HRU: Chapter 126/127

Chapter 126: Assertive Yuki

Yuki's words made Satoshi momentarily doubt his own ears.

He stared into her eyes, trying to find a trace of sarcasm.

But unfortunately, Yuki's expression was dead serious—there wasn't the slightest sign that she was joking.

"Miss Tsukumo, there's quite an age gap between us. I don't think we're very compatible." Satoshi spoke gently, attempting to defuse the situation.

Satoshi glanced at his own body and suddenly felt powerless.

This kind of thing… wasn't right.

"It's fine. We sorcerers don't need to worry about that kind of thing."

Yuki clearly had already considered the future. Her determined tone left Satoshi at a loss for words.

"Miss Tsukumo, you can't just treat emotions like some kind of trade. Besides, this is our first meeting… we're not even familiar with each other yet."

Satoshi really didn't know how to deal with a girl as forward as Yuki.

And Yuki seemed to realize that this was where Satoshi struggled, so she became even more proactive.

"Then, Gojo Satoshi, do you think I'm pretty?"

She asked the question head-on, without a hint of subtlety.

Satoshi let out a bitter smile, fell silent for a few seconds, and finally nodded.

Yuki was undeniably one of the most striking women in the entire Jujutsu world.

"Then, am I your type? I don't have to be your only type, but at the very least, do I make you uncomfortable?"

Yuki pressed on.

Satoshi felt a bit helpless, but he still nodded.

"There's no discomfort."

Hearing his response, Yuki grinned happily.

"Then that's it! I'm beautiful, and I don't make you uncomfortable."

She leaned forward on the kotatsu table, closing the distance between them. Her breath lightly brushed against Satoshi's face, making it difficult for him to dodge.

"So, it shouldn't be a problem for you to help me with my research, right?"

Yuki had once been the kind of girl who would blush at the mention of this kind of topic. But now, without Toji's presence, it was like she had transformed into someone else entirely.

You're way too experienced with this kind of thing. You must be a veteran.

Isn't that contrast a bit too much?

Satoshi looked at her and thought, this future Special Grade Sorcerer truly gave off a massive contrast vibe.

"Miss Tsukumo, I don't have any issues with you personally, but I can't accept your request."

"As the first client of the Yorozuya, we do want to fulfill our first commission properly. But unfortunately, the Yorozuya can't help you with that."

Satoshi didn't dare to continue the topic of romance with Yuki. That was an area he wasn't good at. Besides, with his current age, it wasn't something he should be focused on.

Yuki was a bit disappointed to see Satoshi suddenly change the subject, but she wasn't willing to give up just yet.

Though her approach was somewhat direct, she believed that with her charm, this boy—who had the soul of a mature man—wouldn't be able to resist her.

Her competitiveness suddenly flared. Even though she had no dating experience, she'd at least seen how it was done.

Just now, while trying to persuade Satoshi, she had already completed a strategy for how to win him over.

A fierce fighting spirit ignited in Yuki's eyes.

She figured that Satoshi simply didn't know her well enough yet. If he saw her true strength, maybe the Six Eyes of the Gojo Clan would finally realize how valuable she was.

Being stared at like that by Yuki made Satoshi feel a chill run down his spine.

Is Yuki going to be mad because I rejected her?

When she first asked for a commission, I really just wanted to give her a reason to let me forge her Zanpakutō. If she asks me to do that, I'll agree. But anything else? I really can't accept.

"Gojo Satoshi, I know your standards are high."

No, my standards aren't as high as you think they are. Can we please not talk about this?

"But you probably don't realize that I, Tsukumo Yuki, am also really strong."

Don't say it—I know you're strong. You're going to be one of the strongest sorcerers in the future. Out of the four Special Grades, who would dare say you aren't strong?

"I know your Zanpakutō is incredible. You even forged a flame-type Zanpakutō that can change the weather!"

Don't even bring that up. It's all pain and tears. Ryūjin Jakka is useless now. It's basically just a really sharp fire stick… This is way too hard.

"You're already famous in the jujutsu world. But I, Tsukumo Yuki, definitely won't lose to you in the future! Gojo Satoshi, it's really not easy to find a girlfriend like me!"

I already know that without you saying it, but seriously… now's not the time for me to be thinking about relationships. Let's just get back to business. If you need me to forge a Zanpakutō, that's totally fine…

Seeing Satoshi just staring at her and staying silent, Yuki grew a bit annoyed. She'd already taken the initiative, and yet Satoshi could still remain so calm?

(To be continued.)

Chapter 127: Star Rage

Is my charm really that lacking?

Yuki widened her eyes and stared at Satoshi, clearly unwilling to let the matter go until she got an answer.

Faced with this overly forward girl, Satoshi was a little flustered, his gaze unconsciously darting away.

That momentary hesitation allowed Yuki to see through his thoughts.

The girl smiled proudly. She was confident that she still had her charm.

Thinking of this, Yuki wanted even more to show her strength.

Although the Tsukumo family wasn't as renowned as the Gojo clan, it was still a respected sorcerer family in Kyoto's jujutsu world. Her status and power were more than enough to match Gojo Satoshi, the Son of Six Eyes.

"Gojo Satoshi, give me your hand!"

Yuki looked at him seriously.

Satoshi was confused but still extended his hand, curious as to what she was trying to do.

"I know you don't have your own technique yet. I don't care what kind of ancestral power your family carries—my technique won't lose to the Gojo clan's. Now, I'll show you my real strength. I'll be the strongest girl you've ever seen."

After hearing Yuki's declaration, Satoshi still had no idea what she intended to do.

In fact, he might even know more about her Cursed Technique than she did. And Star Rage wasn't something one should casually invoke.

Just as he was about to pull back his hand, Yuki's slender fingers had already pressed against his palm.

"Gojo Satoshi, if you can lift my finger, I'll give up on my previous commission and stop asking to be your girlfriend. But if you can't, then from now on, you'll be my boyfriend and no flirting with other girls allowed!"

The surroundings didn't change in the slightest, but Satoshi knew that Yuki had already activated her technique—Star Rage.

Even though it was just a finger pressing against his hand, that single finger carried the weight of imagined mass through Yuki's technique.

"Gojo Satoshi, this is my power. I know you're talented, but can you endure it?"

There was a catch in her words.

Technically, the weight he was facing was not her own power but the product of her imagined mass, granted form by Star Rage.

So what Satoshi was up against wasn't Yuki's physical strength, but a conceptual weight, a manifested illusion imbued with reality.

Staring at her slender finger pressing down, Satoshi smiled faintly, amused.

"This mass is quite strong!"

He tried pulling his right hand back, but her finger didn't budge at all.

Toji, sitting in the front room, felt the shift in Yuki's cursed energy and smiled faintly. He had overheard the entire exchange and was interested to see how Satoshi would respond.

Earlier, he had teased Satoshi for speaking so shamelessly about his love life. Now it was Satoshi's turn—heh, let's see how you handle it.

Toji leisurely took a sip of tea, not concerned at all about the commotion in the back room.

Although Yuki was undeniably powerful, Satoshi—wielder of a Zanpakutō—was in no way inferior to her.

At this point, though, it would all depend on Satoshi's current physical capabilities.

Toji was curious whether Satoshi could endure the technique of Yuki.

…

Satoshi just mentioned mass. I think he might know something about me! But wait, this isn't right. I shouldn't have used my technique in front of others. Besides, it's impossible for someone to guess the nature of my ability just by seeing it once!

Still… what was the meaning behind that smile just now?

No matter! With Satoshi's current strength, there's absolutely no way he can overcome the imagined mass of Star Rage.

Yuki was a little surprised by Satoshi's reaction, but her confidence in her own technique was unshakable.

Although the mass she imagined wasn't that high—just twice her body weight, roughly 180 kilograms—that was already an impossible load for a six-year-old child.

Even most adults couldn't lift 180 kilograms with one hand, much less a child.

So from the beginning of this bet, she had already placed herself in an advantageous position.

Watching Satoshi try to pull his hand away, Yuki chuckled inwardly.

Trying to pull his hand back was the best way to go. The weight wasn't being applied downward on his palm—it was simply suspended there. If he didn't apply upward force, he wouldn't feel the full 180-kilogram mass.

But of course, she had accounted for that.

That's why she chose to use her finger rather than her palm. Her fingertip pressing into his palm acted like a nail anchoring his hand in place.

So unless Gojo Satoshi lifted her finger with his own strength, there was no chance of success.

And if he did try to forcibly lift it, he would face another problem, was his hand durable enough to withstand it? If not, her imagined 180 kilograms of weight could easily crush his palm.

From Yuki's perspective, she had sealed off all avenues of retreat.

In this bet, Satoshi was already in a losing position.

Unfortunately, what Yuki didn't know was that she was dealing with Satoshi, the restless gambler who had never lost a bet in this timeline.

She may have believed she had accounted for every variable, but she had no idea how durable the body of someone under Heavenly Restriction truly was.

Even though Satoshi looked like a six-year-old, after rigorous training with Toji and gaining mastery over Hakuda, his physical strength had reached a level far beyond ordinary comprehension.

He wasn't quite at Toji's level yet, but lifting 180 kilograms with one hand?

For Satoshi, that was nothing.

(To be continued.)