Chapter 215 : Satoru and Suguru's Oppositional Acting
Most people who opened the livestream came to watch the spectacle of strong fighters battling. Who could have expected such an "unexpected harvest" in this battle episode?
Of course, for another group of people (like the higher-ups colluding with the Supervisory Committee), it was mainly frightening.
Even Gojo Satoru and Geto Suguru, who were present and had inner speculation and preparation, couldn't remain calm when truly facing the ice-sealed Kuroi Misato, their emotions surging like waves.
The originally rehearsed acting script now carried uncontrollable genuine emotions.
Gojo Satoru's expression grew heavy. When that perfectly refined face lost its smile, an icy coldness emanated from within, appearing on the livestream screen with a more chilling effect than the background snowfall.
He slightly restrained his surrounding cursed energy, descended from mid-air, and stood before the ice crystals revealed in that breach.
Geto Suguru's unchanging smiling expression also transformed into expressionlessness. Without a word, he and Gojo Satoru across from him tacitly paused their attacking stances and landed on the other side of these ice crystals.
Between the two, the ice-sealed woman had closed eyes and crossed hands on her chest, silent and motionless like a lifeless wax figure. Yet the cursed energy flowing around her proved she was still alive.
Behind the ice crystals was a massive cursed energy pattern, clearly forming a formation that maintained Kuroi Misato's technique cursed energy according to certain rules.
"Ah, at first I thought I was seeing things. Didn't expect to encounter a familiar face from the past here." Gojo Satoru spoke first, his tone still light, but this lightness was merely a dangerous facade.
"Thinking back carefully, it's been over ten years since the Star Plasma Vessel incident. So the missing Miss Kuroi from back then was hidden here~ I wonder if that little brat who always called herself 'this humble woman' is also here."
He had no intention of hiding the secrets of the Star Plasma Vessel incident, directly and openly pointing out the identity of the woman in the ice crystals, even deliberately mentioning the conclusion of that incident, making this moment appear incredibly suspicious.
The previous conclusion of the Star Plasma Vessel incident was the simultaneous disappearance of the Star Plasma Vessel herself, Amanai Riko, and her guardian maid, Kuroi Misato. The jujutsu world archives recorded this as [Missing, presumed dead].
Most informed jujutsu sorcerers believed it was the final strike by the extremist organization of that time. Due to the chaotic scene, no remains were found.
No one expected to see the still-living guardian of the Star Plasma Vessel, Kuroi Misato, in this ice seal...
The scene before them, combined with the cursed energy patterns, clearly showed someone with ulterior motives was controlling this.
Those capable of achieving this couldn't possibly be that insignificant extremist organization from back then. Moreover, they had no reason to sustain the Star Plasma Vessel's guardian like this.
Combining this with the rumors of ice and snow curses in this area over the past ten years, plus the higher-ups' seemingly dismissive attitude...
In the livestream, intelligent jujutsu sorcerers already had some private thoughts. More perceptive people could even deduce more, such as the overly frequent missing person cases in society.
These hidden things were originally well-concealed and wouldn't be noticed by anyone.
But once there was a leak, a hole poked through, it was like a beam of light shining into a dark room. Even if only grain-sized, it was extremely conspicuous.
The higher-ups in the livestream were practically seething with rage, wanting to immediately shut down this livestream, but the authority wasn't in their hands.
More seasoned higher-ups had already begun instructing subordinates to contact Mei Mei-san.
The reasons were quite legitimate: to prevent this livestream from causing greater chaos, reduce spread and dissemination before relevant personnel arrived, maintain the overall situation, etc.
But when Mei Mei-san received the message, she only smiled lazily and answered slowly over the phone:
"I'm terribly sorry, but I probably have no authority over this either. I merely took money to do a job, helping send emails. The real host of the livestream is naturally the broadcaster himself."
Could the higher-ups contact Little Sheep Jiang Lai? Of course not.
As Nanami Kento had previously speculated, to facilitate broadcasting and avoid interference, Jiang Lai had long ago blocked phone calls, emails, and other contact methods.
If anyone wanted to communicate with him, paid chat was the only way.
But sending persuasive and critical comments in the chat now, in front of all the other viewers, would be quite embarrassing.
The higher-ups couldn't bring themselves to do it and felt that acting too much at this time would only raise more suspicions. So they gritted their teeth and continued enduring, watching the situation unfold through the livestream.
As for whether they would hold grudges against Little Sheep Jiang Lai, the broadcaster, and retaliate afterward... Jiang Lai didn't care about such things.
He wasn't stealing or robbing with his livestream. Making money openly and consensually, what was wrong with that? Exposing the hidden secrets of the Star Plasma Vessel incident could only be called divine justice.
Though the higher-ups were all short-sighted rotten oranges only concerned with self-preservation, they weren't stupid.
They wouldn't openly do anything to Little Sheep Jiang Lai. At most, they'd make things difficult behind the scenes, deliberately assigning dangerous missions.
Of course, Little Sheep Jiang Lai wasn't afraid of offending people. On one hand, he had abilities himself. On the other hand, he had the strongest backing him. Gojo Satoru wouldn't let the higher-ups bully the teenage-bodied Jiang Lai.
However, he'd need to give more warnings to Nanami afterward, Jiang Lai thought.
Those higher-ups had dark hearts and might target close associates. Nanami was his nominal guardian, so he couldn't let the higher-ups harm him.
Of course, perhaps Nanami Kento had already thought of this and considered it more thoroughly than himself, Jiang Lai thought again. After all, Nanami was one of the rare reliable adults in the jujutsu world.
In the livestream footage, after Gojo Satoru's words, shadows of the past also crept up Geto Suguru's brows as he pulled up a half-smiling expression: "Such fine methods, I'd quite like to learn them."
"You want to learn?" Following the script's character, Gojo Satoru lightly snorted in reply. "Aren't your current methods even more incomprehensible?"
"We have nothing to discuss." Geto Suguru's expression returned to previous indifference, likewise following the script. "You don't understand, and I won't force you. Because you have your life goals, and I have mine. We haven't been on the same path for a long time."
Gojo Satoru paused, then said directly: "This matter, will you handle it or not?"
He was referring to the Kuroi Misato incident before them, and also to that year's Star Plasma Vessel incident.
"There might be hidden circumstances, but they no longer concern me." Geto Suguru replied lightly, his long sleeves flowing, looking transcendent and aloof, his features showing no excess emotion. "The past is past, Satoru."
"All past?" Gojo Satoru raised his brow but didn't raise his voice, his glass-bead-like eyes gazing at the person before him.
"Are you serious, Suguru?" The white-haired man's tone remained normal, but it carried too many emotions, so his speech became slow. "Is this really what you think?"
"......" Geto Suguru said no more. His expression already explained everything.
Gojo Satoru looked deeply at the other, and his Six Eyes, which could see through everything, gained only disappointment.
He lowered his pure white eyelids to the ice-sealed Kuroi Misato, his voice becoming casual again, as if transmitted unclearly from a distant place:
"......Forget it, it doesn't matter. You go your way, I'll go mine."
"Exactly so." Geto Suguru nodded in agreement, wearing a falsely polite and courteous smile.
Gojo Satoru didn't look at him, gathering cursed energy at his fingertips, preparing to break open this ice seal.
Geto Suguru didn't interfere and seemed to have lost interest in continuing the fight. His gaze calmly swept over the ice crystals as he gestured to recall the Special Grade cursed spirit waiting beside him.
After the initial loss of composure, nothing seemed able to stir ripples in his heart anymore.
At this moment, Geto Suguru said lightly: "There's nothing worth fighting about. You handle your business, Satoru. There's no need for us to waste time on each other."
After these words, he showed no lingering attachment, decisively summoning a manta ray-shaped flying cursed spirit, leaping up onto it, preparing to leave.
The past was ultimately past. Having embarked on the path of righteousness, he wouldn't change his mind for anyone. This was the character Geto Suguru portrayed.
Gojo Satoru didn't bid farewell, nor did he look up.
His gaze only fell on the ice crystals. No one could see through his expressionless exterior to understand his true inner thoughts.
After a long moment, the cursed energy gathered at his fingertips finally released, precisely hitting the ice crystals, perfectly controlled to shatter them without truly harming the person inside.
Kuroi Misato broke free from the ice crystal restraints but still slumbered quietly.
"Mirai." Gojo Satoru called to the brown-haired boy. "Come help, we're leaving."
"Ah, okay, Teacher Gojo~" Little Sheep Jiang Lai responded, then waved to the livestream. "So this concludes our livestream. The final outcome was unexpectedly without winner or loser, so no one guessed correctly. The house takes all~"
This was naturally the planned ending. That's why Little Sheep Jiang Lai had only provided A and B single-person options without a tie option.
No way he'd let others win their bets. That absolutely couldn't happen~ Once the small money was collected, there was no reason to return it.
He smiled slyly, winking at the camera: "Thank you for your patronage. Looking forward to seeing you again next time!"
After these words, Little Sheep Jiang Lai didn't dawdle and decisively shut down the livestream.
The necessary broadcasting was done and the purpose achieved. What followed was their own review and finding ways to awaken Kuroi Misato.
All the previous hostile attitudes and ideological conflicts were openly displayed in the livestream, letting everyone witness firsthand that former intimate close friends had now become like strangers with no remaining entanglements.
Because both their acting was very realistic, plus the major incident of Kuroi Misato appearing on scene, no one scrutinized details to suspect this performance. Everyone believed what they saw was the truth.
No one could guess that Gojo Satoru and Geto Suguru had never truly fallen out from the beginning.
On the other side, at the school, Ieiri Shoko, who had also opened the livestream, slowly put her medical gloves back on after the stream ended, preparing to continue working.
Knowing all the inside information, she thought lightly: These two have improved their acting quite quickly. They're much more clever than during school days.
Such a convincing display of mutual opposition and disappointment.
Fortunately, this time it wasn't truly watching them walk toward rupture and finality. Ieiri Shoko's gaze drifted far away. The first playthrough events before the restart, happening once was enough.
Now, they were going to retrieve their lost things step by step.