Kobe Suzuo spoke of the subsequent arrangements in an orderly manner:
At eight o'clock tomorrow morning, after obtaining the pass from Director Kobe, please have Satoru and Suguru accompany me to Koushin Palace. Once we reach the inner layer, I will leave the rest to you.
The pass can only open the outermost barrier; entry and exit to the inner barrier is entirely controlled by Tengen himself.
Whether Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto could work together to open Tengen's barrier or not didn't matter; they only needed to force Tengen out.
“I originally intended to tell you all about this tomorrow morning so as not to interfere with your rest, but since Suguru-kun is also here, I might as well settle everything today..”
Why did Suzuo choose to take us along this time?
Satoru Gojo stared straight at Kobe Suzuo, his azure eyes appearing as if filled with drifting clouds.
When he looked at someone like that, all false pretenses had nowhere to hide.
Satoru Gojo knew the importance of Tengen to the Jujutsu World.
Satoru Gojo looked at Kobe Suzuo and pointed a finger at Fushiguro Toji, who was comfortably drinking and having a late-night snack beside them:
With Heavenly Restriction and zero Cursed Energy, plus those troublesome Cursed Tools, he'll be obedient enough as long as the pay is high enough.
Wouldn't it be more convenient to bring that guy along, rather than dealing with unstable factors like Suguru and me, who keep asking questions about everything?
Whether you called it keenness or intelligence, the Six Eyes Child, a boy like a god fallen to the mortal realm, was always this perceptive.
Kobe Suzuo looked into those eyes, his gaze darkening, yet he did not look away.
He said softly, "Because you are the protagonists of this story."
Satoru Gojo blinked.
Kobe Suzuo smiled softly, a gentle smile, as if he had experienced many things and had seen through everything:
Because this is your future. As I plan to change a turning point in a story, I want the protagonists of the story to witness it with their own eyes.
A turning point sufficient to change the future, two protagonists of the story." Satoru Gojo repeated, then pressed further, "Is this your subjective assumption, or an established fact?
Kobe Suzuo remained silent for two seconds before answering, "It is my experience as the Protagonist."
..
You don't want to disturb the kids' rest, but you can call me out of my house in the middle of the night to act as your doorman, is that it?
Fushiguro Toji spoke lazily, his tone laced with an indescribable bitterness.
More than half of the late-night snack on the table had already been consumed.
Kobe Suzuo talked for as long as he ate, the used edamame skins were piled in a heap in the dish.
“The benefits promised when I signed with you a few months ago were nothing more than a beautiful facade after all.”
He held a beer can in one hand, looking like a lovesick rogue whose heart had been broken by a wicked woman. "Damn capitalists, fickle Young Master.. tsk, tsk."
Kobe Suzuo, whose mood had been interrupted..
What's wrong with this guy all of a sudden?
Kobe Suzuo didn't even bother to give him a glance, her words cutting straight to the heart, "Can you grow taller by sleeping like young people do?"
What on earth is a working adult like you talking about?
Fushiguro Toji lay on the sofa, his head slightly turned toward Kobe Suzuo, using that playboy routine, his voice quite cloying.
Eh, why are you being like this, Young Master? I thought you were very fond of me.
Kobe Suzuo's lips curled downward as he looked at Fushiguro Toji with contempt, "Disgusting. Just say what you have to say."
"Ha." Fushiguro Toji let out a laugh and downed the remaining half-can of beer in one gulp, his eyes clear and sharp.
"Protagonist," he murmured, as if in mockery.
Author's Note:
Corrected typos [facepalm]
Chapter 62: That Toji
“I hate that description, but you're right, that kid really is a protagonist-like character.”
Born under the spotlight and raised like a star surrounded by the moon, yet he possessed a core entirely different from the cold and corrupt Three Great Families.
As dazzling and piercing as the sun in a clear sky, his future was nothing short of brilliant—a life completely different from his own.
The ambient light hit Fushiguro Toji's face, rippling like overlapping ocean waves, flickering and dim, his expression dark and inscrutable.
But, if some people are born to be the Protagonist, then what is the purpose of a Supporting Character's existence?
Kobe Suzuo knew what Fushiguro Toji was talking about.
Before recruiting him into the company, Merlin conducted a thorough background check and had obtained nearly his entire life history of Fushiguro Toji.
This included the various jobs he took in the black market, the kinds of families he lived off of, the horse races where he lost the most—and, of course, it included all the hardships he endured in the Zenin Clan.
Kobe Suzuo could only use the word "hardship" to describe Fushiguro Toji's childhood experiences.
Non-sorcerers are not human; in a place like the Zenin Clan, one with zero Cursed Energy who carries the surname "Zenin" and even belongs to the Clan Lineage—one can only imagine what kind of life they must have led.
See, even with top-tier physical strength and incredible recovery abilities from a Heavenly Restriction, scars that never heal are still left on the body, aren't they?
Fushiguro Toji was indeed a piece of work.
He possessed neither the lofty integrity of someone untainted by the mud, nor the hot-blooded passion of a shonen manga protagonist.
Even after discovering that he possessed power sufficient to overturn his clan, he did not make any earth-shattering moves.
He simply chose to beat up the entire family to vent his anger.
The fellow who once brought so much suffering was actually so weak; disappointed or escaping, Fushiguro Toji left the Zenin Clan.
He married and started a real family, hoping to heal his battered soul.
Then misfortune struck again; his wife passed away, severing the bond of that small family and leaving behind a foolish adult who had lived decades without ever truly understanding life, a young child who was still at the age of drooling.
If this were a heartwarming and healing story, the plot would follow a clumsy adult and an innocent child pulling at each other as they grew up, eventually opening their hearts to reach a happy ending.
But Fushiguro Toji was a lunatic who grew up being suppressed by a bizarre, feudal family.
He chose to escape once again after his wife's death.
The coward Toji married some random unlucky soul, dumped his child on them, then gave up on himself, returning to the mire to be a piece of trash once again.
Kobe Suzuo put down his pen and locked eyes with Fushiguro Toji, who had walked to his side at some unknown moment.
Why don't you feel like the protagonist, Toji-kun?
Kobe Suzuo asked with such sincerity, as if he truly meant it from the bottom of his heart: "Generally speaking, with conditions like Toji-kun's, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a protagonist, would it?"
Fushiguro Toji let out a sneer; he didn't possess any talent for being "melancholy" to begin with, with that laugh, the entire atmosphere vanished.
He had recently begun to realize the benefits of the Kobe Family uniform; it was skin-friendly, looked good, could even be reimbursed by the company if damaged.
He arrived wearing a black, tight-fitting combat undershirt, with his uniform jacket draped loosely over his shoulders, looking like a male model posing for a magazine cover.
Kobe Suzuo glanced at the well-built muscles, dazing off for a moment; Satoru-kun would probably suit this style well too.
Although he usually wore the Jujutsu High uniform and looked like a lanky, thin strip, Satoru Gojo had excellent body proportions; he would likely look very sophisticated in slim-fit clothing..
Fushiguro Toji's broad and powerful palm slid past a chiseled jawline, over the Adam's apple, grazed the collarbone, finally rested, almost imperceptibly, upon the muscles of the abdomen.
The moment he opened his mouth, he made a declaration to enter the industry.
If you're referring to that aspect, then I am indeed quite suited to be a protagonist in a monk-class role.
Kobe Suzuo remained expressionless. "You really are a complete bastard."
Fushiguro Toji shrugged indifferently. "But it's the truth. You approve of this face too, don't you, Young Master?"
His eyes, a shade of green tinged with warm yellow, glanced sideways at people, carrying the trembling sensation of being watched by a large feline, yet that face was undeniably enchanting.
Unlike Satoru Gojo's exquisite look, which possessed a natural divinity, his appearance was full of sexual tension and a sense of narrative depth.
He wouldn't even need to do any R-rated work; with proper packaging and a director with an eye for aesthetics, he could easily star in an art film.
Fushiguro Toji could play himself and still make a fortune, even with very little dialogue.
It would be such a waste not to use this face to make money..
Wait, if he told him that this line of work was profitable and invited him to join, given this man's casual lifestyle, it wasn't impossible for him to agree.
Fushiguro Toji sighed:
Young Master, I finally managed to open up and talk to you once, but isn't it a bit rude of you to do this over and over again?
Merlin spoke up unexpectedly, "Young Master, is this person trying to seduce you?"
Fushiguro Toji clicked his tongue and reached out to pinch Kobe Suzuo's chin.
His other hand was about to reach for the strangely textured earring on his ear, but it suddenly paused, changing direction to press against Kobe Suzuo's forehead.
Do you have a fever?
The movements were extremely practiced, clearly the result of years of training while looking after children.
Kobe Suzuo frowned and used the back of her hand to open Fushiguro Toji's hand, first cutting off Merlin's voice again before nodding.
I've already taken the medicine; a little rest will make it better.
Fushiguro Toji glanced at the seven or eight glowing screens on the desk, the printer that was still working tirelessly late into the night, the pile of documents that was clearly much higher than when he had arrived.
.. You don't have it easy either.
He suddenly felt dejected, feeling that tonight's complicated emotions were meaningless, he wandered back to the sofa and slumped down.
The questions Satoru Gojo asked before he left—he was actually suspecting you, wasn't he?
“He was worried that you weren't telling the truth, that you were withholding information, or that you were setting a trap to use him and that weird bowl-cut guy for something nefarious.”
Selfishness hidden beneath love is the hardest to discern.
No matter how strong Satoru Gojo is, he is still just a kid raised by a great clan, so it is only natural that he feels uneasy.
Fushiguro Toji leaned forward and grabbed another can of beer from the table, his thumb and middle finger bracing the can while his index finger hooked the tab to open it with one hand.
To be honest, I'm a bit surprised. You two are so inseparable every day, I thought he already trusted you deeply.