Chapter 225 Participating in a Variety Show (Part 1): "Everyone's Running Away" (Thanks to Infinite Depth)

As the world has become completely integrated and continues to operate smoothly for many years, the number of fans who like Gojo Satoru and Hato Kazuma has not decreased but increased, as if they have ignored the normal law that the passage of time will cause popularity to decline, and they remain vivid and bright in various social and streaming networks.

If Kazuma Hatori, as a high school student, was indeed a bit too young, and the age difference between him and Satoru Gojo seemed somewhat incongruous; now that he has successfully entered university and celebrated his 21st birthday, Kazuma Hatori no longer feels out of place compared to Satoru Gojo, whose appearance seems almost unchanged.

Even if they return to the spotlight, people will still cheer enthusiastically for their comeback—even if it's only for a short time.

"Please, Mr. Gojo! And Mr. Hatori!"

The voice on the speakerphone was exceptionally sincere, as if you could almost see the other person about to burst into tears, bowing deeply to them, and then pitifully raising their eyes full of expectation.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime request from me, no, from the entire production team! Please be sure to participate in this episode as a special guest...!"

Gojo Satoru had never been asked to do something so emotionally and tearfully before, and he immediately wavered.

"Oh dear..."

He's actually quite interested in participating in variety shows, as long as they're not the overly cheesy prank shows of the past. But...

Gojo Satoru touched his lips to his lips and pondered for a moment before turning his gaze to Hato Kazuma, who was sitting upright beside him, also focused on listening to the phone call.

Your partner might not like those overly nonsensical comedy variety shows...

"Please, please!!"

The voice on the other end of the phone was so sincere and earnest; every word uttered so urgently was so full of emotion and genuine feeling.

"If the two of you could appear in the next episode, it would be such an encouragement and a source of great emotion for the fans who have remained loyal for so many years!"

The money offensive they had already used had no effect on Gojo Satoru and Hagoromo Kazuma, so the person in charge had to resort to emotional appeals.

"Um……"

Gojo Satoru's outward expression remained largely unchanged, but his inner thoughts were in turmoil.

He's just too soft-hearted; he can't bear to hear that he's about to let down so many lovely fans.

Kazuma Hatori's attention was already mostly on Satoru, and seeing that the latter hesitated for a long time without refusing, he couldn't help but smile slightly—he didn't need to put in much effort to see Satoru's wavering, just like the troubled brow that had unconsciously furrowed.

"If Wu participates, I will participate too."

He spoke first into the phone, causing the voice on the other end to instantly become excited and joyful, "Oh, in that case...!"

As soon as Kazuma Hatori uttered those words, Gojo Satoru's delicate eyebrows, which had been twisted into a pretzel, instantly relaxed; when she turned to look at him, she even winked at him with a cheerful smile, throwing him a playful and charming wink.

Having lived together for many years, the two had developed a deep understanding and could comprehend each other's thoughts without needing to say much.

This is a clear indication that she doesn't reject program invitations but still leaves the initiative to him.

"Let's think about it,"

Gojo Satoru stroked his chin thoughtfully and first raised the points that were unacceptable to them.

"I don't really mind being funny, but there absolutely can't be any segments that are too prankful or silly... Um... By the way, what's your show again?"

————

As the long-arm crane camera rapidly zooms in, shrinking the nighttime view from the entire neon-lit amusement park to 29 bewildered contestants, the episode officially begins.

The 29 contestants came from diverse backgrounds—internet celebrities, athletes, actors, comedians, idols, and even hosts—all gathered in the night-covered square for the same goal.

They didn't know each other and could only recognize each other by the name tags on their clothes.

At this moment, they were all well-prepared, each wearing light clothing, changing into sports shoes, and even strapping protective gear to their knees and elbows, clearly indicating that they were ready for a long-distance run.

"Wow, there are so many people..."

The host, who was supposed to explain the rules, never arrived, and the crowd began to murmur amongst themselves.

"The place is huge, wow, I estimate it's at least 20 hectares."

"It's better to have a big place, then there will be more places to hide."

"Yes, I did some research before I came. It's not easy to hide in shopping malls and factory areas."

"If we want to get the prize money, we won't get through this easily..."

"Speaking of which,"

Amidst the whispers, a young woman raised her hand somewhat shyly, gesturing for everyone to look in her direction—it was the recently popular idol, Yumi Ando, ​​who was also very cute.

“I remember the production team said there would be 30 people before we came,” she said softly, her slightly hesitant tone making her seem particularly reluctant, “but no matter how I count, there are only 29 people here…”

The fact that one person was missing certainly surprised everyone.

This variety show has very high ratings. Everyone is scrambling to be invited and shine on the show. It's impossible for someone to cancel at the last minute, right?

"Hmph—you are very perceptive."

Just as the discrepancy in the number of viewers for this episode was discovered, the broadcast system set up not far away finally began operating.

Even though the clearly male voice was accompanied by electrical noise and seemed to utter a few cold laughs, it didn't reveal any obvious emotion, as if it were just a robot that had finally been turned on and put into operation.

—Naturally, it's the version of the evil demon king.

"In this episode, I've secured some extra hunters and prey for you all, to add a little fun... Hehehe, just a small, unremarkable surprise."

The heavily modified truck, adorned with futuristic neon lights, seemed to have torn through time and space, slowly driving from the distant future into the present. Under the astonished gaze of the crowd, it executed a beautiful drift, stopping in front of these participants who were also prey.

When the carriage was opened horizontally and the swirling mist dissipated, the two people standing inside, tall and long-legged, with one black and one white hair, did not make any movements or expressions in front of the camera, like two ancient Greek sculptures frozen in time—yet the moment they appeared, they easily triggered a burst of surprised screams from the entire audience.

"Aaaaaaah!!!"

"It's Hatori and Gojo!!!"

"Really?! Really?!"

"This is my idol since I was little, waaaaaah!!!"

"Ahhh, it's a real person!! Not some wax figure or projection or something to fool us, right?!"

The director, who was truly in control of the entire scene through the camera screen, was inwardly humming with immense satisfaction, clearly pleased with everyone's reaction.

He went to great lengths to get Kazuma Hatori and Satoru Gojo to participate in this episode! This is exactly the effect he wanted!

The director gently waved to the host not far away, signaling him to continue reciting his lines.

"All of you gathered here, rejoice for the brief stroke of good fortune that has befallen you."

The cold voice once again resonated in everyone's minds through the broadcast, echoing through the night.

As the last syllable of those words faded, Kazuma Hatori, who was standing in the carriage, took a few steps forward, lightly leaped to the ground, and joined the crowd of contestants.

The contestants, who had just quieted down, let out a series of soft gasps as they realized that Kazuma Hatori, with his cool-looking face, was also dressed in sportswear, not much different from them—which meant that Kazuma Hatori was also the "prey" of this episode.

Really?! Hatori will be their teammate?!

The contestants, who were receiving one good news after another, felt dizzy and could hardly believe that they could be partners with Hatori-sama, who was once a sensation in Japan and is still a sensation today...

Even if it's only 1/29, it still counts as a partnership!

Waaaaah, is this the kind of happiness they can have?

Several of the younger-looking contestants were so excited that they couldn't help but jump around on the spot—if they weren't filming a show, they would definitely ask Kazuma Hatori for an autograph and a photo!

Even after all these years, he's still incredibly handsome up close, even more so than in photos and videos!!

As he walked to the middle of the contestants' line, Kazuma Hatori only took a few short steps, but he already received hundreds of whispered "I like you"s.

After the suppressed excitement finally subsided a bit, the remaining 29 contestants remembered that there was one more person in the group that was so deeply imprinted in everyone's memory.

Moreover, it is also...

Most eyes once again focused on Gojo Satoru, the only one left in the carriage at this moment, watching him appear in a classic and sharp all-black suit, standing there expressionless with his hands behind his back, exuding a neat and cold aura.

Under the dim neon lights, the contrast between the sunglasses-style night vision goggles and the pure white hair was striking. Combined with the slightly raised jaw and the taut lines of the neck, they intertwined in the darkness to create a particularly attractive visual impact. Just one glance was enough to elicit speechless exclamations from many people.

It sounds like she's swooning over a guy, completely unable to control herself.

The crackling broadcast dutifully continued reading the lines.

"Excited? Too bad the relaxing time is always short-lived, hehehe... Next, you will truly be plunged into a real nightmare that will envelop this amusement park."

"You must flee until the sun rises, like prey that frantically darts into a trap without realizing it—there is only one hunter set out to track you, but he is the most skilled expert in terror."

"200 minutes, 5 million yen, who will successfully hide until the end? Ladies and gentlemen, I'm really looking forward to the result..."

"Welcome to 'Everyone's Running Away'."

————————

Suddenly appeared.jpg