Hokkaido and Mission Failure
The next morning.
To the familiar sound of the alarm clock, Tsurumi Kawa got out of bed, washed up, changed into his outdoor clothes, opened the door, went to Tennori Riko's door, knocked, and left the hotel with the two who were already prepared.
In the café downstairs, Gojo Satoru and Natsumi Yuuki, who had recovered somewhat after a night's rest, sat side by side. Seeing them enter, the white-haired high school student wearing round sunglasses waved to them.
"Hey—you guys are so slow, Jai and I are almost done eating." After they sat down, Gojo Satoru said in a drawn-out voice, stirring the spoon in his coffee with sugar and milk in one hand and resting his chin on the other.
Tsurumi gave up the window seat on the inside to Riko Tennen and Misato Kuroi. He sat down on the outside near the aisle, his gaze sweeping over the several sandwiches on the table, his golden eyes brightening slightly.
He picked up the milk beside him and took a sip, leaving a few milk stains on his lips.
Tsurumi Ryu picked up a sandwich, took a bite, and said in a slightly muffled voice, "You guys came too early. I got up as soon as my alarm went off, and I didn't stay in bed at all."
He swallowed the food in his mouth after speaking, then turned his gaze to Xia Youjie, whose face was still somewhat pale, and looked at him with slight concern: "Jie, how are you? Are you alright?"
He wasn't involved in yesterday's battle, so he didn't know exactly where Xia Youjie was injured. Afterwards, Gojo Satoru took him away back to the high school. Tsurumi Kawaru didn't see his wound either, but only heard Fushiguro Jinji say, "He won't die."
Seeing his lips, which were paler and bloodless than usual, Tsurumi Ryu couldn't help but feel a little worried.
The black-haired high school student with his hair in a bun smiled slightly, shook his head, and said, "It's okay, Shoko has already healed me."
Hearing his words, Gojo Satoru, who was sitting next to him, muttered in dissatisfaction: "Where is the cure? Your face is as white as a ghost."
Xia Youjie's forehead veins throbbed, and he resisted the urge to punch someone. He turned his gaze to Tian Lizi, and thinking of the news he had learned after waking up last night, he hesitated to speak.
Tsurumi Kawakami nodded in agreement, also noting that Xia Youjie's face looked too pale. He pushed another uneaten sandwich in front of him to Xia Youjie.
After finishing breakfast, Tsurumi Kawaru sent a message to Kong Shiyu, asked for the address, and then took a taxi to pick up the new ID and new address for Tennori Riko.
"Is this guy reliable?" Several people were crammed into a car, and Gojo Satoru's long legs seemed to have nowhere to go.
Tsurumi Kawakuri sat between them, pushed forward, and said in a low voice while holding onto the back of the seat in front of him, "It's reliable, isn't it? After I told him my requirements last night, he immediately agreed."
Hearing his words, Xia Youjie, who had been holding back his words, couldn't help but complain: "How can you tell that it's reliable? I hope I haven't been scammed."
Tsurumi blinked, turned his head with difficulty to look at him, pondered for a few seconds, and said in a very serious tone: "It's okay, if the other party is cheating us out of money, we can just beat them up."
Xia Youjie: "...What terrifying things are you saying? Did you learn bad habits from Wu?"
Gojo Satoru bristled: "Haji, you've taught me quite a bit all along!"
The two joked and bickered all the way, and even after getting off the car, they were still arguing, each blaming the other for corrupting Tsurumi Kawakami.
The taxi driver who took them was terrified that the two would start fighting in the car. Once they arrived at their destination, he collected the fare and sped away, leaving them with a trail of exhaust fumes.
Tsurumi Kawakami paused for a moment, before he could even say thank you. He blinked as he watched the taxi drive away, then looked up at the apartment building in front of him.
When they knocked on the door of Kong Shiyu's apartment, the other person seemed surprised to see so many people outside and took a step back in surprise. He held the door and glanced warily at Gojo Satoru and Natsuyu Jie, seemingly giving up on welcoming them in. He simply handed over his new ID and new address to Tsurumi Kawaru.
"The ID is genuine, but it's only valid for one year. The address must match the requirements from last night; it must be in Otaru City, Hokkaido." Kong Shiyu stood at the door, calmly looking at them as she spoke in a low voice.
Tsurumi Ryu took the new identity and looked at it over and over. He wasn't sure if it was real or fake, but he felt that it was exactly the same as the one he had obtained. After looking at it for a while, he handed it to Tennori Riko and then looked down at the piece of paper with the detailed address written on it.
"Thank you. We're leaving Tokyo today. We'll have to trouble you with the Panxing Sect matter." Tsurumi Kawakami nodded and said calmly.
Kong Shiyu paused, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes. He hadn't expected Tsurumi Kawaru to tell him about leaving Tokyo.
Thinking of the bounties still hanging high on the dark web, he paused for two seconds before reminding him: "Although the control of the sorcery world in Hokkaido is not very strong, there is an Ainu Sorcery Alliance. They are quite xenophobic and I heard they have an independent sorcery system."
When Tsurumi Nagare first heard the name, he turned to look at Gojo Satoru and Natsuyuki with some confusion. Natsuyuki pondered for a few seconds, not being familiar with the name, and then also looked at Gojo Satoru.
Gojo Satoru knows a lot; when he suggested arranging for Riko Tenn last night, it was he who suggested going to Hokkaido.
Gojo Satoru raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised that Kong Shiyu, an ordinary person, knew about the Ainu Curse Chain. "Of course I considered that. Only in this way will those old oranges and fly-like curse masters in the General Headquarters not find out."
Kong Shiyu paused, his gaze quickly sweeping across the white-haired high school student's face, seemingly not daring to look directly at this divine child of the Gojo family.
"In that case, I wish you a safe journey." He nodded and said goodbye.
After leaving the apartment building, they needed to make plans for their trip to Hokkaido. Tokyo is about 1,400 kilometers away from Hokkaido, and the fastest way to get there is by air, which takes about an hour and a half.
Besides air travel, there are also Shinkansen (bullet train) and long-distance buses. The former requires a ferry transfer in Aomori and takes about eight hours. The latter is cheaper, but takes the longest time, about sixteen or seventeen hours.
Gojo Satoru snapped his fingers and said, "Let's take an airplane!"
Compared to routes two and three, Gojo Satoru is more inclined to take the air, as the Shinkansen transfer is troublesome and the long-distance bus takes too long.
Riko looked up hesitantly. She remembered what had happened at the airport the day before yesterday and was worried about taking a plane to Hokkaido.
Xia Youjie noticed her expression and smiled, saying, "Don't worry, something like what happened the day before yesterday won't happen this time."
The previous airport attacks almost exposed the existence of the sorcerer world to the general public. Even though remedial measures were taken to cover it up, the higher-ups in the Directorate General launched a purge and crackdown on sorcerers, and various high-value arrest warrants caused several internal conflicts among sorcerers.
The curse masters are now too busy with the bounty on the Starmash, and the incident at the airport will not happen again.
After deciding on their mode of transportation to Hokkaido and booking their midday flight, they rushed to the airport and arrived safely. They then boarded the plane smoothly and had a meal on the plane.
At 1:40 PM, they appeared at Hokkaido Airport.
They needed to take the Shinkansen to get to Otaru, and by the time they arrived at the address on the note written by Kong Shiyu, it was almost three o'clock.
This was a detached house, some distance from its neighbors on either side, surrounded by a wall with a flower-filled yard inside. After looking around inside and out, everyone was quite satisfied, and Kuroi Misato immediately began cleaning the house.
The house had probably been cleaned beforehand. After a simple cleaning, Misato Kuroi brought out a pot of brewed tea from the kitchen. She and Riko Tennen poured tea for Tsurumi Ryu and the others, and then solemnly thanked them over the tea.
The bounty on Riko Tenn on the dark web is for two days, and now there are only a few hours left. After a flight of more than an hour followed by a Shinkansen taxi ride, everyone is exhausted.
Gojo Satoru lay sprawled on the sofa, hugging a cushion. He turned his head and looked at Xia Youjie through his round sunglasses.
Although Xia Youjie's injuries were healed by Ieiri Shoko, the blood he lost could not be replenished in a short time. His face was pale and he looked haggard, clearly the journey from Tokyo to Hokkaido had taken its toll on him.
"Jay, go and take a rest," Gojo Satoru said after a second of silence.
Tsurumi Kawaru also looked at Natsumi Yujie and was startled by his pale face. He quickly stood up and looked at him with concern.
He went to the kitchen to ask Kuroi Misato, and then led her to the guest room to rest.
Xia Youjie was indeed quite tired, so he didn't refuse and fell asleep shortly after lying down.
Tsurumi and his group planned to wait until the bounty expired and then take an evening flight back to Tokyo. They had bought their tickets in advance and had a fairly substantial dinner at Riko's new home.
They returned to Tokyo College at 10 PM, having already informed Moth of the mission's failure via phone on the way. So, upon arriving at the college, they saw Moth, a teacher in a college uniform, standing at the school gate, his face expressionless as he swept his gaze over them.
"I already know about the mission. I'll handle things with the director's office. Remember to write the mission report and submit it tomorrow afternoon."
When he saw Mr. Nightmo, Tsurumi was already prepared to be scolded, but he didn't expect to hear such words. He looked up at the teacher in surprise, and lowered his eyes guiltily the second it took for their eyes to meet.
When Gojo Satoru heard the words "Director's Department," his expression became somewhat impatient. He endured listening to Yagami Masamichi's words and left the office without wanting to stay a second longer. He put his arms around Natsuyu Jie and Tsurumi Kawaru's shoulders and walked towards the dormitory.
Downstairs in the dormitory building, Shoko Ieiri, having received the news, stood under a street lamp. Seeing the three unharmed individuals, she relaxed somewhat, greeted them, and then strolled leisurely towards the girls' dormitory on the other side.
As Tsurumi Kawa watched her leave, he suddenly said, "Shoko's dark circles seem to have gotten worse."
Gojo Satoru paused for a moment, then chuckled and said, "If Shoko ever quits, she can apply to be a panda at the zoo."
Xia Youjie smiled slightly: "Wu, I think that day will probably never come."
The three exchanged a smile and walked into the dormitory building.
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