"The barbecue is ready!"
Suguru Geto snapped out of his daze and called out to everyone nearby.
"Alright!"
"On my way!"
The group put down their volleyballs and walked over to the grill.
Even before they got close, the delicious aroma of grilled meat filled the air. The rich scent of sizzling fat mixed with the smoky charcoal and the light saltiness of the sea breeze. It was like an invisible hand pulling at their taste buds, making their mouths water.
"Smells amazing!"
Amanai Riko eagerly stepped forward. Geto smiled and handed her a freshly grilled beef skewer.
"Thanks!" She happily took the skewer and popped a piece of meat into her mouth.
Her teeth gently bit down, and the moment the crisp, tender meat broke apart, the smoky flavor and the beef's natural juiciness exploded in her mouth. A thin layer of oil added a soft sheen to her lips.
"So good!" Amanai Riko cupped her cheeks, looking completely satisfied.
Geto chuckled and started handing out more skewers. "Everyone, dig in."
"I got this."
Gojo Satoru took a big bite of a skewer, then excitedly took over the grill. "It's been ages since I grilled anything myself."
"Alright, alright." Geto sighed helplessly and gave up the spot.
"Geto."
Just as he was about to grab a drink, Gojo Satoru suddenly called out to him.
"You doing okay?" The white-haired boy asked casually.
His head was lowered, eyes focused on the skewer in his hand, carefully watching the heat to avoid burning the meat.
This was fresh beef and lamb—not cheap. Even burning one skewer would be a waste.
"I'm fine." Geto looked a little puzzled. "Why do you ask?"
"No reason…"
Gojo Satoru turned his head slightly and scratched his cheek.
How was he supposed to explain this?
That he'd been having a string of weird dreams lately? That in those dreams, Geto didn't seem quite right around this time?
Acting all suspicious just because of a dream would be ridiculous—like something a little kid would do.
But that dream was truly strange.
In the dream, Suguru and I successfully escorted Amanai Riko into the Jujutsu High barrier. Just like in reality, I was ambushed by Zenin Toji.
However, in the dream, Hayashizaki and Yukinoshita Haruno were nowhere to be seen.
All that remained was a fierce battle between me and Zenin Toji. In the end, I was defeated by his special-grade cursed tool, the Inverted Spear of Heaven, which could nullify all techniques.
I only learned how to use Reverse Cursed Technique at the brink of death.
In that regard, there wasn't much difference from reality. The only change was that the one who nearly killed me wasn't Zenin Toji, but Hayashizaki instead.
But after that, things started to feel off.
Amanai Riko was killed by Zenin Toji. Suguru was also defeated by him.
After mastering Reverse Cursed Technique, I did manage to kill Zenin Toji using the Gojo family's secret technique, Hollow Purple. But after that, Suguru's condition became strange.
And in the dream, I didn't even notice it.
The only difference between the dream and reality was the presence—or absence—of Hayashizaki and Yukinoshita Haruno. But from there, everything unfolded completely differently.
"Well, as long as you're fine, that's all that matters." The white-haired boy shoved a skewer of beef into Suguru Geto's hands. "Here, try my cooking!"
"Wait, hold on… This isn't even cooked properly."
Suguru turned the skewer over in his hands. The beef chunks were charred black on one side and raw on the other—a clear sign of an unskilled chef at work. The legendary Six Eyes, which allowed a sorcerer to perceive the molecular structure of cursed energy, apparently weren't enough to cook a proper beef skewer.
"Stop complaining! Just eat it and be grateful!" The white-haired boy grumbled, clearly frustrated, as he hurried to flip the skewers on the grill.
"No way."
Suguru firmly placed the raw side back onto the grill.
As it turned out, the Six Eyes weren't completely useless.
At the very least, once Gojo Satoru stopped being distracted by his dreams, his cooking improved. After finally getting a properly grilled meal, everyone enjoyed a delicious barbecue. But since the midday sun was too strong, they decided to head back to the hotel for a break. The plan was to go back out at around 4 PM, once the sun wasn't as harsh.
The beach in Jorogun was massive, and the seaside hotel that Gojo Satoru had booked had its own private section, so guests didn't have to squeeze into the crowded public areas.
Even by the afternoon, there weren't many people on the beach, allowing them to avoid the usual crowds.
Amanai Riko, holding a pink swim ring, was the first to run into the waves alongside Gojo Satoru. The latter pointed and laughed hysterically as a wave completely knocked Riko over.
Yukinoshita Haruno, on the other hand, was a strong swimmer and didn't need a float. But she wasn't particularly interested in swimming, so after a couple of laps, she returned to the shore.
She rinsed off with fresh water to wash away the salt, then put on her sunglasses and stretched out on a beach chair, enjoying the sun.
"Oh, right, I need to reapply sunscreen."
Before heading out, she had Riko help apply sunscreen for her. But after swimming a few laps, it had all been washed away.
Now, everyone else was playing in the water, and she didn't want to call Riko back just to help with sunscreen.
She could've used her technique to have a clone do it, but the beach wasn't completely empty. If someone saw her, it would be a problem.
Unlike other techniques, cloning wasn't something that could stay hidden from regular people.
"If only Demon-kun could help," the short-haired girl muttered to herself, sighing at the thought of getting a few shades darker after this trip.
Just then, Hayashizaki's voice suddenly whispered in her ear, "That might actually be possible."
A pair of narrow, ruby-red eyes slowly opened on Yukinoshita Haruno's face.
Hayashizaki spoke, "I've been buried in research lately, but it's given me a better understanding of how techniques and cursed energy work."
Realizing that Hayashizaki was appearing on her own face, Yukinoshita Haruno raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Oh? So what are you planning to do?"
"You still don't fully understand what your technique really is, do you?" Hayashizaki gave a faint smile and activated her technique.
Her body flickered, becoming slightly distorted—an early sign that her technique was activating.
What surprised Yukinoshita Haruno was that Hayashizaki didn't take control of her body. And yet, the technique still worked.
A streak of white light separated from the short-haired girl, but what appeared wasn't a duplicate of Yukinoshita Haruno. Instead, it was a black-haired young man wearing a pure white yukata.
Yukinoshita Haruno's eyes widened in shock.
The figure of the black-haired young man flickered, and in the next moment, the white yukata disappeared, transforming into a brightly colored pair of beach shorts.
"Yeah, this looks more natural. It won't draw too much attention." The clone nodded in satisfaction.
"Wait, wait, wait—who the heck are you?"
The scene in front of her was so shocking that Yukinoshita Haruno blurted out something without thinking. She quickly regained her senses and asked hesitantly, "Demon-kun?"
"It's me." Hayashizaki nodded.
"Come to think of it, you've never seen me like this before, have you?"
The familiar voice came from the short-haired girl's face, identical to the voice of the clone.
Yukinoshita Haruno instinctively reached up and touched her cheek. Her fingertips felt the smooth skin. "Huh? Why are you still on my face?"
The black-haired young man sighed. "If I don't stay like this, I can't maintain this form."
By successfully breaking down the Ten Shadows Technique, Hayashizaki gained a deeper understanding of the fundamental mechanics behind sorcery. His control over cursed energy also improved, allowing him to do things he couldn't before.
Rather than taking control of Yukinoshita Haruno's body, he simply provided the cursed energy output.
This way, he could create a clone of himself using his own cursed energy without taking over her body.
"So this is what you really look like, huh? I didn't expect you to be... unexpectedly handsome. Wait, no—why does the clone look like you?"
For a brief moment, Yukinoshita Haruno was dazed when she saw the young man's striking features, but she quickly snapped out of it and realized something wasn't right.
"Oh, you mean this?"
Hayashizaki's expression showed understanding. He reached up and touched his own face. His form flickered again, becoming blurry, and when it stabilized, he had turned into Gojo Satoru.
"This is the true extent of your technique," Hayashizaki explained. "It's not just about creating a duplicate. You can also take on someone else's appearance."
"A thousand faces—that's your real technique."
Not only did his appearance change, but even his voice perfectly matched the white-haired boy's usual playful tone.
He could even mimic cursed energy, making it difficult to tell the difference unless a technique was used.
Of course, certain unique traits—like the Six Eyes—couldn't be copied. That meant he couldn't fully impersonate Gojo Satoru, though he might be able to fool some idiots.
"…Wait, I had this ability? How come I never knew?" Yukinoshita Haruno looked completely lost.
"It's probably because, deep down, you only want to be Yukinoshita Haruno right now," Hayashizaki said with a smile. The short-haired girl froze for a moment.
Unlike traditional family techniques passed down for generations, modern sorcery often awakened based on the sorcerer's inner thoughts and desires.
She had put on a perfect mask, skillfully navigating different social circles, gaining trust, and using that trust to her advantage.
Taking on the responsibility of the Yukinoshita family was essentially just that.
Unlike her younger sister, Yukinoshita Yukino, Haruno had actually inherited a technique. However, because her brain wasn't structured like a sorcerer's, she couldn't use cursed energy. That's why, in the original timeline, she never became a sorcerer.
But in this version of events, Hayashizaki had unintentionally "moved in" to her body, altering her brain structure and awakening her technique.
In doing so, he also changed her fate.
"Well, even though this was just a small test, the result turned out exactly as I expected. It worked perfectly." Hayashizaki casually took the bottle of sunscreen, squeezed a dollop of thick white lotion onto his palm, and said, "Lie down."
"Oh."
For some reason, the short-haired girl suddenly fell silent. She obediently turned over and lay face down on the beach chair.
She was still wearing her two-piece swimsuit, revealing her pale back. Her shoulder blades were well-defined, and her entire back had an elegant shape. The smooth lines of her shoulders extended into a slim, toned waist with no excess fat. Her skin had a healthy glow, slightly flushed from the sun.
When the cool sunscreen touched her skin, she instinctively shivered. Then, as his warm hands spread the lotion across her back, a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.
Come to think of it, this was the first time a boy had ever touched her.
She was only joking around, but she didn't expect Demon-kun to actually do it. This time, she really got the short end of the stick.
The cool, slippery sunscreen mixed with the warmth of his hands created a strange sensation. Hayashizaki's large hands moved freely over Yukinoshita Haruno's exposed skin. As he got more into it, he unknowingly applied more pressure, and before long, he was basically giving her a massage.
"Mm…"
A soft, involuntary sound slipped from her lips. A faint blush spread across her face, and her bright eyes gradually became misty.
Unaware of the girl's reddening ears, the black-haired young man remained calm and focused, slowly regaining the muscle memory of kneading dough from his past life.
Once she pushed past her embarrassment and got used to the unusual feeling, all that was left was to enjoy it.
"Actually… I had a dream about myself recently," Yukinoshita Haruno said after a brief silence. "Not me as I am now, but me as an adult."
"Demon-kun, you once said you came here from another timeline, right? So I was thinking… maybe what I saw in my dream was the life that Yukinoshita Haruno lived in that other world."
"Yeah."
After getting confirmation from the black-haired young man, Yukinoshita Haruno continued, "Just as I expected—it was a boring life, one where I could see the end from the very beginning."
"Graduating high school with top grades, entering university, and slowly taking over the Yukinoshita family business from my father step by step while continuing my studies."
"If Demon-kun hadn't appeared, that would have definitely been my future."
She never really liked the name of her technique, "A Thousand Faces."
It felt like a cruel joke—like her dull and fake life had been turned into some kind of symbol. As if the mask she wore for others to see was all that Yukinoshita Haruno was.
And after wearing the mask for so long, she had almost forgotten who she really was.
"Speaking of which, I saw you in my dream too. You were inside Yukino-chan, and then you left her body. Just like you said, you were good friends with the Haruno from that world."
Hayashizaki said flatly, "I had no reason to lie to you in the first place."
"That's true." The short-haired girl lay on the beach chair, gazing at the endless coastline, her eyes lost in thought. "I saw you taking Haruno with you, flying into the starry sky on the back of an owl shikigami."
Just like how Demon-kun had taken her away from that dull banquet.
Ever since that night, Yukinoshita Haruno no longer needed to wear a mask. She no longer had to envy others.
She could simply be Yukinoshita Haruno.
"You had your back to her, so you probably didn't see it…"
Yukinoshita Haruno smiled brightly.
…
…
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