A Hypothesis About the Cursed Technique, Speak of the Devil

Although Toho Che knew that this explanation was something he had made up to fool the others, and there was no way anything unusual could be noticed right now, he still straightened up and stared Gojo Satoru directly in the eye.

This somewhat strange scene made Geto Suguru feel a little amused, but he said nothing and merely watched the two quietly.

It was only after several minutes that Gojo Satoru sighed.

"No good. I still can't sense anything."

"What about you, Toho?"

"I can't sense anything either. It's strange. I could clearly detect the traces on those two seniors back then."

In response to Geto Suguru's question, Toho Che shook his head in feigned confusion, though he had also cast out a few hooks with his words.

Sure enough, someone meticulous immediately took the bait.

"Two seniors?"

"Yes."

He nodded.

"When I had just enrolled, I learned and mastered the basics under the guidance of two seniors. It was while I was spending time with them that I noticed the unusual traces in the flow of cursed energy around them."

When he heard a particular noteworthy word in that statement, Geto Suguru's eyes flickered, and a hypothesis arose in his mind.

"Then have you observed whether Ieiri has that kind of unusual flow?"

Gojo Satoru was still somewhat confused by those words.

But Toho Che sighed inwardly.

He had not expected Geto Suguru to notice the hook he had thrown out so quickly—the information he had intended to gradually reveal to Jujutsu High: he could only detect abnormalities in women.

Still, that was fine. Letting the higher-ups become aware of it through things occasionally overheard in their conversations would be far more convincing than telling the higher-ups directly himself.

So he pinched his chin and spoke uncertainly.

"I did try before. Unlike when I observed Gojo, Ieiri really does give me a hazy, indistinct feeling. It's very similar to what I felt from those two seniors, but far less pronounced."

After hearing that, Geto Suguru pondered briefly before giving the answer and speculation Toho Che wanted to hear.

"Could it be that your cursed technique only works on women?"

"Wait, so... he can only observe abnormal flows on women, but he can't observe mine?"

The person who had been completely out of the loop seemed to have finally caught on. However, the look he gave Toho Che was somewhat strange.

"Could it be... Toho, are you some hidden romantic? Or maybe a womanizer?"

Although the statement left him somewhat speechless, Toho Che's feelings were indeed rather complicated.

After all, from an ideological standpoint, he could be considered rather fickle, since he liked many female characters at once.

But from a realistic standpoint, neither of those titles had anything to do with him.

"Don't talk nonsense, Gojo. This only means Toho's cursed technique has a special set of rules and a particular operational pattern. It has nothing to do with his personality.

The Kamo Clan's Blood Manipulation has been passed down for so many generations. It's not as if everyone who inherited it had similar personalities, right?"

Perhaps because he was mindful of the Gojo Clan's unique circumstances, Geto Suguru did not use them as an example and instead mentioned another prominent family from the jujutsu world.

That made Gojo Satoru drop his earlier attitude. He waved his hand in exasperation.

"I was just joking. Why are you being so serious?"

"That kind of joke isn't funny. What if people start thinking I'm some lecherous fiend? I probably won't be able to stay at Jujutsu High after that, will I?"

Toho Che sighed helplessly, but he sent Geto Suguru, who had spoken up for him, a grateful look. After Geto Suguru returned it with a smile, he made another suggestion.

"Since the true effect of this cursed technique has yet to surface, perhaps you should conduct more relevant observations and experiments.

Ieiri happens to be our classmate. Why not discuss it with her and see whether you can..."

Though he knew Geto Suguru meant well, Toho Che still shook his head.

"I understand what you mean, but let's forget it for now. We have to consider Ieiri's feelings too, don't we? Suddenly asking her to let me observe her just feels a little inappropriate."

On one hand, this had only been an excuse to begin with. Furthermore, the underlying logic of his cursed technique meant that he could not deliberately approach someone with a utilitarian motive to improve their bond, so that method could never work.

If he really did it, it would be nothing but a waste of time.

On the other hand, although he and Shoko had grown somewhat closer, they were not friends yet.

Her personality was what it was.

If he rashly made such a request now, it might even make their relationship awkward instead. That was not something he wanted to see.

The moment he said it, Geto Suguru understood that he had made a bad suggestion. He had even been thinking that if Toho Che actually agreed, he would have to talk him out of it.

Now, it seemed that this mysterious classmate was far more levelheaded than he had imagined.

"That's true. That kind of request really would sound strange. You've only just managed to build a decent relationship, so it's better not to make things awkward."

At that, Gojo Satoru began looking around curiously.

"By the way, where's Ieiri? We've been training here for quite a while now, haven't we? Why hasn't she shown up yet?"

"No idea. But she is a girl. Maybe she took advantage of the day off to go shopping or wander around? That's only natural."

"That's true. Though maybe she's sleeping in? She always looks like she has no energy."

"Uh... that's not impossible."

Though the two of them were enthusiastically guessing, Toho Che knew that was not the case.

Because his room was by a window overlooking the campus, he had happened to see Shoko leave the girls' dormitory and head toward the infirmary last night while he was standing by the window, looking at the moon and thinking.

There had also been several cars parked on campus, with assistant supervisors periodically carrying people out of them and taking them toward the infirmary.

Thinking about it now, she had probably spent the entire night treating the wounded. Compared to conventional treatment methods, her externally applied Reverse Cursed Technique could restore injured people much faster.

But using Reverse Cursed Technique also consumed an enormous amount of energy, so she was probably resting now, wasn't she?

The guess was perfectly reasonable, but speak of the devil.

"You two are training so early in the morning. You really have plenty of energy. But haven't you been resting for too long? You even have time to gossip about me?"

Shoko Ieiri stepped onto the training grounds with a yawn, but the pointed implication in her words made them both freeze at once.

After all, they had just been speculating about someone behind her back, only for the person in question to suddenly appear before them. It was truly a little awkward.

"Gojo, why didn't your Six Eyes notice her coming...?"

"Are you an idiot? Constantly keeping track of your surroundings takes a lot of mental energy."

"But doesn't that mean we got caught red-handed?"

"Uh..."

Listening to their deliberately lowered voices, which were still perfectly audible, Toho Che sighed helplessly before looking at Shoko.

When he saw the faint dark circles beneath her eyes, he felt a trace of emotion.

He had known this day would come eventually, but he had not expected her to start working in the infirmary so soon.

He wanted to help the girl with some of the medical work, but it did not seem like the right time yet. He would wait until they had grown a little closer...

"They're just like that. Don't take it to heart."

Seeing the faint concern that unconsciously appeared in his gaze, Shoko Ieiri felt her mood become strangely complicated for no apparent reason.

But she did not say much. She simply sat down nearby and complained in exasperation.

"I've known what those two are like for ages. Why would I take it to heart? But shouldn't you get back to training? You've rested long enough, haven't you?"

At those words, Gojo Satoru and Geto Suguru seemed to have been granted a reprieve. They both sighed in relief and hurried back onto the training grounds to continue practicing.

After taking a long look at her, Toho Che also returned to his original spot and continued training his body and controlling his cursed energy.

Watching this, Shoko Ieiri yawned, only to find that she did not seem as sleepy as before. So she quietly watched the three of them training in the field and felt the breeze blowing over her.

She suddenly felt that a day off like this was rather nice too.