I'm wondering if my current emotions are also being affected by the side effects, which is why I'm suddenly feeling emotions that even I find strange?
Suguru Geto revealed an incredibly complicated expression:
“Satoru, you should watch fewer shoujo manga; you've completely lost your mind. The Six Eyes didn't catch any cursed energy fluctuations from Supervisor Kobe at all, did they?”
Setting aside whether it's even possible to evade a Cursed Technique cast by the Six Eyes, using a Cursed Technique that subtly influences emotions on you would be completely pointless, wouldn't it?
Suguru Geto pointed to himself, then pointed to Satoru Gojo. "Girls think we're total losers, Supervisor Kobe doesn't seem like the type of pervert who would be interested in you."
Satoru Gojo: Can I say that he is actually very interested?
Suguru Geto didn't notice Satoru Gojo's momentary lapse in concentration and made a gesture as if to pat Satoru Gojo's back in consolation, "How about I bring you some shonen manga and game cartridges later?"
Satoru Gojo used Limitless to separate Suguru Geto's movement, his mouth pulling into a flat, expressionless line as he "stared" at him. "I bet Geto has plenty of shojo manga in his dorm, too, right?"
Ahem.
Suguru Geto was a bit embarrassed. "Those were recommended by Nobara Iori and Utage.."
His gaze drifted, as if unable to endure it, he conceded, "Fine, I admit some of the plot tropes are too strong; it actually looks quite interesting."
Recently, the concentration of shoujo manga in the Tokyo Jujutsu High boys' dormitory has been terrifyingly high.
Whether it was the ones Satoru Gojo bought according to the bestseller lists, the ones sent by the girls to Suguru Geto, or the ones sent by Makoto Hibara's younger sister to help her brother keep up with the school's "trends," everyone's room had at least a few manga magazines piled up.
Even someone like Kento Nanami, who had absolutely no interest, had picked up a few copies of the popular "Beautiful Boy" and "Ouran High School Host Club" because his recent missions had been so infrequent.
Satoru Gojo: "Tell me, logically speaking, should I be feeling jealous right now?"
Suguru Geto:?
“Do you really think you're the female lead?”
Satoru Gojo threw up his hands and said as if it were the most natural thing in the world, "Otherwise? With my looks, my screen time, my strength, there's no way I'd be some tragic second female lead or a nameless cannon fodder, right?"
So confident, that's not even the point, is it?
Suguru Geto was shocked by the shamelessness of his peer. ".. As long as you're happy."
Taking advantage of the corner seat being unnoticed by anyone, Satoru Gojo pulled out a chair and sat down without any regard for his image, his interest piqued once again:
“Should I go and assert my claim to Suzuo now? I've never done anything like this before; I'm a little nervous.”
Suguru Geto estimated that the auction time was approaching, so he took out his phone to review some related information.
He casually brushed off Satoru Gojo's question:
So, by your logic, as the 'female lead's best friend,' should I be coming up with a scheme right now? Ideally, one to teach that guy who just had some 'intimate contact' with Supervisor Kobe a lesson.
Whoa, you really get it, Geto, my bestie!
Satoru Gojo actually felt quite regretful: "But I feel like I'd be cast as the villainous supporting character, then the readers would hate me intensely, so never mind. You just need to comfort me, the heartbroken one, because Suzuo changed her heart!"
Suguru Geto shifted a bit of his attention toward Satoru Gojo; even with bandages covering the guy's face, it was obvious he was cheerful and bright, showing not a hint of sadness.
If the 'female lead' has a troublesome personality, you could actually choose to become part of the male lead's brother group. I am the Strongest Jujutsu Sorcerer working with Supervisor Kobe, Nobara Iori is Supervisor Kobe's doctor friend, Masamichi Yaga is a gap-moe friend of different generations.
Suguru Geto said coldly, "And you, my friend, instead of being a delicate little flower, you are more like a willful and spoiled loser of a young lady.. Young Master."
Good heavens, Geto, you are simply a devil!
Satoru Gojo's shock this time was genuine; he was practically on the verge of tears. "This protagonist of mine is way too miserable! Don't even a group of close friends exist?"
There are.
As he spoke, Suguru Geto had already completed his logical loop:
The Gojo Clan is your most loyal circle of friends and family. Although they always restrict your freedom and hobbies, will try to stop you from getting married in the final chapters due to reasons like old feuds, business rivals, or being an unsuitable match, they will at least support you unconditionally during the early and middle stages.
Satoru Gojo..
Why does it feel like those old geezers in the family actually follow this whole routine?
Geto, I think it's about time you read a little less shoujo manga.
Satoru Gojo said with pity, "I feel like your head is full of nothing but weird things.. Can Nobara Iori cure this? I don't want one of Masamichi Yaga's only three students in this generation to lose his mind."
Who was the one who started obsessing over the female lead first, anyway?
Suguru Geto rolled his eyes at the right moment, too lazy to continue the conversation.
Satoru Gojo leaned against the back of his chair, still feeling that Kobe Suzuo's reaction to his hurried departure was somewhat unusual.
From his observations, Kobe Suzuo adapted well to the side effects of the Cursed Technique that always created awkward situations, even occasionally using the debuffs in reverse to create convenience.
In short, he was an incredibly thick-skinned person who could calmly handle any situation and was extremely self-centered.
One really shouldn't act flustered just because of a "rescue-style" hug.
Satoru Gojo pulled the veil from his face, making an excuse for himself. "Geto, how about we go find Suzuo now? Suzuo's Cursed Technique worked so hard; since I've been pushed into the female lead's role by it, I should cooperate with the performance as well."
Suguru Geto checked the time again. He first checked the funds card prepared by Kobe Suzuo, after confirming it was secure, he straightened his tie.
I am currently Young Master Kobe's temporary assistant, I have specific tasks that need to be completed.
He pushed up the Smart Glasses on the bridge of his nose. "I can't serve as the female lead's best friend anymore."
Two childish high school boys, both immersed in role-playing, exchanged a look, thinking in perfect unison that it was a real shame Nobara Iori didn't come.
Satoru Gojo stood up and straightened his somewhat disheveled Kimono, quickly determining a certain direction, waved his hand at Suguru Geto, saying, "Geto, I'll leave this to you."
..
Are there surveillance and eavesdropping devices in this room?
Kobe Suzuo closed the lounge door, stood still for a moment to catch her breath, then put her communication headset back on.
“It's safe, Young Master, in terms of both technology and Cursed Technique.”
He tugged at his tie, slumped back into the sofa, after resting for two minutes, sat up straight, slowly setting up a temporary barrier:
Don't try to show off with that Cursed Technique detection of yours that only has a fifty percent accuracy rate.
Merlin said indignantly, "Young Master, this is already incredibly overpowered. In this world, besides yourself, there won't be a second person capable of creating artificial intelligence like me, nor will there be another person with the ingenuity to attempt explaining Jujutsu through science."
Kobe Suzuo stretched and then slowly began to process the documents sent from the Director's Department:
“Merlin, excessive flattery can come across as insincere, if you keep talking like that, the staff in the research group who are working hard on development and maintenance will cry.”
The work from the Director's Department was filtered once by AI, blocking out any messages with aggressive language or insults, returning those that were a rambling mess without a clear point, putting those making roundabout requests for funding on hold.
The rest was just the trivialities and busywork the Elders prepared for Kobe Suzuo to waste his time.
As for the truly life-threateningly important tasks that those Elders could not handle, they would generally appear before Kobe Suzuo in a much more direct manner.
"Dong—" A dull, oppressive tolling of a bell.
Kobe Suzuo curled her lips into a smile, letting it ring for a full minute before finally answering the phone.
Kobe Suzuo! Why did you hide the news about Sukuna's Finger from the Elders Council? Don't tell me you didn't know; given the Kobe Family's current status, how could you not have obtained the auction list in advance—
Was the old man slacking off? He’s been working overtime for three days straight, yet he still has so much energy in his voice.
Kobe Suzuo moved his phone a little further away in disdain, waiting patiently for the old man to finish his shouting before responding:
Has Elder Nishimiya forgotten how I worked while injured last month? I spend much more time at Jujutsu High than I do at home.
“Furthermore, before the news of the Star Plasma Vessel broke, this auction wasn't anything special; my subordinates wouldn't be so tactless as to bring such boring news before me.”
Nishimiya Naiki knew he couldn't win an argument against Kobe Suzuo and interrupted him directly, "A Special Grade Cursed Object cannot be allowed to fall into the hands of ordinary people. You bring it back."
Kobe Suzuo pretended not to understand: "Are you saying you want me to snatch it back? As the dignified Director and the actual head of the Kobe Family, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to do something like that, would it?"
“I'm telling you to buy it back!”
There were many wealthy people present today; with just a few eccentric billionaires competing, a rare Special Grade Cursed Object could easily reach an astronomical price.
Under normal circumstances, no clan would have the spare cash to participate in an auction; they would simply wait for the auction to end and then find a way to recover it.
Yes, Sukuna's Finger was originally something of the Jujutsu World; for an ordinary person to possess it would only bring disaster. The word "rob" wasn't even necessary; it should be called recovery.
But Kobe Suzuo happened to be present, everyone knew the Kobe Family was wealthy; purchasing it legitimately was certainly much more convenient than stealing.. than recovering it.
Tsk, the Elders. Every single day, they do nothing but try to take advantage of the Kobe Family, hoping to make the Kobe Family bleed out. It would be best if they could cause some cash flow issues and bring the family down quickly.
Listening to the old man's energy on the other end of the line, Kobe Suzuo thought he was being sent off to work overtime again.
Oh, so if the Kobe Family pays for it, does this finger belong to the Kobe Family then?
Kobe Suzuo asked this.
Author's Note:
Satoru: I have done a bit of research on shoujo manga
Geto: What a coincidence, I've read a bit of them too.
Merlin: It's fine, Young Master. Even though you're a noob, you have me!
Suzuo..
Chapter 30: Those Cursed Tools
Of Sukuna's twenty fingers, six are currently kept in the Jujutsu High Restricted Collection.
As for the other three fingers, after being sealed, they were treated as charms to "fight poison with poison" and were placed in special areas of the school where high-risk Cursed Spirits are prone to manifest.
Aside from those, the whereabouts of the other eleven fingers remain unknown.
Kobe Suzuo truly could not understand why, even though Sukuna had been dead for a thousand years, those useless wastes in the Elders Council had still failed to recover all twenty fingers.
This is far too strange.
A natural disaster-level curse, Sukuna's Finger, known as the King of Curses, possesses cursed energy so immense that it leaks out and attracts cursed spirits; it is an indestructible, Special Grade Cursed Object with a maximum danger level.
The Elders Council allowed this thing, which was comparable to a time bomb, to roam free in the world; it was hard to say whether they were being bold or cowardly.
Kobe Suzuo added before Nishimiya Naiki could lose his temper:
Of course, I mean that while its nominal ownership will be assigned to the Kobe Family, in reality, it will still be placed in the Tokyo Jujutsu High's storage to be sealed away.
Both Tokyo Jujutsu High and Kyoto Jujutsu High have special barriers established by Tengen within their vaults.
Many families, including the Three Great Families, follow tradition by placing some of their clan's cursed tools and other important items within them.