Chapter 204 Epilogue (Part 1): Look, the sunset is so beautiful!

The game has been completely completed, and Kazuma Hatake has learned more details about the aftermath of the great battle from Satoru Gojo.

For example, when he had just transformed into a Super-Grade Cursed Spirit, he was so enraged that the flames he unleashed had a wide range and great power, instantly burning several sorcerers who were watching the battle from the live stream to ashes.

In particular, Kusakabe Atsuya, who was in charge of teaching second-year students at Tokyo College at the time, was killed in battle because he did not possess any innate techniques and his [New Yin Stream] released in an emergency was unable to withstand Hagoromo Kazuma's [Ichishin Hokai].

Even those who miraculously survived by sheer luck were mostly seriously injured to varying degrees and are still in the ICU under monitoring.

Kazuma Hatake: "The hospital's ICU?"

“The reversal technique is no longer effective,” Gojo Satoru shrugged, reminding someone not to forget the good deed he had done in the end. “We had no choice but to rush him to the nearest hospital and try to save him with ordinary treatment.”

Kazuma Hagoromo: "Ah."

I did forget that releasing a reversal spell also requires incantation power to infuse energy.

"There were even elderly gentlemen from Kyoto who came specifically to watch the battle, but most of them didn't survive. After all, they were old, and neither their techniques nor their physical resistance were very effective."

"That's good."

Upon hearing this good news, Hagoromo Kazuma answered immediately, causing Gojo Satoru to chuckle, "You really are..."

His happiness is written all over his face, this kid.

"In short, the sorcery world was in complete chaos at the time. Those of us who knew what was going on were fine, but the conservatives who discovered that their sorcery power had suddenly disappeared had some really interesting expressions on their faces, haha."

Gojo Satoru chuckled twice, also with a hint of schadenfreude, before continuing to speak to Hagoromo Kazuma.

"When I finished those things and came to the address you gave me, I found it was a record store that had been open for many years and had no connection with you. Business wasn't very good."

"I guessed it was just a matter of time, so I simply bought the shop, renovated it, and reopened it. When I'm busy with other things, I ask Shunpei and Yujin to come and help look after it—they love watching movies, and when they heard that they could get paid to look after the shop and watch movies for free, they were super happy to agree."

"Teacher Gojo..."

Having his little scheme exposed, Yoshino Junpei scratched his face with his index finger, feeling extremely embarrassed.

The Yoshino Junpei that Kazuma Hatori had met before always had a reserved and cautious demeanor, and his hair was always down, with his bangs even covering half of his face; but now he looked much more cheerful, and his slightly long black hair was tied into a low ponytail, no wonder Kazuma Hatori didn't recognize him at first.

It just so happens that he saw Yoshino Junpei both times he came over—if Hagoromo Kazuma had seen Itadori Yuujin with his memorable hair color the first time he came to the video store, he would have noticed something was wrong on his first playthrough.

"I am no longer your teacher."

Gojo Satoru chuckled at Yoshino Junpei, then turned his gaze to Hagoromo Kazuma; his beautiful blue eyes were now curved, revealing an exceptionally pleasant and relaxed demeanor.

"The spellcasting academies in Tokyo and Kyoto were disbanded three months ago. The original students all transferred to the high schools they wanted to continue their studies, in accordance with their own wishes. Spellcasters no longer need to fall one after another in battle, some of whom were even difficult to recover intact."

Perhaps thinking of the countless sorcerers who had died over the years, Gojo Satoru's expression fell for a moment, but he quickly cheered up again and winked at his lover with his eyes that weren't covered by sunglasses—like crystal blue ice covered by frost and snow, they were absolutely captivating.

At least Kazuma Hatori was completely captivated by that devastating wink, while Satoru Gojo, who was grinning smugly, was well aware of it all.

He gestured for Kazuma Hatake to take his hand, while in his other hand he carried a thermos full of red bean rice cake soup. After gesturing to Junpei Yoshino to go ahead, he was finally able to walk with his reunited lover on this sun-drenched street.

In fact, Gojo Satoru wasn't sure when Kazuma would be able to "beat" the game, so this bucket of red bean rice cake soup was a dinner he would make every day, bring to the shop, and then wait until closing time to finish eating—just so that he could show off to his black Shiba Inu at the moment of their actual reunion.

And then, I'll smugly boast—look, I haven't forgotten our promise!

Hmph, now that I see his decision, it was indeed wise. Little Yizhen was easily manipulated, and she was so moved that she almost cried but had to hold it in.

"It's all thanks to you, Ichijin."

In his heart, Gojou Satoru had a chibi version of himself laughing heartily with his hands on his hips and his head thrown back, while he coughed lightly and praised him in a serious manner.

"The scope of the [Heaven and Curse] you signed at that time quickly expanded to the whole world. Yuki Tsukumo, who discovered that the curse power had completely disappeared, was also very happy and asked me to convey her gratitude to you."

Yuki Tsukumo is also a reformist who has always insisted on freeing humanity from the power of curses. She has conducted in-depth research on the soul over the years, but she could never have imagined a crazy method like Kazuma Hatake's, which is tantamount to gambling with one's life.

Kazuma Hatori paused for a moment, then shook his head slightly. "I should be apologizing for making this decision without consulting Satoru..."

"Shh." Gojo Satoru chuckled, stopping him before he could finish speaking. "I knew you wanted to do this, and I support your decision."

"Moreover, now that there is no supply of magical power, my [Six Eyes] has also been forced into hibernation, and will no longer endlessly consume brain energy. I can only see things with normal vision."

"For me, this is the first time in my life that I have felt so... relaxed."

"I no longer need to go through the process of my brain being damaged and then repaired with reversal surgery—a process that has been going on for decades without stopping."

"But I am so happy now, I have never been happier. In the rest of my life, I can finally enjoy the time that is no longer filled with countless curses, and use these eyes to experience this new world that has been restarted."

"Look, it's Kazuma."

Gojo Satoru, who had stopped, turned his gaze to him, gesturing for him to follow him to look at the sky—his misty blue eyes, as they blinked, were gradually painted with a deeper pale orange and bright red by the magnificent sunset.

"I never realized before how beautiful the sunset could be."

This was a view he had never had the time to appreciate before, just like the various flavors of daifuku he hastily bought while rushing to complete a task. It wasn't simply because he liked these kinds of sweets, but because they were convenient enough to eat and could quickly replenish his energy.

Now, he can spend a lot of time patiently simmering a bowl of red bean and rice cake soup, and when the weather is nice, he can sit under a parasol, enjoying the street scenery while slowly savoring various desserts.

As Kazuma Hatori watched Satoru admiring the sunset with an expression of wonder, a sudden surge of immense heartache and melancholy rose within him.

At that time, all he had left was his pent-up despair and hatred for the entire sorcery world, and he vowed to destroy it completely, leaving no room for those people.

However, it wasn't until he saw Wu's reflection on the ordinary scenery that he realized just how heavy the responsibilities and shackles Wu had carried in his nearly thirty years of life.

Kazuma Hatori secretly tightened his grip on Satoru Gojo's hand, then interlocked his fingers.

Gojo Satoru withdrew his gaze from the depths of the magnificent sunset, smiled and looked at him, indulging his lover's little act.

However, they stayed here for a bit too long.

Gojo Satoru was the kind of incredibly handsome guy with a youthful face who could attract everyone's attention just by standing there, not to mention the pedestrians coming and going on this street.

When enough attention is drawn to someone like Gojo Satoru, even someone as low-key as him—though it doesn't seem like he was particularly low-key—can still be recognized at a glance by his longtime fans.

"Wait, isn't that..."

"Yes, yes, it's Prince Wu, isn't it?"

"So handsome! Seeing it in person, he really is handsome!"

"Wouldn't it bother Gojo-sama if we asked for a photo and autograph..."

"The one standing next to him must be Lord Hatori, right?"

"Huh? That's strange, he seems a little shorter than I remember..."

The whispers grew louder and clearer, causing Kazuma Hatake's expression to suddenly freeze. When Gojo Satoru noticed, he laughed without any restraint—the obvious teasing only made him seem incredibly cute, and it also carried the composure and ease unique to adults.

"They're our fans, you haven't forgotten them, have you?"

Kazuma Hatake: "..."

Wait, nobody told him that when the two worlds merge, the fans will also come along in sync...!

"Ha ha ha ha."

Seeing Ichima visibly panicking, Gojo Satoru let out a cheerful laugh, and no more gloom could linger over his face.

…………

"By the way, has the General Manager's Office been disbanded?"

Having finally escaped the crowd of fans, Kazuma Hatori and Satoru Gojo returned to the apartment where they had lived together for many years. While helping to collect the laundry from the balcony, they asked each other curiously.

Previously, I only heard Wu say that the Spellcasting Academy was disbanded, but he didn't mention how the General Management Department would handle it.

You mean those old men?

As Gojo Satoru poured the red bean rice cake soup from the thermos into two bowls, an obvious smile appeared on his face—it looked a little mischievous, but it was incredibly cute.

"Aside from those who were cremated on the spot by you, four were hospitalized on the spot after hearing the news that the curse power had disappeared, two suffered heart attacks and could not be saved, and five refused to believe it and developed mental problems."

"In short, the supervisory department is now defunct in name only and has basically become a mutual aid activity center for the elderly."

Just recalling the various embarrassing moments he witnessed makes Gojo Satoru squint with amusement, like an adorable lucky cat figurine displayed at home—but with a lot of savory charm, in every sense of the word.

“The three starter families are all in similar situations,” Gojo Satoru continued. “After the exorcisms were no longer needed, I suggested that they switch to ordinary professions, but they made a fuss for a long time and refused no matter what. They said that the three starter families have always made a living by exorcising curses, so how could they lower themselves?”

Kazuma Hagoromo listened with great interest, "And then?"

"Then, I let them discover that they actually have a talent for farming and selling vegetables."

Gojo Satoru casually shrugged as he served the red bean and rice cake soup, causing Hatori Kazuma to burst into laughter.

Only Gojo Satoru regained all his memories from the third playthrough; the rest only had memories from the second playthrough. In other words, were these old men forced to farm by Satoru...?

It can be considered a very successful career change.

"Alright, let's celebrate with the red bean and rice cake soup that we agreed on a long time ago."

Gojo Satoru pulled out a chair and sat down, propping his head up with one hand and smiling at Hagoromo Kazuma—who, equally driven by this joy and overflowing love, leaned forward to exchange a tender kiss with his lover—

"etc."

Just before the goal was about to be scored, Gojo Satoru suddenly raised his hand to block Hato Kazuma's move.

"...?" Kazuma Hatake looked at him, puzzled.

Gojo Satoru spoke solemnly, "Are you... an adult now?"

Kazuma Hatake: "..."

Kazuma Hato: "I'm an adult now, my birthday is February 2nd."

Gojo Satoru narrowed his eyes suspiciously: "Really?"

This kid never let him celebrate his birthday before, saying he didn't know when his birthday was and didn't have the habit of celebrating it, so he had to celebrate the new year on New Year's Day.

Kazuma Hatori: "...Really."

It's true that he doesn't have the habit of celebrating his birthday, but he didn't expect that when he actually revealed his birthday, he would be met with Wu's skepticism.

"Really? Really?"

"Really, really."

Gojo Satoru thought for a moment: "You... let me see your student ID."

Kazuma Hatori, who wanted to kiss his own Daigo but was asked to show his student ID: "..."

That's outrageous!