Because Satoru Gojo had not fought seriously for a long time, it was difficult for others to estimate his true strength.
Even Sukuna, who frequently fought Satoru Gojo and had now regained the strength of a single finger, was unaware.
Satoru Gojo ran all over the world chasing news of the Golden Balloon Flower; aside from Special Grade assignments that specifically required his personal presence, he rarely took any missions on his own initiative.
In his longest disappearance, Satoru Gojo was missing for a total of forty days, neither Suguru Geto nor Nobara Iori could contact him.
In the end, Madoka assigned him a mission. A supervisor specially dispatched by the Kobe Family applied for a flight route and took a private jet to Africa, then took a helicopter to pluck him out of a primitive tribe near the tropical rainforest.
Even Satoru Gojo himself couldn't explain what the so-called Golden Balloon Flower actually was.
It was like a forgotten dream, searching by instinct for that trace of familiarity left behind at the nerve endings.
He searched aimlessly, chasing the golden hues that only rose when the waves of wheat swayed, moving forward while experiencing everything like a traveler, unknowingly passing through many places.
He met all kinds of people, witnessed all sorts of events, ate many strange and exotic foods.
The world is truly vast; once one moves away from the places where Cursed Spirits congregate, the so-called "Strongest" seems to become not so important anymore.
It wasn't until he started preparing for the exams last year that Satoru Gojo became a bit more well-behaved, staying hunkered down at Jujutsu High and honestly studying alongside his classmates, who had already gone mad with their studies, for a long time.
The "free-spirited" Jujutsu Sorcerer ultimately suffered the hardships of the examination-oriented education system.
After the exams ended, Satoru Gojo's departures from Tokyo were no longer as frequent as they once were.
He posted a commission in the system within the [window], as imagined, he drew a cluster of tightly packed, sprawling Balloon Flowers with a crayon.
Whenever there was news, he would run off to take a look with great enthusiasm; although most of the time it was all for nothing, he had never once been discouraged.
The Jujutsu High students had already grown accustomed to Satoru Gojo's habit of disappearing for periods of time every now and then.
The new junior teased him casually, saying, "Senpai, you're putting in so much effort, it's like you're looking for a wife."
Satoru Gojo treated "Golden Balloon Flower" as an interesting puzzle-solving game, as if he had made some kind of pact with someone; he instinctively wanted to find the answer behind it, yet he rarely thought about what the answer behind the riddle actually was.
The junior was nearly scared to death by his silence. Just as he was about to tremble and apologize under the invisible pressure, Satoru Gojo spoke with a smile.
Well, it's true. After I've worked so hard to find it, no matter what it turns out to be, it should belong entirely to me.
Satoru Gojo smiled sweetly, "If the other party is a human, being a wife doesn't seem like a bad idea either."
He cupped his face, the parts not covered by his black blindfold seemingly flushing with a hint of pink as if he were shy.
The junior almost thought he was seeing a hallucination; he stammered his farewells and scrambled away in a frantic rush.
The next day, rumors spread through the school that "Satoru-senpai is not only strange but also a pervert."
Nobara Iori looked at the stage, where that junior who had risked his life to come and ask around was staring with wide, incredulous eyes at the long string of zeros on the Kobe Group's prize plaque.
That kid is quite naive; even after a year, he still hasn't become desensitized to money, his eyes still sparkle every time he sees the wealthy sponsors of Jujutsu High making their moves.
This is nothing; if he were to see that person, his jaw would probably hit the floor.
Nobara Iori frowned deeply, supporting her forehead with one hand. That person.. who was it again?
Suguru Geto noticed her movement and asked, "What's wrong?"
Nobara Iori snapped back to reality and shook her head. "I thought Satoru would at least attend the graduation ceremony today."
Generally speaking, graduation day holds a unique significance for students.
She looked down at the thin calluses on her fingers. "I feel like someone is missing.. Perhaps this is just the melancholy of graduation season."
Suguru Geto subconsciously raised his hand to pinch the Setsubun Grass ornament hanging from his ear, feeling a strange sense of understanding toward the unspoken feelings of Nobara Iori.
Maybe Satoru is just at Jujutsu High, he didn't attend because he didn't want to see the Elders?
He smiled and looked toward the stage, feeling it was truly unbelievable that he could end his life at Jujutsu High in such a calm manner.
Maybe it'll just pop up out of nowhere when we're taking our graduation photos.
..
The World attempted to contact Merlin again.
Even though Kobe Suzuo had been treated as a BUG and purged by the World, the things born from his influence, as well as the people and events that had already changed, were the results of "evolution" and were impossible to erase.
The World felt that the "perfect plan" Kobe Suzuo had prepared for it would somewhat rely on this.
Logically speaking, Merlin, who was born in the world of Jujutsu Kaisen, has also been influenced by the World.
Even though Kobe Suzuo, the "medium," had already vanished, He could still observe the other side to some extent through Merlin, helping Kobe Suzuo find a way back.
But no matter how it tried, its power was rejected.
[World] wanted to communicate with the consciousness of [Jujutsu] once more.
But considering the extremely low degree of freedom and the near-zero space for power over there, it was painfully clear that even if communication were actually established, it would most likely be a waste of effort.
In this space, its perception of time is different from that of humans, with a certain degree of error.
Kobe Suzuo awoke from her slumber, taking nearly half an hour to slowly stand up.
A ball of light scurrying everywhere flashed before Kobe Suzuo's eyes the moment he opened them, emitting a soft, faint glow.
"Suzuo, you're awake! You've been sleeping for a long time!" the electronic voice said, sounding as lively as if it were blooming with excitement.
He reached out to catch the ball of light bouncing in the air, feeling the strange temperature in his palm, only then did he straighten out the thoughts in his mind.
Kobe Suzuo opened her hand and smiled softly, "Get ready, I'll be leaving soon."
What?
The ball of light suddenly emitted a burst of brightness. "So sudden? How did you do it? What needs to be prepared?"
It circled around Kobe Suzuo in a figure-eight pattern, with not even half of the basketful of questions asked.
Kobe Suzuo's "body" rapidly became transparent, like shattering ice crystals, vanishing from space in an instant.
He left the surface of the World, exactly the same as when he disappeared from before Satoru Gojo.
The light orb, as restless as someone with ADHD, expanded and contracted, emitting a series of sounds that were nearly incomprehensible to the human ear.
[So bad]
..
There were no flashy special effects, nor any breathtaking scenes; Kobe Suzuo's return was silent.
He appeared in mid-air, as he landed, his leather shoes made a slightly dull thud against the marble floor.
The wind blowing into the room from outside the window, carrying petals, the temperature, the humidity, the sounds, the familiar scent of the room's fragrance.
It was as if he had been brought back to life.
Kobe Suzuo lowered her head, only after her body had adapted to the environment did she slowly open her eyes.
A pair of student leather boots, their toes nearly touching his own leather shoes.
Looking up, there were exaggeratedly long legs and a familiar dark navy high-collared uniform.
Looking up, a smooth jawline and full lips.
Further up.. No, at this point, I'm already looking up at him, aren't I?
Kobe Suzuo took an uncontrollable step back, finally seeing Gojo.. Who chose this neurotic-looking blindfold?
Doesn't it look a lot like a shuttlecock with that sky-high white hair?
The shifting expression on his face was far too obvious. Opposite him was the white feath—no, it was Satoru Gojo. He curled his lips into a smirk and reached out to wrap his arm around Kobe Suzuo's waist, smiling with a wicked charm.
“Suzuo, welcome back.”
Kobe Suzuo's mind went blank for a moment. He thought of many things, but as his thoughts became tangled, only the simplest and most direct one remained.
How tall are you now?
It's only been a few years; how could I have grown this much?
Author's Note:
I've written all the way to Suzuo's return in one breath.. It's been two chapters since they last met, I can't delay any longer!!
Chapter 91: That Deal
Kobe Suzuo instinctively took a step back as Satoru Gojo leaned down toward her.
He hadn't even had time to observe his surroundings before he accidentally stepped on a stack of papers behind him, nearly slipping and spraining his ankle due to the height.
Satoru Gojo still held Kobe Suzuo's arm, the veins on the back of his hand bulging slightly.
He was very restrained, maintaining a level that would not make Kobe Suzuo feel uncomfortable, but was enough to firmly restrict her movements.
Before Kobe Suzuo could stabilize himself with the core strength of a domineering CEO, Satoru Gojo had already exerted force, pulling him closer to himself.
He recalled fragmented memories, tilted his head toward Kobe Suzuo, his white hair ruffled by his blindfold, acted coquettishly in a sweet manner.
“When you ask that, Suzuo, do you feel that I have changed a lot?”
A rare hint of confusion appeared in Kobe Suzuo's usually calm and steady black eyes.
Satoru Gojo had grown at least ten centimeters taller, his physique having undergone a complete evolution; his shoulders were so broad that they could cast a shadow completely enveloping him.
His face remained beautiful, with a youthful appearance as always, but it was partially obscured by that strange black blindfold, drawing the visual focus to his covered eyes.
Satoru Gojo, unable to get an answer from Kobe Suzuo, curled his lips into a smile and leaned in to whisper in her ear:
Pay attention to me, Suzuo, I finally found you, don't ignore me like this.
He was very close, completely breaking the conventional social distance, his breath brushing against the side of Kobe Suzuo's neck, his lips almost grazing her earlobe.
Suzuo almost thought her assumption was wrong.
Satoru Gojo's mannerisms were truly too familiar, his closeness was almost eerily greasy.
He could feel that the Binding was still on him, the rules of the World were operating normally.
Logically speaking, Satoru Gojo's memories at this time should still be blurry and incomplete.
While in the Gap, Kobe Suzuo would occasionally imagine how Satoru Gojo would react when they met again.
She might feel lost when her memories return, she might also doubt these intermittent memories, or perhaps she might even feel curiosity toward him because of those scattered fragments—it is hard to say.
Kobe Suzuo even thought that if the plan went awry, he would have missed most of Satoru Gojo's life.