My Youth As A Sorcerer Sucks, Chapter 41.

Chapter 41:

—OoOoO—

“So, that's the reason why I called you here, Isshiki,” Satoru said in a cheerful tone.

Before the white-haired man with a black blindfold were Hikigaya Hachiman and Isshiki Iroha. The three of them were standing right in front of a special building in traditional Japanese style, which was still in the Tokyo Jujutsu High complex. Even so, because the building was very sacred, three other people dressed as temple priests were watching over them.

Following the discovery of a Sukuna’s finger that had been marked using a soul manipulation technique at Yoshino's residence, Satoru decided to prove the hypothesis put forward by Hachiman directly. However, there was someone who felt didn't belong in the group.

“Gojo-sensei, you're not joking, right? I don't know what you expect from me," Iroha replied confusedly.

However, Satoru understood that well.

“I’ve been checking reports about your progress while under Shizuka-chan's care. I actually won't interfere either and leave your training completely to her.”

Satoru paused his words to cross his arms in front of his chest as if he wanted to joke about something.

“However, as expected, my instincts as the best teacher of all time can’t allow me to just stand by without leaving my legacy on your development.”

"You're saying nonsense again," said Hachiman with a sullen face.

“Nay, nay, nay,” Satoru argued quickly while shaking his index finger, “With Isshiki's current development, she’ll probably be the second-best type of sensor after me.”

The man then looked at the only girl in the group.

“Honestly, it’d be a shame if you were only satisfied with this level. I'm not stopping you from just wanting to be an assistant manager, but if that's what you really want to be, be a super assistant manager.”

Iroha just pursed her lips while furrowing her eyebrows at Satoru's opinion. That was something she found difficult to answer. The girl even found it difficult to feel motivated by just a few words.

“You know, it's not like I don't want to try harder or anything. Even though it’s my youth, being a sorcerer is very different from being the student council president, where if you make a small mistake, everything can be finished with just one word of sorry.”

What Iroha said might sound like an excuse. Satoru also didn’t like people who gave the impression of trying to avoid problems. However, he also couldn’t equate Iroha with his other students, such as Hakari, Maki, and Yuuji, who’ve had steely determination since they were born. He also couldn't think of Iroha as the same as Hachiman, Yuuta, and Megumi, who gave their everything to the world of jujutsu because they had something to fight for. In fact, Nobara, who just wanted to have fun, had a different mentality.

'At the end of the day, everyone has their anxieties, and I can't give them the same treatment. However, I’m Gojo Satoru, the strongest being and greatest teacher. I’m not worthy of this title if I surrender to my disciple just because she has no courage.'

Iroha's problem was simple, and almost all jujutsu sorcerers experienced it. Just like the girl said. If it was just an ordinary case, a small mistake would be resolved with a few words of apology. However, in the jujutsu world, making a mistake meant putting yourself at risk of death. It was a burden Iroha was afraid to bear.

Iroha had no problem with harsh training methods. That was proven by her willingness to follow Hiratsuka's training program, in which she continued to force her students to dive to extreme depths in the open ocean. Even though her body felt like it was going to crumble because she had to dive hundreds of metres, she understood that it was aimed at getting a near-death experience, so she forced herself to carry out cursed energy reinforcement as efficiently and effectively as possible.

However, when Satoru asked Iroha to participate in proving Hachiman's hypothesis regarding Sukuna's marked finger, she was unwilling to do so.

That showed that what Iroha was trying to avoid wasn’t the training but rather the responsibility and potential that she’d be involved with something much more dangerous than the incident involving Turbo Granny at the Chiba Museum a few months ago.

'Just imagine, two special grade sorcerers intervened directly to do that. Isn't whatever is waiting for it already crossing the line of insanity?' Iroha thought.

“I know what you’re worried about. I'm not saying I can understand your feelings, though. Not because I’m the strongest and different from you all, but I understand I’ve great students who can solve everything even if I'm not around," said Satoru.

Iroha growled slightly at that statement. But she was quite used to her teacher's self-confidence. Therefore, she chose to remain silent and let Satoru continue.

"You also have strong seniors you can rely on, including this boy," said Satoru while embracing Hachiman's shoulders, "Hell, you can even drag Megumi into your problems. All you need to do is go wild with your cursed technique and find your passion. That's the only thing I expect from you.”

Hachiman felt uncomfortable because Satoru was hugging his shoulders. He forced himself to escape the man even though it was difficult.

“I don't want you to bother me with trivial matters. But Komachi already considers you a valuable friend. So, this time, I’ll be responsible for you.”

Iroha subconsciously lowered her head with slightly flushed cheeks in surprise at Hachiman's sudden words.

"What is this? Are you hitting on me?" The girl replied surprisedly, "I'm sorry, but you're trying too hard, and it's creeping me out, and I can't accept your feelings!"

Iroha bowed quickly after uttering those words of rejection.

"What? What did I do in the first place, and why was I rejected?" Hachiman asked in confusion.

However, amid his confusion, he suddenly heard bursts of laughter. Hachiman reflexively turned to the source.

“Bahahahaha! I knew something interesting would happen when you tried to say something cool. But I didn't expect it to be this funny. I wonder how Haruno will react after seeing this," Satoru said with his smartphone in his right hand.

“What? Did you record us just now? Delete it, you stupid blindfold!”

Hachiman immediately lunged at the white-haired man. However, a barrier in the form of infinite space prevented him from reaching Satoru.

"Don't worry. I'm sure Haruno will laugh too while watching this."

“And why Haruno-san? She's not even related at all," Hachiman replied with his eyebrows arched.

Seeing the two powerful sorcerers throwing teasing and curses at each other made Iroha's mood a little lighter. Her eyes continued to be fixed without being able to be diverted from the two men who looked more like brothers. She absorbed everything Satoru and Hachiman said thoroughly. And without realising it, a smile of relief appeared on his face.

“If I fail to meet your expectations or am too afraid to face reality, I can run away, right? Not just from this case, but from the jujutsu society as a whole," said Iroha.

These words made the two men stop momentarily and look at the girl simultaneously.

“You know, even someone as strong as Shizuka-chan had once run from her responsibility. A strict person like Nanami also once left the organisation. If you've tried your best and feel like your heart doesn't belong here, no one will blame you if you run away.”

Iroha lowered her head with complicated eyes. However, in the next second, she looked at Hachiman with eyes.

“You'll be responsible for me, right, senpai?”

Hachiman scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

“It sounds wrong if you put it that way. But whatever."

Right after that reply, Satoru clapped his hands.

“Alright. I'll take it as you joining this investigation, Isshiki.”

Iroha nodded and replied, "So, what should I do? Even though I can find out someone's position with my technique, it's only like a radar."

"First, you need to know that how the cursed technique works depends on how the user interprets it. Even though there are the same two cursed techniques, if the user understands them differently, they’ll have a different way of working. And if both undergo evolution, it could become two very different techniques."

After explaining, Satoru raised his index finger, pointed it at his temple, and continued.

"When we awaken our cursed technique, our brains only get basic information about it. However, we tend to name the technique depending on how we interpret it unless we have records of previous users. So, although our technique is innate, it’s essentially nameless, formless, until we finally give it a name and shape it.”

Hearing the lesson, Iroha made a sour face, "Can we just get to the point? I'm not as smart as Senpai, who easily understands philosophical words."

Satoru sighed, hearing the girl's chatter from Iroha.

"Well, in essence, you consider your technique telepathic because you can communicate with other people you’ve marked using your cursed technique and with their permission. And to understand the fundamentals of your technique, you’ve to start there. Like, what’s actually meant by that communication?”

“A means of exchanging information?” Iroha replied while tilting her head.

Satoru smiled and quickly snapped his fingers.

“That's right. The point’s that. Before we go any further, don't you remember something? I doubt Shizuka-chan has never discussed this with you.”

A strong and cool wind greeted those before the building. Iroha reflexively closed her eyes to prevent dust from polluting her vision. She placed her hand next to her head to avoid the wind from blowing her beautiful hair.

However, hearing Satoru mention Hiratsuka's name made her remember something the woman had mentioned several days before.

—OoOoO—

The full moon looked enormous, with its white reflection illuminating the earth in the darkened night. Unfortunately, not all places receive equal lighting. On the seashore in the coastal area of ​​Chiba city, two women were surrounded by about eight terrifying monsters. However, they seemed to show different atmospheres.

The first woman was a girl with short brown hair and a katana in her right hand. She breathed heavily, and sweat flowed freely from her tight pores. Meanwhile, the other woman showed a relaxed expression while sitting on the folding chair she brought, with a transparent cube-shaped barrier covering it.

“I... I’ve succeeded in guessing and marking the location of the cursed tools you scattered. With this, my training session ends, right, Sensei? Please take care of them. I can't stand it anymore."

Hearing her student's statement, Hiratsuka cancelled the cube barrier surrounding her. Not even a second later, a square symbol appeared and surrounded the middle and index fingers she put together.

“Barrier Binding.”

The eight cursed spirits deliberately released as obstacles in Iroha's training were instantly trapped in a transparent blue cube-shaped barrier.

“Destroy.”

After Hiratsuka chanted the advanced spell, all eight barriers that confined the monsters simultaneously and rapidly shrank. The barrier walls pressed them so hard that they crushed their entire bodies and ultimately crushed them brutally.

"No matter how many times I watch it, I can't stop being amazed," Iroha said with sparkling eyes, "Even Senpai couldn't exorcise seven second-grade and one first-grade cursed spirits in one move.”

“That's because Hikigaya's cursed technique is a hard-support type, and almost all of his attacks are single targets. Only the Deuterium Cat and his Domain Expansion have AoE damage. However, with such a simple technique, he can push it to the point of reaching a special grade. His talent is better than mine."

“You use game terms that I'm not familiar with, Sensei," Iroha complained with pursed lips, "But yeah, I think I understand what you mean."

"You should try playing games and watching anime, Iroha. Sometimes, it can give you some inspiration."

“I've tried, okay? I even have been trying to read science books like Senpai did, but I can't resist the sleepiness. Honestly, I prefer training like this. My goal is to become an assistant manager, after all."

Iroha gave that response while putting her katana into her sheath. However, she wasn’t finished with her words.

“However, you're truly sadistic, Sensei, placing ten cursed tools a kilometres away from here, and you dropped a Curtain around here to disrupt the effectiveness of my technique. Not to mention all these stupid spirits you caught to disturb my concentration!"

"If I don't increase my stakes, you won't get any meaningful experience in your training," replied Hiratsuka nonchalantly.

Iroha was a pretty strong sorcerer for her age. She had a talent for cursed energy control. However, the only thing that hindered her development was her mentality. Many doubts and worries tied her feet so that she couldn’t take a step forward.

'You can't judge Isshiki as not being creative in using her technique, especially compared to Hachiman. That boy's creativity came from her experience under the tutelage of a crazy person like Gojo-san since he was little. This contrasts Isshiki, who lives a fairly normal life even though they both come from sorcerer families.'

Hiratsuka understood that she couldn’t do much in Iroha's development if she didn’t do something about her weak mentality first. However, improving one's mentality could only be done after a certain push that became momentum. As such, Hiratsuka always invited Iroha to do trivial missions, hoping the girl could find her time.

That was also the reason why she often asked Hachiman to accompany Iroha. Who knows, the girl might learn something from her senior.

'But I’m the teacher here. I can't rely on such a possibility. However, I don't have enough clues about her technique. But if my hypothesis is correct, then....'

Hiratsuka took a pack of cigarettes from her work shirt and took a drag to her mouth. While putting it using her right hand, she looked for a lighter in her trouser pocket using the other hand.

The strong sea breeze made it difficult for her to light the cigarette. She had pressed the trigger several times, but the fire she expected didn’t appear. It annoyed her enough that a frown appeared on her forehead. The woman took the initiative to turn her back in the direction of the wind. The fire she was looking for finally lit her cigarette.

While inserting the lighter into its original place, the long-haired woman took a deep drag on her cigarette and exhaled the smoke into the night sky.

“Isshiki. Why do you think humans have such different physical characteristics?”

"What's this? Why suddenly biology class?” Isshiki asked in confusion.

"Just answer it."

Iroha was a little hesitant. But in the end, she obeyed her teacher's order.

"Isn't that because humans have some unique DNA information code or something?"

Hiratsuka blew another drag from her cigarette into the sky before nodding at the simple answer.

"Exactly. In fact, every cell in us has unique properties and is different from the others."

“And… so?” Iroha asked quietly.

Instead of answering, Hiratsuka asked back with a completely different topic.

“Why do you think we can recognise a sorcerer just from the residual energy they emit?”

“Because everyone's cursed energy feels different from everyone else's?”

Iroha answered uncertainly. However, once Hiratsuka dropped the question, it made her wonder about the existence of this energy.

People like Hachiman and Hakari, with special traits in their cursed energy, make their existence easy to recognise. However, even for those without special properties, there was something that allowed people skilled enough in cursed energy tracking to recognise them. But that wasn’t what stimulated Iroha's brain. Rather, the narrative that Hiratsuka built by comparing the genetic information that made each human's appearance unique with the fact that the cursed energy also felt so different in each person.

"Wait. Does that mean cursed energy also includes a collection of information that makes each human unique?” Iroha asked.

"Well, in fact, everything in this world is a manifestation of a collection of information. Our brains being able to describe it proves that the universe is an infinite canvas containing the scribbles that makeup life. However, our brain can't process everything because we’re limited in observing underneath.”

Hiratsuka took a deep drag on her cigarette, causing the tip to glow bright red. The woman then exhaled thick smoke into the air. Before continuing her words, she reached for her portable ashtray to throw away the ash.

"Humans need special tools to observe and decipher the information scattered in space and the quantum world. And just like that, we need jujutsu sorcery to understand the spiritual phenomena around us. However, even for someone on my level, there’s a certain limit to which I can understand cursed energy and control it.”

Hiratsuka closed her eyes, and the ridiculous face of the annoying white-haired man flashed into her head.

"Well, unless I’ve Six Eyes and an unrivalled brainpower like Gojo-san, maybe that would be a different story," she continued, joking a little.

The sound of the waves rolling towards the shore provided a calming background. The full moon that illuminated the night was reflected beautifully by the clear surface of the seawater. The tranquillity was enlivened by the sea breeze blowing and making their hair dance.

Hiratsuka stared straight at Iroha while the girl replied in confusion.

"And then, what about you, Isshiki? If it were you, would you understand the cursed energy better than me using your technique? It's your lifetime homework, by the way. No need to rush to find the answer. Just think it slowly."

—OoOoO—

The flashback of her training session with Hiratsuka ended with a big question remaining in her head. However, when she heard how Satoru tried to direct her thoughts, Iroha began to be able to put together the puzzle pieces that were scattered everywhere.

“Communication is a means of communicating. I use my technique to communicate telepathically by marking my targets using cursed energy on their concerns. However, if the cursed technique can activate because it’s powered by cursed energy, does that mean that the information, or in this case, the words I think about, is sent to their brains and vice versa? Or may every fluctuation in cursed energy contain a certain information code?

Iroha began to argue with how her technique worked. The more she thought about it, the bigger questions emerged. Of all the questions that rose to the surface, one really bothered her.

'Was my cursed technique really telepathic all this time? Or is telepathy just one of the things that can be done through my technique?'

Just like Satoru explained before. Generally, one would get a hint about how their technique worked when they first awakened it. However, the number of hints there were varies from person to person. In fact, in very rare cases, someone would have awakened their cursed technique without knowing what their technique was like and how it could work.

Iroha was one of those cases in which she had little clue when she awakened her power. With telepathy being the first thing she could instinctively do, she took to it and named her technique Telepathy. However, that understanding would undergo a radical shift from the moment she began to think about the true nature of her power.

“What does this ‘every fluctuation in cursed energy contains information’ mean?” Hachiman asked suddenly.

He just silently followed their conversation. Initially, it was nothing more than Satoru throwing a hot ball at his students so they could think it through. However, as time passed, it increasingly led to truly wild theories.

However, instead of having that question answered by Iroha, the white-haired man took over temporarily.

“It's simple. Every object that you can observe or feel must contain information. That's why our brain can process it. However, how much we can capture that information depends on how well our senses work as sensors."

“I understand that much,” Hachiman replied quickly, “It's like deaf people can't process sounds because their ears never pick up information in the form of sounds. Or blind people who don't know what colour is because their eyes can't see.”

Hachiman turned his gaze back towards Iroha.

"What I'm asking is, what did Isshiki mean by that?"

Iroha, who was stared at intensely, felt confused, and her brain automatically tried to find the right words to explain it. The girl glanced at Satoru from the corner of her eye, hoping he’d save her one more time. Unfortunately, like a pie in the sky, the strongest creature smiled innocently at his student.

Iroha snorted in resignation at the sight.

“Honestly speaking right…, I'm not sure how to put it into words. But if I borrow Hiratsuka-sensei's words, we can recognise someone we know with our eyes closed by sensing the residual energy they emit. This fact is a simple example of cursed energy as a unique information set. However, due to our shortcomings, there’s only a certain extent to which we can process the information in the cursed energy.”

Hachiman pinched his chin with a serious expression, to the point that his forehead showed skin folds.

"I never thought about it, but it sounds reasonable."

“And with my Six Eyes, I can process the information in that cursed energy in the smallest detail. That's why I can guess someone's cursed technique with just one look by paying attention to how their cursed energy behaves.”

Hachiman fell into deep thought after hearing that explanation. Something so simple that it could have been a game-changer, but he missed it for years. Even though it didn’t significantly impact in an instant, Hachiman believed a more thorough understanding could raise his level of cursed energy control to get closer to Hiratsuka's level.

On the other hand, that long premise, which the end had yet to be seen, made Iroha even more curious about the connection between her technique and the hypothesis-testing mission about breaking through the Tengen Barrier using Sukuna's finger.

“So, what should I do, Sensei?” asked the girl.

"Isn't that simple? Although not as good as my Six Eyes, your technique makes you very sensitive to cursed energy."

Satoru showed two of Sukuna’s fingers, which Hachiman had previously secured. However, unlike before, the cursed object had been handled properly and had been encased in a powerful seal. That caused the residual energy that seeped out to be very thin, almost impossible to trace unless you’ve got a certain method to support it.

"These objects emit a very thin residual and can even evaporate quickly in the air. However, small information about the cursed energy left behind remains if you pay close attention. Therefore, make yourself familiar with the cursed energy of these objects. After that, I’ll enter the Star Plasma Tomb while carrying these stinky things.”

Without waiting for a reply from his students, Satoru turned his back on them and walked towards the building.

“If Tengen doesn't let me in, I’ll destroy the barrier by force, so you should wait until Tengen creates a new barrier. But if I get permission, you can catch up with me in about 5 minutes. I should’ve arrived at the special warehouse by that time.”

The threat to destroy the barrier protecting the Tokyo Jujutsu High complex received an angry response from the people assigned to guard the building. However, Satoru seemed to cover his ears tightly and walked into the building with a big smile. Many things could be categorised as good news that he received today. But Iroha starting to put her foot down to take a step forward was what flattered her.

'All this time, I always thought Isshiki's technique was telepathic. Subconsciously, Isshiki's cursed energy flow acted so that it actually seemed like telepathy in my eyes. A cursed technique that can even deceive Six Eyes. That must be that technique, right? I'm excited to see what she's like in the future.'

—OoOoO—

Following Gojo Satoru, who had entered the Tomb a few minutes ago, Hachiman and Iroha walked hand in hand along the corridor that connected door to door within the barrier.

"The air is humid. I hate it," Iroha complained.

“What do you expect from a place like this? A grand interior with fresh air?”

“This is the way to Tengen-sama's residence, isn't it? At least they can clean it up, even if it's just a little."

The interior of the corridor leading to the Star Plasma Tomb bore similarities to a gloomy underground passage. About every ten metres, there would be a giant entrance, which was a 'door' that would randomly take someone to a certain location. Even though the appearance looked simple, their location would continue to change, and the thousands of doors would be scrambled. Reaching the Star Plasma Tomb without Tengen's permission was almost impossible unless you had enough strength to break through it forcefully.

"Instead of worrying about trivial matters, wouldn't it be better for you to focus on not losing the traces left by Sukuna's fingers?"

“It's not like I want to be chatty, but I can't stand this silence because I'm too nervous, you know?” Iroha replied.

The girl sighed as she closed her eyes for a few moments.

“Besides, after understanding what Sensei said, I don't think I'll lose track even if it's this thin, as long as other factors aren't altering the scene."

What Iroha did was similar to what a man named Toji did eleven years ago. What set them apart was that Toji, with his sharp sense of smell, could sniff out odours as thin as the air left behind by his targets. Meanwhile, Iroha utilised her technique to sense small details in the changes in the flow of cursed energy within the Tengen Barrier, caused by the intervention of a thin seepage of Sukuna's residual energy, to find out which path led her to the Star Plasma Tomb.

—OoOoO—

"It really works, huh? They'll be here soon. I can feel it," Satoru said loudly, not knowing who he addressed.

Sitting against the outer wall of the warehouse, Satoru bent his left leg with his left hand placed on his knee. Meanwhile, the other leg was straightened.

“Knowing the fact that anyone dares to infiltrate here in my era, whoever it is must have a threat level on the same level as Toji, right? But that's not what bothers me.”

Satoru stood up and cleaned his buttocks from the dust that had stuck to it. He warmed up a little to stretch his muscles.

“I know you heard me, Tengen. You must also feel that everything is going down all over the place after Toji's involvement, right? People thought that he was a bad omen. But isn't that you, Tengen?”

Satoru turned around and, through his blindfold, stared at the door that connected the warehouse to the shrine where Tengen was supposed to be hiding.

“If I kill you now, wouldn't that solve all the problems?”

Satoru said those threatening words without letting his cursed energy go uncontrolled. However, even though there was no pressure from it, the air around him seemed to vibrate, asking for forgiveness because it was threatened by the strongest being in the world. The temperature seemed to be in free fall, approaching zero. No one knew what kind of eyes were hidden behind the blindfold. However, without showing what was hidden beneath, everyone knew that they could die in an instant just by looking back at those eyes.

As if he didn't pay attention to his overwhelming intimidation, Satoru just returned his friendly smile.

“Don't sweat it. It was just a joke, you know? A joke. Killing you won't solve anything. You’re not a big deal, after all. But seeing anyone dare to go this far in my era, it just means whoever is behind it has a way to cripple me with cunning tricks. Because if they were confident in their strength, they would fight me head-on."

Satoru took a deep breath before continuing.

“Talking to cowards like you is useless. You know what? I always hate you. You are just an introvert who thinks everything will be fine if you stay within your fragile barrier."

Satoru finished his one-sided narrative, which he believed Tengen had heard. The man walked to the warehouse wall and leaned against it while waiting for his students. About a minute of time had passed, and the pair of teenagers finally reached their teacher's place.

“Welcome, the future heroes! How was your first trip to this shitty place?”

The two teenagers didn’t immediately reply. Hachiman studied the warehouse carefully before turning his gaze to Satoru.

"I didn't expect that the Tomb was actually a field covered with a giant tree and other small trees that looked withered."

"Yeah, if you ignore the Japanese-style shrine, this place’s more like the setting where witches live in Western films," Iroha added.

"Well, films or fairy tales about witches in the West are inspired by the ongoing conflict between jujutsu sorcerers on that continent. To the point that their organisations have to obscure historical facts into fairy tales about witches," replied Satoru.

It's an interesting story to discuss. However, they didn’t come here to learn about the history of sorcerers from other parts of the world.

"So, because Isshiki managed to infiltrate by following the thin trace left by Sukuna's fingers that I brought, it can be concluded that the mark in the form of a piece of soul information attached to that object can also be used for something similar."

“Aren't we jumping to conclusions too quickly? We should do some more tests, right?” Hachiman asked.

It was a correct and structured way of thinking about how to test a hypothesis. Just because the first try was successful didn’t mean the next try didn’t need to be done. In fact, it had to be done many times with different approaches and variables to see the accuracy and margin of error. However, Satoru felt that was unnecessary for one obvious reason.

“The Star Plasma Tomb was infiltrated by someone before. His method was pretty much the same. He followed the trail someone else left behind, although it wasn't cursed energy in his case."

Hachiman pondered for a moment until he finally sighed.

“Fine. If you think we've come to the right conclusion, then that's it."

“We've got the 'who' and the 'how'. Next is 'what', 'when', and most importantly, what will you do, Hachiman?” Satoru asked with an excited smile on his face.

“As for the 'what' and 'when', you already guessed it yourself, right?”

"I know. But do you want me to take care of everything? Isn't there some unfinished business between the two of you? Like your fear of that cursed spirit, perhaps?”

Hachiman's fists subconsciously tightened when he heard the white-haired man's words. Mahito, the name of the cursed spirit being discussed. Those close to Hachiman, such as Satoru, Hiratsuka, Haruno, Maki, and even Iroha, know that his fight against Mahito left Hachiman with a special trauma.

Mahito managed to touch Hachiman's head at that time. If it weren't for his good cursed energy reinforcement, his head might have exploded right then and there. In fact, with his defence at that time, Hachiman felt as if an incredibly strong force was trying to destroy him with just one touch.

Even though, in the end, the fear of the touch of Mahito's hand made Hachiman able to give variations to his Cursed Technique Reversal spell, that feeling wouldn’t just disappear unless he could outspokenly face the source of his own fear.

“Of course, I’ll catch him and kill him when he thought everything was under his control. Isn't that the most satisfying and beautiful victory?” said Hachiman.

However, before the guy talked about winning, he should be able to answer Satoru's basic questions.

Who would infiltrate? Clearly, it was a cursed spirit that turned Haruno into a sorcerer. How would he infiltrate? By following the marks, he left behind.

“The rest is 'what' and 'when', right? What he’s looking for is clear. It seems he wants to take Sukuna's fingers, which had previously been collected. And 'when'… we don't know when he’ll make his move.”

Iroha, who had only been listening to the discussion, also threw in her thoughts.

“He shouldn't attack at random times, right? I mean, with preparations like this, it seems impossible that they didn't calculate when the plan would be executed. Moreover, they must also be aiming for a moment where Gojo-sensei can’t take direct action.”

Hachiman covered his mouth with his right palm while adopting a thinking pose.

“This cursed spirit has a connection with the volcano cursed spirit I exorcised. The volcano head was able to ambush Gojo-sensei and me at exactly the right time as if he knew Sensei's schedule. If you consider this, it's possible that the enemy already has Sensei's entire schedule and habits."

Hachiman paused for a moment to take a breath.

“However, if it were me, I’d move under the assumption that Gojo Satoru had become aware of the traitor within the organisation who leaked his schedule. So, I’ll set the execution time of my plan to be strictly based on the benchmark that Gojo Satoru won’t leave Kanto for a while.”

"Of course, I won't leave Kanto," Satoru said simply, "I’ve great students I can rely on. So, I just tell them to take care of trivial matters."

“Eeh… that doesn't make things better, Sensei,” Iroha complained.

However, Hachiman was just silent and lost in his thoughts. He had laid out the logical basis for their game. Even if the considerations underlying when they would move were wrong, the condition that Satoru wouldn’t leave the Kanto Region was the worst-case scenario for the cursed group.

"Guessing when they will act will only give rise to many possibilities. If we continue to focus on that point, we could be fooled by their movements. In other words, instead of thinking about when we should lure them into executing their plans according to the expected date."

Hachiman then looked at Satoru sharply.

“The key is you, Sensei. As long as you stay in Kanto, no matter if you're in Chiba doing shit or going to Saitama to visit Tsumiki, as long as you're in Kanto, we can force them into the worst-case scenario."

“Ooh… interesting,” Satoru muttered while rubbing his chin.

Meanwhile, Hachiman took a breath before continuing his words.

"If you stay in Kanto, the only way they can divert your attention is to wreak havoc in Tokyo. But it wasn't enough to pull you out. However, what if it's not just ordinary chaos but also takes the people closest to you hostage, like your students?"

The case proposed by Hachiman was on the basis that even if Gojo Satoru saved the hostage, it’d be meaningless if there were still other powerful sorcerers in the Tokyo Jujutsu High area.

"If you want all the elements in Jujutsu High to move, it has to be at the Hyakki Yakou level like last year or attack the two Jujutsu headquarters directly," Satoru replied.

Hachiman nodded slowly, "If the enemy reflects on Geto Suguru's mistake this time, they shouldn't be stupid enough to divide their forces in half. That way, the most appropriate moment to divert your attention was where the important factors from Tokyo and Kyoto, which were enough to make the powerful people of Jujutsu High move, were in one place on the same day.”

"In other words…,"

Iroha trailed off, unsure if her guess was true. However, Hachiman gave the girl side eyes and nodded.

"If we continue to subject them to the worst-case scenario, then the greatest possibility that they will attack will occur during the Goodwill Event, which will be held in Tokyo."

After hearing his student's conclusion, which also matched his own, Satoru felt satisfied and had no power to hide his smile.

“That was a very good presentation, Hachiman. No missed points on your plan."

The white-haired man then walked away from the special storage warehouse.

“If there's nothing else to discuss, let's go. I hate staying in this place for long.”

Hearing Satoru's call, Iroha was the first to follow the man. Meanwhile, Hachiman stood with his head lowered, and his hands clasped tightly.

"There’s one more thing I want to say.”

Satoru and Iroha suddenly stopped and turned to look at Hachiman. Sensing that he had their attention, Hachiman took a deep breath to refuel himself.

“If it's about defence, I'm sure that cursed spirit won't be able to launch a fatal attack on me. However, winning the fight is another thing since I can't give him an effective blow. I mean, I’ve some plans to defeat him. But I want to make it an absolute win.”

"And so?"

Hachiman looked at Satoru with a serious look.

“It’s Nanami-san. Please help me persuade Nanami-san to fight alongside me later. Apart from that, I also want to ask Kusakabe-sensei to make me something.”

Hearing this request, Satoru just put on a sincere smile. That made Hachiman feel relieved. He was worried that Satoru’d reject his idea and insist he fight alone.

"Don't sweat it. Do whatever you want. After all, it's a good thing if you can be honest with yourself without hesitation. Remember what I said? Even if it seems trivial, even the slightest hesitation will greatly impact your mentality."

Hachiman nodded firmly at this agreement. He had made up his mind. His fight against Mahito wasn't about penance because of his guilt after letting Haruno cross over to the side of the jujutsu world. It wasn't because of unfinished business between the two of them. However, it was as simple as he wouldn’t escape his fear.

At that second, Hikigaya Hachiman had stepped forward.

—OoOoO—

Author Note: Hello, really sorry for the delay. I should have posted this yesterday, but things happened. So, I'm really sorry.

This is the chapter that will be the foundation for involving Hachiman in the Goodwill arc. Like, I can't just let him get involved without a good reason, especially since he's literally no longer a jujutsu student. So, how and for what purpose he fights is always an important factor for me when writing a plot.

Apart from that, I really enjoyed writing Iroha's exposition. Writing how characters develop is really fun, especially if the character has resolved their problems. Apart from Iroha, we also discovered here that Hachiman still has trauma after fighting Mahito. That's in line with what he said in the chapter after his fight against Mahito. And his resolution in this chapter is still related to the previous chapter, where Satoru talked about the key to making a break to a higher level.

Well, that's all from me. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Always be healthy and see you again.