Chapter 21: A Heart-to-Heart with Suguru Geto
The next moment, the four people in the room felt a blur before their eyes, and the surrounding scenery instantly changed dramatically.
The cozy common room disappeared, replaced by a vast, desolate, eerie space made of countless huge cubes.
The sky was a dull gray-purple, and the air was filled with a sense of emptiness and silence, with only endless towering pillars in the distance seemingly extending into the unknown.
"Where is this?"
Shoko subconsciously became vigilant, looking around.
"An alternate dimension?"
Yaga Masamichi frowned, instantly entering a state of alert, his burly body shielding the students.
He could feel that this place was completely separate from the real world.
Satoru Gojo's Rikugan / Six Eyes flickered wildly, greedily analyzing everything around him: "Wow! This is so cool! Dongfang, your eyes can do this? A built-in storage space?"
Suguru Geto, on the other hand, felt something. His Cursed Spirit Manipulation was extremely sensitive to the perception of Cursed Energy. He suddenly turned his head and looked at the largest cube not far away.
There, a massive Cursed Spirit, with the pale, eerie upper body of a woman and the lower body of a spider's abdomen covered in strange patterns, was tightly bound by countless twisted spatial chains, unable to move.
Its compound eyes were filled with malice and fear, and it emitted an undeniable Special Grade Cursed Energy fluctuation.
This Cursed Spirit was even more powerful than Kuchisake-onna.
"Is that?"
Suguru Geto's pupils suddenly contracted.
"A Special Grade Cursed Spirit."
Toho Hiroshi's calm voice echoed in the silent space. He pointed to the bound Shinbura, "Geto, happy birthday. This is my gift to you. A living, complete, and uniquely capable Special Grade Cursed Spirit. I think it should be very helpful for your Cursed Spirit Manipulation."
Dead silence.
Kamui Space fell into a brief dead silence.
Satoru Gojo was stunned for a moment, then burst into thunderous laughter: "Hahahahaha! The gift is a Special Grade Cursed Spirit! A living Special Grade Cursed Spirit! Hao, you're a damn genius! This gift is absolutely perfect for Geto!"
Shoko covered her mouth in surprise, looking at the Cursed Spirit that still exuded a terrifying aura even while bound, then at the calm Toho Hiroshi, and murmured, "This… this is too…"
Yaga Masamichi's face instantly darkened. He turned to Toho Hiroshi, his tone serious and even tinged with anger: "Toho! Is this Special Grade Cursed Spirit the one from your last mission report? You didn't exorcise it, but rather kept it here? Why didn't you report it truthfully!"
Privately keeping a Special Grade Cursed Spirit is no small matter.
Once it loses control, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Toho Hiroshi faced Principal Yaga's reprimand with an unchanged expression, calmly stating, "Principal Yaga, the situation was special at the time, and this was the safest way to handle it. If I had reported it, The Higher-Ups might have demanded its immediate exorcism or used it for other purposes. But I believe giving it to Geto will maximize its value and strengthen our side. I trust Geto can control it."
He looked at Suguru Geto, "Besides, it's a birthday gift."
Principal Yaga looked at Toho Hiroshi's determined eyes, then at the Special Grade Cursed Spirit, and finally let out a heavy sigh, the severity on his face softening slightly.
How could he not understand this principle?
But rules are rules.
Yet, he also knew that these problem children before him were never ones to follow the rules strictly.
He waved his hand, his voice filled with helplessness: "Don't let it happen again! In the future, such matters must be reported in advance."
"Yes."
Toho Hiroshi nodded compliantly.
At this moment, Suguru Geto could no longer hear the surrounding conversation.
All his attention was drawn to that Special Grade Cursed Spirit. Cursed Spirit Manipulation spontaneously operated within him; he could clearly feel the Cursed Spirit's power and uniqueness. Its inherent abilities, such as Domain, Spider Silk Manipulation, and Poison, would undoubtedly elevate his strength to a significant new level.
A living Special Grade Cursed Spirit as a gift.
The nauseating taste, like a rag used to wipe up vomit, that he experienced when swallowing Cursed Spirit Orbs seemed to well up in his throat again, but this time, the extreme disgust was seemingly diluted by a huge, indescribable impact.
No one had ever given him such a gift.
And no one had ever so clearly understood his Cursed Technique, understood his path to becoming stronger, or even understood the pain and cost he endured for it, and supported him in such an almost wild and domineering way.
This gift was heavy, astonishing, yet damnably thoughtful to the extreme.
He slowly raised his head, looking at Toho Hiroshi. His usually narrowed fox eyes were uncharacteristically wide, swirling with shock, emotion, disbelief, and an indescribable complex emotion.
His Adam's apple bobbed; he seemed to want to say something but was momentarily speechless.
"Toho…"
In the end, a thousand words condensed into a low call, with a barely perceptible tremor.
Toho Hiroshi smiled slightly at him: "Give it a try, Geto. It's yours now."
…The liveliness of the birthday party eventually faded.
Principal Yaga returned to write his report, with a new round of headaches caused by the problem children, and decided to conceal the specific handling method of the Special Grade Cursed Spirit.
Satoru Gojo, pulling Shoko, was still excitedly discussing the various possibilities of Kamui Space and how they would "play" next time.
Toho Hiroshi walked out of the common room, moonlight like mercury spilling across the silent courtyard.
He noticed Suguru Geto leaning alone against a corridor pillar, not immediately going to absorb the newly acquired Special Grade Cursed Spirit, but instead looking up at the bright moon in the sky. His profile looked somewhat hazy in the moonlight, his usual gentle smile gone, and deep in his eyes was a hint of imperceptible fatigue and detachment.
Toho Hiroshi paused, then walked over.
"Not going to try your new 'gift'?"
He leaned against a nearby pillar, also looking at the moon.
Suguru Geto seemed unsurprised by his arrival, letting out a soft breath, white mist dissipating into the cool night air.
"Later. I need to prepare myself mentally."
His tone carried a hint of self-mockery.
"That taste, it must be really awful, right?"
Toho Hiroshi's voice was very calm, as if stating an established fact.
Suguru Geto suddenly turned to look at him, a flash of astonishment in his eyes.
This was a secret he had kept deep inside, never fully explaining it to anyone, not even Satoru Gojo, who only knew he had to swallow Cursed Spirit Orbs to absorb Cursed Spirits, but didn't understand the specific torment of that taste.
"You…"
"A guess."
Toho Hiroshi interrupted him, his gaze still fixed on the moon, "There is no power without a price in this world. The stronger the Cursed Technique, the greater its limitations or cost. Just like these eyes of mine."
"Cursed Spirit Manipulation can grow infinitely stronger by absorbing Cursed Spirits; that in itself is a paradox. If the process were easy and pleasant, that would be unreasonable."
He paused, then continued: "Moreover, every time you absorb a Cursed Spirit, although you hide it well, your eyes always become a bit colder than usual, and it takes a little time for them to 'warm up' again. That's not just consumption; it's more like a spiritual cleansing and erosion."
Suguru Geto fell silent, remaining speechless for a long time.
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