Chapter 112

The next day, the four of them checked out of the hotel and drove to eat the cold udon noodles that Wu Tiao Wu wanted to eat. They also bought two large bags full of pudding and crispy crackers before returning to school.

The two corpses of curse masters lying in front of that bungalow have already been handled and disposed of by the assistant supervisor, so Xia Youjie and Yuqu Kazuma don't need to worry about them anymore.

I heard that once the college confirms the identities of these two curse masters, Kazuma Hatake and his team will receive an extra bounty, which is a pleasant surprise.

Xia Youjie, in particular, was overjoyed, having obtained both a powerful level-one cursed spirit, [Slit-Mouthed Woman], and a considerable sum of money.

On the way back, Xia Youjie also took the opportunity to secretly ask Yuqu Kazuma.

"how?"

He wasn't particularly concerned about the relationship between these two contemporaries; he was just curious, just a tiny bit curious... just a tiny bit.

After all, he meant that they had gone to such lengths to create such a perfect opportunity for the two of them to spend the whole night together; if they still made no progress, that would truly be...

Kazuma Hatori shook his head: "There's nothing there."

Xia Youjie: "..."

...You're really stubborn, kid.

Shoko Ieiri was also surprised when she heard the news shared by Natsumi Yuki. She blinked her eyes, completely puzzled.

"They didn't even get together... Seriously, how could they endure it all night? Who's really incapable?"

The atmosphere was so intense that even the senior singer, who had only encountered them a few times in practical classes, secretly contacted her to ask about the situation.

As a result, the two of them ended up sleeping in the same bed and actually spent the whole night like that, and nothing happened?

Is this for real? Could Jay have been scammed?

Xia Youjie: "...What you said makes a lot of sense, but I think if something really happened between them, we could tell from their expressions the next day."

Honestly, they were already this clingy before they were even officially a couple; if they had actually done something, there's no way they could have kept it a secret.

"Oh dear, the songstress said to remember to let her know if there's any news."

Shoko Ieiri immediately lowered her head again, lying on her hands and knees, her tone becoming languid and listless.

Xia Youjie: "Tell the songstress senior? Why?"

Ieyasu Koko remained in the same position, only casually raising her palm and waving it, as she explained to Natsumi Yukichi.

"I didn't see it myself, but I heard from the senior singer that they were all lovey-dovey at the exchange meeting. Even the older students are speculating about when the two of them will get together."

Xia Youjie was momentarily speechless: "This..."

Shoko Ieiri continued slowly, "And besides, aren't there non-family-affiliated sorcerers among the seniors who came to the vocational high school? I heard that when they went home for summer vacation, friends outside the sorcerer world were talking to them about Satoru Gojo and Kazuma Hatori."

"Um?"

"It's about that entertainment program and the subsequent magazine interview."

"...Ah, that's true. I remember that when Satoru went out to do missions last semester, he would always wear a hat."

Xia Youjie, sitting in his seat, nodded and casually unfolded a template of white paper to begin writing his task report.

This is not only a Level 1 mission, but also a consideration and evaluation for the promotion of Kazuma Hatake, so only Xia Youjie, the Level 1 sorcerer who is in charge, can write it.

Unfortunately, an unexpected incident occurred during this mission: he stole the [Slit-Mouthed Woman] who had already been subdued as a shikigami, which was different from the spell mechanism he had previously reported to the advanced training program.

Therefore, Xia Youjie had to rack his brains to start making up the second half of the story, to make it seem reasonable that he possessed the [Slit-Mouthed Woman].

After all, his technique is special. The magical energy released by the spirits reacts differently when used than his own magical energy. It can only be used after being registered with a higher professional level, otherwise it will trigger an alarm in the barrier.

Well, after we finish making it up, we still need to coordinate our stories with Kazuma Hatori to avoid being exposed later.

Xia Youjie is willing to give his precious trust to Yuqu Kazuma, but that doesn't mean he will lose his cautious and thoughtful nature.

Any dangerous signals that could potentially expose their underhanded dealings must be eliminated in advance.

However, you get used to this once in a while. He had made it up before, so this time he was pretty much on his feet.

He has always maintained a gentle and humble demeanor at the vocational college, and his image, which only occasionally gives Professor Moth a headache, cannot be easily broken.

Xia Youjie is currently unaware that, to a certain [patriarch], his act of "secretly stealing cursed items" has become synonymous with cunning and slickness.

Kazuma Hatake is even more shameless.

Therefore, someone wanted to use this mission, which was beyond Kazuma Hodori's capabilities, to teach him a lesson and make him realize his place.

As for the two curse masters, they were merely pawns who had been tricked.

"Huh, they actually solved it? That's surprising."

The [Cult Master] listened to the report, smiled indifferently at the destruction of the two chess pieces, and spoke calmly and indifferently, without revealing the slightest "surprise".

"Then let me look forward to his next move."

The layers of curtains hanging from the rooftop obscured the barely visible figure and made the words that came through muffled, as if they were a playful chuckle.

"It's a good thing to witness the [unknown] before the predetermined outcome."

…………

Xia Youjie finally submitted a mission report that was half true and half false, and he even rehearsed his story with Yuqu Kazuma in advance to ensure that nothing went wrong.

Gojo Satoru secretly gave Natsumi a thumbs-up and shook his head at him, clearly indicating that Hagoromo Kazuma had revealed his hidden trump card.

Wow, impressive! Despite being a non-family-affiliated sorcerer and being a few months younger than him when he joined, he dared to secretly lie to the upper echelons of the sorcery world.

Xia Youjie was speechless for a moment, then raised his little finger at Wu Tiaowu in retaliation.

He had used this gesture before on Kazuma Hatake, and its meaning was self-evident.

Gojo Satoru: “…………”

Ugh, Jay, we're out of ice cream!

With the desks providing cover, the confrontation was short and swift, ending in Gojo Satoru's temporary defeat.

Moth Masakado didn't notice the two people below him making small movements, and as usual, he started assigning tasks after finishing his lecture.

As students spend more time in higher vocational colleges, their practical courses will gradually outnumber their theoretical courses.

Especially among this year's first-year students, Natsumi Yuuki and Gojo Satoru are first-level sorcerers with the potential to be top-tier, while Hatori Kazuma is being assessed for promotion to first-level sorcerer.

Finally, there's Shoko Ieiri, an extremely valuable medical professional in the entire jutsu world, capable of using [Reversal Spells] to heal others. After going through several rounds of missions and supplementing her theoretical knowledge, she will gradually move behind the scenes, focusing on healing the injured.

There might be sorcerers who can [reverse spells], such as the highly skilled sorcerer Tsukumo Yuki, who is basically unreachable, doesn't accept missions, and whose whereabouts are currently unknown.

Even if a master sorcerer learns the [Reversal Spell], they will most likely only be able to heal themselves and may not be able to use the [Reversal Spell] to heal others.

Therefore, Ieiri Glass's rating criteria are not based on combat skills, but on healing skills.

In any case, the overall level of this year's first graders is simply too high, and Ms. Moth has been nominated as a candidate for principal because of this, and is currently going through the evaluation process.

"You did an excellent job on this mission, Kazuma, Jade."

Masamichi Noi glanced at the neatly written mission report and put it away—he had already heard the gist of it from the assistant supervisor and looked quite pleased.

"I was worried that Kazuma might not be able to successfully complete the mission of exorcising the [Slit-Mouthed Woman], but I didn't expect this."

Xia Youjie replied with a very polite smile.

"No, it's just good luck."

“This is not just luck; you have grown faster than I imagined. Those two curse masters are both troublesome and cunning level one sorcerers, and they have been on the wanted list for many years.”

Masamichi Nocturne pulled out two wanted posters and handed them to Natsumi Yuki and Hatori Kazuma.

"This is the reward amount that was previously issued by the higher-ups. It is currently in the process of being sent to you, and it will probably take another week to receive it."

Kazuma Hatori's dark eyes lit up as he looked at the string of zeros on the paper.

Yay, money!

Although it cannot be converted into gold coins, he currently has no way to earn gold coins, so every little bit helps.

And he can use the bonuses and salary he works so hard to earn to buy all sorts of things for the pretty Xiaowu.

After listening to Kazuma Hatake and Natsuyuki express their gratitude, Masamichi Yagami took out two more pieces of paper, one of which he handed to Natsuyuki.

"This is a single-player level one mission for you. The [window] has been sealed off. The survey has confirmed that it is a naturally born level one dragon-type cursed spirit. You need to go there as soon as possible to deal with it."

Upon receiving the word "[Level 1 Cursed Spirit]" keenly, Xia Youjie's expression immediately brightened, and he was filled with energy.

"What?! I'm leaving right now!"

His precious Level One Cursed Spirit, he's here!

Kazuma Hatori was looking on with envy.

He wants the [Level 1 Spell Power Crystal] that can increase his level...

"Ichima, this time you'll be accompanying Satoru on a Level 1 mission." Masamichi Yagura handed another piece of paper to Satoru Gojo.

"good."

Kazuma Hatake answered immediately and forcefully.

Gojo Satoru let out a low chuckle he couldn't help.

Kazuma Hatori's expression stiffened for a moment as he made a conscious effort to maintain proper posture and keep his eyes straight ahead.

In short, you can't look in Wu's direction, or you'll definitely be ridiculed even more...

"Given the excellent rating Jay gave you in the last Level 1 mission, this mission will be more difficult."

Moth Masakado looked back and forth between the two's reactions, raising an eyebrow in confusion—were they arguing? But it didn't seem like it.

Well, at least no fight broke out.

“The ‘high’ here means that you are not allowed to act as recklessly as you did last time when you caught the curse master, causing a lot of trouble that you would have to clean up afterwards.”

The man beat up the minister in front of the entire television station building and dragged him out—and then he even tried to contact the assistant supervisor to drag him all the way back to the college—which nearly resulted in the two men being arrested by the police and thrown into jail for intentional assault.

There were so many witnesses that they couldn't even keep quiet, so they had to ask the government for help.

After Noctua repeatedly reminded them to be careful and not to cause trouble, he tucked the textbook under his arm and left the classroom.

With a new cursed spirit in hand, Xia Youjie was in a great mood. Before leaving, he shook his right pinky at Wutiao Wu again to tease him, which made Wutiao Wu so angry that he made a [blue] gesture at him before laughing and going to catch up on his mission.

Shoko Ieiri, who wasn't on a mission, waved her hand and slowly said, "Good luck, everyone—", before leaving behind a yawning figure and preparing to enjoy her own pleasant weekend.

Only Gojo Satoru and Hagoromo Kazuma looked at each other in bewilderment.

“…That ‘Go for it!’,” Kazuma Hatake muttered quietly, “It shouldn’t be the ‘Go for it!’ I’m thinking of?”

Gojo Satoru: "..."

Gojo Satoru stared at the ceiling: "Who else could it be?"

How did they even know about glass? Damn it, it must have been Jay who told them.

Kazuma Hagoromo, who seemed to have grasped something as well: "..."

Did he... really show his feelings for Satoru in a particularly obvious way? And in such an obvious way?

Before Kazuma Hatake could figure out how to react, Satoru Gojo lowered his head again and began to carefully examine the mission information.

"Never mind, let's see how to complete this mission first."

Kazuma Hatake also moved closer, looking at the page containing the basic description of the task, which was observed, assisted in supervision, confirmed, and summarized by the [window].

The gist of the story is that [the window] has discovered the whereabouts of a long-hidden curse master, and the High School needs to send a level 2 or higher sorcerer to confirm it. If the confirmation is correct, the curse master can be sentenced to death on the spot.

Following the name and phone number of the assistant supervisor listed at the end, Gojo Satoru took out his phone, called him, and immediately arranged the schedule.

"Hey, hey—this is Gojo Satoru, Mr. Koui. We're in charge of the [Puyou Curse Incident] this time—that's right, it's me and Hato Kazuma. Please drive to the highway exit and wait for us, we'll be there soon!"

Upon seeing that the mission was related to a curse master, Kazuma Hatake lost all interest.

Fighting a curse master doesn't yield any cursed items or cursed spirits, so there's absolutely no benefit to be gained.

Oh no, I mean, rich.

Kazuma Hatori rallied his spirits: "Where are we going?"

"—Hmph,"

After hanging up the phone, Gojo Satoru turned his head to Hagoromo Kazuma, and a smile appeared on his lips.

"It's an old acquaintance."

Kazuma Hatake tilted his head: "...?"

This question was answered immediately after they arrived at their destination.

"Oh my, I never thought I'd see you all again, Kazuma and Satoru!"

The middle-aged man standing at the entrance of SS Agency to greet them was none other than Tomoya Tsuji, who waved to them enthusiastically.

"Long time no see, haha, I'm so sorry, I was asking you guys which road to choose last time."

When he got to the second half of the sentence, Tomoya Tsukichi was clearly a little embarrassed, and it was obvious that he had been exposed to some inside information.

For example, there's another side hidden deep within this world; for example, these two people have very unusual identities, and it's absolutely, absolutely impossible for them to become idols or actors.

"It's nothing, I actually quite enjoy being interviewed by magazines, it's super fun!"

Gojo Satoru smiled, not feeling that his identity was anything special, and his attitude towards Tsuji Tomoya was no different from last time.

Hagoromo Kazuma and Asatsuchi Tomoya gave a slight bow as a greeting.

This mission also included an investigation component, and as usual, the communication part was handled by Gojo Satoru, who is more outgoing, experienced, and has a sharper mind.

He can be a competent yes-man and a ruthless thug.

"Uncle Tomoya, it seems like you've run into some trouble here."

This is also why they came here this time—the first person to discover the [Puyou Curse Incident], or rather, the first victim, is from this SS Agency.

To be precise, she is a singer affiliated with SS Entertainment.

"Yes, it was because of this incident that I was slightly reprimanded by my superiors..."

When the topic came up, Tomoya Tsukichi was a little unsure where to begin, and even scratched his head somewhat awkwardly.

"Anyway, please come in first and talk slowly. I'll go and call Runzi over."

As more and more people cast curious glances from the lobby, and even some staff members recognized Gojo Satoru and Hato Kazuma, Tsutsuji Tomoya quickly let them in first and told them to sit in the reception room for a while.

Gojo Satoru couldn't sit still. He wandered around the exquisitely decorated reception room and scanned the magazine racks that covered the walls, discovering that even the issue in which he and Kazuma had been interviewed was among them.

Yeah, he's still so handsome even after watching it again, me.

Confident Xiao Wu stroked his chin and examined it carefully, nodding in satisfaction to himself.

It's only natural that Yizhen might fall for him but be too shy to confess.

Who can blame him for his immense charm?!

Hmm, looking to the side, Ichijin also looks great in the photos; it's rare to see him with such a commanding presence.

Gojo Satoru even recalled a line from the forum—"Even with the coldest expression, there's always a soft look in your eyes when you look at him."

In fact, she never lied to him.

Just like that night when we slept together in the small hotel, I could clearly feel that he wanted to say a thousand words that were heavier than the word "like," but after a long silence, they only came together to form a promise we made together.

What exactly is he worried about? Is it his identity?

The idea popped into Gojo Satoru's mind, only to be immediately dismissed.

No, it's definitely not because of his identity.

This black Shiba Inu dared to directly threaten Gojo Tatsuo, just so that he could have an easier time living in the Gojo family. How could it possibly care about his status as the next head of the family?

Just thinking about this makes Gojo Satoru smile, and he has no doubt that if he were to one day express his desire to be the head of the director's department for fun, the other party would find a way to help him achieve that goal.

Could it be... Yi Zhen's true identity?

Gojo Satoru knew that he really knew very little about Hato Kazuma's identity, and could only judge from the details that had been revealed before that he had probably had a very bad past.

Even the identity of this non-family-affiliated sorcerer is questionable.

But Gojo Satoru didn't care at all, so he never asked anyone to investigate Hato Kazuma's past.

Gojo Satoru only wanted to use his own eyes, his own fingers, and his own ears to verify Hato Kazuma's appearance, to understand his inner self, and to believe in every bit of sincerity he gave him.

This is why he has always waited patiently, willing to wait until Kazuma Hatori reveals the truth himself, rather than asking him to do things that show distrust and question the other party.

But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that Kazuma Hatori's reluctance to speak wasn't due to his status.

After all, he didn't care about the higher-ups of the three major families, and he even treated the designated successor of the Zen Temple with indifference. He didn't seem like the type to be troubled by the difference in status.

Besides, did he ever show that he cared about each other's status? Not at all.

What else could it be... age? Gender? He's not good at speaking the Kyoto dialect?

Gojo Satoru stared at the magazine, lost in thought, racking his brains but unable to come up with a solution.

And as he drifted off, a jumble of thoughts swirled in his mind until the sound of his name being called pulled him back to reality.

"Satoru, Kazuma, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. This is Araki Junko."

Tsuji Tomoya knocked on the door a few times and then opened it, introducing them to the first person he had brought over, who was also voted the most popular singer of the year—Arasei Junko.

"Miss Junko, these two are..."

"Got the wisdom of the five, and take the truth from the feather."

The beautiful woman, called Araki Junko, smiled slightly, raised her hand and tucked a strand of long hair behind her ear, her every move exuding charm.

"I remember you guys, you were a dazzling rookie group that debuted in the spring, and you're still going strong. Why didn't you continue?"

Gojo Satoru returned to the sofa from beside the magazine rack and sat down, replying nonchalantly.

"Oh, right? Uncle Tomoya already explained it to you, didn't he? It's because debuting isn't Kazuma and my main job."

"It's a pity, after all, you two are really good-looking, and as a duo, you would generate a lot of buzz. Are you really not going to reconsider?"

Araki Junko sat down on the sofa opposite them, crossed her legs, and pulled her shoes down, adopting a rather elegant posture—she even started joking with them after only a few words.

“If you two don’t mind, I can make an exception and include one of your new songs in my upcoming album.”

Before Gojo Satoru and Hato Kazuma could refuse, Tsuji Tomoya quickly raised his hand to stop them.

"Ahem, Miss Runzi, please stop teasing them." He said helplessly, "You know perfectly well that these two are here to solve that thorny problem for you."

"Besides, even if they really are two newcomers, it's impossible for them to appear on your album so easily. What if the fans protest..."

"I know perfectly well,"

Araki Junko smiled sweetly, resting her palm against her cheek, unsure whether her joke was true or not.

"But this doesn't conflict with my inviting them to join in the creation of my album."

Even when faced with bizarre events that ordinary people might never encounter in their entire lives, Junko Araki remained completely calm. Her aura and demeanor remained exceptionally charming, befitting her status as one of the top singers who has enjoyed immense popularity for many years.

"I've heard Runzi's songs too!"

Araki Junko had a great attitude, and Gojo Satoru was even better, chatting with Araki Junko with a smile, making the atmosphere on set more relaxed.

"I'm actually a really good singer, hehe, like your most popular song—"

After listening to Gojo Satoru's impromptu demonstration of the two lines of the chorus, Araki Junko's eyes lit up. "You really are very talented..."

"Ahem, Miss Junko!"

Tsuji Tomoya was already getting restless.

Let's not actually veer off into writing a song for these two "newcomer duo"!

"Okay, Tomoya-san is just that unlovable."

Araki Junko sighed softly, finally bringing the topic back on track.

"Let me first tell you about my experience a few days ago—or more precisely, the experience of my composer friend."