Akira did not rush him and waited quietly. He knew what Mechamaru wanted, and although he could not predict the result, all that was needed now was an entry point that was hard to refuse.
After a full three minutes, Mechamaru finally spoke. "What can you do?"
"Treatment, or at the very least, pain relief. My Pokemon has healing abilities, and they do not belong to Reverse Cursed Technique."
At level 23, Gardevoir learned the skill Life Dew, sometimes jokingly called Spraying Water, which could restore vitality within a certain range. At level 28, she learned Wish, which could greatly heal a single target.
The strength of Gardevoir did not come only from the balance of offense and defense in her psychic powers, but also from her versatility. She could fight at long range, fight up close, support others, cut, shoot, and even act cute.
"You cannot help me." Mechamaru turned away again. "My problem is not something that Reverse Cursed Technique or similar abilities can solve."
"Then do not leave so quickly. Healing is only one of Pokemon's abilities. Her other abilities might still work on you. Whether I can help or not, we will not know until we try."
"There is no need. I have already tried too many things." Mechamaru did not look back.
"At least leave some contact information. Maybe I can find something useful for you. More friends means more paths."
"I do not have friends." After throwing out that sentence, jets of flame burst from Mechamaru's feet, and he flew straight off the rooftop.
Akira did not stop him and did not chase after him. He casually tapped on the rooftop railing and muttered, "Friends. So that is where the problem lies."
What prevented Mechamaru from going outside was not only a physical defect, but also a kind of mental isolation. Even if his body was in poor condition, it was not worse than Hawking in his later years. What he truly feared was not physical limitation, but the gaze of others.
He did not want cold looks, and he did not want pity. In that sense, he was a bit like Maki Zenin. However, he did not have Maki Zenin's strong heart, nor did he have an environment like Tokyo Jujutsu High that completely ignored background and innate conditions.
Students at Kyoto Jujutsu High were either eccentric or burdened with their own secrets, which made genuine connection difficult. Because of this, Kasumi Miwa, the only clearly normal person, became especially precious. It was no wonder that the withdrawn Mechamaru was drawn to her.
Perhaps for Mechamaru, Kasumi Miwa was the sun he longed for most. Should he change targets and use Kasumi Miwa as the entry point? No, it was better to observe for a while longer and stay steady.
Akira's most important source of information, the original work of Jujutsu Kaisen, described events a year later. One year was neither particularly long nor particularly short. There were two key pieces of information about Mechamaru.
First, he liked Kasumi Miwa. It might not be love at first sight, since Mechamaru did not seem like that kind of person. It was more likely that he gradually developed feelings through long-term interaction, until he could no longer pull himself away.
Second, as a spy for the antagonist side of Kenjaku and Makoto's people, he exchanged intelligence from the Tokyo Jujutsu High side for treatment of his body. The exact timing of when both sides made contact was unclear. Although the mainstream view was that it was settled after he entered Tokyo Jujutsu High, it could not be ruled out that he enrolled there in order to gather intelligence in the first place.
With the great villain Kenjaku, who had planned for a thousand years, and the symbol of human evil, Makoto's people, involved, no amount of caution was excessive. It was a headache to think about.
Compared to them, the Goodwill Event felt like a fight between elementary school kids during recess. Still, even kids fighting was a fight, and the necessary tasks had to be done first.
What do you think, my foolish older brother, Noritoshi Kamo?
The second day of the Kyoto Goodwill Event in Tokyo arrived, and it was time for the individual matches. This was the kind of head to head fighting that people called hot blooded and exciting, where everything depended on a single person standing in the ring.
"Both sides will decide their order by drawing lots, and then send one person at a time for a one on one match," the announcement said. "The match area is limited to the training field. Leaving the field is a loss. Losing consciousness is a loss, and surrendering is a loss. You may not attack vital areas or use strikes that could cause lasting injury, or you will be judged to have lost immediately and face further consequences."
"After a winner is decided, the losing side will rotate to the next person in their order until one side runs out of participants."
These rules existed because of enrollment issues, since it was impossible to guarantee equal numbers every year. Sometimes one side would have one or two extra people, and while it was possible to pull in first year students to make up the difference, not every first year class had the level of Akira's group. If their strength was not enough, it was better not to bring them at all.
"Other than that, there are no restrictions," the voice continued. "The purpose of the Goodwill Event was already explained yesterday, so I will not repeat it. Please remember who you are and show yourselves to the fullest. That is all."
The speech was once again given by the principal of Kyoto Jujutsu High, Yoshinobu Gakuganji. Compared to yesterday, the old man sounded a little weaker, and it was hard to tell whether he had slept poorly or already foreseen the outcome for Kyoto Jujutsu High.
Interestingly, Tokyo Jujutsu High did not look much better, with an equally unenthusiastic air. The reason was simple.
"It is the same old setup. If Ari or Yuta draws first, the other side will probably get wiped out again," Maki Zenin said, cutting straight to the core of the problem.
The cost of avoiding unequal numbers was that individual strength became even more important. If an overwhelming fighter went first, it was entirely possible for one person to carry the whole team, and Tokyo Jujutsu High just happened to have two people like that.
"I thought they might change it this year."
"If we were the hosts, we probably would," said the principal's son from Tokyo Jujutsu High. "But this is Kyoto, and the one in charge is Yoshinobu Gakuganji. Tradition always comes first."
"Salmon." Toge Inumaki nodded. Without tradition, how could it be called the Conservative Faction.
Kinji Hakari snorted. "If Makoto wants it to look good, the best way would be to swap people. Send Akira or Yuta to the other side and trade back someone weaker."
He had once carried the banner of Tokyo Jujutsu High on his own, and he had thought this Goodwill Event would be the perfect stage for him. Instead, two even more outrageous monsters had shown up.
It was not jealousy, since losing fairly was still losing fairly. The gap between expectation and reality was just too large, and that naturally left some bitterness.
"That probably will not happen," Yuta Okkotsu said gently. When he was not fighting, his manner was always modest, giving Kinji Hakari plenty of respect.
"If Akira is willing to come over, we would be very happy to have him," Yoshinobu Gakuganji said unexpectedly.
The atmosphere on the Tokyo Jujutsu High side changed at once. More than one face darkened, and Satoru Gojo fired back directly.
"You already snatched people during recruitment, and now you are digging at my wall right in front of me. I heard that skin gets thicker and harder after it loses moisture, so that must be Makoto."
"Leaving the future and the power of choice to young people is something you said yourself."
From Satoru Gojo's reaction, it was clear that Makoto really had said those words before.
At a critical moment, Akira stepped in.
"I appreciate Yoshinobu Gakuganji's kindness, but I am used to staying in Tokyo. I have no plans to change places."