The group of four spent four full days in Hokkaido, and Sherlock paid all their hotel expenses out of the compensation the old fossils had given him.
Satoru Gojo did not care in the slightest that Sherlock had covered the bulk of their vacation expenses. He dragged Sherlock around, having fun without a care in the world, and Sherlock had just as much carefree fun with him.
Masamichi Yaga and Shoko, on the other hand, felt somewhat embarrassed. After all, they were not shameless Dickhead Cats like Satoru Gojo, who could take advantage of a junior like Sherlock without a shred of guilt.
So, after giving it a little thought, Shoko discreetly consulted Utahime and ultimately picked out a gift that no normal boy could possibly refuse.
What? Why specify "normal"?
Because abnormal ones existed, of course! Take that Dickhead Cat, for instance!
And what exactly was Shoko's gift to Sherlock? An exquisite, engraved, large-caliber Smith & Wesson Model 29 revolver!
To quote what Shoko had learned from Utahime, no boy in his edgy teenage phase could resist the allure of weapons. Although this thing was not particularly useful against cursed spirits, it worked very well against curse users!
And the facts proved Utahime right. The moment Sherlock received the revolver, he loved it so much that he practically wanted to sleep with it in his arms. Especially after learning from Satoru Gojo that jujutsu sorcerers could carry firearms, Sherlock declared on the spot that this was his signature weapon.
Although Satoru Gojo and Masamichi Yaga did not entirely agree with Sherlock's declaration, neither argued with him. They could both tell that Sherlock genuinely loved the revolver.
Jujutsu sorcerers were under tremendous pressure to begin with, so it was normal for them to like all sorts of things. Among jujutsu sorcerers, where lunatics were everywhere, Sherlock's fondness for weapons could even be considered normal.
Masamichi Yaga merely told Satoru Gojo not to let Sherlock become so obsessed with firearms that he neglected his own training, and that settled the matter.
What Masamichi Yaga could never have imagined, however, was just how utterly shameless the things this revolver would unleash in Sherlock's hands one day would be.
Likewise, Satoru Gojo could never have imagined what a wreck his future reputation would become because of the revolver Shoko had given away.
Of course, that was all a story for later.
After Shoko gave Sherlock his gift, Masamichi Yaga naturally wanted to give him something as well, but Sherlock refused without hesitation. Instead, he proposed that Masamichi Yaga treat them to a meal, a suggestion that Satoru Gojo and Shoko supported with both hands.
And so, at Hokkaido's most expensive king crab restaurant, the three little bastards actually ate their way through an entire month of Masamichi Yaga's salary!
Sherlock was one thing, but those two fuckers, Satoru Gojo and Shoko, actually kept using Reverse Cursed Technique to reset their stomachs, just so they could eat away a little more of Masamichi Yaga's salary.
Watching even Shoko get led astray by this unreliable master-and-student pair and begin sprinting down the road of unreliability, Masamichi Yaga's fists were already clenching.
After paying the price of a month's salary, he firmly demanded that everyone return to school first thing on the morning of the fifth day.
Naturally, the Dickhead Cat, who had not had enough fun yet, was thoroughly unwilling to face such an unyielding Principal Yaga. In the end, amid his muttered grumbling of "I told you we shouldn't bring Yaga," he successfully earned himself yet another round of Masamichi Yaga's righteous instruction.
Under the great Principal Masamichi Yaga's tyrannical authority-or iron fists-Sherlock, too, had no choice but to tuck his tail between his legs and obediently use his cursed technique to send everyone back to Tokyo Jujutsu High.
This was Masamichi Yaga's first time experiencing Sherlock's cursed technique while conscious. Although jumping from one place to another in the blink of an eye after space warped felt somewhat dizzying, as a principal and veteran jujutsu sorcerer, Masamichi Yaga recognized the potential of Sherlock's cursed technique almost immediately.
After Sherlock transported everyone back one by one, a grim-faced Masamichi Yaga sent Sherlock and Shoko back to their dorms to rest, then grabbed Satoru Gojo by the ear and dragged him straight into his office.
The instant the office door closed, Masamichi Yaga began reprimanding Satoru Gojo with a dark expression.
"Satoru, don't tell me you don't understand Sherlock's strategic value!"
Only upon hearing Masamichi Yaga's words did Satoru Gojo put away his flippant Dickhead Cat attitude, though he still wore a self-satisfied smile as he answered.
"No, Yaga. I know perfectly well that little guy will grow strong enough to surpass me!"
Masamichi Yaga had not expected Satoru Gojo to think so highly of Sherlock at all, and waited in some confusion for him to continue. Satoru Gojo did not disappoint him, openly telling Masamichi Yaga that Sherlock could break through Limitless if the conditions were met.
After hearing Satoru Gojo's words, Masamichi Yaga's expression grew even darker, while Satoru Gojo remained utterly unconcerned.
Seeing Satoru Gojo like this infuriated Masamichi Yaga, who cautioned him with a gloomy expression.
"Satoru, you need to understand that once the higher-ups learn about this, they'll spare no effort to win Sherlock over and turn him into a weapon against you."
"Doesn't matter. I'm the strongest anyway!"
Faced with Masamichi Yaga's warning, Satoru Gojo remained just as unconcerned. Only when he turned to look at the sunlight outside the window did an indescribable tenderness show in his eyes.
"It'll come out sooner or later, Yaga. As long as Sherlock keeps attending Jujutsu High, and as long as those old fossils don't die, they'll eventually learn how Sherlock's cursed technique works. And they'll easily deduce that Sherlock can break through Limitless.
"And what I need to do isn't snuff out a student who could threaten me, but protect him with my life, teach him everything I know, and then trust him the way I trust myself. That's enough."
Even Masamichi Yaga could not help freezing for a moment at Satoru Gojo's words.
Having seen so much of Satoru Gojo's unreliable Dickhead Cat behavior, Masamichi Yaga sometimes even found it startling when he became serious.
He wanted to open his mouth and praise Satoru Gojo for growing up, but when he thought of what had caused that growth, he ultimately forced the praise back down.
All the things he could have said ultimately became a single, seemingly useless reminder.
"As long as you're sure, Satoru!"
The shifting expressions on Masamichi Yaga's face, like colors on a palette, naturally did not escape Satoru Gojo, the bearer of the Six Eyes. The instant Masamichi Yaga said those words, Satoru Gojo reverted to his Dickhead Cat ways.
"Don't worry, Yaga. I'm the strongest!"
Though I've already been left behind once...
After silently completing the second half of that sentence in his heart, Satoru Gojo seemed to regain the youthful swagger he had possessed only during his days at Jujutsu High.
Seeing Satoru Gojo like this, Masamichi Yaga said nothing more. He merely offered him a silent apology in his heart.
The seemingly unhealable rift in the hearts of this awkward master and student had, because of one not-so-reliable student, actually begun to heal a little.
Even if it was only a little.