Chapter 55

Fear, resentment, jealousy, anger—all the negative emotions of ordinary people will settle and brew, eventually giving birth to cursed spirits that are harmful to humans.

The number of sorcerers capable of exorcising cursed spirits is limited, not to mention that there are differences in strength among them.

This means that no matter how much Kazuma Hatori tries to lighten Satoru Gojo's burden, there will still be special missions that only Satoru Gojo can complete.

Recently, Kazuma Hatori and Satoru Gojo have been spending a lot of time together, and their relationship is rapidly developing. When she heard about the business trip, she instinctively wanted to go with him, but he refused.

"Don't forget you're a teacher of three students now, how can you run with me?"

Gojo Satoru put on his easy-to-move-in all-black jacket and zipped it up to the collar.

Paired with equally black trousers and leather shoes, the contrast between the black clothes and white hair is extremely striking; and his height of 1.9 meters, coupled with the constant training he has undergone while traveling between missions, makes every movement of his appear lean and powerful, revealing a contradictory quality of being exceptionally neat and decisive, yet gentle and reliable.

This is a charm that can attract everyone's attention; it is the beautiful Daigo that can make Kazuma Hatori stare at her without blinking.

Gojo Satoru was also well aware of his allure to Hatori Kazuma.

He straightened his collar, pulled out his sleeves, put his hands in his pockets, turned around and asked Hatake Kazuma with a smile.

How many points?

“Ge Liheng’s number”.

Kazuma Hatake's answer caught Gojo Satoru off guard for a moment before he realized what was happening and couldn't help but let out a laugh.

He had expected to receive answers like "ten points", "one hundred points", or "full marks", but to his surprise, Kazuma Hatake immediately gave the largest natural number that could be meaningfully proven in mathematics—even if all the matter in the entire universe were used as ink, it would be impossible to write down all its digits.

This answer is really interesting; it's the kind of interesting Gojo Satoru has never heard before.

If he hadn't studied science on his own, he probably wouldn't have been able to understand even such a direct expression of his feelings.

How much do you like me?

-Georgius's number.

Gojo Satoru pressed his tongue against his palate, thinking, "Oh no, I seem to be craving the taste of that apple juice soda again."

Just like that night, he originally intended to take the initiative, but the black-haired youth always managed to turn the tables on him.

But in the end, urged on by the mission, Gojo Satoru still regretfully gave up on this point.

"Wait for me to bring back some gifts!"

He smiled and tilted his head, then came over and snuggled up to Kazuma Hatake, exchanging a warm hug.

"I heard that the chicken-shaped steamed buns there are incredibly delicious!"

“Okay.” Kazuma Hatake nodded, giving his usual instructions.

"be safe."

"Don't worry, it's only been two days—I'll have to ask you to look after Hisahito and the others too!"

Kazuma Hatori readily agreed.

The directorate was hesitant to interfere with the college's tasks and teaching arrangements, and Principal Moth regained a great deal of autonomy, trying her best not to assign tasks that exceeded the students' abilities.

Even if there are urgent missions that must be completed, more capable teachers or freelance sorcerers will be arranged to help supervise them, simply to give the students more experience in combat.

This time, Fushiguro Megumi received a phone call from the assistant director, asking him, Itadori Yuujin, and Kugizaki Nobara to immediately go to Eishu Juvenile Detention Center to exorcise the cursed spirit lingering there.

According to him, [the window] has observed three level-two cursed spirits wandering around the Eishi Juvenile Academy playground in Nishi-Tokyo City, and has requested nearby sorcerers to exorcise them.

They happened to have completed another Level 3 mission nearby, making them the best choice to get there the fastest.

"In addition, he said on the phone that if Professor Kamo were with me, he would like to support us to go there together, so as to minimize casualties."

Kazuma Hatori does have a cell phone, but he only answers Satoru's calls, ignoring all other calls as spam.

Knowing that he always accompanied the trio on missions, the higher-ups could only indirectly ask him to accept this support mission through Fushiguro Megumi's message.

After thinking for a moment, Yuqu Kazuma realized that since exorcising a level-two cursed spirit was a matter of level suppression, it wouldn't matter even if three more came, so he nodded in agreement.

"I understand, let's set off then."

Juvenile detention centers are educational and rehabilitation institutions for juvenile offenders under the age of sixteen. The locations for their construction need to avoid urban areas and residential areas, and are usually located in extremely remote suburbs, surrounded by fences with high-voltage power lines and large, layered mountains and forests.

As is customary for missions, Kazuma Hatori and his team were picked up and driven directly to the entrance of the juvenile detention center, where the crowd had been dispersed and the area was cordoned off.

At this moment, the mountains and forests stretching towards the horizon on both sides appeared exceptionally quiet, and the sky was covered with dense clouds, as if it were about to rain.

Kazuma Hatori looked up at the gloomy sky and suddenly remembered that they hadn't taken in the clothes they had hung out to dry on the balcony.

Okay, let's finish this quickly.

Although Kazuma Hatori still doesn't know how to sense cursed spirits, seeing the instantly serious expressions on the faces of Megumi Fushiguro and Nobara Kugizaki, he could tell that the situation inside the building in front of them basically matched the mission description.

"Then, I'll leave it to you."

The unfamiliar assistant supervisor bowed to them, but called out to stop him just as Hato Kazumi was about to follow Itadori Yuujin and the others into the juvenile detention center.

“Excuse me, Mr. Kamo,” he said, “could you stay for a moment? Principal Yagami has something else to tell you.”

What are some things that only need to be explained when you arrive at the scene?

Kazuma Hatori frowned slightly, but turned to the side, signaling him to speak quickly.

Hisahito Itadori and the others had just walked a short distance ahead when they heard the sound and stopped to turn around, only to see the light in their field of vision dim instantly—someone had lowered a [tent]!

"Wait, Kamo-sensei hasn't come in yet!"

Yuji Itadori immediately tried to break through the veil, but his hand was bounced away just as it was about to touch the veil!

If it were only Yuuji Itadori, it could be interpreted as the [tent] protecting ordinary people outside and prohibiting them from passing through. However, the fact that Megumi Fushiguro and Nobara Kugizaki are in the same situation clearly reveals a certain truth.

This curtain, which no one knows who put down, is preventing them from leaving.

Fushiguro Megumi reacted extremely quickly, immediately making a hand gesture of [Jade Dog], releasing two dog-shaped shikigami, one white and one black.

"Fu Hei?"

Megumi Fushiguro frowned as he looked at Hisahito Itadori and Nobara Kugisaki with confusion.

“I will use even stronger magic to break this [tent].

His past experiences of being trapped in a tent and nearly losing his life in an avalanche made him particularly wary of such abnormal phenomena.

"This is a trap...!"

--but.

It's too late.

A sound like a heartbeat resounded above the three of them.

It was far more immense and dense than the curse they had just sensed, almost suffocating them.

Like an infant curled up in the womb, a cursed fetus was encased in a transparent, membrane-like outer wall, forming an extremely dangerous sphere that floated in the air.

"Could it be... a top-tier cursed spirit?"

They instinctively wanted to ask Kamo-sensei for help, but when they looked back—

The dark curtain acted as a dividing line, completely separating the black-haired youth from them.

"We must break the [tent] before that cursed embryo fully hatches!"

………

"Untie the [tent] for me."

Meanwhile, outside the tent, Kazuma Hatori gripped the Bloodstained Spear and pressed it against the head of the assistant supervisor who had brought them there.

He also encountered the same situation as Hisahito Itadori; he would be bounced away as soon as he got close to the tent, which must have been due to some special rule.

With a gun pointed at his forehead, the assistant supervisor was already trembling violently, his expression one of extreme fear, and he was even waving his hands wildly.

"It wasn't me, it wasn't me who lowered the [tent]..."

"Trying to argue with me?" Kazuma Hatake said coldly, "I'll kill you if you don't untie it."

At this moment, only he and the assistant supervisor were present, and he was certain that Hui and the others would not put down this thing specifically used to isolate them before he caught up.

"It really wasn't me..."

“Threatening him won’t work, Mr. Kamo. Because [the tent], it really wasn’t him who put it down.”

Upon hearing the unfamiliar voice, Yuichiro instantly turned his gun towards the source of the sound.

Those dark eyes, fixed on the mountain forest, were equally deep and heavy, and even their response became extremely cold and sharp: "Get out here."

hehe.

A soft laugh seemed to come from the direction where the [Blood-Stained Fighting Spear] was pointed.

Then, the fallen leaves and twigs were crushed underfoot, and step by step, the soft crunching sound grew louder and closer, emerging from the dark shadows until it came into the not-so-bright light.

The young man, dressed in a strange robe, with long black hair and eyes, appeared to be under thirty years old.

Kazuma Hatori's gaze lingered on the seam on the other's forehead for only a second before his finger pulled the trigger.

Bang!

The compressed blood bullet shot out of the barrel, instantly severing the air between the two men—it was supposed to carry unparalleled potential energy, blasting a huge wound into the target, like a miniature version of a grenade.

But nothing happened. The blood bullet that had been fired seemed to have vanished into thin air. The other party was unharmed and remained calmly smiling at Kazuma Hatori.

"Don't be so nervous, I just want to chat with you first."

He opened his hands, which had been tucked into his sleeves, to indicate that he was not carrying any weapons.

However, unless it is a special requirement of the spell, sorcerers themselves do not need to rely on weapons, and this action is unlikely to reduce Hagoromo Kazuma's vigilance in the slightest.

Furthermore, relying on the fact that everyone he had spoken to would appear in the [Social] interface, Kazuma Hatake moved his mind slightly and immediately brought up the floating window.

Xia Youjie (deceased) (?)

Kazuma Hatake: "…………"

Deceased? How can someone who's dead still come to chat with you?

And what about this second set of brackets? A special condition? A zombie? An undead? A necromancer?

"Oh dear, aren't you going to say something?"

Seeing that Yutori Kazuma had no reaction, the young man in a kasaya, whose system name was [Natsuyu Jie], spoke again.

"It's rare for me to agree to meet you, so please give me some face, okay?"

"...Untie the [tent]."

Kazuma Hatake glanced indifferently at the tent not far away, then turned to the stranger.

The implication was very clear—he didn't believe the other party had lowered the tent just for his own chat.

Unless Xia Youjie unties him and shows him that Yu Ren and the others are all safe and sound.

"Oh, I'm sorry, that won't work."

Xia Youjie tapped his forehead in distress, letting out a sigh of utter helplessness.

"It's all your fault for always messing up the plans. This time, I have to make Itadori Yuujin... swallow that finger."