Megumi Fushiguro’s rebellious phase was not just puberty. It was also shaped by this foster father’s quiet influence.

  “Do not be careless. Everyone knows they cannot beat you head-on, so they will use underhanded methods. They might try to nullify your technique, or use special terrain, techniques, or Cursed Tools to seal you. I have looked into this. For the former, there is the ‘Inverted Spear of Heaven,’ also called the ‘Ame-no-Nuboko.’ For the latter, there is the relic left by a holy monk, the ‘Prison Realm.’”

  “You do not need to worry about the Inverted Spear of Heaven, and the Prison Realm has been missing for many years.”

  “Missing does not mean it cannot be found. If someone wants to deal with you, they will search for anything that could threaten you. Otherwise, who would bother provoking you? That would be suicidal.”

  “That makes sense.” Satoru Gojo nodded. “So what should I do?”

  “The best option is to keep such things in your own hands. If that is not possible, then at least understand their principles or activation methods and prepare countermeasures. Schemes only work when they are unknown. Once exposed, it comes down to raw strength, and who have you ever been afraid of in that regard?”

  At last, Akira showed his true intent. He was not hiding it anymore. He had come specifically to give Satoru Gojo a warning.

  From the moment he entered Tokyo Jujutsu High, he had been waiting for a chance like this. He could not exactly walk up and say that Satoru Gojo was not absolutely invincible.

  In the original path, Satoru Gojo had been sealed because of a moment of carelessness, giving the villains their chance to act. As long as Satoru Gojo was around, even with several times the courage, Kenjaku would not dare move.

  With Satoru Gojo present, their side had a foundation. Only then could Akira act without worries.

  Kenjaku, and people like you. Jogo, Hanami, Dagon. And Ryomen Sukuna.

  Along with all the named and unnamed Curse User and Cursed Spirit. Have you washed your necks clean yet?

  If Akira was someone who always thought things through, then even with reminders from Kento Nanami, that way of thinking was not easy to change overnight. By contrast, Satoru Gojo had always been used to letting go of responsibilities, skipping class as a student and skipping work as an adult. Now that there was a willing thinker like Akira around, he was even happier to stop thinking altogether.

  After all, maintaining his so-called invincibility kept his mental CPU under constant heavy load, and whatever capacity was left for Makoto was limited. Use it a bit too much and he would need to consume huge amounts of sugar. This was no longer normal sweet-tooth behavior, but something as strange as pure peach juice or that admiral’s coffee, a bizarre kind of Domain Expansion.

  He had just said, “I’ll pay attention,” and then immediately added, “Figuring out the principles and activation methods is also up to you.”

  Akira could not help making an incredulous sound. “This is for your own good. Can you put in a little effort?”

  “Then why did you even look up this kind of information?” Satoru Gojo asked back, smiling but not quite smiling.

  “Because I was thinking about how to punch you properly at least once.” Akira froze for a moment, finding his first reason inconvenient to say and pulling out a backup instead.

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  “Then come and try it.” Satoru Gojo clenched his fists. “I’d be very happy if you could hurt me.”

  “Are you some kind of masochist? Do you really have to get beaten up to remember?”

  “Because after graduating from Tokyo Jujutsu High, I don’t even get chances to be injured. With you, maybe I could.”

  “Definitely a masochist. Fine, I’ll organize the materials later and give them to you. Remember to read them. As for how I’ll hit you, heh, it’ll be a way you’d never expect.”

  “I’ll look forward to it.” Gojo the Demon King was truly infuriating, tossing over a handsome profile as he turned to leave.

  “Wait.” Akira pointed toward Yuta Okkotsu and Rika Orimoto not far away. “What about their situation? Now that we understand Rika Orimoto’s nature, about Curse Removal... actually, with how they are now, does Makoto really need Curse Removal? Could Curse Removal cause any bad effects for Yuta—”

  Before he could finish, a finger pressed lightly against Akira’s lips. Satoru Gojo’s face suddenly moved close, and his voice dropped.

  “That is not something for us to decide. The only ones who can decide are them. Whether it is a curse or lovers, an obstacle or a bond, what we say does not count, and it does not matter.

  “You can tell Yuta your analysis and guesses, but you cannot make the decision for him. If we decide someone’s fate just because it seems reasonable or better, how are we any different from those stubborn old men?

  “Ari, thinking things through and weighing options is a good habit, but sometimes you can try being more emotional. That is what youth is.”

  Akira fell silent.

  He had to admit that Satoru Gojo made sense. The words pointed out another issue in Akira’s mind, a long-standing blind spot even deeper than Kento Nanami’s advice to just do his own job.

  Optimization Method and the foresight of a transmigrator were the two advantages Akira had always believed in. They brought him many conveniences and earned him the respect and trust of everyone at Tokyo Jujutsu High, but they also planted a hidden risk.

  What was an adult’s Optimization Method? Efficiency, optimal results, planning. Foresight was the strongest support for that Optimization Method.

  Sixteen years after transmigrating, Akira had always walked what he believed was the correct path. Just as Satoru Gojo’s confidence of being invincible slowly turned into looking down on others, Akira had also subconsciously developed the thought that he was always right and that no one understood Jujutsu Kaisen better than him.

  Take Yuta Okkotsu as an example. Akira of course knew the method of Curse Removal for Rika Orimoto. Yuta Okkotsu was willing from the bottom of his heart to give his life to Rika Orimoto and die with her, fulfilling their promise to be together forever and repaying the sin of an unconscious curse.

  Yes, it was not Rika Orimoto who cursed Yuta Okkotsu, but Yuta Okkotsu who cursed Rika Orimoto. When he saw Rika Orimoto’s body, his mind was filled with their promise, and his Jujutsu Sorcerer bloodline activated unconsciously, creating the Special Grade Vengeful Cursed Spirit.

  If Rika Orimoto chose to forgive Yuta and did not require him to atone, the price of the curse could be canceled, allowing the bound soul to ascend and find release. But Akira also knew that after Rika Orimoto’s Curse Removal, Yuta Okkotsu would be stripped of his Special Grade status, dropped to Grade Four, and forced to climb back up step by step.

  That was because once Rika Orimoto’s soul ascended, the shell of Cursed SpiritRika Orimoto would remain as a technique belonging to Yuta Okkotsu. How much weaker that shell would be compared to the complete Special Grade Vengeful Cursed Spirit was unknown. After all, Cursed SpiritRika Orimoto once possessed power enough to overturn the Jujutsu World, and Yuta after Curse Removal clearly felt one level lower.

  Although the vengeful spirit was born from Yuta Okkotsu’s curse, the existence of the girl named Rika Orimoto was also special. When she was five, her mother died suddenly for unknown reasons. Two days before starting elementary school, she went hiking with her father and disappeared with him, and a week later only Rika Orimoto was found in a shelter near the summit.

  The grandmother who adopted Rika Orimoto always believed that her son and daughter-in-law were killed by Rika Orimoto. Rika Orimoto herself was indeed able to manipulate some adults through words and behavior, consciously using her own traits. Rika Orimoto might not have been a Jujutsu Sorcerer, but she was certainly not a normal person.

  Back when reading the manga in his previous life, Akira had already thought that it was not just Yuta who created Rika Orimoto. The two of them completed each other, together creating the ceiling of Cursed Spirit.