Endure.
She understood that this was her only chance, and the only chance for all the Cursed Children. She could not afford to miss it.
The first person to receive treatment was Midori Fuse.
Following Sumire Muroto's instructions, Kayo Senju took out the testing equipment and carefully approached Midori. She gently held her wrist and began measuring her Corrosion Rate.
Midori still looked as timid as ever. She clutched tightly onto the corner of Shouma Nagisawa's clothes, her eyes filled with nervousness, but she obediently cooperated with Kayo's examination without any resistance.
After the simple test was completed, the number displayed on the device's screen was around 40%.
That number caused Shouma's heart to ache. His brows tightened, and his eyes were filled with worry.
He knew that once a Cursed Child's Corrosion Rate exceeded 50%, they would completely transform into a Gastrea, with no chance of recovery. Midori's Corrosion Rate was already close to 40%, meaning the amount of time left for her was limited.
At the same time, he felt a small sense of relief.
Fortunately, they had found Satoru Gojo and discovered a way to reduce the Corrosion Rate. Otherwise, he truly did not know how he would face Midori when the day came, or how he would accept seeing her become a Gastrea.
"Come on, Midori. Come here."
Gojo wore a gentle smile as he waved her over, his voice warm and free of any hostility. He was trying to make her relax.
When she was not fighting, Midori was nothing more than a timid little girl. She did not know what she was about to experience. She only felt that Gojo's smile was kind and approachable, nothing like the terrifying image she had imagined.
After hesitating for a moment, she looked at Shouma beside her. When he gave her a small nod, she slowly released his clothes and carefully walked toward Gojo, taking small, quiet steps as if she were afraid of disturbing something.
Then...
Just like what had happened back in the 39th Area, a familiar scene appeared once again.
Without any warning, Midori's limbs suddenly fell to the ground.
Blood sprayed from the wounds, instantly staining the floor red. The sight was horrifying.
Midori's eyes widened in shock. Fear appeared on her face as she opened her mouth slightly, but before she could even scream, the flesh around her wounds began moving violently.
The regeneration was unbelievably fast.
Pale white bones started growing back, followed by new flesh and newly formed limbs.
Only then did Midori finally let out a scream.
Her voice was filled with fear and confusion. She could not understand why her arms and legs had suddenly fallen off, or why they had grown back moments later.
However, her scream did not last long.
Her severed limbs had already completely regenerated. They were exactly the same as before, or perhaps even more flexible. The wounds on her body had vanished without a trace, as if everything that had just happened had only been an illusion.
Kayo, who was standing nearby, stared at the scene with her eyes wide open. Her mouth parted slightly, and her expression was filled with disbelief.
She had never seen a treatment method like this before.
It was strange, almost unbelievable, yet incredibly effective. It completely surpassed her understanding.
However, because of her intelligence, she quickly realized what Gojo's method was.
She knew that directly lowering the Corrosion Rate was practically impossible. That was why Gojo had chosen the simplest and most direct method.
He removed the limbs that had been infected by the Gastrea Virus, then used his mysterious ability to regenerate them.
The newly regenerated limbs were free from the virus. They were brand new and completely clean.
Once the virus inside the body slowly spread into the new limbs, the overall concentration of the virus would naturally decrease, causing the Corrosion Rate to drop as well.
However, Kayo also understood that this method was only treating the symptoms, not the root cause.
It could temporarily lower the Corrosion Rate, but it could not completely remove the Gastrea Virus from the body. After some time, the Corrosion Rate would still slowly rise again.
But for Cursed Children like them, this was already the best possible outcome.
At the very least, it gave them more time to live. More time to experience a peaceful life without constantly fearing that they would turn into Gastrea.
"Pretty amazing, isn't it?"
Sumire's voice sounded again.
She still had not turned around. Her fingers continued rapidly moving across the keyboard, as if the shocking scene that had just happened had nothing to do with her.
"But this is only the beginning. There are even more incredible methods after this. For example, permanently keeping your Corrosion Rate within a safe range, so you never have to worry about it increasing again or becoming a Gastrea."
As if she had already expected Kayo's reaction, Sumire continued speaking while sitting in front of the computer. Her tone carried both confidence and anticipation.
"However, that method still requires more research. I need a large amount of experimental data to support it. It is not something that can be completed overnight."
"Of course, if you learn quickly enough, you can help me. You can organize experimental data and assist with experiments. That will speed up the research and help us find a way to completely solve the Gastrea Virus sooner."
Kayo stared at Midori, who had already finished regenerating. The girl was still looking confused as she touched her arms and legs with her small hands, seemingly unable to believe they were truly hers.
The shock on Kayo's face gradually faded, replaced by determination.
She nodded firmly.
"I understand. I will work hard! I will learn everything I need as quickly as possible and help you with your research. Together, we will find a way to completely control the Gastrea Virus!"
So that children like herself would no longer have to worry about their Corrosion Rate.
So they would never become Gastrea.
So they would no longer be discriminated against.
So they would never again have to live wandering from place to place, constantly afraid of what tomorrow would bring.
For all this time, Kayo had lived in a daze, never knowing why she existed or what purpose her life had.
But now, she had found it.
She had found a reason to continue forward and a goal worth fighting for.
If this could truly be achieved, then it would be far more meaningful than spending every day fighting against so-called Gastrea.
"Alright, next."
Gojo smiled as he looked at everything happening around him. He waved toward the children waiting behind them, his voice gentle as he tried to calm those who were still nervous.
The children who had witnessed what happened had different reactions.
Some looked terrified, tightly gripping their companions' hands as their bodies trembled slightly. The bloody scene from earlier had clearly frightened them.
Others were also afraid. Their eyes carried hesitation, and they wanted to escape, but they struggled to make that decision.
After all, they also wanted to lower their Corrosion Rate. They wanted to escape the fear of being controlled by the Gastrea Virus.
But when they looked at Midori, who showed no signs of pain, and saw her completely restored limbs, curiosity and anticipation slowly replaced their fear.
They were still uncertain whether the treatment would hurt.
They did not know if they could succeed like Midori.
But they wanted to try.
"How do you feel, Midori? Are you uncomfortable anywhere?"
Shouma rushed over the moment Midori finished her "treatment." His face was filled with concern as he carefully held her small hand and checked her arms and legs, afraid that she might have suffered even the slightest injury.
"I don't feel anything, nya."
Midori shook her head instinctively. Her small face still carried a trace of confusion.
She looked down at her blood-stained clothes, then looked at her perfectly intact arms and legs.
"I didn't even realize what happened. My hands and legs fell off, and then they came back in the blink of an eye. It's amazing!"
As she spoke, she moved her limbs experimentally, curiosity appearing in her eyes as she felt the sensation of her newly regenerated body.
At that moment, Kayo walked over with the testing device and measured Midori's Corrosion Rate again.
The number displayed on the screen caused everyone present to relax.
The result was exactly what they had hoped for.
Her Corrosion Rate had dropped to only a little over 10%, placing her firmly within a safe range. She no longer needed to worry about easily transforming into a Gastrea.
With Midori serving as living proof, the fear in the hearts of the other Cursed Children gradually disappeared. In its place came anticipation and eagerness.
One after another, they stepped forward and accepted this strange "treatment."
Although they were still nervous, none of them hesitated like before.
Gojo maintained his usual cheerful smile as he patiently treated every child. His movements were practiced and gentle, without the slightest sign of impatience.
Kayo assisted from the side, carefully measuring each child's Corrosion Rate and recording all the relevant data. Her expression remained serious and focused throughout the process.
For the next two days, Gojo spent most of his time inside the school, lowering the Corrosion Rates of the Cursed Children who had been gathered there.
He barely rested.
Although this treatment consumed almost no energy for him, repeating the same process day after day inevitably became somewhat monotonous.
However, whenever he saw the relief and smiles on the children's faces after treatment, that sense of boredom immediately disappeared, replaced by a deep feeling of accomplishment.
Rentaro Satomi, Kisara Tendo, and the others helped wherever they could.
They organized the children's living areas, prepared meals, comforted those who still felt uneasy, and played with the children whenever they had time, doing their best to let them experience the warmth of a home.
Since this was still the beginning, there were only dozens of Cursed Children living in the school.
Even so, once everyone became busy, there was still an endless amount of work. They often found themselves running around without even having time to sit down.
Compared to Sumire, however, their workload was still much lighter.
Gojo genuinely admired that woman.
The moment she arrived at the research facility, she immediately threw herself into her work. She started researching without pause, going a full day and night without sleep and barely eating anything, as if scientific research was her entire existence and everything else was meaningless.
Of course...
Gojo himself had contributed quite a lot as well.
Blood, hair, nails, saliva...
Whatever Sumire needed for her research, she took samples of.
At first, Gojo complained several times, saying she was going too far.
But eventually, he got used to it.
After all, according to Sumire, he possessed regeneration abilities. Even if those things were taken away, they would quickly grow back, so there was no reason for him to be so stingy.
Gojo also understood why Sumire was doing this.
She wanted to find a way to completely control the Gastrea Virus as soon as possible, all for the sake of the Cursed Children.
Because of that, he stopped complaining and allowed her to continue using him as a research subject.
Still, there was one thing worth mentioning.
Sumire Muroto truly had incredible abilities.
Her scientific skills far exceeded Gojo's expectations.
The Drone that Betty had obtained and loved so much was optimized by Sumire in almost no time at all.
The improved Drone was not only easier to control, but also far more responsive and faster. On top of that, Sumire directly integrated it into the Mechanical Armor, giving the Drone a certain level of offensive capability as well.
As for the Mechanical Armor itself, it was something Gojo had casually mentioned to Betty before.
When he saw the Mechanical Prosthesis used by Rentaro and the others, he had casually asked whether those limbs could be transformed into a complete suit of armor.
He had only said it on a whim and never expected much from the idea.
After all, such a modification would be extremely difficult and require a tremendous amount of time and effort.
Furthermore, there had been no progress from Seitenshi's side for a long time. Clearly, the researchers there did not have the ability to complete such a transformation.
But what Gojo did not expect was that Sumire finished the design in almost no time and had even begun preparing a prototype.
The entire Mechanical Armor designed by Sumire used an extremely simple operating system. Even someone without professional training could easily learn to use it.
The armor's appearance was also based on the style Betty liked. It had bright colors and a cute design while still maintaining impressive combat power.
For energy, it supported both External Power Mode and Solar Charging, making it extremely convenient.
When Betty saw the design drawings, her eyes immediately lit up.
She loved it so much that she grabbed Sumire's hand and praised her repeatedly, urging her to finish the armor quickly because she wanted to try wearing it as soon as possible.
However, according to Sumire, production could only begin after all the required materials had arrived.
Before that, the priority was still researching the Gastrea Virus.
Finding a way to effectively control the infection and completely solve the Gastrea Virus would still take some time.
After all, this matter was far too difficult to accomplish overnight.