Facing an enemy utilizing a splitting Cursed Technique, Gojo Satoru and Chinatsu effortlessly struck him down. The speed of the entire process was so rapid that Amanai Riko, who had just been complaining about how unreliable they were, blinked dumbfounded.
"You guys... are... that strong?"
After a moment of stunned silence, Amanai Riko voiced her complaint. Chinatsu and Gojo Satoru did not reply, only turning their heads to look at her with expressions that pitied an idiot.
Amanai Riko pursed her lips in embarrassment, crossed her arms over her chest, gave an arrogant snort, and turned her head away.
However, no sooner had one wave subsided than another rose; just as they solved one problem, a new one emerged.
The maid had originally met up with Geto Suguru inside the school, but she believed Geto Suguru's speed far surpassed her own, so she told him to go ahead and meet up with the others.
Yet, shortly after Geto Suguru agreed and sped away, the maid, having just become separated, was targeted. They intended to use the maid as a hostage to negotiate with Chinatsu and the others.
It was a decent scheme, but unfortunately, the gap between the two sides could no longer be bridged by mere tactics. By the time the kidnappers proactively contacted the group attempting to negotiate, the threat had already vanished.
Okinawa, the beach.
The rescued maid blinked her eyes, looking slightly bewildered, appearing not too bright.
After all, both being "kidnapped" and being "rescued" happened far too suddenly.
She was knocked unconscious and then groggily opened her eyes. Before her mind was clear enough to observe her surroundings, the door to the room where she was imprisoned was kicked open, and the group saved her.
Stunned, as if her brain had crashed, her head suddenly dropped with a "Clang!" as she sighed deeply and softly muttered, "I really wish I could crawl into a hole..."
Geto Suguru, hearing this, couldn't help but chuckle softly. He smiled with narrowed eyes and comforted her, "It was a sneak attack when you weren't prepared, and I also bear some responsibility for this. Don't take it too hard."
The two of them chatted leisurely on the beach, while Gojo Satoru and Amanai Riko ran around and played like children.
To an uninformed observer, this scene might suggest they were siblings, while Chinatsu, the one who was actually related by blood, lay on a beach chair under a sun umbrella nearby, her eyes closed.
"As expected of an elite from Tokyo Jujutsu High. Even with her eyes closed, she can enter a state of alert to observe her surroundings. How does she do that? Can the Rikugan of the Gojo Family accomplish such a thing?" The maid looked at Chinatsu lying on the chair with her eyes shut and exclaimed in impressed incomprehension.
"Uh, she's probably really asleep."
"Huh???"
Three large question marks appeared above the maid's head. They hadn't even reached a safe zone yet; playing around and relaxing was one thing, but falling asleep seemed far too relaxed.
Regarding the maid's surprise, Geto Suguru only laughed softly and awkwardly. It must have been because she hadn't known Chinatsu for long; those who had known her for a while were already used to this.
Geto Suguru raised his head slightly to look at the sun overhead, thinking that the time must be drawing near. He stood up and spoke to the pair who were playing, "Time is almost up. We should prepare to head back."
Hearing this, Amanai Riko, who had previously been wearing a brilliant smile, froze. That radiant smile quickly receded like the ebbing tide.
The keen Gojo Satoru noticed Amanai Riko's change. He immediately waved his hand at Geto Suguru and said, "Let's go back tomorrow!"
As he spoke, he joined Geto Suguru. Once close, Geto Suguru quietly asked about Gojo Satoru's condition, because he had been maintaining the running state of "Limitless Defense" ever since the escort mission began.
Currently, he could not maintain it automatically 24 hours a day; sustaining "Limitless Defense" required active effort and consumed a significant amount of stamina.
Gojo Satoru smiled faintly, raised his hand, and patted Geto Suguru's shoulder, replying, "It's fine. If I can't manage it, don't I still have you? Besides, my sister is here too, so there's nothing to worry about."
Geto Suguru, upon hearing Gojo Satoru's words, offered a faint smile, and his heart calmed down.
That's right, there was nothing to worry about.
The original plan was to take a plane back to Tokyo Jujutsu High before dusk that day, but plans never keep up with changes. During this suddenly extended time, Amanai Riko fully enjoyed herself.
She went boating, shopped in gardens, ate a piping hot bowl of udon noodles, and viewed various fish at the aquarium.
Her smile was brilliant, but as the sky gradually darkened, the smile on her face faded at a visible speed.
The next day, early morning.
The group, carrying complex emotions, took a plane back to the outskirts of Tokyo Jujutsu High.
With every stone step they took closer to Tokyo Jujutsu High, their emotions became a little more complicated, and the atmosphere gradually stiffened.
Amanai Riko felt the tension. She pursed her lips, gathered her courage, and took the initiative to break the rigid atmosphere.
She extended one of her fingers straight toward Gojo Satoru, while placing her other hand on her chest.
Tilting her head up slightly, she said proudly, "Hmph! Hmph! I'm going to assimilate with Master Tengen soon. Once the assimilation is over, you better show me some respect, got it?"
"Ha? Don't get too carried away! See Master Tengen? I'll drop you off at Tokyo Jujutsu High and turn around and run!" Gojo Satoru clicked his tongue, crossed his arms, and turned his head away.
The atmosphere eased slightly, and the group continued up step after step of the stone staircase, finally arriving within the range affected by the Tokyo Jujutsu High barrier.
With this barrier in place, the alarm system inside Tokyo Jujutsu High would be triggered whenever an unregistered Jujutsu Sorcerer entered.
Chinatsu, who had been acting like an invisible presence in the group for a while, fixed her gaze on her younger brother, Gojo Satoru.
Because, according to the original work's plot, the heavenly restriction tyrant Fushiguro Toji, whose lack of Cursed Energy allowed him to ignore the barrier, would appear behind Gojo Satoru, wielding the soul split katana and striking him directly from the back.
The unawakened Gojo Satoru failed to stop Fushiguro Toji and was even beaten half to death. Afterward, just as Amanai Riko resolved to live her own life, Fushiguro Toji shot her in the head.
Riko, this time I... *Swoosh!!!*
Chinatsu's thoughts were suddenly interrupted. Her pupils trembling, she looked down, only to see a long, wide blade protruding through her body from behind.
"Hm?"