"Suguru, you're too pure.
So pure that you've become obsessed with remaining pure."
After leaving the movie theater, Getou Suguru let Asou Akiya gently take his left hand and lead him forward.
They left behind the cool air-conditioned building and the crowds discussing the film, returning to reality. Beneath the blazing sun, the heat was oppressive and stifling.
"If we're speaking in terms of original sin, Gojo is burdened by his clan. He could never be as spotless as you are.
You hold yourself to impossibly high moral standards because you believe you can live up to them.
You come from an ordinary family. Your hands are clean. You're gifted with power, yet you can obtain what you want without committing crimes. You exorcise cursed spirits that ordinary people can't even see. You're worthy of being the unsung hero who protects the world from its hidden darkness.
On the surface, it seems as though you have everything. You're respected by others, and your life's goal is to become a jujutsu sorcerer who saves the world."
Asou Akiya paused.
"But do you really have that much?"
"No."
Asou Akiya wandered leisurely through the streets of Ginza, smiling as he watched the fashionable men and women passing by.
He continued speaking in a gentle voice, calmly telling the truth and dismantling the self-deception Getou Suguru had built around himself.
"Were you born into a family that guaranteed you'd never have to worry about food or clothing?
Do you have subordinates whose loyalty comes without asking anything in return?
Do you own a mansion? Luxury cars?
Do you have parents who respect you completely?
Do you have admirers who truly understand you and will always stand up for you?
Do you have a heart that can still smile even when the world refuses to love you?"
Getou Suguru listened in silence.
A trace of melancholy and longing he himself had never recognized gradually surfaced on his face.
No. I don't.
Everything I lack, Satoru can obtain them effortlessly.
Asou Akiya wandered through Ginza's streets and alleyways, his figure carrying a quiet detachment that seemed out of place in the world around him. As he led Getou Suguru farther and farther away from the jujutsu world, he spoke softly.
"Suguru, the core of our hearts isn't strong enough, isn't rich enough, but that's not our fault; We simply weren't given enough nourishment. We're poor in spirit, while struggling to survive in the material world."
Getou Suguru had expected to be scolded.
He had expected to be condemned.
Instead, Asou Akiya simply watched a movie with him, talked with him, strolled beside him, and rode the train with him.
He took Getou Suguru to see Tokyo's wealthy residential districts.
Then he took him to visit a children's welfare home.
"Who wouldn't want all these magnificent things? Even if they're only ornaments, they're beautiful.
You're standing at the level of a Special Grade sorcerer. You should be charging forward.
But all I see is someone standing still. That's why I wanted to talk to you."
Every road had its end.
This one ended beneath the apartment building in Tokyo that Getou Suguru had been unwilling to face.
Asou Akiya asked him quietly, "How many missions did you have to complete over the summer before you finally paid off your mortgage?"
Getou Suguru avoided the gentle, cherishing gaze directed at him.
"It... wasn't that many."
"This summer was hard, wasn't it?" Asou Akiya spoke as though he could hear the thoughts hidden in Getou Suguru's heart.
"You didn't eat well, you didn't sleep well, the sun beat down on you every day, and you still insisted on saving ordinary people.
Every now and then, dark thoughts surfaced in your heart, and you exhausted yourself fighting them, believing that, at the very least, you had to remain a kind and decent person."
His voice carried a note of quiet regret.
"Just like Haibara-kouhai, who is a genuinely good person."
A genuinely good person?
Suddenly, Getou Suguru felt the pulse in his neck pounding violently. His stomach churned with acid, and his fingers curled involuntarily.
"Akiya..."
"Haibara-kouhai is a wonderful person. He's the kind of straightforward fool who doesn't overthink things. He worries little, frets little. He's kind by nature and lives with an open, cheerful heart."
"Akiya..."
"But in my eyes, Suguru, you're even better than he is. Better than any of our kouhai."
Asou Akiya stated it as an undeniable fact.
His tone left no room for doubt.
Then he turned to face Getou Suguru.
He refused to let Getou Suguru's heart continue down its twisted path.
"Even before I enrolled at Jujutsu High, I'd already heard stories about Curse Spirit Manipulators. Back then, I thought to myself that I should stay as far away from them as possible. People like that usually don't live long. Extraordinary talent without the backing of a powerful family is all too easily turned into a blade wielded by the higher-ups of the jujutsu world.
I'm grateful that Getou Suguru isn't a fool.
You're not someone who possesses only strength without the ability to think.
So why are you ashamed?
If everyone in this world possessed your sense of morality, there would never have been any wars.
Why won't you meet my eyes?
Have you finally realized that, in this flourishing, dazzling world of splendor and excess... you're actually someone who has nothing at all?
The kindness you show the weak, the empathy you feel for them, stems from the fact that no one reached out to you when you were at your weakest and most desperate for help.
So you chose to become the one who saves the weak.
From the perspective of the strong, you keep trying to save every helpless version of yourself.
You're both proud and full of self-pity.
Suguru, I understand how you feel.
Some wounds from the past take an entire lifetime to heal."
Asou Akiya laid bare the darkness and emptiness hidden within Getou Suguru's heart without flinching.
Getou Suguru wished the ground would swallow him whole.
For the first time, he found himself grateful that so few people happened to be passing by the apartment building.
And even more grateful that there wasn't a single person there capable of understanding what they were talking about.
Sorcerers were, by nature, lonely people.
The ability to see and the inability to see divided humanity into two entirely different kinds of beings, as though they had evolved along separate paths.
The image of Amanai Riko spending her summer in the apartment crossed Getou Suguru's mind, and his gaze dimmed.
She should have been their kouhai at Tokyo Jujutsu High.
But not everyone was willing to step into the world of jujutsu, battle cursed spirits, and become an unsung hero who protected the world.
Not everyone who possesses cursed energy is one of us.
Asou Akiya held his hand a little tighter, offering silent warmth. "Your wings have grown strong enough to carry you now. You have friends. Don't become a lonely bird that only admires itself."
Getou Suguru straightened, his eyes brightening. "Akiya, I understand what you're trying to say! Thank you for comforting me."
Asou Akiya immediately cut off his train of thought. "No, you don't understand."
"Neither Gojo nor I want you exhausting yourself and suffering for the sake of an outsider."
Getou Suguru replied reluctantly, "...Riko-chan can't really be called an outsider."
Asou Akiya almost laughed.
Not an outsider?
Then what is she? A friend?
Since when did Getou Suguru's friendship become so cheap?
"What has she ever done for you?" Asou Akiya asked calmly. "Has she ever even thanked you?"
"Akiya, you don't know her. She simply wasn't raised properly. She's innocent at heart—a good girl. The jujutsu world abandoned her. I can't bear to watch her stumble through life alone, lost and without direction with no one to help." Getou Suguru instinctively defended the 14-year-old Amanai Riko.
Suguru, your excessive indulgence is only hurting her.
Hearing that Getou Suguru still refused to let go of his misguided conviction, Asou Akiya realized that a gentle approach would never be enough.
He had expected himself to be angry.
Instead, Gojo Satoru's promise had swept away every trace of his resentment toward Amanai Riko.
He no longer regarded her as someone worth dwelling on.
Who would waste time caring about someone who no longer existed within their circle of friends?
Suguru was willing to suffer.
His friends couldn't bear to watch him suffer...
Yet they also feared that, unless he suffered enough, he would never truly wake up.
Taking a step closer, Asou Akiya decided it was time for a stronger dose of medicine.
"You're right, I don't know her.
But I know you.
I'm guessing you won't be living in this apartment anymore. You'll want to avoid any misunderstandings. You'll want to protect a young girl's privacy and her reputation.
Students outside the jujutsu world have summer vacation, winter vacation, and all kinds of school holidays.
She can't be left without a place to live.
Asou Akiya clapped his hands together, unveiling his "surprise."
"Suguru, why wait for another day? Let's transfer the apartment to Amanai Riko, I'm sure she'll be absolutely delighted to accept it.
She's a good girl and a good girl wouldn't want to spend her life relying on someone else's charity. She certainly wouldn't want to be kept by someone else."
Every word Asou Akiya spoke sounded perfectly reasonable, and yet, somehow, every sentence veered wildly off course.
As he carefully painted the picture for him, Getou Suguru could already imagine the joyful expression that would light up Amanai Riko's face.
Riko-chan...
The price of Amanai Riko's happiness… would be ownership of Getou Suguru's apartment.
Asou Akiya spoke lightly.
"With a place to live and the ability to work part-time, a good girl like her should be able to become self-sufficient, don't you think?"
Getou Suguru stared at him in surprise.
He could tell that Akiya genuinely meant every word.
"You really think so? You actually support me giving her the apartment?"
Without realizing it, Getou Suguru had admitted the thought he'd been unwilling to reveal to his friends.
He no longer wanted the apartment.
Neither Satoru nor Akiya was there anymore.
It no longer felt like a place he belonged.
Asou Akiya smiled. "I do. With our abilities, we'll be able to buy houses of our own in the future. When that happens, we'll be neighbors."
The moment he finished speaking, Asou Akiya contacted the real estate agent and asked him to prepare the transfer paperwork.
With a mixture of persuasion and gentle coaxing, he guided the softhearted Getou Suguru through signing every document.
Just like that, Getou Suguru lost ownership of the first home he had ever owned.
The real estate agent looked at the two high school students with a strange expression.
They were so young, yet the way they handled major decisions was astonishingly decisive and efficient.
The last time one of them had insisted on selling a property, he had really sold it for half its market value.
This time, the house was transferred free of charge.
After making the decision on behalf of the ever-kindhearted Getou Suguru, Asou Akiya proceeded to empty the last of the poor man's savings as well—the money was used to pay the administrative fees for transferring ownership of the apartment.
When they stepped back outside, Getou Suguru's mind was still completely blank.
The apartment is gone?
Just a few words from Akiya and I don't own a home anymore?
Only when he saw his bank account emptied and his wallet devoid of cash did the harsh reality finally sink in.
Asou Akiya knocked on the apartment door.
Amanai Riko answered.
It was the first time the two had formally met.
Asou Akiya greeted her with good news.
"Amanai Riko-san, Getou Suguru has decided to give this apartment to you as a gift. I hope you won't mind that it's a little small, he wants to apologize to you on behalf of the jujutsu world. From now on, I hope you'll truly be able to make a fresh start."
The unexpected news left Amanai Riko completely stunned.
"Really? Getou! I have a place to live now!"
Getou Suguru: "..."
With tears sparkling in her eyes, Amanai Riko threw her arms around Getou Suguru in a fierce embrace.
"Thank you!"
In that instant, every complaint and protest lingering in Getou Suguru's heart melted away.
His mind gradually cleared.
Letting out a quiet sigh, he looked over at Asou Akiya and understood what his friend had been trying to do all along.
This was a clean break.
A single payment that settled everything once and for all.
From this moment on, he had done everything he possibly could for the little girl who had once been the Star Plasma Vessel.
He had fulfilled every obligation his conscience demanded.
As for his money… He could always earn more.
Riko-chan...
From now on, no one will be there to help you anymore.
You'll have to walk the rest of your life on your own.
...
Half an hour later, they left the apartment building together.
Asou Akiya led Getou Suguru to a nearby dessert café, where they found Gojo Satoru and Ieiri Shoko already waiting for them.
Getou Suguru blinked in surprise. "Satoru?"
Gojo Satoru immediately complained, "You guys took forever—are you finally done?"
"We're finished," Asou Akiya replied casually.
Ieiri Shoko, who wasn't fond of sweets, leisurely savored a sweet-and-tart strawberry parfait.
"Gojo, people who stalk their classmates shouldn't sound so self-righteous."
Asou Akiya took the seat beside Ieiri Shoko.
Meanwhile, Getou Suguru sat across from Gojo Satoru with the detached air of someone who regarded money as nothing more than dirt.
Gojo Satoru snorted. "You deserved it, Suguru. Looks like you can't play the sneaky thieving cat anymore."
"I already told you, Riko-chan and I have a completely innocent relationship!"
"I don't care," Gojo Satoru shot back. "I hate having extra people in my territory. Even Riko-chan doesn't get a pass."
"Why not...?"
"She's not my companion. She has two hands and two feet—she can take care of herself. Once the mission was over, she had nothing to do with me anymore."
"Satoru, you're so cold. You weren't like this when we were having fun at the beach. Riko-chan liked you a lot."
"That's a different matter. Plenty of people like me anyway~."
Holding his dessert spoon, Gojo Satoru flashed Getou Suguru a smug grin.
Even if they were both broke now, what Gojo Satoru had gained was far more than a simple "thank you."
Suguru, you have no idea what it's like to truly hold a place in someone's heart. Hahaha!
Just then, Gojo Satoru heard Getou Suguru ask Asou Akiya in a sly voice,
"Akiya, don't you think Gojo's put on a little weight? Maybe he should cut back on the desserts."
Gojo Satoru exploded.
You damned fox! That's complete nonsense!