Chapter 9: Learning the Reverse Cursed Technique
In the corridor, Satoru Gojo wrapped an arm around Toho Hiroshi's neck, laughing like a child who had successfully pulled off a prank: "Hehe, we're classmates now, Classmate Dongfang! You better perform well on missions from now on! I'm really looking forward to your next 'burst'!"
Suguru Geto sighed helplessly: "Satoru, stop putting more pressure on him."
He turned to Toho Hiroshi, "Welcome to Jujutsu High. Although the start was a bit unique, please take care of me from now on."
Toho Hiroshi looked at the two "classmates" before him, whose personalities were vastly different, and nodded with mixed feelings: "Please take care of me, Senior Gojo, Senior Geto."
Satoru Gojo looked pleased, yet waved his hand dismissively, saying carelessly, "Don't call us Senior! Just call us by our names! Haha!"
...Late night.
The Jujutsu High Dormitory Area was silent.
Toho Hiroshi lay in bed, tossing and turning.
The thrilling scenes from the daytime battle were still replaying in his mind, and the side effects of using the Mangekyo were beginning to manifest more clearly.
Waves of burning pain, like needle pricks, came from deep within his eyes. His vision occasionally became subtly blurred and distorted, his temples throbbed, and a sense of exhaustion and emptiness originating from the depths of his spirit continuously eroded him like a tide.
He knew this was the price for overusing the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Every use accelerated his path toward blindness and mental collapse.
He remembered Ieiri Shoko's Reverse Cursed Technique.
When she treated his superficial wounds during the day, although Shoko said the feeling was stagnant, that warm power flowing over his eyes had indeed briefly relieved the burning pain at the time.
The supplementary information from the setting surfaced in his mind: the Reverse Cursed Technique could repair human injuries and the side effects of the Mangekyo Sharingan.
A thought uncontrollably popped up.
Maybe—
Maybe Miss Shoko could help him.
Even if she couldn't cure it completely, just alleviating the pain would be helpful.
Furthermore, what if he could learn the Reverse Cursed Technique?
Even just a little bit, could he better control these eyes and delay their backlash?
Once this idea formed, it became incredibly strong.
He glanced at the time; it was already past midnight.
It was truly presumptuous to seek someone out at this hour, but the pain in his eyes and the mental torment made it unbearable.
After much hesitation, Toho Hiroshi finally gritted his teeth, got up, and left the dormitory.
Relying on his memory, he arrived outside Ieiri Shoko's dormitory door. It was pitch black inside; clearly, the occupant was already asleep.
He raised his hand, hesitated for a moment, but still gently knocked on the door.
Knock, knock, knock~
In the silent night, the sound of knocking was especially clear.
After a while, rustling footsteps came from inside, along with a hoarse voice thick with sleepiness and impatience: "Who is it? In the middle of the night..."
The door was suddenly pulled open a crack.
Ieiri Shoko was wearing pajamas, her hair messy, and an unlit cigarette dangling from her mouth, sporting an expression that screamed, "You better have a good reason, or you're dead."
When she saw Toho Hiroshi standing outside, illuminated by the faint light of the corridor, she clearly froze, and her eyes instantly became wary and disgusted. She subconsciously narrowed the door crack and leaned back slightly.
"Toho? What are you doing running to my door in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"
Her tone was full of suspicion and warning, "I'm telling you, I'm not interested in you, and if you dare try anything funny, I'll call Satoru and Geto. It won't be my problem if they tear you apart."
Toho Hiroshi immediately realized how easily his actions could be misinterpreted. His face instantly flushed crimson, and he quickly waved his hands and stepped back, stammering an explanation: "N-no! Miss Shoko! You misunderstood! I—I didn't mean that! I wanted... I wanted to ask you to help me with treatment! My eyes... are very uncomfortable..."
He pointed to his eyes, his face showing pain and pleading: "The aftereffects of the daytime battle seem to have flared up, it hurts a lot... Also, I—I also wanted... if possible, to ask you about the Reverse Cursed Technique..."
He looked miserable and anxious, and the pain in his eyes did not seem fake.
Shoko squinted at him for a few seconds. The wariness on her face receded slightly, but the disgust remained: "Tsk, what a troublesome guy."
She yawned, "Come in. Be quiet, don't wake anyone else."
She stepped aside, signaling Toho Hiroshi to enter.
Toho Hiroshi felt as if he had been granted amnesty, quickly whispered his thanks, and carefully stepped into Shoko's room.
The room was simply furnished, carrying faint scents of smoke and disinfectant.
"Sit there."
Shoko pointed to the chair in front of the desk. She leaned lazily against the bed, fumbling for her lighter to light her cigarette. After taking a puff, she looked at Toho Hiroshi, "What's wrong with your eyes? Pain and blurring? The price of using that power?"
"Yes."
Toho Hiroshi nodded honestly, "It feels like they're burning, sometimes things look distorted, and I'm mentally exhausted."
Shoko exhaled a smoke ring, walked over to him, and her slender fingers glowed with a gentle green light again, pressing lightly onto his eyelids.
The power of the Reverse Cursed Technique slowly flowed in.
Toho Hiroshi immediately felt a cooling sensation penetrate, effectively alleviating the needle-prick burning pain, and the distortion in his vision also subsided considerably.
But the spiritual emptiness and the deeper sense of stagnation still remained, immovable like bedrock.
After a moment, Shoko withdrew her hand and shook her head: "Same as before. The superficial burns and fatigue can be relieved, but my Reverse Cursed Technique cannot currently address the deeper level of depletion. That seems more like a rule-level price or an inherent flaw caused by the structure of your eyes themselves."
Seeing Toho Hiroshi's disappointed expression, she took another puff of her cigarette and added, "As for learning the Reverse Cursed Technique? Do you know how difficult that is? Only a handful of people in the Jujutsu World currently master it."
"This technique requires extremely high precision in Cursed Energy manipulation and an ultimate understanding of negative life energy. And I am a natural; my Reverse Cursed Technique is still in the exploration stage, far from being able to repair severed limbs or internal organs, let alone a precise organ like your eyes."
"I know it's hard..."
Toho Hiroshi looked up, his eyes unusually firm, "But Miss Shoko, I must try. I desperately need the power of these eyes, but I might not be able to withstand its side effects more than a few times. Even if I can only learn a little bit, just enough to alleviate it slightly. I beg you, I will pay any price!"
His attitude was sincere, even carrying a hint of desperate pleading.
Shoko silently watched him for a long time.
She could see the deep pain in his eyes, his reliance on power, and his struggle not to be consumed by the side effects.
Finally, she stubbed out her cigarette and sighed: "Tsk, always causing trouble for people. Fine, seeing how miserable you are. Theoretically, the Reverse Cursed Technique achieves healing by multiplying negative Cursed Energy to convert it into positive energy. The core lies in the ultimate refinement of Cursed Energy and the conversion formula..."
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