Chapter 159

What is love?

Love is ice that freezes reason, love is fire that ignites desire, love is a mixture of all emotions and feelings, love is a higher level than liking, love is...

Love is everything.

Kazuma Hatori's hand was still tightly clasped with Satoru Gojo's, and even his fingertips were starting to burn.

He was certain the other person felt the same way.

His brain felt as if a jar of honey-scented sunshine had been poured into it, drying and filtering out all the irrelevant information, leaving only those beautiful, pale eyes gazing at him—like a surging wave under a clear blue sky, unexpectedly crashing into his heart.

"I……"

Lost in thought, Kazuma Hatori was about to speak, his heart pounding like a drum in his ears, when he paused.

He silently turned his head and met the gossipy eyes that were staring intently at them.

Gojo Satoru's voice was quite loud, and everyone present heard the dare he specified—especially Arasena Junko and Takashio Miwa, who were radiant and full of energy at that moment.

However, Kazuma Hatori felt immense pressure from the gazes of so many expectant eyes surrounding him.

"Oh dear, the party's over, let's go!"

Seeing that Kazuma Hatake seemed a little shy, everyone immediately understood and stood up with smiles, announcing the end of the event, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

—In reality, they were all tiptoeing behind the door, eavesdropping.

Unfortunately, this trick could fool Kazuma Hagoromo, but not Satoru Gojo, who possessed the [Six Eyes].

But he just smiled and looked away, leaning his head to one side as if he were a little drunk. His beautiful blue eyes, which were looking at Kazuma Hatori, were filled with dazzling glimmers of light, as if someone had scattered a handful of stars in the night sky with a wave of their hand.

Gojo Satoru does not blindly demand love, nor does he excessively crave it.

He once felt he was living a carefree life in this world, but at that time, the world only reflected his loneliness. The sense of freedom brought by the great power was intoxicating, but it was not reality.

The reality is that he wants to become a teacher, to mentor more peers, to reform the world of sorcery, and to save more lives.

The reality is that he was not alone from the very beginning on this path that runs counter to the current world of sorcery.

The reality is... he knew he had already received the other person's love long before he gave his love.

Gojo Satoru narrowed his eyes, which seemed half-drunk and half-awake, as Hatori Kazuma solemnly said, "I love you"—

He leaned in and kissed her.

...The aroma of the wine seems quite pleasant.

Before he plunged completely into that dark, gentle sea that enveloped him, Gojo Satoru had one last thought.

…………

The next day.

Shoko Ieiri yawned as she opened the door and stepped into the classroom, only to find that her last remaining classmate had already arrived early.

Moreover, he looked quite energetic, sitting upright and proper. He wasn't wearing sunglasses, and his blue eyes, visible beneath his pure white eyelashes, were indifferent, displaying a cold expression that was completely different from his usual demeanor.

If Gojo, who usually greets her cheerfully, is considered "normal," then Gojo sitting in her seat right now is no different from someone who has undergone a genetic mutation.

"Um?"

Shoko Ieiri rubbed her eyes, wondering if she was seeing things because she was too tired from staying up all night.

...That's right, it's still the indifferent version of Gojo, even the way he looks at her is like the bottom of a still lake, without a ripple.

For a moment, Ieiri Shoko even thought she had encountered an indifferent deity, held high and worshipped by the world, devoid of joy or sorrow.

It's a ghost!

Just as Ieiri Shoko was about to exclaim in surprise, the words caught in her throat as she suddenly realized a possibility.

"...Ichima?"

[Gojo Satoru] nodded slightly, admitting that he had used the [Eight-Syllable Wheel Card] to mimic this appearance.

"haven't seen you for a long time."

Kazuma Hato, wearing the shell of Gojo Satoru, greeted her, "Satoru is still sleeping. I was worried that he would skip class and get scolded by Yoga-sensei, so I used him to help with class."

—On Wu's dormitory bed, a beautiful pure white long-haired cat was lying sprawled out, sleeping soundly.

Last night they spent the night at Pansei-kyo, which is closer to the party location. The next morning, Kazuma Hatori transformed the two of them into [Gojo Satoru] and a white cat, respectively, and sent Satoru, who probably wouldn't wake up all morning, back to the high school.

Ieiri Glass: "..."

No, she felt that even if it were Ms. Yagami, she could tell at a glance that something was wrong with [Gojo Satoru].

As for why Gojo herself still needs to sleep, that's too intriguing a question to be explored too deeply.

"We no longer have theory classes. When there are tasks, we do them; when there are no tasks, we are free to do whatever we want."

Shoko Ieiri pulled out a chair and lazily lay on the table—because the sunlight by the window was so good, she felt sleepy and couldn't help but doze off.

"Ah, but Gojo wants to be a teacher after graduating next year, and it seems that Professor Yagura has given him some basic theory courses on education."

[Gojo Satoru]: "What time is it? Where are you?"

Ieiri Glass: "Hmm - I don't know."

She was 100% certain that she would stay at the vocational college as a doctor after graduation, so naturally she wouldn't remember when Gojo Satoru's [Educational Theory Class] would be scheduled.

Compared to Gojo's schedule, Hagoromo Kazuma's version of [Gojo Satoru] was more intriguing to her.

“Your pose is really intimidating,” Ieiri Shoko thought for a moment. “If Gojo really has this kind of personality, a lot of people would probably be afraid of him.”

[Gojo Satoru] glanced at her: "Satoru isn't that kind of person, so is no one afraid of him?"

Recalling those people's attitudes, Ieiri Shoko remained silent for a moment.

"...I think it probably turned into other emotions more than fear," she said. "Unlike me, who focuses on healing, the other sorcerers rely on strength to divide the hierarchy, right? They tend to prefer judging others by their strength, but it's hard for them to do so with positive emotions."

"Yes, that's to be expected, since the source of curse power is negative energy."

Ieiri Shoko's tone was calm, but the content was unusually sharp and incisive.

These are her true thoughts that she wouldn't normally tell anyone, but just as Xia Youjie is more likely to listen to Yu Qu Kazuma's opinions because of a trust level of over 80%, people who have a good feeling towards Yu Qu Kazuma are also more likely to tell him a few words from the heart.

Moreover, Ieiri Shoko is right.

In the world of sorcery, even if Satoru appears kind and friendly enough, there are still people who strongly reject him, seeing him as a thorn stuck in their flesh that cannot be pulled out.

Even worse, his enemies were always lurking in the shadows, plotting to deliver a fatal blow.

Kazuma Hatori grew angrier and angrier, and immediately got up to leave—but was stopped by Shoko Ieiri, "Where are you going?"

"Since I don't have any classes, I'll go take care of some things first."

Without turning his head, Hato Kazuma used Gojo Satoru's body to exude the aura of a great demon king.

Just like when he came, he left the high school smoothly under the appearance of Gojo Satoru, bought the fastest Shinkansen ticket to Kyoto, switched his mimicry to become Kurozushiba, and charged all the way to the Kamo family.

Kamo Nariyuki, who tried to make things difficult for Satoru at the last meeting, is doomed!

If he can't find the [patriarch], can't he find Kamo Naruyuki?

Last time, Kazuma Hatori, the head of the Kamo family, knew the Kamo family and its members by heart. He could even keep himself out of sight while walking close to the walls of the mansion.

As expected, Kamo Nariyuki did not stay at the director's office, but hurriedly returned to the Kamo family mansion.

He probably trusted the Kamo family's barrier more than the General Headquarters, but unfortunately, the Kamo family's barrier wasn't only open to him.

While still angry, Hatori Kazuma found Kamo Naruyuki quite easily and patiently waited until he was alone.

Without giving the opponent a chance to cry for help, Hatori Kazuma struck him with a [Black Flash], knocking him unconscious. Then, he broke free of his mimicry and drew [Kyousou] to deliver the fatal blow.

He didn't even need to confirm the name; he had seen this guy in the previous game.

Kamo Naruyuki fell onto the wooden floor, but that didn't stop Hagoromo Kazuma from using the blood-stained tip of his blade to carve the Canis Major mark deep and heavy next to the corpse.

After doing all this, Kazuma Hatori skillfully switched back to his Shiba Inu form and left. After running a few steps, he suddenly realized that something was wrong.

The Kamo family mansion behind them was so quiet that it meant no one had yet discovered that Kamo Naruyuki had been killed by him.

But when he deactivated the Black Bean Chai mimicry inside the mansion, the barrier seemed to have no effect.

Unlike his previous visit to Koido Hikaru's house late at night, this was a bright and sunny morning, and Hatori Kazuma didn't believe the garrison would be asleep.

Why wasn't the barrier's alarm triggered?

Kazuma Hatake was a little confused.

But he was just playing a game, and he only had a basic theoretical understanding of things like barriers and spell power. If he went any deeper, he would be completely clueless.

Therefore, Kazuma Hatori could only keep this confusion in his heart for the time being and return to the high school by the same route.

Wu might already be awake, so he deliberately took a detour to the dessert shop the other party frequented and bought two small cakes to go. He also ordered two servings of dumplings that the other party had previously praised highly at the family restaurant next door.

The round trip took more than five hours, but his mood had clearly improved a lot since he was wearing the Gojo Satoru mimicry. When he saw Ieiri Shoko again, he even nodded to her, leaving the latter, who was being greeted, completely bewildered.

I thought I'd be busy for a long time... You're back so soon, and you seem quite happy?

She never expected that Kazuma Hatake's assassination mission would be so swift and efficient, resulting in another -1 for the General Staff.

The situation at Tokyo High School remains calm, but the Kamo family and the administration, which have just discovered Kamo's death, are in a state of panic.

Sirius! That terrifying Sirius assassin has reappeared!

Even the Kamo family, one of the three founding families, couldn't protect their lives!

What exactly does that guy want?

Who will be the next target?!

—These topics, which were brought up for an emergency meeting by the General Manager's Office, were all irrelevant to Kazuma Hatori at this moment.

He simply turned the doorknob of the dormitory and pushed it open, and unsurprisingly, a large white cat pounced on him. Its soft, fluffy fur completely blocked his view, making it impossible for him to see even a fraction of the way.

"Meow--"

This big white cat with incredibly beautiful blue eyes, in a soft, sweet voice, questioned someone about where they had gone.

Kazuma Hatori first held his adorable big cat in his arms with one hand, and then raised his other hand, which was carrying a cake and dumplings, to show it to him.

Cats have an exceptionally keen sense of smell, and Gojo Satoru, who instantly recognized what good stuff it was, let out another soft "meow," his big, round blue eyes narrowed, and he nuzzled against Hagoromo Kazuma with his head.

Unlike Ichima, who was always too shy to transform into a black Shiba Inu for him to play with, Gojo Satoru knew exactly how to use his advantages to make his lover completely smitten.

Hmph, that's easy.

The cat mimicry was broken, and Gojo Satoru smiled and kissed Hagoromo Kazuma before taking out the cake and dumplings and placing them on the table.

To outsiders, it simply appeared as Gojo Satoru kissing Gojo Satoru, creating a rather subtle scene.

"Yay! It's the newly launched grapefruit lemon cake and mango pudding! And my favorite Ina Bauer dumplings!"

Although he was a little annoyed to find himself lying in his dorm room without seeing Kazuma when he woke up, he immediately threw away his pent-up anger when he saw that Kazuma had gone to buy him lunch and dessert. He even happily cut half of the cake to share with him.

Kazuma Hatake and Satoru Gojo squeezed together on the not-so-spacious single desk, quietly watched by the porcelain cat and black Shiba Inu plushie in the sunlight, spending this warm time together.

However, halfway through his meal, Gojo Satoru secretly poked him with his finger.

Kazuma Hatori had just taken a bite of a dumpling when he asked, "Hmm?"

“Cats have a very keen sense of smell,” Gojo Satoru raised one eyebrow. “I smelled a faint scent of blood just now. Are you in some trouble?”

I don't encounter any trouble, but I actively seek out trouble for others.

Hato Kazuma swallowed his food and recounted the whole story of how he went to kill Kamo Naruyuki to Gojo Satoru.

Gojo was stunned.

In such a short time, this kid actually went to Kyoto and killed an old man!

"You black-bean Shiba Inu, honestly, aren't you worried about the supervisory department finding something to do and sending people to hunt you down..."

Gojo Satoru frowned and muttered to himself, his expression revealing obvious worry.

"I'm not worried."

Hato Kazuma, still mimicking Gojo Satoru, gently shook his head. The look in his eyes was completely different from when he was looking at Iri Glass; it was soft and gentle, like a clear spring sky filled with sunshine after a light rain.

“I promised Wu that I would help you from the top down.”

"——".

Gojo Satoru was speechless.

He suddenly realized that Yizhen wasn't the only one who could be so easily bewitched.