In the dark room, there are many "doors" separating people. Looking around from here, it is easy to make people lose their direction and feel uneasy. This depressing atmosphere must be a common method used by the so-called senior executives to exert pressure on people.
"Yellow Spring River." A haggard voice came from one of the windows. "Someone reported that you were with the wanted curser... Is this true?"
The young man smiled calmly: "I don't know. After all, I'm not a sorcerer at all, and I don't know what you mean by wanted criminal..."
They did not mention Geto's name.
This made Jiuyuan certain of one thing at this moment - these guys were not coming to him to ask for accountability, but wanted to intimidate him and suppress him psychologically in advance to facilitate their subsequent goals. The so-called sighting of him with the curser was indeed, as he thought, a false accusation.
If they were really sure that they were related to Geto Suguru, with their cowardly vigilance to suppress all dangers, they would definitely not call him over for "questioning", but would choose to take action directly.
A different voice sounded: "Someone saw the wanted curser go to the 'shop'..."
Oh, so I was waiting for him here.
So these greedy guys are eyeing the things in the "shop"?
Thinking about it this way, he understood that the news of the store's promotional invitation a few days ago must have reached their ears. The main products of the store are all those that can enhance demonic power and are also effective against the undead...
Don’t these guys think they can use it?
Indeed, if they get the product from him, they can conduct experiments on other people and confirm that there are no side effects before using it themselves.
The system quietly reminded: "Master, maybe they don't just use it for themselves... There are also some guys among the sorcerers who secretly raise cursed spirits, and I heard that they also use cursed spirits to do some strange experiments. 】
After saying that, he let out a "tsk".
Jiu Yuan was amused by the system's vivid response. He smiled and replied in his heart, "How greedy! Cowardly and greedy. If they came to me to discuss a deal through Gojo Satoru, I might consider it... Forget it. Even if these people have side effects from the medicine, they will just blame me."
Unfortunately, Jiuyuan is about to shatter their fantasies.
——The "store" does not sell these products to living humans, and the only transactions with humans are intelligence and Hanako's lucky star's share.
They continued, "We hope that Mr. Yomizukawa will cooperate with our investigation. This is also for the sake of everyone's safety and the peace of the magic world."
"Really... I understand." Jiuyuan raised his hand high, then dropped it heavily: "But, I have no right to decide these. The 'store' has strong rules, and even I cannot violate these rules."
At this point, it is just right to pull out the "master" behind to take the blame.
After all, Yomizukawa Kyuen was just an ordinary high school boy. Of course, such a high-standard thing as a "store" did not belong to him! He was just borrowing it.
These people probably think so too.
They were waiting for Jiuyuan to say this so that they could use it as an opportunity to attack.
"So... you don't intend to cooperate with the investigation?"
"I am not the real owner of this shop. How can I, as a human being, fight against the rules set by such a big monster? I think you, as sorcerers, understand this." The young man's voice became a little colder. After a brief silence, he continued, "Or, tell me the appearance of the wanted sorcerer, and I can help you keep an eye out for him..."
"What if you have been secretly colluding with the curser and you go to inform him after he tells you the news?"
That's a bit impolite.
Jiuyuan simply changed its strategy——
"Then...it's not impossible to let you guys into the store."
The young man pulled out a few invitations from the sleeves of his kimono and said, "Guests with invitations can enter the store... If you have shikigami or ghosts, you can let them bring the invitations and try."
Jiuyuan knew that these people would never take the risk.
They must be wary of these invitations, wondering if there are any hidden tricks left for them, such as if they would be forcibly cursed once they touch the invitations in his hands. In their view, it is not difficult for a big demon to torture them to death, and they may not even be able to detect it.
So they only dared to try secretly from Jiuyuan.
"——What do you mean?" Someone seemed to have brought some dignity and was about to put pressure on him, "We can't go in, but the shikigami can?"
There was actually a fluctuation of magical power coming from this grid - this magical power was calculated, and although it would cause some pain to Jiuyuan, it would not cause any serious harm. They were also worried that it would trigger the protection mechanism on Jiuyuan.
(Here it comes.) Jiuyuan sneered in his heart. He was waiting for this moment.
Before coming here, he had the system buy an anti-injury shield in the store. When the cursed energy hit him, it was immediately bounced back - back to the person who attacked him, and Jiuyuan also mixed some demonic power into it.
It's not like he didn't eat, so of course he should return it double.
"Really..."
A look of indifference completely different from before appeared on the boy's face, and the power in his body rolled outward, corroding the room.
His expression was colder than ever before, as if he had merged with the darkness of the room and become some kind of lifeless, emotionless existence.
The people present immediately came to their senses - the person in front of them was not the boy they knew.
It was that the "master"...had reappeared, and the best explanation was this unreasonable demonic power.
"It seems that you are quite dissatisfied with the explanation given by this child."
"Make no mistake, sorcerers. The only people in my shop who have signed a 'contract' with me are the employees. Other than that -"
Beneath this smile, demonic power burst out like a fountain and enveloped the room.
This was an ink darker than the night itself, swallowing up even the last ray of light in the room, leaving nothing behind.
"My stuff is only sold to the dead."
…
…
Jiuyuan came out refreshed, with a gentle and polite smile.
The people waiting for him at the door saw that he looked refreshed, but they were wondering in their hearts: When did those people become so easy to talk to?
"Please take me back." Jiuyuan nodded.
The man then hurriedly said: "No, no, no, this is my responsibility..."
Along the way, Jiuyuan was in a good mood and chatted with the system.
"Have you used the props I just asked you to buy?" he asked.
Confronting those annoying old guys head-on is not a good option at this stage, and it is not time to close the net yet.
The mystery of Geto Xia Yu's body has not been figured out yet, so we can't do anything too harsh to them for now. We have to keep it for future use.
However, this does not mean that they can do it without paying a price.
[System: I'll listen to you. I bought the strongest version of the Doom Halo. People who are enveloped by the halo will probably encounter misfortunes of varying degrees for three months...]
"Is this degree of misfortune random?" Jiuyuan didn't think too much about it when he bought it.
On the way here, he prepared a lot of props. He thought this prop was the one he was most likely to use, so he secretly paid attention to it, but he didn't have time to take a closer look.
【System: No, this is said to be quite intelligent. It can judge a person's crimes in advance and punish them with bad luck. The punishment for a person who has done many evil things will be terrible. In other words, if a person is a good person who has never done evil things, the halo will have no effect on him at all.】
Kuen: "...It's actually automatically punishing people based on their good deeds in life. Isn't that too smart?"
If there is a bad person among that group of people who has committed many evil deeds and is full of evil, it would not be surprising if he died as a result.
There is no need for Jiuyuan to do anything himself. The panic brought about by this misfortune and curse can even increase his reputation.
He felt that he was becoming more and more experienced in being an emotionless behind-the-scenes manipulator.
[System: ...Hell is also constantly updating, although it is still understaffed all year round.]
Jiuyuan raised an eyebrow: "It sounds like you know a lot about what's going on there?"
【System: No, no, I just heard it from others.】
"Hearsay? Who told you that?"
【System: ...Don't ask! 】
Then, the system really started to play dead and refused to answer him.
It's like a child who has been caught lying by an adult.
The system appeared strange, but he had been doing his best to help Jiuyuan, so Jiuyuan never thought about what the system was. It was able to come up with so many strange props, and it was obvious that it was very knowledgeable about this side of things. The system could give him good advice on matters related to monsters.
He can't help much with human affairs.
Jiu Yuan thought about it carefully and realized that he had accepted the system as a matter of course - this in itself was very strange and did not match his personality.
Judging from the system's attitude, it will definitely not give a direct answer if you ask it.
When he returned to the room, he ran into Junpei Yoshino.
The boy still looked a little depressed, but after seeing Jiuyuan, he seemed relieved.
"That's great... I heard that Jiuyuan was taken away. I was a little worried." He looked at Jiuyuan. He looked neat and tidy, without any signs of injury or grievance. He felt relieved and said, "I'm glad to see that you are okay."
Only then did Jiuyuan remember Yoshino Junpei's dull interpersonal relationships.
Apart from the now "dead" Yuji, the only people who had more contact with him were two students of the same grade, himself and "Hanako-kun".
"Would you like to come in and sit down?" Jiuyuan opened the door, "Or do you have other plans now?"
“Not at this time.”
When Yoshino Junpei came in, he saw the suitcase that Hisaen had half packed before he was called out.
"Are you moving out of here?"
"Well, I'm not a technical college student, so it wouldn't be appropriate for me to stay here forever, right?" Jiuyuan smiled.
"...What happens next?" Yoshino asked uncertainly, "What happens after you leave the technical high school?"
"Hmm? I will go back to school to continue studying." Jiuyuan thought for a moment and said, "I have taken a lot of leave before. Although I have calculated the attendance rate in advance, I still have to make up for the missed courses. Otherwise, it will be disadvantageous for the exam..."
As Yoshino Junpei listened to him, he felt that the life was different from what he had imagined. He could not help but ask, "Is it really possible? I mean, after going through all this... can I go back to that kind of life?"
His question made Jiu Yuan pause.
Yoshino Junpei's words seemed to be telling himself with his weak voice - even though he is now a sorcerer, he still has a yearning for a quiet, ordinary life.
After asking, Junpei Yoshino himself felt that something was wrong.
(I was the one who was excited about becoming a sorcerer, but now I suddenly miss that kind of life... Why? Am I a coward? Am I afraid and hesitant about the future because of Yuji's death?)
(So…am I not like a deserter? Would Kuen-kun think I’m embarrassing? What about Yuji? What would he think if he were still alive—)
Doubts, depression and frustration were flickering in his heart.
"Of course." Jiuyuan looked at the boy in front of him and said softly, "There's nothing wrong with that, Yoshino-san. As long as it doesn't harm others, it's your freedom to choose what kind of life you want to live. If you consider the opinions of people around you too much and choose a path that goes against your own wishes, you will regret it sooner or later."
He continued, "When you have to force yourself to make an inevitable sacrifice, you will regret it. 'Why did I choose this at that time', 'I shouldn't have been so stubborn at that time', 'I regret it so much'... Such thoughts will continue to appear until you truly die."
"It would be too painful to die with this unnecessary self-blame."
"You know what? People like this will be bound by their own regrets and remorse, and become ghosts lingering in the human world. During the time you followed Hanako-kun, you must have seen many such dead people, right?"
Yoshino Junpei nodded.
"Ordinary happiness is also a precious thing, right?" Jiuyuan said with a smile, "My suggestion is to have a delicious meal with the people you cherish, then take a hot bath and relax in a comfortable bed for a night..."
"——If you still have any troubles, leave them to your future self."