This Geto Is Such a Loser

When the dim streetlights came on, Toho Tetsu finally finished studying barrier techniques and returned to his room.

Since Utahime and Mei Mei had gone out of town on a mission these past few days, he had to study on his own—or rather, make up for his lagging progress in barrier techniques.

After all, Utahime had always been far ahead of him in barrier techniques. If he wanted to realize the idea the two of them had discussed, he needed to put more effort into this area.

Fortunately, once formal school life began, he no longer needed to take missions every day for the time being, leaving him with more time to devote to training and practice.

Thinking as he went, he sat down on the bed and began recalling what had happened during the day.

There was naturally no need to mention the sparring between Gojo and Geto. Their clashes were reasonable and beneficial; these two could actually strengthen their bond through this sort of back-and-forth.

That much was apparent from the noticeably more relaxed atmosphere between them after the sparring ended.

As for accidentally saying the same thing as Shoko, that had been an amusing little interaction. But with her personality, it would still take a long time for her to truly grow close to the others.

What he truly cared about now were the words Yaga Masamichi had said to him after calling him aside...

"Toho, you know about the Gojo Clan's Six Eyes, don't you?"

Yaga Masamichi looked at him solemnly as he spoke. Only after seeing him nod did he continue.

"Actually, while you were training and practicing before, Jujutsu High had always had something it wanted to confirm. But there was no good way to do so until the day school began, when we finally got an answer through that Gojo kid's Six Eyes."

Toho Tetsu had more or less guessed what he was about to say.

"There is an innate technique within you."

As he spoke, he stared intently at Toho Tetsu. It was impossible to tell whether his expression held joy or regret, and at the same time, he recalled what the higher-ups had told him before.

"According to that boy from the Gojo Clan, although its type cannot be determined, Toho Tetsu does indeed possess an innate technique. There are abnormal traces within his body."

"What should we do now?"

The current principal considered it for a moment.

"Since it is an unknown innate technique, developing it will likely take a great deal of effort. For now, we will provide him with some teaching materials and the experience of those who came before him, allowing him to explore it himself while we collect his thoughts and data regarding innate technique development."

At that thought, Yaga Masamichi's eyes flickered. However, he did not rush into the main matter, instead deciding to gather some information first.

"So, during this period of training, have you ever sensed anything related to an innate technique?"

Faced with this question, Toho Tetsu paused, then deliberately shook his head in confusion.

"No... Although I know what innate techniques are, I don't think I've ever felt anything like that. When cursed energy flows through my body, nothing strange seems to happen either."

This was an explanation he had prepared long ago.

He had considered revealing part of his innate technique's effects at an appropriate time, but definitely not now. This needed to be a gradual process. For now, all he had to do was reveal a tiny abnormality.

"Wait, there might actually be something different..."

"When I trained with Utahime and Mei Mei before, I seemed to be able to vaguely sense the flow of cursed energy in their bodies—or rather, strange fluctuations and changes..."

He spoke hesitantly as he looked at Yaga Masamichi.

"Does that count as an innate technique ability?"

Yaga Masamichi furrowed his brow and began searching through his memories. As a teacher and a core member of Jujutsu High's lower ranks, he knew information on many students' innate techniques, but... he seemed never to have seen one with a similar effect.

Being able to sense the flow of another person's innate technique... What was that? Overly powerful perception? Or some kind of perception-type innate technique?

For a moment, he was stumped. With no reliable idea in mind, he could only shake his head.

"I'm not too sure about that either. Once I return, I'll contact the Assistant Supervisor department and have them search for similar records.

For now, take these and study them yourself."

As he spoke, he handed Toho Tetsu several books that looked like notebooks and diaries.

"I understand. Thank you for your help, Teacher Yaga."

"Mm... Be careful when developing your innate technique. Although it sounds like a perception-type technique, it may have other effects as well. If you make any progress, you can discuss it with Gojo and the others, or come find me."

"I understand."

The conversation ended there. As Toho Tetsu recalled what he had said, nothing seemed out of place, and he let out a slight sigh of relief.

His claim that he could sense the special flow of cursed energy in Utahime and Mei Mei was merely an opening.

What he intended to tell others was that his innate technique resembled imitation and learning. By spending time with women, he could imitate the circuits of their innate techniques, imprint them into his own body, and use them.

That would explain why he could obtain other people's abilities.

As for why it had to be women, he could come up with any excuse he wanted. For example, it might be related to cursed energy attributes, or perhaps it was simply how things were and beyond his control.

After all, innate techniques were inherently unreasonable. Why did the Ten Shadows Technique, which summoned the same shikigami, exist? Why could the Gojo Clan's Limitless only be inherited through bloodlines?

Even the higher-ups themselves could not figure those things out, so they probably would not dwell too much on this matter.

Moreover, he had to drag out the process so others would know that imprinting someone else's innate technique required a long period of contact, learning, and imitation.

Only then could he minimize the possibility of Jujutsu High deliberately sending people to his side for him to imitate. After all, the conditions for using his innate technique were right there.

It would also put those old men among the higher-ups at ease, so they would not need to worry about their family's inherited techniques being learned by someone else.

Of course, for the short term, he would still claim that he could not sense any special abilities. After all, developing and researching an innate technique was an activity that took quite a bit of time.

After deciding how to deal with the higher-ups, Toho Tetsu casually picked up the notebook on innate technique development that Yaga Masamichi had given him.

There was still some time before bed, and he had nothing else to do. Although phones already existed in this era, their entertainment value and functions were extremely underdeveloped. There was nothing fun about them at all, so he might as well learn something instead of looking at his phone.

As for watching television... having come from a later era, he had long grown unused to that form of entertainment. Though the dorm room came equipped with a television, he had not turned it on even once since moving in.

Just then, someone suddenly knocked on the door, and he answered in surprise.

"Come in."

The door opened. When the visitor walked in and saw the open book before him, he revealed a slightly surprised expression.

"Toho, you're still studying this late?"

Seeing that the visitor was Geto Suguru, now dressed in casual clothes, Toho Tetsu was somewhat surprised, but he still set the book aside and stood up.

"There's still some time before bed, and I didn't have anything to do, so I was reading some materials and books. You came to see me because...?"

Seeing how he acted as though all this were only natural, Geto Suguru fell silent.

In his eyes, Toho Tetsu was highly talented and diligent in his usual training. Yet he had not expected him to read and study even during the evening hours meant for rest.

Perhaps... this was why he had surpassed him in cursed energy control and hand-to-hand combat in just a few short months... Maybe he should learn from him as well?

Thinking this, he spoke with some embarrassment.

"Actually, I came to ask how you trained your hand-to-hand combat. When you dodged our attacks, it was almost as if you could foresee them in advance. Gojo can do that with the Six Eyes, but how did you manage it?"

After pouring him a cup of tea, Toho Tetsu told him about his training method.

"Actually, when I practiced real combat before, I trained with a senior. We would enter the mountain forest behind the school, find Grade Three and Grade Four cursed spirits, and let them attack us while we dodged, training our anticipation and footwork."

Seeing him tell him all this without holding anything back, Geto Suguru was surprised and moved. He immediately followed up with another question.

"Is there anything else?"

After pondering for a moment, he told Geto Suguru some of his other insights. Geto Suguru's eyes lit up again and again, and in the end, he sighed as though he had gained a wealth of experience.

"I understand now. No wonder you're so skilled at hand-to-hand combat. But... is it really all right to tell me this so easily?"

Looking at those slightly confused yet thoughtful eyes, Toho Tetsu simply smiled.

"We're classmates, after all. We'll be partners working together and taking missions in the future. If everyone gets stronger, missions will be safer too, won't they?"

Hearing those sincere and heartwarming words, Geto Suguru was somewhat moved. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly noticed the room door being thrown open, followed by a somewhat familiar flippant voice.

"Toho~ I came to play with you. Wait, why are you here too?"

The newcomer was none other than Gojo Satoru. He too had changed into casual clothes, but unlike Geto Suguru, he was carrying a device that resembled a game console in his arms.

When he saw Geto Suguru there as well, he revealed a somewhat surprised expression.

Geto Suguru merely frowned at the sight of him.

"Gojo, isn't knocking before entering someone else's room the most basic courtesy? As the heir of the Gojo Clan, surely you don't fail to understand even that?"

Hearing those tiresome, preachy words, Gojo Satoru merely curled his lips and casually sat down on the bed.

"You're way too nosy. Aren't we all classmates? What's wrong with dropping by someone's room? Besides, Toho hasn't said anything."

After saying that, he raised his brows and winked at Toho Tetsu, making him unable to suppress a laugh. He hurriedly stopped the two, who seemed about to start arguing again.

"All right, all right. Gojo isn't wrong either. We're all classmates and friends, so dropping by is no big deal. But this is...?"

His gaze lingered on the device tucked under Gojo Satoru's arm, because it appeared to be connected to two controllers.

Seeing him notice what he was carrying, Gojo Satoru wore a mysterious expression.

"I came to see you, of course, for another showdown. But this time, not with innate techniques or hand-to-hand combat—it's a game!"

As he spoke, he raised the device high.

"Ta-da! The old men at home gave me this. Apparently, it's an unreleased game console developed by O Nintendo. It has lots of fighting games on it. You've definitely never seen anything like it, right? Want to give it a try?"

Toho Tetsu was tempted. After all, he had only decided to read through the notes because he was truly bored.

Besides, ever since coming to this world, he seemed not to have done anything for entertainment or relaxation. Playing this now seemed pretty good.

Geto Suguru, however, looked at Gojo Satoru with a rather subtle expression.

"What's so good about games? And this is yours, isn't it? You must have played the games in it long ago. I seriously suspect you came to find Toho now because you want to beat him at this and vent some of your frustration from earlier today..."

Hearing those words that struck directly at the truth, Gojo Satoru did not deny it.

"Let's say that's true. What, don't you want to do the same?"

Geto Suguru's mouth twitched.

"I won't do something so frivolous. Rather than waste time on these things, I'd rather study for a while longer..."

Seeing him seemingly back down, Gojo Satoru began spouting nonsense instead.

"That's where you're wrong. You should know that this kind of thing can train your reactions and focus too. If you can accurately predict every move your opponent makes in a game and react to it, you'll definitely improve accordingly in real life."

Halfway through, a hint of provocation appeared in his eyes.

"Or are you too scared to lose to me again, so you don't dare?"

That struck directly at Geto Suguru's weak point. He frowned, then took the controller Gojo Satoru offered him.

"Fine, let's do it. When you lose to me later, don't you dare make excuses. And don't use the Six Eyes to peek at my movements!"

Gojo Satoru, who had been prepared to cheat by observing Geto Suguru's movements, curled his lips. He connected the game console to the television and began selecting a game.

Watching the two eagerly battle each other, Toho Tetsu was briefly stunned, but then smiled knowingly.

Before long, the boys' shouts drifted out of the room.

"Wh-what? You're actually pretty good at this. You must have secretly played before, so much for games being frivolous!"

"Hmph, if you're going to provoke me, you'd better be prepared to lose. Take this!"

"Do you only know how to use such cheap moves? Damn it, watch my signature move!"

"What!?"

The night still seemed long.