After taking a moment to adjust to the surroundings, he looked up and curiously scanned the nearby facilities, unable to suppress the astonishment in his voice.
“What kind of place is this?”
He was already several steps behind, this delay caused him to lose distance from Fushiguro Toji, who was walking ahead.
Itadori Yuji hurried to catch up, but Fushiguro Toji's figure disappeared around the corner.
He looked around blankly from side to side; the walls and floors all had a cold, metallic luster, the corridor seemed to stretch on endlessly.
The room was large but not many in number, through the glass window on the door, one could see strange and peculiar instruments inside.
Itadori Yuji had seen movies; places like this were far too dangerous for kids, he could not go inside.
There were many signs in the corridor, but they were all foreign characters that were incomprehensible.
It was empty, like a labyrinth in a science fiction movie.
Itadori Yuji unexpectedly thought of the words Fushiguro Toji had used to scare him, while pointing at the staff members in white lab coats before they entered the elevator:
Don't run around. If you get lost around here, you'll be snatched up by some mad scientist to be used as a lab rat.
Fushiguro Toji curled his lips into a smirk, the scar on his face making him look like a child kidnapper.
A kid like you, with such thick skin and capable of being Sukuna's vessel, is the perfect lab rat.
Itadori Yuji didn't believe it at all; he was magnanimous and quite tolerant toward childish adults.
There were surveillance cameras everywhere in this place. The six-year-old boy bounced a few times, his pink hair standing out remarkably, he waved at the camera closest to him.
I am Itadori Yuji. Brother Suzuo told me to come find him. The adult who brought me got lost. Can the big brothers and sisters help me? Thank you!
After finishing his greeting, Itadori Yuji squatted on the spot and pulled out his child's watch to send a message to Fushiguro Toji.
The laboratory had signal shielding and could only use the internal network; when his message was sent, a bright exclamation mark popped up.
After thinking for a moment, he tried calling Brother Gojo and Brother Kobe from his contact list, but after neither answered, he gave up.
You look absolutely ridiculous, kid.
A mouth and an eye split open on his face, that eye glared with contempt:
“Don't you feel how wrong this place is?”
The child's face was already small, with the fleshy softness typical of his age.
An extra eye was squeezed beneath the original one, a mouth sat on the side of the face; when he spoke, the corners of his mouth stretched almost to his ears, making him look incredibly eerie and stifled.
Can't you just open your mouth on the back of your hand or your palm?" Itadori Yuji complained. "The way you are, I always feel like there's a draft in my throat.
Ryomen Sukuna rolled his eyes and cursed again, "Idiot, you won't even know how you died when the time comes."
Itadori Yuji slapped that mouth, "Stop using foul language. I've already been beaten twice by my grandfather for that."
Before Sukuna could erupt in another outburst, Itadori Yuji continued, "What do you mean by 'something feels wrong'?"
He sniffed like a puppy, "I only feel that there should be quite a few Cursed Spirits here."
Sukuna, however, grew quiet, leaving his secondary eyes only half-closed.
But with Sukuna's interruption, the tension in Itadori Yuji's heart actually dissipated a little.
He waited for a while, but Fushiguro Toji did not come back for him, the staff members walking to and fro while going upstairs did not appear either.
After hesitating for less than half a minute, Itadori Yuji patted his knees and stood up, deciding to go back and take the elevator down to the first floor.
At least there are more people over there.
Just as Itadori Yuji approached, he heard the elevator chime.
There was no time to feel happy; his body stiffened for a moment, he fell straight down.
The sensation of losing control over his limbs was unfamiliar; it didn't feel like Sukuna was fighting him for his body, but rather a strange sensation of falling from a great height.
Watch out.
A familiar voice, accompanied by the sound of a heavy object hitting the ground.
Itadori Yuji blinked blankly, meeting the worried expression of Kobe Suzuo.
He subconsciously looked at the ancient mahogany box lying on the ground, shook his head, then flashed a bright smile at Kobe Suzuo.
Brother Kobe, long time no see, I missed you so much.
Kobe Suzuo put the kid down on the ground, affectionately stroked the fuzzy top of his head, asked with a smile:
Didn't we just see each other two days ago?
Itadori Yuji's amber-colored eyes sparkled. "It's been a long time since the years when Brother Kobe wasn't here! You've been gone for so long, I have so many things to tell you."
Kobe Suzuo's movement as he picked up the box paused. "Yeah, thanks, Yuji."
He stood up and took Itadori Yuji's hand, "Let's go. Today, Yuji is the protagonist."
The kid looked up at him: "Protagonist?"
Kobe Suzuo lowered her eyes, meeting Sukuna's crimson secondary eyes with her gaze: "Yes, a very extraordinary Protagonist."
Itadori Yuji was a bit confused, but his attention shifted quickly.
“What kind of place is this? I asked Toji, but he only tried to scare me.”
“It's the new energy research institute invested in by the Kobe Family. Um, it's a place that researches how to make Cursed Spirits generate electricity like the sun for human use.”
Wow, that's amazing!
Are all the machines in these rooms generators?
No, it's still in the experimental stage, which means it will take a lot of people working together to make it happen.
Oh—then can I work here too? If not now, then can I when I grow up?
Of course, if you are still willing to do this job when you grow up.
I used to be a firefighter because I'm strong, Toji even said today that I'm thick-skinned enough to be a lab rat.
.. I'll dock his wages later.
Forget it. Uncle Toji's salary needs to support Megumi and Tsumiki.
It is such a relief that Brother Kobe's illness is cured and he has returned safely; you must take care of your health from now on.
Grandpa has also been receiving treatment abroad lately, I don't know when he'll be cured. I'm a little worried..
Yuji." Kobe Suzuo squeezed Itadori's hand, reminding him, "We're here.
"Mm-hmm." Itadori Yuji nodded and obediently let go of Kobe Suzuo's hand.
The sensing gate opened, Itadori Yuji looked at the person inside the room, his eyes lighting up as he rushed out like a puppy pouncing on someone.
“Grandpa, why are you here? Are you feeling—"
He was halfway through his sentence when he fell straight down, losing consciousness.
Before Satoru Gojo, who was standing to the side, could reach out to catch him, those crimson eyes had already snapped open. He spun around, delivering a flying kick, used his hands to push off the ground, quickly putting distance between himself and the people inside the room.
Ryomen Sukuna let out a cold laugh, his expression looking foul, even directed a threat toward Kobe Suzuo:
“You don't actually think I can't do anything to you, do you?”
Chapter 102: Happy End
There are many problems.
Kobe Suzuo rubbed the space between his eyebrows.
First of all, Yuji is too young. Even if he were a legendary Bodhisattva born of destiny to save the suffering, he is still just a child under the age of seven.
We all know what the title of the King of Curses, Ryomen Sukuna, means; I don't think it's a correct choice to let a child bear such a responsibility.
Second, looking at the data, Yuji's suppression of Ryomen Sukuna after growing up is absolute.
Sukuna is aware of this; given the personality he has displayed, he likely won't be moved by the kid and settle for his current situation, or simply choose to lie flat after becoming weary of everything.
“He will find an opportunity to escape from this cage, or after growing weary of everything, choose to use Yuji's body to die.”
Third, although Sukuna is currently in a semi-fused state, according to the criteria of the laws of balance, he is currently leaning more toward the side of a Cursed Spirit.
In other words, if Ryomen Sukuna dies, the balance will be broken, the next Cursed Spirit outbreak will occur very soon.
Kobe Suzuo shifted her gaze from the child sleeping soundly on the lounge chair toward Satoru Gojo.
“Besides, there are also considerations regarding public opinion, social image, other issues. But most importantly, I don't want you to face Sukuna head-on.”
Closing his eyes, he could recall the two people standing in confrontation atop the ruins in his dream.
The expression on his face was truly unpleasant, everyone present understood the implication behind his words.
Satoru Gojo's sharp edge as a teenage prodigy was always there; upon hearing that, he bared his teeth like a kitten.
He adjusted his expression back to being well-behaved as Kobe Suzuo looked over, his blue eyes appearing incredibly innocent:
Actually, there's no need to worry too much, right? Even if we really face them, we can still win.
He raised his chin slightly. "After all, I am the strongest."
After speaking, feeling that bringing only himself wasn't enough, he grinned and pointed to the left at Suguru Geto, "The strongest long-range support, a master of Cursed Spirit dreams."
Then he pointed to Nobara Iori, "The strongest rear support, the master of medical arts."
Then he pointed to Kobe Suzuo, "The strongest tactical commander, the Doctor of Intelligence."
Satoru Gojo praised himself, then turned back to praise himself again: "The strongest melee DPS, a solo carry! The four of us are truly too strong!"
Fushiguro Toji, standing in the corner against the wall, let out a sneer; he saw Fushiguro Megumi's expression as he was being dragged around by Itadori Yuji and Fushiguro Tsumiki like a child playing house.
Kobe Suzuo just shook his head slightly, "I believe you can win; that doesn't conflict with my wish that you don't go taking risks."
He gently stroked Itadori Yuji's cherry-blossom-colored short hair. "Resolving things peacefully with the minimum cost is the best way."
“Mr. Suzuo.” Itadori Wasuke, who had been silent from the beginning until now, finally spoke.
He was no longer stubborn; in an instant, he had aged significantly. His wrinkled hands carefully held the soft knuckles of the child, as if he could not bear to shatter a fragile dream.
“Yuji is a good child, unlike his bastards of parents. I know his future is destined not to be ordinary, but forgetting that fate is fickle is the norm.”