At his words, the tension that had gripped Shoko's heart all night eased a little, only to be engulfed an instant later by surging anger and lingering fear.
Throughout the night she had spent beside his hospital bed, she had carefully examined Qingxiao's injuries several times-broken, displaced ribs, and large areas of torn and abraded flesh.
Although his injuries were not fatal, they had looked truly frightening.
Only after hearing Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto's account had Shoko learned the full story of the battle.
The moment she thought of how Qingxiao had looked last night, of staying awake through the night and repeatedly using Reverse Cursed Technique to mend his body, she could no longer hold back the accumulated exhaustion, fear, and suppressed anger.
Shoko's worried expression grew subdued. The gentleness faded from her eyes, their rims reddening faintly as a thin mist gathered in them.
Her lips pressed into a straight line, and even her voice carried a barely perceptible tremor. Her tone was grave and serious, every word weighted with restrained emotion. "Don't push yourself so hard next time."
After a brief pause, she looked at Qingxiao, who was still smiling. The anger in her eyes deepened, and she added a little weight to her reproachful tone. "You don't take care of yourself at all."
Until then, Qingxiao had still harbored a little excitement.
He could clearly sense the breakthrough in his growth: controlling Black Flash in succession, taking a Special Grade Cursed Spirit's attacks head-on with his body. That surge in strength had filled him with joy.
But that youthful delight vanished completely the instant he met Shoko's red, damp eyes, brimming with hurt and anger.
The sight of her holding back tears, her face taut as she refused to show weakness, left Qingxiao utterly panicked