Hellfire 01
At dawn, the light was still dim, and mist drifted like silk, shaking off the chill. Streetlights flickered intermittently, illuminating the wet asphalt road.
The newspaper delivery man pushed his bicycle slowly through the deserted streets.
Most Japanese homes have a mailbox outside their doors, separate from their mailboxes. Typically, newspaper deliverymen deliver newspapers directly into the mailbox. In single-family homes, deliverymen may choose to place newspapers on a dedicated rack near the entrance or door. Morning newspapers are delivered between 2:00 AM and 6:00 AM to avoid disturbing residents. However, there are exceptions.
This is the case with the Geto family not far away.
This surname was quite rare among the Satos, and the newspaper deliveryman had memorized it with some effort. The family had recently moved to Tokyo, and their son had a habit of jogging in the mornings. Often, when the newspaper deliveryman arrived near Takeuchi's house, the son would just be returning from his workout. The child was very polite, always greeting first and then accepting the newspaper with a smile. After saying goodbye to the newspaper deliveryman, Mrs. Takeuchi would open the door to greet him.
For the newspaper deliveryman, today is no different from yesterday.
Geto Xia Yu nodded slightly, took the newspaper and tucked it under his arm.
"Thank you for your hard work."
"It's just my job." The newspaper deliveryman rubbed his red, frozen fingers, put on gloves, and slowly rode away on his bike.
This Getsuyu-kun is deeply loved by his parents and has high hopes for them.
Geto Xiayou walked to the door and knocked gently.
"Welcome home."
The mother opened the door with a smile, her movements smooth, as if she had rehearsed them countless times. Her smile was impeccable, but how much of it came from her genuine love for her son?
"Breakfast is ready."
Did my mother really care about me? Or was she used to playing the role of a gentle mother, and he was used to playing along with her?
"I'm not hungry yet." Xia Yujie's mind was full of the girl he met yesterday morning.
Curse spirits, sorcerers... that wasn't an illusion, he knew it perfectly well. Otherwise, there was no way to explain the abnormality in him. Furthermore, no one could deny the existence of such a powerful force.
Is his brain so absurd that he can construct a false person?
impossible!
He is not a madman or a freak. There are people like him in the world, and he has companions!
He is on the side of justice.
The nails almost dug into the palm of the hand, making a hole.
"What are you talking about, Xiaojie? Our family has always eaten at this time because of you. Come quickly, your father is waiting for us."
"Okay..." Geto Suguru turned into a silent yes-man, and the words he said were already prepared.
"Here's today's newspaper."
"I'll take it to your father. Xiaojie, go wash your hands first."
It wasn't long before he washed his hands. When Geto arrived at the restaurant, his father was holding a corner of the newspaper, his eyes fixed on a certain page. He couldn't see it clearly, but he couldn't interrupt him, so he had to sit down and eat first.
The thick omelette his mother made was always sweet, which he actually didn't like.
"Why is Xiaojie eating so slowly today? Is it because it doesn't suit your taste?"
Does he really hate sweets that much? He clearly enjoyed the strawberry cake yesterday, it was so sweet to his heart.
[I don't have time to eat strawberry cake with anyone today. I'll leave this one for you.]
I can eat with you.
My mother's eyes are looking at me.
"This is the fruit of your mother's labor, don't waste it."
My father followed immediately.
He can't be picky about food.
He wants to be a good boy.
Mom and Dad love him.
It's just that he is different from ordinary people.
Geto lowered his eyes, chewing slowly. Thick omelet tasted better than cursed spirits. A cloyingly sweet taste permeated his mouth, familiar or disliked, always like this.
He would swallow it mouthful by mouthful until he finished it.
"What makes you so upset? Can't you tell me and Xiaojie?" The mother turned around and asked the father with a smile.
His parents have a good relationship, so he, as their only child, is redundant.
No, how could he think that?
"There was an earthquake in the Indian Ocean yesterday morning around nine o'clock."
"Earthquake? Was it serious?"
"The earthquake is a minor matter. The tsunami it caused is the real problem. Hundreds of thousands of people have died."
"Oh... so many people..." The mother looked compassionate, but her tone was as cheerful as always. She always said: "I deeply sympathize with their misfortune - what do you think, Xiaojie?"
His father did not interrupt his conversation with his mother, but turned the page of the newspaper in silence.
Geto Suguru was stunned. Hundreds of thousands of people died in the same disaster. Human beings were indeed too weak.
"I...I'm sorry, I can't seem to do anything for them."
There is no place for his power in the world of ordinary people.
"This matter is too far away. Even Jie can't do anything. Don't feel sorry." His father motioned his mother not to mention it again. He put down the newspaper and turned to Takeru Suguru and said, "Did you go to the area near Yoyogi Park yesterday?"
I feel like I should go there.
So I went.
Didn't discuss it with my parents.
"Yes..." Xia Yujie didn't know why his father suddenly mentioned this matter. His father and mother hadn't mentioned this matter since he came back yesterday.
"A man set himself on fire in the park."
Xia Yujie nodded. He had witnessed the whole process. He didn't have time to stop it.
"Is this a normal or abnormal event?" my father frowned and asked in a deep voice.
"It's the cursed spirit," Xia Yujie replied immediately, but his father didn't respond for a long time. He looked up and found that his father's face was as black as coal.
"'Cursed Spirit'? Who told you that's a scientific name?"
My mother twirled the bouquet in the vase lazily between her fingers and sniffed absentmindedly.
"Dear, it's time to change the flowers in the vase."
"Just make your decision."
"Someone who can see them like me." answered Geto Suguru, with a cold, almost sleepy expression on his face.
What would my father say?
My father repeated the word "curse" in a low voice, his fingers stroking the newspaper.
Geto Summer realized that the situation was not good.
"So you happily forget your responsibilities?"
My father's voice deepened, his tone filled with a hint of dissatisfaction, even... anger.
I didn't! It happened so fast, there was no way I could stop it!
Moreover, I exorcised the cursed spirit.
No one was harmed.
Geto Xia Yu tried hard to hold his breath and clutched the tablecloth tightly with both hands.
He kept recalling his conversation with the girl.
[After my analysis, it was probably born out of humanity's anger and fear of usury. A very typical modern curse...]
How can I explain this to my father?
"Dad, what was the cause of death reported in the newspaper?"
"I owed a huge amount of high-interest loans and couldn't pay it back, so I chose to leave this world before the New Year."
Curse spirits are born from human negativity. There are many different types of curse spirits, and that one was the first I'd ever seen. After my analysis, it likely stemmed from human anger and fear of usury. A very typical modern curse spirit...
Loan sharking...isn't that something humans created? Unlike the Indian Ocean earthquake, this is completely—
His father patted the newspaper, bringing Xia Yujie back to his senses: "Tell me about the details."
"I exorcised the curse." That's it.
"Exorcism?" His father looked up at him and sneered, "Another technical term."
"So what if I've exorcised you?" His father said coldly, "Powerful abilities should be used to protect others. Since you believe you're born extraordinary, please assume the corresponding responsibilities."
My father has said this so many times that his ears are almost callused.
responsibility?
Is he responsible for the death of an ordinary person? It was obviously his own death—
[Human life is so fragile. Xiaojie is so strong, he must protect others.]
This is what his mother often said when he was a child.
[Those who can see cursed spirits and make it their business to exorcise them, secretly protecting ordinary people, are called "cursors."]
[By definition, you already are. Haven't you secretly protected many people?]
[It's rare to find a sorcerer who can grow to your level.]
[You were able to learn how to use cursed energy and how to use it to exorcise cursed spirits. This is truly rare.]
I am a sorcerer.
A natural born sorcerer.
"Oh, my dear, don't be angry with the child. Xiaojie was very happy when he came back yesterday... He met a very nice person, right?"
She is indeed a very nice person.
"Yes, Mom." Xia Yujie replied with a smile.
"So, what is Xiaojie thinking now?" asked the mother softly.
“…”
"She said I was a sorcerer and there is a school that specializes in training sorcerers." When Geto Suguru said this, he had no expectations of his parents.
Sure enough, my mother's focus was on something else.
"Ka no jio?" The mother exclaimed with a smile, "Honey, Xiaojie met a girl."
"Girls? I thought such dangerous jobs were only for men."
"Honey, that's prejudice." Mother pretended to be angry at her father, then smiled and asked Geto: "Do you want to go, Geto?"
"I want to go." Geto Suguru said this without any thought.
"no."
He had expected his father's rejection.
"We moved to Tokyo because we wanted Jay to receive the best education and get into the University of Tokyo, not some fake school."
"But..." That's not a fake school.
Geto Xia Yu wanted to explain something further, but his father waved his hand and told him not to speak.
"What you can see, we can't see. The world you see is different from the world we see."
"When you were little, you were so ignorant that you caused enough trouble for me and your mother. Your mother almost died!"
But I saved my mother.
My mother wasn't hurt at all, I was the one who was hurt.
"Anyway, we're following the rules we know. Forget it. Did 'she' say that the 'cursed spirit' couldn't be announced to the public?"
"yes……"
"I guess so." His father scoffed and rolled up the newspaper. His mother poured him and his father a cup of hot tea respectively. "Be careful, Xiaojie."
"Don't be angry. Xiaojie has always been a good boy since he was a child."
"Xiaojie, how about telling mom about that person?"
"Well……"
What can I say?
"I want to protect her"? Dad would scold me for being self-righteous.
"I like her"? My mother would tease me.
"Not as strong as me."
"A lot of talk."
Now that I think about it, I feel really bad that it was the other person who was talking the whole time.
"Is there any contact information?"
"No... I only know the address of the school."
"Bigger than Xiaojie or smaller than Xiaojie?"
"That's about right." "Sister, right?" No, no, no, he didn't have a sister.
"You ask so many questions..." The father was annoyed by the mother. The mother ignored the father and continued to ask with a smile: "She is about the same age as Xiaojie, and she sent Xiaojie to a specialized school. She must be a student there, right?"
[You shouldn't wear school uniforms during holidays. If you go to Jujutsu High School, wearing a uniform would make you want to vomit.]
"Yes."
"Let Xiaojie go." The mother coldly pronounced judgment on the father and son, "Xiaojie's talents are not in our world."
[Xiaojie must learn to protect weak people like his mother.]
[It was me who made the move…]
[Just so you know.]
My mother's sincere smile twisted for a moment.
I never had any other choice.
[If I don't go looking for the cursed spirit, the cursed spirit will come looking for me.]
[Danger will come if you see it. Curse spirits are unreasonable creatures like this.]
[You are truly blessed by your parents.]
grace?
That is suffering.
For both of us.
*
"Glass, Isn't Takashi not here?"
"The Zen temple has an appointment with someone."
meet--
[Jiejun wants me to become a sorcerer, why don’t you confirm me?]
[Did Jie-kun fall in love with Miss Ruoye at first sight?]
It must be this guy.
Satoru and Hatsuchan both affirmed you, so why are you still looking for me——
All seen through.
This guy——
"Gatsuyu, you look terrible. Do you want me to heal you?"
"Thanks, Naoko. But I think I'm in good condition, not injured at all... and the mission was completed successfully..." Geto Suguru put the gift bag on the table, "Souvenirs for Naoko and Hantsu-chan. I think it's most likely that Hantsu-chan and Naoko are staying in the infirmary together..."
"Admit it, Geto. I'm incidental."
"How could it be, Glass..."
"Getsu knows who Zenin is going to see, and he is so sad about it that he can't help himself~" Ieiri Shoko said this in a joking way. If she said it too seriously, this guy... Tsk, what a trouble.
"Nose guessed it." Geto Suguru and Noseko Ieiri briefly recounted their experiences from a few days ago.
"Oh. The Zen temple has finally attracted someone. Congratulations!"
"Glass?"
After being called by Gouyu, Ieiri Nozomi realized that Gouyu might not know about this.
"That's true." Ieiri Naoko sighed, "Except for the time when Zenin was about to advance at the beginning of the school year, Getu hasn't done many missions with Zenin, right?"
Geto nodded. It was actually more than Nozomi had expected. But now that I think about it, it still seems too little.
It was just him and Yuki.
"Zenin and I decided on our respective destinations a long time ago. What Zenin wants to do, it won't be enough with just you, Gojo, Haibara, and Nanami." Ieiri Naoko touched her head and muttered to herself, "Haibara, Nanami, and Zenin have an average relationship..." She corrected herself, "Just Gojo and Xiayu won't be enough. Zenin told me that she's met many people with the talent to become sorcerers, but very few are willing to become sorcerers."
"Haibara and Goyu have talked about this, right? Haibara himself has a sister who can see curses, but he tried his best to prevent her from coming to the technical high school. Goyu, tell me, why is that?"
Xia Youjie felt his throat was rusty. He turned his head away and took a long time to reply to Jialiu Xiaozi: "Death... the mortality rate is too high."
[Do you really want to be a sorcerer?]
[You have other options.]
Yukiko has been appearing in his dreams lately.
"That's the correct answer!" encouraged Ieiri Shoko.
"Nano, what's there to encourage about this?" said Geto Suguru helplessly.
Ieiri Naoko didn't care: "Does Geto know? Thousands of people die in Japan from industrial accidents every year, and sorcerers only account for a very small part of them. But the death rate of sorcerers is the highest."
"Most people would be daunted by such a death rate. Choosing to be a 'window' is a display of immense courage. Many people will simply ignore it and continue living their lives."
"Stop talking, Glass."
Ieiri Shoko raised her head and said, "Suzuki might be the first one..."
"Am I not?" Xia Yujie interrupted Ieiri Nozomi.
"So Geta was recommended by Zenin. No wonder I felt like you were looking for someone when I first enrolled." Ieiri Naoko waved her hand. "Geta is different. Geta is very strong."
But I almost died once!
[You who are blessed by God are defeated by a wild monkey like me who can't even cast a spell.]
If you want to live a long life, don't forget what happened today.
"She didn't contact me again until Hatsuchan enrolled in technical high school."
"I see~ Geto is feeling unbalanced. I heard from Gojo that Zenin fell ill after returning home during that time, and she couldn't contact you even if she wanted to."
No, she had no intention of interacting with me at first.
It's not for me.
This is not fair.
He was so excited to meet her.
"Don't be depressed, Xia Yu. Isn't it something to be happy about having a new student?"
"Yeah, Glass."
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