Chapter 70

Although Kazuma Hato said he liked it very much, Satoru Gojo seemed to misunderstand that he was being sarcastic and was just trying to be considerate of his feelings.

So, in the remaining bag of candy, Kazuma Hatori never got to eat a second apple-flavored one.

As if to make amends, even the mango mousse was cut in half by Gojo Satoru.

That expression of reluctant reluctance made Kazuma Hatori almost laugh.

He should have bought two... No, if he had bought two, he wouldn't have gotten such a bad look from pretty Xiaowu, wouldn't he have been at a huge loss?

This first fishing trip, held on the banks of the River of Oblivion, ended with two small fish, each no bigger than the palm of your hand.

Perhaps Gojo Satoru's genius mind can be applied to various fields, making him invincible.

However, fishing is not something where you can guarantee a good catch just by improving your theoretical knowledge and practical experience.

It's more of a matter of...luck.

...There's nothing else to say, it was just luck.

"how so!"

Gojo Satoru was fuming the whole way back.

"I clearly watched that fish swim by, it even touched the hook... but it just wouldn't bite! Damn it, it just wouldn't bite!"

"You can actually see fish swimming by?" Kazuma Hatake exclaimed in amazement. "Is this also an ability granted by [Six Eyes]?"

"…………"

Of course, [Six Eyes] can't do that; he's just exaggerating...!

Gojo Satoru was momentarily speechless, then turned to glare at Hato Kazuma—after a moment, he spoke softly.

"Of course it wasn't [Six Eyes] that saw it... It's used to observe magical power, not to spot fish."

"……oh."

"...Are you secretly laughing at me with your eyes? I saw it, my [six eyes] can see very clearly!"

"Cough, no."

"...Isn't that just a sign that you're feeling guilty?"

"that……"

…………

When Gojo Satoru, who was quite wealthy, took a taxi back to the vocational college late at night, he and Hagoromo Kazuma arrived at the dormitory building and bumped into Natsuyuki and Ieiri Shoko, who were returning home.

Seeing that Hagoromo Kazuma and Gojo Satoru had rolled up their sleeves, carrying fishing rods on their shoulders, one holding a red plastic bucket and the other a bait bag, Natsuyu Jie fell silent.

These two don't seem to be on a mission; they look more like they went to the river to play in the mud.

"What are you doing...?"

Just as he was about to speak, Gojo Satoru interrupted him, proudly gesturing with a red plastic bucket to show them.

"I caught both of these fish!"

Xia Youjie smiled and said, "………?"

Is it possible that what he really wanted to ask wasn't why he caught two fish...?

"I don't care about fishing... Is the mission complete?" Ieiri Shoko asked.

"Of course, it's perfectly done."

Gojo Satoru winked at her with one eye, "You'll see me as a big star next Tuesday, remember to tune in to TV Tokyo at 5 pm!"

"The meaning is unclear..."

Shoko Ieiri patted her pockets and sighed when she found that all the lollipops were gone. Her tone became quite perfunctory.

The idea that someone who just started school suddenly becomes a big star sounds more like an exaggeration.

"I'll watch it if I have time. Um, Xia You and I just rushed back to the vocational college and we're super tired. I'm going to sleep now. You guys should get some rest too..."

Feeling listless, Iori Shoko waved her hand and walked towards her dormitory.

Xia Youjie did exchange details about their missions with Wutiao Wu. When he heard that Wutiao Wu had dragged his bleeding minister out of the crowded TV station and then been surrounded by police, his expression became quite subtle.

That complex expression—wanting to laugh but forcibly holding it back, revealing a hint of helplessness yet forcing oneself to maintain a kind smile—is a mixture of emotions.

"You're really quite rude to the curse master."

Finally, Xia Youjie simply went along with it.

"There's no need to hold back against a curse caster."

Gojo Satoru curled his lip. "A curse master isn't just defined by anyone. The harm they cause to ordinary people is far greater than that of a regular cursed spirit."

They're also incredibly good at hiding; in short, they're a group of weak but troublesome guys.

"Yes, I think so too."

Xia Youjie nodded in agreement, "After coming here to study, I have a general understanding of the nature of curse masters... Those guys who wantonly attack sorcerers and the weak are unforgivable."

Kazuma Hatori, who was listening nearby, was speechless.

This guy has the nerve to talk so confidently here. Who was it that repeatedly schemed against him during the first playthrough, forcing him to fight to the death with this guy, which ultimately led to the second playthrough?

He also wanted to scheme against the beautiful Da Wu!

Tsk, villains are indeed very good at disguising themselves.

Being silently stared at by those cold, dark eyes made Xia Youjie feel that subtle, goosebump-inducing feeling return.

How strange, he hasn't even exchanged more than a few words with the other person yet...

Xia Youjie's smiling expression finally revealed a hint of helplessness and confusion.

But since the other party didn't speak, he couldn't very well ask directly—that would only make the situation more awkward.

“I’ll watch the show next Tuesday,”

Xia Youjie could only quickly finish this conversation in the dormitory corridor.

"Wu, congratulations on catching two fish."

Gojo Satoru: “…………”

So what if he catches two fish? He might not even catch two fish himself! Hmph, people who have never fished in the river have no idea how valuable it is that he can catch two fish in one night.

Feeling slightly annoyed but unable to call the person back to explain, Gojo Satoru turned his head and happened to see Hato Kazuma looking over at the same time, meeting his gaze.

Upon seeing the sulking little Goku, whose eyebrows were almost furrowed together, Kazuma Hatori spoke up.

"I'll make you some fish soup with rice as a midnight snack."

Small crucian carp caught from the river like these are delicious when used to make fish soup with rice, but they also have a lot of small bones. You have to carefully pick out all the bones first, making it a dish that really tests your patience.

Gojo Satoru's expression immediately brightened up again.

"Yay!"

Fishing is really fun!

—Even on the second day of class, Gojo Satoru started yawning and complaining about being bored again.

Since last week was their first assignment since enrolling in the vocational college, Moth Zhengdao specially dedicated a class period to reviewing it for them.

Xia Youjie and Ieiri Shoko's task was to perform a standard exorcism and set up protective objects. The exorcism they were going to perform at that abandoned hospital wasn't a high-level curse, but the journey was quite long, requiring them to take the Shinkansen back and forth.

But when it came to the missions of Gojo Satoru and Hagoromo Kazuma, Yagami Masamichi was speechless at the report they submitted.

"What does it mean to [pass the audition for the show based on your own merit], [win the competition and receive a prize], [being pointed at by a policeman with a gun for the first time is so novel], [catching two whole crucian carp on your first fishing trip, and the fish soup with rice you made is super delicious]..."

Moth Masamichi slammed the page onto the podium.

"Who wrote this report? I asked you to submit a task report, not a spring outing experience report! And what about the program audition and fishing? Are they related to this task?"

Aside from the time spent teaching, the long-standing shortage of manpower in the sorcery world means that Moth Path himself also needs to do missions, so he is not at the high school on weekends.

He only learned about the things Gojo Satoru and Hato Kazuma had done after receiving the report.

Gojo Satoru raised his hand, his blue eyes blinking behind his sunglasses.

"I wrote it—and it's all true—"

"I didn't say you weren't telling the truth." Night Moth Masamichi pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling utterly exhausted.

"But don't you think we'd better keep a low profile?"

Fishing? Which part of the quest requires fishing?

In response, Gojo Satoru gave a super cute expression, clearly trying to get away with it by being adorable.

Haha—too late!

Moth said: "..."

Moth said, "Hmm?"

The next day, he realized why it was too late—because the episode featuring Gojo Satoru and Hato Kazuma had aired.

With Gojo Satoru's stunning good looks, it would be impossible for him not to become popular; it would be as if the audience were collectively blind to his beauty.

In particular, his act of teasing the host, despite being slightly shorter than him, was incredibly cool. His slow and deliberate movement of moving the microphone away from the host, and the different camera angles he used, were all so incredibly handsome that viewers took screenshots and shared them like crazy.

Even his reaction of whispering in the ear of the equally cool and aloof Kazuma Hatake, then turning away and chuckling, has garnered countless comments wanting to know—what were they talking about?! I want to hear too!!

The scene where he and Kazuma Hodori win the prank contest but then voluntarily give it up, asking the host to pass it on to Anri Saki, instantly attracted a huge wave of enthusiastic fans.

Gojo Satoru! Gojo Satoru! They want to see a magazine interview featuring the incredibly handsome and considerate Gojo Satoru, whose every move is captivating!!

The phone lines of the agency that had initially agreed to simply register their names were ringing off the hook, so they had to call the assistant director who had previously contacted them to ask if they could arrange a magazine interview for Gojo Satoru and Hato Kazuma to appease the enthusiastic fans who were about to storm the agency.

The assistant supervisor was also completely bewildered, so he called Masamichi Yagami again to ask if Gojo Satoru and Kazuma Hato could participate in the interview.

As for why he didn't call Gojo Satoru? It's because he specifically brought the videotape back to the Gojo family in Kyoto and was watching the old men's furious expressions for amusement.

I'm currently unavailable to answer calls.

Meanwhile, Kazuma Hatori also received a call from his apparent guardian, Ayako Sakami.

Why did you go on the show?

She was equally incredulous, saying, "Do you know how shocked I was when believers showed me screenshots and asked if I was the same person as [the Holy Son]?"

Kazuma Hatake thought for a moment and gave her a very perfunctory answer.

"The mission requires it."

"Your task was to participate in a program with [Six-Eyed] from the Gojo family, and then act unusually close to him, almost making the patriarch think that our [House of Star Children] branch had betrayed the Panxing Cult and was trying to curry favor with the sorcery world?"

"…………"

Kazuma Hatake was silent for a moment, then said, "So even the patriarch watches prank shows."

Ayako Sakami choked.

"...Is that the key point?"

"...Please speak."

In order to obtain information, Kazuma Hatori is willing to temporarily lower his stance.

"An order from the Patriarch,"

Ayako took a deep breath before maintaining her icy demeanor and speaking to him.

"Get close to Xia Youjie and gain his trust."

Kazuma Hatake: "…………"

We really can't lower our stance!