Chapter 60 : Miracle Lai Treasure, One-Key Transformation
The manga had updated many chapters. Jiang Lai quickly browsed through them.
On the official website, updates went from the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons all the way to the post-reversal reunion.
During the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons incident, the manga not only focused on the scene but also allocated part to the Supervisory Committee's side.
From the manga, Jiang Lai saw that long-dressed woman again. This time, the manga showed her full face.
Ten years of long time had added some wrinkles to her face, but her movements still carried considerable grace.
Her smooth long hair was loosely gathered up, still knitting something, with a faint suture line on her forehead.
Jiang Lai: "!"
That [Mother] really was you, nurturing brain flower!! No matter which world, always keeping a close eye on Geto Suguru.
The manga only gave the woman simple scenes without extending much from her. Immediately after, the lens switched back to the battlefield.
In those few large scene drawings of the restart, almost one action occupied half a page or a full page.
The white-haired youth with surging cursed energy, his fingers penetrating the dark blue figure's chest. In extreme colors and impactful depiction, the black dial was eerie and mysterious, the golden hands complex and elegant, with dazzling light bursting from the heart position.
As Jiang Lai himself had guessed, the manga didn't present all the facts, seemingly deliberately misleading.
It didn't completely present their conversation, only fragmentary exchange descriptions.
At the final moment when the clock began operating, the dynamic artwork twisted scattered words and phrases into the storm, handwriting scrawled in spiral patterns around the edges of the space-time restart's radiance.
[Why...?]
[It's okay, Satoru.]
[The cost?]
[You promised...]
[See you tomorrow.]
Panel by panel of reversal, circle by circle of rotation, time flowing backward, world restarting.
In the second playthrough where mountains, rivers, sun and moon turned and renewed, the divine child and his friends reorganized their steps, making up for regrets, hoping through the years for reunion with the gentle deity.
However, year after year, they could never reach the promised [see you tomorrow].
Until December 25, 2018.
The jujutsu world's strongest entered through the door, full of reunion joy as he raised his brilliant blue eyes, turning all his tangled drafts into a blessing on his tongue...
In his vision appeared a black-haired youth with wary expression and indifferent eyes.
Still the familiar face from memory, but those eyes no longer held water-like, moon-like tolerance and smiles. At this moment, the brown eyes only held hostility and coldness toward strangers.
[...May I ask, sir, the reason for your visit?]
After dropping such a heavy blow, the manga stopped abruptly there.
"..." Jiang Lai rubbed his chin after browsing.
Indeed, the manga used quite hook-ing fragmentary selective description, and it was the knife version, successfully presenting [Lost Memory]!
Very much in line with Jujutsu Kaisen's sinister atmosphere. For dramatic effect, the truth would probably only be revealed much later.
However, it must be said that this narrative method also provided Jiang Lai with script inspiration.
After all, in the second playthrough, he couldn't openly expose his specialness again and associate with Gojo Satoru. This time, Jiang Lai planned to lurk deep, using the sinister filter to hide in the shadows for excavation.
In any case, let him first check the forum analysis. Jiang Lai thought.
He opened the Jujutsu Kaisen new series forum, and the first hot post that caught his eye was:
【#God Lai Exclusive - Memorial Tablet Worship Merit Accumulation Post (Second Revision: Since God Lai didn't die, grave-tending grass-pulling check-ins are canceled, currently only incense offering, coin tossing, and prayer daily check-in activities remain)#】
Jiang Lai: "???"
...Big shock, not checking the forum for a while, how did even this kind of post appear!
However, this was also a kind of goodwill and affection expression. Jiang Lai's mind wandered.
From this perspective, even if he died in another world, he wouldn't be lonely to the end... at least there would be people in another parallel space giving him spiritual grave care, grass-pulling and incense offerings.
Then he collected his thoughts and found the latest plot discussion post where analysis experts usually appeared.
【I'm really stupid, really. I only knew that the original Jujutsu Kaisen was full of knives and people dying regularly, I didn't know the new series would also have deaths, and even deities would be gone wuwu...
Why draw the neck-stabbing and heart-digging so realistically? I'm dying from the pain watching it, help me SOS!】
【Guessed wrong, the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons' purpose wasn't Rika, but Lai. Actually controlling Suguru to stab the neck, Supervisory Committee you're inhuman!!
Wuwu, damn Yuikawa, definitely deliberately made the controlled Suguru stab the neck as revenge for God Lai stabbing him before. I'm so angry so angry!】
【Do deities feel pain? Deities must feel pain too. But even enduring suffering, He still shines gently like moonlight, comforting the children's hearts, gifting them their passing youth.
Seniors always said "cannot form connections," experience is always right. When deities have people they care about, divine nature enters a countdown... the human world has many forked roads, better to return to heaven.】
【...Tears spraying wuwu! I'm like a dog walking on the road, getting kicked hard wuwuwu (grabbing tissues, blowing nose)】
【At least there's a second playthrough, in the second playthrough Gojo and others made up for all the regrets of the first playthrough. Relatively speaking, it's probably HE? Just pity God Lai, my white moonlight, forever remaining in heaven.】
【What kind of HE is this! Don't want this kind of sacrificial knife!! I want real happy ending dumpling making!! (going crazy)】
【Grass, dying of laughter, dumpling making breaks the mood instantly (dog head.jpg) Calm down family members, at least God Lai hasn't died, he just... well, lost his memory.】
【This is the real torture point QAQ!! Meeting but not recognizing, Gojo kitty waited hopefully year after year, finally waiting for the promised [see you tomorrow], yet only saw a similar face, never again finding that familiar soul... this is the most despairing!
(Is the you before me still you? Ears seem to still echo with past laughter, but when looking up, eyes only reflect your wary face.)
(Hey hey, this is too unfair, right? What is this? You bastard demon who casually forgot the past, since you promised [see you tomorrow], don't hide in memories only I remember on the reunion day!)】
【Crying to death, why like this!! Why did One-eyed Cat draw so much warmth before just to tell us that person can never be found again??
What must Gojo kitty's feelings be? He must feel like he personally 'killed' his old friend...
And Suguru, never again has the chance to thank that deity who gently told him 'it's okay, go make mistakes'...】
【Everyone, don't forget the little fox. Fox woke up and mommy's gone!! (sad)
Fox says "hungry hungry, food food," God Lai mommy coldly throws umbrella and says "want repayment." Poor fox-chan…】
【Grass dying of laughter, what's this God Lai mommy description! But it effectively cleared the sad atmosphere. Wiping tears, let me analyze current clues:
Long-dressed woman, suture line... it's you, brain flower!! This version's brain flower got smarter too, more scheming and planning. Don't know if the Supervisory Committee's establishment had its participation.
Long-dressed woman's forehead has no sun totem, might be the manga didn't draw it. I remember the setting is that fully formed totems are only visible to related core members after death for some time.
Of course, there's also a possibility that brain flower didn't form sun totem binding. After all, it frequently changes bodies and doesn't need bodily immortality.
Additionally, brain flower is always knitting something in its hands, feels like a foreshadowing. Randomly associating with Volume 0's cursed tool "Black Rope" that needs decades of weaving and can disturb and cancel all technique effects.
Maybe what brain flower's weaving is similar cursed tool hhh.】
【This version's brain flower is more sinister wuwu, actually making Geto Suguru call it [Mother], and even deceiving children when Suguru was young back then…】
【Sinister Jujutsu Kaisen lives up to its name xs. I'll also join the analysis, mainly analyzing God Lai.
The liquid fox is a derivative of God Lai's time reversal, so it knows God Lai's previous identity and seeks closeness and feeding.
Other cursed spirits approaching God Lai might be because after divine nature (?) broke, there's inadvertent energy leakage?
However, it's still unclear whether Sukuna opening his eyes is because he recognizes God Lai or senses the broken divine nature.
Feel like broken divine nature won't be easily detected, so blind guess it's recognition. Both are thousand-year entities. Don't know if officials will supplement this later.
Combined with God Lai's situation in the previous main story, you can see that after time restart, He not only lost memory but became fluctuating between human and cursed spirit states, with dangerous aura.
But at the beginning God Lai actually remembered his connected "Gojo Lai" name, which is so tearjerking QAQ.
I think God Lai's appearance time in the second playthrough might be earlier than the airport part, which is why He spoke like that and was on a phone call (who was on the other end is still a mystery).
I now only hope the plot doesn't develop to the point where Satoru and God Lai become enemies…】
【Damn, that would be too sinister!! Wuwu no way... my God Lai, my Satoru!! (banging head crying)】
Jiang Lai put away his phone. Recording the forum analysis in his mind, he thought most of the content about brain flower should be correct.
Additionally, about Sukuna... Jiang Lai thought for a few seconds. Not sure if there would be another brief past arc when they actually met.
Finally, from the forum perspective, the second playthrough version of himself was very sinister, with potential to advance toward villainy! He nodded with satisfaction.
The real him who had communicated with Gojo Satoru wouldn't truly become enemies going in opposite directions. However, in enemies' eyes, maybe this script could be useful in the future.
Coincidentally, he had already encountered the Special Grade cursed spirit Mahito at the airport initially. Jiang Lai thought.
His thoughts flowed past as he tentatively set his future development direction, planning to use the sinister filter and his own ambiguous advantages to start from the cursed spirit side, excavating this world's cursed spirit faction's attitude and connections with the Supervisory Committee.
But this way, to befriend cursed spirits, he'd basically have to stay away from jujutsu world humans.
Too bad there wasn't a jujutsu-upgraded version of disguise technique. Jiang Lai thought. That way he could switch identities and investigate both sides.
...So wouldn't disguise technique really get an upgrade? World consciousness, give some help for saving the world! Phone-kun, your testing time has come!
Thinking jokingly and casually in his mind, Jiang Lai exhaled. He reopened his phone, planning to send Gojo Satoru a message telling him he didn't need additional housing and had already planned to use his current form's advantages to infiltrate cursed spirits.
Just then, he glimpsed an extra APP icon on his desktop!
The icon was a half-closed, half-open door with no text.
Jiang Lai was slightly stunned, his first thought being: So even the invincible phone-kun could one day be invaded by junk software?
Immediately after, he collected his thoughts and stared intently at this icon.
No, that wasn't right.
Logically speaking, without extra operations plus his own programmed code protection inside the phone, it was impossible for such an unknown software to suddenly download itself.
...Could this be a response from the world consciousness or phone-kun? A response to his Detective Conan disguise technique's jujutsu-ization upgrade? Or something else, supplementing his current state?
His fingertip gently stroking the phone's back, Jiang Lai didn't rush to open the APP.
His thoughts surged as he stared at that half-closed, half-open door icon, but ultimately couldn't discern what information it contained.
After pondering for a moment, Jiang Lai put down his phone, walked around the room, closed doors and windows, and drew curtains. Then he set up several code alarm strips.
After finishing the surroundings, he picked up his phone again.
Practice makes perfect. Jiang Lai thought. Let's try clicking it.
He calmed his mind, staying composed, his finger hovering over the APP for a moment before finally pressing down...!
A dizzying confusion suddenly arose before his eyes, as if he'd been placed in a soy milk machine and spun around.
After briefly losing consciousness for a few seconds, Jiang Lai reopened his eyes.
His first sensation was that his perspective had obviously gotten shorter.
Jiang Lai: ?
Then he noticed changes in his body, his arms thinner, palms smaller, like sixth grade or just starting middle school age, and his clothes had changed to a different outfit too.
Jiang Lai's expression was shocked for a second. He quickly ran to the mirror to look at himself.
Brown slightly curly hair with the ends tied in a low, playful small ponytail. Black eyes, slightly chubby cheeks with baby fat. Wearing an ordinary children's jacket.
...Wasn't this the image he had disguised as in the Detective Conan world, little sheep Watanabe Mirai (miniature version)!! The transformation even thoughtfully included clothes.
Jiang Lai was stunned for a moment.
This wave, had Detective Conan disguise technique directly upgraded to become Miracle Lai Treasure one-key skin-changing dress-up?!
However, compared to disguise, this was indeed more convenient and less likely to be recognized.
After his heart surged with waves for a moment, he quickly calmed down and first looked at his phone.
After [transformation], the phone's style had also changed accordingly, page icons switched to a different appearance. Except for that extra half-closed, half-open door APP.
Precisely speaking, that wasn't an ordinary half-covered room door, but a revolving door at the boundary of light and shadow! Revolving to transform form.
Not rushing to get excited, Jiang Lai knew: world consciousness additions and skills were all reasonable upgrades and transitions based on existing skills. Moreover, most were to maintain fairness.
That is to say, disguise technique being able to undergo jujutsu-ization upgrades indicated that the enemy side's situation remained complex and severe.
Regardless, upgrades were good things. Jiang Lai thought. Dual identity account switching, convenient for hiding and excavating.
Later, he could switch masks as needed. Today use the little sheep identity to contact jujutsu world humans, tomorrow use his sinister filter true form to contact cursed spirits... this way he could collect information from both sides, perfect!
Jiang Lai nodded slightly, making initial supplements and improvements to his plan.
Although he didn't know why this [transformation] resulted in a somewhat young appearance...
Just starting middle school age, wouldn't this be exactly the kind of child the Supervisory Committee loved to deceive (cue Suguru here)? His thoughts wandered randomly for a second.
However, youthful appearance also had its benefits, namely that outsiders usually wouldn't be overly wary.
Jiang Lai used Conan's tone to joke in his mind: Appearing to be a child but with an adult mind, a famous detective!
At this moment, he rubbed his own face with his small hands, showing a bright, adorable smile to the mirror.
Jiang Lai was very satisfied with his consistently excellent acting skills.
When he wore this mask before, to leave a deep impression in the manga and get along well in the Black Organization, he used a money-loving, "mee mee" verbal tic hacker prodigy persona.
Now, coming from the Detective Conan world to the jujutsu world, enemies changing from the Black Organization to the Supervisory Committee, the persona needed corresponding adjustments.
Money-loving, this was useful, keep it. Distinctive characteristics helped establish persona, plus he could explore secrets under the guise of monetary transactions.
The "mee" verbal tic... although it similarly helped establish persona, his Detective Conan friends were all in another world watching!
Jiang Lai hesitated for a moment, slightly blushing and curling his toes. Cough, maybe he'd talk less in daily conversation and use the verbal tic more when posting online.
Hacking skills were his advantage to begin with.
Jiang Lai thought. The sinister filter [Existence] true form wasn't convenient to explain usage, plus being among cursed spirit groups might not be very useful either. So when wearing this human youth mask, he'd make good use of this specialty.
Additionally, since he couldn't use shadow clone jutsu and split into two, for convenient identity switching... maybe he should add a setting of having a rare disease and poor health?
This would make it convenient to take leave from school or rest, then slip away at any time.
Jiang Lai completed this addition while thinking.
Logically speaking, after [transformation], his cursed energy should also change, otherwise it would be useless. But currently, he hadn't yet sensed the [technique] in this form.
Tomorrow when Gojo Satoru came, he'd have the other use Six Eyes to scan and see if he could see through it.
Jiang Lai: I'll [transform] in advance and wait, then observe Gojo Satoru's first reaction! =w=