Chapter 3 : Equipment with Self-Innovation Awareness!
Mahito's standing position happens to be on the path Jiang Lai must pass through, and those heterochromatic eyes, one gray and one blue, are about to turn this way.
"..." Jiang Lai's expression remains unchanged. He doesn't show any difference from the people beside him, only slightly pausing his steps and adjusting his collar with one hand, giving himself more time to think before the distance closes.
It's also at this moment that his hand adjusting the collar suddenly feels like it's touching something.
Jiang Lai realizes in shock that his original USB pendant necklace around his neck has somehow turned into a strange feather-shaped accessory!
The white feather-shaped accessory is made of unknown material, feeling cool and smooth like jade to the touch, but it's definitely not jade.
Jiang Lai: USB turning into pendant, hard to say if it's profit or loss (not)
He quickly lowers his hand, not stroking the necklace for too long, since now isn't the time to study this.
Currently, the most important thing is to leave here nonchalantly and maintain as much safe distance as possible from that standing special grade cursed spirit.
As long as he pretends not to see the other party and doesn't reveal his own special nature, under normal circumstances he won't attract this type of thing's attention.
Jiang Lai is very clear about this in his heart. He steps forward again, pulling his suitcase toward the platform.
His warm brown eyes are extremely calm, not focusing when passing by the front, the black-haired youth indistinguishable from the passing pedestrians around him, like a plain drop of water merging into a river.
However, Mahito doesn't continue wandering his gaze like before, instead unexpectedly maintaining his look in this direction!
People come and go, blocking the line of sight, preventing Jiang Lai's peripheral vision from glimpsing the other party's expression.
"...!"
His five fingers gripping the phone in his coat pocket slightly tighten.
...What is that guy looking at? Is he looking at himself, or did his wandering gaze simply stop on this side?
With inner vigilance rising, Jiang Lai still maintains that calm appearance on the surface. He looks at the sign ahead, following the broadcast's call toward the corresponding platform.
The distance gradually closes.
Three meters, two meters, one meter.
The blue-haired youth with crisscrossing suture lines on his face tilts his head to one side.
Jiang Lai's expression doesn't change, looking straight ahead as he passes by the special grade cursed spirit Mahito.
One meter, two meters, three meters.
They gradually distance themselves again.
In the end, the cursed spirit standing there doesn't make any special moves.
The moment he steps into the train car and the doors close, Jiang Lai pretends to casually look back, glancing out the window.
Mahito outside the window is still staying by that pillar, looking this way.
Across the distant space, the other party suddenly smiles, his hand deforming and swelling, raising it high and waving like greeting.
Jiang Lai: "..."
Quite the horror movie effect.
He chooses to ignore it coldly, continuing to act like he can't see.
When the time comes, the train starts, departing from the station. The special grade cursed spirit's figure is left behind and disappears from sight.
Jiang Lai puts away his suitcase and sits down, finally relaxing, silently exhaling a breath, his back slightly sweating.
Although he doesn't know why Mahito noticed him, fortunately there was no direct conflict, and nothing happened, which is good fortune (at least for now).
Meeting the special grade cursed spirit Mahito right at the opening was something he didn't expect... but thinking positively, this scene drawn in the manga should also add considerable setting value and eye-catching appeal.
Jiang Lai thinks for a second about whether to anonymously report that there's a special grade cursed spirit haunting here. But there's no 110 for the jujutsu world, and he doesn't know where to report it right now.
And thinking about it differently, the observation organization [Window] in the Jujutsu world can definitely sense it, and they're probably already dispatching people to handle it.
He's just arrived and doesn't understand this world very well yet. Moreover, he's currently unclear about his own situation, so it's better to maintain observation for now.
Jiang Lai looks out the car window. The glass window reflects his blurred image, and he notices the necklace at his neck again.
He raises his hand, once again touching that necklace that suddenly changed from a USB to an unknown feather accessory, removing it.
Under the light, the white feather accessory strangely shows a somewhat transparent effect. Jiang Lai uses his thumb pad to brush across it, feeling the fine texture on it.
...Back then, the USB necklace was his important aid at the Detective Conan filming location. Now coming to Jujutsu, being transformed into such an accessory by the world's will probably isn't as simple as just a decoration.
Jiang Lai ponders. He doesn't know what material this is or what specific function it has.
Currently, it seems like he can't sense anything. It can't be the legendary blood recognition activation, can it...??
He twitches the corner of his mouth, turning the thin feather accessory between his fingers. Under the light, it becomes increasingly transparent.
Wait! It doesn't seem to be the light's effect!
Jiang Lai holds the feather accessory, pulling it closer to examine carefully.
...This thing does seem to have become more transparent.
While Jiang Lai observes the necklace in his hand with furrowed brows, the train stops at a new station, with people getting on and off in sequence.
A passenger passing by accidentally steps on his foot, but that passenger shouts out even before Jiang Lai: "...Whoa! There's actually someone here!!"
Jiang Lai wasn't hurt by the step (because the other party only grazed the edge of his shoe), but he's startled by this sudden raised voice. He looks up.
That passenger hurriedly apologizes embarrassedly: "Uh, no, sorry, I was probably spacing out just now and didn't notice you at all. Really very sorry, sir!"
Completely didn't notice himself...? At such close distance, his figure should be quite obvious, right?
Jiang Lai blinks and politely replies: "It's fine."
That person apologizes again, then hurriedly leaves the train.
It seems like they just reached a major station, with quite a few people getting off. Jiang Lai's car becomes empty. After the train starts moving again, he refocuses his attention on the necklace in his hand.
The semi-transparent accessory lies in his palm, very beautiful.
After pausing, Jiang Lai repeats the same action as before, using his thumb pad to brush from top to bottom.
Under the light, the feather accessory becomes even more transparent, clear as crystal glass.
This can self-adjust transparency? It shouldn't have just aesthetic effects, right?
Jiang Lai narrows his eyes. He thinks for a few seconds, then looks up at the window across from him. The clean glass window no longer has his reflection, only showing the image of the seat.
"..."
Oh ho. He blinks. Interesting.
Jiang Lai places his hand on the necklace and, opposite to before, changes to stroking with his fingertip from bottom to top.
Following the motion, the feather accessory changes from crystal glass back to the previous semi-transparent effect. Jiang Lai strokes from bottom to top again, and the feather accessory gradually becomes substantial, returning to its initial white color.
The car window across from him also once again shows his clear reflection.
Jiang Lai stares at the reflection in the car window, falling into contemplation.
Combining the discoveries just now, this feather accessory can be adjusted, from bottom to top makes it substantial, from top to bottom makes it transparent.
And the more it approaches transparency, the less likely it seems to be discovered by people.
Combining this with the Jujutsu worldview here, Jiang Lai has a bold guess in his mind:
This peculiar feather accessory necklace can allow him to perform some kind of effect conversion between cursed spirits and humans.
The more transparent the feather accessory, the more it should lean toward cursed spirits. So when it was semi-transparent earlier, it was hard for ordinary people to notice, and when completely transparent, there wasn't even his reflection in the car window (cursed spirits can't be discovered by ordinary people, so naturally they have no reflection).
Thinking this way, Mahito's attention to him earlier seems explainable too? Jiang Lai recalls.
When he touched the necklace at his neck, he casually stroked it a few times, maybe coincidentally converting slightly toward the cursed spirit direction.
So at that time, he generally looked like a person but could also be sensed as somewhat of a cursed spirit? Jiang Lai touches his chin.
There shouldn't be such existence in reality. It's indeed very magical. Mahito taking a few more looks might be understandable too, observing rare animals, you know.
Just don't know how the other party guessed about him.
Jiang Lai lowers his eyes, staring at the feather pendant.
Maybe through adjustment, this can also let him switch between jujutsu sorcerer and ordinary person... it's just that he hasn't figured out more detailed usage yet.
Incidentally, through these back-and-forth experiments on the train, it's clear that the feather accessory necklace has conversion effects even when held in hand. It seems it doesn't need to be worn to function.
After analyzing all this, Jiang Lai silently smiles.
Although it has no offensive power, being able to freely switch identities is a good thing. As the saying goes, if you can't beat them, join them (not)!
The USB that once carried countless data and self-written code has transformed into a pendant necklace, but this pendant has special abilities, so he's not at a loss.
He puts the necklace back on and leans back against the chair.
The train speeds along. Jiang Lai looks at the route map, still several stations away from his destination.
Everything just now was his speculation. He wonders if the manga will have specific descriptions. He thinks. Anyway, there's still time before getting off, might as well go online to search and see.
Even if there's no update, he should browse the new series pilot content that Matsuda mentioned on the phone to extract some information.
...Since phone calls work, his phone should be able to connect to the Detective Conan world, so he should be able to read manga and such too, right?
Thinking this, Jiang Lai opens his phone.
After some simple exploration, he discovers his phone can log into three places: the third dimension (for reporting safety to family and friends in reality), the Detective Conan world (contacting Detective Conan friends, reading manga and forums), and the Jujutsu world (where he's currently staying).
Jiang Lai: Good, truly worthy of the real protagonist phone-kun.jpg
He finds the promotional and pilot manga released online. The content is the same as what Matsuda Jinpei said on the phone.
Jiang Lai browses through it overall, then logs onto the Detective Conan world forum to look for analysis clues.
Since Matsuda said he'd help analyze intelligence from Japan, Jiang Lai habitually logs onto Chinese forums to check information, achieving dual coverage of China and Japan (?)
Surrounding the promotional and pilot manga of the new Jujutsu series, corresponding manga forums have opened numerous threads. Jiang Lai clicks on the topmost hot real-time discussion thread.
【New series is out, and it's full color! Thanks for China-Japan simultaneous updates, thanks for official translation! But can the new series be a bit more positive, woo woo woo, the original made me want to wither and die QAQ My Geto-kun, my Nanami...】
【Give up, sister, look at the background in this new series pilot handbook, I feel like it could open a new dark mode (merciless)】
【Gojo-sensei!! Can't see Gojo-sensei and I'm going to die!! (crawling darkly.gif) With cursed spirits this strong in this series, Gojo-sensei should get some special skills added, right?】
【5t5 is already the strongest, doesn't need more special skills, already at the martial arts peak. Heaven and earth, I alone am honored!】
Jiang Lai quickly scans through the upper floors, scrolling down to find discussions about the final scene.
【Speaking of which, who's that silhouette at the end of the pilot manga? I don't recognize them?? (The image is a bit blurry, but looks kind of handsome ww)】
【Must be a new character, I have no impression either. Could also just be simply drawing a scene, a Passerby A in the scenery...?】
Passerby A?! NO! Jiang Lai immediately registers an account and posts online:
【#Great Prophet#: Can't possibly be Passerby A, right? There's not a single wasted stroke in pilot manga, there must be follow-up. This is definitely opening foreshadowing, there will be dialogue and introduction later.】
Other people also leave messages in the real-time forum: 【Agree with the above, can't be Passerby A, otherwise this Passerby A is drawn too meticulously, and notice, he's on the phone!! Just unclear who's on the other end (pondering)】
【Starting to get exciting... don't know if he's on the protagonist side or the enemy side...】
【Cursed spirits don't use phones, right? I'm betting on new human faction support! But speaking of phones, my first reaction is auxiliary supervisor xs, is Ijichi not enough, bringing in another one hh】
【↑↑Haha the above poster should quickly check the just-updated first chapter! It'll definitely shatter your auxiliary supervisor guess! He's from the Gojo family!!】
【What, updated!? First chapter is out?! This fast??】
Out? Jiang Lai is also surprised for a moment. He just exited the forum when he received a message from Matsuda Jinpei.
【#Matsuda Jinpei#: The manga updated, Jiang Lai. Click here→(link)】
A few seconds later.
【#Matsuda Jinpei#: Also, your... atmospheric creation was very successful.】