Chapter 196 : Guess Where 5t5 Hid His Private Stash Finger
Since Jiang Lai broke through dimensional barriers and entered the jujutsu world, following his reading of manga forums and website analyses, Kurosawa Akira began paying attention to two-dimensional manga and various internet terminology he hadn't focused on before, thus opening the door to a new world.
Kurosawa Akira had a diligent and studious heart. He extensively dabbled in various areas, briefly learning about each aspect.
Including such miscellaneous books as: "Being a Good Little Brother Definitely Requires Learning How to Act Cute," "How to Attract a Good Big Brother's Attention."
These mentioned emoticon and kaomoji cuteness techniques, which Kurosawa Akira was now employing.
He lowered his eyelids, gray-green eyes gazing at his phone, recalling what the books had said while sending crying kaomoji one by one according to his online searches.
The chat software's dialogue box had no reply for a while.
Kurosawa Akira's brow furrowed slightly, his thin lips pressed straight, thinking: As expected of Brother Jiang Lai! It seems ordinary kaomoji cuteness doesn't work.
Jiang Lai: No, actually it's too effective so I'm stunned.
Seeing no reaction from the kaomoji, Kurosawa Akira paused, then pulled up the silver snake emoji pack he had previously commissioned and sent them in succession.
[#Akira Doing Serious Research#: (Silver little snake big teary eyes.jpg)]
[#Akira Doing Serious Research#: (Silver little snake dejected turning to stone statue collapsed.jpg)]
[#Akira Doing Serious Research#: (Silver little snake weathered back view, with alcohol beside.jpg)......]
Jiang Lai on the other side looked at the chat software filled with adorable little snake sad emoji packs. Though somewhat surprised by the other's sudden style change, facing the cub he had once raised, he couldn't help but soften his heart and typed a reply.
[#Good Luck Lai Coming#: Didn't expect you to have so many cute emoji packs like this......
Alright, virtual pat pat. No matter what, as I said before, you'll forever be my most reassuring, cherished good little brother (smile)]
Though only text appeared, sincerity was already contained within. Jiang Lai replied with utmost seriousness, including a puppy head-rubbing emoji.
That's right, the most caring good little brother Yuji in the jujutsu world, and the most beloved reliable little brother in the Detective Conan world, these two didn't conflict!
Jiang Lai, well-versed in the art of balancing relationships, was also comforting emotions today.
At the same time, he thought silently: Ever since crossing worlds, little Akira's brother complex seems to have intensified. It didn't seem this severe before.
Could this be the so-called distance creates extreme beauty (?)
Jiang Lai chatted with little Akira for a few more sentences. Before long, hearing the door open, he said goodbye on his phone and looked toward the entrance.
A tall white-haired man stepped through the door, his left hand carrying a full bag of items.
Jiang Lai's gaze unconsciously fell there, noticing what the other carried was colorful...... snacks??
"Hi hi~ I'm back!" Gojo Satoru's tone rose as he naturally noticed where Jiang Lai's gaze fell, so he smiled and slightly raised the bag in his hand. "Bought these from a nearby 24-hour convenience store on the way back. There's potato chips, shrimp crackers, cream puffs, cola and such."
Jiang Lai: "......"
Jiang Lai: "Why did you suddenly buy so many snacks?"
"Of course it's for tonight's preparation." Gojo Satoru walked to Jiang Lai's side, casually tossing the snacks in his hand onto the table, then freely flopping into the soft sofa. "Tonight we're continuing to plan subsequent matters, right? In that case, stock up on some midnight snacks."
At this point, Gojo Satoru tilted his head slightly, facing the brown-haired boy form of Jiang Lai, and said with a grin: "Besides, isn't there still a child like you at home?"
Jiang Lai didn't argue. He unceremoniously pulled out a pack of strawberry cream puffs and tore open the packaging: "In that case, you as an adult shouldn't eat these. These are all for children."
"Hey hey, what are you saying? Where are there any adults here!" Gojo Satoru hummed a tune, stretching his long arm to reach the strawberry cream puffs Jiang Lai had opened, very naturally taking one and tossing it into his mouth. "Not bad, average sweetness, but good texture."
Before Jiang Lai could say anything, Gojo Satoru suddenly added another sentence: "Yuji came to talk with me tonight."
Seeing the other suddenly turn to serious matters, Jiang Lai held back the retort that was about to slip out. He straightened his expression, paused, and said softly: "Is that so. What did he tell you?"
Actually, Jiang Lai already knew about their conversation from the manga, but this kind of god's-eye view couldn't be revealed. Plus, reading manga and hearing firsthand accounts from someone who experienced it were two completely different feelings.
So Jiang Lai softened his expression and listened seriously.
"Your space-time reversal mark seems to have an additional awakening effect. In short, he remembered you." Gojo Satoru crossed his hands. "I told him you couldn't acknowledge each other openly right now, and he expressed understanding."
"Yuji cares about you very much." Gojo Satoru said. "He also said to let me inform him when I encounter you again in the future. He wants to know how you're doing."
"......Mm." Jiang Lai's brows and eyes curved slightly. "Yuji is my good little brother."
He sighed softly. "It's just unfortunate that the current situation really isn't convenient for recognition. Besides the Supervisory Committee and higher-ups, Sukuna inside Yuji's body is also a big trouble."
"Having such a stinky little brother really is hard work, Lai." Gojo Satoru dramatically patted Jiang Lai's shoulder, then paused for a moment before continuing, "Speaking of which, didn't Fushiguro and the others get some cursed tool?"
"Right." Jiang Lai nodded. "I went with them to get it from the Zenin family and made some deals with them. I told you about it on the island."
"That cursed tool can separate all things and should be able to separate Yuji and Sukuna."
"Oh!" Gojo Satoru placed one hand on his chin, showing a thoughtful expression. "Not bad. Seems besides privately stashing one finger to indefinitely delay the death sentence, there's another method to solve Yuji's situation."
"Your privately stashed finger, it's not really stored in a dessert shop, is it?" Jiang Lai recalled his experience in the [Crossroads] Tower and couldn't help asking.
"Haha, no way. The [Crossroads] Tower was a special situation, I could only put it in the dessert shop."
Gojo Satoru lifted a finger, pushing up one side of his blindfold to reveal his beautiful blue eyes that blinked lightly. "But in reality, I didn't do that. Now, I've hidden it somewhere. Want to guess?"
Jiang Lai: "......Here?"
Gojo Satoru: "Wrong."
Jiang Lai: "Your other private residences?"
Gojo Satoru: "I wouldn't put it in my private residences~ I have too many private residences, with people hired to clean them weekly, so it's not convenient to store items."
'Too many private residences,' 'hired people'...... Hearing these words, Jiang Lai couldn't help but fall silent for a second. Another casual display of money power that made people envious!
The wild thoughts only lasted a moment. Jiang Lai quickly collected his thoughts and continued reasoning and guessing.
The finger wasn't in the dessert shop from the [Crossroads] Tower scenario, not in Gojo Satoru's various private residences, so where else could it be?
After thinking, Jiang Lai raised an eyebrow somewhat surprisedly: "Don't tell me you put it at the Gojo family? That's a bit dangerous, after all, the Supervisory Committee has always had contact with the Big Three Families, and your family still has the uncertain figure of Gojo Kyufuin."
"However, the most dangerous place is in a sense also the safest place. I can understand if you put it there."
"Not the Gojo family." Gojo Satoru shook his head. "Though I'm the family head now and have some private storage lockers, as you said, there are too many rotten oranges from the Supervisory Committee there. Who knows if they'd mess with my things, so no, not there."
Not outside, not inside, not at the Big Three Families, where else could it be?
At this point, Jiang Lai couldn't guess anymore, so he jokingly said: "Don't tell me you gave it to Suguru? That would really be hard work for Suguru. But it works out well, Suguru's cursed spirits could swallow the finger and even level up."
"That's actually a good idea." Gojo Satoru tapped his right hand with his left. "When we find more fingers later, we can try giving them to Suguru."
Since that was the case, it seemed the finger wasn't placed with Geto Suguru either.
Jiang Lai exhaled, smiling somewhat helplessly, his youthful appearance looking cute and innocent: "Alright, Satoru, you win. I can't guess where you actually put it?"
"There's one very important place you haven't mentioned." Gojo Satoru raised his finger, pointing in a certain direction. "Over there."
That direction was where Tokyo Jujutsu High was located.
Oh, I forgot about this place just now. Jiang Lai had a moment of realization. Tokyo Jujutsu High was indeed a place where fingers could be hidden. Tengen had a special barrier room there.
But to enter Tengen's barrier cursed object room required Tengen's consent. He didn't know how Gojo Satoru had persuaded the other to secretly hide Ryomen Sukuna's finger.
Thinking this, Jiang Lai heard Gojo Satoru continue.
"After sealing it, I put it in a small box that conceals its aura, then placed it in your room."
"My room??" Jiang Lai was slightly stunned, not immediately understanding.
After a moment, he gradually comprehended that what Gojo Satoru referred to should be the room he had once lived in at the school.
Previously, when Jiang Lai switched to the Little Sheep identity and came to Jujutsu High with Nanami Kento, he had originally wanted to stay in that room, only to be told that room was being preserved by Gojo Satoru and the others.
After the second playthrough reset and Jiang Lai's disappearance, Gojo Satoru, Geto Suguru, and Ieiri Shoko had kept that room as a place for reminiscence and remembrance.
When Jiang Lai kept his "see you tomorrow" promise, this room seemed to lose its meaning for mourning the departed. But they still preserved it.
At this moment, hearing Gojo Satoru's words about where the finger was located, Jiang Lai smiled and said warmly:
"My room? I'm sure you've already set up jujutsu arrays there to prevent damage. It's indeed a good place to hide things."
Probably no one could imagine that Gojo Satoru would place the important finger in a plain dormitory room.
"Besides that," Gojo Satoru said, "I had another reason for putting the finger there."
"What is it?" Jiang Lai asked curiously.
Gojo Satoru: "When I stored the finger, I hadn't seen you yet. So I thought I'd let the finger absorb some of your luck, so it too could remain missing for over ten years, with 'tomorrow's meeting' indefinitely postponed."
Jiang Lai: "......"
Suddenly this became a dark joke!!
By the way, he also sensed the deep emotions behind Gojo Satoru's words. Though the other usually didn't show it, occasionally in a few words, he would reveal some cat-like resentment.
"Just kidding." Gojo Satoru suddenly curved his lips in a smile, breaking this quiet atmosphere.
He interlaced his slender fingers, saying slowly: "......Actually, what I was thinking then was to let Yuji, like you, eventually possess a miracle."