"Thirty degrees to the back left, Chain." He spoke suddenly.
Tu Bai was stunned, but his body reacted before his brain could, swinging his left hand backward. The Silver Chain shot out, precisely entangling the wrist of Itadori, who was attempting a sneak attack from behind.
"Whoa! Sensei, you're cheating!" Itadori shouted.
This is instructional guidance~" Gojo Satoru laughed, "Upper right, net.
Tu Bai looked up and pushed his right hand upward; a large silver net expanded in the air, casting over Fushiguro as he leaped from the shadows. Fushiguro was forced to retreat.
"Yes, just like that~" Gojo Satoru nodded with satisfaction.
Tu Bai gradually entered the zone. His Construction speed became faster and faster, the transition from defense to counterattack was almost seamless. Itadori's fierce attacks, Fushiguro's unpredictable changes, Kugisaki's precision—the coordination between the three was actually very good, but Tu Bai could always use his constructions to neutralize them at critical moments.
After fighting for nearly ten minutes, all three were somewhat out of breath, but they still hadn't managed to touch Tu Bai.
Kugisaki suddenly stopped. He rested the Hammer against the ground, caught his breath, then looked at Fushiguro and Itadori, giving them a meaningful glance.
The two nodded.
In the next second, Kugisaki suddenly raised his Hammer, not to strike Tu Bai, but to smash it violently against the ground.
Boom!
The ground of the Jujutsu High Training Ground shook violently. It wasn't a real earthquake, but rather Kugisaki using Cursed Energy to reinforce his hammer strike, creating a powerful shockwave.
Tu Bai's footing slipped, his balance was instantly shattered. He instinctively tried to step back to steady himself, but before his feet could move—
A hand reached from behind and steadied his waist.
Warm and powerful.
Gojo Satoru appeared behind him at some unknown moment, his single hand wrapping around his waist to steady his swaying body.
"Your sense of balance is lacking, little rabbit." Gojo Satoru's voice rang in his ear, so close that his breath brushed against his earlobe.
Tu Bai froze.
He could feel the warmth of Gojo Satoru's palm through his clothes and onto his skin, could feel the chest pressed tightly against his back, could even smell the faint scent of soap and a hint of sweetness from Gojo Satoru's body.
It was too close.
Te-Teacher!" Itadori shouted, "That's cheating!
Gojo Satoru released his grip, but his fingers gave a light scratch against Tu Bai's waist before pulling away completely. Tu Bai shuddered, his ears instantly turning red.
How is that cheating?" Gojo Satoru walked back to the edge of the field, looking innocent. "I'm the referee. Is there a problem with the referee entering the field to check on a contestant's safety?
"You're clearly just helping Tu Bai-senpai!" Kugisaki complained.
Do you have any proof?" Gojo Satoru smiled. "If not, we're continuing.
But Tu Bai could no longer continue. His mind was a bit cluttered, the place on his waist where he had been scratched was still tingling. He took a deep breath, barely managing to focus his mind.
In the final two minutes, Tu Bai constructed a massive Labyrinth Barrier, trapping the three students inside and not letting them out even when time ran out.
Stop—" Gojo Satoru said, drawing out the word, "Time's up. It's a draw.
The silver labyrinth dissipated. Itadori sat down on the ground with a thud. "I'm exhausted.."
Fushiguro was also panting, but his gaze toward Tu Bai held a hint of admiration: "Tu Bai-senpai, that was impressive."
Kugisaki wiped away his sweat: "That was close.. It's all because Gojo-sensei was causing trouble."
I didn't~" Gojo Satoru walked over and naturally patted Tu Bai on the shoulder, "Good job. Your Construction speed is fifteen percent faster than last week, your precision has improved as well.
".. Thank you," Tu Bai said softly, his ears still flushed red.
To celebrate the draw," Itadori suddenly raised his hand, "let's go eat hotpot! I know a new place that just opened nearby, they give a twenty percent discount with a student ID!
Fushiguro: "You just want a free meal again."
Gojo-sensei is treating!" Itadori looked at Gojo Satoru, his eyes sparkling. "Sensei, you interfered with the match just now, so you have to compensate us!
Gojo Satoru raised an eyebrow and then smiled. "Sure thing. Is Xiao Bai coming too?"
Tu Bai wanted to refuse, but Itadori had already lunged forward and grabbed his arm: "Tu Bai-senpai must come! We haven't had a proper chat yet!"
Kugisaki also nodded, "Exactly, we barely said a word to each other at the dessert shop last time."
Tu Bai looked toward Gojo Satoru, Gojo Satoru shrugged. "Go ahead, we have to eat dinner anyway."
.. Alright then.
---
The Hot Pot Restaurant was not far from Jujutsu High, only a ten-minute walk away. The storefront was not large, but it was very clean, there were not many people there at this time.
The five of them requested a Private Room. Itadori flipped through the menu excitedly: "I want the spicy pot! The super spicy kind!"
"I want spicy too," Kugisaki said.
Fushiguro: ".. I'll have clear soup."
Gojo Satoru looked toward Tu Bai: "And you?"
"I.." Tu Bai hesitated. He could actually eat a little spicy food, but he didn't really like it.
He wants clear broth," Gojo Satoru answered for him, then said to the Waiter, "One spicy pot and one clear broth. Put the spicy pot over there," he pointed toward Itadori and Kugisaki, "and the clear broth over here.
Tu Bai froze for a moment. "Senpai, why are you.."
Last time in Kyoto, you frowned when you ate something spicy," Gojo Satoru said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Besides, your brother said your stomach isn't very good, so you should eat less irritating food.
".. Oh." Tu Bai lowered his head to look at the menu, his ears heating up again.
The food arrived quickly. Itadori enthusiastically placed meat into everyone's bowls, when it was Tu Bai's turn, he scooped a large mouthful of beef from the spicy hot pot. "Tu Bai-senpai, try this! It's delicious!"
Before the chopsticks could even reach Tu Bai's bowl, they were intercepted by another pair.
Gojo Satoru picked up that piece of meat and put it into his own bowl, then fished a slice of meat out of the clear broth pot and placed it into Tu Bai's bowl: "He can't eat spicy food."
Itadori blinked. "Eh? Tu Bai-senpai can't eat spicy food?"
I can eat a little, but I don't like it," Gojo Satoru said. "Right?
".. Yeah," Tu Bai replied softly.
Kugisaki watched this interaction and raised an eyebrow: "Gojo-sensei, you certainly seem to know quite a bit."
Observation skills are a basic requirement for a teacher~" Gojo Satoru smiled, then placed another piece of tofu into Tu Bai's bowl. "This one is cooked, eat up.
Fushiguro silently ate his food, but his eyes swept between Gojo Satoru and Tu Bai.
Halfway through the hotpot, the conversation gradually opened up. Itadori and Fushiguro talked about their recent missions, while Kugisaki complained about how troublesome it was to maintain Cursed Tools.
Speaking of Cursed Tools," Kugisaki looked toward Tu Bai, "can Tu Bai-senpai's Construction Technique make Cursed Tools? For example, the kind that can be reused?
Theoretically, it's possible," Tu Bai said. "But it requires extremely precise control, maintaining it would require a continuous consumption of Cursed Energy.
He almost let it slip and quickly changed his words.
And if it's made," Kugisaki's eyes lit up, "can it be sold? I want to custom-order a special Hammer!
"Kugisaki, don't cause trouble for senpai," Fushiguro said.
Just asking!
Tu Bai smiled. "I can give it a try. What kind do you want?"
..
As they chatted, the topic somehow drifted toward romance. Kugisaki asked Itadori if he had anyone he liked; Itadori shook his head and said no, while Fushiguro wore an expression that clearly said, "Don't ask me."
"What about Gojo-sensei?" Kugisaki suddenly asked.
Gojo Satoru was busy eating shrimp paste when he heard his and looked up. "Me, what?"
"Do you have someone you like?" Kugisaki asked bluntly.
Tu Bai's heart skipped a beat for no reason. He lowered his head to eat his food, but his ears were pricked.
Gojo Satoru thought for a moment and said, "There is."
"Who?" Itadori leaned in.
Kikufuku.
.. Gojo-sensei!
Gojo Satoru laughed. "Just kidding~" He put some shrimp paste into Tu Bai's bowl. "In all seriousness, no. Dating is too much trouble; you have to go on dates, you have to coax people, you have to remember all those different anniversaries.. I can barely keep track of my mission meeting times."
Tu Bai looked at the shrimp paste in his bowl, saying nothing.
"What about you, Tu Bai-senpai?" Itadori asked, turning his head.
I don't either," Tu Bai said, then added, "I don't have the time.
That's true, Senpai has to deal with school and missions at the same time," Itadori nodded understandingly. "But since you're so good-looking, Senpai, I bet you have a lot of people chasing after you, right?
Tu Bai almost choked: ".. No."
"How is that possible! Black hair, red eyes, so good-looking, quite tall too—" Itadori counted them off on his fingers.
"Eat your meat." Gojo Satoru picked up a piece of meat and stuffed it into Itadori's mouth, cutting him off.
Itadori let out two muffled "mmph" sounds and finally behaved.
This meal lasted nearly two hours. By the time it ended, the sky had already turned dark. The students were heading back to the Jujutsu High dormitories, Gojo Satoru said he would drive Tu Bai back.
"Goodbye, sensei! Goodbye, Tu Bai-senpai!" Itadori waved.
Fushiguro nodded in greeting.
Kugisaki walked at the very back. As he passed by Tu Bai, he quickly slipped a note into his hand and whispered, "Read it when you get back."
Tu Bai froze for a moment, clutching the note in his palm.
Gojo Satoru called a car. After getting in, Tu Bai leaned against the car window, watching the streetlights flash by outside. After a day of training plus a hotpot meal, his eyelids felt heavy with exhaustion.
"If you're sleepy, then sleep," Gojo Satoru said.
"I'm not sleepy.." Tu Bai insisted stubbornly, though his voice was already sounding a bit muddled.
Gojo Satoru smiled, reaching out to press his head against his shoulder: "Sleep. I'll wake you when we arrive."
Tu Bai stiffened. The shoulder was broad and steady, its warmth seeping through the clothes. He wanted to say "no need," but he was too exhausted, his mind refused to function.
He closed his eyes and truly fell asleep.