Chapter 129

True to his word, Gojo Satoru went to an extremely expensive high-end bespoke suit shop the very next day and had a suit custom-made for both him and Hagoromo Kazuma.

As a result, because Gojo Gosho's shop was too high-end, he was told that the production time would take at least two months.

Gojo Satoru: "It's been a while..."

The owner said, "Our shop makes everything by hand, and we use pure cashmere fabric. Wearing it will make you look incredibly stylish."

Gojo Satoru immediately made the decision.

"I bought it!"

Kazuma Hatori also experienced the most precise size measurement – ​​and the deposit that Satoru Gojo paid was outrageously expensive.

Those dark pupils widened in surprise for the first time.

After paying the bill, Gojo Satoru turned around and saw Hato Kazuma looking like this. He was so cute that he couldn't help but put one arm around Hato's neck and give him a good rub on the head with the other.

Of course, these were just minor incidents. Their time was mostly filled with tasks and schoolwork, and they could only glance at the forums that Gojo Satoru frequented occasionally before going to bed.

Their hand-holding photo was finally uploaded to the forum, and unsurprisingly, it became incredibly popular, with thousands of excited comments appearing instantly.

While hiding under the covers and chuckling to himself, Gojo Satoru saved all the couple photos he came across from various angles and in various scenes.

Oh dear, I really want to register an account and reply with a thank you and a blessing, but I have to hold back.

Aside from spare moments, Gojo Satoru and Hato Kazuma are much busier than last year—in fact, due to the scarcity of first-level mages, they receive more solo missions and travel all over Japan.

Kazuma Hatori leveled up his in-game level to level one using the [Curse Crystals] dropped by monsters.

Xia Youjie has probably reaped a lot of rewards as well, as he has been frequently seen registering the spell power of newly acquired cursed spirits recently.

When they are occasionally paired up, even their favorite spirit is changed to an oversized dune worm-shaped spirit.

But most of the time, Kazuma Hatori was unwilling to do missions with Natsuyuki.

Especially when it comes to exorcising cursed spirits, the two of them can only discuss and try to divide the spoils equally—this one is the best to use, leaving the one alive for Xia Youjie; this one is of a higher level, so it can be used to finish off Yuqu Kazuma.

In comparison, Wu's [Azure] is still the most useful. It can forcibly "grab" the cursed spirits from a distance and bring them to your front. Yuqu Kazuma can then immediately follow up with an attack to exorcise them, making it both fast and effective at clearing out cursed spirits.

Today is a rare occasion when all three of them are free of assignments and can all gather in one classroom for a class.

Just as they were discussing whether to play basketball during lunch break, Masamichi Noi, with a serious expression, opened the door.

"Support the songstress?"

After hearing the details of the mission, Gojo Satoru propped his head up with his hand, looking puzzled.

"Wasn't she on a level one advancement mission with Miss Ming? If something happens, Miss Ming should be there too, right?"

"It was the anomaly I reported to Moth-sensei—because I haven't received any contact from the songstress-senpai for two days, and I'm a little worried that something might have happened."

Shoko Iori, who had already been transferred to another hospital for treatment, raised her hand and took the initiative to explain to Satoru Gojo and the others.

Sorcerers have a high casualty rate on high-difficulty missions, and those who haven't been heard from for a day or two often have a much lower chance of survival.

“According to the recollection of the assistant supervisor who sent them there, when Mingming and the songstress entered the mansion, they did not put down the [tent],” said Masamichi Yamo. “Moreover, when we go to the scene to investigate now, the mansion is intact and there are no signs of any attack.”

Xia Youjie pondered, "So, their inability to communicate is due to the side effects of the [tent]... Could it be that they've entered the domain of the cursed spirits?"

If one were born with a domain, that would be a top-tier cursed spirit... I'm very tempted.

“It’s still uncertain.” Moth Zhengdao shook his head. “The Songstress is still a Level 2 mage. If Mingming also encounters an accident, it means that this cursed spirit is at least a dangerous character that a Level 1 mage can handle.”

Given Mingming's meticulous and experienced nature, coupled with her strength as a first-level sorcerer, it's astonishing that she would encounter a desperate situation where she couldn't even send out a distress signal...

"Temporarily upgrade this Level 1 mission to Level 3. Urgently summon you to the mansion. You must find out the source of the curse on that mansion and exorcise it completely!"

The destination was Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture. Three first-class sorcerers in charge of the mission and one doctor in charge of treating the wounded were all dispatched to catch the fastest Shinkansen.

During the two-hour drive, Ieiri Shoko tried to contact Iori Kaguya several more times, but still received no response.

Gojo Satoru guessed: "A special-grade cursed spirit?"

Xia Youjie also expressed his affirmation: "There is a high probability that he was born with domain or barrier techniques... Cursed spirits generally don't have barrier techniques, right?"

Kazuma Hagoromo pondered, "If it's a special-grade cursed spirit..."

He was quite tempted by the dropped [Superior Spell Crystal].

Xia Youjie: "...If it's a top-tier cursed spirit with a born domain, wouldn't it be a waste to just exorcise it?"

Gojo Satoru: "Eh—it doesn't matter if it's exorcised, it's just that Ichijin needs the dropped crystals."

Xia Youjie: "Then I also really need a top-tier spirit that can use the domain of life."

She even imitated Gojo Satoru's tone of voice, which made Ieiri Shoko glance at her silently.

Jay really went all out to get a top-tier cursed spirit.

...But for now, let's be concerned about the safety of Senior Songstress and Miss Mingming. Those two over there are almost arguing over who gets to own the Special Grade Cursed Spirit.

Gojo Satoru: "Removing the exorcism could also increase Kazuma's strength—he might even be able to directly learn Domain Expansion!"

Kazuma Hatake remained silent: ...That's unlikely to be the case.

Xia Youjie: "This isn't a video game, how can I learn something just by eating it? It's definitely better for me to absorb it, at least the domain of the cursed spirit's life force won't be wasted!"

Kazuma Hatake fell silent again: ...But playing video games is definitely true.

Gojo Satoru: "Hmph, it's hard to say. You've never absorbed a top-tier cursed spirit before. How can you be so sure that a newly acquired domain, which you don't even know how to develop, can retain the top-tier cursed spirit after absorption?"

Xia Youjie: "That's simple, let me absorb it and we'll know the result."

Gojo Satoru: "Ugh—cunning! They're trying to trick me and Kazuma out of the Special Grade Cursed Spirit!"

Xia Youjie: "Wait, how come you've already sworn sovereignty over the cursed spirit? Right now, the only person you can swear sovereignty over is Yizhen, or someone who swore sovereignty over you."

As soon as he finished speaking, the scene fell silent for a moment.

Gojo Satoru: "...!"

Hatori Kazuma: "...cough."

Ieiri Glass: "Hey."

Before Xia Youjie could continue speaking, Gojo Satoru, whose ears were burning from talking, almost spoke first.

"In short, it's two against one between me and Kazuma!"

"Since Shoko is still alive, she should also have the right to vote!"

"Glass isn't responsible for exorcising cursed spirits!"

Seeing the two continue their verbal sparring as they walked—both speaking so fast that Kazuma Hatake couldn't even get a word in edgewise and could only express his unwavering support for Satoru with his eyes—even after getting into the assistant supervisor's car, the argument didn't stop. Shoko Ieiri sighed and closed her unresponsive phone.

“How about I make a suggestion?” Ieiri Shoko said, “Whoever can rescue the songstress first will get the special-grade cursed spirit.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she saw the three of them simultaneously show an expression of "Ah, I almost forgot about her."

Ieiri Glass: "..."

Sometimes, I really want to dislike her peers.

"Yay! Charge! With the goal of rescuing the songstress, let's go!"

As soon as the car carrying the auxiliary supervisor came to a stop at the outer entrance of the mansion's cordon, Gojo Satoru opened the door and rushed out.

If it weren't for the abundance of trees near the mansion, he would probably have chosen to use [Azure] to rush along like a dump truck, driving recklessly.

Xia Youjie and Yuqu Yizhen followed closely behind, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

"Ah, wait a minute, [the tent]..."

"It's alright, it's alright, I'll put the [account] away myself!"

The assistant supervisor rolled down the car window, and before he could finish shouting the reminder to those figures, Gojo Satoru's voice came from afar.

When Iori Shigeko got off the train, the three people in front of her had already rushed into the depths of the forest where the sunlight couldn't reach, and they were completely out of sight.

The allure of a top-tier cursed spirit is truly immense.

"……well."

...Never mind, she's only responsible for healing anyway, so it doesn't matter if she can't keep up with the main damage dealers.

Given the potential threat of a top-tier cursed spirit within the mansion, coupled with the urgency of rescuing the songstress, Gojo Satoru reached out his hand the instant he reached down the long staircase and could see the mansion.

—[Azure]!

The concrete, tiles, steel bars, and wooden beams that had stood firmly in place were forcibly shredded by an invisible gale and then, contrary to common sense, swept into the sky with such force that it startled a large flock of birds in the forest, as if a small earthquake had occurred.

This storm, stirred up by the curse, finally subsided only after the internal structure of the mansion was completely destroyed.

Looking around, all that's left of this place is a deep pit where a large portion of the foundation has been dug.

"Coming to rescue you—"

Even though his senses couldn't pinpoint the location of the curse, these six eyes still provided Gojo Satoru with excellent visual perception of the curse's power, allowing the destructive force caused by [Azure] to cleverly bypass Mimi and Ankagi.

At this moment, not only was Ange Ji getting up from the ruins in a somewhat disheveled state, but Mingming, who had also avoided the direction of [Cang]'s release, had already arrived outside the deep pit.

Gojo Satoru stood on the edge of the pit, looking down into the pit with an expression of deep regret.

"What? It's not a top-tier cursed spirit."

There really is a level one cursed spirit that can use barrier magic! It's such a pity that the [Superior Cursed Power Crystal] that I really wanted is now out of reach.

Angehime: "...What special-grade cursed spirit? And what's with that expression?"

Gojo Satoru spread his hands: "It's a secret—even if I told the songstress, she wouldn't understand."

The fact that the cursed spirits exorcised by Kazuma Hatori can drop crystals is currently only known to him, Jetsu, and Shoko; it's being kept from everyone else.

"Why do you say I don't understand... Watch your language!"

But Gojo Satoru had already straightened up and asked Hatori Kazuma, who had come to his side.

"Give it to Jay?"

As for the honorifics that Anka-hime emphasizes, that depends on whether he wants to use them or not; it's not something he has to say to anyone older than him.

“Yes,” said Kazuma Hatake, “I was the one who exorcised that level one cursed spirit last time, so it’s Jack’s turn this time.”

This was their tacit understanding. When the level-one cursed spirit, which resembled both an insect and a human, emerged from the completely destroyed barrier and attempted to attack Angehime, the worm cursed spirit, controlled by Xia Youjie, swallowed almost its entire body in one gulp, rendering it completely immobile.

"Don't swallow it yet... Hmm, it's definitely not a top-grade cursed spirit. I'll leave this one for me to absorb."

It's not a top-tier cursed spirit, which is a bit disappointing, but acceptable.

Standing to the side, Mingming curiously tilted her head and asked, "Why do you suspect it's a top-tier cursed spirit?"

“You’ve been inside for two days already,” Gojo Satoru blinked his blue eyes. “It’s the kind of barrier-type cursed spirit with a time error, which is quite rare.”

"I see, I roughly understand what happened to me. But there's still one question..."

They discovered that by looking up, they could see this clear, boundless blue sky and white clouds, as if the heavens were smiling down on them.

Where is the account?

"……ah."

On the way down the mountain, Gojo Satoru urgently called the assistant supervisor waiting at the outermost edge of the forest, asking her to help cover it up, so as not to alert the fire department, the police, or even more dangerous reporters.

The assistant supervisor remained silent for a few seconds on the other end of the phone before hurriedly contacting the local government department.

"She said it's been covered up as an explosion, so there shouldn't be any problems..."

On the way back to the dormitory, Gojo Satoru still seemed a little worried—mainly because he was afraid of being discovered by Moth-sensei, who was still quite intimidating.

The main reason is that the [Guiding Fist] is very intimidating.

Hagoromo wanted to comfort him again, but he didn't have time at the moment.

He received a call from Ayako Sakami.

"—Shigeru Sonoda has made a move."