Butler Ford pushed the tea trolley in, placing a glass of milk on Kobe Suzuo's table and setting out afternoon tea on the tables in front of the second-year group.
No matter how many times it happened, the kids would cheer for the exquisite, beautiful, delicious dessert tower.
They happily moved away from the unhappy Fushiguro Toji, staring longingly at the tabletop.
Wearing a tailcoat, the old butler bowed toward the kids, looking as if he had stepped straight out of an animation, his manner gentle and kind:
“Kids, your afternoon tea is next door.”
He winked at the Fushiguro Siblings, "Miss Riko Amanai and Miss Mikage Kurosawa are back; they are waiting for you to go over there."
The two kids raised their hands and cheered.
Human joy is not universal; Fushiguro Toji's murderous eyes had already evolved into the dead-fish eyes typical of a professional.
Without waiting for Butler Ford to lead the way, he had already walked dejectedly toward some unknown adjacent room.
The Fushiguro Siblings took Itadori Yuji's hand and prepared to follow.
Itadori Yuji hesitated slightly, but after seeing Kobe Suzuo nod at him with a smile, he happily followed the Butler away.
Suguru Geto and Nobara Iori exchanged a glance; those who needed to know already knew, having no intention of staying, they both withdrew with the main group.
That afternoon tea table was filled with high-sugar desserts as far as the eye could see; whose taste it was obvious at a glance.
As for Kobe Suzuo, he was busy researching "Edamame Kikufuku is delicious" and had sent a series of new messages.
“If I'm not mistaken, you mean that you are an older person who has your own unavoidable difficulties?”
Can you tell me what your secretive hardship is?
Is your grievance more of a state secret that you can't even tell a random stranger passing by on a forum?
He doesn't seem to act that aloof on the forums.
Merlin worried that this was another classic trope, some kind of endless tension between two male leads; he didn't know whether he should expose it or not, hesitating to speak.
He gave up on the calculations entirely and focused on dealing with the cyber virus attempting to infiltrate the database.
Kobe Suzuo smiled, her fingers resting on the keyboard, replied unhurriedly, "Yes, it's a hardship I can't even share with a stranger online."
His profile picture was the forum's default starting avatar, a small white flower on a black background.
It was completely different from the pure white or pure black CEO-style avatars often used on social media, yet it was strangely fitting.
Satoru Gojo let out a scoff from his nose, as if he were laughing out of sheer annoyance.
But he stared at the screen and typed viciously, "Oh, then there's nothing to be done. I don't want to stand on the side of an uncle who has secrets; it feels a bit disgusting."
White Background with Small Black Flowers replied quickly, "That's understandable, I can understand, but I'm sorry, I can't say."
This kind of answer was unexpected for Satoru Gojo, he instinctively wanted to look at Kobe Suzuo's expression.
The sound of rapid typing continued, a new message had arrived.
When the right time comes and the worlds overlap again, I will tell you everything. It won't be a lie; it's our promise.
I hope you won't be angry when we meet again.
Satoru Gojo suddenly stood up from the sofa. He had only taken a single step when the continuous sound of typing in his ears abruptly stopped.
Kobe Suzuo looked up and winked at him.
Satoru Gojo looked down. On the chat interface, following his reply of "disgusting," there was only a QAQ emoticon on a black background with small white flowers.
QAQ
Chapter 74: Those Two People
Suguru Geto stepped through the sewage that had spread from the sink after the aging pipes burst, put the Cursed Spirit Orb into his pocket.
His pant legs were soaked by the stagnant sewage, becoming as sticky as the viscous fluids left behind by a Cursed Spirit before it dissipates.
He emerged from the abandoned school building's women's restroom looking disheveled, finally realizing just how brilliant Kobe Suzuo was to have told him to prepare an extra set of uniforms.
Special Grade Imaginary Cursed Spirit, Hanako of the women's restroom.
School bullying occurs frequently, teachers remain inactive, delinquent groups gather, the pressure of entrance exams is difficult to relieve.
"Hanako" was attracted by the thick malice of this school, causing six casualties in just two days.
Then, a fluctuation of Cursed Energy was detected by the Window.
In the Jujutsu High registry, there are only 16 Special Grade Cursed Spirits, but the number of missions he and Satoru Gojo have completed these past few days has already far exceeded that number.
Suguru Geto glanced at the dilapidated stairs, sighed, simply kicked open the window at the end of the corridor, jumping straight down from the third floor.
The Assistant Supervisor heard the commotion and ran up to Suguru Geto, turning pale with shock when he saw the piercing wound on his chest, located almost right over his heart.
Before Suguru Geto could explain, the young Assistant Supervisor, holding the communication device, quickly switched the voice call to a video call.
During this period, whenever a communication related to Satoru Gojo or Suguru Geto arrived, Kobe Suzuo would answer it instantly.
The black-haired, black-eyed man still wore a sophisticated matching suit, adorned with various luxurious accessories that shimmered, even his every strand of hair was exquisite.
But upon closer inspection, one could see the faint dark circles beneath his eyes, hidden behind the frames of his glasses.
It wasn't unattractive; on the contrary, it made the dark circles under his peach-blossom eyes appear more distinct, as this faint sense of fragility made him look even more gentle.
The Assistant Supervisor saw Kobe Suzuo, his back instantly stiffened.
Kobe Suzuo observed Suguru Geto's state, as his arm moved, it appeared that he was performing some operation out of the camera's view.
Immediately after, he said with realization:
I see. In the original prototype of the Hanako legend, the theory regarding 'heart disease' as the cause of death.. was actually such a blunt physical attack?
Suguru Geto nodded and explained, his voice cutting through the Assistant Supervisor's nervous expression:
Yeah, it's a rule-based attack, but the damage isn't high. Meeting it head-on can help avoid more troublesome Cursed Techniques, it's much quieter to deal with.
Kobe Suzuo said nothing. No matter how accurate intelligence was, it could only serve as an aid; when facing a powerful enemy, combat intuition was more reliable.
He pondered, watching the Assistant Supervisor open the door of the van for Suguru Geto, respectfully offering an emergency medical kit and fresh clothes.
After Ford Fordge took off the clothes, the wounds on Suguru Geto's body appeared exceptionally gruesome without the cover of the black fabric.
Kobe Suzuo frowned imperceptibly, asking aloud while the accompanying doctor was helping with emergency treatment:
Still unable to reach the threshold of the Reverse Cursed Technique?
Suguru Geto paused while wrapping the bandages, but he didn't seem to dwell on it, giving a straightforward response:
Yeah, even after hearing Satoru and Nobara Iori's explanation, I still can't make any sense of it.
Although he had not mastered the Reverse Cursed Technique, Suguru Geto's comprehension of the "Ultimate Technique"—the ultimate mystery of the Cursed Technique's reversal—was faster than both Satoru Gojo and Yuki Tsukumo.
Kobe Suzuo's expression became somewhat indescribable.
He had truly done his best to lead Suguru Geto toward the role of a mage commander, but the kid simply loved the aesthetics of melee violence, his extraordinary talent was truly something that couldn't be helped.
Suguru Geto had already changed his clothes and moved his shoulders, ensuring his movements were fluid and unobstructed.
For a Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer, these injuries were truly nothing.
Suguru Geto noticed the long silence on the other end of the communication line and, in a rare moment of insight, finally understood Kobe Suzuo's way of thinking.
He didn't quite understand the CEO's expectations and career planning for excellent future employees, so he explained tentatively:
My Ultimate Technique is compressing Cursed Spirits into Cursed Energy Orbs. It's probably.. something like a long-range skill?
Mm-hmm, if one shot doesn't kill them, follow it up with a punch. It seems your long-range and my long-range are different.
Kobe Suzuo changed the subject, "I still wish you a speedy development of your Domain."
He couldn't quite understand why a dream master like Suguru Geto insisted on rushing to the front lines to fight alongside Cursed Spirits, when assassination from behind the scenes would be so much more fun.
But Kobe Suzuo was merely thinking.
He was not a real combat analysis expert, he understood the principle that over-correcting was detrimental to development.
The van drove away from the old school building and slowly came to a halt beside the laboratory building.
It was a day off, only a few students from various clubs were on campus.
Even so, Suguru Geto opened the car door, as he got out with the Assistant Supervisor, he still caused a commotion.
What's going on? Where did that luxury car come from? Wait, why can cars drive into the school?
Whoa, even black-suited bodyguards, is this a celebrity?
Where? Where? Are there cameras? I didn't hear anything about our school filming a show.
Eh, a handsome guy is coming all by himself.
The windows of the activity classroom on the second floor were opened, several students crowded out of them, peeking out.
Someone waved casually at Suguru Geto, "Are you a celebrity?"
Suguru Geto did not answer, swiftly passing through the most crowded classrooms, silently eliminating invisible presences as he moved.
Aside from "Hanako" in the toilets of the old school building, there are many other Grade 3 or Grade 4 Cursed Spirits in this school that are being suppressed by Special Grade Cursed Spirits.
They are slightly more dangerous than common flies; if not dealt with together, they can easily breed into high-level Cursed Spirits.
Oh, he's a cool guy with long hair!
Suguru Geto heard the faint murmurs behind him, uncomfortably raised a hand to adjust his communication headset, silently increasing his pace of investigation.
I should have let Satoru-kun do this mission.
Over there, Kobe Suzuo's voice reporting the Cursed Spirit's location paused as she asked seemingly casually, "Satoru.. is he good at handling these kinds of situations?"
Suguru Geto didn't think too much about it. "I wouldn't say he's good at it.."
He recalled a mission once, where a commotion caused by the Error Music Festival had occurred, said helplessly:
“With a face like Satoru's and a personality like that, wouldn't it be easier for him than an ordinary person to encounter such a scene?”
Once you realize Satoru Gojo's looks, it is hard not to pay attention to him.
In a sense, Satoru Gojo is very well-suited to be a star.
Kobe Suzuo replied dryly, "I suppose so."