I know," Tu Bai said. "I just feel like.. he doesn't seem that bad.
Whether he is bad or not is one thing, but he is dangerous," Tu Bao said. "Stay away from him. Avoid him if you can.
After hanging up the phone, Tu Bai stared at the ceiling.
The Kikufuku in the refrigerator was still emitting a sweet fragrance.
---
At 2:00 PM the following afternoon, Shibuya Cinema.
When Tu Bai arrived, Gojo Satoru was already waiting at the entrance, holding a large bucket of popcorn and two cups of cola. He was wearing a gray hoodie today, making him look a few years younger than his actual age.
"You're a minute late," Gojo Satoru said.
The train was late.
An excuse~ Let's go, it's about to start.
There weren't many people in the Screening Room, they sat in the middle row. As the lights dimmed, the movie began.
Tu Bai actually wasn't afraid of horror movies—or rather, he was, but he loved watching them. He was very familiar with that masochistic pleasure of watching something even when he knew it would scare him. But today was different; Gojo Satoru was sitting right next to him, he didn't want to show any fear.
The first ten minutes were quite mild. That was until that classic scene: a female ghost crawling down the stairs, his joints making cracking sounds.
Tu Bai held his breath.
Gojo Satoru suddenly leaned in and whispered in his ear, "This posture isn't good for your spine."
Tu Bai: ".."
In the next moment, the ghost child appeared under the covers.
Gojo Satoru: "This quilt is of good quality; no light leaks through at all."
The next segment was a bloody scene.
Gojo Satoru: "The color of the blood is too fake; it looks like ketchup."
Tu Bai could no longer endure it: "Senpai, can you just watch quietly?"
I am watching," Gojo Satoru said innocently. "I'm just critiquing the special effects.
The movie entered its climax, the sound effects growing increasingly terrifying, with jump scares coming one after another. Tu Bai held the popcorn bucket, his fingers tightening. When a ghostly face suddenly popped up on the screen, he still couldn't help himself and shuddered all over.
A few pieces of popcorn spilled out.
Gojo Satoru laughed.
Scared?
.. No.
Then why are you shaking?
Cold.
The air conditioning in the Screening Room is set to 26 degrees.
Tu Bai fell silent, staring intently at the screen and pretending he hadn't heard.
When the movie ended, Tu Bai's palms were covered in sweat. Walking out of the Shibuya Cinema, the sky was still bright outside, he breathed a sigh of relief.
How was it?" Gojo Satoru asked. "Was the courage training effective?
No," Tu Bai said honestly, "I'm still afraid.
Then how about watching a few more?
No.
Gojo Satoru laughed again. He walked forward, Tu Bai followed half a step behind him.
Let me treat you to dinner," Gojo Satoru said, "to make up for the fright you just had.
No need..
I do. There's a dessert buffet ahead; I heard they have unlimited Mango Mousse.
Tu Bai's footsteps faltered.
Gojo Satoru looked back at him, smiling slyly, "Are you going or not?"
Tu Bai struggled for three seconds.
.. Go.
Sitting in the dessert buffet, looking at the small mountains of Mango Mousse, Chocolate Cake, Caramel Pudding piled up before him, Tu Bai cursed himself in his heart as he ate.
So pathetic. Bought off by a little bit of dessert.
But it really was delicious.
Gojo Satoru sat opposite him, having ordered only a cup of coffee, watching him eat.
"Aren't you going to eat?" Tu Bai asked.
Watching you eat is enough," Gojo Satoru said. "It's more interesting than a movie.
Tu Bai lowered his head, his ears feeling a bit hot again.
He thought that next time, he would definitely not be tempted by desserts again.
Absolutely.
The phone vibrated; it was the notification for next week's mission. It was another mission partnered with Gojo Satoru.
Tu Bai glanced at the person opposite him; that person was bowing his head to play on his phone, a smile lingering at the corners of his mouth.
Tu Bai scooped up a large spoonful of mousse and stuffed it into his mouth.
The sweetness melted on the tip of his tongue.
.. Forget it, I'll deal with it next time.
Author's Note:
----------------------
Chapter 6
At nine o'clock on Monday morning, Tu Bai stood at the entrance of Jujutsu High.
The message sent by Gojo Satoru in his phone half an hour ago read: 【Come straight to the Playground when you arrive, bring your Cursed Technique with you~】
Tu Bai took a deep breath and walked into the campus. Jujutsu High was quieter than he had imagined; the buildings were ancient and simple, maple trees were planted in the courtyard. He didn't encounter anyone on the road, following the signposts, he found the playground—a large, open-air circular area surrounded by a barrier.
Looking from a distance, there were already people there.
Gojo Satoru sat on a bench by the side of the training ground, legs crossed, playing on his phone. Three students stood beside him: a boy with pink hair and a bright expression, a boy with black, sea urchin-like hair and a cold demeanor, a girl with short orange hair. The three were dressed in Jujutsu High Uniforms, upon seeing Tu Bai enter, their gazes turned toward him in unison.
Oh, he's here." Gojo Satoru put away his phone. "Let me introduce you. This is Grade 1 Sorcerer Tu Bai. I've asked him to join us today to act as your sparring partner.
The three students nodded toward Tu Bai. The pink-haired boy waved, "Hello, senpai! I am Itadori Yuji!"
Fushiguro Megumi.
Kugisaki Nobara.
Tu Bai returned the gesture: "I am Tu Bai. I look forward to working with you."
Then," Gojo Satoru stood up, "today's content is combat adaptation training. Tu Bai will use his Construction Technique to simulate various attacks and defenses, you must work together to break through them. The rules are simple—if you touch him, you win; if you are trapped by him for more than ten seconds, you lose. Begin.
Tu Bai froze for a moment: "Senpai, I never said I would be a sparring partner.."
You're saying it now," Gojo Satoru said, patting his shoulder. "Go on, don't hold back.
Tu Bai was pushed into the center of the training ground. The three students spread out, with Itadori in front, Fushiguro on the left, Kugisaki on the right. The atmosphere instantly grew tense.
Tu Bai-senpai," Itadori said, taking a fighting stance, "pardon me!
He rushed forward first, his speed immense. Tu Bai instinctively retreated while simultaneously bringing his hands together; Silver Demon Power surged forth, constructing a translucent shield in front of him.
Itadori's fist slammed into the shield with a dull thud. The shield shook, but it did not shatter.
Whoa, so hard!
Taking advantage of this opening, Fushiguro formed hand seals with both hands: "Nue!"
A massive owl Shikigami flew out from the shadows, pouncing toward the top of Tu Bai's head. Tu Bai maintained a shield with his left hand and pointed his right hand upward; silver chains shot from his palm, entangling the Shikigami's claws.
Kugisaki launched a surprise attack from the side, holding a hammer and nails in his hands. Tu Bai dodged to the side while simultaneously using Demon Power to construct a tripwire on the ground. Kugisaki reacted quickly and jumped to avoid it, but by the time he landed, Tu Bai had already constructed a small Barrier beneath his feet—a circular Light Prison that trapped him inside.
Kugisaki, you're out~" Gojo Satoru shouted from the sidelines, "Time's up.
Kugisaki pounded against the Barrier: "Damn it!"
Fushiguro commanded his Shikigami to break free from the chains, Itadori attacked again. This time, he changed his angle, attempting to flank Tu Bai. Tu Bai dissipated his shield, his Demon Power condensed once more; this time, he constructed over a dozen short blades that hovered in the air, their tips aimed directly at the two of them.
Go.
A volley of short blades. Itadori blocked with his fists, while Fushiguro defended with shadows. After a series of clanging sounds, the short blades were deflected, but Tu Bai had already taken the opportunity to pull away and create distance.
Gojo Satoru watched from the sidelines, his Six Eyes fully active beneath his sunglasses.
He could see the flow of Demon Power within Tu Bai's body: with every construction, Demon Power surged from the core toward his limbs, then was released through his palms. The more complex the structure of the construction, the more intricate the paths of Demon Power became. Those Silver Demon Wards were not mere decorations, but rather the trajectories of energy conduction, much like a circuit board.
The structure of the Shield is very standard, but the Chain is quite interesting—each link is constructed independently before being connected, which consumes less energy. The Barrier has a mesh-like structure, with nodes distributed evenly.
Gojo Satoru quickly made notes in his phone's memo app.
On the field, the battle continued. Tu Bai used Construction to create blades, swords, spears, throwing knives, bringing various weapons into play one after another. Itadori and Fushiguro coordinated well, one focusing on strong melee attacks while the other provided ranged suppression, but they could never manage to touch Tu Bai.
After ten minutes of fighting, both of them were somewhat out of breath. Tu Bai had also expended a significant amount of energy, sweat beaded on his forehead.
"Stop," Gojo Satoru shouted.
The three stopped. Tu Bai dissipated the long spear in his hands, the Silver Light retracted into his palm.
Not bad, not bad." Gojo Satoru walked over. "The Construction speed is 0.3 seconds faster than last time, the duration is longer too. But the precision has dropped—the tip of that last spear was crooked by 0.5 millimeters. You didn't notice it yourself, did you?
Tu Bai was stunned, recalling the sensation from just now. It seemed.. it really was a bit off?
Continue," Gojo Satoru said to Itadori and Fushiguro. "This time, I'm adding a condition: Tu Bai, you cannot move from your position.