Chapter 184 : t5 - What should we eat tonight
A gentle breeze brushed across his cheek, light filtering through layers of leaves danced on his eyelashes. Gojo Satoru, lying on the ground, slowly opened his eyes, his crystal blue pupils reflecting everything before him.
All memories surged like a tide. Gojo Satoru had never recalled the past so clearly as in this moment.
The overwhelmingly massive amount of information flooded in all at once. Even Gojo Satoru couldn't help but pause for a moment—but only for a moment.
He quickly gathered all those surfacing memories, his racing heartbeat returning to calm.
Then Gojo Satoru noticed the person in navy blue kimono sitting against a tree trunk nearby.
The other seemed to have awakened leisurely long ago, holding a book in one hand against one side of his cheek, brown eyes smiling as he looked down at him with lowered eyelids.
"......" Gojo Satoru met those gentle eyes, his lips unconsciously curving upward slightly.
The Crossroads Tower's effects meant that those trapped within needed no food or water, surviving like plants on just sunlight and rain.
This additional effect was to prevent people from triggering self-protection mechanisms when reaching physiological limits, thereby escaping from the illusion.
So Gojo Satoru now felt no physical discomfort, still the same as when he first arrived.
The gentle breeze swayed the flowers among the grass. Gojo Satoru's heart was quiet and peaceful.
Nothing brought more joy than waking to find the world still had hope, tragedies had turned the page, and friends remained by his side.
The next second, he saw the other raise the hand holding the book, and a shadow suddenly fell from above.
Gojo Satoru: "?!"
Before he could react, the flat book "smacked" down on his face!
Jiang Lai: "Are you awake?"
Gojo Satoru: "Ow ow ow!"
He lifted the book covering his face with one hand, showing obvious exaggerated big cat grievance, deliberately drawing out his tone: "Too much, Lai! It's been so long since we met, and you use such a heavy hand right away, still with this thing that can break through Limitless!"
"...... I barely used any force at all." Jiang Lai's eyes went half-moon as he complained about Gojo Satoru's exaggerated performance. "This level of light tapping wouldn't even leave a mark."
Gojo Satoru lay on the ground with both hands behind his head, crossing his long legs: "Ah, how could the face of the super invincible handsome spicy teacher get injured? Even the slightest scar would be a huge loss to the entire jujutsu world."
He jokingly teased his friend, his tone light: "No matter how you think about it, it's definitely Lai's fault~"
Jiang Lai raised his eyebrows slightly, reaching for his antique book with an understated reply:
"Can't help it. Who made me 'overly familiar' with 'delusions,' always liking to tell those boring stories that nobody believes? Indeed, it's all my fault."
Gojo Satoru: "......"
Gojo Satoru nimbly sat up from the ground, picking up his black eye mask that had slipped to the side, saying seriously:
"What time is it now? Oh, we should look for the tower itself—by the way, what should we eat tonight?"
Jiang Lai: Worthy of being the strongest, throwing out three topic changes in a row!.jpg
He raised an eyebrow and smiled: "Not going to talk about what just happened? How could the face of the super invincible big handsome spicy teacher get injured?"
"Lai barely used any force and definitely wouldn't cause injury. This level of light tapping wouldn't leave any marks. I know Lai measures his strength—just now was just to help me clear my head."
Gojo Satoru waved his hand, his tone very natural: "So what should we eat tonight?"
Jiang Lai: "Tonight we'll eat matcha rice balls that require crossing an entire city to buy. I'll go buy them alone before dawn, and incidentally handle any fingers that might be stored there, while you wait in place."
Gojo Satoru: "......"
Gojo Satoru: "Haha, Lai, you just love joking. If you want to eat something, I'll definitely go buy it~ Taking the aerial route with teleportation would be super fast, absolutely guaranteed fresh."
Jiang Lai looked down, flipping through book pages without responding.
Gojo Satoru paused for a moment, looked up at the sky, and switched his tone: "Eh, it's all this stupid tower's fault for making me block out memories about you—later we'll completely demolish this broken tower, tear it down completely."
"Don't worry, forgetting good friends and such will absolutely never happen in the real world. After all, you still owe me 1.8 billion~"
Hearing the last sentence, Jiang Lai was about to complain when he heard the other's next words.
"But...... well, those words were still...... sorry."
The final whisper slipped from between his lips and teeth. The white-haired person's glass bead-like eyes looked toward Jiang Lai, his sky-blue pupils crystal clear and sincere.
Rarely hearing Gojo Satoru answer like this, Jiang Lai was slightly stunned, then smiled:
"Am I entering an illusory world again? Really? Being able to hear you say such things feels a bit like magical realism."
"Hah? What kind of image do I have in your heart, hey—"
"Just kidding." Jiang Lai curved his lips, then said gently and honestly: "When I heard those words then, I was indeed somewhat sad, but I can understand, so no need to apologize. I know that wasn't your true intention."
"I brought this up just now because I wanted...... hmm, to tease you a bit." Jiang Lai covered his lips with his book, hiding that smile. "I won't really hold grudges over such details."
"As expected of a thousand-year-old monster with bad taste."
Jiang Lai curved his eyes in response. His brown eyes were gentle as he put down his book and said softly:
"In any case, welcome back, Satoru."
Gojo Satoru's expression was bright, his profile becoming even more refined under the light and shadow as he curved his lips: "After all, we weather storms together."
The island's wind carried the salty moist breath of sea waves, brushing across this grassland full of colorful wildflowers. True friendship needed no words to communicate heart to heart.
The white-haired man looked ahead, then returned to the previous topic: "I do indeed have one of Ryomen Sukuna's fingers stored."
"Is that so?" Jiang Lai wasn't surprised by this.
After all, the [Crossroads] Tower was constructed based on Gojo Satoru's memories. When he received the finger Satoru had stored in that illusory world, he had already guessed that the real Gojo Satoru had similar operations.
"After all, depriving young people of their youth is an act that heaven won't tolerate." Gojo Satoru swayed his black eye mask in his hand. "So I simply hid one finger, making Yuji's death sentence indefinitely postponed."
"Coincidentally, I also have one of Ryomen Sukuna's fingers." Jiang Lai nodded. "This way, even if Sukuna finds a body and uses parts of the body to compensate for one finger, he still can't gather the power level of 20 fingers."
In the original story, Ryomen Sukuna had absorbed 19 fingers and then devoured the head of his former body to compensate for the final finger's power.
Regarding this, Jiang Lai didn't know whether to marvel at Kenjaku finding Sukuna's thousand-year-old incorruptible body or complain that Ryomen Sukuna would even eat his own former head.
In this new series, with Gojo Satoru hiding one Ryomen Sukuna finger and Jiang Lai storing one finger with Kyubey's backpack, there were exactly two fingers missing.
But correspondingly, Ryomen Sukuna also held a light green [Origin] divine fragment.
They would most likely need to make some kind of trade in the future, Jiang Lai thought.
"By the way, I got a cursed tool for separating all things from the Zenin family with the first-year students." Jiang Lai added. "When the time is right, we can separate Yuji and Sukuna."
"A separation cursed tool? Sounds good." Gojo Satoru agreed with this. "When things progress enough, we'll kick that stubborn tenant Sukuna out of Yuji's body."
Separating Ryomen Sukuna from his vessel and releasing him into the world was something most people would never dare imagine.
Especially those jujutsu higher-ups, who feared the King of Curses' return most and constantly urged the execution.
However, the strongest Six Eyes didn't care about these things. He wasn't worried about Ryomen Sukuna's appearance.
In fact, from the very beginning, he had prepared for battle with Sukuna, which was why it manifested in the [Crossroads] Tower.
Both were special-grade peaks. Who would win or lose was hard to say.
But Gojo Satoru now understood he wasn't alone. He had friends who could accompany him.
So even if there really came a day of confrontation, he had complete confidence in achieving final victory.
"Speaking of which, the information you sent me in that email," Gojo Satoru suddenly remembered something, turning his face to ask: "The part about [Existence]...... real or fake?"
His eyebrows raised slightly, his expression curious: "I never heard you mention it before. It feels quite incredible."
"The time wasn't right before." Jiang Lai couldn't explain the reverse-perfecting Möbius loop, so he again used his breezy attitude with a cryptic reply to vaguely pass it by: "I cannot say too much."
Fortunately, Gojo Satoru didn't seem intent on investigating deeply. His attention fell elsewhere: "So that guy—Ryomen Sukuna—is really your little brother? Biological?"
"Not biological. [Existence] doesn't have blood relations. We're just conceptual brothers." Jiang Lai coughed. "Besides him, there's also Yuji. Compared to that bratty little brother Sukuna, I still prefer Yuji."
"Never imagined that Sukuna guy is actually a bratty little brother." Gojo Satoru nodded with amusement, placing one hand on Jiang Lai's shoulder. "So will he listen to you, his good big brother?"
"......Do you think that's possible?" Jiang Lai helplessly waved his book lightly. "That guy still wants to eat me—in the literal sense of ingredients, cooking, and culinary preparation."
Here, Jiang Lai paused, then added: "However, a thousand years ago, I was able to maintain human form thanks to the damaged divine fragment he dug out."
"Though essentially, he wasn't trying to save me, but for his own twisted purposes."
"That Sukuna guy isn't trustworthy." Gojo Satoru frowned. "Be careful of his deals."
"I know." Jiang Lai nodded, giving a very calm reply. "He's not suitable as someone to fight alongside, but forming a united front against enemies in special circumstances is feasible."
"The Supervisory Committee is a very troublesome enemy. Facing it, we can gather as much fighting power as possible to our side."
"Sounds very troublesome......" Gojo Satoru rested one hand on his chin, then casually waved, his tone cheerful: "But fine, you decide."
"Let's go. First we'll find that [Crossroads] Tower and completely destroy it." Jiang Lai said. "That's the current priority."
"No need to look for it." Gojo Satoru put on his eye mask, then lifted one corner to reveal the brilliant Six Eyes containing infinite power beneath.
"After this illusion creation and shattering, it's probably in a cooldown period where it can't protect itself—I can directly destroy this nameless island, along with the surrounding waters."
The last sentence was somewhat light, but carried surging pressure.
Hearing this, Jiang Lai was stunned for a moment.
Immediately after, Gojo Satoru beside him smiled sideways: "Eh? Did you take it seriously? I was joking~ After all, there are quite a few cute little animals on this island. And if we really sank the island, it would be too conspicuous."
"......" Jiang Lai paused, then said as if not responding to the topic yet also like a response: "I'm increasingly convinced that my choice in the Crossroads Tower was correct."
"What do you mean?" Gojo Satoru said cheerfully.
"I mean finding a way to suppress your crazy streak then, not letting you get too immersed." Jiang Lai lightly tapped Gojo Satoru's right shoulder with his book. "Be a bit more clear-headed after coming out. Show some restraint."
"I know—" Gojo Satoru put both hands in his trouser pockets, walking forward. "To avoid alerting the enemy and lower the higher-ups' guard to dig out the Supervisory Committee's secrets, I've already restrained myself for so many years without slaughtering those rotten oranges."
"Hmm......" Jiang Lai coughed and smiled in response: "Well done? Worth praising."
Jiang Lai: More and more feeling like an earth-moving father-son bond!.jpg
Just then, Gojo Satoru turned his face toward Jiang Lai for a moment, making Jiang Lai almost think he'd spoken his inner thoughts aloud.
Jiang Lai: "......Cough, what's wrong?"
Gojo Satoru's Six Eyes looked past Jiang Lai, gazing at the colorful flowers behind: "This is the island's center. Logically, the [Crossroads] Tower's formation should be set here."
He raised one hand, making a finger-snapping gesture: "Lai, set up a spatial barrier. I'll clean this place up."
"No problem." Jiang Lai waved his hand to surround this area with spatial talismans.
This barrier's purpose wasn't just to protect other life on the island, but also to avoid attracting the Supervisory Committee's attention, preventing Kenjaku from noticing that the Four Guardian Towers were being destroyed.
Only the strongest could trap the strongest himself. True illusion was the [Crossroads] Tower's most effective method.
When this scheme was broken, nothing could stop the strongest anymore.
The [Crossroads] Tower was suddenly blasted to pieces by immense cursed energy, leaving not a trace!
Inside the spatial barrier was flying dust and debris; outside the spatial barrier was vigorously growing grass and colorful flowers—the contrast was incredibly stark.
Jiang Lai looked at the scene inside the barrier where even grass roots were burned away and the ground had sunk dramatically, silent for a moment: "You used Hollow Purple? That big move wasn't necessary."
"Ah, because I really hate this broken tower. Whether it's the illusion content it constructed or the memory-blocking operation, it's all very annoying." Gojo Satoru's refined features lifted slightly, looking somewhat sharp. "So I used a bit more cursed energy."
The strongest wasn't someone with a good temper either, so naturally he wouldn't be gentle.
Jiang Lai lightly waved his book, smiling somewhat helplessly: "Fine, as long as it's resolved. Let's go. I wonder if Okkotsu is still waiting outside."
"Eh, Yuta's here too?"
"Yes, Okkotsu came with me. But there was a barrier outside the island then and he couldn't enter, so I went in first to find you." Jiang Lai waved his hand to restore his book's appearance to that of a phone, looking down: "The current time is...... hmm, seven days later??"
He was somewhat surprised, not expecting so much time to have passed.
"Then it seems Yuta really waited a long time," Gojo Satoru said. "You can contact him first to ask."
Jiang Lai called Okkotsu Yuta, who answered almost immediately.
"Senpai, is everything alright?" Okkotsu Yuta's voice was full of concern.
"Yes, I've found Satoru and successfully broken the [Crossroads] Tower. Now preparing to leave the island with him." Jiang Lai first conveyed the most important information.
Then he smiled and continued: "Sorry for keeping you waiting so long, Okkotsu. We were slightly delayed here."
"But no need to worry. During this time, I was just having a 'delusional episode' together with the strongest 'cursed user.'"
Okkotsu Yuta: "???"
Gojo Satoru beside him heard this and leaned back tactically, lifting one side of his eye mask with his beautiful blue eyes wide:
"Wait, Lai! You said you wouldn't hold grudges over these things!"
"That's right." Jiang Lai's navy blue sleeves swayed as he smiled lightly. "But I never said I wouldn't use it as a meme in the future."