"Go home?" Gojo Satoru paused while playing the game. "You all want to go home?"

Al and Kayuki nodded together.

Gojo Satoru immediately said unhappily, "Why go home? It's not the New Year yet."

Xia Yujie explained, "Because it's my dad's birthday, I have to go back. Well, I didn't go home during this summer vacation, so now I have to go back no matter what."

"Then I'll be the only one in school this weekend?"

Arti suggested: "You can go and join Nitro."

Gojo Satoru was silent for a moment, then asked curiously, "...Al, are you serious?"

"……Fake."

Naoko Ieiri didn't want to play games with the boys, nor did she want to be criticized by her male classmates who were very playful, and she didn't want to be implicated and asked to write a letter of apology for no reason. The most important thing was that Naoko was indeed very busy this weekend.

Al thought about it and felt that Gojo Satoru was really self-aware. He said sternly, "It's fake. Number Two, you'd better not torture Nozomi."

"Wow." Gojo Satoru said aggrievedly, "Has the No. 2 Master been directly simplified to No. 2? Why do I feel like a bionic man?"

"Bionic people, wouldn't that be cool?"

Xia Yujie laughed and said, "You can just play games in the dormitory. We plan to leave on Friday afternoon and will probably be back on Saturday morning."

Gojo Satoru was surprised when he heard this: "Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Well... after all, we are sorcerers, and unexpected situations may arise at any time. Anyway, I plan to be back in one night."

Xia Yujie said, "By the way, the black bean daifuku near my home is quite famous. We can bring you some when we come back."

“…”

Gojo Satoru looked at him thoughtfully. After a moment, he said, "Forget it. You guys go ahead. I'm going to finish this thing tonight, and then write a wrong guide and post it online to mislead the greedy party."

Listen, listen, is this human language?

Al grumbled, "You're going to get scolded, Number Two. You're definitely going to get scolded."

Gojo Satoru snorted twice and said proudly: "My strategy is that all roads lead to BE!"

After talking to Gojo Satoru, Al and Geto Summer Oil ran into Ieiri Shoko in the corridor again. Ieiri Shoko came back wearing a white coat, and when she saw them, she casually greeted them.

"Hey, where are we going?"

So they told Naoko Ieiri about going home on Friday.

Naoko Ieiri has recently started dissecting corpses. Starting this weekend, a very professional teacher will come to the school to instruct her. She is the only student who has something serious to do recently.

She heard that Al and Xia Yujie were going home, and asked expectantly, "Can you bring me a few packs of cigarettes when you come?"

Al: “…”

Xia Yujie: “…”

Despite his young age, he seems to be an old smoker.

Ieiri Naoko shrugged, "I can't help it. I'm underage, and it's too inconvenient to buy that stuff every time. Besides, Mr. Ye Moth doesn't allow the school to restock it, and I don't have much stock now. You can bring some back for me when you come back."

Al commented: "If someone doesn't know what we are doing, they might think we are helping you transport something."

"Haha." Ieiri Naoko laughed and said, "Don't say that casually."

After saying hello to their two teammates, Al and Geto set off on Friday.

Geto Summer changed out of his school uniform and put on a hooded jacket which is quite popular recently. Thanks to him, Al's dressing style is gradually becoming similar to his. The two tall and long-legged boys appeared on the Shinkansen and immediately attracted a lot of attention.

One is a handsome oriental guy with black hair, black eyes and soft features; the other is a foreign boy with blond hair and blue eyes who looks like he came out of a movie. Such a combination is very rare.

The staff member selling snacks came over and said with a friendly smile: "May I ask what I can do for you?"

Al's eyes lit up and he said, "Please give us a cup of oolong tea, a cup of cappuccino, two bags of chips, two cheesecakes, two dorayaki and four three-color meatballs."

The staff member smiled more enthusiastically: "Okay."

Al paid the bill with the pocket money provided by the owners, piled the food on the table, and handed Xia Yujie a can of oolong tea: "Master, are you okay?"

Xia Yujie, who had been in a trance all the way, came back to his senses and took his oolong tea.

"It's OK."

"Really? I think you are very anxious now."

“…”

Since Geto didn't say anything, Al didn't ask any more questions. He lowered his head and destroyed two three-colored balls. Sensing that Geto was in a bad mood through the contract, Al took the initiative to ask, "It's Uncle's birthday. Should we buy him some gifts?"

"Hmm? No need. Let's just buy some fruit and go home. Dad doesn't like me to buy those fancy birthday presents home."

"Is that so..."

The closer they got to their destination, the more anxious Geto Suguru became. Although there were not many clues on the surface, the Master's emotions were still transmitted to him continuously through the connection of the Command Spells.

...It's really rare.

I'm just going home, is there any need to be so nervous?

An hour and a half later, they arrived at Xia Yujie's hometown smoothly, took the bus in a very ordinary way, bought a few bags of fruit in a very ordinary way at the fruit shop near the station, and arrived at Xia Yu's house in a very low-key manner.

This time, they did not encounter any robbers, no car bombings, and no flying spells. It was such a peaceful outing that it seemed completely unreal.

Xia Yujie took a deep breath and rang the doorbell.

Ding dong, ding dong.

Soon, a woman came to open the door for them. Her expression was a little cold when she opened the door, but when she saw Al over Xia Yujie's shoulder, she was stunned for a moment, and a polite smile appeared on her face subconsciously: "Why did you bring a friend?"

The woman was about forty years old and still had some charm. Al could tell at a glance that Xia Yujie looked like her mother.

Xia Yujie apologized, "I'm sorry, this is a new classmate in the school. He just came to Japan, so I am currently responsible for taking care of him."

“…”

What is this sudden new setting?

But who is Al? How could the mysterious protagonist from a mysterious universe, whose drawing style is unique among the many Berserkers in FGO, be frightened by such an accident?

He spoke his broken Japanese fluently.

"Good evening, I am Geto-kun's new classmate, nice to meet you, beautiful lady!"

Summer Oil Mother: “…”

Xia Yujie: “…”

Xia Yujie said expressionlessly: "Be more normal."

"..." Al bowed honestly: "Hello, Auntie, I'm here to eat."

Summer Oil Mother: “…”

Isn't this a normal way to speak?

She smiled and let them in, cutting fruit for them like any hospitable mother would.

"Sorry, my husband is about to get off work, so I have to hurry up and cook. After all, today is his birthday."

"It's okay." Al said obediently, "Jack and I can just watch TV in the living room."

"Yeah, yeah, that's good."

After instructing Geto to entertain the guests well, Mother Geto returned to the kitchen to continue preparing dinner.

The house in Xia Yujie's hometown is very ordinary, a two-story house with a medium-sized courtyard. It is very clean and tidy, and the location is also very good. There is a bus stop within a five-minute walk and a subway station within a ten-minute walk. It is very convenient.

But Al noticed that there was not even a single unnecessary conversation between Geto and Geto's mother.

Xia Yujie picked up the remote control and asked Al, "Do you want to watch TV? Dad won't be home for another half an hour."

"Yeah, okay."

Xia Yujie turned on the TV, "What do you want to watch? I haven't watched TV for a long time, I don't know what's good to watch recently..."

"It's my first time watching TV too. After all, we don't have a TV in our dormitory. Ah, that TV series that has been very popular recently."

Xia Yujie stopped watching as he was told, but after watching for a while, he wondered, "Is the heroine wearing a horse mask?"

The heroine, although she had the petite figure of an ordinary girl, had a horse's head. He initially thought that the heroine was wearing a prank mask, but after watching for a while, he realized that the expression on the heroine's face was so vivid that it didn't look like a mask at all.

"No," Al explained very calmly, "The heroine of this TV show is a hybrid of human and horse."

The black-haired boy couldn't help but show a suspicious expression: "...Huh?"

"The heroine of "Run, Sayuri-chan" is a horse. Her mother is a human and her father is a racehorse. After they got together, they gave birth to a daughter with a human body and a horse face, so Sayuri looks like this. This drama is very popular, and you have never heard of it. You are so out of date, Master."

Xia Yujie looked painful: "...Are all TV dramas nowadays so bizarre?"

"Ah, the heroine and the hero are going to kiss, Master, do you want to see it?"

“No no no no no no no no no no no no no—! Ugh, change the channel, quick!!!”

Al smiled and cut to other variety shows.

Xia Yujie realized that he was being persecuted: "..."

Half an hour later, Xia Yujie's father came home. When he saw Al, he was stunned, as if he didn't expect Xia Yujie to bring his friend home.

The elegant middle-aged man said gently, "You are Jiejun's classmate, right?"

Al said politely, "Yes, uncle, my name is Al and I am British."

"Really? Then you speak Japanese pretty well."

Of course.

Heroic Spirit comes with various language systems, so there is no communication barrier with anyone.

Father Takeuchi took off his suit jacket and said casually, "Sorry to have kept you waiting. Come over and have dinner. Really, I'm old enough to not celebrate my birthday, but you guys came all the way back from Tokyo... How are you doing recently? Are you getting along well with your classmates?"

"The teachers and classmates are all very nice." Xia Yujie smiled, "But I'm a little busy, so we have to go back to school tomorrow morning."

"Really? Time is running out. You should have a good rest tonight."

Dad's attitude was much warmer than Mom's, but he didn't want them to stay for another day. Al deliberately slowed down his meal and didn't show how much he ate. After all, in this atmosphere...

It's not an atmosphere where you can enjoy eating without any worries.

They finished their dinner in such a weird atmosphere. Although the atmosphere was so weird that it could choke people to death, it must be said that Getsu's mother's cooking skills were still quite good.

The four of them finished their meal in silence and watched TV together for a while. At around nine o'clock, Xia Yujie found an excuse to take Al back to the room on the second floor.

"call……"

After closing the door, Xia Yujie breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sorry, Al, we don't talk much in my family. Did you not eat enough?"

“…To be honest, a little bit.”

Hundreds of millions of bits and pieces.

Just a few hundred million.

Xia Yujie understood and said, "Do you want to go to KFC?"

"…Huh? Now?"

"We can just sneak out. They shouldn't come up. Let me take a shower and change into something low-key."

"Oh, OK." Al agreed, then hesitated for a few seconds and asked in a low voice, "Are you okay, Master?"

Xia Yujie showed a helpless smile: "It's okay. I'll be out soon, just look around in my room."

He quickly went into the bathroom, and Al started wandering around Xia Yujie's room by himself.

Geto Xia's room is very tidy, with various award certificates on the wall, and the bookshelf is full of textbooks and exercises from junior high school, as well as some second-year magazines about youth pain literature.

“…”

This guy has always been like this.

He found a lot of exercises done by junior high school students. "The grades are quite good. As expected of an excellent student... Ah, the invitation letter from the Time Government."

It was exactly the same as the one in Nanami Kento's hand. In addition, there were some letters, all of which were daily greetings. The handwriting was beautiful and exuded a faint scent of perfume. There were seven or eight letters in total.

——It doesn’t look like a love letter. There isn’t any ambiguous text in it, and the wording used is very gentle and polite. It is also kept together with the invitation letter from the Time Government. Could it be related to the Time Government?

Al suddenly got inspired and was about to take out his cell phone to take a picture of the pink envelope and spread the rumor that "Kayou Jie has collected seven or eight pink love letters", but he found that his cell phone was not in his pocket.

Ah...it seems like I put it on the coffee table downstairs while watching TV.

He had no choice but to quietly leave the room and go downstairs to get his phone. Just after he took a few steps down, he heard Xia Yu's mother complaining in a low voice: "Why is he still bringing his classmates home?"

Al paused.

Xia Yu's father said calmly, "Now that everyone is here, stop complaining."

"The classmates I met in that kind of school are definitely not serious people... Really, he brings everyone home. I really don't understand what's going on in his mind."

"That's enough." Xia Yu's father said helplessly, "Don't let anyone hear it. Besides, he has been sending money home every month since he enrolled in the school, which has already proved that the school is not a scam."

Xia Yu's mother still felt unhappy: "...Who knows how all that money was earned? He has been a weirdo since he was a child, and now he goes to that kind of school, hanging out with those messy people all day long. When people ask me which high school my son got into, I'm too embarrassed to tell them. It's embarrassing."

Xia Yu's father sighed and patiently advised: "Okay, okay, today is my birthday, don't always talk about these unpleasant things."

"Why, now that he can make money, you are on the same side with him? Who said he was mentally ill back then?"

"…What's the point of talking about this now? You only have one son, and he'll have to support you when you grow up. What good is there in having to break up with your child?"

Al turned around silently and carefully returned the same way, but saw Xia Youjie standing at the door, looking at him quietly.

It was obvious that Xia Yujie had just come out of the bathroom, with water still dripping from his loose hair.

“…”

He quickly sneaked into Xia Yujie's room.

With a click, the door was locked gently.

"Feel sorry."

"Feel sorry."

Both of them blurted out at the same time.

They looked at each other and smiled at the same time.

"I'm sorry... I heard your parents' conversation."

"Oh, it's okay. I should be the one to apologize. I'm sorry for letting you hear such an unfriendly conversation."

Al shook his head and said to him, "It's okay. The Great Swordsman of the Universe won't mind such things. But, I'm so hungry, Master, can we set off now?"

Kayuki nodded.

He was too lazy to dry his hair, so he put on a black coat and summoned the manta ray spirit, which carried Al to a nearby KFC.

The cold wind blew on their faces, and below them was the bustling city. They were flying alone in the sky, feeling a sense of unreality.

Xia Yujie said softly, "Thank you for accompanying me home, Al. This is my first time going home since entering the technical secondary school. It's a bit embarrassing to say, but on the day of entering the school, I packed my luggage and ran away secretly."

He touched his nose and smiled bitterly, "That's why I asked you if you'd like to go home with me. If you didn't come home with me, I'd probably get scolded as soon as I walked in the door."

…So that’s how it is.

"Master, don't your aunt and uncle like you going to the Jujutsu High School?"

"Well, for ordinary people, Jujutsu High School is indeed a very strange place. I can understand that they don't like me, but I have already decided on my future path, and the rest is just to move forward unswervingly. Al, I have never regretted entering the high school."

"Um."

"I was very happy when I received the invitation to enroll. I was also very happy when I met Wu and Naoko. Because it was the first time I talked about curses with people of my age, and even if I used a spell in front of them, I would not be regarded as a strange person. Wu, Naoko, teacher... They are all my peers, and I am happy to know them. I also treasure my current life."

"……Um."

Xia Yujie's eyes were gentle: "It was Teacher Ye Moth who told me that my technique was born to protect ordinary people. I am not a monster."

Al silently held Xia Yujie's hand.

Xia Yujie paused, then shook Al's hand tightly.

"However, I have been thinking about my parents these days and I always feel that I should come back to see them, but... well, let's go back early tomorrow morning. Dad's rare birthday has already been made very unhappy because of me, so I'd better not stay and cause trouble for them."

Al frowned slightly: "Master——"

Xia Yujie interrupted him, which was rare, and said to himself: "It's actually quite depressing when I think about it. If this happens, doesn't it mean I have no family at all?"

The manta ray curse spirits slowly landed in the alley near KFC. They walked onto the street as if nothing had happened and blended into the crowd. It was obviously very late, but there were still many people coming and going on this street, and KFC was almost full.

Al and Geto ordered a set meal for four people and started eating in a corner. Geto looked much more relaxed than before, and Al started eating and drinking without any hesitation.

"Sugaru-kun?" A girl passed by them and asked in surprise, "You're going home?"

Xia Yujie was stunned, "Toyama?"

"It's really you!" the girl said happily, "I heard you went to Tokyo to attend high school, congratulations!"

Xia Yujie smiled and said, "Yes, that's right. I heard that you were admitted to the girls' high school you liked. Congratulations."

The girl blushed and said, "So you knew... No, no, no, it's nothing. Your hair has grown longer."

Xia Yujie was stunned, "Sorry, I was in a hurry and forgot to tie it up."

"It's okay! I mean..."

"Toyama! What are you doing?!"

The girl turned around and said, "Here it comes!"

She said goodbye to Takeru a little nervously, "I have to go, um, bye, Takeru-kun!"

Xia Yujie blinked and smiled gently: "You have made a new friend. Well, then go quickly, it's late at night, be careful!"

"……Um!"

The girl ran back to her friends awkwardly and looked at Geto several times reluctantly before leaving. Geto patiently waved to her twice before she left amid her friends' laughter and teasing.

Al narrowed his eyes. "You are very popular, Master."

"Don't tease me." Xia Yujie said helplessly: "I used to be a discipline committee member. Every time I took the initiative to talk to a girl, I was looking for trouble."

"Hahahahahahahahaha, then they must be annoying you to death."

"That's about right." Xia Yujie also recalled the past: "Adolescent students are really difficult to deal with, especially those who don't wear school uniforms at all. Those who secretly change the size of the school uniform can be turned a blind eye, and those who simply don't wear it are really hard to pretend not to see it."

As for the girl just now...

He still remembered the quiet and gloomy girl sitting under the cherry tree and saying to him: I actually envy you. Someone as good as you must have parents who love you very much and a very healthy family, right? You, who have everything, will never understand me.

To this day, Geto Suguru finds it difficult to describe how he felt at that time.

He forgot how he responded to the girl at that time, only those few words were remembered by him for a long time. But no matter what, after entering high school, Yuanshan looked more sunny than in junior high school, and he also made new friends, which was a good thing.

After Al had eaten and drunk his fill, he said in a serious tone, "Master, I think family is people who accompany each other."

"…Is this topic not over yet?"

"No." Al said innocently, "It was halftime before, I was too hungry to talk to you."

Xia Yujie: “…”

Look how hungry the child is.

Al said seriously, "I'm serious. Even if we can't understand each other, we have to support each other and accompany each other all the time. Isn't this what family is?"

Xia Yujie leaned back in his chair, "Really? If I stay with you guys forever, then you guys will be my family."

Al was stunned, "...well, you are right."

His green eyes stared at Geto, and he kept staring at Geto until he felt uncomfortable. Then he said, "Actually, Master No. 2 is right about one thing."

The black-haired boy asked in confusion: "What?"

Al said meaningfully: "I won't tell you, you guess it yourself."

Xia Yujie had a strange expression, "...Hey, he talks too much, I don't even know what he's talking about!"

"Then I won't tell you." Al said seriously, "Because some words, once said, will ruin your character."

Xia Yujie: “…”

Thank you. With your words as a foundation, no matter what you say in the future, your character will not be ruined.

Al smiled and said, "I'm full. Let's go back. We'll go back to the technical college early tomorrow morning. That's where we should stay."

Xia Yujie smiled.

“…You are right.”

They rode on the manta ray curse spirit and sneaked back to the room on the second floor. Geto sent a curse spirit to retrieve Al's phone. Before going to bed, he sent the specific time to return to school tomorrow to the class group of four people, but only Glass replied.

——Remember my cigarette.

Al & Summer Oil: "..."

Hey guys, I almost forgot!

As for the Android No. 2, he is probably still struggling with the game and has no time to deal with them...

Hopefully, Gojo Satoru didn't just casually overwrite their game saves.

"Thank you for today, Al."

"You've already said thank you. You only need to say thank you once. Being overly grateful to others is a personality defect."

Xia Yujie smiled, "It's a flaw, so what. I don't want Wu and Naoko to know my situation, I always feel embarrassed, but it doesn't matter for Al, because Al is not a human."

Al said sincerely, "You are really good at talking, Master."

Xia Yujie said gently, "Good night, Al."

"…Good night, Master."

The bedside lamp was turned off. In the darkness, Al heard Xia Yujie's breathing gradually slowed down.

There is something that Gojo Satoru said that is very true.

——The fact that Geto Summer Oil was able to summon him is truly a case of like attracting like.

What he wanted after completing his mission was actually... home.

Al stared at the ceiling for a long time, and suddenly told the system: "System, I should do something."

The system was suddenly cue: "...For example?"

"Change your vest."

The next day.

early morning.

The quilt of Geto Xia Yu was pulled aside, and the male high school student opened his eyes in a daze, and saw a heroic spirit with long purple hair giving him a kind and somewhat morbid smile.

Berserker, who had changed his vest again, urged enthusiastically, "Jay, wake up. We have to go back to school with mom today!"

Xia Yujie: “…”

Is there something wrong with the way he gets up?