Tu Bai recited a string of numbers.
Gojo Satoru saved the number, looked up at him, said, "It's settled then. You've worked hard today, little bunny."
He turned to leave, walked a few steps, then looked back.
By the way," he said, "your ears almost popped out just now.
Tu Bai froze.
But I'm the only one who saw it," Gojo Satoru said, blinking—even though he couldn't see through his sunglasses. "Try to control your emotions next time~
He waved his hand and disappeared around the corner of the ruins.
Tu Bai stood in place, after a long moment, he raised his hand to touch the back of his ear.
His skin was still a bit hot.
He's doomed, he thought.
It's truly over.
Chapter 3
The Saitama mission on Wednesday afternoon was calmer than Tu Bai had anticipated.
The Special Grade Cursed Womb had not yet fully hatched, hiding within the gymnasium of an abandoned primary school. Gojo Satoru was responsible for the main assault, while Tu Bai's mission was to construct an isolation Barrier around the perimeter of the gymnasium to prevent the Special Grade Cursed Womb from escaping or its energy from leaking out.
This time, he kept his eyes open.
Although Gojo Satoru said that closing his eyes might be more accurate, Tu Bai still chose to trust his own vision. He stood outside the Gymnasium, pressing both hands against the ground. Demon Power spread along the concrete floor like tree roots, drilling into the building's foundation before growing upward and converging in the air.
A silver Barrier formed, its surface shimmering with subtle patterns.
Tu Bai maintained the Barrier, from the outside, muffled thuds could be heard coming from within, like something was crashing against it. Then came Gojo Satoru's voice, sounding lazy: "Don't run away—hey, you're really being disobedient."
With a loud boom.
The Barrier shuddered, but it did not break. Tu Bai increased his output of Demon Power to stabilize the structure.
A few minutes later, the doors of the Gymnasium were pushed open. Gojo Satoru walked out, carrying a mass of wriggling black matter in his hand that looked like a large lump of asphalt. The surface of the thing was covered in eyes, but they were all closed, some were even oozing pus.
Done." Gojo Satoru tossed the Special Grade Cursed Womb to Ijichi, who was waiting nearby. "Special Grade Cursed Womb, exorcised. The Cursed Energy Residue concentration is quite high; I suggest cordoning off the area for three days.
"Yes." Ijichi took the Cursed Womb and placed it into a specially made container.
Gojo Satoru walked toward Tu Bai, the Barrier still maintained. He reached out and touched the surface of the Barrier, causing silver ripples to spread out.
The strength is decent," he remarked. "It can withstand the aftershock of my 'Blue' just now. Did you reinforce the nodes?
Tu Bai nodded: "I added a triangular support structure, every intersection is.."
He stopped.
Gojo Satoru was looking at him; while his expression was obscured beneath his blindfold, the corners of his mouth were turned upward.
.. How did you know, Senior?
I saw it," Gojo Satoru said. "The Six Eyes can see the flow of energy. The structure of your Barrier is very clear, like an architectural blueprint. Where it is thick or thin, where the nodes are—it's all plain to see at a glance.
Tu Bai silently dissipated the Barrier. The silver light receded into his palm, the Demon Wards remaining in the ground and the air gradually faded away.
I'm off." Gojo Satoru patted his shoulder. "The briefing is tomorrow morning at nine, don't be late.
Tu Bai did not dodge the touch this time. His shoulder was patted twice, not heavily, but his entire body tensed up.
---
At 8:50 AM the next morning, Tu Bai arrived at the Jujutsu Headquarters building.
He had been to this place several times, it never felt comfortable. The building was old, decorated in the Showa style with dark wood floors and portraits of successive directors hanging on the walls. The air carried a scent of old paper mixed with incense.
The Meeting Room was at the end of the Second Floor. When Tu Bai pushed the door open and walked in, several people were already seated inside.
The seat of honor was empty, flanked on both sides by several high-ranking officials. They were all old men, dressed in either kimonos or business suits, with solemn expressions. The Assistant Supervisor sat near the wall, Ijichi was there as well. Gojo Satoru had not yet arrived.
Tu Bai found a corner to sit in and lowered his head to flip through the draft of the mission report he had brought.
At 8:59, the door was pushed open.
Gojo Satoru walked in. He wasn't wearing his high school uniform, but had changed into black casual clothes with a white jacket layered over them. His sunglasses had been replaced by a pair of small, round lenses perched on the bridge of his nose. He held a cup of coffee in his hand, a straw between his lips.
"Morning, everyone—" he drawled, walking over to sit in the seat next to the head of the table. He didn't take the head seat, but he carried himself as if he were the master of the house.
A high-ranking official cleared his throat.
Gojo, Tu Bai, please provide a brief report regarding yesterday's Special Grade Cursed Womb Exorcism Mission in Saitama City.
Gojo Satoru raised his hand. "Shall I go first?"
The higher-ups nodded.
Mission Objective: Special Grade Cursed Womb, located in the Abandoned Gymnasium of Saitama Municipal Third Primary School. I arrived at the scene at 2:40 PM and confirmed the target was in the mid-incubation stage. At 2:45 PM, Sorcerer Tu Bai constructed an Isolation Barrier on the perimeter, which met the required strength standards. At 2:50 PM, I entered the gymnasium and used the Cursed Technique 'Blue' to compress the core of the Cursed Womb. The Exorcism Mission was completed at 2:55 PM. The Cursed Energy Residue has been cleared, it is recommended that the area be cordoned off for seventy-two hours. Mission complete.
He spoke rapidly, as if reciting a textbook.
The higher-ups turned toward Tu Bai: "Tu Bai, the detailed parameters for the Barrier's construction?"
Tu Bai stood up: "The Barrier's range covers the entire Gymnasium and the ten meters surrounding it, with a three-dimensional structure and a maximum height of fifteen meters from the ground. The base thickness is thirty centimeters, with key nodes reinforced to fifty centimeters. The duration is twelve minutes, the maximum impact it can withstand is equivalent to three full-power attacks from a Special Grade Cursed Spirit. During construction, the Demon Power—Cursed Energy consumption was approximately forty percent, with no adverse reactions."
He almost let it slip and corrected himself in time, but his heart skipped a beat.
Several high-ranking officials exchanged a few low whispers. One of them, an old man wearing glasses, looked toward Gojo Satoru: "Gojo-kun, are you certain the Barrier's strength is sufficient?"
Enough," Gojo Satoru said. "I've tested it. Oh, by the way—
He suddenly raised his hand, like a student asking a question in class.
Jujutsu Headquarters, I have an application.
The Meeting Room fell silent.
Tu Bai had a bad feeling.
I want to apply to research Sorcerer Tu Bai's 'Special Cursed Energy Composition'," Gojo Satoru said, his tone as casual as if he were ordering from a menu. "It will last for three months, with one to two tests per week. I'll need to borrow Jujutsu High's training grounds and some of its equipment.
The report in Tu Bai's hands was crumpled.
"The reason?" another high-ranking official asked, his voice low.
To facilitate better cooperation, of course." Gojo Satoru swirled his coffee cup. "You've seen it yourselves; his Cursed Technique is very unique. The speed and strength of his Construction Technique exceed those of an average Sorcerer of the same grade. If we can analyze the way his power operates, we might be able to develop new tactics or improve existing Barrier techniques.
He paused, adding, "And the way he's afraid of Cursed Spirits is so~ interesting. I want to see how he reacts under different levels of pressure."
That last sentence caused several Higher-ups to frown.
But no one objected.
Silence lasted for about ten seconds. The old man wearing glasses looked at the others and nodded slowly. "Very well. However, copies of all test data must be submitted to the Technical Department. No permanent damage may be caused to the research subject."
Of course, of course," Gojo Satoru smiled. "I'm very gentle.
Tu Bai stood there, feeling like a commodity being auctioned off. He wanted to speak, to say "I disagree," but his throat tightened, he couldn't squeeze out a single word.
The meeting ended. The Higher-ups left one after another, the Assistant Supervisors packed up their things. Gojo Satoru finished his last sip of coffee, crushed the paper cup, tossed it into the trash can.
He walked toward Tu Bai.
"Scared?" he asked.
Tu Bai didn't answer and turned to walk away.
He walked quickly out of the Meeting Room, through the corridor, down the stairs, pushed open the First Floor main doors. Outside was the Courtyard, where several Pine Trees were planted. He walked to the base of a tree, leaned his back against the trunk, took a deep breath.
Calm down, Tu Bai, calm down.
A research application.. it's just research. Gojo Satoru said he wouldn't tell anyone. He probably just wants to explore the characteristics of Demon Power to satisfy his curiosity. Three months, once or twice a week, I just have to endure it and it'll be over..
Why are you running so fast?
Tu Bai suddenly looked up.
Gojo Satoru had followed him out at some unknown point and stood three steps away from him, hands tucked into his coat pockets.
Senior," Tu Bai said, trying his best to keep his voice steady, "Regarding that research application, I—
"You're unwilling?" Gojo Satoru tilted his head.
It's not that I'm unwilling, it's just.." Tu Bai weighed his words, "My Cursed Technique really isn't anything special. It might just be that my control over Demon Power—Cursed Energy is a bit more precise, so it's not worth studying specifically.
Gojo Satoru laughed.
He took a step forward. Tu Bai did not retreat, but his back went rigid.
Tu Bai," Gojo Satoru said, his voice dropping slightly, "do you know that there are patterns on your constructs?
Tu Bai was stunned.
They're very fine, silver, like some kind of runes. Ordinary Sorcerers can't see them, but the Six Eyes can." Gojo Satoru took another step forward, leaving only half a meter between them. "The first time I saw you, in the B2 Parking Lot, you constructed a Barrier, those patterns were flashing on the ground. They were very beautiful.
Tu Bai's palms began to sweat.
I've looked up some information," Gojo Satoru continued. His tone remained relaxed, but every word felt like a nail being driven into Tu Bai's ears. "In ancient jujutsu systems, there is a type of 'Kotodama Wards' that uses specific characters and patterns to amplify the effects of a Cursed Technique. But your patterns are different, more.. natural? Like the veins of a plant, or the markings on an animal's fur.
He leaned down, pressing close to Tu Bai's ear.
Tu Bai could smell the faint scent of coffee and a certain refreshing soap aroma on him.
"It's the Demon Wards, isn't it?" Gojo Satoru said softly.
Tu Bai felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.
It felt as if all the blood in his body had turned cold in an instant. His ears began to itch and burn again; he clenched his palms tightly, digging his nails into his flesh.
Gojo Satoru straightened up, took half a step back, watched his expression.
I thought so," he said, with a brilliant smile. "Don't worry, I won't say anything. I didn't say anything during the meeting just now, I won't say anything in the future either. I have no interest in exposing you.
Tu Bai opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
But," Gojo Satoru raised a finger, "you have to promise me one thing.
What.. matter?
Next week's mission, you'll be my partner again," Gojo Satoru said. "And you need to cooperate with the research testing for the next three months. No taking time off, no faking illness, no running away.