"Riko! Are you all right?"
Gojo Satoru pushed open the classroom door, and a group of middle school girls turned to look.
The next moment, their eyes all sparkled!
"Ahhh! He's so handsome!"
"White hair! Is it natural?"
"Could he be mixed-race?"
"He's gotta be six-foot-two! Tall and handsome!"
"Handsome, could you take off your sunglasses so we can see?"
At the girls' eager requests, Gojo Satoru stylishly took off his sunglasses and flashed them a crooked, Dragon King-like grin.
"Ahhh..."
Watching her classmates go wild, Riko Amanai looked utterly confused.
What was there to like about this scumbag?
"Quiet! Everyone, back to your seats!"
The teacher rapped on the desk, and the students reluctantly returned to their seats.
"Excuse me, sir. Who are you here to see?"
Gojo Satoru leaned forward. "Hello, teacher. I'm here for Riko Amanai. I'm her... brother!"
The teacher nodded. "All right, Riko, you can leave with your brother."
Then the teacher turned around and discreetly handed Gojo Satoru a slip of paper. "Hello, this is my contact information!"
"..."
When Gojo Satoru and Riko Amanai left the classroom, Gojo Sawa arrived with Misato Kuroi.
Along the way, Gojo Sawa had also taken care of a Curse User hired by the Star Religious Group.
The guy, who wore a paper bag over his head and had a "clone technique," had been thoroughly beaten up by Sawa.
Although the crisis had been averted, what happened also meant that Riko Amanai's free time was up.
The higher-ups had even issued a strict order: the Star Plasma Vessel had to be taken to the Tombs of the Star Corridor as soon as possible.
Riko Amanai wasn't downcast when she heard the news. Instead, she seemed relieved.
"Time's up. Let's go!"
Watching Riko Amanai's back, Gojo Satoru suddenly called out, "Bro!"
Gojo Sawa scratched his head. "Honestly, one more day wouldn't hurt. What do you guys think?"
Gojo Satoru grinned. "I'm in!"
Suguru Geto shrugged. "I don't mind!"
Okinawa, beach.
"Woohoo!"
Gojo Satoru and Riko Amanai ran around on the beach, having the time of their lives.
Misato Kuroi watched with a pleased smile. "It's been so long since I've seen the young lady smile this happily!"
Gojo Sawa, standing beside her, looked exasperated.
What was this, playing the part of a butler from some wealthy family?
Watching Gojo Satoru run around, Suguru Geto turned to Gojo Sawa. "Sawa, you and Satoru have been maintaining Limitless this whole time, and you haven't slept in a day. Can you keep going?"
Gojo Sawa waved a hand. "No problem!"
Suguru Geto took a sip of coconut juice and muttered with dead-fish eyes, "Don't act like it's nothing. You might fry your brains!"
"You're right. There are a few things I should take care of."
Gojo Sawa took out his phone, typed a long message, and hit send.
Suguru Geto glanced at it from the corner of his eye. "Sending someone a flirty text?"
"Shut up!"
Gojo Sawa laughed and explained, "It was an email to Teacher Yaga!"
"Oh? What about?"
"Secret!"
"Tch."
"Hey, Geto!"
"What?"
Gojo Sawa's expression suddenly turned serious. "Do you think Riko merging with Tengen is really okay?"
Suguru Geto fell silent in thought. It was a long while before he spoke. "From the perspective of the greater good, sacrificing one person to ensure the stability of the whole world is the best solution."
"Even if I were the one who had to be sacrificed, I'd gladly accept my death. That's my resolve!"
"What about from your own perspective?"
Suguru Geto's gaze was firm. "This method... is bullshit!"
Gojo Sawa smiled.
"Geto, I have something to ask of you..."
"What?"
Suguru Geto's eyes widened in disbelief. "You're saying you and Satoru might lose?"
Gojo Sawa didn't make it sound certain. "I just have a feeling. Like the Grim Reaper's scythe is at my throat."
"Anyway, if that happens, I want you to take Riko to the designated location immediately."
"Can I count on you, my best friend?"
Suguru Geto rolled his eyes. "I'll do everything I can to help with whatever you ask. But it's hard to believe you'd say that you and Satoru might lose!"
"I told you, it's just a premonition!"
"Try not to have premonitions like that. They're bad for your health!"
Gojo Sawa rubbed his nose. "Sometimes, dying might not be such a bad thing."
"Huh?"
Suguru Geto stared at him in disbelief. "Sawa, have you lost your mind?"
"Geto, do you know why the three of us can't learn Reverse Cursed Technique?"
"Why are we talking about this again?"
"Focus, Geto. Don't you think it's strange?"
Gojo Sawa raised a finger, speaking seriously. "Do you remember when the three of us first learned to use Black Flash?"
"Of course I do."
The scenes from back then played through Suguru Geto's mind.
Black Flash!
When the gap between a physical hit and the impact of Cursed Energy was less than 0.000001 seconds, it caused a distortion in space.
It was a special technique no one could activate at will... except the three of them!
That was right. After Sawa first used Black Flash, he and Satoru followed suit and used it too.
But strangely, the three of them discovered that all they had to do was quiet their minds and strike along the flow of Cursed Energy to use Black Flash whenever they wanted.
It went completely beyond the experience and common sense of those who came before them!
"The fact that we can use Black Flash at will, against all reason, proves that the three of us have unparalleled talent!"
"...I didn't come here to listen to you brag."
"What I mean is, with talent like ours, learning Reverse Cursed Technique shouldn't be this difficult. We've studied with Shoko for so long. Even if her teaching is abstract, we shouldn't be completely clueless!"
Suguru Geto blinked. "So..."
Gojo Sawa smiled. "We're too comfortable! We've been living too comfortably!"
"We've got the title of the Strongest Trio, and every mission we've had so far has been a breeze. We've had no reason to get stronger!"
"The most remarkable thing about Reverse Cursed Technique is its healing power, which can bring someone back from the dead. But we hardly ever even get injured, so we've never felt the pressure of life and death!"
"So I was wondering if we should try walking along the edge of death. Maybe then we'd understand Reverse Cursed Technique!"
"Like that quote from Martin Heidegger... what was it again..."
Suguru Geto replied helplessly, "Only by coming close to death can we understand the true meaning of life!"
"Right, that's the one!"
"...Don't you think your idea is a little extreme?"
"Are you scared?"
"Everyone fears death. Anyone who says they don't is lying!"
Gojo Sawa smiled and leaned back in his chair, basking in the warm sunlight. "All right, all right. It's just a theory!"
Seeing Gojo Sawa close his eyes for a nap, Suguru Geto shook his head.
"Only by coming close to death can we understand the true meaning of life... Sounds pretty unreliable to me~"
Before you continue