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"Can I congratulate you?"
Maki flinched as if startled by a sudden noise, trying to jump up. Unfortunately, I was too weak to hold her in my arms. She quickly sat back down on the chair beside my bed, pretending nothing had happened, and tried to calm herself. After adjusting her short-cropped hair, Maki took a deep breath.
"I think there are some things in this world that can't be changed." I couldn't help but smile, noticing her new hairstyle. Not that I disliked Maki's new look… Let's be honest, I'd love any style she chose.
Finally regaining her composure, Maki cleared her throat and straightened her back. Her gaze was focused, ready for any question I might throw her way. But as usual, I was prepared to catch her off guard.
"We can be congratulated, right, Maki?" Unfortunately for her, I was a master provocateur, and the emotions she had just managed to rein in were once again stirred up, like foam in a stormy sea.
Maki clearly didn't know how to respond. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she stared at me for a few seconds, forgetting that Shoko was in the room. Finally, gathering her thoughts, Maki nodded and quickly added, not giving me a chance to speak:
"However, it will only be official after I've avenged my family." Her direct gaze was so serious, piercing, and enigmatic that it made me wonder what was going through her mind — was she thinking about murder, our relationship, or maybe a stroll through Shibuya… Oh right, I did help destroy it along with Sukuna and Jogo, may he rest in ashes.
Shoko sighed, her tone a mix of exhaustion and resignation.
"Well, this is already incredible progress. Over the past year, your boyfriend has been complaining non-stop about how cold you are… Oops," Shoko added flatly.
In response to the "nurse's" words, Maki glanced at me as if to say, "Seriously, the whole year?" Oh, that cheeky smile on her pink lips, just begging to be...
"You know, your intense stare says more than a thousand words you could have spun at me," Maki smirked, trying to hide the slight blush that spread across her cheeks.
I couldn't miss that. As a provocateur, my senses were sharper than those of any ordinary person. I wouldn't be lying if I said I'm the best in the world at this. I think only Satoru's Six Eyes surpass me in that regard. Plus, I possess an incredibly developed skill of observation, which, combined with my heightened senses, allows me to catch even the subtlest changes. So, Maki, the girl who could hide her emotions from anyone, couldn't fool or confuse me.
"I thought you quit smoking?" I decided to change the subject when I noticed her pulling out a pack of cigarettes from her pocket, putting one between her teeth, and lighting it.
Shoko looked at me like I was an idiot, her eyes full of disdain.
"How could I quit?" she replied, rolling her eyes.
"That's true," I sighed, realizing that her irritation was justified. She had warned me many times about the dangers of my lifestyle.
"You should be more worried about yourself," the brunette continued, shifting to the main reason for her visit.
"Is there something to worry about?" I stared at her, trying to figure out what exactly was bothering her.
Shoko spat in frustration, her eyes flashing with barely restrained anger.
"You tell me," her voice was tense. "Your body is something incredible. If any other sorcerer, even Satoru, were in your place, they would have been in a coma for at least a couple of weeks, maybe even more than a month. The extreme level of overload your body went through should have left your muscles, bones, and internal organs so worn out that an ordinary person would have died from it. And the fact that your nerves and blood vessels didn't melt like wax in the sun from all your actions is a miracle in itself! Yet here you are, three days later, flirting with your girlfriend right in front of me."
Well, Shoko was right — I wasn't in the best shape. Physically, at least. My spiritual and cursed energy had recovered to their peak, and if I didn't restrain the latter, it would just burst out in wild torrents. However, the feeling of weakness in my body was so disgusting that it made me nauseous. It was funny, even now, I could easily win a fight against an ordinary person, but the years spent in a body that could only be described as superhuman made me feel sick and feeble.
The process of my "Enhancement" involves generating and compressing fire within my body, which results in the production of thermal energy that spreads from within. Under normal conditions, the average human body temperature is around 36.5-37.5 degrees Celsius, but even the minimal use of my Enhancement heats my body up to 40 degrees. With prolonged use, the temperature can exceed 60 degrees.
Even a simple 39 degrees is enough to cause hyperthermia, which is life-threatening and can lead to cellular and organ damage. And when the temperature of my body literally starts to bake my brain… Well, the only reason I'm still alive after such "Enhancement" is that after becoming a "Pyromancer," my resistance to fire, and consequently heat, has gone far beyond human limits.
"I could douse myself in gasoline and set myself on fire, but I'd still walk out dry… or rather out of the fire," certain memories flashed through my mind.
However, despite such insane resistance to fire, with prolonged use of the Enhancement, specifically beyond forty minutes, my body starts to operate at its limits, leading to metabolic stress. This process accelerates metabolism, significantly increasing energy consumption. The body begins to use up glucose and fat reserves, leading to exhaustion. A catabolic process occurs, where muscles start to break down to produce energy, resulting in muscle wear and weakness.
The heat generation also affects blood circulation. High body temperature can cause blood vessels to dilate, increasing the workload on the heart, which is forced to work harder to maintain normal blood flow. Again, even with a minimal body temperature of 40 degrees, my heart rate, even with minimal use of Enhancement, hits 200 beats per minute. Even these "small" numbers can overload the cardiovascular system and increase the risk of heart failure or arrhythmia.
Additionally, prolonged exposure to high temperatures can affect my nervous system, which is what Shoko was talking about. Dizziness, weakness, loss of coordination, and fainting—these are the side effects I deal with.
But the most "amusing" thing is that all these consequences of prolonged Enhancement use cannot be restored through the application of Reversed Cursed Technique.
The Reversed Cursed Technique, which is usually used to heal almost any injury, can't help in this case because the body has been subjected to excessive wear, not excessive damage. The regeneration process doesn't restore fats, glucose, the depletion of muscle cells, or the walls of the cardiovascular system. So, as Shoko summed up, the only thing that can help me is, unsurprisingly, time and my own superhuman body, which can withstand such extreme conditions and gradually recover from them.
Shoko sat down on the edge of the bed, her face serious, but the tension in the air had already dissipated.
"The need for extended rest and recovery is obvious to give your body a chance to return to a normal state and prevent any potential long-term damage," she advised. "From my observations over these three days, you can already move around normally. Partial recovery will take another five days, and for full recovery, add another week. Until then, don't even think about using your Enhancement again. Also, refrain from using the Reversed Technique."
"I can't promise anything," I simply shook my head, knowing that now wasn't the time to rest. I still needed to crack open those cans that had holed up in the administration, and Kenjaku was still out there somewhere…
Shoko gave me a disapproving look, but Maki, noticing it, stepped in.
"I'll keep an eye on him."
"I hope so," Shoko replied, frowning. "Because this time, you just got lucky."
Well, I wouldn't say I was exactly lucky. It was more like five cigarettes, despite the warnings on the pack, saved my life or, at the very least, allowed me to perform emergency aid on my body, which is why I was unconscious for only three days.
Shoko reminded me several more times to avoid any serious fights and warned Maki a couple of times about keeping a constant watch over me. After finishing her round of rubbing salt into the wounds, Shoko left, leaving Maki and me alone.
"When do you plan to break bed rest?" Maki was the first to break the silence.
"When do you plan to visit your clan?" I responded with a question of my own.
"Idiot," she sighed, and once again surprised me for the umpteenth time today by climbing onto the bed and lying next to me, resting her head on my shoulder. "Mechamaru said the administration is already considering the case for the director's elimination. And yeah, Itadori's execution isn't far off, especially now that there's no foolish blindfold to protect him. Compared to my situation, your matter is more urgent."
"You know that all you need to do is say the word, and the first ones I'll deal with will be the Zenin clan," I said, gently stroking her soft hair.
"You know I'd never ask you for that," Maki replied, pressing closer to me.
"That doesn't mean I won't take care of them personally," I just shook my head, fully understanding the nature of my… girlfriend? "Since I should refrain from mindless violence now, I'll take a little break. About five days to at least partially recover. By then, the administration should have chosen the executioners for Yaga and Yuji. In the meantime, I'll help you with something."
"And what would that be?" Maki was becoming more relaxed, leaning against my body.
"Heavenly Restriction."