Sonoda Shigeru was dealt with. Not by him, but at least the problem was solved.
Akuma-kun had met the person he was looking for—not only that, but he even got to punch them.
And the last remaining Q member, who had been hiding and waiting to ambush them, had also been caught.
It had been a rough ride, but Yukinoshita Haruno felt that her spontaneous decision to play hero had turned out perfectly.
"So… it's all over now? Can we go home?" Yukinoshita Haruno asked.
The person had been saved, but she still had two days left of her vacation. That meant she had some unexpected free time to enjoy.
She was already looking forward to making the most of it.
Hayashizaki handed control of the body back to her but spoke with amusement, "Over? Not necessarily."
Amanai Riko stared at the beautiful woman who had saved her twice, only to suddenly see a mouth appear on her face. She jumped back in shock.
She took a big step back, pointing at Yukinoshita Haruno's cheek with a trembling finger. "Wah! Y-Your face… grew a mouth!"
Yukinoshita Haruno was caught off guard. She hadn't expected Hayashizaki to speak out loud in front of everyone.
But after a moment's thought, she realized it didn't matter if Hayashizaki's existence was exposed. Everyone here was either from the Jujutsu world or connected to it.
Besides, his 'acquaintance' was here too.
Even though, at this point, that 'acquaintance' didn't seem to recognize him.
But considering he had come from the future, that actually made sense.
Since Hayashizaki didn't mind being exposed, Yukinoshita Haruno had nothing to say about it. At most, she just felt annoyed—after all, having a mouth open on her pretty face was an awful look.
"What is this!?"
"Huh?"
Compared to the shocked Amanai Riko and Kuroi Misato, Suguru Geto and Gojo Satoru understood all too well what it meant for a mouth to appear on Yukinoshita Haruno's face.
"Did you eat some kind of cursed object?" Geto asked seriously.
"Huh? Eat what?" Yukinoshita Haruno looked completely clueless. She had no interest in the world of jujutsu, so Hayashizaki had only given her a basic rundown—nothing about cursed objects.
"This situation…" With his Six Eyes, Gojo Satoru could see things even more clearly. He stared at the short-haired girl for a while, then snapped his fingers and smiled. "Yeah, you're basically as good as dead."
"What do you mean?" Yukinoshita Haruno frowned, confused.
"You really don't know?" Gojo shook his head and pointed at the extra mouth on her face. "You've already become this guy's vessel. The only reason you can still move on your own is because he hasn't made his move yet. The moment he does, he'll take over your body completely. Your soul will be pushed out, sink into nothingness, and you'll never wake up again."
"Oh." Yukinoshita Haruno nodded like she finally understood. Then she relaxed, patted her chest, and said, "That's it? You scared me for a second."
"Huh?"
Gojo Satoru and Suguru Geto were stunned.
"Did you not hear what I just said? Your body isn't yours anymore. The only reason you're still in control is because that thing hasn't acted yet."
"I know that." The short-haired girl lost interest and waved her hand, signaling Gojo to drop the subject. She was more interested in what Hayashizaki had mentioned earlier. "Demon-kun, you said it's not over yet. What do you mean?"
The mouth on her cheek curved into a mischievous grin. "The Star Plasma Vessel has to fuse with Tengen. Do you know what that means?"
"That means…" Yukinoshita Haruno froze for a moment, then suddenly realized something. Instinctively, she turned to look at the white-haired boy standing nearby.
Gojo, meanwhile, was whispering to his best friend, trying to figure out if this girl had a few screws loose.
"That's right, just like the walking corpse over there said."
A third eye opened below Yukinoshita Haruno's own, looking at Amanai Riko with a grin. "Fusion refers to Tengen, and this girl is the one being fused."
Amanai Riko felt uneasy under his gaze, but she gathered her courage, put her hands on her hips, and pointed at the eye on Haruno's face. "That's such a disgusting way to think about it!"
"Listen up! Master Tengen is me, and I am Master Tengen! Some people, like you, think fusion means death, but that's completely wrong! After I fuse, I will become Master Tengen, but Master Tengen will also become me! My thoughts, my heart, my soul—they will all continue to exist!"
She stood confidently, though no one knew where that confidence came from.
"You might fool everyone else, but don't fool yourself." Hayashizaki chuckled, clearly not believing a single word she said.
"You… you…!"
Amanai Riko was at a loss for words. But as Hayashizaki pointed out, no matter how much she tried to convince others, she couldn't fool herself.
"Alright, alright. Whoever you are, thanks for saving Riko." Gojo Satoru spoke to Yukinoshita Haruno, though his tone was far from pleasant. "We won't hold it against you for attacking Jujutsu High sorcerers."
"And what if you did?" Hayashizaki said casually, as if he didn't take the two young sorcerers in front of him seriously. "It's not like you could beat me anyway."
"Hey! You—!" Gojo Satoru rolled up his sleeves, ready to step forward, but Geto stopped him.
"Gojo, mission first." Geto shook his head, then turned to Riko. "Riko, let's go."
"Oh… okay." Riko was about to nod but suddenly realized something. She quickly turned to Kuroi Misato. "Kuroi! What time is it!?"
"Young lady, it's already noon," Kuroi checked the time and replied.
"Get ready, I'm going to school!" Riko said as she rushed off.
"Young lady, maybe you shouldn't…" The maid hesitated.
They were already being hunted. Going to school now could bring even more trouble. She thought heading straight to Jujutsu High would be the safer choice.
"Quit nagging! I said I'm going, so I'm going!"
"Huh!?" Gojo Satoru immediately showed his displeasure and turned to his best friend.
Geto just shrugged and smiled helplessly.
Yukinoshita Haruno stood to the side, silent, her expression thoughtful.
…
In front of the main gate of Jujutsu High's affiliated girls' school.
Gojo Satoru was on the phone with Yaga Masamichi.
"Huh!? Wouldn't it be safer to just take her straight back to Jujutsu High!?" Gojo Satoru argued loudly into the phone.
"I'd like to do that too, but this is an order from Master Tengen," Yaga's firm voice came through the receiver. "Fulfill all of Amanai Riko's requests."
Before Gojo could say another word, the call was cut off. He didn't even get a chance to argue back.
"Tch!" The tall, white-haired boy clicked his tongue in annoyance and kicked a small rock on the ground.
Then, he turned his head slightly and glanced at a short-haired girl standing nearby. "By the way, why are you even here?"
"Hm?" Yukinoshita Haruno raised an eyebrow, then flashed a sweet smile. "I'm Riko's good friend. What's wrong with visiting my friend's school?"
As she spoke, she wrapped an arm around Amanai Riko's neck, pulling her close like they were the best of friends.
"Isn't that right, Riko-chan~?" Haruno's charming voice rang softly in Riko's ear, her warm breath tickling her skin.
Riko's cheeks flushed slightly before she nodded vigorously. "That's right, that's right!"
She had grown up with Kuroi Misato, and her school friends were all her age. Yukinoshita Haruno was the first older girl she had ever interacted with. And considering Haruno had already saved her twice in such a cool way, Riko saw no reason to refuse her kindness.
Even if it was just for a brief moment, she wanted to enjoy this connection.
"Huh!?" Gojo Satoru's jaw nearly dropped. "You two only met less than two hours ago! Riko, do you even know this girl's name?"
"Uh…" Riko froze for a moment. Now that Gojo mentioned it, she actually didn't know the name of the older girl who had saved her twice and treated her so warmly.
"The name's Yukinoshita Haruno. Make sure you remember it, Riko-chan." The short-haired girl pinched Riko's cheek and smiled.
"Got it, Haruno-nee-san." Riko nodded obediently.
As Gojo stood there, dumbfounded, the two girls, who had only met two hours ago, had already become as close as sisters.
"Hey, Riko-chan, why don't you show me around your school? I've never been to an all-girls school before."
"Sure, sure!"
Hand in hand, the two girls laughed as they walked off together.
"Tsk." Gojo Satoru pointed at their disappearing figures and complained to Geto Suguru, looking a little bitter. "Why does Riko refuse to let us follow her, but she's fine going to class with that brat?"
"Probably because Yukinoshita-san is good-looking." Geto stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"I'm good-looking too, okay!?"
While Yukinoshita Haruno used her charm to befriend Amanai Riko and tag along to class, Gojo Satoru and Geto Suguru, who weren't allowed to follow, ended up lounging by the school's pool. Kuroi Misato stayed with them, waiting for Riko's class to end.
"This is way too relaxed!"
Feeling left out, the white-haired boy pouted like a child.
"Don't say that, Satoru," Geto said kindly. "Even though she acts like this now, once she merges with Master Tengen, she'll become a part of him. She'll stay deep underground at Jujutsu High, maintaining the barriers, and she'll never see her friends, family, or anyone she cares about again."
"Let her be. This is the least we can do for her."
Hearing Geto's words, Kuroi Misato's face showed a trace of sadness. "Riko-sama lost her family in an accident when she was just five years old, so she doesn't have any parents. I've been taking care of her ever since."
She stood up and bowed slightly to the two of them. "So please… let her spend as much time as possible with her friends."
Geto smiled gently and said, "Then… that makes you her family, doesn't it?"
Kuroi's eyes welled up slightly. She nodded firmly. "Yes."
Gojo Satoru scratched his head and let out a helpless sigh. After clicking his tongue, he asked, "Sis, what about the cursed spirits you sent to monitor the area?"
"Everything's normal," Geto Suguru replied. "If only I had the same shared vision with curses like Miss Mei… but even though I can't see through them, if anything unusual happens, I can immediately—"
Before he could finish, his expression suddenly turned cold. Lowering his head slightly, he said to Gojo Satoru, who had an arm casually draped over his shoulder, "Satoru, go to Riko now."
"Huh?" Gojo Satoru tilted his head in confusion.
"Two of them were just taken out," Geto said as he headed in that direction.
"Do I really need to go? Yukinoshita is there, right? She's crazy strong. What do they need us for?" Gojo Satoru cupped his hands around his mouth and called out to Geto's back.
Even as he complained, he knew it was pointless.
After venting, he obediently followed Kuroi Misato, making his way toward the school building.
"Where's Riko?" Gojo Satoru asked.
Unlike Kuroi, who had worry and tension written all over her face, the white-haired boy remained calm.
Even without considering Yukinoshita Haruno and Hayashizaki, the enemy had only just taken out Geto's curses. In a school this big, it wouldn't be easy for them to locate Amanai Riko right away.
"At this time, she should be in music class. If she's not in the classroom, then she's in the chapel," Kuroi quickly answered.
"The chapel?" Gojo Satoru was puzzled.
"The teacher decides where class is held. Plus, this is a Christian school," the maid explained.
"Satoru, you head to the chapel. Miss Kuroi, go check Classroom Four. I'll deal with those two unknowns," Geto assigned their tasks methodically.
"Got it."
Three minutes earlier, inside the school's chapel.
Yukinoshita Haruno sat in the corner, listening to Amanai Riko and her classmates singing the school anthem.
Haruno.
A voice echoed in her mind—Hayashizaki.
Enemies incoming.
"Ugh, can't you just handle it yourself?" The short-haired girl groaned, dragging out her words. "I just got hurt this morning, you know."
Even as she complained, she still stood up and quietly slipped out of the chapel, following Hayashizaki's guidance to intercept the intruders.
You know the rules. If you can handle it on your own, I'm not stepping in.
Also, your injuries? I already healed those ages ago.
"Yeah, yeah~"
Yukinoshita Haruno replied halfheartedly, looking a bit unmotivated.
But what was the point of stopping the assassins after Amanai Riko?
She was going to be assimilated anyway. Dead either way—the only difference was whether it sounded like a noble sacrifice or not.
Merging with Tengen, becoming the foundation of the barrier, dying for some grand cause.
What a fancy excuse.
…
(End of Chapter)
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