Instance: Culling Game

After saying that, he went back to his usual flippant self, pulled a lollipop from his pocket, and popped it into his mouth.

"And that hit you landed on Sukuna just now wasn't bad~"

"Your execution was a little rough, and the terms of your binding vow were stupid enough to make me laugh, but full marks for creativity."

"Strengthening your attack in exchange for not attacking the possessed host... even I learned something from you there."

"Binding vows sure are strange. Can a vow whose conditions barely amount to a business card really exist...?"

Long Xi opened his mouth, wanted to speak, stopped himself, then wanted to speak again. In the end, he opted for selective amnesia and complained inwardly.

You were watching from the sidelines the whole time?

Then why didn't you come out sooner?!!

Megumi Fushiguro nearly got exorcised, you know?!

What were you doing when Yuji Itadori ate the finger? Munching sunflower seeds on the sidelines?!!

But he didn't say a single word of that aloud, because he knew perfectly well that this was just the kind of person Satoru Gojo was.

He had been the same in the original story. Despite having the power to prevent every tragedy, he chose to let his students experience things themselves and grow.

In his own words, he alone was too strong, so he needed to cultivate more strong people.

Although the logic sounded reasonable, anyone treated as a test subject really wanted to swear their head off.

Especially when he might receive the same treatment himself in the future...

[LMAO, Megumi Fushiguro nearly kicked the bucket while he watched from the sidelines. Isn't he afraid Megumi will tell him he's half a Creeper?]

[Classic Satoru Gojo move. Saw that coming.]

[So Satoru Gojo saw Long Xi's hit just now? Doesn't that mean he heard the terms of the binding vow too?]

[Speaking of which, does Gojo read porn doujinshi when he's horny?]

The barrage of comments flooded the screen, and Long Xi could feel the cursed energy inside him increase again.

His condition had now improved from "run over by a truck" to "merely hit by a bicycle." He still felt very weak, but at least he wouldn't collapse on the spot.

"Um... Mr. Gojo."

Long Xi called out tentatively.

Satoru Gojo turned his head, rolling the lollipop around in his mouth.

"Hmm? How did you know my name was Gojo?"

Long Xi's heart skipped a beat.

Crap. I think I let that slip. He hasn't even introduced himself, and I went straight to calling him by name.

Although Satoru Gojo was indeed famous in Jujutsu Society, how could an "undocumented Chinese guy who had only appeared in Tokyo eight days ago" possibly know his name?

Long Xi's mind raced, and within three seconds, he came up with a reasonably plausible excuse.

"...White hair, black blindfold, that kind of speed, and calling yourself the strongest."

"Even in China, Jujutsu Society has heard rumors about you."

"After all, you're the only bearer of the Six Eyes in the modern era. It'd be hard not to be famous... besides... don't underestimate my intelligence network!"

Satoru Gojo tilted his head and looked at him for two seconds, then shrugged.

"True. I am the strongest, after all~ It's only natural that my reputation precedes me."

Good grief, his narcissism really is exactly like it was in the anime. As long as you call him 'the strongest,' you can gloss over any hole in your logic.

Long Xi made a mental note: when talking to Satoru Gojo in the future, open by calling him "the strongest," finish by calling him "handsome," and say whatever he liked in between.

"All right, let's get things cleaned up here first."

"After all, I just missed something super interesting..."

"I was so busy watching you that I should probably check how Megumi Fushiguro and the others are doing~"

Long Xi braced himself against the wall. His arms still ached, and his chest remained scorching hot, as uncomfortable as if he had cosplayed Soldier Boy firing a blast from his chest.

The only reason he hadn't passed out was that his legs were merely a little shaky. It felt like he'd just run eight hundred meters and then been forced to do twenty burpees. He was already slightly dead.

Below them, Yuji Itadori had just regained control of his body and was looking around in utter confusion.

Megumi Fushiguro had been injured after the cursed spirit dragged him down. The Divine Dogs and Itadori had already helped him onto the platform on the other side, where he leaned against the wall, looking rather pale.

Long Xi was currently at the broken outer edge of the fifth floor, while Megumi Fushiguro and the others were on the second-floor rooftop passage connecting the two buildings.

The distance between them wasn't exactly short, but it wasn't particularly long either.

For Satoru Gojo, though, it was no different from taking a single step. Anyone else would at least have to jump off the building first.

So a second later, Long Xi felt his collar tighten.

"Huh?"

"Coming through."

Satoru Gojo sounded breezy, as though he'd caught a kitty in the recovery frames after an enhanced basic attack, and casually hauled him over from the fifth floor.

Wind swept past Long Xi's ears. When his feet first left the ground, he still wanted to maintain the poise of an expert, but his knees nearly buckled on landing. He almost performed an impromptu kneeling apprenticeship ceremony for the strongest.

Whether a rare shred of dignity or something else kept him upright, he didn't know. Either way, he couldn't kneel now!

His legs were already so weak they were starting to sing "Wings of Flight."

Satoru Gojo glanced at him, and his lips immediately curled upward as though he'd spotted a surprise gift.

"The way you look right now, you're like someone who blew all his money on pachinko in one go but still stubbornly insists he's doing great..."

"If you're not feeling well, lying down for a bit should be fine, right?"

Long Xi rubbed his neck, then felt as though he'd given himself a crick in it.

Should've just left it alone...

"At least I'm not dead..."

"That's true..."

"Which makes it even stranger!"

The night wind swept across the rooftop, carrying stone dust and the smell of blood. Distant streetlights shone in, leaving the small patch of wreckage half-lit and half-dark.

Satoru Gojo stood there, seemingly just looking at him casually, yet Long Xi felt as though he had been scanned from head to toe.

Is this the Six Eyes?

Being watched by someone like him is no different from getting a full-body CT scan, is it?

"Your strength seems to be gradually recovering. How fascinating... would you mind letting Shoko take a look later?"

"Can I refuse...?"

"No..."

"Then why did you ask?"

Their bickering, with neither giving the other any face, quickly drew the attention of the Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerer nearby who had nearly been exorcised.

Megumi Fushiguro held his wound and looked up at them.

"Mr. Gojo."

"We don't know who he is."

"And just now-"

"I know, Megumi."

Satoru Gojo raised a hand and gave a light wave, as if pushing all of Megumi Fushiguro's remaining words back down.

"But right now, there's something else I'm more concerned about."

As he spoke, he turned his head and asked quite naturally, "Where's Sukuna's Finger?"

The moment the question landed, the air fell silent for half a beat.

Long Xi didn't rush to answer.

Instead, he looked at the other two with a perfectly serious expression that said he could keep a straight face for another twenty thousand years.

Yuji Itadori was still sitting there. At the question, he froze, then raised a hand and pointed at himself.

"Um... if you mean that really disgusting thing..."

"I think I ate it."

Satoru Gojo went silent for a second, his whole art style turning chibi.

"Seriously?"

Then he obligingly played along.

"You've got quite an appetite..."

Long Xi almost lost his composure. Clearly, he still needed more training.

In short: he couldn't keep a straight face.

When other people heard that someone had swallowed a Special Grade Cursed Object, their first thought would be that something had gone horribly wrong. Was he instead considering the guy's potential as a mukbang streamer?

Truly... the thought process of a master...

You're killing my readers here...

Satoru Gojo walked over toward Itadori, his tone still relaxed, as though he had accepted this development long ago.

"Anyway, let me check first."

What happened next mostly lined up with the scenes in Long Xi's memory.

Satoru Gojo walked up to Itadori, crouched down, and studied him briefly before asking him to switch control and let Sukuna out.

Although Yuji Itadori was thoroughly confused, he was the sort to think, "You look reliable, so I'll trust you for now," and immediately did as instructed.

But after moving his arms a couple of times, before he could even take a stance, he stopped.

"...Huh?"

Satoru Gojo kept both hands in his pockets.

"What is it?"

Itadori frowned, clenched his fists hard, then patted his chest.

"He doesn't seem to be coming out."

"Not like he doesn't want to..."

"It's more like I can't sense him anymore."

At those words, even Megumi Fushiguro looked up.

Standing off to the side, Long Xi felt his heart skip a beat too.

Of course he knew Sukuna wasn't dead.

The problem was that this result clearly wasn't normal.

In the original story, the moment Sukuna came out, he practically wanted to stand on a streetlight and announce to the world that he was online, then borrow a minute to go play pachinko!

Now, one blast from Long Xi had sent him straight into lurking mode.

Surely I didn't hit him so hard he quit the game?

This time, Satoru Gojo was genuinely interested.

He tilted his head slightly, as though observing the state of Itadori's body, and the corners of his lips slowly rose.

"I see."

"Now that's interesting."

His tone was as airy as ever, but Long Xi distinctly heard a hint of seriousness.

Sukuna hadn't been exorcised.

But he had been wounded badly enough to become temporarily unresponsive.

That alone was absurd enough.

Satoru Gojo turned around and looked at Long Xi again.

"At first, I thought you were just a talented little surprise."

"Now it looks like you might be an off-the-charts surprise."

The corner of Long Xi's mouth twitched.

In a sense, his way of thinking is pretty novel too. Does that make me an SSR he pulled on a single draw?

But unlike that overgrown kid, Megumi Fushiguro was clearly still full of wariness and ready to turn into a Creeper.

Leaning against the wall, he made his way to Satoru Gojo's side and lowered his voice.

"Mr. Gojo, we don't know where this guy came from, and his cursed technique is dangerous."

"I know."

"But dangerous and interesting often come as a package."

After saying that, Satoru Gojo seemed to finally remember the other person beside him and mercilessly twisted the knife.

"By the way, I'm not calling you safe."

Long Xi said, "...Thanks for the reminder."

Satoru Gojo gave him a thoroughly affected smile.

"No need to thank me. Just treat me to dessert sometime!"

When did the world's strongest become the world's most shameless?

Still, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. At the very least... Satoru Gojo's presence had noticeably eased the atmosphere among them.

Yuji Itadori was still rubbing his head where he sat, clearly troubled by the troublemaker who had moved into his body, wouldn't pay rent on time, and occasionally stirred things up.

As for Megumi Fushiguro beside them, although his wary gaze kept flicking between the two, at least he hadn't turned into a Creeper.

He was already showing considerable restraint...

Unlike those two and their troubles, Long Xi, who had received his rewards, was having the time of his life.

[Episode one storyline complete. Livestream entering settlement phase.]

[Current viewing rating: B+! (New followers: 7,634)]

[Rewards issued: Advanced Study Card ×1 (raises any ability to level three), Cursed Energy Efficiency Card (increases cursed energy usage efficiency by 40%), moderate physical attribute increase, moderate cursed energy increase.]

[Hidden iconic scene achievement completed: I "hit" Sukuna?!]

[Rewards: moderate cursed energy increase; moderate physical attribute increase; custom Cursed Tool ×1.]

[Special instance unlocked: Culling Game!]