Chapter 52 : Ten years is a very long time
It was now approaching dusk, still daytime. However, because curses were circling and large groups of cursed spirits were attacking, the dark clouds almost completely blocked the sunlight, making the current scene like nighttime.
The surrounding streets and buildings were all lit up, turned on for the recent crowd evacuation.
At this moment, the mortal in black and gold kasaya stood remotely at a high place, while the [Existence] in simple kimono stood firmly on the ground. They looked at each other, separated by the light of a street lamp.
Geto Suguru's gaze swept over the figure on the ground, his form pausing almost imperceptibly. But after a brief silence, he was still the first to break the quiet atmosphere, his face showing a squinting smile as he raised his right arm and waved generously:
"Hi, long time no see, Lai."
"..." Jiang Lai looked up slightly, his expression unchanged, "Long time no see, Suguru-kun."
His mind was turbulent with thoughts.
According to the original work and the forum's speculation, if Geto Suguru's target was to obtain the Special Grade cursed spirit Rika, then at this moment after setting up his plan, he should be heading to Tokyo Jujutsu High. But now he was here instead.
Given this, the forum's speculation based on the original work might be wrong... Could Geto Suguru's target not be Rika?
Or perhaps his original target was the Special Grade cursed spirit Rika, but midway through implementing his plan, he suddenly changed course and came to this street.
So was he here looking for himself?
At this time, Geto Suguru still stood on the rooftop, the cold winter wind lifting his wide robes. His expression carried some unclear meaning: "Still somewhat unexpected... to meet you here."
The flow of thoughts paused for now as Jiang Lai focused his attention back on the scene, blinking his eyes lightly: "I came to see you two." He replied simply, then paused for a second, "Won't you come down, Suguru?"
"Oh, sorry." Geto Suguru gracefully jumped down from the rooftop into the alley, wearing the same smile as before, "I've gotten used to looking down on others, I forgot you probably aren't used to looking up at people."
This statement sounded somewhat strange.
"Looking up or down, I don't mind." Jiang Lai replied calmly, "If I had to choose one, I prefer eye level."
He looked at the young man with the bun hairstyle before him, continuing: "It's winter now, the wind is strong on the rooftop. I thought it would be better to come down and reminisce."
"Are you concerned about me, Lai?" Geto Suguru smiled warmly, his latter half sentence softer: "...You're still the same as before."
"You've grown quite a bit taller though." Jiang Lai responded accordingly, looking over the person before him, "However, you who went to seek [righteousness] don't seem to be in very good mental condition, and you've lost quite a bit of weight."
Geto Suguru paused, smiling: "How am I not good? I just don't show it obviously." He spread his hands, "It's precisely because of diligent pursuit that I've become busy enough to lose weight."
The smile on the young man's face wasn't genuine, just moving the muscles at the corners of his mouth. Jiang Lai could sense this. Micro-expression analysis allowed him to distinguish between real and fake smiles.
They hadn't seen each other for ten years, though for Jiang Lai it was an instant, for Geto Suguru it was an incredibly long time. The long years were enough to cover the past with a thin layer of dust.
Whether because they hadn't met for so long, or because the current Geto Suguru was guarded, there was a faint transparent barrier between them.
The boy who once revealed his heart to Jiang Lai, with a warm, gentle yet slightly tired smile, could hardly be found in the current man in black and gold kasaya.
Jiang Lai's eyes sparkled as he spoke calmly: "The black sesame cookies, I delivered them. But you stood Satoru up, and he still seems quite angry."
This statement sounded somewhat abrupt, even Geto Suguru with his smile mask welded to his face couldn't help but be stunned for several seconds. After a long while, he finally reacted: "...Are you referring to the dinner appointment from back then?"
The young man with the bun hairstyle placed one hand under his chin: "Sorry, it's been so long that when you suddenly mentioned it, it took me a while to dig it up from memory. Hmm, it seems before the village mission, we did agree to have dinner together when we returned. I was the one who broke that promise."
He made a sound of laughter through his lips and teeth: "But Lai didn't go either, did you?"
As expected. The Supervisory Committee had already targeted him at that time. Jiang Lai thought. So those people were aware of and knew his whereabouts.
However, he didn't show any probing intent on his face, just continued responding with curved eyebrows: "It looks like Satoru, who was stood up, won't invite us to eat anymore."
"Probably so." Geto Suguru replied equally gently.
The air was quiet for several seconds as distant sounds of explosions from streets and collapsing buildings reached them.
Jiang Lai tilted his head slightly, his gaze falling to the distance: "Such a big commotion, Suguru-kun?"
"After all, it's over a hundred cursed spirits, plus quite a few curse users." Geto Suguru put his hands behind his back, stepping forward a few paces to get slightly closer to Jiang Lai, "However, with Satoru there, it can probably only delay things for a while."
"If it's meaningless, why still do this?" Jiang Lai said, "Create chaos, delay for a short time, what do you plan to do with that time?"
He asked this question, his doubt about why Geto Suguru appeared here still unresolved.
In the original work, Geto Suguru's reason for briefly delaying Gojo Satoru was to take advantage and go to the unguarded Jujutsu High to kill Okkotsu Yuta and seize Rika.
But now, Geto Suguru was beside him.
"..." The young man with the bun hairstyle was silent for two seconds, "It is meaningful." He only answered the first half.
Without pause, he immediately continued: "So you appeared today and saw me as I am now."
His slender eyes curved up slightly at the corners, containing emotions that could be either amusement or something else: "You see, my path is very smooth, I already have quite a few like-minded companions. I don't regret it, I'm not lonely, and I will achieve it."
Jiang Lai turned his face slightly, his eyes calm as still water.
Just as he had seen through the young man's thoughts in the village years ago, at this moment, these eyes still possessed penetrating power:
"Are you telling me this, or trying to convince yourself?"
The voice of the figure in dark blue wasn't loud, but it seemed to carry the weight of a thousand pounds, crashing into the depths of his heart.
Geto Suguru's hands under his wide sleeves slowly clenched, he fell silent, his face continuing to show an exaggerated smile, though his gaze shifted away: "...Regardless, having come this far, I can only keep going until I stop."
He emphasized the word [stop], implying more than just its literal action meaning.
Geto Suguru had long shed his youthful inexperience, now taller and more capable than before, appearing to pursue [righteousness] with unwavering, obsessive dedication.
Yet deep in his eyes, that tired little boy with the bun hairstyle still hid, dependent on others, going in circles with nowhere to go.
Jiang Lai blinked slowly, wanting to say something, but before he could, Geto Suguru spoke first.
"You shouldn't have come." He gathered his lip curve slightly, staring at Jiang Lai.
Jiang Lai's heart paused, his expression unchanged: "What's wrong? I heard you were making such a big commotion, so I came to see you and Satoru."
But Geto Suguru didn't take this joke, his eyes fixed on Jiang Lai: "Don't go looking for Satoru."
Don't go looking for Gojo Satoru?
Jiang Lai raised an eyebrow internally, but on the surface, he made a joke: "What, worried I'll side with Satoru and capture or delay you? To be honest, when I went back last time, Satoru did shout at me like that."
"..." Geto Suguru didn't speak.
Jiang Lai gently held the floating book beside him, his tone steady: "What's wrong, Suguru? You can tell me, like before, just treat me as wind, clouds, or trees."
"..." Geto Suguru was silent for two seconds, he shook his head lightly and smiled, "I originally wanted to ask you... for a favor, but later thought it would be better if you didn't get involved."
Hidden in the deepest part of his soul, the only old possession the little boy with the bun hairstyle hadn't let go of was his memories of Jujutsu High.
Ask me for a favor? Jiang Lai caught the key point in the other's words. Although he wasn't clear about the meaning behind this statement, he guessed this might be why the other wasn't at Jujutsu High.
He was probably indeed wandering around here looking for himself.
He just didn't know whether this "asking for help" was Geto's idea or the Supervisory Committee's.
He couldn't clearly deduce what kind of mental struggle Geto Suguru had gone through, but Jiang Lai could sense that after the other said these words, he seemed to have let go of some concerns.
The young man in black and gold kasaya was no longer as guarded and tense as before, his body relaxing slightly. He looked up, his eyes curving upward, his voice gentle:
"Ten years is a very long time, long enough to change a person. Don't be so unguarded next time, Lai. No matter with whom."
If one were to explore this statement further, there was quite a bit to unpack. Jiang Lai's eyebrows rose slightly, but he didn't say much.
Geto Suguru steadied himself, his gaze calm as he said: "You should go, Lai. Don't look for Satoru either. Just like before, be free and unrestrained, away from these worldly entanglements."
The atmosphere between them had been very harmonious throughout, like old friends who hadn't seen each other in years meeting by chance on the street.
Not too enthusiastic, not too distant, they simply chatted for a bit, yet both could set aside some concerns.
The sounds of battle in the distance had quieted considerably, a gentle breeze brushing past the red brick wall through the alley. In this strange, harmonious quiet, a voice suddenly broke the silence:
"Geto-senpai, that won't do~ Mother would be angry."
From the dim, shadowy reflections cast by the alley walls, a smiling young man with light brown hair actually emerged from the shadows!
The person with reddish-brown eyes was like a ghost emerging from shadows, silent yet terrifyingly shocking. He appeared behind Jiang Lai.
Jiang Lai spun around sharply, his gaze turning cold. Geto Suguru's body tensed even more as he glared over.
It was Yuikawa Kurisu!
Was this stealth ability his technique?
The light brown-haired young man was playing with something in his hands. He ignored Geto Suguru, looking at Jiang Lai with round, puppy-dog eyes, still maintaining that innocent appearance:
"Do you still remember me, senpai? You were so cruel, it really hurt back then."
As his words fell, he suddenly threw the square object in his hands toward Jiang Lai.
"Wait... Lai!" Geto Suguru reached out to pull Jiang Lai, but because of the distance between them, he couldn't immediately touch the figure in dark blue.
Actually, this probably wasn't an effective action either.
Jiang Lai's gaze instinctively fell on the small box thrown toward him. He had noticed earlier that it looked somewhat familiar, instinctively following the memory in his mind.
This seemed to be that thing that supposedly could seal everything... Prison Realm?