Chapter 82: Obsession
The night wind swept up the fallen leaves on the ground, swirling past the feet of the two.
Geto Suguru's shoulders slumped slightly; the determination and obsession on his face were, for the first time, replaced by such a profound sense of powerlessness.
He looked at Rin, his lips moved, but in the end, he only let out a low, almost broken sigh, unable to say another word.
Just as the despair in Geto Suguru's eyes was about to overflow and he was on the verge of a breakdown, a sudden sound of light footsteps came from behind the iron gate of the Star Plasma Cult base.
Nanako, Mimiko, and Manami walked out from behind the gate, carrying shopping bags of various sizes. The colorful edges of swimsuits peeked out from the bags, revealing they had just returned from the mall, their faces still bright with the excitement of shopping.
"Lord Geto! Brother Rin!" Seeing the two at the door, the sisters immediately left Manami behind and trotted over with their shopping bags, their ponytails swaying gently with their steps.
Nanako was the first to hold up a swimsuit package printed with small daisies, her tone excited:
"Look! Sister Manami took us to buy so many swimsuits, and beach dresses too! When we go to Hawaii, we can wear our new clothes to the beach!"
Mimiko also leaned in, opening another bag as if presenting a treasure:
"And this! Swim caps with bows, one for me and one for my sister!"
Geto Suguru snapped back to reality, quickly concealing the vulnerability and confusion in his eyes. He raised his hand to ruffle the sisters' hair, trying his best to make his tone sound as gentle as usual:
"They look great; you have good taste."
Rin also put away his previous sharpness and nodded at the three, a faint smile appearing on his face. The heavy conversation from just a moment ago seemed to be instantly severed by this sudden burst of innocence, and the tense atmosphere in the air gradually relaxed.
But Nanako still keenly sensed that something was wrong. She blinked, looking at Geto Suguru's slightly reddened eyes, then at Rin's tense jaw, and asked in a low voice:
"Lord Geto, Brother Rin, did you... did you just have an argument?"
Mimiko also nodded, her eyes full of worry:
"We saw you from afar just now, and you both looked unhappy."
Geto Suguru chuckled and reached out to pinch Nanako's cheek:
"No, we were just discussing work, I'm just a bit tired." He turned to look at Rin, giving him a look.
Rin understood immediately and followed up on the cue:
"Yeah, we were just talking about upcoming arrangements, no fighting. You bought so many things, hurry up and take them back to your room to put away, don't lose them."
The sisters were half-believing, but seeing that both men didn't want to say more, they didn't press the matter.
Manami stepped forward, smiling to smooth things over:
"Alright, don't stand at the door catching a draft. The things are heavy, let's go inside. I also bought those dorayaki you like, they'll get cold if we don't eat them soon."
"Wow! Dorayaki!" Hearing about the food, the sisters instantly forgot their previous doubts, grabbing each other's hands and running into the base, their shopping bags swinging in their hands.
Geto Suguru watched their retreating figures, the fatigue in his eyes fading slightly. He took a deep breath and nodded at Rin:
"Let's go in."
Rin responded and followed him into the base.
The corridor echoed with the sisters' joyful laughter. The heavy conversation about "plans," "death," and "powerlessness" was thus interrupted, like a stone sinking to the bottom of a river, temporarily disappearing without a trace.
Tonight's dinner was exceptionally quiet.
Usually, Geto Suguru would take the initiative to chat with Nanako and Mimiko about the details of their Hawaii vacation, or ask about Rin's training progress, but today he just silently shoveled rice into his mouth, even his movements of picking up food with chopsticks were somewhat sluggish.
Although he maintained a gentle expression on his face, the spark in his eyes seemed to have been drained away, leaving only a deep, heavy fatigue.
The children at the table didn't notice anything unusual. Nanako was still excitedly talking about wanting to learn to swim in Hawaii, while Mimiko was chattering away about planning to bring back a seashell bracelet for Geto Suguru, and Manami occasionally chimed in, talking about the sunset by the beach.
Only Rin saw it clearly; Geto Suguru's responses were just perfunctory nods, his gaze unfocused several times, clearly not having recovered from the impact of that conversation in the evening.
As soon as dinner ended, Geto Suguru didn't stay to chat with the children as usual; he just said, "I have something to deal with," and stood up to leave the dining room.
Rin put down his chopsticks and followed without much thought. He knew that what Geto Suguru needed right now was not solitude, but an outlet to talk things through.
Walking out of the dining room and away from the children's laughter, Geto Suguru finally dropped his facade. His shoulders slumped slightly, and his back looked exceptionally lonely under the corridor lights. Every step seemed to carry a thousand pounds of weight, lacking the upright, composed posture he usually held.
Watching that retreating figure, Rin finally said the words he had hidden in his heart for a long time, his voice soft but clear:
"Sensei, give it up."
Geto Suguru's footsteps faltered.
"Isn't it good as it is now?" Rin continued, his tone carrying a hint of imperceptible earnestness.
"Nanako and Mimiko don't care about anything else; as long as you are there, they feel happy. Miguel and Larue just want to follow you."
"You even promised to take them on vacation to Hawaii, have you forgotten?"
He didn't say "the plan is impossible to achieve," nor did he mention "you can't beat Gojo Satoru." He simply laid out those simplest, small things about "companionship." He knew that for Geto Suguru, the smiles of these children might touch him more than the "great cause of Jujutsu Sorcerers."
But Geto Suguru did not look back.
With his back to Rin, his voice was as light as a breeze, carrying undisguised weakness:
"Go back, Rin. Go back."
No rebuttal, no explanation, only a repeated "Go back."
Rin stood there dumbfounded, watching Geto Suguru continue walking forward until he pushed open that familiar wooden door to the meditation room.
After a soft creak, the wooden door slammed shut with a dull "bang," like a barrier, completely isolating the world inside from the outside.
When the wooden door shut with a "bang," Rin felt as if his heart had been gripped by an invisible hand, sinking heavily to the bottom.
The light in the corridor was dim and yellow, stretching his shadow long and thin, casting it onto the cold floor like an unsolvable knot.
At that moment, Rin's heart sank completely to the bottom.
No matter if Geto Suguru had pulled him into the Star Plasma Cult initially out of a plan to "expand combat power" or for other considerations, Rin could clearly feel that genuine care.
This kind of warmth was something he, as an orphan, had never possessed from childhood to adulthood.
Rin stood where he was, his fingertips trembling slightly.
"I just want him to survive."
This sentence echoed repeatedly in his heart, becoming clearer and firmer.