Chapter 167

At first, Gojo Satoru was walking slowly down the street with Hatori Kazuma, but the cold wind of the night was biting, and after a while, he couldn't help but look at Hatori Kazuma beside him.

Even though Kazuma Hatori was upright and relaxed, with steady steps, and did not seem to shrink from the extremely cold air, Gojo Satoru always felt that the other party was just putting on a brave face.

I get angry just looking at it, but I get even angrier if I don't look at it!

The more he looked, the more he felt that he was putting on a brave face. Gojo Satoru's accusing gaze seemed to pierce through his sunglasses, staring straight at Hatori Kazuma's forehead and face, leaving two burn marks.

“Or Satoru could help remove the stitches,” Kazuma Hato said hesitantly. “I can use the Reversal Technique to heal myself.”

Gojo Satoru: "..."

Gojo Satoru withdrew his gaze and scoffed, "Do you think you're pulling out a loose thread from a sweater by hand?"

"..." If Wu doesn't mind, then it's really not a problem.

Kazuma Hatake agreed in his heart, but due to the lingering resentment in the other's words, he dared not refute it at all.

Seeing that the guy immediately wilted again, Gojo Satoru snorted and turned to concentrate on determining his location in the dimly lit night.

[Azure], which can compress the distance between two target objects, is very useful when traveling, but you have to make sure there are no obstacles such as concrete buildings, towers, and trees in between.

Gojo Satoru walked a short distance towards a more open intersection, and after confirming their current location, he tightened his grip on Hagoromo Kazuma's arm, reminding him, "I'm going to use a spell."

Immediately following, [Azure] activated, performing a series of long-distance teleportations.

In the blink of an eye, Kazuma Hatake and his companions had silently appeared at the entrance of an apartment building.

Looking towards the lobby on the first floor, the glass doors with gilded edges were brightly lit, and warm air leaked out through the cracks in the doors, carrying with it snowflakes that were blown up and drifted gently to the feet of Kazuma Hagoromo and Satoru Gojo.

Being carried along by [Cang] didn't give me any real feedback like [a strong wind blowing on my face] or [a sudden jolt like riding a roller coaster or a drop tower]. The surrounding scenery changed in an instant.

It felt like experiencing a teleport or teleport in a game firsthand; the feeling was absolutely amazing.

"Alright, alright, hurry up and go inside to warm up."

Before Hatake Kazuma could finish his daze, Gojo Satoru put his arm around his shoulder and led him inside.

The apartment was indeed visibly high-end, with an overall understated luxury style. A row of genuine leather sofas was placed on the left, and the carpets laid throughout made it almost silent when they walked.

Even though they returned to the apartment so late, there was still a manager sitting at the front desk, greeting them warmly.

When he saw the severe wound on Kazuma Hatori's forehead, he only showed a slight expression of surprise and did not say anything more.

“Celebrities and wealthy people also live here, so we pay great attention to the privacy of our residents.”

While quietly explaining things to Kazuma Hato, Gojo Satoru took a key out of his pocket and handed it to him—and personally demonstrated to him how to swipe the key and take the elevator.

They lived on the 27th floor, and the corridor they could see was quite spacious. The main road extended into several branch roads, leading to the apartment doors of each unit.

They really value privacy, which is why Gojo Satoru chose this apartment building.

—Also recommended by Junko Arasena, when Satoru Gojo called to humbly ask for advice, she laughed and said that they couldn't buy an apartment that was too cheap, because they would be besieged by fans and tabloid reporters every time they went out.

After unlocking the door with the key, this cozy little home, which belonged only to Gojo Satoru and Hato Kazuma, opened its arms completely to them.

The apartment is about 70 square meters, with a semi-open kitchen. The entire outer wall of the living room is a large floor-to-ceiling window that overlooks a large part of Tokyo. To the left is an open bedroom door, and to the right is a bathroom and storage room with separate wet and dry areas.

Most of the furniture is in a lively and playful light color scheme. The balcony seems to connect to the bedroom, and you can vaguely see the silhouette of some green potted plants.

The entire house is equipped with a fresh air system and central air conditioning, which can maintain a constant indoor temperature and minimal dust accumulation even without opening windows.

"Hmph, although the hard furnishings are fixed, I picked out all the furniture and decorations myself."

With one hand in his pocket and a smug look on his face, Gojo Satoru was quite pleased with himself—he had been secretly preparing for so long, and of course he was going to give his lover a huge surprise!

If it weren't for being surprised by Kazuma's sudden announcement of his ideal marriage proposal... well, I was so happy and embarrassed that I couldn't help but extend an invitation to him, Gojo Satoru originally planned to hold off until the New Year.

As for the Gojo family and the Pansei-kyo, which occupy a considerable area, they are indeed their assets, but they are nothing more than assets.

Only the apartment he bought with his own hard-earned salary was, in a sense, entirely his own, a home he could share with Kazuma.

A unique existence, completely different from the Gojo family, whose mere thought is enough to soften the heart in one's chest.

Looking at his small 70-square-meter home, Gojo Satoru felt even happier than when he was sitting in the head seat of the Gojo family and participating in the family head succession ceremony.

"How about it? I still have curtains and a coffee table left to buy. We can go shopping slowly on a day off."

He smiled and turned to look at Kazuma Hatake, only to find that those dark eyes were fixed on something on the left wall of the living room, as if he had lost in thought.

And following that gaze—there was a rather large aquarium.

The bottom is covered with soft white sand, and there are well-arranged artificial mountains and aquatic plants. A series of tiny bubbles keep rolling towards the surface of the water under the light.

It's exactly the same aquarium that Kazuma Hagoromo saw in the previous playthrough.

There are no fish inside yet.

Kazuma Hatake spoke up: "This aquarium..."

"Ah, this aquarium, I don't know why, but I just really wanted to buy it when I passed by it," Gojo Satoru said, stroking his chin in thought.

"I have a feeling we should keep some fish in there, besides the kind I catch... um..."

Gojo Satoru still takes time to go fishing with Hatori Kazuma, and his skills have become quite proficient—however, this has nothing to do with whether he can catch more fish.

All I can say is that when you can't catch them, no matter what titles you have like "the strongest mage in modern times," "the super nice teacher who always thinks of his students," or "a popular star who flashes by like a shooting star," the fish still won't buy it.

Besides, he preferred to give the fish he had gone to great lengths to Kazuma Hatori so he could cook and eat them.

So, what kind of fish should be put in there... Gojo Satoru had a vague idea in his mind, but he really couldn't figure out the answer.

"—Silver Pine Leaf Koi"

He suddenly heard Kazuma Hato beside him speak, and as he looked at him in surprise, he saw him look back with those warm, dark eyes.

"Let's raise a silver pine needle koi."

Kazuma Hatori blinked his black eyes slowly—Satoru Gojo noticed that he seemed quite pleased.

"I'll make sure to bring one back."

After all, Kazuma Hagoromo has saved up quite a bit of money in his pocket over the years. Let alone fishing at Kamo's house, he could easily afford to buy a super expensive silver pine needle koi like this.

More than how much money was spent, Kazuma Hatake was happy that Goku subconsciously still remembered the gift he gave him when they first met in the previous game.

He had always cherished and loved that silver pine leaf koi he had received.

After a brief, silent exchange of glances, Gojo Satoru readily agreed.

"Okay, then I'll wait for you to bring one back."

He spoke in a relaxed tone for the first half of the sentence, but his tone changed drastically for the second half.

"But before we discuss what fish we should keep, shouldn't someone sit on the sofa first?"

This threat, almost forced out through gritted teeth, made Kazuma Hatake's tail, which had just been raised, droop back down instantly.

He sat obediently on the sofa, waiting for Gojo Satoru to come over with the first aid kit. Using specially sterilized tweezers and suture scissors, he carefully picked up the fine threads at each stitch, untied them, and removed them.

Gojo Satoru's hands were steady and his movements were gentle, but that didn't stop people from getting really angry.

"They even used sewing thread!"

Hato Kazuma sat upright with his hands on his thighs, his eyes only daring to stare at Gojo Satoru's chest, not daring to utter a sound.

Gojo Satoru's sunglasses were placed on the coffee table, revealing a pair of beautiful blue eyes that were staring intently at the person: "...Speak."

"I was wrong," Kazuma Hatori said, his attitude of admitting his mistake was excellent. "I will never do it again next time."

Gojo Satoru: “…”

I got even angrier. This guy is incredibly quick to admit his mistakes verbally, but he's incredibly stubborn in practice.

After cutting off the last thread, Gojo Goshin stood up, staring at Hato Kazuma as he activated the Reversal Technique. The wound that had been cut by the sharp blade instantly healed without a trace.

His face seemed to have regained its vitality, no longer as pale as when I first saw him, and even his lips looked extremely pale.

Gojo Satoru scanned the body twice to make sure that Hagoromo Kazuma had no other wounds before finally asking for the specific details.

"What did you go to do?"

Kazuma Hatake: "..."

He was going to be a bad guy, but revealing the specific details would damage his image in Wu Xin's mind.

He coughed lightly, his voice low: "That's right, impersonating... Lu Suo."

Gojo Satoru raised one eyebrow and gestured with a raised "Hmm?" to signal the black Shiba Inu to continue confessing.

Kazuma Hatori could never lie to Satoru Gojo, so he had to explain his plans in detail.

By using his position to prevent the General Directorate from interfering in any future events, we can minimize the chances of them secretly sabotaging Gojo Satoru.

There's one advantage to impersonating Ryosaku: even if people from the sorcery world accidentally see him walking with Satoru, those old men will assume it's something like "[that unfathomable master is deliberately using this body to get close to Gojo Satoru]", and they'll come up with a whole bunch of reasons for his actions, without implicating Satoru.

This is what Kazuma Hato had promised Satoru Gojo: [that he would take care of the follow-up issues before living together].

Even this approach failed to achieve his ideal of [reforming the world of sorcery].

His lover offered support quietly in her own way, while completely respecting what he wanted to do.

If he hadn't discovered it tonight, and the other party had gone back and removed the stitches, then used the reversal technique to completely heal the wound, it would have been even harder for him to discover what Yizhen had done for him.

Gojo Satoru, who had been listening to his explanation with a stern face, now became increasingly gentle, even pursing his lips slightly, as if he had drifted off into thought.

"Enlightenment?"

After speaking, Kazuma Hatori waited a moment, and when he realized that Satoru Gojo still hadn't responded, he began to feel uneasy—only his voice could barely maintain its usual calm and composure.

"I promise, just this once, really."

His intention was not to upset his lover... and there was no need to draw another stitch afterward. As long as he succeeded in pretending once, the chief would assume that he was always [Lu Suo].

Kazuma Hato stared intently at Satoru Gojo with his dark eyes, worried that the other was still angry with him.

But after waiting for a while, he saw Gojo Satoru turn around and go to the kitchen, open the refrigerator door, take out two cans of drinks and come back.

The temperature in this apartment is set just right; even drinking iced beverages feels comfortable.

However, when Kazuma Hatori caught one of the cans that Satoru Gojo threw to him, he discovered that it was labeled "Sparkling Apple Juice".

Thinking back to Christmas Eve, his heart skipped a beat.

Did Wu specially prepare extra sparkling apple juice in the refrigerator after hearing that he wanted to drink it last time?

"You said this was the last time."

Gojo Satoru sat down next to Hato Kazuma. The soft fabric sofa sank under his weight, causing Hato Kazuma's upper body to unconsciously lean slightly towards Gojo Satoru.

"I believe your assurance."

Wearing only a loose white shirt, he pulled the tab on his can of sparkling apple juice, tilted his head back, and took a sip.

The soft, pure white hair fell with gravity, swaying slightly before Kazuma Hatori's eyes, like floating clouds scattered and gathered by the wind, or like a handful of soft, silvery moonlight.

At that moment, those warmer blue eyes, even warmer than the clear sky, turned and fell into his gaze.

The lights overhead were still bright, yet they seemed to be gradually dimming—as the pure white clouds and the moonlight were rushing toward him.

"Now begins... the punishment."

In the perilous clash between predator and prey, there are never any true victors.

Only a few muffled gasps escaped intermittently as his fists clenched, as if marking this excessively intense relationship with some kind of extremely exciting, ambiguous footnote that almost devoured all reason.

"Hmm...slow down..."