[You briefly checked the elderly curse user's condition and administered emergency treatment with "Reverse Cursed Technique."]
[It kept him from dying of excessive blood loss, though it certainly did not leave him hale and hearty either.]
[You gave him a quick search, opened his phone, and saw information identifying Riko Amanai's location, along with the thirty-million bounty on her on the black market.]
[You called Satoru Gojo. Things had been handled on his end as well; his opponent seemed to have been a curse user who could use a cloning technique.]
[The description left you quite interested in that cursed technique.]
[You also told them about the thirty-million bounty placed on Riko Amanai.]
[After contacting Window to handle the aftermath involving the curse user, you went to meet up with Satoru Gojo and the others, only to notice something off about the atmosphere.]
[You analyzed the cursed technique "Pseudo-Body Formation" from the subdued curse user wearing a paper bag over his head.]
["Pseudo-Body Formation" could create up to five tangible cursed energy clones. The original and the clones did not share pain, but they shared vision. As long as a clone remained, the original could instantly swap places with any one of them.]
[The drawback was that the clones had extremely poor resistance to attacks and would forcibly disperse after taking a certain amount of damage. Creating clones divided cursed energy evenly among them; the more clones there were, the weaker each one's attacks became.]
[But when you saw that Riko Amanai was also there and did not seem hurt, you asked in some confusion.]
["What's going on? Why does the atmosphere feel so strange?"]
[Suguru Geto opened Riko Amanai's phone and showed you the photo she had received. It showed Misato Kuroi tied up.]
["Has Miss Kuroi been kidnapped?"]
[Suguru Geto immediately spoke in frustration.]
["Sorry, that was all my mistake. I misjudged Miss Kuroi's value to the enemy and left her to act alone."]
[Hearing that, you roughly pictured what had happened and patted Suguru Geto on the shoulder to reassure him.]
["Under those circumstances, it hardly counts as a major mistake. Besides, their ultimate target can only be Riko, so relatively speaking, Miss Kuroi is safe for now."]
[Satoru Gojo clearly agreed with you and spoke up.]
["They'll probably demand a hostage exchange next, right? Something like trading Amanai for Miss Kuroi, or saying Kuroi dies unless we kill Amanai. Either way, we're still in control. We just need to take Amanai back to Jujutsu High as planned and have Shoko act as her double."]
[Riko Amanai immediately protested from beside you, speaking loudly.]
["W-wait! I shall accompany you to the exchange, because I still cannot fully trust you!"]
["Huh? You little brat, you're throwing a tantrum at a time like-"]
["Even if you can rescue Kuroi, what if you cannot bring her back before the merger!? I have not even said goodbye to her...!?"]
[By this point, Riko Amanai's tears were flowing uncontrollably. She anxiously clutched her skirt with both hands to ease her unease.]
["..."]
[Seeing Riko Amanai like this, Satoru Gojo finally relented.]
[But he still questioned Riko Amanai seriously.]
["The kidnappers will contact us soon, and if they offer an adequate exchange, bringing you along will actually lower Miss Kuroi's chances of survival. In that case, I'll still leave you here. But on the flip side, if you get scared halfway through and cry about wanting to come back, I won't listen. Be prepared for that."]
[Riko Amanai wiped away her tears at his words and answered seriously.]
["I understand. That is fine."]
[A few hours later, the kidnappers contacted you, and the final exchange location was confirmed to be Okinawa.]
[Without another word, you contacted Jujutsu High, had them arrange the earliest flight, and flew to Okinawa.]
[Fortunately, the trip was uneventful. No other curse users appeared aboard the plane, and with Suguru Geto's Rainbow Dragon escorting it outside, there was little danger.]
[You arrived in Okinawa without trouble. Everything went surprisingly smoothly.]
[After sending a Grade 4 Cursed Spirit through the walls and confirming that the kidnappers were merely a few ordinary members of the Time Vessel Association, you simply broke down the door and rescued Misato Kuroi.]
[Everything went so smoothly that it made you suspicious. What exactly was their real objective? Why had they specifically chosen somewhere as far away as Okinawa?]
[It seemed as though they had never expected this kidnapping to achieve anything substantial in the first place.]
[Or was all they wanted simply for the group to come to Okinawa?]
[Or had they actually already achieved their objective?]
[It bothered you that, even today, you had not seen the slightest trace of Toji Fushiguro.]
[Once the business in Okinawa was settled, the trip turned into accompanying Riko Amanai on a sightseeing tour.]
[Satoru Gojo even took Riko Amanai's feelings into account and postponed the return trip until the third day.]
[Worried that something unexpected might happen, he also called in the first-years Kento Nanami and Yu Haibara to Okinawa.]
[But with "Phantom Parade," you analyzed Satoru Gojo's and Suguru Geto's cursed techniques whenever you had nothing else to do, and you noticed something. You pulled Satoru Gojo aside and asked.]
["Ever since we started taking Riko with us, you haven't deactivated 'Limitless,' have you? That means you didn't even sleep last night, right?"]
[Satoru Gojo paused briefly, then said with a smile.]
["That's Shunchen for you. You've got a pretty good grasp of things."]
[Judging by Satoru Gojo's expression, he clearly had not paid much attention to what you were implying and had no intention of changing the plan to return tomorrow.]
[As Satoru Gojo turned to go back to fooling around with Riko Amanai, you grabbed his clothes and asked solemnly, your tone turning quite serious.]
["From the looks of it, you're planning to keep this up tonight too. Barring any surprises, the enemy on the final day will probably be the strongest one we face on this mission. Are you sure you'll be able to handle them in the state you'll be in tomorrow?"]
[Satoru Gojo turned to look at you, studying your expression.]
["This merger only happens once every five hundred years. Tomorrow is their last chance to make a desperate final attempt. Even you might slip up...!"]
[Although you did not say it outright, what slipping up in that kind of battle meant went without saying.]
[Satoru Gojo simply smiled and patted your shoulder.]
["You're underestimating me a little too much. I'm the strongest, you know. Besides, I've still got you and Geto, don't I? You'd better do a good job handling support for me."]
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