.. Does that mean Sorcerers can store surplus Cursed Energy?
Not just that." Gojo Satoru put down the crystal and turned to look at him, his ice-blue eyes shimmering behind his sunglasses. "This means the energy model of the Jujutsu World could be completely revolutionized. Imagine this: a Grade 1 Sorcerer could store Cursed Energy normally and unleash power approaching Special Grade at a critical moment; an Assistant Supervisor could carry 'batteries' with them to maintain a Barrier even in the field; even ordinary people.. if there is a safe way to use it, perhaps ordinary people could also use stored Cursed Energy to protect themselves.
He spoke quickly, his tone excited. Tu Bai had never seen him like this—not his usual lazy, amused smile, but genuine excitement from discovering a new possibility.
Tu Bai was infected by the excitement and laughed as well: "Then.. should we try making a few more?"
Of course!" Gojo Satoru sat back down and flipped open his notebook. "This time, let's try a different structure. Your grid just now was hexagonal; try triangles? Or pentagons? Also, the size and density of the grid..
The two of them immersed themselves in the experiment. Gojo Satoru proposed various concepts, Tu Bai attempted the Construction. Sometimes they succeeded, sometimes they failed. Soon, the table was piled high with small crystals of all shapes: some could store Cursed Energy but lost it quickly, some had unstable structures and collapsed immediately, some even converted Cursed Energy into strange forms—one crystal emitted a pink light, the two of them studied it for a long time without figuring out why.
Keep this one," Gojo Satoru said, setting the pink crystal aside. "It might come in handy later.
The experiment continued until nightfall. It grew dark outside the window, neither of them noticed. The table was cluttered with blueprints, equipment, crystals, some successful and some failures. Gojo Satoru scribbled notes rapidly in a notebook, while Tu Bai focused on Construction—his speed in constructing crystals grew faster and faster, his precision became increasingly higher.
Take a break," Gojo Satoru said suddenly. "Your face looks a bit pale.
Tu Bai only then felt the exhaustion. His Demon Power consumption was great, his head felt a bit dizzy.
"Have a Kikufuku." Gojo Satoru took one out of the paper bag and handed it over.
Tu Bai took it and took a bite. The sweetness melted in his mouth, slightly easing his fatigue.
Senpai," he asked, "why are you researching this?
Gojo Satoru was fiddling with a freshly made crystal; hearing this, he looked up. "Hmm?"
The technology to store Cursed Energy.. even if it is researched, it won't be of much use to you personally, right?" Tu Bai said. "You have so much Cursed Energy, you can't use it all up anyway.
Gojo Satoru fell silent for a few seconds.
It's useless," he said. "But others are useful.
Tu Bai was stunned.
The Jujutsu World is too dependent on talent right now.." Gojo Satoru said, swirling the crystal in his hand as the blue light cast flickering shadows across his face. "Those with talent work themselves to death, while those without it simply wait for death. If this technology could be popularized, it could at least give lower-level Sorcerers a better chance at survival.
He spoke casually, but Tu Bai heard the seriousness within his words.
He suddenly remembered what his brother Tu Bao had said—"Those high and mighty Special Grade Sorcerers would definitely look down on people like us.."
But Gojo Satoru seemed.. not like that.
"What's wrong?" Gojo Satoru asked, seeing him daze off.
.. It's nothing." Tu Bai lowered his head to eat Kikufuku, "I just feel like you're.. more like a teacher than I thought, Gojo-senpai.
Gojo Satoru laughed: "I am a teacher, after all."
But you don't act like it normally.
That's to maintain a sense of mystery~
Tu Bai rolled his eyes.
The two of them performed several more sets of experiments. By around ten o'clock at night, Tu Bai really couldn't hold on any longer. He slumped over the table, his eyelids drooping.
"Sleepy?" Gojo Satoru asked.
.. A little.
"Then that's all for today." Gojo Satoru closed his notebook and began packing up the equipment on the table.
Tu Bai wanted to help, but his body wouldn't obey him. His Demon Power was excessively depleted, right now, he didn't even want to move a finger.
He closed his eyes, intending to rest for a few minutes before getting up.
As a result, he fell fast asleep.
Gojo Satoru finished tidying up the equipment, turned his head, saw Tu Bai slumped over the table, breathing steadily, having already fallen into a deep sleep. On the table sat half of an unfinished Kikufuku.
He watched him for a few seconds, then walked over and gently picked Tu Bai up.
Tu Bai was very light. Gojo Satoru used almost no effort to carry him to the side of the sofa, placed him down carefully, then fetched a blanket to cover him.
After finishing this, Gojo Satoru knelt by the sofa, watching Tu Bai's sleeping face.
His eyelashes were long, casting small shadows beneath his eyes. His lips were slightly parted, his breathing was very light. Black curly hair was scattered across the sofa cushion, with a few strands clinging to the side of his cheek.
Gojo Satoru reached out, using his fingertips to gently brush those few strands of hair aside.
His movements were very light, for fear of waking him.
Then his hand rested on Tu Bai's hair, not moving away. His fingertips gently combed through those black curls, which felt soft to the touch.
You're even more interesting than I thought.." Gojo Satoru said in a low voice, his voice so soft it was almost inaudible, "No.
He paused, then corrected himself.
It is precious.
Tu Bai stirred in his sleep, unconsciously nuzzling against his hand like a cat that had found a comfortable spot.
Gojo Satoru smiled.
He withdrew his hand, stood up, walked to the window. Outside the window was the night view of Tokyo, brightly lit.
On the table, those successfully constructed crystals emitted a faint glow in the darkness, with blue and Silver Light intertwining.
Gojo Satoru took out his phone and snapped a photo—not of the crystals, but of Tu Bai sleeping on the sofa. Then, he opened a chat window, intending to send it to someone, but he hesitated.
Forget it.
He put away his phone, walked back to the side of the sofa, looked at Tu Bai for a while longer.
"Sleep well," he said, then turned and left the apartment on tiptoe.
The door closed with a faint click.
Tu Bai frowned in his sleep, but did not wake.
He dreamed that he was amidst a Silver Light, holding a blue star in his hand. The star was very warm, like someone's hand.
---
On the morning of Day 2, Tu Bai woke up on the sofa, covered with a blanket.
He sat up, his mind still a bit fuzzy. Memories of last night slowly drifted back—the experiment, the crystals, then.. he had fallen asleep?
Who had covered him with a blanket?
Tu Bai looked toward the dining table, which had already been cleaned. The equipment was gone, the blueprints and notebooks were gone as well. However, a note had been left on the table, next to a small box.
He walked over and picked up the note.
It was Gojo Satoru's handwriting, written in a wild, cursive style:
[I'll take the crystals back for analysis. The three in the box were the most successful ones from last night; you can keep them for fun. We'll continue the experiments next Monday. Remember to eat breakfast.]
Tu Bai opened the box. It was lined with soft padding, three crystals lay side by side: one blue, one silver, another.. pink?
He picked up the pink crystal and held it up to the light. The light specks inside rotated slowly, emitting a soft glow.
So why on earth was it pink?
Tu Bai couldn't figure it out, but he thought it looked quite beautiful.
He put the crystal back into the Dessert Box and put it away. Then, he went to wash up and prepare breakfast.
While eating breakfast, he took out his phone, wanting to send a message to Gojo Satoru to say thank you. But after typing several lines, he deleted them.
In the end, he only sent: 【I saw the crystal.】
Gojo Satoru replied instantly: 【Do you like it?】
Tu Bai looked at that pink crystal and replied: 【.. I like it.】
That's good then~ See you on Monday.
Tu Bai put down his phone and continued eating breakfast.
The sunlight outside the window was beautiful.
He suddenly remembered the words Gojo Satoru had said before falling asleep last night—"If we can popularize this technology, it could at least give lower-level Sorcerers a slightly better chance at survival."
And that unfinished sentence he had faintly heard in his sleep—"You're even more interesting than I thought.."
What was the rest of it?
Tu Bai couldn't remember.
But that strange sensation in his heart seemed to have grown a little more.
Chapter 13
At seven in the morning on Tuesday, Tu Bai was awakened by the vibration of his phone.
It was a message from Gojo Satoru: 【9:00, meet at Shinjuku 3-chome. Nanamin specifically requested your help.】
Tu Bai rubbed his eyes and replied: 【What mission?】
[Grade 1 Cursed Spirit, specializes in stealth and escape. Nanamin needs you to use Construction to create a trap to corner it. I'll go with you~]
Tu Bai stared at that wavy line for three seconds and sighed. He got up to wash up and changed into clothes that were easy to move in—black sweatpants and a gray hoodie. After running a hand through his hair to mess it up slightly, he headed out.
It was 8:50 when they arrived at the meeting point. A black sedan was parked by the roadside, Nanami Kento stood beside it, wearing his signature suit and tie. His blond hair was meticulously styled, his eyes behind his glasses were calm and undisturbed. He was reading data on a tablet.
"Gojo-san, good morning." Tu Bai walked over.
Nanami looked up and nodded to him: "Tu Bai-kun, you're quite punctual. The mission materials are in the car; read them on the way."
Alright.
Tu Bai was about to get into the car when another vehicle screeched to a halt beside him. The window rolled down, revealing Gojo Satoru's face behind sunglasses: "Yo, morning~"
Nanami pushed up his glasses: "Gojo-san, I recall only inviting Tu Bai."
It was on the way." Gojo Satoru got out of the car. Today he was wearing a dark blue coat over a white T-shirt, his sunglasses had been swapped for a small, round style. "Besides, it's Xiao Bai's first time working with you, so I wasn't at ease~
"Xiao Bai?" Nanami repeated.
A nickname~" Gojo Satoru walked naturally to Tu Bai's side, resting his hand on his shoulder, "Right?
Tu Bai wanted to dodge away, but Gojo Satoru's hand was heavy: ".. Senpai."