Lin Ge stood dazed, staring at the empty space where the cursed spirit had been obliterated into nothingness. It took him a long moment to snap back to reality.

But seriously though.

That blue shockwave looked like… it seemed like it would taste really good!

And that power—what was it, a human cannon? No, scratch that, it was way stronger. A human-shaped nuke? Or maybe a human-shaped Godzilla?

So this is the true form of Strawberry Little Cake.

He swallowed hard. “What was that just now?”

Was it cannon fodder like the History Retrograding Army?

Gojo Satoru smiled faintly. “That was a cursed spirit. And I’m a Jujutsu Sorcerer.”

After he said that, he raised two fingers, demonstrating with ease. “The attack just now was a Cursed Technique. Like this…”

Seeing the live demonstration, Lin Ge immediately mimicked his movements.

“…Nothing.”

Haha, big fail.

How about using both hands?

Lin Ge didn’t give up easily—switching from his left hand to his right, then both hands together, and even secretly trying with his toes inside his shoes. When nothing worked, he sighed in defeat.

Watching Lin Ge clumsily imitate his gestures, Gojo Satoru gave him a thoughtful look and then offered some consolation. “Everyone’s Cursed Technique is different.”

Does he really know nothing about cursed spirits?

It’s true—there hadn’t been any cursed energy emanating from that purple humanoid monster earlier.

What had Lin Ge called it? Oh right, “Yogurt Pretzel.”

Remembering how the guy had nicknamed him “Strawberry Little Cake” at their first meeting, Gojo Satoru speculated that everyone—and everything—might have a different flavor in Lin Ge’s eyes.

Still, I’m Strawberry Shortcake?

Gojo Satoru felt a bit let down.

He had expected to be something fancy, like mochi filled with soy cream.

Lin Ge nodded seriously. “I see.”

“That move you pulled earlier was awesome.” Realizing he didn’t have any talent in this area, Lin Ge switched gears to shower Gojo Satoru with compliments.

Gojo Satoru accepted the praise shamelessly, curling his lips into a smile and even clapping for himself. “Right? I thought so too.”

Afterward, he glanced at the time and prepared to leave. “It’s getting late, we should—”

Before he could finish, Lin Ge interrupted him.

“Can you shoot that at me once?”

Please, I’m begging you.

Gojo Satoru: “…”

Huh?

This guy never plays by the rules.

After a brief pause, Gojo Satoru tilted his head. “It’ll hurt, you know.”

Lin Ge puffed up his chest. “Just do it! Don’t hold back!”

Gojo Satoru: “…”

He decided to grant Lin Ge’s bizarre request.

Using half the power of the attack from before, he launched a scaled-down Azure. Just enough to stun without causing brain damage.

Honestly, he was curious to see what Lin Ge was capable of.

Lin Ge stared wide-eyed as the destructive energy hurtled toward him. Just as it was about to hit, he opened his mouth and swallowed it in one gulp.

Yes!

This is it!

I tasted it!

A top-tier Strawberry Shortcake!

It was exactly as he imagined—no, even better!

Moved to tears, Lin Ge’s fingers trembled slightly.

Gojo Satoru, adjusting his glasses, looked impressed. “Want another shot?”

Lin Ge’s face lit up. “Yes, yes!”

How could anyone be this nice?

From now on, we’re sworn brothers—different fathers, different mothers, same soul!

After downing about six rounds of Azure, Lin Ge patted his stomach, feeling a strange sense of fullness he hadn’t experienced in ages.

He sheepishly declined Gojo Satoru’s offer to fire one more. “I’m a bit full now.”

Then he snuck a glance at his good brother.

I’m stuffed, but he doesn’t even look fazed. Not a drop of sweat.

So strong?

Gojo Satoru coolly lowered his hand. “Alright.”

Six times seems to be the limit…

He added, “I’ve got tickets for the 8 a.m. Shinkansen to Tokyo tomorrow.”

“Wanna come?” He extended an invitation.

Your Strawberry Little Cake has sent you a party invite.

You have two choices:

A: Agree to go with him to Tokyo, gain unlimited feeding privileges, and live the dream of dying from overeating.

B: Decline, risk losing this sworn brother, and continue your journey as a starving ghost.

Lin Ge felt a sudden epiphany.

Was this even a choice?

AAAA! Weld that A to my hand!

He nodded frantically. “Yes, yes!”

Then he added, “Are we going to that technical high school you work at… Jujutsu High School?”

Oops, slipped up.

Someone who can pull off atomic breath attacks couldn’t possibly work at a technical high school, right?

Gojo Satoru nodded.

Lin Ge, emboldened, asked, “Will there be other Jujutsu Sorcerers like you there?”

Like how the History Retrograding Army comes in all sorts of flavors, maybe Jujutsu Sorcerers have different tastes too.

Like spicy hot pot or taro cream puffs.

Just thinking about it made him salivate.

Gojo Satoru shook his head, then nodded.

As Lin Ge puzzled over what that meant, Gojo Satoru finally spoke.

“There are other Jujutsu Sorcerers, but none like me.”

Then he waited, amused, for Lin Ge’s follow-up question.

Lin Ge didn’t disappoint. “Why not?”

“Because I’m the strongest.”

Lin Ge: “…”

This level of arrogance—I’ll give it 101 points. One extra, so you can feel proud of yourself.

“Well, you don’t need to be this strong anymore.”

Lin Ge’s tone was serious.

Gojo Satoru raised a brow. “Huh? Why not?”

“Because…” Lin Ge dragged out the words, “your strength has arrived.”

One sentence left Gojo Satoru momentarily speechless.

He twitched his lips into a faint smile. “You’re really something.”

Back at the hotel, Lin Ge collapsed onto the bed like a dead fish.

Realizing no one from the Government of the Time or his colleagues had come looking for him, he opened the Sage’s Forum to check for official messages—maybe a quick-return link or something?

Hehe.

Nope, not a thing.

His private messages, though, were overflowing again, with most of them from Code 965.

Code 965: “You heartless jerk! You used me and tossed me aside—you scumbag!”

For a moment, Lin Ge felt a pang of guilt.

After fiddling with the return scroll and failing to activate it, he had thrown it aside. Later, distracted by barbecue, he’d completely forgotten about 965.

965 was a chatterbox.

Lin Ge continued reading.

Code 965: “Do you even realize who I am? I’m a firstborn Sage of the highest rank! Destined for the Government of the Time’s Hall of Fame! I never sit down to drink with my swordsmen because their deep gazes overwhelm me. Their praise is music to my ears.”

Code 965: “But you! You ignored me, treated me like a used rag, and cruelly discarded me.”

Code 965: “Not responding? Fine. You’ve successfully caught my attention. Prepare yourself—I’m coming for real now!”

Lin Ge glanced at the timestamp.

It had been a while.

Coming for real?

Haha, as if.

He sent back a quick, “Sorry, was busy just now.”

965 replied instantly.

Code 965: “Too late. I already sent your coordinates to your swordsmen!”

Code 965: “What did you do to them? I saw that Tsurumaru Kuninaga’s haori is black. Hahaha, you’re done for, I tell you!”

Sages weren’t supposed to leave Honmaru without permission, but lost masters could be sought out by their swordsmen.

965, working part-time in the Government of the Time’s customer service, had spotted a distress signal from Honmaru No. 666, claiming its Sage had gone missing during a battle. Piecing it together with Lin Ge’s forum silence, 965 had “helpfully” given away Lin Ge’s location.

Repent, 666!

Face the wrath of your blackened Tsukumogami!

Lin Ge: “…”

The world is still full of kind people!

He sent 965 three heartfelt thank-yous.

965 responded with a suspicious “???”

Thanks to 965’s enthusiastic assistance, Lin Ge figured his colleagues would come to fetch him soon. His days felt more hopeful. Stroking his full belly, he drifted into a contented sleep.

Early the next morning, Lin Ge was jolted awake by his alarm. Ruffling his messy hair, he zoned out for a bit before trudging to the bathroom to wash his face.

And wow—what a surprise.

Lin Ge realized he’d gained weight again. His body had grown more defined, and the most obvious change was that he could stand up straight now.

He stretched, his joints cracking noisily.

Satisfied, he admired himself in the mirror.

This height—must be a solid 188 cm!

Was it thanks to all that energy Gojo Satoru had graciously shared yesterday?

You’re done for, Strawberry Little Cake. Done for.

I’ll haunt you like a ghost!

Since his hair had grown too long, Lin Ge—who had once “trained” (worked part-time) in a barbershop—snipped it himself.

Leaning closer to the mirror, he noticed his eyes were now a bluish-green.

They’d been brown a few days ago.

A mutation?

Whatever—it looked good. Like two glass marbles.

Not overthinking it, he packed up, checked out of the hotel, and headed straight for the station.

The station was massive. After clearing security, Lin Ge stood still for a moment, savoring the essence of modern society.

Ah, no wonder Japan is the home of otakus. The variety of outfits here was unmatched.

Once inside, he spotted Gojo Satoru standing with two boys—one with black hair, the other pink.

They were both ridiculously good-looking. One had a sunny vibe, the other a delicate charm.

The pink-haired boy smelled like teriyaki chicken, while the black-haired one had a chocolate mille-feuille scent.

Good, but not as enticing as Strawberry Little Cake.

Lin Ge vaguely remembered them.

The pink-haired one was that overpowered Dragon Protagonist from the other night.

Lin Ge suspected he had a Grandpa in a Ring.

The black-haired boy, meanwhile, had bandages on his head and plasters on his face. He seemed pretty banged up.

At that moment, all three of them turned their eyes toward Lin Ge.

The attention made him a bit shy.

“Hello,” he greeted with a friendly smile.

Though he’d gained weight and could now stand straight, “handsome” was still far from an accurate description of Lin Ge. His smile, lacking the support of substantial facial fat, produced a rather odd effect.

“He’s my new friend,” Gojo Satoru explained casually, giving Lin Ge a pat on the shoulder.

Noticing the overnight changes in Lin Ge, Gojo Satoru felt certain it was thanks to his six Azure attacks.

He also noted the altered aura.

The pink-haired boy smiled brightly, exuding good-natured vibes. “Nice to meet you! I’m Itadori Yūji!”

The black-haired boy merely nodded, avoiding introductions.

That is, until Gojo Satoru grabbed his face and forced a smile.

“This is Fushiguro Megumi. Come on, Megumi, say hi!”

Fushiguro Megumi glared furiously at the insufferable adult.

Lin Ge noticed Gojo Satoru seemed a bit different now—excessively lively.

Maybe people just act differently around those they’re close to?

Shrugging off the thought, he introduced himself simply. “I’m Lin Ge.”

Seconds later, Itadori Yūji asked the same question Gojo Satoru had: “Wow, are you mixed?”

This time, Lin Ge didn’t mess around with clever retorts. “Nope.”

“Are you foreign, then?” Itadori Yūji pressed on.

So thin… does he not eat properly?

Lin Ge: “You could say that.”

Itadori Yūji nodded thoughtfully, then casually lifted the bag he was holding. “Did you have breakfast? I bought burgers and fried chicken. If you think they’re too greasy, I also have rice balls.”

He had bought three portions and was already planning to give Lin Ge his own share.

Honestly, why doesn’t this guy eat properly?

Before Lin Ge could respond, a mouth appeared on Itadori Yūji’s face, blurting out a snarky remark.

“Forget the trash he’s offering. This guy’s more interested in eating you, kid.”

Lin Ge: “…”

Grandpa in the Ring has appeared!

But why is it on his face?

Did Mary Sue culture go through a Japanese localization?