Chapter 221 : Reunion
Jiang Lai no longer focused his gaze on the braided girl before him, his eyes wandering to fall upon the overlapping darkness behind the girl's desk.
If his guess was correct, then the real Riko and [Birth] should be in that vast expanse behind, under the guardianship of the fortress of most beautiful memories.
Gojo Satoru obviously also noticed these details. His glass-bead-like blue eyes gazed toward that direction, then slightly withdrew, facing the sailor-uniformed braided girl before them with a cheerful tone: "Mind taking us for a walk back there, Amanai?"
"Back there?" Amanai Riko tilted her head, showing a puzzled expression. She turned halfway around, looking toward the rear.
Facing the boundless darkness, the girl's face showed fear and hesitation. Still clutching that drawing in her hand, she said somewhat nervously in a low voice: "It's very dark over there."
"Relax, Amanai~ There's nothing to fear, the strongest is here." Gojo Satoru waved his finger, then his tone became more serious, his eyes carrying a certain convincing power, his beautiful azure pupils becoming calm, "I will solve everything."
He habitually took on all responsibilities again, then his peripheral vision caught the black-haired young man beside him, and he chuckled, correcting himself: "Or rather, we will solve everything. Trust me, trust Lai, and Suguru and Shoko and many, many more people, we're all here."
"..." Amanai Riko bit her lower lip, the middle school girl's cheeks still carrying youthful tenderness, her eyelashes fluttering, "But I'm still scared."
"What are you afraid of? Is it the darkness, or the unknown?" Jiang Lai spoke gently, his expression warm, "If it's darkness, we can light lamps for you. If it's the unknown, we'll explore together. Besides this, what else do you fear?"
Amanai Riko froze for a moment, her fingers clutching that drawing, her thoughts wavering. But she finally made up her mind: actually, Riko had never been a timid or shy person.
She raised her eyes, determination shining in them: "I'm not afraid."
Amanai Riko put down the colored pencil scribbles in her hand, facing the boundless darkness behind her, her straight figure seeming to have made some kind of resolution.
And the emotions in Jiang Lai and Gojo Satoru's hearts also eased somewhat at this moment.
They knew this meant they had moved the fortress of this dream world, and the path ahead would guide them to the true way.
The braided girl wearing a white headscarf straightened her expression, leaving this small desk and walking step by step away from the dim yellow desk lamp's glow.
Before stepping out, she waved her hand: "Come on, follow me!"
"Coming~ Definitely won't get lost, so Amanai can walk however you want." Gojo Satoru's voice slightly rose, responding in a cheerful tone.
He put both hands in his pockets, affecting the rebellious stride from his Tokyo Jujutsu High days.
Jiang Lai shook his head with a light smile beside him, then naturally changed his clothing to a dark blue kimono, while turning his phone around to change back to the ancient, simple book style from before.
The next second, Gojo Satoru took his hands out of his pockets, changing from his rebellious swagger to ordinary walking posture.
Jiang Lai: "?"
Jiang Lai was stunned for a second, then realized with some amusement: Gojo Satoru seemed to think that he had changed back to his former attire and taken out the original book to use the excuse of knocking his head while he wasn't walking properly.
Beside him, the white-haired man pursed his lips, his blue eyes glancing at that ancient book, leaning over to say: "I say, Lai, you still want to knock my head in the dream world, that's immoral, isn't it? I'm going to make a fuss, I'm really going to make a fuss, okay?"
Facing Gojo Satoru's words that were seeking trouble from thin air, Jiang Lai replied lightly: "I haven't done anything yet."
He held the book in his right hand, resting it on his left palm, "I just changed the style, no need to be nervous. And this isn't for hitting you, it's for..."
"Eh, it's not changed for me? Then I really have to make a fuss." Gojo Satoru joked, casually continuing, "Then what's it for?"
At this point, Jiang Lai fell silent. After a long while, he slowly uttered the latter half of his sentence: "...It's changed for [Birth]."
Perhaps similar to some kind of timidity near home, Jiang Lai's heart also harbored emotions he couldn't accurately describe. As they gradually progressed deeper, his heart in his chest was also beating rhythmically.
He didn't know if he could see his conceptual older sister (brother). And even if he could see them, perhaps they would also be in an unconscious state.
Maybe this meeting wouldn't involve any communication at all.
But Jiang Lai still adjusted his appearance, trying to match the style from the Heian-kyo period a thousand years ago as much as possible. In case they could reunite again, perhaps it would be easier for [Birth] to recognize him.
Although Jiang Lai knew that they [Existence] beings recognized each other not by appearance, but by soul aura. But his heart was still stirred with complexity, and he couldn't help but dress according to his original appearance.
When they met each other, they would still be in their original forms. As if they had never been separated by the distant thousand years of mountains and rivers.
Hearing this, Gojo Satoru also rarely fell somewhat silent.
This time, he didn't continue to tease about this point.
Although in the eyes of most people in the jujutsu world, Gojo Satoru was someone who couldn't read the atmosphere and only cared about his own happiness, in reality, he had his own unique thoughtful aspects and wouldn't actually pick at his friend's wounds.
"Very good, they're worth your anticipation and change." Gojo Satoru went along with it, raising his hand to gesture at Jiang Lai's hair tips, "Want to keep long hair? I still remember how you looked back then."
"Clothing can be adjusted through cursed energy, but the features on my body aren't so simple to change." Jiang Lai shook his head, smiling, "A thousand years ago was the era of long hair, so naturally I also had long hair then. In the modern world, I've become accustomed to short hair, and I can't grow it out in a short time."
"Is that so? I thought you could control your hair to grow freely, just like..." Gojo Satoru rested one hand on his chin, raising an eyebrow slightly, "Disney princesses and fairy tales?"
"Hey." Jiang Lai lightly tapped Gojo Satoru with the book, as a playful response.
Up ahead, Amanai Riko had already stopped walking. So they also stopped chatting and turned their attention back to the braided girl ahead.
At this moment, they had already walked away from that faintly glowing desk area and merged into the boundless darkness.
This darkness seemed to have no borders, appearing as hazy mist no matter which direction they turned.
However, the braided girl wearing a white headscarf seemed to have a target, steadily moving forward step by step, unafraid of the increasingly cold, damp air and darkening scenery.
Now, she finally stopped her steps, leaving Jiang Lai and Gojo Satoru with a thin but resolute back.
"...Amanai?" Gojo Satoru tilted his head, calling out once.
The braided girl didn't turn around, her voice softly coming from ahead: "Change, or accept the status quo?"
This statement sounded somewhat inexplicable, even abrupt. However, Gojo Satoru responded very naturally and quickly: "Naturally, change."
His snow-white eyelashes lifted slightly, the fine lashes like small fans, those unique blue eyes sparkling with brilliant light: "Why should we admit defeat? Life belongs to us."
His words were light, but the weight of their meaning was heavy.
Ahead, Amanai Riko turned halfway around, and she smiled.
That smile with curved brows and pursed lips was just like the scene in the Tombs of the Star years ago, when facing the decision to change fate and return to the human world, she chose to reach out her hand.
The dark mist floating around gradually expanded, enveloping the braided girl's figure.
Facing this sudden change in the dream environment, both Jiang Lai and Gojo Satoru remained calm. Because this was Amanai Riko and [Birth]'s mental world, they wouldn't harm either of them.
Jiang Lai watched ahead, his expression calm as he waited, though his heart felt like a small cat was gently scratching at it.
Some cursed energy aura rose around them, and the ascending dark mist gradually showed signs of dissipating. Directly ahead, Amanai Riko's figure appeared again.
However, this time the appearing Riko was no longer the middle school girl in sailor uniform from memory, but had the appearance of an adult wearing a light purple kimono.
She still wore her hair in a long single braid, but no longer wore that white headscarf on her head. The light purple kimono was simple and elegant in style, with no special patterns on it.
On her shoulder perched a beautiful turquoise kingfisher. That kingfisher was incredibly small, with bright, clear eyes, currently tilting its small head to look at Jiang Lai in the distance.
Inexplicably, Jiang Lai felt a familiar sensation from that kingfisher.
Gentle, tolerant, caring aura transmitted through those bright, clear eyes.
This wasn't [Birth], but it indeed carried [Birth]'s aura.
In a brief moment, Jiang Lai thought of that black liquid fox.
The nightmare fox was born from the foundation of his own [Existence] power, and it similarly carried some of his abilities and aura. So was this beautiful turquoise kingfisher before his eyes also born from [Birth]?
Just as he had left the little fox for Satoru back then, was this what [Birth] had left for Riko?
As these thoughts emerged, Jiang Lai slightly parted his lips.
But before he could speak, the adult-formed Amanai Riko had already nodded first, saying: "Gojo-sensei, and Gojo-sensei's friend. I didn't expect to see you here."
This was the real Amanai Riko.
"Gojo-sensei?" Facing this address, Gojo Satoru tilted his head slightly, teasing: "Oh my, I didn't expect you to respect me so much now, Amanai. Back then you used to call me [egotist] and such~ It sounds rather unexpected."
The white-haired man's voice was cheerful, seemingly intentionally lightening the atmosphere.
Amanai Riko smiled slightly, but no longer made faces or other gestures like that girl memory phantom had done.
Years had changed her greatly. Her days with the Supervisory Committee had already worn away that innocence and cheerfulness.
She was no longer the romantic, lively little girl from back then.