"Alright, we're inside Jujutsu High's barrier now. We should be safe for the time being."
"Satoru, you really worked hard."
"…That's impossible! We're inside the barrier of Jujutsu High!?"
"Don't let your guard down! Let's go, Riko."
"Go down the stairs, then pass through the gate. Head to the base of that large tree. There's a special barrier there, separate from Jujutsu High's. Only those who are invited can enter. Until the assimilation happens, Master Tengen will protect you."
"Or, you can turn back and go home with Miss Kuroi."
"We are the strongest. No matter what you choose, we can guarantee your future."
"Go home, Riko."
Bang!
A gunshot rang out, echoing in his ears like a buzzing noise.
Geto Suguru's eyes snapped open. He reached out and caught the beach volleyball speeding toward him. The ball spun on his palm for nearly five seconds before it finally came to a stop, showing just how much force had been behind it.
If he hadn't reacted in time, his face would've definitely ended up with a big red mark.
"Suguru!"
He looked up and saw Gojo Satoru's handsome face wearing a smug expression. Waving at him, Gojo called out, "We finally got a chance to have fun! Stop lying around on the beach chair and come play!"
"If you stay still for too long, your body's gonna rust, you know~!"
Not far away, three girls in swimsuits stood in different poses.
Amanai Riko still had her familiar white headband tied on, and she was wearing a one-piece swimsuit with tiny yellow flowers printed on it.
Kuroi Misato wore a simple gray racing swimsuit. It didn't have any special designs, but thanks to her curvy figure, the tight fit outlined her body perfectly, giving her an unexpected charm.
Meanwhile, Yukinoshita Haruno stood in the clear blue water, wearing a two-piece swimsuit with a skirt. She looked like a blooming lily on the sandy shore.
Three graceful women played in the water by the beach, their laughter ringing out like birds chirping.
Hokkaido, Tokoro District.
It was noon, the day after their flight had landed.
As expected from the heir of the Gojo family—even though the trip had been decided at the last minute, Gojo Satoru had arranged everything perfectly despite the tight schedule.
They had arrived the night before and checked into a seaside hotel. After a full night's rest, they only started waking up around nine in the morning.
After a simple breakfast, they headed straight for the beach.
With a sigh, Suguru Geto tossed the volleyball into the air, jumped up, and spiked it with force.
With a loud *thud*, the ball shot forward like a cannonball, heading straight for the white-haired boy.
But just before impact, the volleyball stopped in midair, hovering in front of Gojo Satoru.
"Hey! Using your technique is totally cheating!" Amanai Riko pointed at him, accusing him loudly.
"I'm going to prepare ingredients for lunch. You guys go ahead and play," Suguru Geto said, waving a hand as he turned back toward the hotel.
Gojo Satoru caught the volleyball and watched his friend walk away, his face calm, lost in thought.
"Alright then, let's play!" He quickly snapped back into his usual carefree grin. "How about a 2v2? Who wants to team up with me?"
Riko immediately grabbed Yukinoshita Haruno's arm and glared at the white-haired boy.
Kuroi Misato hesitated, looking a little awkward, unsure if she should step in or not.
"Fine, all three of you can play against me," Gojo Satoru said with a smirk when no one volunteered to be his teammate. "Not that it'll make a difference—you guys are pretty weak, after all."
"Hmph! Big talk! Just don't use your technique or cursed energy to cheat!" Riko huffed, hands on her hips.
"Against you guys? I won't even need to," Gojo replied with a confident smile, his bright blue eyes glinting behind his sunglasses.
The four players took their positions on opposite sides of the volleyball net. Since it was three against one, Riko allowed Gojo to serve first.
The volleyball soared high into the air before being spiked down hard.
As expected, even three against one, they were no match for Gojo Satoru.
The ball zipped past their outstretched arms and slammed into the sand, kicking up a cloud of dust—right onto Riko's head.
Gojo pointed at her and burst into laughter as she puffed up her cheeks like a chipmunk storing food.
"You…!"
Riko gritted her teeth in frustration but couldn't argue—after all, Gojo hadn't used any cursed techniques or energy.
She picked up the volleyball and threw it back over the net, determined. "That was just a fluke! I'll get it next time!"
"Yeah, yeah."
Gojo caught the ball and served again with a powerful jump spike.
This time, Yukinoshita Haruno reacted quickly, managing to receive the ball and send it high into the air.
Riko immediately dashed toward the net, keeping her eyes locked on the spinning ball. "Kuroi! Set it up for me!"
Kuroi Misato set the ball for her young mistress.
Riko leaped into the air, her body arching like a bow, perfectly positioning herself for a spike.
Her pale arms swung down with all her strength, as if she were pouring all her frustration toward Gojo into this one shot.
And then… she completely missed.
"Ahhh!"
Losing her balance, Riko flailed and tumbled onto the soft sand.
The volleyball, as if mocking her, dropped down and landed right on her head.
"Pfft! Hahahaha!!!"
Gojo Satoru's loud, carefree laughter rang out once again, even louder than before. Amanai Riko was so frustrated that she was on the verge of tears.
"It's okay, Riko-chan." Yukinoshita Haruno reached out to help the girl up, gently brushing the sand off her clothes. She smiled reassuringly and said, "Just return the next one."
"Yeah!"
"Do you really think you can win?" Gojo Satoru still wore his confident smile. He simply couldn't picture himself losing.
As long as that guy doesn't show up…
"Alright, I'll leave it to you, Demon-kun."
The short-haired girl smiled slightly. The grin on the white-haired boy's face instantly stiffened.
"Hey, isn't that cheating?!" Gojo Satoru pointed at Yukinoshita Haruno, looking indignant.
"Relax, I'm not using cursed energy either, am I?"
Yukinoshita Haruno stretched out her arms and casually moved her body around.
She had been buried in research lately, so this was finally a chance to get some exercise.
She tossed the ball over to the other side, while Hayashizaki bent down slightly, resting her hands on her knees and raising an eyebrow at the now-tense white-haired boy.
Gojo Satoru smirked. "You don't actually think you can beat me for sure, do you?"
If neither of them used cursed energy to enhance their bodies, he still had the advantage of the Six Eyes. His chances of winning weren't zero—he just had to make sure not to be intimidated by her earlier display.
While psyching himself up, Gojo Satoru tossed the ball high into the air.
Another jump serve, another powerful shot. He even aimed directly at Amanai Riko's weak spot.
The volleyball spun at high speed, cutting through the air as it shot toward Amanai Riko. It skimmed past her cheek, the wind from its movement lifting her smooth, long hair.
She didn't even react—just stood there in a daze, watching the ball zip past her.
But just as the ball was about to hit the ground, a figure suddenly appeared behind her, effortlessly receiving the powerful serve.
"No way!?"
Gojo Satoru's eyes widened in shock.
Was that kind of speed possible with just raw physical strength? No, wait—wasn't that Yukinoshita Haruno's body?
His surprise lasted only a moment. With the Six Eyes, he quickly understood why Hayashizaki was able to pull off such incredible speed, even while using Yukinoshita Haruno's weaker body.
The level of control over her muscles was on a completely different level.
She was using every single muscle in her body to its fullest potential, pushing her explosive power to the absolute limit—even to the point of overstraining her body. If she kept doing this a few more times, her muscles were bound to get torn…
But she had mastered an incredibly efficient Reverse Cursed Technique!
Torn muscles? She could heal them in less than a second. And all she needed to do was last until this beach volleyball match was over.
A drop of cold sweat trickled down Gojo Satoru's cheek.
"This is just a game… you don't have to go this hard, you know?" he said, a bit speechless.
"Well, a certain someone in my head won't shut up about how I *have* to win," Hayashizaki replied with a smile before starting her approach.
The volleyball, guided by her precise control, went toward Kuroi Misato, who set it toward the left side of the net.
Her takeoff posture was textbook perfect—her body stretched like a fully drawn bow, the movement even more graceful and powerful than Amanai Riko's previous attempt.
Her small, pale hand struck the ball. In the Six Eyes' detailed vision, time seemed to slow down, and Gojo Satoru could clearly see the volleyball deform under the impact.
A deep, thunderous sound echoed.
The ball shot forward like a cannonball, aimed straight at Gojo Satoru.
He managed to catch the ball, but the impact was so strong that he staggered backward several steps.
Since he was playing alone, he had to set and spike the ball himself. But the force of the hit sent the volleyball flying off to the far end of the beach, giving Hayashizaki's team a point.
If he had a teammate, they might have been able to save that ball.
For a moment, he considered asking Kuroi to join his team since Hayashizaki had already stepped in. But they had agreed on a one-versus-three match earlier. Taking back his words now would be too embarrassing for Gojo Satoru.
After all, he was still at that proud and competitive stage of youth—his ego wouldn't let him back down.
And pride wasn't something others gave you—it was something you had to earn yourself!
Annoyed, Gojo Satoru used his technique to pull the ball back, then sent it over to the other side.
He locked his gaze on Hayashizaki, who was stepping back to serve, and reached up to remove his sunglasses. His Six Eyes activated at full power, glowing a bright blue.
Once again, it was a jump serve. The volleyball came spinning toward him like a cannon shot.
The trajectory was straightforward, but the power behind it was immense.
With his Six Eyes, he analyzed every factor that could affect the ball's reception—its angle, speed, and his stance—calculating it all in an instant.
With a deep thud, he bumped the ball perfectly, sending it into the air in a smooth arc toward Amanai Riko's position.
Flustered, Riko managed to receive it, but her control was off. Hayashizaki picked it up and set it for Kuroi Misato, who spiked it toward Gojo's side.
Boom!
The ball hit the ground.
Gojo Satoru landed from his jump and looked past the stunned Kuroi Misato, his eyes locking onto Hayashizaki in the back row with a playful smirk.
Instead of receiving the ball, he had chosen to block it alone.
Against a spiker like Kuroi Misato, there was no way the ball could break through his defense. His block sent the ball bouncing back onto their side of the sand.
"This is getting interesting," Hayashizaki grinned, finally taking the game seriously.
Back at the barbecue area, Geto Suguru had returned with ingredients for lunch, along with the grill and charcoal.
He had already started the fire in advance and was threading skewers onto sticks, grilling them over the heat.
As he flipped the ten skewers in his hands, he watched the flustered white-haired boy in the distance, a faint smile appearing on his face.
The strange dreams that had been bothering him lately—the ones that left him feeling restless—seemed to fade away in this moment of peace.
This laughter and warmth before him… this was reality.
His wandering gaze landed on Amanai Riko.
Her bright, carefree smile at this moment overlapped for an instant with the helpless expression she had in his dream, just before she was shot.
For a brief moment, echoes of words spoken to him resurfaced in his mind.
This long marathon that is the life of a sorcerer… what if, in the end, all that awaits you is a mountain of your fallen comrades?
…
…
"I'm full!"
Winter break had started, and Yukinoshita Haruno had just returned home from university.
After finishing her lunch in record time, she got up and dodged the two cats—one black, one white—who were trying to climb onto her lap, and headed straight for her room.
"Haruno, what are you planning to do this afternoon?" her mother asked, puzzled by how quickly her daughter had eaten.
"Taking a nap!" Haruno's voice rang out from down the hall. She had already disappeared from sight.
"Is it just me, or has Haruno been sleeping a lot lately?" Yukinoshita's father wondered aloud. Was his daughter part bear? Did she need to hibernate?
Her mother started to say something but then hesitated. She changed her words at the last moment.
"Let her be. She's on break—she should relax and do whatever makes her comfortable."
Ever since her younger daughter came home for a visit, Yukinoshita's mother had changed a lot.
In the room, the short-haired beauty kicked off her slippers, quickly climbed into bed, and pulled up the blanket, looking as if she couldn't wait to fall asleep.
And why was she in such a hurry to sleep?
Of course, it was because there was nothing interesting happening in this reality. She might as well sleep and dream—see what her other self and Hayashizaki-kun were up to in another timeline!
… *Smooch*
…
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