But Suguru Geto smiled warmly, as if he were long accustomed to it or simply fearless. He pressed his palms together, his voice calm and gentle:
Itadakimasu.
The youth with neatly styled hair remained expressionless, eating at a steady, unhurried pace, his manner even quite pleasing to the eye.
He selected the dishes with unique flavors one by one, took the napkin handed to him by the waiter to wipe the corners of his mouth, commented with a light smile:
It's actually not bad. If you ignore the smell and texture, you can still taste the unique flavors of the ingredients themselves.
Suguru Geto's face was as pale as a statue, combined with the ingredients emitting strange odors on the dining table, his smile looked sinister no matter how one looked at it.
Ford Fordge gave a sudden shudder, holding the research institute's list of questions and asking cautiously about things like which dish had the strongest rot and which dish had the most unbearable stench.
Suguru Geto pinched his chin, humming thoughtfully as he concluded:
If I had to say, it's like a mixture of flavors from these foods.
He pointed to several specially selected dishes, then specifically pointed to the buttermilk, herring, shark meat.
The butler stepped forward, cut the large piece of shark meat into smaller bites, dipped them in skvort and herring, served them to Kobe Suzuo.
Satoru Gojo, who had emerged from the bathroom clutching a lemon cake and devouring it with gusto, looked on in confusion as he watched Kobe Suzuo take that bizarre mixture into her mouth.
Kobe Suzuo set down her utensils without changing her expression, elegant and poised, as if her table manners were etched into her very bones.
Thank you for your hard work.
Kobe Suzuo smiled gently and explained:
I need your help to complete today's experimental report; tasting it personally will help me use adjectives that are both precise and specific.
Before you started university, all the relevant reports were completed by me.
Kobe Suzuo nodded at Suguru Geto, "Of course, you can also study in advance."
He stood up and calmly pushed open the door, waving his hand. "There are no training sessions today. You are all free for the rest of the day."
The door closed, the air instantly became fresh.
Kobe Suzuo's face grew even paler, his endurance completely exhausted, as he covered his mouth with a handkerchief and fled into the nearest restroom.
He leaned against the sink and gagged several times, but his stomach was empty of everything except that piece of fish, leaving nothing to vomit but the agonizing sensation of dry heaving in his throat.
His meticulously groomed hair was disheveled and scattered, water droplets rolled down his cheeks, his eyes were bloodshot from nausea and retching, making him look wretched and fragile.
Suzuo's endurance is truly weak.
Kobe Suzuo's shoulders trembled visibly, his hands gripping the sink tightened, turning even whiter than the porcelain.
Satoru Gojo approached, looking at Kobe Suzuo's disheveled, head-bowed appearance through the mirror, a malicious smirk playing on his lips.
Normally, he wouldn't touch food with a strong fishy smell, he wouldn't even stay in places with a slightly strong scent, yet he can swallow that kind of thing.. Wow, thinking about it like that, isn't Suzuo quite amazing!
Kobe Suzuo lowered her head, her drooping bangs obscuring her face, but the Six Eyes could see her reddened eyes and her eyelashes wet with physiological tears.
Satoru Gojo's original intention in stopping Kobe Suzuo was to have another thorough talk about Suguru Geto.
As fellow Strongest, he understood his friend's personality—stubborn and headstrong; if he were to ask about certain matters directly, it would only have the opposite effect.
But for now, he felt that investigating Suguru Geto's secrets could be put aside for a moment.
Satoru Gojo reached out, his hand going around Kobe Suzuo's waist, pressed down on her stomach with just a little force.
Kobe Suzuo let out a muffled groan and stumbled backward, only managing to stand upright after being supported by Satoru Gojo, who held him by the waist.
Suzuo, is your stomach acting up again? You should have just eaten something today.
Kobe Suzuo, pretending to be strong; Kobe Suzuo, putting on an act; Kobe Suzuo, stubbornly clinging to his pride.
Satoru Gojo picked up Kobe Suzuo with ease, looking as though he had enough strength left to carry ten more just like him.
He pulled open the bathroom door and called out to a passing waiter, "Someone, come quickly! Your young master is pale, covered in cold sweat, is about to die!"
..
Red-eyed eyes locked in a deep, passionate gaze, the process was entirely wrong, but the result they displayed seemed fine, yet somehow, something felt off.
Merlin reviewed the surveillance footage repeatedly, clicking his tongue in amazement, "How can a little white lotus carry a domineering CEO like a kitten? Truly terrifying."
Kobe Suzuo was cold, "The characters are correct, the timing is correct, the favorability is UP and correct, what exactly is wrong?"
Merlin muttered, "The tags are wrong, the kinks are wrong.. Fine, this thing has been wrong from the very beginning. A domineering CEO shou.."
Hmm?
Merlin admitted defeat: "It's so great that the overbearing CEO is so popular with little white flowers~"
Merlin changed the subject:
Young Master, there is a transoceanic communication from Dr. Cohen.
Dr. Cohen is one of the primary leaders of the research institute's new energy project for Cursed Energy, he is also a pillar of strength who absolutely cannot be allowed to run away.
Kobe Suzuo had to take this person's call.
Kobe Suzuo pressed his temples and tapped the call button, the middle-aged man's loud voice began attacking his eardrums through the network line.
Boss! Good news! Incredible news!
Sss—" Kobe Suzuo moved the receiver away, "Keep it down, I can hear you.
"Oh, okay." The researcher was extremely excited.
I'm going back to my alma mater to give a speech today, I've dug up someone for you from a Japanese Jujutsu Sorcerer family! From Cambridge University! A graduate student in Brain Science! A recent graduate!
The middle-aged man's voice gradually rose, as if he had won the lottery.
The birth and use of Cursed Energy are strongly correlated with the human brain; this is currently the mainstream view within the research institute.
This graduate student is quite literally a talent tailor-made for the project.
Kobe Suzuo frowned, gesturing for Merlin to search for the graduate student's information in the database.
Kammo Heiji, twenty-three years old, a graduate student at the University of Cambridge.
He had excellent grades, was quite interested in Japanese folklore, had grown up under his maternal grandfather's care since childhood.
His maternal grandfather was the youngest son of the twenty-third generation of the Kammo Clan; due to a difference in values, he severed ties with the family sixty years ago and subsequently settled in the United Kingdom, never returning to Japan.
A talent practically tailor-made for the project.
Our project is finally saved!
Author's Note:
New Year Countdown
Chapter 50: That Argument
As Cohen spoke, his voice gradually choked up.
Boss, it's been a whole year. Do you have any idea how I've survived this past year? Working with that bunch of illiterate Jujutsu Sorcerers every single day.. I feel like I've seen the end of my life.
When old classmates ask about my current project, I feel too embarrassed to tell them; I'm afraid they'll suspect I'm just trying to scam funds!
Through the network cable, the sound of Cohen wiping his nose was deafening.
In short, Boss, you must make sure to recruit this graduate student into the research institute. Next month.. no, this month, I want to see him in the team!
“Otherwise, otherwise..”
Cohen stammered for a long time, ultimately unable to bring himself to say such harsh words as resignation, as he couldn't bear to part with the wonderful research funds of the Kobe Family.
He could only say tragically, "Otherwise, I'll hang myself at my workstation when you come to inspect the research institute, or jump from the building right in front of you."
Kobe Suzuo..
Forget it, forget it. Even if it really is the Kammo Clan pulling the strings, so what?
Wouldn't being recruited into the Research Institute mean working for Kobe Suzuo?
He let out a long sigh, speaking up before Cohen's next wave of wailing could begin:
I see, you want to recruit this brat named Kammo just so you can exploit him, right?
Cohen immediately stopped grumbling and burst into laughter:
Haha, Young Master Kobe, don't say that; working for you is a wonderful opportunity.
With one concern settled, Cohen felt relieved.
He didn't care about corporate spies or undercover agents; that was something for the boss to worry about.
Moreover, given the research progress at the laboratory, which had been stagnant for a year without any breakthrough, even a spy would leave in tears.
Having cast aside that life-or-death rogueish attitude, Cohen's tone finally became a bit more steady.
Don't worry, Kobe, I know what I'm doing. I won't let you down.
After painting a grand vision for the boss, Cohen decisively hung up the phone and went off to work on his project.
Merlin picked up where Cohen left off, pulling up a secret file from the Director's Department onto the main page:
Young Master, I have discovered some interesting intelligence.
Two photos, one old and one young.
The graduate student Kammo Heiji had black hair and black eyes, with more white than black, looking like a rather bland, ordinary person.
His maternal grandfather, Kammo Heiji, had a similar appearance with no particularly memorable features, but the biological relationship between the two was evident at a glance.
The old photograph was from a long time ago, its features had become somewhat blurred after being converted into a digital version, with the exception of a hideous suture on the forehead that remained exceptionally clear.
“Young Master, does he look familiar?”
Kobe Suzuo tapped his fingers on the table.
The video records regarding the heinous Sorcerer Kammo Kenrin were unverifiable, so Merlin restored the images according to written accounts and placed them between the two of them.
The stitches were equally eye-catching.
According to the scattered records in the Director's Department, Kammo Kenrin was attacked by a Special Grade Cursed Spirit when he was young.
Surviving was already a stroke of luck, so no one cared about the long scar on his forehead.