Souma's sudden question left Suguru Geto stunned.
No one had ever asked him that before. No one really cared.
After all, sorcerers exorcised curses. The taste was irrelevant to the job.
But for some reason, Geto felt a lump in his throat.
He gave a bitter smile. "Ah... it's disgusting. I don't know if this describes it right, but it tastes like swallowing a rag used to wipe up vomit."
"But, there's no other way."
Saying that, Geto prepared to swallow the black sphere.
"Wait."
Souma stopped him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small jar of honey.
He popped the lid and poured the golden liquid over the curse ball until it was completely coated.
Geto's expression went from curiosity to shock, and finally to deep self-doubt.
"Try it now?"
Souma handed the sticky ball back to him.
Geto hesitated, then swallowed the honey-coated sphere whole.
The nauseating taste of vomit and filth was gone, replaced entirely by the cloying sweetness of honey.
In that instant, Geto felt his worldview crumble.
It was that simple? All the suffering I endured before... was for nothing?
Souma and Satoru leaned in. "How was it?"
Geto nodded with a face full of tears. "It... actually works."
"Then why are you crying?"
"I feel like an idiot!"
Geto wept openly. "If I knew coating it in honey would block the taste, why did I force myself to swallow that filth raw all this time?!"
Souma and Satoru's mouths twitched downwards. They desperately ran through every sad memory they had in their brains to stop themselves from laughing.
Don't laugh! Hold it in... I can't!
"WAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Suguru, you idiot! Hahahaha!"
Geto: "..."
Having you two as friends is my greatest misfortune.
...
Tokyo Jujutsu High.
"Reverse Cursed Technique? You want to learn that?"
Shoko looked at Satoru and Geto with confusion.
"Yeah! If I learn it, I can finally surpass my brother!"
Satoru was excited. Regular training kept him permanently one step behind Souma, so he wanted to overtake him on the curve by mastering RCT.
Geto raised his hand. "I'm curious about it too. I want to see if I can learn it."
"Is that so~"
Shoko thought for a moment. "Alright then. I'll explain it to you. Reverse Cursed Technique is like..."
Shoko bobbed her head and drew abstract circles in the air with her finger.
"It's like shwoom, and then hyoi. Just shwoom-hyoi!"
Satoru and Geto stared at her blankly, their CPUs smoking as they tried to process the information.
Shoko blinked. "You don't get it? No talent!"
Satoru: "..."
Geto: "..."
Do you even hear yourself? That was complete gibberish!
"Satoru~ Suguru~ What are you guys doing???"
Souma's figure appeared like a ghost between them, draping his arms over their shoulders.
Satoru jolted. "Ahahaha, Big Bro!"
"Nothing, nothing! Just learning from Shoko! Definitely not planning to learn RCT so I can beat you up! Ahahahaha!"
Tch.
With Shoko's teaching method, if you two learn it, I'll do a handstand while washing my hair.
Souma rolled his eyes internally, but on the surface, he wore a "nuclear-friendly" smile.
"It seems your youth isn't burning hot enough, little brother! Come with me for taijutsu training! You too, Suguru!"
"Me too?!"
In the end, unable to resist Souma's forcefulness, Satoru and Geto were dragged away to feel the burn of youth.
"Let's make a bet. You two attack me together. Let's see if you can win!"
"What's the wager?"
Souma grinned. "There's a cosplay convention happening on the first floor of the department store in the Fukutori district!"
"!!!"
Satoru instantly recalled his dark history.
Geto was confused. "What does that mean?"
Satoru leaned in and whispered the horror story into Geto's ear. Geto's expression went from shock to pure terror.
"No way! That's social suicide! It'll be a stain on my life forever!"
Hearing this, Souma pulled out the Special Grade Cursed Tool: Playful Cloud.
"Suguru, if you two win, I'll give you this Special Grade tool."
Since buying Playful Cloud, Souma had tried using it, but honestly, due to the nature of the Limitless technique, he wasn't suited for weapon combat.
Geto, however, was perfect for it. And Souma knew the guy had been drooling over Playful Cloud for a long time.
"Really?! Don't you regret it!"
Seeing the prize, Geto changed his tune instantly. "Satoru, even though Souma's taijutsu is strong, if we work together, we have a chance!"
"Besides, you've already been a catboy maid once. What's one more time?"
"But if we win... don't you want to see Souma crossdress?"
Hearing that last sentence, Satoru looked like he'd been injected with adrenaline.
The two exchanged a glance. "Yeah! Let's get him!"
"Shinbu-ryu: Cloud Piercer!"
"Shinbu-ryu: Falling Leaf!"
"Secret Art: Rapid Fire Punch!"
Three figures clashed instantly, followed by the sound of fists hitting flesh in a passionate melee.
Souma was individually the strongest and initially suppressed both of them.
However, as the fight dragged on, Satoru and Geto's synergy improved, and they actually managed to fight him to a standstill.
Especially Satoru. His taijutsu had improved visibly, advancing from "Mokuroku" to "Kaiden" level recently.
Just then, Souma caught a gap in Satoru's defense and locked his arm.
About to lose, Satoru gave up on defense entirely and bear-hugged Souma around the waist.
"Suguru! Hit him now!"
Geto rushed forward, aiming a punch at the back of Souma's head.
But thanks to the Six Eyes' 360-degree vision, Souma saw him coming. He dropped into a squat to dodge the punch, reaching out with his free hand to yank Geto's ankle.
Geto lost his balance. Before hitting the ground, he instinctively grabbed Souma's thigh.
THUD!!!
The three of them collapsed into a tangled ball of limbs.
Souma had Satoru and Geto in a lock, but they had counter-grappled him in desperation.
They were stuck in a deadlock, unable to move.
"I think this counts as my win, right?"
"Says who? You're pinned too!"
"This stalemate is boring. How about we all let go on three?"
"Okay. I'll count. One, two, three, let go!"
"Agreed!"
"Fine!"
"One... Two... Three... Release!"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"You bastards! I knew you wouldn't let go!"
"Shut up! You didn't let go either!"
"I saw through your lies! Wait, stop tickling my foot!"
"..."
Shoko yawned, bored out of her mind.
"I wonder how those three idiots are doing."
She stood up and walked toward the dojo.
As soon as she walked in, she froze.
She saw Souma, Satoru, and Geto tangled together on the floor in a pose that looked incredibly strange and ambiguous.
There was a distinctly... philosophical ♂ atmosphere.
Shoko's face turned red. She hurriedly backed out of the dojo.
"Sorry, sorry! I came at a bad time! Please continue!"