Chapter 148 : Toji, Jiang Lai and the Star Plasma Vessel
The next several floors were all merit posts of tapping electronic wooden fish. Jiang Lai flipped through and stopped at the plot analysis section about Gojo Kyufuin.
【Ah ah! What kind of hobby is listening to final words (stunned)
Actually, if it's just pure listening, maybe the beautiful Kyufuin is a very good end-of-life care provider, but I always feel the shadow effects in the manga hint at something darker... terrifying when you think about it】
【So this Gojo Kyufuin's current stance is opposite to Brain-kun? I feel he already showed signs of betrayal before meeting with Zenin Naobito.
Remember the earlier plot between Kyufuin and Little Sheep? Kyufuin sort of helped Little Sheep out and even gave a reminder or two before leaving. Nanami also said that Kyufuin sometimes provides information to Jujutsu High.】
【My guess is similar to yours. However, Kyufuin probably doesn't know Little Sheep is God Lai's person. His intervention at that time and providing some conveniences to Tokyo Jujutsu High... were probably all for Gojo Satoru's sake.】
【Gojo Satoru's stance is definitely opposite to Brain-kun, so actually, Kyufuin stands opposite to Brain-kun?】
【In the manga, his stated reason for betrayal is boredom, but I always feel this reason is reasonable yet somewhat perfunctory…】
【Poster above plus one! Speaking of which, I think maybe his pervert target has upgraded.
Previously he liked hearing final words, anyone's final words would do. After a thousand years, maybe he evolved into wanting to hear specific characters' dying words, like Brain-kun? Gojo Satoru? Or God Lai?】
【Grass, that makes sense, but his abilities can't handle these big shots, right?】
【That's why he'd use chaos, "chaos brings death," wanting to reap the benefits】
【Hmm... I have another different guess, could it also be related to [Birth]?
In the later thousand-year arc there are scenes of his first meeting with [Birth], maybe they have more history. If he and [Birth] are quite familiar, maybe he also heard some information about God Lai from [Birth].】
【Eh! That seems reasonable too...
But in that case, determining true allegiances becomes unclear again otz】
Jiang Lai's gaze fell on the last few floors of discussion, he squinted slightly, thinking silently.
The last two viewpoints both seemed to have certain possibilities.
Regardless of what thoughts Gojo Kyufuin was hiding, vigilance must be maintained toward him. Under the premise of having common enemies, cooperation could be attempted, but limited to fighting common enemies, not entrusting one's back.
Jiang Lai made this judgment in his heart.
Night.
Nights at Tokyo Jujutsu High were usually very quiet. The location was remote with few people and relatively fixed schedules, so lights out represented the arrival of rest time.
Jiang Lai drew the floor-to-ceiling window curtains. He carefully listened to the surrounding sounds, and after confirming safety, switched back to his main body state.
Cursed energy codes set up solid soundproof walls inside the room.
Jiang Lai removed the pagoda tree wooden pendant from his waist and placed it in his palm, using just the right amount of cursed energy to call to the soul sleeping within.
After patiently waiting for a moment, a semi-transparent soul gradually appeared before him.
The floating Ghost Gentleman yawned, lazily lifting his eyelids to scan the surroundings: "Looks like you left the Zenin family. Did things there get resolved smoothly? Speaking of which, where are you now?"
"Resolved smoothly. Reached partial cooperation with the Zenin family." Jiang Lai answered: "This is Tokyo Jujutsu High dormitory."
"Tokyo Jujutsu High... Really didn't expect you could infiltrate there. Not bad infiltration skills." Fushiguro Toji wore a slightly regretful expression: "If we'd met earlier, I think you'd be quite suitable as a partner for some bounty missions. Who are you here to assassinate?"
Jiang Lai: "...Actually I came in openly. And I have no intention of assassinating anyone. Living in the student dormitory is because of another form I switch to."
Fushiguro Toji didn't ask more. He didn't seem to care about multiple identities and such issues, that previous comment was just habitual teasing. Actually, his attention was more focused on the deal with the Zenin family.
"You made a deal with those old bastards from the Zenin family?" Ghost Gentleman showed a half-smiling expression, seemingly mixed with some ambiguity: "That big garbage dump houses nothing but cannibalistic bastards."
"I'm not a helpless little rabbit for slaughter." Jiang Lai nodded: "I made the deal privately with Lady Zenin, and it's not some overly deep deal, just a temporary united front."
"Temporary united front..." Fushiguro Toji thought briefly and snorted with laughter: "The Zenin family finally saw through the truth of the so-called sanctuary?"
Lady Zenin had also mentioned the word "sanctuary," it seemed this wasn't a simple descriptive word.
Jiang Lai blinked slowly and asked: "Do people in the Zenin family all know the word sanctuary?"
"Pretty much." Fushiguro Toji shrugged: "After all, self-isolation always needs a reason. The dramatically increasing cursed spirits outside, frequent disappearances, all sorts of strange phenomena won't affect the Zenin family. As long as they don't leave here, it's safe."
"But in a sense, this represents that the Zenin family has been targeted." Jiang Lai raised his eyebrows slightly, continuing the conversation.
"Indeed. There's never protection without reason, behind it is only deals and bigger traps." Fushiguro Toji crossed his arms over his chest, pulling at the corner of his mouth: "It's just that certain bastards greedy for self-preservation and only caring about immediate benefits were easily deceived by these surface appearances."
"The Zenin family has clear-headed people," Jiang Lai thought of the lucid Lady Zenin, but paused for a second and added: "However, the clear-headed wise ones are only a minority. Their internal framework has already rotted, so it will collapse sooner or later."
"I won't meddle in unnecessary matters. What I promised was only to protect innocent lives inside to a certain degree when necessary." Jiang Lai's eyes were bright and clear: "As for that original framework rotten to the bone, collapse is its predetermined fate, I never interfere with such fate."
Fushiguro Toji's half-raised eyes stared at Jiang Lai for several seconds, the scarred corner of his mouth turned up slightly as he smiled: "Oh, not bad. So what kind of fate would you interfere with?"
Ghost Gentleman heard the qualifying words in the black-haired youth's statement. The other party didn't avoid interfering with fate entirely, but did so selectively.
"Of course, it would be those beautiful things that normal people would like, things worthy of having a future. What I strive for is precisely these." Jiang Lai paused and said: "I'm a normal, ordinary person."
"Ordinary person?" Fushiguro Toji raised his eyebrows slightly, seemingly not entirely agreeing with this term, but what he could see and feel, Jiang Lai's expression and words, all indicated that what the other said wasn't false but sincere.
So he finally shrugged and smiled: "Alright, Mr. Ordinary Person." When he smiled, it pulled at the scar at the corner of his mouth: "The longer I know you, the more I find your deep appearance when we first met quite peculiar."
Jiang Lai, who had initially put on a dark filter just in case: "...After all, when unfamiliar, looking dangerous can better protect oneself and gain benefits, right?"
"Of course." Fushiguro Toji floated to Jiang Lai's side, casually nodding: "Timely disguise, changing targets and attitudes are necessary survival means. Actually, if you only had one-sided behavior, I wouldn't have confided so much to you."
He leaned forward slightly, his expression drawing closer. Those eyes narrowed slightly with a certain smile: "I say, you called me out because you actually want to ask another question, right?"
"Yes." Jiang Lai didn't deny it, bringing the topic to the key point: "We agreed before that after handling the Zenin family matter, you would tell me the secret you know."
Jiang Lai's warm brown eyes lifted, calmly gazing at the semi-transparent Ghost Gentleman: "Please tell me more about that organization."
"If you still want me to help relay something to Satoru, I'll also pass it along." Jiang Lai's eyebrows curved.
"Are you close now?" Fushiguro Toji asked casually.
Jiang Lai thought for several seconds, swallowing the answer "we've always been close" and simply nodded: "Yes."
"How mysterious. Seems I missed quite a few interesting experiences." Fushiguro Toji pulled at the corner of his mouth, smiling without pursuing more details.
Actually, regardless of Jiang Lai's relationship with Six Eyes, he was already prepared to tell Jiang Lai that information.
On one hand, after becoming relatively familiar with Jiang Lai, Fushiguro Toji had basically determined the other could be trusted.
On the other hand, it was because Toji sensed the world consciousness's increasingly deep rejection of him. He didn't know how much longer he could remain lucid.
Fushiguro Toji hoped to die and leave normally, rather than become a confined, unconscious wandering spirit.
Ghost Gentleman shifted his gaze to Jiang Lai before him. The black-haired youth's expression was calm, his brown eyes returning his gaze frankly.
After several seconds of quiet air, Fushiguro Toji seemed to finally organize his words. He still had that lazy tone, though his overall aura had settled considerably.
"Hmm... let me think how to start narrating those things. Let's begin with the Star Plasma Vessel. You've heard of the Star Plasma Vessel, right? The Star Plasma Vessel incident from over ten years ago, I wonder if you know about it."
Jiang Lai blinked and nodded: "I know part of it, but there isn't much information remaining currently. The final result was that the Star Plasma Vessel disappeared, whereabouts unknown."
He still remembered the situation when he first arrived, racking his brains to gather information.
"I was the one who took that job at the time. The earlier part was quite successful, but later I was killed by that Six Eyes brat." Fushiguro Toji discussed death as naturally as discussing weather: "Oh, of course, that's not the main point I want to make."
"I took jobs from both the Time Vessel Association and the Iris Organization simultaneously at that time. That Star Plasma Vessel brat and her maid didn't die, they're both with that Iris Organization. They need the Star Plasma Vessel as some kind of container."