from the summer heat? But September's basically autumn..."
Then, another thought struck him.
'Wait, this scene feels familiar.'
Eichi sank his consciousness into his shadow and opened the notebook he used as a memo.
'Something's not right. Amanai Riko is still alive. Haibara's still full of energy. Suguru hasn't encountered that large-scale cult from the Time Vessel Association yet. And the Yamamura persecution case hasn't happened either. So why is Suguru already showing signs of breaking?'
Eichi stood up and left the dorm.
Beep beep.
"Moshi moshi, Young Master Eichi."
Zen'in Shuji's voice came through the phone.
"It's me. Help me check the recent mission logs for everyone at Tokyo Jujutsu High. As fast and as detailed as possible."
"No problem, Young Master Eichi."
Eichi hung up.
Zen'in Shuji was fast. That evening, Eichi received the mission reports.
He even sent an extra copy for Ryu.
Eichi immediately opened Suguru's report.
"Exorcism Report: Cursed Spirits Resulting from Cultist Sacrifice Incident."
The title alone made Eichi frown.
He quickly finished the report, then opened the second.
"Incident Report: Persecution and Death of Children by Folk Sorcerers."
Just like the first, this one described children with potential as Jujutsu Sorcerers awakening their Techniques, only to be killed by ordinary people and turned into Cursed Spirits.
Then came the third.
"Assistant Supervisor Death Report."
Akutami Jojo, who had served as Suguru's Assistant Supervisor, had been unexpectedly cut in half during a mission.
As Eichi continued reading, he realized that every mission Suguru had taken in the month since returning from Sendai involved confronting the darkest aspects of human nature.
"Come to think of it, the Yamamura incident happened in September, didn't it..."
Eichi fell into deep thought.
(To be continued.)
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