A surging sense of betrayal washed over me. I turned my head to glare at Mei Mei, who met my gaze with an innocent, wide-eyed look before finally bursting into a fit of stifled laughter, as if she could no longer hold it in.
"Pfft... I‘m sorry. I‘ll explain everything, so could you please stop making that face? It makes me feel like a truly terrible person."
"In my eyes, you‘re already a terrible person, Mei-san," I replied, making no effort to hide my bitterness.
"Let me explain. It was your first mission. My priority was to gauge your level, so I intended to stay out of it as much as possible."
"Then wouldn't it have been appropriate to step in when the second cursed spirit suddenly lunged out?"
"By then, I already knew exactly what you were capable of. I decided my intervention was unnecessary and left it to you. It was a good chance to see how you handle unexpected variables. And honestly, you weren't in any real danger, were you?"
"Well, I suppose that‘s true, but..."
While I understood her logic, the fact that she had deceived me still stung.
"It's still disappointing. You could have just told me from the start."
"Where‘s the fun in that? Besides, I‘m worried that you‘re far too trusting, Touya. I‘m afraid you‘ll fall hook, line, and sinker for anything a pretty older girl tells you."
"I‘m not usually this easy to fool. I just didn't expect you to lie in a situation like that. Anyway, since you put me through all that, you're buying dinner today, Mei-san."
"Fine, fine. I surrender. Let's head out. What do you want to eat?"
Just as I was about to consider her offer, Satoru cut in.
"Sushi! Let‘s have sushi!"
"Satoru. Mei-san was asking Touya, not you," Suguru said, his tone resembling a patient parent scolding a child. Satoru didn't even pretend to listen.
"Let‘s eat sushi. How about it, Touya?"
"Sushi sounds good. Does anyone have a problem with that?"
Seeing everyone shake their heads in agreement, I looked at our senior.
"Then sushi it is, Mei-san."
"Great. Now that that's settled, let‘s go. I know a good place I can take you all to."
As we followed Mei Mei out through the school gates, Suguru stepped up beside me.
"Touya. Aren't you being a bit too soft on Satoru?"
"There‘s a reason for it, Suguru. If things don't go Satoru's way, her mood takes a nosedive. She tries to accommodate us in her own way, but still..."
"I see. You really do understand Satoru well."
"Of course. I probably know her better than her own clansmen do."
Curious about our conversation, Satoru suddenly ran up and leaped onto my back, clinging to me.
"What are you two whispering about? Don't leave me out!"
"You. We were talking about how selfish you are."
"What‘s wrong with being selfish! Someone like me is allowed to do whatever I want," she chirped, resting her chin on my shoulder.
I tightened my grip on Satoru as she wriggled on my back. I found the soft sensations pressing against my spine deeply distracting.
'Does she seriously not realize she‘s a full-grown woman...?'
"Fine. Do whatever you want, Satoru. As long as you‘re prepared to handle the consequences yourself."
I nodded dismissively, humoring her just to get her to stop squirming.
"Mm-hmm, exactly. Touya really is the only one who understands me."
Once Satoru finally settled down, I turned my attention back to Suguru.
"By the way, Suguru... Satoru and I were born into the Great Three Families, so our path was more or less set... but why did you decide to become a jujutsu sorcerer?"
This was an incredibly important question. Considering the future events that would be triggered by Suguru's own convictions, I needed to know where he stood.
"Hmm... why did I decide to become a sorcerer?"
Suguru pondered for a moment before offering a gentle smile.
"I believe it's like this: jujutsu sorcerers exist to protect non-sorcerers—the weak. Ever since I became a sorcerer, my primary thought has been that I want to save even just one more innocent soul from falling victim to a curse."
'Just as I thought... at this stage, Suguru is still... dangerously naive.'
I bit my lip, choosing my words carefully before speaking in a low, measured voice.
"I don‘t see it that way. I‘m not saying you‘re wrong—there‘s no objective right or wrong in personal beliefs. However, discard the idea that every non-sorcerer you save will be a 'good' person."
Suguru looked taken aback for a second, then gave a sheepish laugh.
"Haha... Touya. Why the sudden gravity?"
"Because that mindset will eventually devour you. Sorcerers must protect non-sorcerers. We fight curses for that reason. But can a sorcerer be guaranteed victory against every curse? No. Even the strongest sorcerers at this college can die in battle against a curse in an instant."
Suguru‘s expression hardened. He came to a complete stop and stared at me.
"Touya. What exactly are you trying to say? Are you telling me to abandon my convictions?"
"I understand if this makes you angry. My point is... think carefully. Is it truly acceptable for you to die for the sake of non-sorcerers? Is it acceptable for your comrades to die for them? Re-evaluate your criteria for that judgment. If you can still stand by your conclusion after that, I won't stop you. I‘m telling you this because I‘m worried about you."
Suguru fell into deep thought before finally looking at Satoru and me.
"I‘ll think about it. I promise... could you two go on ahead? I‘d like to process this at my own pace. I‘ll be right behind you."
I nodded as Suguru gave us a faint, weary smile. As I started walking again, Satoru, still on my back, whispered into my ear.
"Why were you so harsh? That's not like you."
"You know as well as I do, Satoru. With a personality like his, it‘s hard to survive in the jujutsu world. Even if he‘s strong, his spirit will crumble the moment he starts losing his comrades or experiences the darker side of humanity."
"I guess that‘s true. You must really like Suguru to go that far for him."
"I finally made a few real friends, so I want us to be together for a long time. This group, just as we are, without anyone getting hurt. Didn't you talk to Suguru a lot during today's mission?"
"He‘s a good guy. Maybe a bit too nice for his own good. You're 'nice' too, Touya, but you're quick-witted and a bit of a schemer, so you‘ll be fine."
"I think I could have done without that last part..."
As I let out a wry chuckle, Utahime approached me.
"Touya. How was your first mission?"
"The report said Grade 2, but the reality was a bit different. No big deal, though. How were Suguru and Satoru, neesan?"
"They were incredibly strong. They didn't even really need me there."
"We definitely didn't. She wasn't much help anyway," Satoru chimed in from behind me. I ignored her and kept my eyes on Utahime.
"Did they tease you for being 'weak'? Knowing them, they definitely did."
"Gojo said a few things, but I didn't mind. Even if others look down on it, I know there's at least one person who values my technique."
Utahime smiled at me, and for a moment, I was at a loss for words.
'I didn't realize she‘d treasure my words that much.'
Feeling a sudden wave of bashfulness, I looked away.
'Wait... has Utahime-neesan always been this pretty?'
My heart began to race. Satoru, still piggybacked, didn't miss a beat.
"Touya. Your heart is pounding like crazy. Is this the Kaioken or something?"
"Shut up. Get down already."
Sharing idle chatter, we eventually reached the main road. Following Mei Mei, we soon arrived at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant. Suguru must have caught up at some point, as he entered the shop right alongside us.
The moment we sat down, Satoru announced loudly,
"I‘m eating only the most expensive stuff! Bring me all the tuna!"
"Mei-san is going to scold you, Satoru. Besides, you always get sick of tuna if you eat too much of it."
"Let her be, Touya. This is likely the last time Gojo will ever get a free meal out of me."
"Eeh? That‘s so stingy!"
"Thank you for the food, Mei-san."
The rest of us—excluding Satoru—gave our thanks to Mei Mei and began eating. By the time the stacks of plates began to slow their ascent, the group started trading curious questions.
"Touya. You have a younger sister, don't you? One with a significant age gap?" Shoko asked, catching me slightly off guard.
"How did you know? Though they're only a year younger than me, technically."
"It's obvious. You seem comfortable around women, but you don't look like you have any dating experience. You're more used to taking care of others than being cared for—that screams 'older brother with a younger sister.'"
"Exactly. Just watching how you handle Satoru makes it clear," Suguru added.
I simply nodded at their analysis.
"Wait. Was that part about having 'no dating experience' an insult?"
Shoko snorted.
"If you had dating experience and were still living like this, someone would have stabbed you by now."
"What‘s that supposed to mean? What‘s wrong with how I live?"
In response to my genuine confusion, Shoko just gestured with her eyes toward both my sides.
'Both sides...? Satoru and Utahime. What's the problem?'
I tilted my head, still lost. Shoko let out a heavy sigh.
"If you don't get it, forget it. Just eat your sushi."
"What's with the sudden attitude...?"
Puzzled, I went back to my food. After eating our fill, we walked leisurely back toward the college to digest. Suguru stepped up beside me again.
"Touya."
"Ah, Suguru. What's up?"
"I thought about what you said. You asked if I could truly sacrifice myself for non-sorcerers in accordance with my convictions."
I focused on him, nodding silently to encourage him to continue.
"If that death is meaningful, then yes, I will do it. Because I was born strong, I protect the weak non-sorcerers. I‘m sorry, but that is still my conclusion."
'...Excuse me?'
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