~ Support & Read 60 Advanced Chapters on Patreon
~ Bonus Chapter every 200 Powerstones!
<><><><><>
In the quiet hotel room, the atmosphere at the tea table by the window was somewhat subdued.
After making his assessment, Bokue said nothing further, simply picking up his teacup, blowing on it, and taking another small sip.
He hadn't realized what Saeko's question actually meant, treating it purely as a technical inquiry about Jujutsu techniques.
After all, even though Bokue himself wasn't a Jujutsu Sorcerer, to him there was no fundamental difference between spiritual power, cursed energy, or magical energy—they only varied in strength and application.
And if judging purely on the strength of Saeko's Domain Expansion, it was undeniably excellent.
Judging by its performance, Saeko's Domain directly boosted her attack power from initially being unable to even break through Tsuchigumo's surface defense to being able to sever an entire arm in one strike.
And if she'd aimed for the neck instead of the arm, it would've been a clean decapitation.
Simply put, if that kind of power increase wasn't considered impressive, then probably no Domain Expansion was worth anything.
Moreover, Saeko's Domain came with incredibly strong healing effects. Even a severe open fracture in her arm could heal instantly—that level of regeneration could practically be called "immortality."
If there was one potential weakness, it would be cursed energy sustainability at most.
But even so, it was still incredibly powerful—basically like treating her as a walking tactical nuke.
Especially for Jujutsu Sorcerers, who typically operated in three-person teams on missions. Even if Saeko encountered two Special Grade Curses simultaneously during a mission, she'd only need her two teammates to stall for a few seconds while she eliminated one of them first.
Though more likely, Busujima-senpai would tell her teammates to evacuate while she activated her Domain and wiped out both Special Grades herself.
Who wouldn't want a teammate like that?
Absolutely reliable.
While Bokue sat here drinking tea and mentally analyzing the swordswoman's skill applications, for Saeko on the other side, this was an entirely different matter.
It took her a full ten seconds to process the young man's answer. When she finally raised her head, her gaze was filled with utter disbelief.
"Prac...tical?"
Saeko's head hung low as she practically choked out those two dry syllables from her throat.
Though she fell into a completely unconscious state after activating Eight Thousand Styles: All Things' End, her consciousness immediately returned once the battle ended.
If Saeko remembered correctly, when she'd regained awareness on Kiyomizu Stage at Kiyomizu-dera, she'd clearly seen her blade pressed against Bokue's finger.
There was only one possible explanation for that situation—during the time she'd lost consciousness after Domain Expansion, she had attacked Bokue.
That's right. She had personally swung her blade at him.
"Hmm? What's wrong, Senpai? Your complexion doesn't look too good. Everything alright? Is there somewhere you're still feeling discomfort from the earlier battle?"
Glancing over and noticing her unusual state, Bokue turned slightly to ask.
The next second, he vanished from his seat and appeared behind the swordswoman. Forming his fingers into a blade shape, he gently placed them against the right side of Saeko's fair, slender neck like an old Chinese medicine doctor checking a pulse.
Pulse steady, doesn't seem like anything's wrong... hmm?
Bokue suddenly felt someone grasp his two fingers.
Looking down, he saw that Saeko—who'd been silent just moments ago—had raised her head at some point. In her deep blue eyes, shallow tears glistened under the warm lighting of the room. She bit her lower lip as if she might burst into tears at any moment.
"Kouhai... why are you lying to me?"
"Lying? I'm not."
Bokue was even more confused.
"I genuinely think it's very practical..."
"That's absolutely impossible!!"
As if provoked by the young man's reaffirmation, Saeko's voice rose several octaves.
"Earlier on Kiyomizu Stage, when I regained consciousness, I clearly saw my blade cutting into your finger! I attacked you while in an unconscious state! How could anyone possibly praise someone's Domain after being attacked like that?!"
"About that..."
Bokue made a sound of understanding.
"While you did attack me, Senpai, well..."
"Well what?"
Completely abandoning her earlier hesitant demeanor, now that the topic was out in the open, Saeko seemed to have activated full self-destruct mode. No longer beating around the bush, she stared directly at the young man, pressing him for answers with every statement.
Bokue found himself somewhat unaccustomed to her sudden transformation.
"Do I have to say it?"
"Of course!"
The swordswoman's attitude was resolute.
Alright then~
Bokue had no choice now. He could only spread his hands.
"Honestly, because you're still pretty weak compared to me, Senpai, I don't really care about that."
"..."
"..."
That simple sentence instantly silenced the room's atmosphere, even though Bokue had specifically emphasized the key phrase "compared to me."
Saeko looked up blankly at this young man who was actually a year younger than her.
From her eighteen years of life experience, Bokue's words were undoubtedly completely sincere.
It was like a teacher writing end-of-term evaluations. If the comments said things like "has great potential, hope you work harder next semester," those were mostly high-EQ pleasantries.
But if the teacher wrote "too mischievous, needs to improve discipline," then without exception they were genuinely dissatisfied.
Bokue's situation was similar.
You asked why I don't care, so I'm directly answering: because you're too weak. As long as you don't get upset after I say it, we're good.
"I see... so that's how it is."
As if suddenly relieved of some heavy burden, Saeko let out a deep breath.
Then she grabbed Bokue's hand resting against her neck, half-forcefully pressing it against her own face. Simultaneously, she stood up from beside the tea table, turned around, and looked up slightly at the young man now practically chest-to-chest with her.
"So when you said earlier that you thought my Domain Expansion was very practical, you were serious?"
"Of course."
Bokue shrugged.
Saeko took another step forward and continued questioning.
"Then you don't hate me?"
"Why would you even think that, Senpai?"
"Then..."
Ignoring the young man's counter-question, Saeko took yet another step forward, raising her flushed face. Her eyes were filled with heartbreaking vulnerability.
"Will Kouhai accept someone as twisted as me?"
"I... mmph?"
Before Bokue could get his words out, something soft pressed against his lips, cutting off the rest of his response.
<><><><><>
~ 60 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon
https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
<><><><><>
Keep the chapters coming—Support with Power Stones!