Hikaru Kuganami stared blankly at Gojo Satoru, unable to process what he had just heard.
He really hadn't expected this.
On the one hand, he had a gut feeling that Gojo Satoru could be trusted. On the other hand, considering the attitude of the other Gojo family members towards him, Hikaru Kuganami didn't think his value was so high that a long-standing, prestigious family would pretend to be friendly from top to bottom.
Gojo Satoru knew that he was currently short of money. If he really wanted to use him for something, as long as it wasn't a suicide mission, he would probably agree if Gojo Satoru offered a reasonable price. There was no need to go through all this trouble to soften him up. As for things he didn't want to do, a little coercion, and he would calculate the costs and benefits in his mind, and the probability of him agreeing wouldn't be low either.
Plus, the information he had gleaned from the other Gojo family members through subtle questioning didn't conflict with what Gojo Satoru had said. It wasn't something that could be fabricated in a short period of time. He decided to trust his gut feeling and believe that Gojo Satoru was simply helping out a fellow Six Eyes user, pulling in a potential student along the way.
He had never been wrong about people before, especially with such a thoughtful analysis. He couldn't believe he had messed up this time.
Hikaru Kuganami rubbed his forehead, "The Six Eyes are so rare, you didn't care to mention it at all!?"
Gojo Satoru shrugged, saying nonchalantly, "Because you didn't ask."
Hikaru Kuganami's delusional disorder almost resurfaced, "...Besides that, what else have you lied to me about?"
Gojo Satoru even winked at him playfully, "How can you call that lying? I told you the truth."
Hikaru Kuganami urgently confirmed the thing he cared about most, "The truth? Including the fact that I might only live to be twenty if I don't learn the Reverse Curse Technique?"
"Of course it's true. Ah, but if you ask me if I'm hiding anything else… It's pretty obvious that your Six Eyes are temporary, but your body can't handle it, so you'll spit up blood when you try to understand it…" Gojo Satoru looked innocent, "But I didn't intentionally hide it. I was going to tell you, but then I wanted to see when you would finally ask…"
Gojo Satoru really thought that way.
To be honest, there wasn't any particularly good reason. It was just a whim.
The initial contact where he fainted after one glance didn't count. Gojo Satoru's formal interaction with Hikaru Kuganami began after the latter finally woke up.
Cautious questions, subtle probing, even in the face of his inappropriate "I'm your dad" joke and the fact that he indirectly caused him to lose his job, he was clearly unhappy, but he only swallowed his anger and used harmless complaints to express a little dissatisfaction.
To be honest, as a teenager, Hikaru Kuganami's acting was already pretty good, but unfortunately, it couldn't fool Gojo Satoru.
Gojo Satoru could see Hikaru Kuganami's misunderstanding of the Six Eyes, and he could also see that Hikaru Kuganami didn't really trust the conclusions he had drawn through subtle questioning, but he didn't know what he was thinking. Hikaru Kuganami just didn't ask any direct questions.
Gojo Satoru was curious, just how patient was Hikaru Kuganami.
It wasn't that hard to just ask, was it? Yet, the other person had actually held it in until now… Actually, even if this accident hadn't happened, Gojo Satoru planned to tell Hikaru Kuganami the truth today, otherwise, he wouldn't be able to continue with the next steps.
This personality, if it were an ordinary person, there wouldn't be anything to say. It was just normal, mediocre. But if Gojo Satoru planned to bring Hikaru Kuganami into the Jujutsu world…
Strong, but with an overly obvious weakness, easily controlled and destroyed with a few tricks. It was like shouting to the rotten oranges above, "Don't miss out on this opportunity!"
Thankfully, there seemed to be a turning point in this situation.
At least now, Gojo Satoru's words had made Hikaru Kuganami stop hiding his emotions, and it looked like he was about to start scolding him…
At this moment, someone came to report to Gojo Satoru, "Master Gojo, people from above have come to say that Mr. Kuganami is someone they are investigating. They found out that you brought him back to the Gojo residence and hope to get your permission to meet with him…"
Gojo Satoru casually dismissed them without turning around, "Tell them I'm not here."
No one in the Gojo family would question Gojo Satoru's decision, even if it meant leaving the people from the Head Office at the gate of the Gojo mansion. So the person who came to report left quickly.
As the footsteps faded, Hikaru Kuganami looked at Gojo Satoru, his expression clearly more focused than before. It was clear that he cared more about this matter than Gojo Satoru's casual concealment.
"Are these the people investigating me?"
Understanding what he wanted to ask, Gojo Satoru was still quite straightforward in his explanation.
"Did you petrify a curse last month? That curse was recently discovered, and your Six Eyes were also discovered. People above are reacting strongly… It's very possible that you would have died before I even saw you."
"...They want to kill me?"
"They won't directly kill you. They'll probably make you join Kyoto School, which is easier for them to control, and then find a chance to give you a mission that's beyond your abilities. If you die, who can you blame?"
When Gojo Satoru said this, it seemed like he remembered something unpleasant. His expression was rare and serious, making him seem particularly convincing, "Even if it's not intentional, it can kill people. If it's intentional, it's even easier."
Hikaru Kuganami gasped, feeling like a certain string in his brain had suddenly tightened, "That's so unreasonable…"
"What are you talking about reason with those stubborn old geezers? To them, being able to tell you the reason for your death sentence is already a sign, even if that reason is something they planted on you."
Hikaru Kuganami was baffled, "But why? Just because of the Six Eyes? If it's rare, shouldn't they protect it? And you know, I'm not born with the Six Eyes…"
"The Six Eyes are just one factor, representing a disruption of the balance between curses and Jujutsu sorcerers… This problem can't be solved just because you say you weren't born with it. They must be trying to prevent future problems and find a way to kill you. I understand the rotten oranges' way of thinking all too well!"
Hikaru Kuganami was absolutely certain that this wasn't a lie.
Death.
This keyword, like a needle, pierced his soul.
Escape meant death, and not escaping also meant death.
50 years old, 20 years old, 17 years old…
His tired, numb brain, his heavy, aching body, even like this, he wanted to live.
All of Hikaru Kuganami's efforts over the years had been to keep himself alive.
He had tried hard to hide his specialness, living a suppressed life for over ten years, being kind to everyone, abandoning himself to blend into the mass. Yet, even so, people were still targeting his life…
Gojo Satoru looked at him, marveling, "You can actually endure this, that's amazing."
This sentence was like the last straw on the camel's back. Hikaru Kuganami's mental state finally completely broke down.
—Yeah, anyway, enduring wouldn't change anything. Since it's like this, why should he continue to compromise?
"...I just don't understand."
Hikaru Kuganami murmured softly, his azure eyes twitching nervously.
"I just want to live. Is that so hard? Why is everything so difficult? I was abandoned by my parents at birth, and I had to worry about being exposed in the orphanage. I finally found a way to support myself, and I thought I could finally live a normal life, but my body is getting worse and worse…"
Gojo Satoru thought for a moment, "Condolences?"
Hikaru Kuganami ignored him, "I don't even dare to hope to live to the average lifespan. Even if I could only live to be fifty, I'd accept it. But yesterday you said I might not even live to be twenty… And today it's even worse, someone actually wants to kill me? Why? I just want to live! What did I do wrong to be so unlucky?!"
Hikaru Kuganami didn't know who to ask these questions, he didn't even know if there were answers to these questions, but since Gojo Satoru was the only one in front of him, his dissatisfaction and fear could only be directed at Gojo Satoru.
Two pairs of sky-blue eyes locked in a gaze.
"You haven't done anything wrong."
Gojo Satoru stared at the Six Eyes that reflected his own image, speaking in a rare serious tone.
"It's just that you're strong, but not strong enough. And you have terrible luck, and you've been targeted by a bunch of stupid rotten oranges."
"...Just because of that?"
"Yes, actually it's mainly bad luck. But meeting me isn't that bad either…"
Hikaru Kuganami ignored Gojo Satoru's self-promotion and said incredulously, "So just because there are idiots, I'm going to die?"
Gojo Satoru, "You'll find out later that there are a lot of idiots. For you, enduring idiots should be second nature by now… But don't worry, I'm here. I'm the strongest, which is why I suggested you transfer…"
… Enduring idiots is second nature?
Although it was true, for some reason, being summed up like that made Hikaru Kuganami feel ridiculous.
Something deep inside Hikaru Kuganami seemed to shatter, his intense emotions were blocked, and he suddenly calmed down, as if he had returned to the state of his younger self when he had entered the black gang's territory for help.
"But you can't watch over me 24/7. They're 'people above' to you. I understand what that means. Even if you are the strongest, you can't solve this problem 100%. You can only treat the symptoms, not the root cause."
"What do you mean 'even if'? I am the strongest!" Gojo Satoru first corrected him with dissatisfaction, then asked with interest, "So what's your plan?"
Gojo Satoru could see that Hikaru Kuganami's current mental state, fluctuating between high spirits and calmness, was very wrong. The boy who had been like a frightened lop-eared rabbit was in a period of transformation, making people curious about what he would eventually become.
"——You're right, I don't have to keep enduring. As long as I kill them before they kill me, I should be able to live at least three more years."
Hikaru Kuganami said in an overly rational tone.
His features were already a bit sharp, and he usually forced himself to show a professional smile to blend in with the group, so you couldn't tell. Now, with his expressionless coldness, he actually showed a bit of sharpness and sternness.
The corners of Gojo Satoru's mouth curled up, "Huh? But you know you can't do that, right? Are you thinking of asking me to help you kill them? Aren't you afraid I'll tell them?"
"You wouldn't do that. I can tell you also dislike them. If you were going to kill them, you would have already done it… I don't care about your reasons for not doing it. As for whether I can do it… Didn't you say it yourself? I'm strong." Hikaru Kuganami calmly analyzed.
"I did say that, but I also said you're not strong enough…"
Hikaru Kuganami interrupted Gojo Satoru, speaking in an extremely calm and matter-of-fact tone, "——And I will become stronger. My intuition has never been wrong, so I will continue to trust you."
Gojo Satoru fell silent, looking at him with strange eyes.
If it had been the previous Hikaru Kuganami, he would have been observing Gojo Satoru's expression and trying to figure out his thoughts before continuing.
But now, no matter what he did, he wouldn't be able to live a peaceful life. Worrying was useless, so Hikaru Kuganami just went for it. He was now letting himself go completely.
"You're strong, so they can't kill you… You said you wanted to be my teacher, right? I want to become as strong as you. Can you teach me?"
"...That's quite a thought. What if I say I can't?"
"Then at the very least, make me strong enough to kill those who want to kill me. If that doesn't work, I can also die with them. Actually, I already know how to self-destruct." Hikaru Kuganami answered without hesitation, "As long as I'm not afraid of death, no one can kill me before I do!"
"...Hahahaha!!!"
Gojo Satoru suddenly burst into laughter.
His laughter was more genuine than ever before. His radiant expression made everyone who saw him certain that he was in a very good mood, and he even had tears in his eyes from laughing.
"Good! Great! Is this the legendary rabbit biting when it's cornered?"
Hikaru Kuganami, the rabbit, looked at him coldly and pressed, "Answer?"
Gojo Satoru raised his hand and pressed it against Hikaru Kuganami's head, ruffling his hair, "If it were before, maybe not, but now…"
"Since you're also pretty crazy, then I'm relieved. Leave it to me. I'll make you strong enough to despise any threat."
Hikaru Kuganami: "..."
—What do you mean "pretty crazy"? That's a terrible way to put it.
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