"I'm your girlfriend. I stayed by your side when you were injured and unconscious. Isn't that what I'm supposed to do?"
Yuki's face was full of smiles, and her tone still carried the same casual charm as before.
Satoshi immediately felt a headache coming on. Hadn't he already won the bet before and made her promise not to bring this up again?
No matter how you looked at it, Yuki really shouldn't be staying at the Yorozuya.
"Satoshi, you're awake!"
The sudden appearance of Satoru interrupted Satoshi's thoughts before he could press the issue further.
"Satoru, you're out?"
At the final stage of Sode no Shirayuki's Bankai, although he had remained conscious on the surface, in truth he had been fighting purely on instinct.
He didn't even know whose arms he had collapsed into or who had arrived to support him at the scene. He had no memory of what had happened afterward.
Now, seeing that Satoru had emerged from his retreat, a twinge of guilt stirred within him. Satoru was supposed to be focused on mastering Blue right now.
Did the emergency message he'd sent through his Zanpakutō interrupt Satoru's training?
Satoru sensed Satoshi's emotional fluctuations. As twins, their bond allowed him to understand Satoshi's thoughts with ease.
He smiled and said softly, "I've already mastered the basics of the technique. Once you've recovered, I can teach you some of the theory behind it. Wasn't that what you wanted to learn?"
Satoshi's eyes lit up with surprise. He hadn't expected Satoru to master it so quickly. Then again, it made perfect sense. Satoru was the most gifted sorcerer of this era. He couldn't be measured by ordinary standards.
So, this was the key to learning Shunpo?
A moment later, Shunichi and Toji also entered the room. Yuki tactfully stood up and returned to her own room.
"Toji, what's going on with this Yuki? Why is she staying at the Yorozuya?"
As soon as Yuki left, Satoshi voiced the question that had been bothering him.
Hearing that, Shunichi and Satoru both froze slightly. Something didn't feel right.
Judging from Satoshi's tone, the relationship between him and Yuki didn't seem as close as they'd been led to believe.
But previously, Yuki had clearly claimed to be Satoshi's girlfriend—and Toji had confirmed it as well.
The two of them turned toward Toji, waiting for his explanation.
"Yuki is Lord Tengen's envoy."
"She's the Star Plasma Vessel."
"She's powerful. Stronger than both of you right now."
Toji laid down three simple facts, then said nothing more.
"Okay, but why did you just go along with her saying she's Satoshi's girlfriend? Satoru narrowed his eyes, and Satoshi's body visibly stiffened at the reminder."
Toji frowned. "We didn't know where the curse user who attacked Satoshi came from, nor whether they would return. In that situation, why wouldn't we let someone like Yuki stay to protect him?"
A hint of irritation flashed across Toji's face.
"Besides, I never said Yuki was Satoshi's girlfriend. You're the ones who jumped to that conclusion."
"You went along with it!" Satoru shot back, displeased as he recalled the earlier exchange.
Toji rolled his eyes. "If I was weaker than her, there'd be no point in playing along. I'm not arrogant enough to think I'm the strongest. From a protection standpoint, having one more person on our side can only help."
Satoshi let out a silent sigh. He hadn't expected Yuki to have such a background.
He had known Yuki's identity from the original story, but he hadn't imagined she'd show up here, as Tengen's personal envoy.
If that was the case, then Toji had good reason to let her stay.
But the problem wasn't her identity. It was Yuki's attitude.
He could only hope this "girlfriend" label hadn't spread beyond the Yorozuya…
But the moment that hope surfaced, Satoru's next words shattered it completely.
"Actually, because of all the confusion you two caused, the entire Tokyo jujutsu community now thinks you and Yuki are an item."
"Even the Tsukumo clan of Kyoto has sent formal greetings to the Gojo clan."
Toji crossed his arms, his expression flat. "Gossip doesn't matter. Safety comes first. And wasn't it the Gojo clan themselves who took the lead in spreading it?"
Satoru fell silent. It was true. Without their clan fanning the flames, the rumor wouldn't have spread like wildfire through Tokyo's jujutsu world.
From a public standpoint, Satoshi and Yuki were a good match. The only jarring factor was their age difference.
Seeing Satoru speechless, Satoshi realized things had spiraled out of his control.
He'd only been unconscious for a couple of days, and somehow Yuki had become his "girlfriend" and the entire jujutsu world believed it.
He didn't dislike Yuki, but he definitely felt like he'd been railroaded into something he hadn't agreed to.
Is this what she was aiming for?
But... would a girl really go that far?
Does she truly have feelings for me?
Satoshi felt he needed to have a proper conversation with Yuki.
And as Tengen's envoy, he still didn't know what her mission was, or what Tengen's intentions were for involving her with him.
Even as a reincarnator, Satoshi couldn't disregard the role Tengen had played in shaping the modern sorcery world.
Without Tengen, the balance that currently existed in the jujutsu world might never have formed.
But the very thought of meeting Tengen made Satoshi uncomfortable.
That strange figure with a square head and multiple eyes… was hard to stomach.
If he really had to meet Tengen face to face, he would need to mentally prepare himself first.
"Satoshi, you just woke up. Get some rest."
Seeing that he was clearly agitated, Satoru and the others chose to leave and give him some space.
"Toji, can you call Yuki for me? I have something to ask her."
A glint of amusement appeared in Toji's eyes as he nodded. He was curious to see what would unfold between Yuki and Satoshi.
(To be continued.)
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