Tokyo Singularity (Nine): Bear with it, Maki...

The scenery outside the window rushed by. Fujimaru Ritsuka and Jeanne Alter sat side by side in the assistant director's car. Gojo Satoru was in front, and Natsuyu Suguru was on the left.

"So, is it really okay for us to act with you?" she asked helplessly.

Just a few minutes ago, Gojo Satoru glanced at the documents and immediately made a decision. He exchanged a glance with Xia Youjie, and together they tacitly helped her up and walked out of the school.

At that moment, Joan of Arc Alter thought something strange had happened, as the flaming flag had already swept towards the two of them.

But Gojo Satoru suddenly says that this mission is unusual, something he's never seen before. Instead of Fujimaru Ritsuka searching aimlessly, she should go with them to see what's going on.

And so, Fujimaru Ritsuka got into the car under the hesitant gaze of the assistant coach.

"What does it matter?" Gojo Satoru's confident voice came from the front seat. He rested his forehead against the car window and looked around restlessly.

"Now it's those rotten oranges begging me! Don't even mention bringing two people, even if I brought dozens of them to their house for a meal and drinks, they'd have no choice but to accept it... Hmm?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka thought he had discovered something unusual, so she immediately sat up straight from leaning against Alter and looked in the direction of Gojo Satoru's gaze.

Suddenly, Gojo Satoru rolled down the car window, leaned out, and looked back. "There's that highly-rated dessert shop on this road! Jay, let's go there after the mission, and bring some back for Shoko."

"?" Fujimaru Ritsuka was confused, and then leaned back with a thud. Jeanne Alter gazed at the orange-red top of her hair, quite satisfied with the current situation.

“Okay.” Xia Youjie, who had been resting with his eyes closed, was already used to Gojo Satoru’s sudden whims. He replied, “But, Satoru, why are you so sure this mission is abnormal?”

"It's simple. When have rotten oranges ever given us a day off? Isn't that unusual?"

Xia Youjie: "..." That makes so much sense, he can't even refute it. Even the most hardworking office workers who understand are crying.

Just then, several sheets of paper, bound together, flew in a high arc from the front seat and landed on Fujimaru Ritsuka's lap. Gojo Satoru slumped in his seat and yawned widely. "Besides," he said, "it's faster to leave this to the professionals than to let me analyze it blindly."

Is it really that hasty?

However, since the information had already been delivered to her, Fujimaru Ritsuka ignored the assistant director's pained look and began to look through it without refusing.

—This situation?

With the documents laid flat on her lap, Fujimaru Ritsuka rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought.

The document, consisting of only two or three pages, records the deaths of nine sorcerers. The time of the crimes, the methods used, and even the location of the bodies are all unknown.

Each victim disappeared on a certain day, and their family would receive a processed, fresh heart belonging to the victim the following morning.

Fujimaru Ritsuka thought for a moment. Assuming it was a Heroic Spirit, Assassin and Caster were the most likely suspects. She also couldn't rule out the possibility of a Cursed Mage committing the crime.

The document also states that if it were just an ordinary sorcerer who was murdered, the Directorate General would not take it seriously enough to hire Gojo Satoru and Natsuyu Suguru to solve the problem; at most, they would issue a perfunctory warrant for the possible murderer.

However, all nine victims were either high-ranking officials or key members of the three founding families, and all possessed strength at least as second-level sorcerers. This caused widespread panic among the higher-ups.

The turning point came the day before yesterday. A sorcerer who successfully escaped appeared that day, and yesterday he received a death omen, which provided a breakthrough in this incident.

The General Headquarters assigned Gojo Satoru and his team the task of cooperating with the sorcerer, whose name had been concealed, to trap the culprit and eliminate him.

The low screech of tires against the ground brought Fujimaru Ritsuka back to her senses, and the vehicle stopped in front of an old-fashioned building.

Gojo Satoru leisurely opened the car door, shook his head, and looked ahead to see which incredibly lucky rotten orange hadn't quite died.

After organizing the materials, Fujimaru Ritsuka got out of the car and gestured for Jeanne d'Arc to use Alter to transform into a spirit. She turned her head and noticed that Gojo Satoru's smile vanished instantly, and he looked disgusted as he tried to get back into the car, muttering something like, "Let them fend for themselves."

"Mr. Gojo? Is there a problem?" Fujimaru Ritsuka asked curiously.

"It's more than just a problem!" Gojo Satoru exaggeratedly rubbed his arms, and under Jeanne Alter's deathly gaze, he casually put his hand on Fujimaru Ritsuka's shoulder.

"Ritsuka, stick close to me and Jie once we go in. The people living here are the worst of the worst, ancient relics living thousands of years ago."

Before Fujimaru Ritsuka could figure it out, she was escorted into the Zen-in house by Gojo Satoru and Natsuyuki.

Then he was hit squarely in the face.

"Hmm?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka leaned back slightly, bending her knees to absorb the force of the impact. She then raised her hands to support a small child who had lost their footing and fallen to their knees. The unusually thin arms in her hands made her frown slightly.

"What is this?" Xia Youjie asked.

"It must be a child from this family?" Fujimaru Ritsuka answered uncertainly.

The surrounding noise instantly fell silent, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over it.

When the iconic white hair and blue eyes appeared in the front courtyard of the Zenin family's house, all eyes were drawn to his face. Even Natsume, Fujimaru Ritsuka, and the frail child beside him seemed to be under a spotlight.

The entire front yard was packed with people, seemingly preparing to evacuate ahead of schedule due to the death notice. After Gojo Satoru and his group arrived, they were clearly divided into two groups.

The left side was mostly occupied by men, their positions scattered, their faces etched with arrogance. The middle-aged man and a teenager received the most fawning.

The women on the right huddled together, as if seeking warmth in a group, or perhaps feeling excluded. Among them, a mother and daughter stood further away from the crowd, their hands clasped together. The girl stared in horror at Fujimaru Ritsuka—the child she was supporting.

With that look in her eyes, was she some kind of man-eating beast? Fujimaru Ritsuka considered herself to be quite approachable, but seeing the girl's expression, she still had a brief moment of doubt.

"Is this your family member?" Fujimaru Ritsuka asked gently, looking down at the fallen child.

Zenin Maki cautiously looked up and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the girl who had come with the important person was not angry because she had bumped into her.

As long as her mother and sister aren't punished, that's fine. Although she was pushed and fell by others, no one in this family will defend her.

She whispered in reply, "Yes, she is mine..."

The arrogant voice interrupted the child's speech, sounding particularly loud in the quiet courtyard.

"Zenin Maki, get back here right now!"

Xia Youjie, who had been somewhat uneasy since arriving at the Zen temple, was startled. He straightened his cuffs, secretly dragged Wujiao Wu forward a step, and stood in front of the two women.

"A Zen family?" he asked, pressing down on Gojo Satoru's shoulder.

“It’s always looked like this.” Gojo Satoru quickly understood what he meant, and a rare look of disgust appeared in his eyes behind his sunglasses.

Fujimaru Ritsuka opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something. But she was an outsider after all, so she simply put her arm around the silent Zenin Maki and frowned at the person who had spoken.

The boy was no more than ten years old, his blond hair gleaming arrogantly in the sunlight. He wore a black, wide-sleeved haori and walked confidently to the group.

“Didn’t you hear what I said?” he repeated impatiently. “Women should act like women, hiding in a corner like a vase. Ha…yes, your mother did a great job.”

"You have no right to mention my mother!" Zenin Maki gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white. She wanted to yell back, but she couldn't. If she insulted the head of the family's son, her life, her mother's, and her sister's would become even more difficult.

So, Zenin Maki slowly left Fujimaru Ritsuka's protection. When those warm hands left her shoulders and a pair of golden eyes looked at her with concern, a strange feeling welled up inside her for some reason.

By the time she realized what was happening, her eyes were already brimming with tears, and her vision was blurry.

"Are you alright?" she heard the girl's clear voice.

She had been scolded even more severely before but never cried, and she knew all along that crying would be pointless.

Zenin Maki hastily wiped her face with her sleeve and whispered, "It's alright, I'm fine." It was as if she was trying to convince others, and also herself. She walked towards her family.

"Wait." The arrogant and mocking voice rang out again. Zenin Naoya called out to Zenin Maki, but did not speak to her again. Instead, he turned to Gojo Satoru, who had been watching the show for a long time. Only then did his domineering tone slightly soften.

“Mr. Gojo, welcome to the Zenin family.” He glanced at Fujimaru Ritsuka with displeasure, but seemed to refrain from further comment out of consideration for Gojo Satoru.

"Tch, where's the person you sent?" Gojo Satoru pushed up his sunglasses, crossed his arms, and looked like he was competing with the person opposite him to see who was more of a playboy. "I've never seen anyone like you who leave people hanging in the yard when they ask for favors."

The kids raised by these rotten oranges will be the next generation of rotten oranges. They're beyond saving; they should be removed.

"I have already informed my father. Please forgive me for the lack of hospitality."

“By the way, Zenin Maki,” Zenin Naoya said condescendingly, “apologize to Mr. Gojo and Mr. Natsuyu for your recklessness.”

The tone made it sound like a tremendous honor to apologize to Gojo Satoru and Natsuyuu, but there wasn't a single mention of Fujimaru Ritsuka, who was actually hit. Nor was there any mention of what happened before they entered the room—

It was Zenin Naoya who led a group to bully Zenin Maki, causing her to fall into Ritsuka's arms.

The people from the surrounding Zen monastery seemed to have lost their initial urgency and fear, or perhaps they were using the incident as a dumping ground for their frustration and anxiety. They whispered among themselves, occasionally glancing over with disdain.

Like waves crashing against the shore, there is never a moment of peace.

The sweltering wind ruffled Zenjima Maki's bangs, and as she listened to the faint, familiar sounds of pointing and mocking laughter carried on the wind, the girl, not yet ten years old, took a deep breath.

Why should she apologize when she hasn't done anything wrong? If she could, she would refuse outright and leave this place that doesn't deserve to be called home!

But she quietly raised her eyes and looked at her younger sister, who was on the verge of tears. Her mother was trembling with anxiety, and the pleading look in her eyes seemed to say: "Bear with it, Maki."

A note from the author:

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