Satoru Gojo raised his other hand and covered Kobe Suzuo's mouth as well.
“You can't speak.”
Satoru Gojo blinked slowly. "Even within a Domain, the inside of Limitless is still a part of the world, so I'm telling you, listen."
He unconsciously pinched Kobe Suzuo's ear.
“Suzuo has placed a Binding, so there are many things that cannot be said directly, right?”
The scenery before his eyes shifted, like drifting stars and spreading ink, all of it a reality that seemed impossible to touch.
Satoru Gojo pressed against Kobe Suzuo's back, his chin resting on the top of Kobe Suzuo's head, his tone almost certain:
“You need to find an existence that is both intelligent and special enough to serve as an 'Anchor,' using it to stabilize the concept of your existence, preventing you from being rejected by the world when certain major events occur—that is, when the worldlines shift..”
“That 'omnipotent' AI is a byproduct brought from another world when the Binding was established, isn't it? Its purpose is to record the traces of your existence in this world before the Anchor is confirmed, which is also a form of surveillance. That's why you avoided giving me hints about it, right?”
“When you say 'the world overlaps again,' it's actually the moment the [Anchor] is determined, isn't it?”
It is both right and wrong—at least the part regarding "rejection reaction" is correct.
Kobe Suzuo had been staying here for nearly three years. Logically, from his physique to his soul, he should have been slowly assimilated until he adapted to this world.
However, the CEO effect has not diminished; instead, it has intensified since meeting Satoru Gojo, perhaps one day he will be kicked out of the world entirely.
Even Merlin did not know this.
Merlin's original code was born in Kobe Suzuo's original world, all its initial information sources were transmitted to it by that world.
No matter how much the AI simulated, it could not derive any conclusions outside of the intelligence it possessed, so it could only be cautious and cautious again, repeatedly urging Kobe Suzuo to bury the secret deep within his heart.
Kobe Suzuo was somewhat impressed by Satoru Gojo's imagination.
How on earth did he connect these seemingly unrelated clues?
Kobe Suzuo assessed his own state and confirmed all of Satoru Gojo's questions with his silence.
He thought without any sense of guilt that if it wasn't entirely correct, then it wasn't entirely correct; it was just a slight deviation from the truth, which was still better than knowing nothing at all.
Satoru Gojo rubbed his chin against the crown of Kobe Suzuo's head. "How interesting. I had to put in a lot of effort to solve this riddle."
Kobe Suzuo raised her hand to touch the top of Satoru Gojo's head, her fingers inevitably catching on a few strands of hair; she gently twirled them, as if asking, "So that's why it turned out like this?"
Satoru Gojo paused, then slowly released his hand.
“It is precisely because I am the only Six Eyes of this era, the one who breaks the balance, that I was able to understand Suzuo's hint and discover this secret.”
He muttered, "But it's a bit unexpected; I always thought Suzuo had fallen in love at first sight."
After all, the first time we met, he kept staring into my eyes.
It wasn't because of "love," after all.
As Satoru Gojo spoke, he quietly withdrew the Domain.
The room was dim, lit only by a few simple nightlights.
Satoru Gojo stood in front of Kobe Suzuo, cupping his face with both hands. His gaze fell upon the handprint he had just made on the side of the face, he couldn't help but frown. "Open your eyes."
Those obsidian-like eyes were full of smiles.
Kobe Suzuo asked, "Are you heartbroken?"
Not at all.
Satoru Gojo spoke stubbornly, "Suzuo doesn't understand me at all. Even if we are just friends, I would still be willing to be your anchor."
Kobe Suzuo once again smelled that bitter, metallic scent of soil mixed with blood, her nose wrinkled involuntarily:
“Really?”
He intuitively felt that there was something wrong with what Satoru Gojo said, but he couldn't figure it out for the moment.
Satoru Gojo saw the changes in Kobe Suzuo's expression crystal clear and gritted his teeth:
“It's fake. If we were just friends, Suzuo would have said plenty of sweet words and gone to great lengths to please me. Only after making me happy would I reluctantly agree.”
Kobe Suzuo's peach-blossom eyes curved at the corners, smiling like a fox that had just eaten fried tofu:
“So you are still willing to help after all.”
Satoru Gojo had used the Reverse Cursed Technique on himself to refresh his state before coming to find Kobe Suzuo, but in just this short amount of time, he already felt like his brain capacity was insufficient again.
Actually, he also wanted to ask about the blind date Kobe Suzuo had with someone before—was he trying to select an anchor?
He also wanted to ask if this person truly liked him, or if he was simply "lusting after his body."
In fact, there were even more chaotic thoughts; any one of them could turn into a melodramatic scene of a "weak little flower questioning whether the overbearing CEO truly loves him."
But looking at Kobe Suzuo's silly, happy expression, he felt that none of this actually mattered anymore; he wasn't really some fragile little flower.
In Satoru Gojo's current state, his thinking far exceeds his physical reactions.
This also caused him to let his thoughts run wild, his actions were merely a subconscious attempt to wipe away the bloodstains on Kobe Suzuo's neck.
As a result, when his fingertip pressed against it, the small spot of blood spread into a large smear, staining the white collar a deep reddish-purple.
Satoru Gojo looked away guiltily and struck first, accusingly, "Suzuo is just as dirty and smelly as I am now."
Kobe Suzuo was in a great mood and was exceptionally tolerant toward the disheveled Satoru Gojo. He hooked his fingers into the ties of his collar, loosening the neckline fastened above his collarbone with movements as delicate as if he were unwrapping a gift.
He raised his hand to rub Satoru Gojo's messy white hair, smiling softly:
“Go next door and take a bath. If you're hungry, ring the bell and have the butler bring you something to eat. Get some rest for the night; we can discuss anything else tomorrow.”
Satoru Gojo shifted his gaze away from Kobe Suzuo's collar, turned in silence, pushed open the door to the inner office; the power supply over there was still functioning normally.
He only broke the electronic equipment in this room.
Satoru Gojo acted as if he were in his own home, using Kobe Suzuo's bathtub and wearing Kobe Suzuo's pajamas.
Kobe Suzuo raised an eyebrow at the sound of splashing water. He had no objection to Satoru Gojo's behavior of making himself at home; instead, he even helped close the door for him.
Kobe Suzuo breathed a sigh of relief, picked up the small radio from the bookshelf, after ensuring it was working properly, adjusted the frequency. Merlin's voice drifted out, sounding somewhat speechless.
“Young Master, if I could go back to the past, I would definitely give Satoru Gojo a failing grade and instigate you to choose someone else to develop a romantic relationship with from the very beginning.”
Kobe Suzuo raised an eyebrow. "Why are you suddenly so against it? Just because he just cut off your internet and used a Cursed Technique to fry your memory?"
Merlin's voice was weathered: "Because you can't suppress him, Young Master."
Most of the equipment in the room had been destroyed, it urgently called upon the surviving outdoor surveillance cameras, struggling to aim them at the office's floor-to-ceiling window.
Due to technical limitations, the indoor images were blurry.
But looking at the color block analysis, the young master of the family, who was clean and pure ten minutes ago, was stained with color from his cheeks to his upper body.
Merlin let out a dull sigh before Kobe Suzuo could even respond, the most human-like sigh he had ever made: "Forget it."
Once they grow up, they're hard to keep.
I've already sent a message to Butler Ford; he'll be coming over in a moment to help you pack.
Kobe Suzuo hooked her finger against the lace of her sleeve and gave a well-behaved "Oh."
Merlin's data cycled through a loop, his intuition told him something was wrong. He couldn't help but press for more, "What did Satoru Gojo tell you?"
Kobe Suzuo blinked and said bluntly, "He thinks you're a cyber villain."
Merlin:?
Kobe Suzuo continued, "Based on my estimation, the danger level is higher than.."
Merlin??
Author's Note:
Merlin: Young Master, save me, I don't want to be a villain!
Chapter 77: That Riddler
Suguru Geto slurped the special deluxe tonkotsu ramen from the cafeteria; it was chewy and savory, but the more he thought about it, the more something felt off.
He swallowed a piece of chashu and looked toward Nobara Iori, who was also out foraging in the middle of the night:
“I just came from Mr. Suzuo, I happened to see Satoru going in covered in blood, I ended up clinging to him, getting blood all over myself.”
It looked like a stray dog trying to scam someone.
Nobara Iori ordered a yakisoba and beer combo.
She had become somewhat obsessed with studying medicine lately; she would either obtain her medical license immediately after graduating from Jujutsu High or perish alongside a mountain of medical books, her dedication to her studies nothing short of consuming herself.
Hearing this, Nobara Iori's movement of handing the beer mug to the chef paused, she asked the exact same question as Suguru Geto:
“What about his Limitless?”
Suguru Geto used his chopsticks to draw a line through the oil floating on the broth: "Mr. Kobe said it's because the Six Eyes was overused, causing a mental overload, he no longer has enough energy to sustain the Cursed Technique."
Nobara Iori could probably imagine that scene, leaning forward to take the glass from the counter, which was refilled with a bright yellow, bubbling liquid.
How strange.
She sighed with emotion, "To think there's actually a mission that can push that guy to such an extent."
After Satoru Gojo mastered the Reverse Cursed Technique, he became more than just a level stronger; he could now both attack and defend, even heal himself.
Invincible like a cheat, anyone who fought him would curse him, claiming he was not human.
Moreover, given Kobe Suzuo's cautious and protective nature, he would never arrange a high-risk mission unless everything was perfectly prepared.
It was hard to imagine what kind of opponent that was.
In terms of intelligence, he could bypass the powerful and precise information and grading system of [Window] after the upgrade; in terms of combat power, he was so formidable that Satoru Gojo could not activate Limitless.
Nobara Iori was thinking, just as her lips touched the rim of her glass, she heard the goofy classmate beside her set his chopsticks down on the rest with a loud clack, his face filled with sudden enlightenment:
“I understand! So that's how it is!”
Suguru Geto pulled out his phone, opened the task app, clicked on the difficulty sorting. He began comparing them one by one from top to bottom.
Among the currently observable Cursed Spirits, the strongest and most difficult to deal with are the three natural types—[Earth], [Forest], [Ocean]. A typical representative is the one seen last time, following Taohuang Muqi.
That guy's strength is too immense; the crows Mei uses for hunting and the personnel searching for intelligence have been unable to approach him, they have yet to pinpoint his exact location.