Chapter 168
The curtains were pulled open by a hand, and the bright morning sun slanted into the room, spreading a large area of warm light across the floor.
Kazuma Hatori squinted slightly at the sunlight before turning back to the bedside and calling out to Satoru Gojo, who was still lazing in bed.
Good morning, Wu.
"It's morning."
"It's getting late."
"Ooh..."
Gojo Satoru slept soundly, turned over and lay on his side with his back to the light, half of his face buried in the pulled-up quilt. Only some of his pure white, soft hair was scattered on the pillow and curled up in the crook of his neck, like clumps of light cotton candy.
Perhaps it was because he had been too skilled at mimicking cats before, but even that muffled murmur of resistance to getting up sounded remarkably similar to the whimpering of a cat when it doesn't want to be disturbed.
Kazuma Hatake was so charmed by her lover's cuteness that his heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't resist reaching out to gently pat his head, just like he would when he was petting a cat.
The [No Limits] spell, which was automatically activated 24/7 in the previous playthrough, never hindered him in this playthrough.
Every detail he noticed only made him like Wu more and more.
"Mr. Gojo, we're going to be late for class."
Kazuma Hatake smiled and, after finally satisfying his urge to move the cat around, slowly reminded him.
—This urging was effective; those snow-white eyelashes trembled slightly and reluctantly opened.
"Huh... why do we have to go to class..."
Gojo Satoru rubbed his eyes and mumbled something, his beautiful blue eyes peeking out from between his fingers, fixed on someone with intense resentment.
"I already said this was your punishment, how can someone act on their own and completely disobey orders?"
The first half went as planned, and he managed to give the guy a hard time with just a few tricks—but the second half turned into a completely out-of-control, disjointed train!
"I was wrong."
Kazuma Hatori unleashed his ultimate move, giving innocent dog-like eyes.
He said "I was wrong" so fluently that it almost made Gojo Satoru roll his eyes on the spot.
...Never mind, he did get his satisfaction, so it's not wise to dwell on what's already happened. He'll settle the score with this guy next time.
Remembering that he really had to go to class, Gojo Satoru, no longer procrastinating, threw off the covers and sat up in bed. His movements—standing up in slippers and stretching—were fluid and effortless, and he felt extremely comfortable.
The loungewear he bought fit him perfectly, and when he raised his arms high, it lifted him up as well, making Kazuma Hatake's dark eyes look at the small, slender waist and abdomen in front of him—the lines were smooth, the texture was delicate, like a flawless and expensive piece of jade, yet warm like rice grains drying in the sun.
When Gojo Satoru withdrew his hand, he noticed that the black Shiba Inu's eyes were practically glued to the screen.
Ha, she still manages to bewitch him so easily.
Gojo Satoru was secretly chuckling to himself, but he had to keep a straight face and pretend he hadn't noticed anything—mainly because he was in a hurry and didn't have time to deal with the aftermath of stirring things up.
"I'm going to take a shower. I'll just toast two slices of bread for me for breakfast."
Kazuma Hatake replied with a "okay," but his gaze remained fixed on that spot, causing Satoru Gojo to raise an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"
"Um, are you alright? After all, last night..."
This was the first time Kazuma Hatori had asked this kind of question—since that birthday, although they had tried a few more times, Satoru always slept until noon the next day, and today was the first time he had been woken up in the morning.
Because when the other person was half asleep last night, he specifically told Hatori Kazuma to remember to wake him up.
The suggestive words from Kazuma Hagoromo forced Gojo Satoru's brain to replay the events of the previous night, causing him to fall silent—and also become somewhat annoyed.
"What are you thinking, kid?"
Finally, Gojo Satoru's azure eyes narrowed dangerously as he mercilessly interrupted his lover's chaotic daydreaming.
"Of course, you're not the only one who can reverse spells—"
Without even using a trace of magical power, the body will immediately recover to its original state and be full of energy!
Kazuma Hatake: "…………"
That darn reversal technique.
While Gojo Satoru was taking a shower, Hato Kazuma also used a bread machine to make two slices of toast, spreading condensed milk and strawberry jam, respectively, on the other's favorites.
Seeing that there was still enough time, he heated up another cup of milk and placed it on the dining table.
Although Kazuma Hatori doesn't actually need to eat in the game, he still prepared the same breakfast for himself. Otherwise, Satoru would definitely have broken his portion in half for him.
After taking a shower, Gojo Satoru changed out of his casual loungewear and put on a well-tailored all-black jacket, paired with matching trousers—only the sunglasses that Ichima had given him were still perched on his nose.
When he came out of the bathroom, Kazuma Hatake was stunned after just one glance.
The same outfit as last week's Satoru.
If it weren't for the fact that the apartment he was in wasn't different, Kazuma Hatake, in that moment of dazed state, would almost have thought he had returned to the first timeline.
In fact, he already felt that the current Satoru was moving towards the same path as his first self.
As Wu's experiences and trials increased, and his youthful naiveté and impetuosity gradually faded, beneath his lively and carefree exterior, he grew into a more reliable and mature person—yet he always upheld his kind nature, never forgetting the daisies blooming by the roadside, nor ignoring the kitten soaked by the rain.
He always shines, whether in oppressive rain or gloomy fog.
As Kazuma Hatori looked at Satoru Gojo, a dull feeling welled up in his chest, a complex mix of emotions—bitterness and excitement—suddenly surging within him.
"Heh heh, how about it?"
Gojo Satoru zipped up his shirt all the way to his collar, covering half of his chin; he put his hands in his shirt pockets, making him look tall and capable, so handsome that he would make fans scream if he walked out.
"I just bought it a few days ago. I feel it's perfect for me, and it's super easy to clean—although it's unlikely that any stains will get on me."
Gojo Satoru tilted his head and looked at the person with a smug smile, his tone particularly proud.
How many points?
"—Ge Liheng's number."
Kazuma Hatori opened his mouth reflexively, the answer that had appeared in their conversation before.
Gojo Satoru's azure eyes brightened slightly, like ripples stirred by a gentle breeze—then, he reached out and hugged Hagoromo Kazuma tightly, gently pressing his forehead against him, and exchanging an intimate kiss.
"I had a feeling you would definitely give this answer,"
Gojo Satoru smiled, but a hint of bewilderment flashed across his face in the blink of an eye. "It seems like I've been waiting all along."
And now, he finally felt this sense of complete peace and relaxation, just like this intimate embrace that was within reach.
Kazuma Hatori took a quiet breath and said to Satoru Gojo.
"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting so long."
Due to game restrictions, he couldn't even explain the reason to the other party.
"--It's okay, it might just be a dream I had before. Isn't there that kind of thing that happens? When you encounter something, you suddenly feel like, [hey, this scene seems to have appeared in my dream before] or something like that."
Gojo Satoru smiled happily, kissed Hatori Kazuma again before withdrawing his hand, and then pulled out a chair to sit down.
Two slices of bread, each smeared with condensed milk and strawberry jam, were placed on a plate in front of him. Gojo Satoru insisted on putting them together, creating a sweet and sour sandwich of condensed milk and strawberry jam that would infuriate some food germaphobes.
Then, with a big bite, he puffed out his cheeks, completely satisfied.
"Speaking of which, you just went to the chief's house like that yesterday. Weren't you worried that his protective barrier would trigger an alarm?"
Since she went there with stitches still on her forehead, she certainly couldn't threaten that old man in her Black Bean Shiba form.
When Gojo Satoru asked about this detail, Hatori Kazuma was also puzzled.
He even described in detail to Gojo Satoru the situation where he had previously caused trouble for the director's department—the key point being that [the barrier never reacted, whether in the form of the black bean chopsticks or the original form].
"So... you're not [Heaven and Curse] either, how come you can move freely in and out of the barrier?"
Gojo Satoru was equally surprised by this.
He even pulled his sunglasses down a little and carefully scanned Kazuma Hatake's body with his [Six Eyes] again to confirm that there was cursed power flowing in his body.
"That shouldn't be the case. Logically speaking, the establishment and operation of the barrier should be maintained by Lord Tianyuan."
Gojo Satoru took another bite of his sandwich, his brow furrowed. "Moreover, for someone as crucial as the head of the General Affairs Department, the barriers they create at their residences are often not ordinary barriers, but rather superior [purified barriers]."
Kazuma Hagoromo asked curiously, "Is the entire barrier maintained by that Lord Tengen? Without any exceptions?"
"That's not entirely true..."
Gojo Satoru dipped his fingertip in the strawberry jam on the plate and drew a rough map of Japan, then circled four small dots, patiently explaining it to Hagoromo Kazuma.
“In ancient times, people were superstitious. When science could not explain something, the fearsome belief in ghosts and gods became quite popular. This also led to the birth of cursed spirits in that period.”
"Even if the total number is not large, most of the imaginary cursed spirits created by ordinary people under the common understanding and negative emotions are extremely destructive and generally possess curse magic."
"In contrast, the proportion of powerful sorcerers born at that time was also higher than in modern times, and they were able to suppress the cursed spirits... I remember that the Heian period was the most prosperous time for cursed arts? After that, it gradually declined."
"In short, Lord Tengen, who has mastered the knowledge of barrier techniques, has set up large-scale [purification barriers] throughout Japan, not only to suppress the generation of cursed spirits, but also to improve the accuracy of assisting in the supervision of barrier techniques."
“The additional barriers we set up can be compared to using a reinforced version of a smaller circle inside a larger one; ultimately, they are still enclosed within this larger circle called the [Purification Realm].
This explanation was simple and easy to understand, but when Kazuma Hatake combined it with the theoretical lessons he had taken before, he immediately realized that something was wrong.
"I killed so many high-ranking officials in the Directorate General who maintain the operation of the sorcery world. Theoretically speaking, Lord Tengen should help me identify myself?"
“That’s true,” Gojo Satoru stroked his chin, “but think about it, I even opened a ventilation window for the Ryousei-no-gyo before, and that Tengen-sama remained silent, as if that wasn’t his territory.”
"Furthermore, even if Lord Tianyuan does nothing but maintain the operation of the barrier, you should at least be excluded by the barriers that are set up separately by those mansions."
Hagoromo Kazuma pondered for a moment, "What does 'enlightenment' mean..."
"Hmm, if my guess is correct,"
Gojo Satoru, who had put his hand down, nodded and looked at him intently.
"—Someone is shielding you from the barrier."
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