Quite some time had passed during their conversation, plus the two exchanges they'd had—nearly fifty seconds in all. In just a few more moments, it would be time to switch back.
"You lasted two moves against me. Not bad for a toy. Stand proud—you've kept your life."
Dark Amber knew exactly what Gojo Satoru meant, yet her smile remained defiant.
After all, both of them were aware she had been holding back significantly in that fight. Had she pressed her attacks without giving him a moment to react or think, Gojo would have been in far greater danger.
She wasn't worried that showing such dangerous power would make Gojo distrust her existence or cause trouble for Amber.
When it came down to it, this problem had more than one solution.
If her power could be suppressed by Gojo, then he could confidently place her under his supervision and vouch for her. But if her strength exceeded his control, yet she was still willing to restrain herself for Amber's sake—well, that would make Gojo even more at ease.
A beast you can control but can't always watch, versus a beast you can't fully restrain but poses little threat—anyone with a bit of nerve would be glad they were dealing with the latter.
Only incompetent cowards preferred the former.
And Gojo Satoru had never been timid.
In fact, from the moment Dark Amber spoke her first word, Gojo had already concluded that her threat level was extremely low. Here she was, wielding immense power, yet acting as the girl's protector—even caring about the girl's feelings. It completely overturned his stereotypes about curses.
When the girl's eyes shifted back to sapphire blue and her demeanor returned to that shy, gentle nature, Gojo's smile deepened.
"Mr. Gojo… are you alright?"
Amber wasn't completely unaware of what had happened from Dark Amber's perspective, but even so, she couldn't help asking.
"No problem, no problem~"
Gojo strode over on those long legs of his and familiarly ruffled Amber's hair a few times. "You'll be calling me 'teacher' from now on, by the way. How old are you, anyway? You don't look old enough for Jujutsu High."
"Fifteen…"
Amber answered without a trace of embarrassment.
Though this body should have been seventeen, and she herself was nearly twenty, claiming to be fifteen didn't seem strange at all.
Sure, Seele's proportions were nice, but she wasn't very tall, and her face had a youthful softness to it.
More importantly, the system had set her identity as fifteen.
Gojo noticed the slight delay before his hand made contact—only touching her after he deactivated Infinity—and realized her technique wasn't something like nullification.
Of course, it was also possible she didn't keep it active constantly like he did with Infinity.
"Fifteen, huh? Still not old enough, but no big deal~"
He withdrew his hand and continued casually, "While we were fighting, were you still conscious?"
"Mhm."
Amber nodded.
"Can you use the other you's technique as well? What kind is it?"
Gojo made it sound perfectly natural to ask about such a secret.
It wasn't that he was bullying a girl who knew nothing—in the jujutsu world, techniques weren't something you usually hid too carefully. Even if someone knew your technique, it often didn't help much. Developing a specific counter wasn't easy.
Besides, some techniques were just straightforward and brutal—so much so that there wasn't much to counter.
"…It's Quantumization."
Amber pouted slightly. "I can only use a little…"
She didn't want to admit her brain just didn't work that way—unable to utilize the technique through physics and formulas like Dark Amber could.
In her current state, Amber's control over Quantumization was limited to simple teleportation. Anything more complex, and her mind just couldn't keep up.
Seriously! These kinds of brainy abilities were the worst. Why couldn't it be like the Phoenix powers, where insight was everything, or like Authority, where you just willed it to happen?
The ability worked great for Dark Amber, but for her? Pretty lame.
She really wanted the Herrscher of Death and Rebirth's core…
"Quantumization, huh…"
Now Gojo understood why Infinity had offered no resistance against Dark Amber's slashes. His Infinity technique brought the mathematical concept of infinitesimal series into reality, creating an imaginary physical phenomenon where things never touched. But Quantum mechanics…
Even as a branch of physics, its properties overturned classical physics entirely.
Gojo was a king of the sciences—mostly mathematics—and while he wasn't deeply versed in physics, especially quantum fields, he had a general understanding.
Jujutsu techniques required a fair amount of learned knowledge. He saw right through the girl's embarrassed expression, but he wasn't an insensitive young man anymore—no need to point it out.
"Techniques are usually engraved on the body—most often in the prefrontal cortex."
Gojo pointed to his own forehead. "Using a technique means channeling cursed energy into it. But because of your… unique situation, when the other you uses the technique, the energy is directed to your chest."
He gave a reassuring smile. "Which means you still have your own technique waiting to be awakened. Once you learn how to use cursed energy, unlocking your own technique will come naturally."
But… leaving aside what her own technique might be—or whether she even had one—this Quantumization alone…
"My natural enemy, huh…"
The realization made him grin. "Looks like we've got another Special Grade on our hands. I bet those old rotten oranges are gonna lose their minds~"
"Rotten oranges?"
Why was he bringing those up all of a sudden?
"Ah, just a bunch of old fossils who love holding back the healthy growth of young people."
Gojo casually dismissed the higher-ups. "They'll probably give you trouble later, but don't worry—they're no match for you."
"O-oh, I see…"
Amber didn't have a good impression of the jujutsu higher-ups either. In Jujutsu Kaisen, what she hated most wasn't even Sukuna—it was those higher-ups who kept holding the main cast back.
Honestly, if it weren't for that binding vow between Yuji and Sukuna, a lot of things later wouldn't have gotten so bad.
Ah… now that she thought about it, the Kamo family had quite a bit of influence in the higher councils, didn't they? And that brain guy was the head of the Kamo clan…
So the higher-ups were probably being manipulated by that brain, too.
"Alrighty, after a little exercise, it's time for sweets to relax! My treat—order anything you want~"
Gojo wasn't in a hurry to take Amber to the higher-ups just yet. Those rotten oranges were seriously annoying. Better to enjoy some desserts and lift their moods first—otherwise, the next part would be a real headache.
"Thank you, sensei."
Amber nodded shyly.
Come to think of it, it's been half a day—wonder how Little Kasumi is doing?
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T/N: The author doing a really good job of creating Dark Amber and even the reasoning behind Seele's Herrscher powers if she does get any. well done, stand proud author.
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.