Although the contest over their fashion sense had ended without a winner, there was no denying that this had been Sherlock's happiest and most comfortable day since arriving at Jujutsu High.
Figuring that they were already out anyway, Satoru Gojo dragged Shoko and Sherlock off to have some fun.
He bickered noisily with Sherlock as they played games at the arcade, even competing in girl-group dances on the dance machines.
He dragged Sherlock to dessert shops to eat all kinds of sweets, strongly recommending that Sherlock try his favorites, then scoffed at Sherlock's highest praise for a dessert: "not too sweet."
They kept up their noisy fun until evening, when he dragged the other two out for barbecue and started an incredibly childish battle with Sherlock over the grilled meat at the table.
Shoko quietly followed along the entire time. For a moment, she even felt as though she had returned to her school days.
Only when she saw Sherlock's far-too-young face did Shoko remember that they had already been out of school for nearly two years.
A hint of nostalgia showed in Satoru Gojo's eyes as well, though his sunglasses hid it completely.
This first disciple of his, named Sherlock, gave him a familiar feeling reminiscent of Suguru Geto, yet he was also completely different from Suguru Geto.
Sherlock had nothing against sweets, although his highest praise of "not too sweet" was a little strange; Sherlock was very tolerant of him, but indulged him even more than Suguru Geto did in certain matters; Sherlock was never picky about food, but his favorite food was barbecue.
In all these little things, Satoru Gojo felt both nostalgia and familiarity, yet a sense of unfamiliarity as well.
Sherlock, for his part, did not seem particularly concerned about any of this. He did not even pay much attention to the nostalgic looks that occasionally surfaced in Satoru Gojo's and Shoko's eyes.
The reason he got along so well with Satoru Gojo was simple: Sherlock himself was hardly a serious sort.
After all, he had dared to lie about his age to sign up for a fan festival while still a minor. How could Sherlock be a normal person?
After the three had spent an entire day having noisy fun, they returned to Jujutsu High to find Masamichi Yaga standing there with a dark expression on the long stone staircase lined with torii gates.
But when he saw the three approaching, his thunderous expression relaxed for once, and an indescribable emotion flickered in the eyes behind his sunglasses.
In the end, Masamichi Yaga chose to leave before the three noticed him.
What Masamichi Yaga did not know was that Satoru Gojo's Six Eyes had clearly caught all of this.
Before Masamichi Yaga left, emotions surged fiercely in Satoru Gojo's eyes, which seemed like an expanse of sky, yet the same flippant smile remained on his face.
Sherlock said nothing about it. Only after they had taken Shoko back to the infirmary, while he and Satoru Gojo were walking toward the dorms, did he ask Satoru Gojo his question.
"Am I a lot like that person named Suguru Geto?"
Satoru Gojo froze for a moment at Sherlock's question, then broke into a cheerful smile. He slung an arm around Sherlock's shoulders before answering.
"No, Xia-chan, you're way more interesting than that squinty-eyed guy with the weird bangs!"
Satoru Gojo did not ask where Sherlock had learned about Suguru Geto, nor did he ask why Sherlock had asked such a question, but he gave Sherlock an absolutely objective answer.
Sherlock said nothing to Satoru Gojo's answer. With only memes left in his memory, Sherlock did not care whether he resembled Suguru Geto. He knew perfectly well that he was simply himself.
He had only asked to bring the matter out into the open. Surely he could not just watch Satoru Gojo and Shoko keep searching for traces of Suguru Geto in him, then keep sinking into them?
But Sherlock's silence led Satoru Gojo to get the wrong idea. Taking advantage of his height, Satoru Gojo vigorously ruffled Sherlock's hair and spoke to him with a serious expression.
"You're much stronger than that guy with the weird bangs, Xia-chan. As your teacher, I'm absolutely certain of that. It has nothing to do with you being my first student, or anything else.
"Xia-chan, never underestimate yourself too much. So far, you're the only person who's broken through your teacher's [Limitless] using nothing but a Cursed Technique, you know~"
Sherlock did not answer that. Instead, after taking a deep breath, he chose to move past the subject.
"Fine, I'll work hard to surpass you, then beat you up!"
Only then did Satoru Gojo break into a delighted smile. The hand resting on Sherlock's head gave it a light pat before he spoke breezily.
"Hahaha, you've still got a long way to go! But your teacher looks forward to the day you can beat me up!"
Sherlock rolled his eyes in exasperation at Satoru Gojo's reaction, then steered the conversation straight back to Suguru Geto.
"Speaking of which, sir, this so-called best friend of yours is really strange."
"?"
An enormous question mark popped up over Satoru Gojo's head at Sherlock's words. He quietly waited for Sherlock to continue, and Sherlock certainly did not disappoint.
"Is this best friend of yours mixed-race too? Why would anyone name their child Youjie-oil hero? Does his family sell cooking oil? But even if they do, surely they wouldn't advertise it through their child's name?
"And honestly, it's fine while he's young, but once he hits middle age, won't he be greasy in every possible way, from his name to his age?"
Silence.
Satoru Gojo fell silent for a long time after hearing Sherlock's remarks.
Just as Sherlock was having a wonderful time poking fun, he suddenly realized that Satoru Gojo had not made a sound for quite a while.
When Sherlock turned to look at Satoru Gojo, he found the guy biting his lip hard, his handsome features twisted beyond recognition from holding back his laughter.
Seeing Sherlock look over, Satoru Gojo could no longer contain his laughter. He burst into cheerful guffaws, even laughing so hard that he clutched his stomach and started rolling on the ground.
Only after quite some time did Satoru Gojo barely manage to get his laughter under control. He wiped away the tears that had spilled from laughing so hard, then patted Sherlock's shoulder and spoke.
"No, Xia-chan, Geto's surname is Xia You, not Xia like yours."
After a brief pause, Satoru Gojo's face once again broke into a smile he could not suppress. He cheerfully patted Sherlock's shoulder and continued.
"But don't worry. When I get the chance, I'll pass what you said today on to Geto. How did I never realize back then that the guy with the weird bangs didn't just have weird bangs, but such a funny name too!"
"If possible, you really don't have to..."
Looking at Satoru Gojo's regretful expression, Sherlock gave him that answer with a look of disdain.