[What if the naughty cat dies?]
Author's Note:
The recent update times have been quite hellish (contemplating)
Chapter 41: Those Cannon Fodder
“Brother, when the Six Eyes arrives in a moment, we'll start by unleashing a massive technique to clash head-on. The more grand the spectacle, the better. After that, we'll pretend we're no match for him and collapse onto the ground."
The black-haired youth, who had his hair tied in small pigtails and was frantically taking notes in a notebook, paused his pen, his squinting eyes snapped open for a brief moment.
He wanted to ask a question, but he was intimidated by Cai Ming's solemn and grave expression and obediently kept his mouth shut.
Chihiro Chiba silently added a suffix to his small notebook where he took notes:
It was not a head-on clash, it was not a pretense, it was not a faint.
With the mediocre level of their group, facing Satoru Gojo would be an absolute, crushing defeat and a total disaster, wouldn't it?
Cai Ming toyed with her flashy earrings, her sense of conviction overflowing:
“Since BOSS has realized that we're just noobs and won't be useful, he won't make me give up my island vacation to serve as a punching bag for the Gojo Clan's Six Eyes anymore.”
Chihiro Chiba gripped the dagger tightly; he felt like something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
As a newcomer who had been taken in by the Kobe Family for less than two months, he asked nervously:
But, Senior Cai Ming, Mr. Suzuo has arranged a detailed workflow for us. What if he notices we are intentionally slacking off?
Cai Ming hummed in thought, her emerald eyes gazing toward the distant beach, her gaze growing increasingly firm.
When that Six Eyes attacks, we shouldn't fight back. If we die once, the BOSS will definitely believe it.
Chihiro Chiba broke into a cold sweat, "Do I have to die too?"
“Right, we all die together.”
The sea breeze brushed through her blonde hair, wild and frenzied.
Cai Ming kicked the palm tree nearby, letting out a sinister laugh as the trunk snapped with a raspy sound, then he walked away.
Heh, a vacation on the island, heh, the BOSS will definitely have a change of heart and forgive me.
Tanikawa Shinji, who had been holding it in for a long time, cursed, "Madman," and stepped out from behind the shade of the trees, trembling with lingering fear as the fallen leaves shook from his body.
He ripped off the wig on his head and threw it on the ground, venting his frustrations from the Three Great Families to the Jujutsu World, from Satoru Gojo to Kobe Suzuo.
Tanikawa Shinji, a former "temporary worker" who had been forced into a life-and-death contract by Kobe Suzuo and a failed assassin, felt indignant as he was forced to return to his grueling daily grind just to stay alive.
Thinking about the fact that he would have to act as a sparring partner for Satoru Gojo made him even more frustrated, he began to curse again:
You scummy, conniving bastards, playing the Elders Council like fools in the palm of your hands—can't you see that Kobe and Gojo intend to hollow out the Jujutsu World through both civil and military means?
Pah, trash.
Chihiro Chiba stood there, at a loss, with the neurotic Saunai Zhuzhu in front of him and the resentful Tanikawa Shinji by his side.
He pressed a hand to his forehead in pain, feeling that today would likely be the day he died.
Not long ago, Chihiro Chiba had been expelled from the Chiba Family and was effectively a dead man, sentenced to death within the Elders Council's system.
Sending him to the Jujutsu High students as sparring partners was nothing more than a way to make use of waste, sent by Kobe Suzuo.
There shouldn't have been any complaints to begin with.
But acting as a training partner for ordinary Jujutsu Sorcerers would be one thing, but for a Semi-Special Grade Sorcerer like him to act as a training partner for Satoru Gojo—wasn't that just asking for death?
That is the Six Eyes, the undisputed strongest in the Jujutsu World; if Chihiro Chiba took a hit from Blue head-on, he probably wouldn't even leave a trace.
I heard that Yuki Tsukumo is currently serving as a temporary teacher at Jujutsu High; her return to the country this time might be to recommend Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto to become Special Grade.
Special Grade and Semi-Special Grade..
The more Chihiro Chiba thought about it, the more doomed he felt, with a mournful expression, he began preparing a suicide note for himself.
Then, on second thought, he seemed to have no family left to receive a suicide note, his expression grew even more despondent.
Tanikawa Shinji cursed until his throat was dry, his mood finally improved slightly. In an act of benevolence, he began to comfort his unlucky colleague, who had only just started working.
Don't bother with that crazy woman Cai Ming; her Cursed Technique is unique, she can even be resurrected after death, but for people like us, once we die, it's truly the end.
Tanikawa Shinji grit his teeth, his bone-cleaver stabbing fiercely into the soil. "Work honestly for that man from the Kobe Family, you might just keep your life."
His face was so dark it looked like it could drip ink, like an angry braised egg.
Chihiro Chiba came from a prestigious family; although he lacked the arrogance of an orthodox Jujutsu Sorcerer, his words were blunt to the point of being unpleasant.
Why are you so certain, Senior? We are both sinners; whether we live or die shouldn't have much of an impact on Mr. Kobe, right? If anything, it would be better if we died.
Since when was I a senior of yours, or some senior to that brat Kobe?
Tanikawa Shinji grimaced in disgust. He pulled two whetstones from the small pouch hanging from his waistband and began sharpening his blade with a harsh, rasping sound.
Those from the Kobe Family are devils, smiling as they tempt us into signing deals with the devil. By the time you realize what's happening, neither your soul nor your body will belong to you anymore.
Tanikawa Shinji held up the sharpened boning knife to the light, "You should sign it too, right? The [Contract] with Kobe Suzuo."
“Once the Contract is signed, you are the Devil's asset. Before you lose all your value, you must work yourself to death to create value for the Devil. We are slaves, understand me, you wicked capitalist?”
His posture while sharpening the blade was so fierce that it looked as if he wanted to kill his superior right then and there.
That brat from the Kobe Family definitely wants to kill me, but there are too few people capable of using Cursed Energy; he won't bear to waste precious assets like us.
Chihiro Chiba silently took a step back to avoid the overwhelming resentment emanating from Tanikawa Shinji, recalling how the clan members had sent him to the Kobe Family to atone for his sins on the day he was expelled.
He knelt before Kobe Suzuo, trying his best to keep his head bowed as low as possible.
The secretary handed him a contract, before the other party could even finish reading the project terms, Chihiro Chiba had already signed it, pressing down a thumbprint as bright and red as blood.
At that time, he was utterly despondent, believing that his life had likely reached its end. He did not dare to lift his head throughout the entire process, only catching a glimpse in his peripheral vision of a pair of polished, red-soled leather shoes that looked incredibly expensive.
As Chihiro Chiba was being asked to leave the room by the secretary, he heard the person sitting in the seat of honor teasing with a hint of a smile in his voice.
Why do you make it sound like I'm some kind of Black Society boss? We're following a completely legal, regulated, moral process here..
Tanikawa Shinji knew exactly what was going on just by looking at Chihiro Chiba's expression, he spat on the ground like a hooligan.
“Since you've attempted to assassinate a member of the Kobe Family, the [Contract] you signed is most likely a bill of sale. Your benefits and compensation are at the lowest tier among all Jujutsu Sorcerer employees, with a whole bunch of messy restrictions. You're treating us like we're convict laborers..”
Chihiro Chiba listened, feeling restless and wanting to take notes in his notebook.
After the failed assassination last time, Tanikawa Shinji was thrown out by Kobe Suzuo and spent months fighting Cursed Spirits day and night without rest.
He hadn't encountered a "normal person" in so long that he wouldn't stop babbling.
Don't let me catch that bastard who sells fake intel. If that scoundrel hadn't goaded me into assassinating Kobe, I'd be enjoying some time off by now!
If he had known that the Kobe Family's Cursed Technique was so incredibly powerful, he certainly wouldn't have taken such a massive risk to pursue freedom.
Freedom? He's turned himself into a prisoner; now he even has to file an application just to have a drink.
Tanikawa Shinji felt a rare sense of regret. He finished sharpening the blade with a heavy heart and put the whetstone back into his bag.
He glanced at the wig on the ground, which was covered in sand and grass clippings, picked it up reluctantly. Not caring what ridiculous shape it had taken, he simply pulled it onto his head.
Come here, kid. Time is running out, we need to start preparing.
Tanikawa Shinji waved at Chihiro Chiba. "What was your Cursed Technique again? Was it poisoning or a curse?"
It's a mental ulcer. Once the Cursed Technique hits, the target will fall into a certain degree of weakness, their precision in controlling Cursed Energy will be affected until the technique completely collapses.
Chihiro Chiba stood in place, honestly waiting for Tanikawa Shinji to give him a buff.
“But Satoru Gojo has Limitless and the Six Eyes. My Cursed Technique won't be able to hit him, even if it succeeds, the possibility of him completely losing his combat effectiveness is low.”
Chihiro Chiba said dejectedly, "He might even just get enraged, for Satoru Gojo, taking us out would be as easy as breathing."
Tanikawa Shinji's eye twitched, he slapped the boy on the head. "Don't give me that jinxed talk."
We're just here to be sparring partners for Young Master, why think so much about it?
He pointed to the walkie-talkie hanging on his uniform and gave a lewd laugh.
“Just do whatever Kobe tells you to do, understand?”
[Attention all groups! The mission will begin in five minutes. Please be prepared.]
Tanikawa Shinji gave Chihiro Chiba a contemptuous glance, then shamelessly patted the engraved Cursed Tool from the Kobe Family in his satchel:
“Did you hear that? High-tech stuff!”
..
Boom—
After the loud crash, the birds in the jungle flapped their wings and flew away in a panic, their silhouettes scattering into tiny black dots against the orange-red sunset.
Suguru Geto withdrew his gaze, controlling the curve of his smile to make himself appear as normal as possible. "Mr. Suzuo, is that Satoru's special training over there?"
Kobe Suzuo nodded, his eyes fixed intently on the screen, said with certainty, "If all goes well, Satoru will be able to master the Reverse Cursed Technique before we head back."
He seemed not to have noticed Suguru Geto's surprise and fleeting loneliness, continued.
Actually, with your and Satoru's talent, learning the Reverse Cursed Technique shouldn't be this difficult. Therefore, I speculate that your compatibility with your own Innate Technique is too high, causing your body to spontaneously resist the flow of unfamiliar Cursed Energy.
Kobe Suzuo guessed that, given the cruelty and bloodshed of the Jujutsu World, there was a high probability of having experienced a near-death experience, where the original Cursed Energy circuits were shattered, allowing the instinct for survival combined with innate talent to spontaneously awaken the Reverse Cursed Technique.
But training a cat this way.. Kobe Suzuo really couldn't bear to do it.
He could only settle for the next best thing, using complex Cursed Techniques to interfere with the operation of the Six Eyes.
Satoru Gojo uses the Six Eyes to manipulate Cursed Energy with such precision that his consumption is practically zero; under normal circumstances, he would never run out of Cursed Energy.
Merlin calculated the tactical arrangements to maximize the consumption of Satoru Gojo's Cursed Energy.
How could a rebound from rock bottom not be considered another kind of "positive energy formed by the combination of negative energy and negative energy"?
Merlin said that this was a way to consume the cat's energy through "reasonable exercise," allowing the cat to learn how to rest and replenish its energy.
Kobe Suzuo had very poor talent in Jujutsu; he found it difficult even to use Cursed Energy to strengthen his body, but fortunately, Merlin could help with simulations.
There are no issues on Satoru Gojo's end, but it might take some more effort on Suguru Geto's end.
Kobe Suzuo thought deeply, the tip of her pen tapping against the screen.