Chapter 48: Binding Life with Life

Katsuo Furukawa was standing at the entrance of the high school.

Recently, Ijichi Jie Gao was assigned to Geto Suguru, and Kagura Mio was placed under house arrest in disguise, so he became Gojo Satoru's assistant supervisor.

He looked at Gojo Satoru who was coming in the sunset, and for a moment he was a little dazed.

Katsuo Furukawa recalled the scene when he first met Gojo Satoru twelve years ago.

Gojo Satoru was still young at that time. It could be said that he was a genuine six-eyed son of God. He was high and mighty, arrogant and conceited, but he always showed his tenderness - to him, to Geto Suguru, and of course, to Kagura Mio.

What does being the strongest mean to Katsuo Furukawa?

The first word that flashed through Katsuo Furukawa’s mind was: growth.

Yes, for Katsuo Furukawa, Gojo Satoru is the child he watched grow up. He has been with them from the time when he was still an unmarried young man to now when he has gray hair and is a daughter slave in middle age. To him, they have long been considered his own brothers and sisters.

That's why I felt regretful and sad for them. That's why

I fell silent for a moment when I saw Gojo Satoru being so silent.

The man standing on the long staircase of the college walked down in silence.

The magnificent sunset was like an orange-red highland, with gorgeous rays of light, gently sinking into the sky and hanging high above the college. Such gentle light belonging to the afterglow of the sunset fell on Gojo Satoru but seemed particularly lonely. He walked towards Katsuo Furukawa step by step, and his black uniform was stained blood by this light.

Katsuo Furukawa was stunned for two seconds.

The man in front of him was still wearing his eye patch, his white hair was stood up high, and his face under the eye patch was incredibly perfect. From the side, he looked like a god from Greek mythology.

A light breeze blew across Gojo Satoru's cheek like a final hymn. His hair swayed in the wind, and for a moment, he wondered if she would never be able to feel such a gentle breeze again.

Gojo Satoru was even still smiling as usual - there was nothing abnormal about him, his tone and attitude were harmonious, but Katsuo Furukawa felt that he seemed very sad.

On the way back, Gojo Satoru turned his face slightly.

Katsuo Furukawa used citrus-scented fragrance in the car. It was said that he changed it specially because he was under a lot of pressure recently. In fact, Gojo Satoru knew that he was the one who was under the most pressure.

Katsuo Furukawa did this for him.

Blinking his eyelashes lightly, Gojo Satoru slowly rolled down the car window, supported his face with one hand, crossed his long legs, with a hint of fatigue between his brows, and sat in the back seat of the car, looking at the hustle and bustle of traffic outside the window, the high-rise buildings in Tokyo, the office workers coming and going outside Shinagawa, and smelling the citrus scent in the air mixed with the smell of cooking smoke outside the window.

So this is what it feels like to be alive, Gojo Satoru thought.

He has always been a high and mighty god, and could never understand the thoughts of humans who could die at any time, so he has never been able to empathize with Kagura Mio from the bottom of his heart.

But at this moment, Gojo Satoru suddenly realized that for Kagura Mio, death was definitely not the end.

Watching her body being used by another person, watching herself lose dominance and control over her own body, feeling the pain and despair before her own consciousness disappears from this world, and having her life completely taken away by another person -

Kagura Mio has been suppressed in such fear for twenty-eight years.

She has worked very hard and very hard.

"Furukawa," Gojo Satoru asked softly, "What if it was you who found out that you were just a secondary existence - that is, you were just a, um - weapon-like thing, and the real master was someone else?"

The specific details of Kagura Mio's technique were a secret. Furukawa Katsuo naturally didn't know what Gojo Satoru was talking about, so he just relied on his imagination to fill in the blanks, and then said, "You'll collapse, right? But after discovering this secret, will the master use it?"

"Possibly."

"That would be very hurtful, right? After all, I'm already this old, and it's pitiful to suddenly find out that I'm nothing."

"So you've lost your self-identity?"

"Isn't this important, Mr. Gojo. If a person doesn't have self-identity, he will go astray and try to find his own self."

"Maybe for Mr. Gojo, he is born with a self, but ordinary people like us find ourselves little by little in life."

"What do you mean?"

The light was red at this time, and Furukawa Katsuo paused with his hand on the reverse disk.

He recalled his life and said, "Actually, the first half of my life was very muddled, and I'm not a very smart person. But when I grew up, I found that there are still beautiful things in this world. Mr. Gojo knows, right? I fell in love at first sight with my wife who worked in a dessert shop. To me, my wife is like a soft little cake. She is my greatest meaning and happiness. Of course, later on, my daughter too."

"······Is that so."

Gojo Satoru nodded and said.

He returned his gaze to his palm.

He has done many things with these hands.

He has killed people, saved people, and exorcised cursed spirits, but what makes him feel the weight of life are Kagura Mio's tears.

The tears she cried in her dream were as warm as her body temperature, but they were also warm enough to make him tremble.

It turns out that this is what it means to be reluctant.

It turns out that this is the dilemma.

But there is always a way.

Gojo Satoru gently rubbed his sore solar plexus.

He remembered what Kagura Mio had said to him a long, long time ago.

They were still young at that time. While the two of them were laughing and joking, Kagura Mio asked him half-jokingly: "Gojo Satoru, the compatibility is 99%."

"Then... what if it reaches 100%?"

At that time he thought she was just joking, so he looked at her and smiled nonchalantly: "Then you are not yourself."

- He said this at the time entirely based on his judgment of her when he was a child: her body was more like a container rather than a user of the technique, but this was just an analogy, and Gojo Satoru never expected that his words would come true.

However, it was precisely because of his words that Kagura Mio never crossed that line.

She always sticks to her abilities and tries to restrain her growth, just to avoid

losing herself.

In other words, to be yourself.

"Heh."

Gojo Satoru laughed softly.

This sound was like a sigh, but also like finding some small gift from fate -

Gojo Satoru thought that she had worked very hard.

So maybe, in a way, it's time for him to do it.

An idea as crazy as a desperate gambler's dying struggle emerged in my mind.

But Gojo Satoru never thought this was crazy, he really felt from the bottom of his heart that it was feasible.

So he called Yega Masamichi without thinking, and said something to Yega Masamichi in a casual manner while Yega Masamichi was confused, which was enough to scare Katsuo Furukawa so much that he almost died on the road.

But he didn't think there was anything wrong with it at all -

in other words, the object Oh A Wu had no intention of getting the consent of others.

This is his decision.

"It's our fate too."

He smiled very comfortably, finally revealing the first sincere and gentle smile in such a long time.

However, when Katsuo Furukawa saw Mr. Gojo so happy through the rearview mirror, he felt a chill running up his spine to his brain - Mr. Gojo, he was really crazy.

But that person seemed to notice that he was looking at him, and he forced a smile at Katsuo Furukawa.

"Furukawa-san, you must never tell anyone about things like this~"

"Otherwise--"

"Watch out, I'll chop you into meat sauce and mix it with pasta~~~~" "

?!"

Gojo Satoru was very surprised.

Kagura Mio thought.

In other words, he had been quite abnormal these past few days, except for today, when he had a cheerful smile on his face, like a soldier who was going to the front line to die tomorrow and was fully prepared.

What's wrong with him?

She was very curious, but she didn't dare to ask.

She and Gojo Satoru haven't had a serious conversation for several days.

After that day, their relationship became very strange - Gojo Satoru would say a few words to her from time to time, and she would answer with a few words, and when she really didn't know how to reply, she would simply keep silent; and she never took the initiative to talk to Gojo Satoru.

The reason is simple: Kagura Mio has no idea what the two of them can say now.

Rationally, she could accept the way Gojo Satoru handled the problem, but emotionally she felt somewhat confused. However, neither of them took the initiative to break this window paper.

They stayed silent during the day, not talking or sending messages. One went out to do a mission while the other stayed at home. At night, they fought silently on the bed - and it was a particularly fierce fight.

Because the two of them seemed to be angry with each other, and neither of them would give in -

as if this was not an ordinary physical, mental and spiritual communication, but a struggle for power.

Gojo Satoru's lips wandered between her lips and teeth. Kagura Mio frowned impatiently and bit his lips with her teeth without hesitation. Then she raised her hand and pressed down along his neck, pressing his whole body under her and looking at him condescendingly.

They didn't turn on the lights, but the faint light source and good enough eyesight were enough for them to see each other's position. Although they couldn't see the extreme expressions, it was enough to perceive each other's emotions and thoughts.

They had no way to be honest with each other, so they didn't turn on the lights, didn't speak, but silently told each other the despair and pain in their hearts as they embraced each other countless times.

She fell asleep.

Five thoughts of enlightenment.

He slowly turned over and looked at the person sleeping next to him in the cool moonlight outside the window.

Kagura Mio has a great sleeping posture. Even when she falls asleep exhausted, she still maintains a very elegant posture. Her cheeks, which had become increasingly paler due to her recent mental disorder, appeared almost transparent under the bright moonlight. Her black hair was entangled around her like seaweed. Her eyes were tightly closed, and her brows were furrowed.

Afraid of waking her, Gojo Satoru slowly leaned over to smooth her eyebrows.

Her eyelashes were so long, soft and slender, this was a fact he had known for a long time -

everything was the same as it was many years ago, he stared at her sleeping face, but it was also completely different -

whether it was Gojo Satoru or Kagura Mio, their state of mind, outlook and stance were all different from what it was then.

It is impossible for a person to return to his youth. Such a utopia cannot be restored, not even for Gojo Satoru.

Therefore, Gojo Satoru didn't want to make a decision that would make him regret.

He didn't want to recall her leaving figure many years later, knowing that she would die but unable to speak.

In the casino of emotions and life and death, there is never a real winner.

But Gojo Satoru didn't believe it.

They have never been lovers, but just crazy gamblers who cannot understand each other and point their sharp thorns at each other but will not let go no matter what.

So Gojo Satoru just blinked his eyes, with a slightly indulgent smile on his lips, and let his hand cover Kagura Mio's forehead -

countless pale blue cursed powers exploded Gojo Satoru's hand in an instant.

The cursed energy that he forcibly suppressed did not wake up Kagura Mio at all - or rather, Gojo Satoru had already cast a sleeping spell on Kagura Mio.

The light golden curse pattern seemed to be infused with all the young man's emotions. Gojo Satoru looked at with satisfaction as the life lines belonging to Gojo Satoru finally slowly appeared on Kagura Mio's forehead. He looked at his own six eyes which clearly told him that the bondage had been accomplished.

He laughed.

He leaned over to Kagura Mio's ear so desperately and madly, and said to her happily and wantonly in a voice that she could not hear at all: "

Kagura Mio, you are free."

"It's not a loss to tie up your freedom with my life, right?"

He raised his eyebrows, lay back beside Kagura Mio, looked at the empty white ceiling, and closed his eyes.

"Mio, no matter where we are, you must be with me."