Across the entirety of Kyoto Jujutsu High and Tokyo Jujutsu High, the only person Satoshi truly takes seriously is likely Satoru.
Gojo Kumaen gently raised his teacup, glanced at Gojo Shunichi standing beside him, and smiled. "I wonder how much Satoru has grown in terms of restraint over the years. Can he really endure Satoshi's provocation this time?"
Gojo Shunichi shook his head.
"Though he's shown more restraint lately, he's still arrogant. Without someone like Satoshi to keep him in check, Satoru's 'self-discipline' is nothing more than lip service. After all, when no one's stronger than you, why would you need to cultivate self-restraint?"
"I just hope this battle with Satoshi helps him realize something deeper."
Despite raising Satoru, Shunichi didn't express much optimism. That's because Satoshi's past deeds made Shunichi one of his staunchest supporters.
"Oh? So Shunichi, you place that much faith in Satoshi?"
Kumaen smiled faintly, his expression unreadable.
Shunichi raised an eyebrow. "Then do you think Satoru will win this match?"
"Haha!"
Gojo Kumaen chuckled and shook his head.
"Of course not. I support Satoshi as well. After all, those who underestimate him always end up eating their words. At my age, I'd rather not be humiliated again…"
Kumaen's words left Shunichi slightly exasperated, though he understood. As the former head of the Twin Curse Faction, Kumaen's understanding of Satoshi ran deeper than anyone's.
"I just hope Satoru doesn't end up too shaken."
The two exchanged a glance and returned their focus to the Curse Corpse live broadcast.
...
Satoru remained outwardly calm, not the least bit shaken.
Up until now, he had only controlled Senbonzakura Kageyoshi's petals using his mind. But now, he raised his right hand and swept it forward like a conductor orchestrating a symphony, giving his attack a new, precise direction.
As Satoru's arm moved, the previously drifting petals of Senbonzakura Kageyoshi instantly accelerated several times over.
"Satoshi, at this speed, still feeling relaxed?"
This was a unique characteristic of Senbonzakura Kageyoshi. The difference in speed between mental control and manual control was tremendous.
Faced with this sudden surge in petal speed, Satoshi's expression changed slightly.
At this level of acceleration, he could no longer maintain his earlier ease. Even using Shunpo, he was nearly caught multiple times by the storm of petals.
Moreover, as Satoru moved his arms, the petals began predicting Satoshi's landing point, intercepting him before he could finish his step.
"Satoshi, why haven't you drawn your sword yet? Seems like Gōkei alone is enough to handle you."
Now, the provocation came from Satoru. This was the older brother taunting the younger one.
Hearing Satoru's slightly smug remark, Satoshi pursed his lips.
This was Satoru's way of forcing him to use Iaidō. But it still wasn't time for that.
Gōkei had just been activated. If he drew his sword now, the best he could do was temporarily disperse the petals. Once they reformed, the threat would remain.
What he needed was to completely invalidate Satoru's current state.
Satoshi wasn't naïve enough to believe that Satoru had only mastered Gōkei within Senbonzakura Kageyoshi...
...
"What's Satoru trying to say? That Gōkei alone is enough to defeat Satoshi? Could he have more techniques hidden?"
"Is this Gōkei really just one move within Satoru's Bankai?"
Utahime looked stunned.
To many girls, Satoru's Bankai was the perfect blend of power and elegance. The endless rain of glowing cherry blossom petals fit perfectly with feminine aesthetic sensibilities.
Dying quietly beneath such a beautiful sight... for a cursed spirit, that would be a poetic end.
Mei Mei narrowed her eyes, her tone icy as she looked at the two Gojo brothers facing off in the sky. "This can't be it. If Satoru planned to win using Gōkei alone, there's no way it would work."
"He's using it to try and force Satoshi to use his Iaidō."
Suguru added, "It's not going to be that simple for Satoru to beat Satoshi. After all, Satoshi hasn't even used Kidō yet… though, in this current scenario, he doesn't seem to have much time to recite an incantation."
Even without enough time, Suguru was sure that Satoshi could find an opening.
Upon hearing Suguru's words, Utahime's eyes widened and she blurted out, "Wait, does Satoshi really need to chant to use Kidō? Sure, he did chant when casting Bakudō #81: Dankū the first time to block Satoru's Reversal: Red... but the second time he used Dankū, there wasn't any chant at all!"
As a shrine maiden, Utahime had always been paying close attention to the way Satoshi used Kidō, and she had noticed something the others missed.
Could Satoshi really cast Kidō without chanting?
Her words left everyone stunned.
That would mean the assumption that Satoshi was currently at a disadvantage, desperately buying time, was just their own misunderstanding.
If their previous assumptions were wrong, then this time they might finally be right.
Satoshi calmly observed as Satoru used his hands to direct billions of petals in his attack. He was preparing for a tactical shift—attacking the hand to save the body.
If Senbonzakura Kageyoshi's speed increased drastically with Satoru's hand movements, then it was better to prevent him from moving his hands at all.
It might not be realistic to expect Kidō alone to defeat Satoru, but using it to restrict his movement was entirely possible.
Satoshi knew Satoru wouldn't want to carelessly test the effects of his Kidō.
If the spell approached, Satoru would most likely dodge.
"Byakurai!"
While moving, Satoshi suddenly raised his empty left hand.
Thunder cracked through the sky as white lightning streaked toward Satoru. The speed was so fast that Satoru could only barely react.
The bolt grazed past his cheek and shot diagonally into the sky.
(To be continued.)