Chapter 211 Original Story Side Story (Part 1): If Daigo raised a little wolfhound, Ichima, in the prison gates...
There is no concept of time within the prison gates.
Everything is forbidden—light, sound, air—it's like endlessly falling into an eternal nightmare from which you can never wake up.
And Gojo Satoru is personally experiencing this nightmare.
The Halloween event at Shibuya was a trap specifically set for him. Gojo Satoru was confident that he could defeat the enemy with so many hostages, but he did not expect that the enemy's preparations were far more thorough than he had imagined.
Having lost all magical power, he was trapped in a narrow space with no way to escape.
Oh no, things are going badly.
Gojo Satoru sighed deeply, and could only lie back in the boundless void.
He had just come from a battle, and his blindfold was not yet on, hanging softly around his neck, yet it seemed like a stubborn, tough, dark shackle.
"But there must be a way."
He wasn't the type to immediately lose heart after a setback; he simply smiled and temporarily entrusted the future of the world to those students.
Within this prison gate, a second can feel like a thousand years, both long and short, until even the torment itself becomes an even more agonizing ordeal.
— Ding ding ling.
A short and rather unfamiliar melody played, not the notification he had set for a text message, alarm, or incoming call.
Gojo Satoru paused for a moment, then hesitantly pulled the cell phone out of his pocket.
He certainly remembered that he had a cell phone, but in the prison gates where there was no signal, it had long lost its ability to contact the outside world, and the battery was already running low.
At that moment, the screen was emitting a bright light, freezing the image on a scene that Gojo Satoru was certain he had never seen before.
To be precise, he clearly remembered what his phone wallpaper was and that he had never installed any strange software on his phone.
However, it was as if his phone had been infected with some kind of virus beforehand. Once it started running, it completely took over the entire screen, even blocking the status bar at the top that displayed the time and battery level. Returning to the home screen was also completely unresponsive.
"What...is this a prank?"
Gojo Satoru muttered something to himself, holding his phone up to his eyes and examining it from all angles, as if he had suddenly forgotten what it was.
Hmm... it shouldn't be the effect of a spell, since he can't even use spell power inside the prison gates, let alone foreign objects.
But looking at the scene displayed on the screen, it's a Japanese house with a cartoon style?
Honestly, this art style is quite cute. Even the chibi-style figure sitting at the desk is incredibly adorable, tilting its head and swaying back and forth, with a bubble containing a "?" slowly appearing above its head and then slowly bursting.
What kind of game is this...?
Who secretly installed a game on his phone when he wasn't looking?
Hmm... I don't think anyone could do that, since he's always on [no limits], and no one could get close to him and secretly install games on his phone without him noticing.
After thinking for a moment, Gojo Satoru decided to give up on figuring out the origin of the game and instead tapped the screen with his finger.
I don't know how much longer this phone can stay on. Since he has nothing to do right now, it's forgivable for him to play some games while the phone is still usable, right?
With a gentle tap of his thumb, Gojo Satoru popped the bubble that was still rising.
*Smack*
A soft sound seemed to come from the screen, startling the chibi-style character. The character's head, which had been swaying back and forth, stopped and began to look around alertly.
Gojo Satoru suddenly felt like laughing.
Despite having a round, chubby face and not making any big movements, for some reason, it always gave him the illusion of being quite clever and agile, as if there really was a person living on the other side of the screen, rather than a rigid and stiff game character that operated according to a program.
Even the small bedroom was far from luxurious or exquisite—it was just an exceptionally simple and unremarkable bedroom.
Upon closer inspection of the entire screen, aside from the viewpoint resembling a bedroom camera, there are no buttons on the surrounding borders. It looks like an interactive game where you would get feedback from the game character by touching or talking to it, but the gameplay is rather monotonous.
It's also possible that this is currently a beginner's tutorial, and the later content hasn't been unlocked yet.
Gojo Satoru also tried to touch the objects in the scene, but none of them reacted.
In other words, the only thing he can interact with is this cute chibi-style character... What's his name?
Gojo Satoru tried poking the little figure with black hair and black eyes, but instead of information, a bubble appeared above the chibi figure's head.
Who's touching me?
Before Gojo Satoru could respond, a second bubble appeared:
Were you touching my head just now?
Even the responses were so vivid, it was as if someone was really talking to him through the screen.
"……Um?"
Even knowing that the chibi-style character on the phone was invisible, Gojo Satoru still subconsciously sat up straighter and treated him with a more respectful attitude.
After the two bubbles appear above the heads of the chibi characters in the game, a chat box with five lines appears at the bottom, allowing players to enter their responses.
Dark gray locked version.
Gojo Satoru: “…”
What's going on? He can't even have a chat?
He tapped the small gray lock, and a shopping cart-like button immediately popped up. It was clearly a game's way of tricking players into spending money; they didn't even bother to pretend, and had their eyes on his wallet from the very beginning of the game.
However, Gojo Satoru is a super rich man after all. He wouldn't even blink if he spent ten times more on in-game purchases!
Wu Tiao Wu readily clicked to pay.
[Redirecting... Redirect failed, please check your network settings.]
Gojo Satoru: “…”
Gojo Satoru exclaimed, "Oh no, I forgot there's no signal right now!"
He has credit cards and cash in his pocket, but can't spend them; his account has a long string of zeros, but he can't spend them either.
The game then gave Gojo Satoru the option to spend real money, which actually stumped him like never before!
Wu Tiaowu remained silent for a moment.
If he were in any other place, he could even buy the production company out of his own pocket... but right now, he can't even unlock the chat window.
Oh well... this phone will definitely run out of battery and shut down automatically soon anyway.
Gojo Satoru felt a subtle sense of frustration and could only tap the cute little guy with his fingertips and apologize to him.
The chibi-style figure on the screen seemed to have been poked in the chest by Gojo Satoru again, staggering back half a step before regaining its balance. It looked indignant and tense, its gaze constantly scanning the room.
【Where are you? 】
Can't you speak properly?
Are you a ghost?
One bubble after another rose from the top of his head, only to be popped one by one by Gojo Satoru. He even let out a wicked chuckle when the other looked up blankly, clutching his head, staring at him with his big, bright black eyes.
This reaction is kind of cute... Once he's able to get out of the prison gates, he can spend money to unlock the chat box and explain to the other person.
Now I can only touch him as a ghost, I'm so sorry.
Gojo Satoru patted his head again to express his apology.
But after the little black-haired figure on the screen had its head patted again, it stopped popping up the questioning dialog box and instead walked around the room several times, from the desk to the TV, then from the TV to the wardrobe, and finally from the wardrobe to the bed.
Finally, he chose to sit on the bed, looking up at a point in the void in front of him—Gojo Satoru inexplicably guessed that the other person was trying to do something like "looking at him".
Since the bed is placed against the wall, he can take in the entire bedroom at a glance simply by sitting on the bed.
Can't you speak properly?
Bubbles continued to rise, which surprised Gojo Satoru.
Let's play a question-and-answer game!
If you say "yes," touch my right hand; if you say "no," touch my left hand.
As the bubble appeared, the little black-haired figure on the screen also raised his hands.
If you think this method is okay, touch my right hand.
This little design makes the game characters seem quite intelligent and agile; it turns out there are ways to play without a chat box.
Gojo Satoru's interest was immediately piqued, and he lightly tapped the other's right hand with his fingertip.
My name is Kazuma Hatori.
The chibi-style character first introduced himself, then asked him a question.
Are you a ghost?
--no.
Gojo Satoru touched his left hand.
Strictly speaking, he is a player and a human being, so how can he be called a ghost?
"Would you hurt me, or my family?"
--no.
While it's unclear whether there will be a forced bad ending later in the game, as things stand, Gojo Satoru will definitely not harm Kazuma or his family.
Did you end up here by accident?
--yes.
No one knows who installed this little game on his phone, but it unexpectedly added some fun to his life while he was locked up in prison.
Are you facing any difficulties?
Gojo Satoru was a little stunned, but after hesitating for a moment, he still chose "yes".
He was indeed facing a difficult situation where he could not escape from the prison gates, and he had no way of knowing the current situation of Yujin and the others, or even how much time had passed in the outside world.
Is there a way I can help you?
--no.
Gojo Satoru didn't really want to discourage Kazuma, but he was also very clear that the game character could only provide him with emotional comfort and could not offer any effective help in "releasing him from the prison gates".
【I see. 】
After seeing Kazuma sit on the bed for a moment, Gojo Satoru nodded very seriously, then withdrew his hands and returned to his desk.
A while later.
A little while later.
Although Gojo Satoru couldn't tell whether time would pass in the game, he couldn't resist touching Ichijin with his fingertip after staring at him for a long time while Ichijin was hunched over his desk.
This time, perhaps he swiped the screen a little too far—in other words, touched a little too wide—because the little black-haired figure on the screen reacted violently, jumping up and half-lying on the table, like a startled cat that didn't know where to run.
Hmm... no, if I had to say, it would be a bewildered dog, right?
Gojo Satoru pinched his chin, a little embarrassed to admit that he had actually become interested in this simple little game, and even found Kazuma very cute.
Don't touch me suddenly.
Kazuma, who was lying on the table, turned around and, while trying to find Gojo Satoru with his eyes, protested to him with a serious, round face.
I have homework to finish, and it's due before class tomorrow.
Huh, it's supposed to be a hardworking, good student setting?
Gojo Satoru patted the black-haired little man's head, hoping the other would understand that he was apologizing and would definitely not bother him again.
But the other party seemed to have misunderstood, because after a brief silence, a bubble rose from the top of Kazuma Hatori's head.
I'm really stuck on one question.
Do you have a solution to this?
The black-haired little man seemed to tacitly agree that Gojo Satoru could see the contents of his homework—after all, he could touch him, so he must exist in his bedroom in some form, right? It's just that he couldn't observe it yet.
Gojo Satoru understood a little. No wonder the little black-haired figure kept shaking its head gently at the beginning of the game; it meant it was "thinking"? How cute.
Unfortunately, he's currently just a pathetic overhead camera, unable to tutor the other person even if he wanted to.
Speaking of which, will the game include gameplay elements where you teach characters to do their homework? What if the player can't do it either? No, no, we can't think like that. The game's questions should be very simple.
Gojo Satoru was pondering how to tell Kazuma that he couldn't help him, when another window popped up in the lower half of the screen—
This time, instead of a chat window, there were several lines of clearly described math problems, and a blank sheet of paper below, seemingly waiting for his answer.
They actually made him do some problems, and they looked like they were based on middle school level knowledge!
Gojo Satoru suddenly perked up—perhaps he slacked off in other subjects, but thanks to the [No Limit] technique, he was exceptionally good at math.
Writing out the solution steps with his fingers was a bit difficult, but that didn't stop him from finally showing off his skills!
After getting the answer for the first time and checking it twice, Gojo Satoru confidently clicked to confirm, watching as the manuscript was returned to Ichima, who then began to shake his head slightly, seemingly deep in thought.
Admittedly, if he is usually busy with teaching, tasks and other things, even if he opens this little game, he can only open it and glance at it when he has a spare moment.
It would never have been like this before, where I would carefully observe every move the other person makes and even find it quite adorable.
Speaking of which, why isn't the phone off yet? Could it be that time doesn't pass in Prison Gate, causing the battery to not decrease with phone use...?
Just as Gojo Satoru lost his focus, bubbles started appearing above Kazuma's head on the screen again.
[Wow, that's amazing, absolutely correct.]
The teacher never taught this solution.
Ah ha, as expected, he's perfect at everything he does!
Even though it's a game where the characters' reactions are programmed, Gojo Satoru was still praised and became very happy, showing a cheerful smile that was different from his usual self.
Under such overwhelming absolute power, people often take it for granted that whatever he can do is a matter of course, and even simple praise is rarely heard—or rather, such insignificant details are not even noticed.
This was the first time Gojo Satoru had received such treatment, being praised for being able to solve junior high school math problems.
Ordinary and pure, it was a simple and unadorned compliment directed solely at his mind, after the outer shell of power had been completely stripped away.
Wu Tiao Wu's lips unconsciously curled up.
But he seemed much happier than usual.
Immediately following the disappearance of the two bubbles was a system notification.
[Hatori Kazuma: Affection +5.]
[Affection system unlocked, romanceable character: Kazuma Hagoromo.]
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This is the "IF" route from the original work. The Kazuma here isn't the Kazuma from the main story; it can be understood as Kazuma in an alternative possible development.
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Also, I'd like to recommend my friend Shi Kouyun's new novel, "Killing GIN Ten Years Later," by GIN Narcissus [sprinkling flowers]
Copywriting:
Kurosawa Jin, nineteen years old today, is the organization's youngest codenamed member. He has transmigrated.
Although his body had shrunk, his mind remained clear. Kurosawa Jin knew that the most urgent task was to find a way to restore him to his original size, and then...
Kill your other self and take its place.
--
Gin knew he might be ill.
From the age of nineteen to twenty-nine, another version of himself frequently appeared in his life, with the same way of thinking, habits and hobbies as him, but he remained at the age of nineteen.
The quack doctor called it schizophrenia.
Gin didn't believe it and refused treatment.
Gin thought it would be interesting if there were a nineteen-year-old version of himself in the world, and he never changed his mind after Kurosawa Jin appeared.
It wasn't until one day, when nineteen-year-old Kurosawa Jin pointed a gun at him and bit his neck tightly, that Gin felt a rare pang of regret—he should have died at nineteen.
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