Chapter 20
78.
Late at night, everything is quiet.
Shiori Tadano opened her eyes, her gaze fixed on the blurred lines on the ceiling. The sound of her cell phone lingered in her ears, the very sound that had pulled her out of her dream.
"Why is it another urgent mission..." She sat up in a daze and skillfully groped for the uniform beside the bed in the dark. She had repeated this action countless times. Recently, the number of missions was so high that she could hardly breathe.
Shiori neatly strapped the dagger to the outside of her thigh, her brow furrowing ever deeper. While summer missions were already quite numerous, and she had recruited a group of curse masters to help share the burden, why was the constant barrage of emergency notifications still overwhelming? Even during daytime classes, she was constantly interrupted by sudden phone calls, leaving the children waiting in vain.
After changing her clothes and opening the door, the light from the corridor stretched her shadow very long. She walked quickly through the corridor and headed straight for the school gate.
79.
The wind from the training ground brought with it the coolness of the early morning, finally blowing away some of my sleepiness.
"Teacher Tadano! Teacher Tadano!" Yuji Itadori's energetic voice came from the front.
Shiori came back to her senses: "Ah? What did Hisahito just say? Can you say it again?"
"Where are all the seniors from other grades?" Yuji Itadori asked, scratching his head. "I've been enrolled for so long, and I haven't seen anyone from other grades."
"There are more missions in the summer, so the second, third and fourth grades have gone to various places to provide support," Shiori explained.
Next to her, Nobara Kugisaki took a half step forward and scanned her face sharply: "Teacher Tadano, you look so bad. Your dark circles are so obvious."
Shiori pressed her aching solar plexus and said, "I've had too many tasks lately and haven't had enough rest."
Megumi Fushiguro, who was not far away, was holding a bottle of mineral water. When she heard the words, she glanced at her and then quietly looked away.
Shiori clapped her hands and said, "Alright, let's go back to the classroom first. We'll have the basic spell class later."
Just as she finished her words, the phone in her pocket rang at an inopportune moment. She picked up the call, listened to the hurried instructions on the other end, and simply replied, "Okay, got it."
After hanging up the phone, Shiori couldn't help but sigh, scratched her messy bangs, and said helplessly: "Sorry, I have to go on an emergency mission again. Let's go to class when I come back."
Suddenly, a gentle voice came from behind: "Let me teach them the basics of spells."
Shiori turned around and saw Geto Suguru walking towards them slowly, his long black hair swaying gently in the breeze and a gentle smile on his lips.
"That's not good, Geto-senpai." Shiori waved her hands awkwardly, "It's too much trouble for you."
"It's okay." Geto's gaze paused for half a second at the dark circles under her eyes, and he said naturally, "Didn't you teach Nanako and Mimiko very attentively before? And if it's just a basic course, I can still handle it now."
Shiori no longer refused and bowed deeply: "Then thank you very much, Geto-senpai."
After waving goodbye to the three students, she grabbed the bag of spell tools beside her, turned around and walked quickly towards the school gate. The auxiliary supervision car was already waiting.
80.
While driving, the assistant supervisor solemnly instructed Shiori in the back seat, "About an hour ago, the surveillance camera detected the presence of a cursed fetus in this area. Evacuation of personnel and cordoning off of the area have been completed."
He emphasized this with a purposeful emphasis. "Of particular note, according to assessment, if this cursed fetus completes its transformation, it is highly likely to give birth to a top-grade cursed spirit. Our mission is to exorcise it before it metamorphoses. To ensure this is a foolproof undertaking, a sorcerer will be assigned to work with you."
Shiori raised her eyes and asked, "Which magician?"
"He was temporarily transferred and his specific identity needs to be confirmed on site." The auxiliary supervisor answered truthfully.
Shiori nodded and closed her eyes again, taking advantage of the car ride to rest her eyes.
Arriving at the scene and seeing the collaborative magician clearly, Shiori's calm expression instantly shattered, and she blurted out in surprise: "Why is it you?"
The person standing in front of him was none other than Zenin Naoya, the blond-haired boy who had previously provoked Yuta Okkotsu at the sister school exchange meeting.
Zenin Naoya glanced at Shiori, his eyes full of undisguised contempt: "So it's you." He sneered, his tone arrogant, "Women, just follow behind me and obey my instructions."
"..." Shiori felt the veins on her forehead throbbing. She was already annoyed enough!
At this moment, the assistant supervisor stepped forward, interrupting the tense atmosphere between the two men. Pointing to the distant sea, he explained the situation: "The cursed fetus has attached itself to a cruise ship. All aboard have been evacuated. Now, we need two of you to board the ship in a small boat and carry out the exorcism mission."
"I'll be leaving first. See you on the cruise ship." Shiori responded almost immediately, and before the assistant supervisor could finish her words, she put the bamboo dragonfly on her head. She didn't want to ride on the boat with Zenin Naoya!
The interior of the cruise ship was brightly lit, with uneaten food scattered on the dining table, revealing the hasty nature of people's emergency evacuation.
The two walked in the corridor, one in front and one behind, searching for the cursed fetus.
"Hey." Zenin Naoya suddenly spoke up, calling out to Shiori who was walking quickly ahead, his tone still arrogant, "When a woman walks, she should stay three steps behind a man. That's the rule."
Seeing Shiori's lack of reaction, he emphasized his tone: "Don't you even understand this basic etiquette?"
Shiori turned and rolled her eyes at him. Are you okay?
Zenin Naoya suddenly became angry: "What's with that expression? I haven't settled the score with you yet!"
Shiori suddenly stopped and turned around: "If you don't find the cursed fetus and deal with it quickly," she paused, her eyes suddenly turned cold, "you can just wait to die here with me." After saying that, she turned around and walked forward quickly.
Looking at Shiori's back, Zenin Naoya snorted disdainfully.
81.
"Mission accomplished." Shiori said lightly, put away the dagger and turned to look at Zenin Naoya standing on the other side.
The swaying of the cruise ship gradually subsided, leaving only the whistling sound of the sea breeze blowing through the broken windows.
Zenin Naoya glanced at her, his lips curled up in an ambiguous arc: "It's quite useful." He took two steps forward to close the distance between him and Shiori, "Think about it, do you want to come to Zenin's house?"
Shiori seemed to have heard something strange: "Are you hiring directly from Boss?"
Zenin Naoya said nonchalantly, "It must be tiring following Satoru."
Shizhi remained calm on the surface, but her eyes grew colder as she pressed on, "What do you mean?"
Zenin Naoya didn't answer directly. He just pointed his finger at the area below his eyes and said firmly, "Isn't this something you can see with your naked eyes?"
Shiori understood the implication of Zenin Naoya's words. After a moment of silence, she turned and walked towards the deck without saying anything, leaving Zenin Naoya standing there alone.
82.
At night, in a private room of an izakaya, Shiori Tadano, Satoru Gojo, Shoko Ieiri, Kento Nanami, and Kitaka Ijichi sat in a circle, with the grilled skewers on the table still steaming.
Nanami Kento and Ijichi Kiyotaka were whispering about the upcoming mission. Gojo Satoru rested his chin on one hand, his eyes scanning the empty beer mugs lined up in front of Shiori and Ieiri Shoko. He said, "Shiori, you've had too much to drink. Take a break."
Shiori was already tipsy, her cheeks flushed. She grabbed Ieiri Naoko's sleeve and shook it, "Noko-senpai! I haven't had a full night's sleep in days!"
Ieiri Naoko raised the beer glass in her hand, and the rim of the glass gently touched the wall of her glass: "Although I really want to comfort you, I am also."
Shiori put down her wine glass, rushed over and hugged Ieiri Naoko's arm, her shoulders twitching as she pretended to cry: "I went on a mission with Zenin Naoya today, and he wouldn't let me go in front! He said I don't know basic etiquette!"
"He also said that I have obvious dark circles under my eyes!" Shiori buried her face in Ieiri Shoko's shoulder and complained in a low voice. Ieiri Shoko said nothing, but raised her hand to press the dark circles under her eyes, which were also very dark, silently responding.
Gojo Satoru, who was digging into buttered potatoes with a spoon, looked up and said cheerfully, "That's true, but it's still very cute~"
"And more!" Shiori suddenly raised her head, as if remembering something even more infuriating. "He even asked me to go to Zenin's house! And he's even adding insult to injury!"
Gojo Satoru raised an eyebrow, "Huh? Asking you to go to Zenin's house?"
She grabbed the wine glass and took a gulp, a few drops of wine dripping down the corner of her mouth. Drunken anger burned in her eyes: "You disgusting board of directors!" She slammed her palm on the table, making the glasses and plates clink. "I'm going to sue Congress! Sue Congress!"
As soon as she finished speaking, a faint light of magic flowed between Shiori's fingers.
Nanami Kento frowned at this, worried that she would lose control of the technique after getting drunk and cause trouble, so he reminded her in a deep voice: "Tadono, use the technique here..."
"It's okay, it's okay~" Gojo Satoru waved his hand lazily, resting his elbow on the table and supporting his chin, his tone full of confidence, "I'm here, I'm the strongest."
Nanami Kento took a sip of his wine, turned his face away helplessly, and said nothing more.
With a clang, a white miniature building fell onto the table. The columns, doors and windows were all clearly visible. Upon closer inspection, it looked like a miniature version of the Capitol.
Gojo Satoru reached out and poked the cold model, and asked with interest, "What is this?"
Shiori pointed dazedly, her tongue tied. "This is a mini-parliament... Slip the written bill into it, and the real-life parliament will pass it."
"Ijichi~" Gojo Satoru turned around immediately, "Take out the notebook and write for us."
Yiji Zhijiegao hurriedly took out a notebook and pen. As soon as the paper was spread out on the table, the sound of the pen tip sliding across the paper began to rise and fall.
Shiori dazedly stuffed the pages of paper filled with words written by everyone into the model one by one, but the page in front of her was covered with lines that looked like scribbles, and even she couldn't recognize what was written on it.
She turned around and grabbed Gojo Satoru's wrist, stuffed the pen into his palm, and said incoherently, "Teacher, help me write..."
Gojo Satoru took the pen and twirled it in a circle between his fingers. "Hmm! What does Shiori want me to write?"
Shiori leaned her head heavily on his arm, her hair brushing against his sleeves, carrying a faint smell of alcohol: "Just write... No, don't embarrass Gojo Satoru!"
He lowered his eyes to stare at the top of the girl's head, which was buried in her arms. The tip of his pen paused on the paper, and then he chuckled softly: "Okay, don't embarrass Gojo Satoru."
When the last piece of paper was inserted into the model, the miniature parliament dissipated into a speck of light. Shiori, as if all her strength had been drained from her, slumped over the table, her cheek pressed against the cool surface. Her eyelashes fluttered, her breathing gradually steadying, and she fell into a deep, drunken sleep.
Yijizhi Jiegao looked at the place where the light disappeared and asked quietly, "Will what we wrote really take effect?"
Gojo Satoru twirled his pen and laughed, "I don't know, but it's fun, isn't it?"
Ieiri Naoko reached out and tucked Shiori's messy hair behind her ear, saying softly, "I feel much better after writing."
Nanami Kento didn't say anything, but just put down his pen silently. After all, he had just written several pages with true feelings, and his wrist was sore!
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