"You can tell Yuta your analysis and guesses, but you cannot make the decision for him. If we decide someone's fate just because it seems reasonable or better, how are we any different from those stubborn old men?
"Ari, thinking things through and weighing options is a good habit, but sometimes you can try being more emotional. That is what youth is."
Akira fell silent.
He had to admit that Satoru Gojo made sense. The words pointed out another issue in Akira's mind, a long-standing blind spot even deeper than Kento Nanami's advice to just do his own job.
Optimization Method and the foresight of a transmigrator were the two advantages Akira had always believed in. They brought him many conveniences and earned him the respect and trust of everyone at Tokyo Jujutsu High, but they also planted a hidden risk.
What was an adult's Optimization Method? Efficiency, optimal results, planning. Foresight was the strongest support for that Optimization Method.
Sixteen years after transmigrating, Akira had always walked what he believed was the correct path. Just as Satoru Gojo's confidence of being invincible slowly turned into looking down on others, Akira had also subconsciously developed the thought that he was always right and that no one understood Jujutsu Kaisen better than him.
Take Yuta Okkotsu as an example. Akira of course knew the method of Curse Removal for Rika Orimoto. Yuta Okkotsu was willing from the bottom of his heart to give his life to Rika Orimoto and die with her, fulfilling their promise to be together forever and repaying the sin of an unconscious curse.
Yes, it was not Rika Orimoto who cursed Yuta Okkotsu, but Yuta Okkotsu who cursed Rika Orimoto. When he saw Rika Orimoto's body, his mind was filled with their promise, and his Jujutsu Sorcerer bloodline activated unconsciously, creating the Special Grade Vengeful Cursed Spirit.
If Rika Orimoto chose to forgive Yuta and did not require him to atone, the price of the curse could be canceled, allowing the bound soul to ascend and find release. But Akira also knew that after Rika Orimoto's Curse Removal, Yuta Okkotsu would be stripped of his Special Grade status, dropped to Grade Four, and forced to climb back up step by step.
That was because once Rika Orimoto's soul ascended, the shell of Cursed Spirit Rika Orimoto would remain as a technique belonging to Yuta Okkotsu. How much weaker that shell would be compared to the complete Special Grade Vengeful Cursed Spirit was unknown. After all, Cursed Spirit Rika Orimoto once possessed power enough to overturn the Jujutsu World, and Yuta after Curse Removal clearly felt one level lower.
Although the vengeful spirit was born from Yuta Okkotsu's curse, the existence of the girl named Rika Orimoto was also special. When she was five, her mother died suddenly for unknown reasons. Two days before starting elementary school, she went hiking with her father and disappeared with him, and a week later only Rika Orimoto was found in a shelter near the summit.
The grandmother who adopted Rika Orimoto always believed that her son and daughter-in-law were killed by Rika Orimoto. Rika Orimoto herself was indeed able to manipulate some adults through words and behavior, consciously using her own traits. Rika Orimoto might not have been a Jujutsu Sorcerer, but she was certainly not a normal person.
Back when reading the manga in his previous life, Akira had already thought that it was not just Yuta who created Rika Orimoto. The two of them completed each other, together creating the ceiling of Cursed Spirit.
After talking about power, there was emotion. For two people who loved each other, was letting go and ascending really the best ending for Makoto? The idea that love means letting go rather than possession was something Akira never believed in.
As for species, would someone who raised a Gardevoir really care? Deep down, Akira had always felt that it might be better for Rika Orimoto not to undergo Curse Removal. It was only after being awakened by Satoru Gojo that he realized his idea of what was best might not be what Yuta Okkotsu and Rika Orimoto considered best.
Some people value strength, and some do not. Yuta Okkotsu, this kind-hearted Boy, belonged to the latter and had never thought about being unrivaled. Letting go or holding on were both personal choices, and even if you disagreed, you could not demand that Yuta Okkotsu act according to your view.
People often become what they once disliked without realizing it. Perhaps those old conservatives had once been just like Akira. The difference was that no one woke them up, while Akira had someone who did.
From the change in Akira's expression, Satoru Gojo already knew what he was thinking and said smugly, "Well? Was I handsome enough to impress you? I'm a pretty competent teacher, right?"
Akira's favorability dropped instantly as he stepped back in disgust. "I'm not interested in men."
Two grown men really did not need this kind of act. No gay jokes here.
"I don't care. My face is enough for me to look at. Is anyone else even better-looking than me?" Satoru Gojo deliberately took off his Sunglasses and threw a flirtatious wink.
Akira broke out in goosebumps. Damn it, Satoru Gojo.
Heaven, earth, any gods at all, someone please control this monster.
Pokémon was translated during Akira's childhood as "pet Pokemon." Aside from the word "pet," which was questionable since many Pokémon were larger than humans and even their items were huge, the rest of the translation was accurate enough. After all, the definition of Pokemon had received gold level certification from Satoru Gojo's Six Eyes.
As for "pets," raising most Pokémon was not that different from raising animals. Those that could be taken as spouses were rare, excluding certain strange believers. Even so, pets also came with very different levels of difficulty.
Some were easy to keep alive. Grass type Pokémon were the prime examples, such as Oddish and Sunkern. Most of them could survive on photosynthesis alone, and some even produced byproducts, meaning they did not burden their trainers and could even earn money.
Others were extremely delicate. They had strict requirements for food, temperature, and environment, like Cottonee or rare dragon types such as Dratini. Raising them well was about as hard as keeping reptiles like lizards or snakes.
Fortunately, the Pokémon following Akira were all on the easy side. The Gardevoir line simply meant one extra pair of chopsticks for the Ake Clan, since she ate whatever humans ate. She did not make things complicated.
Pancham was a little more troublesome. It liked bamboo, and its stomach and digestion were similar to the real world Panda, weaker than most wild animals, though it did inherit good omnivorous traits. Bamboo was a favorite, but meat, vegetables, raw or cooked, were all fine, and it would sometimes lick a metal spoon with pride.
At its current height of 0.6 meters it was still a bit small. After evolving, though, it would barely be tall enough for Chi You to ride out and fight the Yellow Emperor, right, Darkrai? That was at least what Akira thought.
"Mm."
Darkrai ignored Akira and focused on "eating." Akira fell silent, watching the process closely. The sight left him conflicted.
A Mythical Pokemon, rarer even than legendary Pokémon like Mew, was unexpectedly easy to raise. That felt completely mismatched with its lofty image. Darkrai's feeding method was simple and rough, with something like a mouth generating suction and sweeping away nearby "residue."