Chapter 121
As December 7th drew closer, Kazuma Hatori's inner turmoil and anxiety became increasingly apparent, slowly seeping through his indifferent facade and almost accumulating to a visible degree.
Xia Youjie turned his head and whispered to Wutiao Wu.
"He looks extremely nervous."
His seat was separated from Kazuma Hatake's by Satoru Gojo's—and across Satoru Gojo's desk, you could see Kazuma Hatake gripping his pen, looking like he was listening attentively to the lecture.
But in reality, anyone could see that he was daydreaming while looking at his notebook, and hadn't written a single word for a long time.
"Even an idiot could see that."
Gojo Satoru lowered his voice and replied to Natsumi Yuki.
Xia Youjie: "I guess this is the first time you've liked someone?"
Gojo Satoru: "I guessed so too."
The conversation paused for a moment, and Gojo Satoru narrowed his eyes with suspicion and curiosity: "What, isn't it Jack?"
Xia Youjie: "I... no, don't suddenly drag me into this. What I mean is, Yizhen's reaction was too immature. Aren't you particularly adept at it?"
They all have no doubt that [Kazuma Hatake likes Satoru Gojo], the question is when these two will get together.
In other words, they're not even together yet.
"Don't talk like you're so experienced..."
Gojo Satoru snorted softly—he was only rich in theoretical knowledge—and it was all from browsing forums.
He had worried that Ichijin might also remember the forum link, click on it, and discover a whole new world... Luckily, he didn't.
Behind his sunglasses, Cang Tong narrowed slightly, and the mischievous Xiao Wu revealed a sly smirk.
He really enjoyed seeing Ichijin's helpless expression in front of him, and he would always be unconsciously drawn into that emotion, casting a soft gaze at him without realizing it.
He also looked forward to his birthday just as much.
He awaits this unique gift that belongs to him.
"But you seem very experienced right now... Okay, okay, I didn't say you were really experienced."
Xia Youjie reacted quickly, using the pen in his hand to block Wu Tiaowu's sudden pen thrust.
"But aren't you guys supposed to be guest performers at the concert on your birthday? Won't Ichijin be too nervous and underperform?"
He even specially asked Arasena Junko for two front-row tickets for friends and family, and he and Shoko would also be going.
Xia Youjie heard that all the singers at the concert sang live with their microphones on, and if they sang off-key or cracked their voices, they would lose face in front of tens of thousands of audience members.
"Don't worry, he definitely won't."
Wu Tiaowu was confident and prepared.
Ultimately, concerts are just a special and short-lived professional experience. He might find the experience of singing on stage interesting, but that doesn't mean he cares about it too much.
He believed that Kazuma Hatori felt the same way.
Following this line of reasoning, the emotional problems currently troubling Kazuma Hatori—
That makes the problem much easier to solve!
…………
December 6th, 24:00.
To put it another way, it was midnight on December 7th.
Gojo Satoru sat upright in Hato Kazuma's dormitory, arms crossed, his azure eyes fixed on the wall clock after removing his sunglasses.
Kazuma Hatori sat on the bed next to him, his hands on his lap, his whole body tense, like a bowstring drawn taut.
Tick-tock.
The moment the hour, minute, and second hands overlap, it's as if the gaze fixed on the clock shifts and falls on the taut bow.
He didn't speak, but the meaning conveyed on his face was exceptionally clear.
It's his birthday!
Did you really think he would obediently take a nap and wait until the next day, or that this kid would simply keep dragging it out until the evening?
Dream on! How can midnight on December 7th not be considered December 7th?
Kazuma Hatori's expression stiffened slightly after being silently called out.
“…Cough, happy birthday, Wu.”
His voice was a little hoarse when he first spoke, so he subconsciously cleared his throat before finishing the blessing in a normal tone.
Gojo Satoru first flashed a bright smile, indicating that he was overjoyed to receive this blessing.
Immediately afterwards, those azure eyes continued to stare at Kazuma Hagoromo, as if urging him to speak—
Then what?
Kazuma Hatake opened his mouth, but the remaining syllables were stuck on the tip of his tongue, and he couldn't utter a second word no matter what he did.
In the dormitory room where only the two of them were, the ceiling light was not very bright. The warm light fell on Gojo Satoru's hair, like wisps of candlelight being lit.
Even just one glance can soften one's heart.
He couldn't utter a single word of the lines he had rehearsed repeatedly in his mind.
The air remained quiet for a long while.
Gojo Satoru stared at the black mulberry tree, who seemed frozen in place by the winter air and couldn't utter a single word for a long time, and raised his eyebrows slightly and quickly.
"Where's the Mont Blanc chocolate you promised me?"
He didn't force Kazuma Hatake to answer, but instead turned his gaze and began to look around the dormitory.
—This also gave Kazuma Hatake some breathing room, allowing him to show a moment of relief as he got up.
"I... um, I'll go get it."
Even his words were stammering for the first time. Kazuma Hatori placed the simply packaged cardboard box in front of Satoru Gojo, his movements as stiff as a newly hired waiter serving food to a customer.
...Or, wouldn't it be better to let him bring it up himself?
Even Gojo Satoru, who had patiently waited until his birthday, felt that he was making things a little difficult for the kid.
Gojo Satoru raised his hand to untie the ribbon tied above him, considering how he should start the conversation.
I gave him a handmade Mont Blanc as a birthday gift, which was probably worth less than the gifts I had received at my previous birthday parties.
But its underlying meaning already surpasses a thousand words.
Gojo realized how busy Kazuma Hagoromo was usually; he had specially taken several days off to travel from the suburbs all the way to the city to make this Mont Blanc.
Perhaps he received guidance from that master?
Oh dear, should he praise it as delicious as last time, or pretend it's not delicious to scare the black Shiba Inu first, and then praise it?
Gojo Satoru picked up a small spoon and gestured several times towards the seemingly ordinary-looking Mont Blanc chocolate, as if considering where to start eating.
There weren't any extra chairs in the dormitory, so Kazuma Hatori stood to the side, his unease seemingly reaching its peak.
But before Gojo Satoru could cut off a piece, he whispered a reminder.
"It probably won't taste very good."
It can be considered as giving the other party a heads-up beforehand, so that they can be mentally prepared.
Compared to Gojo Satoru's evaluation of whether the chocolate Mont Blanc was delicious, Hatori Kazuma's mind was still preoccupied with the truth that was about to be revealed, leaving him with little attention.
Moreover, his Mont Blanc painting had already been criticized as failing by the master Kawamura.
Even if Satoru praises it as incredibly delicious, Kazuma Hatori himself wouldn't believe it.
"Hmm, the filling isn't very sweet, and the chocolate shell is a bit hard... It's just an ordinary flavor."
The voice of Gojo Satoru reached my ears; it was a genuine reaction as he chewed with his cheeks puffed out, expressing his thoughts on the taste—almost identical to Master Kawamura's comments.
Having anticipated this, Kazuma Hatori accepted it entirely without any dissatisfaction.
"I……"
He calmed the chaotic emotions in his heart and was about to speak when he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
The unfinished words, like a burnt-out thread, were completely severed halfway through.
“…”
After waiting for a long time without any response from Yutori Kazuma, Gojo Satoru looked up at him in confusion.
He had originally planned to use a strategy of praising by first criticizing, hiding all the exaggerated praise behind the pretense that "this Mont Blanc tastes quite ordinary."
Satoru Gojo couldn't wait to tell the other person just how much he loved this chocolate Mont Blanc.
All he had to do was wait for Kazuma Hatake to finish speaking—say whatever he wanted—before he could say "but."
But what was reflected in those pale eyes was a tear that had suddenly fallen, its eyelashes trembling.
Gojo Satoru was dumbfounded.
Eh, I'm actually so upset to hear him describe me as just average!?
This was probably the first time Kazuma Hatori had encountered this, because after a brief moment of stunned silence, the black-haired boy's usually indifferent expression became flustered, and he tried to wipe it away with his palm as if to cover it up.
But more tears kept welling up in those wide-open black eyes, falling like dewdrops from a pine tree.
"W-What happened?!"
Gojo Satoru, who was trying to scare Hatake Kazuma, was so startled by the other party's reaction that he almost jumped off his chair and hurriedly changed his words.
"I'm just kidding, I actually really love this Mont Blanc, really, it's my favorite, it's the flavor I've always wanted to eat!"
Montblanc didn't even bother eating anymore. Gojo Satoru went up to Hatori Kazuma, who had his head down, and started to coax him, even regretting why he had to use that "praise first, then criticize" tactic.
Why not just praise it directly? He clearly told the other person last time that he would praise the food no matter what...!
While Gojo Satoru was still racking his brains trying to figure out how to prove that he really liked the Mont Blanc, Hagoromo Kazuma looked up first.
"I know."
He spoke in a low voice, which was even hoarser than before and even had a slight tremor.
Of course, Kazuma Hagoromo knew.
[Current Request: The search for Gojo Satoru has been completed.]
[Reward: Marriage module, unlocked.]
Before Wu could express his true feelings, the game had already displayed a pop-up window, laying bare the most truthful result before him, leaving no room for argument.
Apple-flavored candy.
Skilled fishing technique.
I subconsciously bought him clothes.
...
And, his chocolate Mont Blanc.
Countless fragments converge at this moment, and all these chaotic clues ultimately point to only one person: Wu.
Only one person.
Just like the other people he met in the first playthrough, their subconscious actions when they saw him in the second playthrough were something Kazuma Hatori should have expected.
Why does it have those instinctive reactions that seem more like a physical response when it's just a normal inheritance of affection?
The game itself is also unusual.
But it was only now that he dared to make this guess.
Only then did he dare to believe that the person standing in front of him at this moment was the same person from last week's game who had not inherited his memories.
It was Gojo Satoru, the 28-year-old girl he liked and who liked him, with whom he spent that time.
"That…"
Gojo Satoru racked his brains and tried his best to come up with a remedial measure.
"I'm sorry, I promise I'll never make that kind of joke again...!"
And actively strive to gain trust.
"Now watch me eat it, okay? You'll see I finish it in three bites, and that'll show you how much I like it!"
Kazuma Hatori wiped away the last of his tears with his sleeve. When he looked up at Satoru Gojo, his eyes were still slightly red, but his obsidian-like eyes were shining brightly, like a treasure whose dust had been wiped away by the rain.
Then, he smiled and gave Gojo Satoru an obvious smile of pleasure.
"You don't need to like this Mont Blanc too much."
When Gojo Satoru heard Hato Kazuma speak, his voice was clear and firm.
"It's enough that you like me."
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