"Whoa—" Miguel's eyes lit up. He put down his chopsticks, leaned in, and chuckled with a very gossipy expression. "I get it! You kid, did you prepare another 'little special training surprise' for him? Tell me, how many Cursed Spirits did you shove down his throat for a'snack' this time?"
Geto Suguru picked up a piece of char siu pork, chewing it with relish. "Not many, just one hundred. How about that? Don't you think this number suits him perfectly?"
"One hundred?!" The spoon in Miguel's hand clattered against the edge of his bowl, and his voice rose a few notches.
"You're being too ruthless! You know the taste of Cursed Spirits better than anyone; it's more potent than rotten herring mixed with bile. That feeling of soul rejection after swallowing it is enough to make someone lose their appetite for three days! Aren't you afraid he'll just vomit until he passes out in the training ground?"
Geto Suguru shook his head, picked up a cherry tomato, and popped it into his mouth. His tone was firm. "Anyone else might not be able to handle it, but Rin is different. Didn't you see how his eyes lit up yesterday when he asked me for training? He's eager to jump at any chance that will genuinely make him stronger. Don't underestimate his tenacity."
Miguel pondered this for a moment. Recalling how Rin had clutched his rice ball yesterday with nothing but 'getting stronger' in his eyes, he nodded in agreement. "That's true. The kid looks quiet, but he's tougher than anyone deep down."
Beside them, Mimiko rested her chin in her hands, watching the two chat animatedly. Her little brow furrowed into a knot, her head filled with questions. "Cursed Spirits... why do you have to eat Cursed Spirits?"
Nanako, sitting next to her, didn't get involved at all. She propped her phone against the edge of her bowl, shoveling rice with her spoon while staring at the game on her screen. Her fingers tapped rapidly as she muttered to herself, "Dodge! The enemy jungler is coming! Don't feed them!" She completely treated the conversation beside her as background noise.
After all, they were the only cadres of the Star Plasma Cult currently present; the others were either out of town investigating Cursed Spirit intelligence or handling miscellaneous tasks at the base, so only these few could liven up the dinner table.
Meanwhile, the scene at the training ground was completely different from the lively dinner table. Rin was kneeling on the gray stone floor, his hands supporting him on the ground, his head buried low. He kept retching saliva, his face as pale as a sheet of paper, yet he couldn't vomit anything up.
The feeling of soul rejection in his stomach caused by the Cursed Spirit hadn't faded, and his throat felt dry and numb; even swallowing saliva was painful.
He collapsed onto the ground in despair, staring with unfocused eyes at the neatly arranged Cursed Spirits beside him. To him, these little black blobs were no different from 'death warrants.'
He had started'swallowing' Cursed Spirits at eight in the morning and had held on for four whole hours. His throat felt like it was about to be worn raw by the black spheres the Cursed Spirits turned into. When he looked down and counted, good grief, there were still fifty left!
"Geto Suguru... you really are something else, how did you manage six thousand Cursed Spirits..." Rin groaned weakly, lacking even the strength to lift his hand. "But although it's disgusting, I can clearly feel my strength continuously increasing..."
As the wind blew, the Cursed Spirit beside him swayed slightly, as if 'greeting' him.
Seeing this, Rin almost brought up the nausea he had just suppressed, so he had to close his eyes and play dead. "Please... let me rest for five minutes... just five minutes..."
The setting sun slowly sank below the horizon, and the twilight, like a soft gauze curtain, quietly blanketed the entire training ground.
Geto Suguru's figure appeared at the entrance once again. When his gaze swept across the field, the dense swarm of Cursed Spirits that had previously occupied the space had vanished without a trace, leaving only Rin lying quietly on the empty ground, motionless.
He slowed his pace as he approached, only then seeing clearly that Rin was staring blankly at the sky with unfocused eyes, his mouth slightly agape, and the faint aura of weakness from using his technique still lingering around his body.
Geto Suguru did not step forward to help him up immediately, but just stood quietly to the side. He knew this was the necessary path to mastering Cursed Spirit Manipulation; only by letting the body digest the backlash of Cursed Energy on its own could one truly master this power.
He lifted his hand slightly, and a Cursed Spirit immediately and obediently brought over a wooden chair.
Geto Suguru sat down beside Rin. He didn't speak, his gaze resting calmly on the youth, a faint, imperceptible smile playing on his lips as he patiently waited for him to recover from his weakness.
At this moment, Rin was still trapped in chaos, his eyes unfocused and lacking a focal point; he hadn't even noticed Geto Suguru's approach.
His mind was spinning, and the negative emotions accumulated while using his technique were like vines, still tugging delicately at his soul, leaving him without even the strength to lift a hand.
After an unknown amount of time, Rin's unfocused gaze finally began to slowly sharpen, and a glimmer of light finally returned to his previously numb pupils.
"Coming back to yourself? How are you feeling?" Geto Suguru caught the change immediately and asked in a gentle voice, while reaching out to help him up from the ground.
Rin used his strength to slowly push himself up. As soon as he sat down—a Cursed Spirit had brought over another chair at some point—a wave of dizziness and nausea surged into his heart.
But when he caught a glimpse of the night sky outside the window and saw Geto Suguru guarding him, he forced himself to stay alert and spoke: "Mr. Geto, when did you arrive? What time is it now? How long... have I been lying here?"
Geto Suguru chuckled upon hearing this. He moved behind him and gently placed his hands on his temples, his tone carrying a touch of familiar intimacy. "You've been lying here for over two hours. Stop calling me 'Mr. Geto Suguru,' it's too distant. Just call me 'Teacher.' Hearing you call me 'Geto, Geto' all the time makes us seem like strangers."
Rin did not resist, letting the gentle Cursed Energy flow from Geto Suguru's palms and slowly permeate his brain. As that warmth circulated, the nausea lingering in his chest gradually dissipated, and even his tense nerves relaxed a little.
Seeing his complexion improve, Geto Suguru sat back down beside him. Looking at his still haggard appearance, he asked with a smile, "How do you feel now? I thought you might blame me for pushing you too hard."
"Not at all, I feel very good now, Geto... Teacher." Rin shook his head quickly, his tone earnest. "I was willing to do this myself; you didn't force me."
Looking at the unadulterated determination in the youth's eyes, the corners of Geto Suguru's mouth unconsciously lifted into a gratified arc, and his gaze softened a little.
He paused, but couldn't help asking, "I'm very curious, why do you have to push yourself to this extent? I originally didn't expect you to subdue all of those Cursed Spirits today. Even if you had only completed half, I would have thought that was already very good. But you actually did it... Can you tell me the reason you are working so hard, Rin?"
Rin lowered his eyes and remained silent for a moment, his fingertips gently clutching the corner of his clothes. Finally, he looked up at Geto Suguru, his voice calm but clear. "Perhaps it is because of... fear."
This answer made Geto Suguru slightly stunned. He had expected to hear answers like 'dreams' or 'protection,' but he had not expected such a straightforward 'fear.'
Seemingly seeing his surprise, Rin continued, adding a bit of stubbornness to his eyes. "Because of fear—fear of not being strong enough, fear that one day when I encounter danger, I won't even have the ability to resist and will end up just being killed. That is why I want to keep getting stronger, at least... to be able to protect myself."
Geto Suguru looked into his earnest eyes, his brows slightly furrowed, his tone carrying a hint of inquiry. "If it's just fear, you could actually choose to stay away. Although this world is indeed dangerous, except for Japan, Cursed Spirits do not exist in most places. Have you never thought about leaving here and living in a safe place?"
Rin slowly shook his head, his eyes becoming increasingly firm. "Even if I leave, there is no guarantee that I won't encounter even more terrifying Cursed Spirits. No matter how small the probability, it is still a risk. I would rather give my all on the path to getting stronger; even if I eventually die on this path, I don't want to face danger one day and only be able to watch myself helpless and unable to resist."
Hearing this, Geto Suguru's gaze became slightly unfocused. Looking at that near all-or-nothing determination on the youth's face, he felt as if he were seeing his former self in a trance—that youth who was willing to give up everything for the ideal of 'protecting Non-Sorcerers.'
The unfocused look in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by a clear resolve. He nodded slowly, his tone becoming more solemn, yet not lacking in gentleness. "Alright, then let's work hard together. Since you have this determination, I will help you become stronger—help you become a Jujutsu Sorcerer capable of protecting yourself."
He didn't say anything more, just stood up and smiled at Rin. "Let's go. After training for so long, you must be hungry. Let's go eat first."
Rin responded and stood up, following Geto Suguru's figure out of the training ground. The night grew darker, and the sound of their footsteps echoed softly in the quiet corridor; the fatigue in the air seemed to be quietly diluted by this silent understanding.