Tokyo Singularity (21) Xia You Cult Leader...
Masamichi Nocturne didn't think too much before making a quick decision: "Nanami and Haibara, you and Shoko stay here. Gojo and Natsumi, come with me to check the situation. As for Ritsuka...?"
“I’ll go too.” Fujimaru Ritsuka patted the cookie crumbs off her hands and volunteered. “Shuten-dōji, please stay behind to protect the others.”
Shuten-dōji nodded charmingly, while the two Servants who weren't named didn't even bother to confirm with each other, instead gathering behind her as if they already knew her choice.
But none of them had a pleasant expression. Jeanne Alter gritted her teeth, her aura instantly becoming sharp and forceful. Oberon wore an excessively sweet smile, which sent a chill down Haibara Yu's spine when he accidentally met Oberon's gaze.
Who the hell ruined the gift they were giving to their Master/Ritsuka?!
There was no reason to refuse having more combat power. So, Moth Masamichi led the group, following the alarm, to the entrance of the vocational college.
Someone no one expected appeared.
The bird-shaped cursed spirit descended gracefully from the sky, causing the lush trees on both sides of the road to tremble and raindrops to pour down.
A young man in a kasaya, holding a black umbrella to shield himself from the rain, nimbly jumped off the cursed spirit. Night Moth Masakado subconsciously looked up, then froze, momentarily stunned.
Gojo Satoru, following behind him, nearly bumped his nose because he hadn't stopped in time. He rubbed his forehead in annoyance, "Hey, Moth, why did you suddenly stop? Did you see something...?"
He suddenly slowed his breathing.
The sky was overcast and rain was falling, the icy raindrops sliding across the young man's black umbrella.
As if his vision was obstructed, he slowly raised the umbrella, revealing a pair of beautiful, narrow eyes and a pale, familiar face.
This was a face that Gojo Satoru would never mistake, but the owner of those eyes looked at him with such a mature yet unfamiliar gaze.
Jay.
Xia Youjie.
Gojo Satoru couldn't help but take another step closer, but the shouts from behind made him stop in his tracks. Natsumi wiped his face, the rainwater that had choked him was chilly, but he couldn't care less. He and Fujimaru Ritsuka braved the rain and rushed to the school gate one after the other.
Xia Youjie couldn't describe how he felt when he saw that madman again. He called out to Gojo Satoru as if facing a formidable enemy, and pulled Fujimaru Ritsuka, who was walking forward, back.
Damn it, how could it be him!
Not long ago, this person who had the same face as him went mad to the point that he almost didn't want to admit that they shared the same name, and he didn't want his friends to see him.
But fate had other plans. They ended up meeting again in a few days, this time at the vocational college!
On the other side, Fujimaru Ritsuka steadied herself. The rain didn't obscure her eyes, and she could clearly see the person opposite her who looked exactly like Natsumi Yuuki, but she didn't react in any particular way to the scene.
She had seen plenty of scenes of someone fighting themselves, not to mention that she already knew there was another Xia Youjie who had been summoned by the Holy Grail.
Joan of Arc moved closer to her and solemnly whispered, "You are a follower, be careful."
Fujimaru Ritsuka nodded, and using the continuous sound of rain and Oberon's magic, she quietly opened the communication to confirm with Chaldea, "Da Vinci, what have you discovered?"
"Your class is Avenger. Your energy response isn't low, but the three Servants around you are enough to handle it." In stealth mode, a voice that only she could hear entered her ears.
“But no reaction was detected from the Holy Grail, so he probably didn’t have the Holy Grail with him.” Little Leonardo said in a light tone, confirming the calculated data. “But that makes sense, it’s just a clone created using Yin-Yang magic, it’s impossible for him to carry the important Holy Grail.”
Yin-Yang magic?
Upon hearing this, a name immediately came to mind for Fujimaru Ritsuka. The answer to the question that had troubled her for so long—who was the mastermind behind the Holy Grail—was almost crystal clear.
She even had some idea of what the seed of the Imaginary Tree was.
She blinked, unsure whether to marvel at Chaldea's technological advancements or sigh that it might be another case of someone she knew committing the crime. She voiced the question that had been lingering in her mind:
Is Ashiya Dōman still in Chaldea?
“As expected of Ritsuka,” Leonardo da Vinci’s approving voice came through the electricity. “This is exactly what I wanted to tell you. Sei Shonagon just reported that Ashiya Dōman has gone missing.”
She felt absolutely nothing, even a sense of déjà vu. Fujimaru Ritsuka sighed, rubbing her forehead. In the end, it was Chaldea causing trouble again.
The summer event just ended—are all villainous bosses this fond of causing trouble?
"So, he was the one who provided us with the clues, right?"
“Oh dear, it’s rare for you to be so clever,” Oberon replied. “To be an enemy and yet provide the side of justice with information that could turn the tide is simply unbecoming of a villain.”
No, no, no, she thinks that's what makes a good villain. She wants more, thank you.
Suddenly, Ritsuka keenly noticed Jeanne Alter looking over, her gaze somewhat complicated and hesitant. She patted her shoulder and asked, "Alter, darling?"
Joan of Arc, in frustration, slashed the ground with her sword, then glanced at the Xia You cult leader twice, somewhat conflicted, and said, "He... gives me a familiar feeling?"
Fujimaru Ritsuka stroked her chin thoughtfully. "Because of the same class?"
Joan of Arc hesitated for once, slowly nodding and then shaking her head.
What else could it be?
Before Fujimaru Ritsuka could ask any more questions, Gojo Satoru ignored Natsuyu Jie's advice and eagerly walked forward through the damp rain, almost reaching a distance of half a meter from Natsuyu Jie.
He pushed up his small sunglasses, revealing a pair of blue eyes hardened by ice. "Nice to meet you, or rather, it's been a long time?"
“Jay”.
"Nice to meet you, Wu." Xia You, the sect leader, turned his head to look at him, his tone indifferent. "No need to be so wary. I have no interest in fighting on enemy territory."
"That--!"
Masamichi Nobi, like a protective father, pulled Gojo Satoru back. "Then what was your purpose in breaking into the vocational high school?" he questioned seriously. "It couldn't be just because you miss your old school, could it?"
He did not use the name Xia Youjie, seemingly intending to distinguish Xia Youjie, the cult leader, from his student Xia Youjie.
"Hmm, I'm just here to deliver an invitation." Xia You, the cult leader, looked at the increasingly soaked crowd in front of him, their heads still adorned with glittery fragments. "But now, does it seem I've disturbed your event?"
Oberon suddenly lowered his head and chuckled, a sound clearly audible even in the rain. The Xia You Sect Leader's gaze shifted from the familiar faces in the front row to the girl and her follower in the back, partially obscured by Xia You Jie.
Xia Youjie felt a jolt when he felt his gaze and pressed Fujimaru Ritsuka back a little more. But Ritsuka grasped his cold, rain-soaked hand in return, and warmth came from their intertwined palms.
"Ah, miss, I've heard so much about you." Xia You shrugged and took a step to the side to avoid Gojou's obstruction and his eyes filled with anger and inquiry.
"I'd really like to get to know you, but are you planning to stay hidden in the background forever?"
Xia Youjie heard a short sigh behind him, followed by a brief hum as the call ended. The warmth in his hand was gradually fading; without thinking, he clutched the last vestige of warmth, "Don't listen to him."
"Don't worry," Fujimaru Ritsuka said softly, her voice barely louder than the thud of raindrops on the ground, but it eased Xia Youjie's tense nerves. "I'm confident."
The rain was still falling. Ritsuka, facing the scrutinizing gaze of Natsuyou and the disapproving look of Yaga Seido, pushed through the rain and walked to the front.
“This is the elder Mr. Xia You.” She stood steadily in front of the Xia You cult leader, her tone relaxed. It was as if she were not facing an enemy on a gloomy, rainy day, but chatting with a friend under the bright sunshine.
"Or should I address you, Avenger?"
Upon hearing the two different titles, Xia You, the cult leader, changed his expression. He stared at the orange-haired girl who seemed to have mediocre abilities, yet he dared not underestimate her.
Regardless of the two Servants behind her who would kill her at the slightest sign of trouble, the fact that she could make the strong submit to her with the strength of the weak is not to be underestimated.
“Ms. Fujimaru,” he replied politely, “It’s a pity I don’t remember you. You are far more useful than the entire General Manager’s Office. If I had come earlier, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have even been able to get the beginning of the plan.”
The plan? Did it mean having Jack the Ripper assassinate a high-ranking figure in the jutsu world connected to the stitching thread? Fujimaru Ritsuka pondered. His presence here now meant…
"So your plan is almost successful, or has already succeeded, which is why you're here, right?"
“Of course, after all, I don’t really have much to say to you, do I?” Xia You, the cult leader, looked down at the sorcerers standing opposite him. The warmth of the room still lingered on them, and he could almost imagine the lively scene that had just taken place.
It was something completely opposite to the cold rain and hostile gaze before him.
Thus, Xia You, the cult leader, belatedly realized that he experienced a bittersweet feeling, different from anger.
For the teachers and younger generations in my memory, and also for that vivid and dear friend.
He shook his head, inwardly lamenting his own inappropriate and irrelevant emotions. He stopped looking at the other students and instead turned his gaze back to the orange-haired girl.
“Three days from now, in Tokyo, I will announce the coming of the final act of humanity.” He bowed slightly, making an inviting gesture. “I sincerely invite you to stay in Tokyo that day and witness this event.”
"Aren't you afraid we'll stop you?" he heard the girl ask earnestly.
Xia Youjiaozhu was amused by her words and couldn't stop laughing. Just as he said, he certainly wouldn't have been so confident a few days earlier, but now the matter was almost settled.
"Hahahaha, if you can do it, then go for it!" He pressed his hand to his forehead, suppressing his laughter. "I'd love to see someone like you break down!"
He seems truly confident in his plan. But how could she possibly let him achieve something like destroying humanity—something even Goetia couldn't accomplish...!
Fujimaru Ritsuka clenched her fists. Just as she was about to say something, a tall figure strode past her, stepping into a puddle and sending raindrops flying and hitting her cheeks.
"Enlightenment?!"
"Wutiao, come back!"
Seemingly oblivious to the urgent cries behind him, the usually carefree Six-Eyed Child, for the first time, asked with disbelief and doubt, "Is this... what you wanted to say?"
Although Gojo Satoru had already heard Xia Youjie describe it once, the impact of seeing the supposedly real person was even greater than he had imagined. Without restraint, he forcefully grabbed Xia Youjie's collar.
"You come back from the future to the present, abandon your bullshit righteousness, and then head down a dead end. Don't you really have anything else to say?!"
Xia Youjiao was forced to look up, the rain soaking his face without any cover. He vaguely saw the young Gojo Satoru, the indignant boy frowning in the rain overlapping with the older, calm figure left in his mind.
The two people's different questions seemed to converge into the same sentence.
—Is there really nothing else you want to say?
—Is there anything you'd like to say in closing?
Ah, was it a rainy day that day too?
A note from the author:
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