Chapter 27: Genius Is Only the Barrier to See Him
Gojo Satoru, unaware that Hikigaya Hachiman had already labeled him as "all you think about is yourself," gave a cold sniff, indicating his magnanimity.
What made Gojo Satoru relieved was that this kid hadn't gone astray over the years. His attitude and mental state were even better than most Sorcerers.
One of Gojo Satoru's juniors, for example, quit being a Sorcerer, found the pressure too great, and went into financial management for the rich.
Fervent individuals like Hikigaya Hachiman, who have been on the front line of killing Curses since childhood, are extremely rare.
"Hachiman-kun, speaking of which, Megumi-chan hasn't seen you in a while."
Fushiguro Megumi. A black, spiky-haired boy surfaced in Hikigaya Hachiman's mind.
"Alright, I understand."
Hearing Gojo Satoru say this, Hikigaya Hachiman immediately knew that Fushiguro Megumi probably needed a bit of discipline again.
Fushiguro Megumi is a little younger than Hikigaya Hachiman. Due to the awakening of the Zen'in family's inherited technique, the Ten Shadows Technique, the boy is the Zen'in family's already-designated next head.
Hikigaya Hachiman first met Gojo Satoru when he accidentally took a Curse that Fushiguro Megumi was practicing on. Fushiguro Megumi has a bit of a delinquent style, and only after being educated by Hikigaya Hachiman does he become much more docile.
Therefore, Gojo Satoru would sometimes intentionally let Fushiguro Megumi provoke Hikigaya Hachiman so he could watch Megumi get unilaterally beaten into the ground.
After all, though he didn't want to admit it, Gojo Satoru felt that Hikigaya Hachiman's close-combat technique was far superior to his own.
When he first met Hikigaya Hachiman, Gojo Satoru was almost scared to death.
An eight or nine-year-old child fighting thirty-odd intermediate-level Curses with just a simple dinner knife—what was that if not suicide?
But the boy's sharp, precise technique, which involved no superfluous movements and struck straight at the Curses' weak points, was simply artistry.
Gojo Satoru couldn't understand why such a young child possessed such exquisite technique.
If he didn't have the Six Eyes that could see through everything, he would definitely have thought this child was the second life of some thousand-year-old ancient being reborn via Cursed Object Incarnation.
Since that was ruled out, there was only one explanation: extraordinary talent.
Gojo Satoru himself is a genius, so he understands that one cannot use the scope of ordinary people to define a genius.
Fushiguro Megumi is also a genius, but only in comparison to ordinary people.
As for Hikigaya Hachiman, Gojo Satoru recalled a saying:
"Genius is only the barrier to see him."
That's why Fushiguro Megumi keeps pushing aggressively, feeling disgruntled, thinking, "He's only slightly older than me, why is he so strong?"
"Why does that cocky guy care about Hikigaya Hachiman so much?"
Hikigaya Hachiman recalled the olive branch Gojo Satoru once extended to him.
"If it's you, you can absolutely reach the peak of this era's strongest with me."
The whole era? That's just a lifetime, isn't it?
It sounded very heavy.
Hikigaya Hachiman definitely wouldn't make friends with such a heavy person, so he immediately rejected Gojo Satoru.
As for Fushiguro Megumi's desperate drive, Hikigaya Hachiman doesn't dislike it and isn't stingy with his guidance, especially since Fushiguro Megumi does have some talent in sword techniques.
"What are your thoughts on Okkotsu-kun, Hachiman?"
Gojo Satoru remembered that they had met in the morning, and on the Sorcerer Association's backend, he saw that the Kamo family had extracted Okkotsu Yuta's profile.
"I don't think that guy is a bad person."
Hikigaya Hachiman recalled that if it hadn't been for Okkotsu Yuta's help that morning, Sabre's dog-life might have been lost.
"Moreover, the Sorcerer Association is definitely underestimating his fighting power."
Gojo Satoru smiled, agreeing with Hikigaya Hachiman's words.
"After all, they're a bunch of old people with failing eyesight. What can they possibly see clearly?"
Hikigaya Hachiman adjusted the strap of his cello bag, signaling that he was about to leave.
"As for Megumi, I'll make time for him."
"Thanks."
Hikigaya Hachiman had only walked two steps when he seemed to remember something, turning back to Gojo Satoru.
"Oh, right, Gojo-sensei, if you want to run into that old classmate of yours...
You might want to hang around Shibuya a bit more."
"What do you mean?"
Gojo Satoru, who was just jovial a moment ago, immediately became extremely serious, changing expressions faster than anyone.
"The literal meaning."
After Hikigaya Hachiman said this, he left without looking back.
The other party definitely understood.
Although Hikigaya Hachiman wouldn't oppose his sister's choice of friends, guarding against others is absolutely essential.
As for Gojo Satoru, in his view, as long as he doesn't drag Hikigaya Hachiman to Jujutsu High, the rest is not so annoying.
Hikigaya Hachiman has the same attitude as the Sorcerer Association: Gojo Satoru is an extremely excellent tool.
If you give him just a small piece of information, he will follow the clues and find all the truth.
A long while later, Hikigaya Hachiman heard a voice from behind him.
"Thank you."
Hikigaya Hachiman's lips curled up slightly when he heard that sentence from the rear.
"You're welcome."
Hikigaya Hachiman didn't encounter anything else on his way home. When he got back, he didn't forget to take his cello bag with him.
A weapon is one's second life.
After using it, Hikigaya Hachiman always takes it home for careful maintenance and a new machine spirit-pleasing incense ritual.
Hikigaya Hachiman entered the elevator and pressed the twenty-fifth floor, but the elevator stopped on the first floor.
The elevator door opened, but the opulent lobby seemed empty.
Just as Hikigaya Hachiman was about to close the door, he suddenly heard urgent footsteps from the end of the corridor.
Hikigaya Hachiman silently pressed the button to extend the door opening time. Soon, he heard what sounded like a mother-daughter conversation, with the young girl seemingly complaining.
"Mom, you bought too much."
Hikigaya Hachiman could tell that although the girl's voice was one of complaint, it sounded more like she was whining affectionately to her mother.
"It's fine, Soyo-chan, it's all things you like to eat."
"Waaah, I'm busy working usually, so I can only make up for it with these things."
Hikigaya Hachiman recognized her: it was Nagasaki Soyo, the "plastic friend" who had argued with Mutsumi in front of his car earlier.
Unlike the formal Tsukinomiya school uniform she wore before, the brown, slightly curly-haired girl was now dressed lightly.
She probably rushed out, throwing on a jacket. Under the jacket, she was just wearing a pink shirt sleepwear, which was very cute, and the thin clothing further highlighted the girl's graceful figure.
When Nagasaki Soyo saw there was a peer, and a boy at that, in the elevator, she remembered her inappropriate attire, and an embarrassed blush rose on her face.
The other woman, who looked slightly more mature, resembled Nagasaki Soyo quite a bit, and was dressed in business attire, must be her mother.
Hikigaya Hachiman guessed that Nagasaki Soyo's mother had bought too much and called her daughter down to help carry the bags.
The mother and daughter seemed to have a good relationship; Nagasaki Soyo's voice wasn't as affected as before.
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