Curse Return: Demon Void Girl Doesn't Want to Be a Weakling

Gojo Satoru leaned against the door frame, his hands in his pockets, looking at Mashiro.

He sighed. "Let's go out first."

Gojo Satoru walked to the end of the corridor without looking back, and Mashiro followed behind him, closing the door to the treatment room behind him.

The two stopped in front of the vending machine at the corner of the corridor.

Gojo Satoru took out a coin, dropped it in, pressed a few buttons, and bent down to take out two cans of coffee.

He handed one of the cans to Mashiro.

"I don't drink coffee."

"This is sweet, a latte."

Mashiro took it, pulled the tab, and took a sip. It was very sweet; it really was a latte.

She placed the jar on the windowsill, leaned against the wall, and looked up at Gojo Satoru.

"Who convened the meeting in Kyoto?" Mashiro asked first.

"The notice was sent directly from the administrative department; it was for a routine high-level meeting. The attendance list included eleven people, and nine actually attended. The agenda was about the allocation plan for sorcerers for the next year."

Gojo Satoru opened his can of coffee. "We were open from 2 p.m. yesterday until 6 a.m. this morning, with only two breaks, each lasting 15 minutes. No one was allowed to leave early. The meeting room was protected by a barrier, supposedly to prevent eavesdropping."

"Barrier." Mashiro repeated the word. "Does the Administrative Affairs Department have the authority to set up barriers during high-level meetings?"

"Generally speaking, there aren't any, but there are precedents." Gojo Satoru took a sip, his tone lacking its usual flippancy. "But I didn't think in that direction at the time. It's quite normal for high-level meetings to set up barriers; they were set up during last year's budget review as well. So it's not unusual."

"Not unusual." Mashiro tapped her fingertips lightly twice on the windowsill. "Fifteen minutes, is that enough time for you to get back to Tokyo from Kyoto?"

"It's more or less the same, so they know the plan hasn't changed when they see me still having meetings."

Mashiro nodded, rubbing the bottle between her fingers. "I didn't realize it when I was in Saitama, but I only understood after you told me you were in a meeting."

"So you called me."

"Yes, and then you said you'd head back immediately."

"But it was too late."

"It wasn't you who was late, it was me," Mashiro said. "I should have realized it the day you weren't at the vocational high school."

Gojo Satoru turned his head to look at her.

The girl's profile was clearly defined under the light, but her usually bright eyes now appeared slightly dim.

The more she claimed it was her fault, the angrier Gojo Satoru became, towards those disgusting maggots who only rotted the world of sorcery.

"It's only been five days since Khajiitsu enrolled." Mashiro tilted her head slightly and sighed. "I think there's still plenty of time. The higher-ups just found out he swallowed his finger. They need to coordinate the interests of all parties, go through the procedures, and issue observation instructions to the window system. They need a preparation period. I thought normally, it would take at least two or three weeks."

"Normally, yes."

"But the higher-ups don't need to worry about those things; they just need to wait for an opportunity when you're not around."

"The mission to the juvenile academy, Iji said, was automatically assigned by the system, while my emergency mission was told to me by Nanami the day before." She turned to face Gojo Satoru, her red eyes thoughtful.

"Three instructions, two target individuals, and the timeline matches perfectly. There can't be many people who can do this."

Gojo Satoru was silent for a moment, then laughed, a cold laugh. "You're right. We've learned a lesson this time. All three things happened at the same time, with the timing perfect. What I want to know now is, just how many people can coordinate all three of these things simultaneously?"

"You already know what's going on?" Mashiro asked, turning her head.

"Not many." Gojo Satoru lowered his arm from his chest, picked up the coffee can that Mashiro had placed on the windowsill, shook it to make sure she still wanted some, "The overlap of permissions across the three processes involves about six people."

"Six people?" Mashiro snatched the coffee back and took a sip.

"Remove the two who are not in Tokyo for a long time, and the one who never participates in high-level affairs. That leaves three people. At least one of these three people orchestrated this whole thing, while the other two may or may not have known about it."

"name."

Gojo Satoru tossed the empty can into the trash can, the metal clinking against the side of the can. "So, you're planning to investigate yourself from now on?"

"You'll be able to take precautions if you investigate them," Mashiro said. "I'm different."

"They don't know how much I already know. The fact that this near-Special Grade Sorcerer is keeping me in Saitama shows that their assessment of me is still at the level of a Level 1 Sorcerer who can imitate spells. I will take advantage of their misjudgment."

"Okay." Gojou Goshin stood up, patted the wrinkles on his uniform, and his tone returned to its usual lightness. "I'll send you the name later. As for the follow-up arrangements for Itadori, I'll go find Yagami after things are settled with Shoko. You yourself..."

"I know what I'm doing," Mashiro interrupted him.

"Just call me if you need anything. That meeting isn't held every day."

"If you were around every day, I should be thinking about whether I should lay a hand on you." Mashiro picked up the coffee can, took the last sip, and threw the empty can into the trash can.

"There's one more question," Gojo Satoru said with a smile.

"What?"

"You were serious when you said in the treatment room that they would pay the price?"

"What if you're serious?"

"Not really." Gojo Satoru nodded, turned, and walked towards the end of the corridor, his footsteps gradually fading in the empty space. "I'll talk to Shoko about it; have her keep you informed."

Mashiro stood alone by the window, took out her phone, opened LINE, and sent a message to Nanami.

"Mashiro": Nanami, help me investigate something.

"Mashiro": The mission from the Juvenile Academy, the automatic dispatch instructions in the system are sent from which terminal.

"Mashiro": No need to reply right away, let me know when you find out.

"Nanami": Understood, I'll give you the results tomorrow.

She put her phone back in her pocket and turned to walk towards the treatment room.

When the door opened, Ieiri Shoko was examining Itari's injury. Hearing the door open, she said without turning her head, "I thought you had gone back."

"There's nothing to do when I get back." Mashiro walked to the bedside and sat down in a chair.

"Shoko-senpai."

"Um?"

How long does it take to repair a heart?

Ieiri Shoko's hands didn't stop. "Repairing the heart itself isn't difficult, but it was dug out by Sukuna."

"The damage caused by the curse has spread from his chest cavity to his entire body, and everything needs to be reconnected. Repairing just the heart should only take a few hours." She put the curse probe in her hand into the tray, turned around and leaned against the instrument panel, looking at Mashiro. "To be honest, I don't know if he'll ever wake up."

Mashiro didn't look at her; her gaze remained fixed on Itadori's face, and she sighed softly.

"He will wake up," Mashiro said calmly.

Ieiri Shoko raised an eyebrow but didn't ask any further questions.

Having spent so many years at the vocational college, she has seen far too many people clinging to hope after death.

"Then I'll continue." Ieiri Shoko picked up the probe again. "If you want to stay until dawn, there are blankets in the closet."

"Need not."

The treatment room fell silent, with only the rhythmic ticking of the instruments and the faint light of the reversal procedure remaining.

Mashiro sat in the chair, with Murasaki lying across her lap, her hand gently stroking her, repeating this action to make her feel more at ease.

She didn't know how long she would have to wait, but she knew he would wake up.

From Sendai to Tokyo, from Saitama to the juvenile detention center, she chased after it all the way but still couldn't catch up. But there was one more thing she could do.

Wait here. No matter how long it takes.

Then, Hisahito Itadori's fingers moved.

The index finger twitched slightly at first, then the whole hand curled up, the knuckles bent and then relaxed.

Immediately afterwards, the line on the electrocardiogram monitor, which had been flat for several hours, suddenly jumped, and then began to rise and fall regularly.

Shoko Ieiri immediately stepped back and then called Satoru Gojo, saying, "Come over right away, he's awake, I don't know if it's Sukuna."

The boy's eyelids twitched, then he slowly opened them, focused for several seconds, and stared at the unfamiliar ceiling.

Then he slowly sat up, his vision gradually returned, and he saw the silver-haired girl standing in front of him.

Itadori blinked, somewhat puzzled, and said, "...Mashiro-nee?"

Mashiro stood there, looking down at him, then reached out and flicked him on the forehead.

"Don't lie there now that you're awake," she said, her tone unchanged from usual. "You said you'd save me dinner for tonight, and it's already the second day."

Huzhang paused for a moment.

Then, a smile slowly appeared on his face, which was still a little dazed from being resurrected. "Then I'll make breakfast."

His voice was still a little hoarse, but it revealed an irrepressible smile. "We've finished last night's food, so we have to make something new."

"Mmm." Mashiro stepped forward and gently hugged him.

When Huzhang was hugged, he stiffened for a moment.

Mashiro's movements were very gentle; she wrapped her arm around his shoulder, her silver hair brushing against his cheek, carrying a hint of shampoo scent.

She's not the type of person who would readily hug someone. I've known her for so long, and I've seen her kick people and kill with her eyes, but I've never seen her hug anyone.

"Mashiro-nee," he said, his voice a little strained, "are you... angry?"

"no."

"Then why did you hug me?"

"Shut up." Mashiro's voice was very soft, her tone exactly the same as usual, but her arm did not loosen.

Itadori paused for two seconds, then carefully raised his hand and placed it on Mashiro's back, moving very gently.

"I'm back," he said.

"I saw it."

"Um... I'm sorry. I made you worry. I didn't have time to make a call, Fushiguro and Kugizaki were still inside..."

"I know," Mashiro interrupted him. "You did what you were supposed to do. It was my fault for not making it. It's all right now."

Itadori opened his mouth, as if to say, "It's not your fault," but Mashiro didn't give him the chance.

She released his hand, took two steps back, and then tapped his head.

"Breakfast," she interrupted him.

"what?"

"You said you'd make breakfast, I'm hungry."

Itadori blinked, then grinned.

Her smile was exactly the same as when she was kicked by Mashiro and told to shut up.

Clean, radiant, yet pleading.

"Okay. What would you like to eat?"

"Whatever." Mashiro's lips curled up, deliberately making things difficult for him, her smile was quite cute.

His unusual expression startled Itsuji.

"The hardest thing to do is to just do whatever."

Urajiro, regaining his senses, scratched his head. Just as he was about to say something, the door to the treatment room was kicked open.

The doorknob slammed against the wall with a louder thud than when Mashiro had rushed in earlier.

Ieiri Glass almost dropped the inspection tray she was carrying. She steadied the tray and looked expressionlessly toward the door.

Gojo Satoru stood there, his gaze sweeping across the entire room, landing precisely on Itadori and Mashiro.

One sat on the bed, still looking dazed from just waking up from a coma, while the other stood by the bed, wearing a smile that was rarely seen on them.

The air was silent for about a second, and Gojo Satoru's expression shifted from serious to a subtle one.

He tilted his head, a slow smile spreading across his face. "Oh, whispering to each other?"

Mashiro's smile froze. She turned to face him, her red eyes filled with murderous intent: "Didn't you learn to knock before you came in?"

"I knocked, you just didn't hear it." Gojo Satoru pulled his sunglasses down, revealing his unwavering eyes. "Shoko called me and said Hisahito woke up and told me to come over quickly, just in case it's Sukuna, right?"

"It wasn't Sukuna." Itadori raised his hand from behind, as if answering a question in class. "It was me, Itadori Yuujin. Sukuna went back; I woke up on my own."

"I saw it." Gojo Satoru walked into the room with light steps.

He walked to the foot of the bed, put his hands in his pockets, bent down and looked closely at Khajiitsu's face.

He looked at it for a few seconds, then straightened up, his tone returning to its usual nonchalant tone, "Yeah, it's the real person. Sukuna wouldn't have such a silly expression."

Just as Itadori was about to protest, Gojo Satoru turned to Mashiro.

His tone was light and casual: "But speaking of which, what happened just now was quite touching. The older sister looked at her younger brother who had just returned from the brink of death and showed a smile that no one had ever seen before."

"Gojo Satoru, do you want to die?" Mashiro's tone dropped below zero.

"I didn't know you could laugh like that." Gojo Satoru completely ignored her warning, pushed his sunglasses back into place, and his smile remained unchanged. "Itadori-kun, your sister is really good to you."

Itadori glanced at Gojo Satoru, then at Mashiro's face, which was plummeting from zero to absolute zero.

He chuckled dryly twice: "Gojo-sensei, um, you'd better not say anything..."

"Why don't you say so?" Gojo Satoru spread his hands, teasingly saying, "I always thought Mashiro-chan only knew how to kick people, but I only discovered today that she has such a gentle side."

Mashiro raised her hand, and a water ball condensed above her palm, its surface glowing with a sizzling blue light and accompanied by the sharp buzzing sound unique to high-frequency sound waves.

Gojo Satoru raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, but the smile on his face did not diminish at all: "Okay, okay, I'll shut up."

"It's too late."

The water balloon was released from my hand.

Gojo Satoru did not dodge, but extended a single finger, the tip of which touched the surface of the water sphere.

The moment the limitless technique was activated, the water sphere stopped, less than three centimeters from his nose. The rapidly vibrating water molecules were separated by an invisible boundary, unable to move forward even an inch.

"It's dangerous." Gojo Satoru withdrew his finger, thought for a moment, and added, "But it's more powerful than before. Did you learn something new from Saitama, that near-Special Class?"

"It's none of your business." Mashiro waved her hand, and the water ball dispersed into mist in mid-air, landing on the clean floor.

"Of course it's related." Gojo Satoru stepped forward. "After all, the fact that Hisahito is alive means their deadly trap didn't work."

He turned to Itadori: "Hisashi, how are you feeling now? Is there anything wrong with your body?"

Huzhang stretched his arms, looked down at his chest, and felt his heart beating steadily inside.

"Nothing's wrong."

Itadori looked up at Gojo Satoru, his eyes filled with worry. "Sensei, what about Fushiguro and Kugizaki? Are they alright?"

"Kugizaki suffered a concussion and two broken ribs. Shoko said he'll be fine in three or four days. Fushiguro has bandages on his shoulder and face, but it doesn't affect his walking."

"Both of them are waiting for you to wake up. Kugizaki just woke up and asked Itadori how he was. I told her you were dead, and she almost rolled off the bed and ran over."

"Why are you saying I'm dead?"

Gojo Satoru ignored him and nodded. "Saying that we should live a little longer is truly educational coming from a dead man."

"Hey, who died?"

"You," Gojo Satoru and Mashiro answered almost simultaneously.

One spoke in a flippant tone, the other in a flat tone.

Huzhang choked for a moment, opened his mouth, and finally just scratched his head.

Seeing him like this, Gojo Satoru couldn't suppress the smile on his face and patted him on the shoulder with a laugh.

"But you're right, living longer is a good thing. So please don't die next time. My heart isn't good, I can't take that kind of shock."

"You have a heart problem?" Hadji believed him.

"No." Gojo Satoru turned to Mashiro. "What are your plans now? Hisahito's awake, and the juvenile detention center matter is almost over. As for the higher-ups..."

"Keep things as we just said." Mashiro drew circles on the scabbard of Murasame with her fingers. "Then let the higher-ups think that Hisahito is really dead."

"What do you mean?" Itachi didn't understand.

"So, you'll have to train secretly for a while," Gojo Satoru nodded and said with a smile.

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