Yuji was just as quick as me, but his cursed energy was a different color. It was a blue-and-black combo. I'd seen the same colors on Megumi when I first teleported with Gojo-sensei, so maybe this was the standard color.
'That made me wonder… why was mine grey? Was it because of the emotion I poured into it? Or was it truly tied to my cursed technique?'
"Nice, you two!" Gojo-sensei was quick to congratulate us. However, his next words were absolutely absurd. "Now, you two try to attack me!"
Gulp~
Yuji and I looked at each other in fear. We knew he wouldn't kill or seriously harm us, but who willingly fought someone so much stronger than themselves?!
"Come on~ don't be such losers!"
"Tch." I didn't want to do this, but… fuck it!
I dashed in with horribly slow speed. I just knew he could see my every breath. That's how slow I probably looked to him, if not slower. My fist, coated in dark grey cursed energy, shot straight for his gut… but I already knew it wouldn't land.
His ability I had seen before when he first picked me up. But that wasn't my goal. My goal was...
'Inverted Sky!'
I activated the cursed technique I knew best. My aim was to invert the space along my fist's path. The initial distortion kicked in — my cursed energy twisted the air — but not even a millimeter past that, it stopped.
'A continuous flow of high-output and finely controlled energy is going to be needed for this! I doubt it even worked anyway; This was probably just a fluke!'
I grumbled mentally, pivoted on my foot, and launched a kick toward his jaw. Unsurprisingly, it was stopped just as easily.
Yuji, with no warning, came from behind and did the same. Our legs froze mid-motion, not moving a single inch forward.
"Shit?!" Thank god I ate that snake's attribute otherwise, I would've been sent flying by Gojo-sensei's fist. My body distorted into a weird shape midair, but I dodged. The snake's trait — which boosted my dexterity — came in handy.
"My~ Shoko would definitely be in for some fun with you, Tatsu-kun! As for you, Yuji…"
Bang~
"Nice, Yuji!" I shouted as he also managed to dodge an incoming fist. Of course, our lovely sensei wasn't even trying.
I backed away, putting distance between me and the white-haired monster.
'I shouldn't focus too much on my technique — I need to take this chance to refine my flow path!'
My enhanced sensitivity to cursed energy, paired with my intelligence, should allow me to refine this tiny little stream into a free-flowing lake!
I focused cursed energy into my feet and hands this time, pushing it further.
Right. Left. Kick. Axe kick!
None of it worked but that didn't matter.
Yuji followed suit with his own combos, the two of us syncing more and more as we gave it everything we had. Gojo-sensei didn't even make his usual jokes. He was treating us seriously — helping us like a real teacher.
I didn't even know how much time had passed before I found myself sprawled out on the track field, gasping for breath. I could barely concentrate on my surroundings — my ears were ringing, and my body begged me not to take another step.
"Damn, Tatsuya. You really need to train your stamina."
"Shut… HAH~ HAH~ up, Itadori!"
The two of us felt much closer after this. I couldn't explain why but we did. Not in any weird way though.
I had to meet this Shoko lady after all.
"Wow, you two!" Gojo-sensei praised us. "You've done amazing work today."
By the time I could fully open my eyes, the sun had long since set, replaced by the moon's silver glow casting down on the field. Dried sweat clung to my body. My clothes felt absolutely disgusting. But despite all of it, a smile crept onto my face.
"Hahaha~" I laughed, breathless from exhaustion and satisfaction. My cursed energy now flowed smoothly. Not like a vast lake, but like clean, well-laid pipes. The circuits were in place. I could push a decent amount of energy, but if I overloaded it, the whole thing would fall apart.
My sensitivity had also reached its peak or so it felt. I could distinctly feel the emotions inside cursed energy.
Yuji's? It carried a quiet sense of loss. Something heavy. Something personal. I didn't know the details, but I was sure he'd lost someone important to him.
From Gojo-sensei… I felt something different. A void. Not emptiness, but a kind of cold, controlled loneliness. A massive emptiness carefully held back, contained behind everything he projected.
I couldn't fathom what he must've gone through to carry that but it hit me hard. He still smiled. Still joked. Still taught us.
To hold that much and not break…I felt a new kind of respect for him.