Ms. Gojo thought she was dating an ordinary person's boyfriend.

Kikawa Sumi's breathing paused almost imperceptibly for a moment.

He truly hadn't expected that Gojo Satoru could even see that.

Deep within its consciousness, the system, which had been silent for a long time, suddenly let out an undisguised sneer.

Having been here for so long, this guy hasn't even bothered to find out anything about Gojo Satoru.

Now you're suffering because you didn't understand "Six Eyes," aren't you?

In the other world, at least I could attribute the fluctuations of power to "interdimensional reaction" and barely fool those eyes.

But once back in the original world, all concealment mechanisms will be greatly weakened. How could a fundamental rift escape Gojo Satoru's analysis?

The system, of course, wouldn't say these words aloud; it merely observed the impending storm from the depths of Kikawa Sumi's consciousness.

When confronted with questions, Sumi Kichikawa chose to remain silent.

Gojo Satoru stared intently at him, his brow furrowing as he watched him avoid answering.

"Cheng?"

Sumi Kichikawa remained silent.

There's so little to say about things that involve origins and systems that no matter how you organize your thoughts, it all sounds like a clumsy attempt to gloss over the issues.

This deathly silence quickly exhausted Gojo Satoru's already limited patience.

His fingers tightened unconsciously around Kikawa Sumi's wrist, and his voice deepened completely: "Speak."

Sumire Kawakawa finally raised her eyes.

The Gojo Satoru before me showed no trace of surprise at discovering that time had stopped, let alone his usual nonchalant and carefree demeanor.

That usually flamboyant face now only showed undisguised worry and barely suppressed anger that had been deliberately concealed.

"I'm asking you, is there something wrong with your health?"

Kikawa Sumi pursed her lips slightly.

What he didn't know was that, in Gojo Satoru's vision, everything was terrifyingly clear.

The moment they stepped into Tokyo, the indescribable "radiance" emanating from Sumi Kichikawa suddenly dimmed, like a light that had been turned off.

Prior to this, Gojo Satoru had never sensed any sudden or special power in Sumire Kikawa.

But now, as that light dims, a hidden power is slowly and laboriously seeping out from a certain place deep within Kikawa Sumi's soul.

That area was like a piece of ice on the verge of breaking apart, its surface covered with fine, intractable cracks.

It was as if the entire entity would collapse completely if just a little more external force was applied.

Gojo Satoru had no idea what kind of power that was.

But he knew very well that this was definitely not a good thing.

"You know perfectly well what happened to you." Gojo Satoru stared intently at him, his voice more stern than ever before. "But you're not going to tell me a single truth. Are you planning to play dead forever?"

"Enlightenment..."

"Don't call me."

Gojo Satoru coldly interrupted him.

He almost never lost his temper with Sumire Kichikawa.

This time, however, he simply couldn't continue to deceive himself and pretend that nothing had happened.

Countless overlooked details quickly connected in his mind—from Sumi Kikawa taking him across boundaries without warning, to the other party suddenly leaving alone during those days in Tomoeda Town under the pretext of having something to do, refusing to let him follow.

Gojo Satoru hadn't really thought much about it.

When Kikawa Sumi returned that day, she did look very unwell, but he assumed that she had just exhausted herself dealing with personal matters. Since Kikawa Sumi did not show any other discomfort, he considerately did not ask any further questions.

Looking back now, the problem was definitely that day!

He must have done something back then to cause his body to become this horrific, riddled-with-holes state.

The thought of this made Gojo Satoru's chest burn with an unnamed fire so intense that even breathing became painful.

"From the very beginning, you never told me why I had to go to that world."

He gripped Kikawa Sumi's wrist tightly, forcing her to look him in the eye, refusing to budge an inch.

"After we got there, you kept it from me. That day you suddenly said you had something to do and absolutely refused to go out with me. Was that related to this?"

Sumi Kichikawa remained silent.

"Is that right?!" Gojo Satoru raised his voice and pressed him again.

This time, Sumire Kikkawa finally lowered her eyes gently.

He could tell that Gojo Satoru was truly furious.

But behind that aggressive anger lies a deeper fear.

Gojo Satoru was afraid.

I was afraid something would happen to him, afraid that I would be kept in the dark and unable to do anything, and even more afraid that by the time he finally realized something was wrong, it would be too late.

Under such a gaze, Kikawa Sumi remained silent for a long time before finally speaking slowly: "There are many things I cannot tell you right now."

Gojo Satoru's fingers, which were gripping his, suddenly stiffened.

"But, Satoru, please believe me." Sumire Kikawa raised her eyes, her gaze calm and focused as she looked at him. "When the day comes that I can speak, I will tell you everything exactly as it is."

Gojo Satoru kept his jaw clenched and remained silent.

Kikawa knew that these few flimsy assurances were not enough to put his mind at ease, so he could only continue, "My body is fine. I was just experimenting and used a little bit of my source power, which is why I felt unwell."

"Original power?" Gojo Satoru repeated the word, his tone full of doubt.

"Um."

"And what about those cracks?"

Kikawa Sumi's eyes flickered slightly.

Sure enough, Wu's eyes could see all of that clearly.

"That was just a trace left from the overflow of power." He lowered his voice. "Now that the attempt has been successful, it's really alright."

"real?"

"real."

Gojo Satoru stared intently into his eyes, trying to find even the slightest flaw.

Sumi Kichikawa did not flinch, but calmly allowed him to scrutinize her.

After a long while, Gojo Satoru twitched the corner of his mouth.

Are you trying to comfort me?

I didn't comfort you.

"You do," Gojo Satoru said decisively.

He knew, of course, that Sumi Kichikawa hadn't revealed everything, and that what she was saying now was only the small part that she could "say aloud."

But he could also tell that Sumire Kichikawa wasn't just trying to fob him off.

At least, his physical condition has indeed stabilized.

In Six Eyes' field of vision, the power leaking from the depths was still there, and the cracks were still shocking, but fortunately, they had stopped deteriorating and were no longer expanding as they had before.

Sumire Kichikawa didn't lie to him; she just concealed the most fatal part.

This realization still made Gojo Satoru irritable.

But looking into Kikawa Sumi's quiet and gentle eyes, he couldn't help but soften again.

This person knew perfectly well that he was angry, but he still stood there without backing down or avoiding the issue, neither refuting nor trying to change the subject with glib words.

He was seriously addressing his unease, even if all he could say was a few words.

Gojo Satoru closed his eyes, forcefully suppressing the stifling anger rising in his chest.

The next second, he suddenly released the wrist that had been pinched until it was red, stretched out his long arm, and pulled the person into his arms.

Sumi Kichikawa's body stiffened slightly from the impact.

Gojo Satoru held him extremely tightly, his arms like iron hoops binding his back, leaving him almost no room to breathe or retreat.

He slammed his heavy head into Kikawa Sumi's shoulder, the sound muffled:

"Next time... never do something like this behind my back again."

Kikawa Sumi obediently leaned against him, raised her hand, and gently patted his broad back as if to comfort him.

"it is good."

"Don't try to bear it all alone."

"Um."

"If you are really feeling unwell, you must tell me immediately."

"it is good."

Gojo Satoru held him tightly, showing no intention of letting go.

After a long while, he whispered in Sumire's ear through gritted teeth, "Otherwise, I'll really get angry."

Kikawa Sumi's fingers, which were patting his back, paused slightly.

Then, the arms around him tightened even more, and her voice was muffled and low.

"And...it will be very sad."

These words made Kikkawa Sumi's heart ache even more than all the previous stern and accusatory questions.

Gojo Satoru always acted as if there was nothing in this world that was truly worth his attention.

But Susumu Kawakawa knew better than anyone that he wasn't truly indifferent to everything.

Now, this once arrogant man has let down his guard and bluntly revealed his weakness.

He will be angry.

I will also feel sad.

Kikawa Sumi lowered her eyes, and the hand that had been resting on her back in a comforting manner slowly withdrew, and she hugged the large, insecure cat tightly.

"I see."

Gojo Satoru kept burying his face in his neck, persisting, "You really know?"

"real."

"Never again?"

Sumi Kichikawa did not respond immediately.

Noticing his pause, Gojo Satoru suddenly looked up and stared at him through his sunglasses: "You hesitated just now."

"I just feel that, to be completely honest, this request is a little difficult."

"Sumi Kawakawa." Gojo Satoru called him by his full name, his tone turning dangerously somber once again.

Kikawa Sumi looked at him quietly, and after a moment, a helpless smile finally appeared in her eyes.

"Okay, I'll try my best not to hide it from you anymore."

"That's more like it." Gojo Satoru snorted, his expression finally softening a bit, but his arms around the person were still welded shut, refusing to budge an inch.

Kikawa Sumi didn't urge him, and just quietly and indulgently let him hold her.

After a long while, Gojo Satoru's muffled voice finally rang out again in the air: "However, if the time ever comes when you can tell me, you must tell me everything clearly, without missing a single word."

"I will."

"You're not allowed to only tell half the story."

"it is good."

"Don't change the subject mid-conversation."

"it is good."

Gojo Satoru finally fell completely silent.

Sumire Kichikawa could clearly feel that the person in her arms was relaxing little by little, and that body, which had been tense to the extreme due to fear and anger, was finally slowly returning to its normal temperature.

However, the arms that were tightly wrapped around him never loosened even an inch.