Izakaya and Review
After the competition, the group's relationship improved considerably. However, the training ground was a mess, with flying dust settling and several large pits and a long ditch appearing on the flat ground.
Standing next to Natsumi Yuuki, Tsurumi Kawakami scratched his cheek, looking at the battle marks on the training ground. "Will Yomo-sensei be angry when he comes back from Kyoto?"
After all, before leaving, Masamichi had told them to study in the classroom. Tsurumi Kawaru, who was attending school for the first time as a student, turned to look at Natsuyuki with some trepidation.
Wearing a loose white T-shirt and wide-leg pants, Xia Youjie's bun hairstyle had become a little loose due to the competition just now, with a strand of black hair falling down by her ear.
He remained calm, showing no sign of tension, and said with one hand in his pocket, "Just normal training."
Tsurumi Kawakami blinked and nodded obediently.
Gojo Satoru was looking a bit wilted from the sun, and the match he had just played had taken a toll on his energy. He desperately needed some dessert to replenish his strength. He noticed the two of them standing in the open space, dawdling about for no apparent reason, and shouted, "Hey you two, what are you standing there for? Get out of here! It's so hot!"
The white-haired cat, with its head drooping, walked over and patted the two of them on the shoulder, then put its arm around Xia Youjie and walked out together.
The four of them left the training ground and went to the teaching building. After getting their things from the classroom, they headed straight out of the school. True to his word, Gojo Satoru waved his hand and hailed a car from the Gojo family to take them down the mountain.
Tsurumi Kawaru looked around at the crowds and shops along the street. The four of them stood on the street, disagreeing on what to eat.
Gojo Satoru, clutching the arm of his sunglasses, leaned lazily against Xia Youjie's shoulder. Even after being shaken off several times, he didn't give up. Propping himself on his elbow and leaning against the other, he complained, "I already said it's my treat, shouldn't we go to the restaurant I suggested?"
Ieiri Shoko rejected him: "It's too far, we have to go back later."
Hearing this, Gojo Satoru muttered something and patted Natsuyu Jie on the shoulder, then turned to the two who hadn't spoken: "Jie and Ryu's suggestions, what do you want to eat?"
Xia Youjie stood with his arms crossed, his gaze shifting from the crowd. He said calmly, "I'm fine with whatever."
Tsurumi looked around, feeling a bit awkward under the gazes of Ieiri Shoko and Gojo Satoru. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted an izakaya not far away, and his eyes lit up as he pointed and said, "How about we go to that one?"
The group looked in the direction he was pointing and saw an ordinary izakaya with decorative lanterns hanging outside, located at the entrance of the alley. There was also a small blackboard hanging at the door with "Welcome" written on it in colored pens.
An orange cat lay beside the stone steps, lazily swishing its tail.
The izakaya wasn't crowded at the moment. After waiting and sitting down in a corner, Gojo Satoru suddenly realized something, glared at Tsurumi Kawaru with a hint of anger, and said indignantly, "We don't drink, so what are we doing at an izakaya!"
Across from him sat a row of people, including Shoko Ieiri, who was looking at the menu. Hearing this, she looked up at him, then lowered her head again to continue reading.
Tsurumi Kawakami also took a menu. Upon hearing Gojo Satoru's words, he looked up blankly and exclaimed, "But it's closer to the school, which is more suitable. Besides, the shop not only sells alcohol but also has a lot of food."
With that, the black-haired, golden-eyed boy held up the menu and shoved it in front of Gojo Satoru, pointing his pale finger at the tamagoyaki on the menu and saying, "They even have tamagoyaki and yakiniku!"
Mentioning tamagoyaki, Tsurumi Kawakami's eyes lit up as he looked at Gojo Satoru. Tamagoyaki, or rather, thick omelet, was something he never tired of eating. The combination of sugar, egg, and milk created a smooth and creamy texture, and the taste was on the sweeter side—it was really delicious.
He used to love eating tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelet) for breakfast at the Mafia canteen in the port.
Gojo Satoru subconsciously leaned back, creating some distance between himself and the others. He stared at the full-page menu, quickly scanning it to discover that this izakaya not only sold alcohol but also offered a wide variety of snacks to go with it, and even provided main courses.
He curled his lip, pushed up the sunglasses perched on his nose, and snatched the menu from Tsurumi Kawakami's hand: "Forget it, I'm starving."
Tsurumi Kawaru glanced at the menu that had been snatched away, looked around, and chose to sit down next to Natsumi Yuuki, looking at the menu in his hand with him.
Because there weren't many people, most of their food arrived quickly, while the skewers were served continuously because they were made to order and grilled fresh.
Shoko Ieiri, eating edamame, was slightly surprised to see the table soon filled with dishes. She looked up at the three boys sitting opposite her, somewhat astonished by their appetites: "You ordered so much? Are you sure you can finish it all?"
Caught in the middle, Xia Youjie only had one Japanese dish in front of her. Hearing this, she looked up at Iri Shoko, moved her own order, and said to her, "I only ordered this. The rest are for the two of them."
Ieiri Shoko's eyes widened slightly as she glanced at Tsurumi Kawakami and Gojo Satoru. The two seemed to have a particular fondness for tamagoyaki, having ordered several servings each.
Watching them eat, Shoko Ieiri felt a pang of doubt. Looking at the tamagoyaki (Japanese omelet), she asked curiously, "Do you...do you have some secret recipe for the tamagoyaki at this izakaya?"
Xia Youjie ate the Japanese food in front of him and said with a hint of sarcasm, "I don't think so. It's probably just that their starving eating habits are confusing you."
Tsurumi Kawakuri dislikes wasting food, and he ate all the free side dishes, leaving only slightly salty broth on the plates.
After finishing the tamagoyaki and the side dishes on the table, and feeling a little full, he slowed down and looked expectantly at the grilled skewers that had just been served.
Looking at the four skewers of grilled chicken on his plate, Tsurumi Kawakami had a sense of the portion sizes at the izakaya, but thankfully he had ordered a main dish, so he probably wouldn't have to worry about not getting enough to eat.
Halfway through the meal, Gojo Satoru's phone suddenly rang. Before he could even answer it and speak, Masamichi Yagami roared from the other end of the line.
The sound was so loud that even without playing it out loud, the others could hear it.
"Didn't I tell you guys to study in the classroom? What are you doing fighting on the training field? Xia You was there too. Please tell him to make sure all the unregistered cursed spirits are properly recorded. The school alarm was triggered, and the second-year teachers were shocked when they returned to school..."
"And you lot, get back to school right now! You dared to skip class on the very first day? Tomorrow, each of you will submit a 3,000-word self-criticism!"
With a beep, the call was disconnected.
Gojo Satoru put his phone away, rubbed his ears which were still numb from the vibration, and looked up to stare at them.
"This can't be blamed on us, right? Who knew the training ground would be so unreliable? And it was clearly Jie's cursed spirit that triggered the alarm, so why are we all being made to write a 3,000-word self-criticism?" The white-haired cat complained while glancing at Xia Youjie.
Xia Youjie put down his chopsticks, glanced at him, and mercilessly exposed him: "I don't know who had nothing better to do than make a bet, and then lost and had to treat everyone."
Gojo Satoru pulled down his sunglasses, his azure eyes wide with disbelief as he stared at him: "Well, Jai, you're actually being sarcastic towards me!"
Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, Iari Shoko, who had already finished eating, took a tissue to wipe her mouth and stopped them: "Alright, let's finish eating first."
Tsurumi Kawakami, who hadn't been able to get a word in edgewise, nodded emphatically. Then, remembering what Yagami Masamichi had mentioned about the second-year teacher, he suddenly realized something and said, "Yogami-sensei probably hasn't returned to school yet. It was probably the second and third-year students who were on a mission who found out and told her."
Thinking of the messy training ground, Tsurumi Kawakami suddenly felt a little guilty and touched the tip of his nose, after all, he was partly responsible for what happened.
The matter of writing a three-thousand-word self-criticism weighed heavily on their minds, and they lost their appetite. They finished it as quickly as possible and rushed back to the college before dark.
As soon as they returned, they were caught in the office by Masamichi Nobi, who had been sent back.
In the brightly lit office, Masamichi Noi sat behind his desk, staring silently at the students standing in a row in front of him.
His angry gaze first swept over the nonchalant Gojo Satoru, then over the nonchalant Natsuyu Jie, then over the humble Ieiri Shoko who was actually lost in thought, and finally over to Tsurumi Kawaru who was standing on the far left, clutching his clothes anxiously.
After leaving them waiting for three minutes, Nocturnal Moth Masamichi cleared his throat and said with a serious expression, "What's the reason for this?"
He looked at them seriously and sternly, his gaze skipping over the weak-willed Ieiri Shoko, ignoring the troublesome Gojo Satoru, and then lingering between the remaining two before finally settling on the person in question, Natsuyuki.
Xia Youjie, who was being questioned, seemed to just realize what was happening. She looked up at him, paused, and said, "...It should be a bet."
Moth Masamichi was momentarily speechless with anger at his words, then immediately realized what he meant and looked at the group, saying, "You guys actually made a bet?"
Xia Youjie realized he had said the wrong thing, glanced at Wutiao Wu, shut his mouth and lowered his gaze.
Seeing their attitude, Moth Master knew he wouldn't get anything out of them, so he simply waved them out, deciding to ignore it: "Each of you write a three-thousand-word self-criticism and hand it in before class tomorrow!"
Leaving the office, Tsurumi Kawaru followed Natsumi Yujie and Gojo Satoru back to the dormitory with his head drooping. He had never written a self-criticism and was struggling with the three thousand words required.
"How should I write a self-criticism?" Tsurumi Kawakami looked up and asked Natsumi Yujie pitifully.
Xia Youjie: "I haven't written about this before."
After he finished speaking, his gaze swept over Tsurumi Kawakami, realizing that a good boy like him probably had never written a self-criticism.
"A self-criticism is simply writing down your reflections on your mistakes and promising that it won't happen again," Xia Youjie said, recalling the self-criticisms he had read.
Tsurumi Kawakami gave a half-understanding "oh," then flashed Xia Youjie a bright smile: "Thank you, Jie!"
Suddenly, Gojo Satoru squeezed in and said, "I've never written a self-criticism before, and who knew that my first time would be three thousand words! You're so skilled, you can write it for me."
Xia Youjie: "Get lost."
"Wow! Jay, you're so fierce!"
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