Ch.83 The One Who Cannot Open His Heart

Yes, technology.

In Jujutsu Kaisen, it goes without saying. There was Akira's plan for a cursed object, and then there was this jujutsu version of Iron Man.

Mechamaru had almost all the early tech Iron Man possessed, including but not limited to hacking, communication, AI, and energy (cursed energy) reserves.

That Darkrai couldn't avoid detection wasn't surprising to Akira.

As for the Pokemon world, there's just too much to say.

Take two examples: the strongest contender for the "most powerful" Pokemon, Mewtwo, was cloned by humans from a tuft of fur from the mythical ancestor Mew.

The ruler of the Distortion World, Giratina, had its power duplicated by technology and almost lost to it.

All traces of nonchalance vanished from Akira's face as he steeled himself.

Back when he read manga, Akira always thought characters like Gojo Satoru or Saitama were too careless.

They'd face life-or-death crises but just stroll around. If they moved faster, they could end the incidents much earlier.

Back then, Akira thought it was all for plot reasons – otherwise, there'd be nothing to draw since they were truly unbeatable and could end a fight in one move.

Now he understood a little better. When everything goes smoothly, it's natural for one's vigilance to relax.

And Akira hadn't had things go smoothly for that long, while Gojo Satoru had been undefeated for ten years.

He had to thank Mechamaru – Akira didn't have the luxury of being reckless just yet.

"Darkrai was just circling the city, looking for something to eat. Don't be so sensitive."

"That's why I came alone." Mechamaru's voice was still mechanical, devoid of emotion, but the meaning was clear: if you step out of line, I'll gather a team to catch you.

"Thanks for understanding."

Akira was curious about whether he could unite the conservative sorcerers to fight together, but it wasn't necessary to test that through Mechamaru.

For this poor yet talented young man, Akira held more goodwill than malice.

In the original story, Mechamaru only reached semi-grade 1, but Akira believed he had the potential for special-grade, much like Iron Man holding the spotlight among the Avengers.

"Where are you really? I mean your true self. I believe I made it clear to Mai that I wanted to meet the real you."

"Mai conveyed it to me, but I don't want to meet you. That's all I have to say. Goodbye."

With that, Mechamaru turned to leave.

"Wait," Akira called out. "Aren't you curious why I wanted to meet you?"

Mechamaru paused, then turned back around.

Akira smiled slightly. "I'm very interested in your mech technology. I hope you can help me make some equipment. In return, I can offer you some assistance, regarding your physical condition. If I'm not mistaken, your body must have some issue if you're interacting with the world through a mech."

The green light in Mechamaru's eyes, a manifestation of his cursed energy and will as a sorcerer, flickered: "How do you know?"

The real reason was, of course, that Akira had read the original story, but he had prepared a plausible explanation.

"It wasn't hard to guess. Miwa mentioned once that you like AA batteries, which suggests she really thinks of you as a robot and hasn't met the real you. It's been a few months since school started, and without a very good reason, the school wouldn't allow a student to be absent for this long."

Mechamaru said nothing – itself a kind of acknowledgment.

Akira didn't rush him, waiting quietly.

He knew what Mechamaru wanted, though he couldn't predict the outcome. What he needed now was simply an offer too good to refuse.

After a solid three minutes, Mechamaru finally spoke. "What can you do?"

"Healing. If not a cure, at least pain relief. My Pokemon have healing abilities that aren't from reversed curse techniques."

Gardevoir had learned the move "Life Dew" at level 23, a move jokingly called "splashing water" that could restore vitality within a certain range.

At level 28, she learned "Wish," which provided significant healing to a single target.

Gardevoir's strength didn't just come from psychic attacks and defenses, but also her versatility.

She could fight from afar or up close, provide support, cut, shoot, and even act cute.

"You can't help me." Mechamaru turned away again. "My issue isn't something that reversed curse techniques or anything like them can solve."

"Don't be so quick to leave," Akira urged. "Healing is just one of my Pokemon's abilities. Their other abilities might work for you. You won't know unless you try."

"There's no need. I've tried enough." Mechamaru didn't look back.

"At least leave me some contact info. Maybe I'll find something useful for you. The more friends you have, the more options you have."

"I have no friends." With that, flames shot from Mechamaru's feet, and he flew off the rooftop.

Akira didn't stop him or give chase. He tapped idly on the rooftop railing.

"Friends… I see, that's the problem."

What prevented Mechamaru from coming out wasn't just his physical condition; it was also the isolation in his heart.

Indeed, as bad as Mechamaru's body was, it couldn't be worse than Stephen Hawking's in his later years. What he truly feared wasn't his physical condition, but how others would see him.

He didn't want to face contempt or pity.

It was a bit like Maki.

But he didn't have Maki's inner strength, nor did he have Tokyo Jujutsu High's atmosphere, which disregarded lineage and innate talent.

The students at Kyoto Jujutsu High were either eccentric or had their own secrets, making true friendship difficult.

That's why Miwa, the only genuinely normal one, was so precious, and it was no surprise that Mechamaru, despite his reclusiveness, was drawn to her.

To Mechamaru, Miwa was probably the sun he yearned for.

Should he change his approach and use Miwa as the entry point?

No, better to observe a bit longer and proceed cautiously.

The most critical information source for Akira was Jujutsu Kaisen's original story, which described events a year later. A year might seem long, but it wasn't that much time.

As for Mechamaru, two key pieces of information stood out.

He liked Miwa.

It might not be now, as Mechamaru didn't seem like the type to fall in love at first sight. It was more likely a feeling that developed over prolonged contact, eventually becoming irresistible.

And he was a spy for Kenjaku and Mahito, trading information about Jujutsu High in exchange for healing his body.

The timing of their agreement was also unclear. Though the mainstream assumption was that the deal was struck after Mechamaru entered Jujutsu High, it couldn't be ruled out that he enrolled specifically to gather information.

When dealing with Mahito, symbolizing "human malice," and Kenjaku, the mastermind scheming for over a thousand years, one could never be too careful.

Such a headache.

Compared to them, the Kyoto Exchange Event was like an elementary school fight.

But even an elementary school fight was still a fight – best to handle what needed handling.

Don't you think so, my foolish brother, Noritoshi Kamo?