Friends and Disagreements [Minor Revision]
Life in the second year seemed no different from before. He still went on missions with Natsumi Yujie and Gojo Satoru. Occasionally, Tsurumi Kawaru would go on missions alone. If he came across a dessert shop or cafe, he would bring some desserts back with him.
"Satoru, are you still researching the limitless?" Tsurumi Ryu put the desserts he brought back into the refrigerator for him and saw the white-haired boy hunched over his desk with a stack of messy draft paper in front of him covered with various formulas.
Gojo Satoru responded without looking up, completely focused on the formulas he was working on. Seeing this, Tsurumi Kawakami didn't disturb him and quietly slipped away.
Just as I closed Gojo Satoru's dormitory door, I turned around and saw Natsumi Yoshitsu coming out of the dormitory. He was wearing a dark-colored school uniform, with the same style of school uniform top paired with loose wide-leg pants, which looked just right on him.
"Ryu, you're back." A flicker of surprise crossed Xia Youjie's eyes upon seeing him, then, noticing he was coming from Gojo Satoru's dorm, he asked, "Is Satoru still researching and developing techniques?"
Tsurumi Kawakami nodded and walked out with him: "There's a whole table of draft paper on it. Those formulas are making my head spin. Goshin is amazing."
At the end, his tone carried a hint of easily perceptible envy.
Xia Youjie laughed and said, "Let's not talk about him. I've also made some progress recently. Do you remember Granny Onsen? I found that the wagashi she makes seems to suppress the taste of the cursed spirit ball. People who eat it will be immersed in a strong sense of happiness."
Xia Youjie discovered this by chance. He could sense the spell abilities of any cursed spirit he subdued and absorbed immediately, but he always had a vague feeling about Granny Wenquan's spell abilities.
A few days ago, after subduing and absorbing a level one cursed spirit, Xia Youjie suddenly understood Granny Wenquan's magical abilities.
Upon hearing his words, Tsurumi Kawaru's eyes lit up. He turned his head, his golden pupils shimmering like viscous liquid gold in the sunlight. He was genuinely happy for Xia Youjie and said frankly and openly, "Really? Then Jie won't have to suffer so much when absorbing cursed spirits in the future."
The black-haired, golden-eyed boy said to himself, "It's very uncomfortable to watch Jie absorb the cursed spirit. He can't eat anything after each absorption. He can only barely eat refreshing buckwheat noodles. If this continues, Jie will become thinner than me and Wu."
Xia Youjie was taken aback. He hadn't expected that he would actually find out. And if Tsurumi Kawakami had found out, Gojo Satoru must know too.
Seemingly sensing his thoughts, Tsurumi Kawakami nodded and said seriously, "That's right, Satoru also knows, but Jet doesn't say it, so Satoru didn't let me say it either. He said Jet has a strong sense of pride."
He scratched the back of his head, somewhat confused, and looked at Xia Youjie with a puzzled expression: "But we're friends, why can't friends say this?"
Xia Youjie pursed his lips and stopped. The two stood facing each other under the shade of a tree. He was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled: "Well, there's nothing that friends can't talk about. I was wrong this time. I'll tell you and Wu next time I encounter a problem."
"Really? Then it's settled. I'll talk to Satoru about it." Tsurumi Kawakami's eyes lit up, and he said cheerfully.
-
An abandoned hospital building.
After setting up the tent, Tsurumi Kawaru stepped into the hospital alone.
The gloomy, dark corridor was filled with the mingled smells of decay and formaldehyde. The overhead incandescent lights flickered rhythmically, casting an eerie atmosphere over the abandoned hospital.
Since it was only a level two mission, Tsurumi Kawaru came alone. The assistant supervisor took him to the mission location, set up the tent, and waited outside.
Tsurumi Kawa entered the hospital and headed straight for the direction with the strongest foul smell. Deep inside the hospital, where corpses were stored, the smell of formaldehyde grew stronger. A black, four-armed cursed spirit, its body seemingly split in two, lay prostrate on the dissection table.
Upon finding the cursed spirit, Tsurumi Ryuu charged forward without hesitation. His defense ignored the cursed spirit's attacks and even reflected the damage back. He wielded his cursed weapon, a large cleaver, and cleaved the cursed spirit in two.
A sharp shriek rang out, the ear-piercing sound causing Tsurumi River to pause for a second. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the cursed spirit tried to slip away, but as soon as it turned around, its large cleaver flew over, the tip of the blade piercing straight through the ground and pinning it to the ground.
After exorcising the cursed spirit, Tsurumi Kawakami shook his hands, brushing away the sticky, foul-smelling blood that had clung to him during the fight. He then slung his large cleaver over his shoulder and turned to walk out of the hospital.
After the exorcism was completed, the tent set up also disappeared. Just as he stepped out of the hospital, Tsurumi Kawaru suddenly noticed that the assistant supervisor waiting outside had changed.
He looked at Yamashita Naomoto, who emerged from the shade of the trees, blinked blankly, and asked, "Where's Kato?"
Naomoto Yamashita adjusted his glasses, gave him a complicated look, and stated his purpose: "I sent Kato back. The head of the director's department wants to see you, so I've come to pick you up."
Tsurumi Kawakami suddenly understood, nodded, and got into the car.
The black car merged into the traffic and finally stopped in front of a Japanese-style house in Tokyo.
Looking at the unfamiliar house before him, Tsurumi Kawakami turned to Yamashita Naomoto with some surprise: "Weren't we going to Kyoto?"
Naomoto Yamashita unbuckled his seatbelt: "No, it just so happens that you've come to Tokyo, sir."
Tsurumi blinked in confusion, recalling the people he had seen at the mansion in Kyoto. There were about ten people sitting behind the screen; they had all come to Tokyo.
With this question in mind, he followed Yamashita Naomoto into the mansion. When he pushed open the sliding door and went inside, Tsurumi Kawaru found that there were very few people in the mansion, and it seemed that there were only three servants.
Upon entering, he looked up and saw the man sitting at the head of the table. The man wasn't as old as he had imagined, probably around fifty, and was quite energetic. The only slightly strange thing about him was the long, horizontal suture line on the man's forehead.
"This is Lord Matsumoto." Yamashita Naomoto knelt beside him and introduced Tsurumi Kawa.
Tsurumi Kawakami stared at the stitches on this man's forehead for a long while before belatedly realizing what was happening. He gave an "oh" and looked at him dryly, asking, "So, is there something you need from me?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the room fell silent.
"What is the relationship between the Spellcaster and the Six-Eyed?" After a moment, the sutured man named Matsumoto, who was sitting at the head of the table, spoke up.
Upon hearing this, Tsurumi Kawakami paused for a second, lowered his eyes, thought for a moment, and replied, "Our relationship is alright."
"Is that so?" Matsumoto smiled, as if he had asked casually.
He then turned to look at Yamashita Naomoto, who was kneeling to his right, and said, "Yamashita, you can go out now."
After he left, only the two of them remained in the room. Tsurumi Kawakuri was not used to kneeling, and he shifted from side to side, trying to find a more comfortable sitting position.
"Whatever you like, it's fine."
Tsurumi Kawa looked up at him and, without any hesitation, switched to a cross-legged sitting position.
"Hehe." The man chuckled again. "I called you here today because I have something to tell you. The time for Tianyuan to fuse with the Star Magma is approaching, and the task of protecting the Star Magma will soon be issued from the General Headquarters and assigned to Tokyo High School."
"I will arrange for you to be placed in there. Your task is to prevent the fusion of the Star Magma and the Celestial Origin."
Tsurumi Kawakami only has a partial understanding of Tengen, and only knows that the barrier protecting the high school was set up by him, so he is not clear about the Star Magma and the fusion.
"What is a stellar body? Why does Tengen want to fuse with a stellar body?" He looked at Matsumoto with a puzzled expression.
"...Tengen's technique is called Immortality, but he will age. In order to ensure that the barrier of Japan can always exist, he will be fused with the Star Magma every five hundred years to refresh the technique."
Tsurumi Kawakami nodded, seemingly understanding: "Then why stop the fusion of Tengen and the Star Magma? Wouldn't fusion be a good thing?"
"But what if this asteroid is a fourteen-year-old girl who is still in junior high school?"
Tsurumi Kawakami stared wide-eyed in astonishment: "Eh, Hoshi, the asteroid is a human!"
Seeing his shocked expression, the man named Matsumoto, who was actually being parasitized, immediately laughed: "Yes."
Tsurumi Kawakami was somewhat taken aback, remaining stunned for a while before regaining his composure. But after understanding the relationship between Tengen and the Stardust Body, he began to struggle: "But the barrier is very important, isn't it? If Tengen hasn't fused with the Stardust Body, and the technique hasn't been refreshed, what will happen to the barrier if he dies of old age?"
The man at the head of the table, not expecting him to consider this question, paused for a moment before continuing, "Without astral matter, Tianyuan would likely evolve into some kind of higher, more advanced being, beyond the realm of humanity. But don't worry, even if it becomes such a being, the barrier won't disappear."
Hearing his assurance, Tsurumi Kawakami breathed a sigh of relief. He nodded to the man and said firmly, "I understand. I will stop this."
Upon hearing this, the man smiled and looked at Tsurumi Ryu, saying, "Then we'll await your good news, Ryu-kun. However, please don't tell anyone about this, as it's a matter of great importance."
"Yes, I won't tell anyone." The black-haired, golden-eyed boy nodded in agreement.
-
After discussing the matter, Tsurumi Kawakuri came out of the house and saw Yamashita Naomoto waiting outside the door. He was then sent back to the high school.
Upon returning to the vocational high school, he immediately went to find Xia Youjie and Wutiao Wu and told them what had happened at the mansion. After all, he had promised not to tell anyone, but his best friends weren't just anyone.
"Tsk tsk, this guy named Matsumoto is quite cunning. But since he clearly knows about Tengen and the consequences of a failed fusion, why did he still have Ryu stop it?" Gojo Satoru stroked his chin, his expression becoming thoughtful.
Xia Youjie, standing to the side, couldn't help but frown: "The matter of Tianyuan fusing with the Star Essence Body is related to all the barriers that have been set up. What does he want to do by giving Liu this instruction at this critical juncture?"
Sitting opposite the two, Tsurumi Kawaru looked around, somewhat puzzled, and said, "Does Jie agree with the fusion of the Heavenly Origin Star Magma Body?"
Upon hearing his question, Gojo Satoru and Natsumi Yuuki were both taken aback. However, Gojo Satoru didn't care whether or not the Heavenly Origin was integrated. If the director's subordinates issued a mission to protect the Star Magma and escort it to the Red Star Palace for integration with the Heavenly Origin, he would probably carry it out and complete it.
Xia Youjie, on the other hand, knew more about Tianyuan and understood the significance of barriers to the world of magic, and therefore agreed with the idea of fusion.
But when he heard Tsurumi Kawa's question, Natsumi Yujie hesitated for a second, and then nodded to him.
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I didn't quite grasp the connections while writing, and it was a bit rushed, so I've added some details during revisions. The handling of the Tianyuan Fusion Star Magma was somewhat inadequate; my mind was a bit muddled.
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