Iori estimated the height, clinging to the protrusions on the wall as she climbed up to a break about half a person high, then looked back at Satoru Gojo, who was standing frozen in place.
“What are you just standing there for? We still have to go back and report to Mr. Suzuo.”
Having finished speaking, she jumped down from the wall.
Black walls and white sun; a crimson hakama flashed through the gap, like a tear in reality, as blood gushed out.
When he came to his senses again, Iori appeared a few steps away from Satoru Gojo once more, her arms crossed over her chest, her expression looking extremely awkward.
Never mind then; after all, someone like 'Suzuo' is probably just a character, like a friend from one's imagination.
As she spoke, her tone became somewhat sympathetic. "Could it be that I was actually right?"
When Iori looked at Satoru Gojo's distracted expression again, she felt less angry.
She had already begun to suspect that this guy was merely being careless, perhaps having his thoughts obstructed by some unknown Cursed Spirit's curse.
She gripped the Gohei and waved it over Satoru Gojo's head as if to ward off evil, muttering incantations.
Satoru Gojo looked at the chat history with Kobe Suzuo on his phone, where a ridiculous laughing face emoji still lingered on the screen.
【^＿^】
He felt that the need for exorcism applied not only to himself, but also to Utage.
Iori, who are we supposed to report to once our mission is over?
Iori looked at him as if he were a lunatic, "The Jujutsu Director's Department, obviously."
Satoru Gojo pressed, "Who in the Jujutsu Director's Department?"
Iori replied briskly, "It's of course ■■"
A sharp ringing in the ears.
Satoru Gojo stood by the broken wall, the wild wind blowing against his face, the sky was a milky-grey underside of a curtain.
An occasional streetlamp flickered in the dilapidated district, a crow perched on a power line took flight in a fright as Satoru Gojo looked over, leaving behind a flurry of messy black feathers.
Iori stood beside the Assistant Supervisor, next to the signature Kobe Family suit and the low-profile, luxurious luxury car.
Hey! Gojo! Does Mr. Suzuo have any other arrangements?
Iori waved at Satoru Gojo.
Supervisor Fujiwara adjusted his glasses and nodded as Iori finished speaking.
Mr. Fujiwara just told me that Mr. Suzuo is not at Jujutsu High today, so today's report can temporarily be handed over to ■■
As if involving a keyword, once again, Iori's movements became stuttered.
They jumped back onto the platform stained with the residue of the Cursed Spirit.
Iori looked extremely nervous, holding her Gohei in front of her chest in a defensive stance.
What on earth is going on? Where is your Reverse Cursed Technique?
Her gaze froze on Satoru Gojo's right ear, following the earlobe, as blood slowly trickled down, leaving a vivid streak of color on his neck.
Black and white. Bright red.
Satoru Gojo covered one eye with his hand, facing a blurred and absurd scene.
It was like a game where some crucial files had been accidentally deleted; although it still ran normally, everything from the characters to the scenes exhibited anomalies that could not be ignored.
But the Six Eyes was telling him that, no matter how much things changed, everything before his eyes was normal.
What exactly is that "■■" that is being shielded by the noise?
Buzz—
Another ring, this was the third time.
Satoru Gojo punched through the broken wall with a single blow, leaped down from upstairs, and, amidst Iori's startled cry, grabbed the other's collar, looking at the Assistant Supervisor with an expressionless face.
“Hold my shoulder.”
Supervisor Fujiwara broke into a cold sweat from that single glance, his hand trembling as he placed it on Satoru Gojo's shoulder.
He made that hand sign once again.
Domain Expansion—Limitless.
Iori, who had been struggling and cursing while being choked by her collar, suddenly felt nothing but discomfort when the vast space expanded from Satoru Gojo's hands, for no reason at all.
It took her a few seconds to find her voice. "What.. exactly is going on.."
Satoru Gojo expanded his Domain to the maximum extent within the Veil, only releasing it with a light click of his tongue after he had completely shattered the Veil.
The sky outside the veil had already been dyed a blood-red by the setting sun.
From time to time, people were drawn by the scenery, picking up their phones to snap photos of the silk-like golden clouds against the crimson backdrop.
The translucent sky, an intertwining of gold and crimson, was reflected in Satoru Gojo's azure eyes, as day and night cycled through twilight, resembling the blue hour of dawn or dusk.
I'll go look for Suzuo.
What?
Iori felt a sharp pain in her eardrums and covered her ears with both hands.
By the time that strange ringing in the ears passed, Satoru Gojo had already vanished.
..
Kobe Suzuo signed the last document, loosened his tie, leaned back against the back of his chair, let out a long sigh.
You seem even more relaxed than usual. Have you just given up?
Kobe Suzuo held her phone, slowly replying to Satoru Gojo's message, "It's just because the eyes focused on me have lessened, so I'm not as tense anymore."
Butler Ford hadn't come to the office all day, as if he had completely forgotten that he still had a job and had once loyally served a Young Master.
The secretary put down the documents and left, without any strange lunges or spilled coffee.
In addition, the number of people following Kobe Suzuo—those who claimed to be monitoring him under the guise of protection or those who constantly found various ways to cause him trouble—had also decreased significantly.
His presence had weakened significantly, as if the person sitting here was a machine capable of handling work automatically, requiring no attention.
I thought you were just that kind of person.
Meticulous at all times, he kept his back straight even in his own home, treating "self-discipline and propriety" as his personal code of conduct.
It's exhausting to always maintain such a domineering, cool, arrogant persona; after all, I am human.
Kobe Suzuo typed a smiley face character.
【^＿^】
Humans are quite complex, Merlin.
Satoru Gojo did not respond on his end.
Kobe Suzuo was about to stand up to put his phone back on the table when his vision blurred; the phone passed through his palm and fell straight to the ground.
His fingers curled instinctively in the void, catching nothing.
Whoa.
Kobe Suzuo stood up and walked to the full-length mirror in the newly moved-in office, looking at her reflection and evaluating herself with interest.
However, in my current state, it seems difficult to define me as an ordinary human.
The young man in the mirror was strikingly beautiful, with jet-black hair and pale skin, looking like a wash of ink that had lost its color halfway through its strokes, with only a faint, translucent silhouette covering half of his body.
He had not eaten all day, his face was pale when he smiled, exuding a ghostly, eerie aura.
Like a wealthy young master who had studied abroad, a ghost from a faded old photograph, dead for many years.
Merlin, who had previously been somewhat sarcastic, could no longer say anything harsh, instead hurriedly checked Kobe Suzuo's physical data.
With the old butler by the Young Master's side absent, Merlin naturally took his place, the voice coming through the receiver was exaggeratedly sorrowful.
How could it have worsened so quickly? Wasn't there supposed to be a buffer of at least six months to a year?
Oh, his poor Young Master!
Kobe Suzuo was not flustered in the least.
He slowly returned to his workstation, taking advantage of the intervals between his appearances and disappearances to pull up the data.
As expected, the mission reports, which were supposed to be sent every two hours, had already ceased for the third time.
In the last six hours, Cai Ming, Yuki Tsukumo, Fushiguro Toji had all simultaneously "forgotten" to contact Kobe Suzuo.
Only after the system confirmed that their vital signs were normal did it automatically complete the check-in.
Because both Tengen and Satoru Gojo could still be contacted normally, Kobe Suzuo didn't pay too much attention to these three people.
Kobe Suzuo rested his chin on his knuckles, lost in thought.
As expected, "rejection" wasn't a one-click wipe, but a slow correction, much like a poor connection.
Merlin scanned the mission interface, as a stream of data flowed past in a string of garbled code. "What is this?"
Kobe Suzuo took off the fox pendant around her neck and replied casually, "Oh, it's to kill off that damn idiot!"
“I see..”
Merlin said softly, "But, why was it created specifically behind my back?"
No way, no way, a domineering CEO's paranoia isn't supposed to be used like this, right?!
Is the AI you created going to be suspicious of your golden finger, even with all its code and data?
Kobe Suzuo watched the blood-red color gradually dissipate within the jade pendant, feeling a rare sense of guilt.
Well, because some things are quite troublesome to explain.
Merlin imitated an angry panting sound and asked back, "Then why can you reveal it to me now?"
Kobe Suzuo held up the fox pendant, shaking it gently.
Because you've reached a dead end, in such a critical moment, you're the only one I can confide in?
Merlin was truly "furious" this time. After a brief pause of two seconds, the primitive mechanical voice suddenly rose: "Suzuo!"
Kobe Suzuo smiled, her answer finally becoming a bit more serious.