Chapter 66
When Gojo Satoru uttered those words, the entire room fell silent.
Even the other artists, who were grimacing and enduring the weak electric current, looked at him with a shocked expression that seemed to say, "Aren't you afraid of offending people?"
After all, in this variety show that became popular by pranking celebrities, those who were pranked are actually at the very bottom of the social hierarchy.
Not only should you not offend the director, but you absolutely cannot offend the host either.
The white-haired boy in front of them not only failed to cooperate with the program team in reacting as if he had been pranked, but also provoked the host by saying, "Want to know the answer? Then come over here and get electrocuted too."
But the host didn't want to get electrocuted.
His smile froze. When he tried to switch to interviewing Kazuma Hato, who had come with him, he saw that the other man had also retreated to Gojo Satoru's side, his meaning all too clear—Gojo Satoru told you to come over and get shocked, so you obediently come over and get shocked.
The host was completely helpless against these two troublemakers.
To avoid actually getting an electric shock, he was prepared to give up on interviewing these two troublemakers, but unexpectedly, the production assistant on the other side of the camera held up a small blackboard with very obvious prompts on it.
[Cooperate].
host:"…………"
In this program, the director has the most power. Whatever he says, he has a good chance to obey, given the number of cameras around him.
The host had no choice but to grit his teeth and walk towards the metal plate, grimacing and staggering all the way to stand in front of Gojo Satoru, which made the guests burst into laughter many times before he finally stood up steadily in front of Gojo Satoru.
It wasn't from being scared, it was purely from being electrocuted.
As the countdown drew near, the weak current had been amplified so much that even his words trembled, as if his jaw was shaking from the biting winter wind.
Fortunately, Gojo Satoru didn't make things harder for him; he played a game of cat and mouse with him on the metal plate.
"Can...can I...tell you now...?"
"Of course!"
Gojo Satoru smiled and curved his blue eyes, saying to him word by word, "Because I am a Nuo demon."
The host's expression froze instantly.
Gojo Satoru extended a finger and pressed it against the microphone that had been thrust in front of him, slowly moving it away to ensure that his voice wouldn't be amplified throughout the studio.
"I'm telling you, you'd better just tell me where that curse master is."
Cold sweat soaked his temples, but the host's voice still sounded normal—or rather, normal because it was trembling from the electric shock.
I don't understand what you're talking about.
"...Ha, I thought I only heard such cliché lines in detective cartoons."
Gojo Satoru made a disgusted face at him, but those blue eyes remained fixed intently on the host, making him feel like prey with a wild beast biting his throat, about to die at any moment.
"You're not a sorcerer, yet you're shrouded in such heavy remnants of cursed power. You must have a close relationship with the other party."
—Gojo Satoru continued slowly, “In fact, that person specifically told you to be wary of people like me who have the name Gojo Satoru and also have white hair and blue eyes, as they might come looking for you, right?”
That's why when I heard his name, I insisted on making him take off his sunglasses to confirm his identity.
“…”
The host's legs trembled, and he dared not answer.
"However, people in the world of sorcery who have heard of my name are all scared and stay far away from me."
Gojo Satoru tilted his head at him, all the closeness and friendliness he had shown to Hatori Kazuma vanished at this moment, replaced by an almost inhuman indifference.
"You actually managed to pretend nothing was wrong and come looking for death in front of me. You're quite something."
This time, the host was so frightened that he tumbled and fell off the metal plate.
—Under the gaze of countless eyes.
Hahahaha!
The guests burst into laughter.
They don't care who makes a fool of themselves; they're happy as long as they can see the high and mighty figures putting on a ridiculous show.
But the host didn't see it that way. He thought this was a real disaster, and the director would probably call a halt...
But when he peeked over to the director's direction, he saw his assistant holding up a small blackboard—
[It works very well, continue].
The newcomer who suddenly appeared out of nowhere is not only good-looking, but also managed to scare the host and make him look foolish instead of being pranked. How explosive is that!
As for the rather long gap in dialogue, that's fine. They can speed things up and switch back and forth a few times using perspectives that showcase the handsome posture of the white-haired boy.
The host was really about to cry.
But he couldn't ruin the atmosphere that the director liked, so he had to keep smiling and delivering his lines.
In the end, he could only force a self-deprecating joke with a rather indescribable contorted expression to quickly get through this part.
As expected, Gojo Satoru and Hato Kazuma stood for the entire countdown, remaining calm and composed throughout, becoming the only two winners of the endurance contest.
Then they discovered that the so-called grand prize was just a cover of a popular fashion magazine along with an exclusive interview.
This is indeed a great source of exposure for both washed-up artists and newcomers.
Only Gojo Satoru and Hato Kazuma, who were pretending to be celebrities, fell silent.
It's completely useless to them...it would be better to just give them a sum of money.
When the recording of the show ended, the director even applauded to praise them, saying, "You performed perfectly! This episode is sure to be very interesting!" and expressed his hope that they would have the opportunity to work together again in the future.
When it doesn't involve matters related to the world of magic, Gojo Satoru always behaves very politely towards ordinary people, probably because he subconsciously regards them as people he not only cannot help but also needs to protect.
Even though he feels that protecting her like this is exhausting, he will still do it.
While smiling and agreeing with "Okay, okay" and "Definitely, definitely," Gojo Satoru pulled Hato Kazuma away quietly to catch up with the host who had left the studio.
"Was it the curse master who arranged for that host to do it?" Kazuma Hatake asked on the way.
"More or less. This studio is littered with remnants of cursed power, so it must have been used by some curse master as a place to refine negative energy."
Gojo Satoru led him through the building's corridors, chasing their target by following the trail of lingering cursed energy.
"[Zhui Nuo] - You've probably heard of this. It's a blessing ritual in temples to drive away evil spirits. In ancient times, some places would arrange for poor people to play the role of ghosts wandering the streets, while the rest of the people would throw stones, beans, and salt at them until the 'ghost' was driven away."
"In this way, they will believe that they have gained happiness, peace and health in the coming year. All the malice will be borne by the 'ghost'."
Gojo Satoru didn't put his sunglasses back on. His fully exposed blue eyes were intently scanning back and forth as he spoke rapidly to Hatori Kazuma.
"And this program is a modern version of the [Nuwa ritual]."
The artists were transformed into 'ghosts' that needed to be banished and that bore the brunt of malice, while the audience was seen as people laughing at them, throwing stones and beans at them.
"Normally, there's nothing wrong with prank shows like this."
As he ran, Gojo Satoru pulled a crumpled talisman from his pocket and handed it to Hagoromo Kazuma.
"But curse masters can always come up with ways to negatively influence emotions, maliciously provoking people's bottom line and making them do even more outrageous things."
"What is this?" Kazuma Hatori flipped through the paper covered with strange symbols, but still couldn't figure it out.
"Just think of it as a magic circle used to achieve some special effect,"
After thinking for a moment, Gojo Satoru realized that it was difficult to define, so he simply summarized it this way.
"I just found it under the audience seats."
That's why he specifically chose that spot to sit down.
Although at first he thought that Anri, who also carried the remnants of cursed power, was an accomplice, that's why he went out of his way to talk to her.
But now it seems that she, or rather a relative or friend of hers, is most likely the victim.
The structure of this building is so complicated, and there are so many ordinary people coming and going that he almost lost track of it several times. Fortunately, the remnants of cursed power on the host kept guiding him.
Even through the wall, [Six Eyes] could still see clearly.
Damn it, it's all the assistant supervisor's fault for saying we can't cause damage! If the crowd here had been cleared out, he would have punched a hole in the wall and cleanly carved a straight line through it!
Satoru Gojo puffed up his cheeks inwardly, but his feet didn't stop for a second. He led Kazuma Hatori up from the sixth floor, until even the number of staff walking in the corridor gradually decreased, and the floors became higher and higher.
Finally, they stopped in front of an office that looked luxurious, even the doors looked like they belonged there.
A finely engraved metal plaque hung in the middle, bearing the words "[Minister's Office]".
"Minister, huh... I never thought you'd actually become a minister."
Gojo Satoru muttered something to himself, then pushed the door open without any hesitation—inside were the host and another person, their eyes filled with disbelief, more terrified than if they had seen a ghost.
"Hi-hi, it's Gojo Satoru!"
Knocking? Knocking is out of the question; the cursed one doesn't deserve his politeness.
"Look what you've done! You've even attracted Gojo Satoru here!"
The dignified-looking man—presumably a middle-aged minister—was furious and even slapped the host across the face.
"You think I can handle him, don't you? Why do you think I'm being so cautious, hiding in this small place, afraid to make even the slightest move?"
"That's because you were too greedy last time and refused to stop, which led to someone's death..."
"It's just one person; weren't the police and the witnesses all silenced?"
The minister sternly reprimanded the host, just as harshly as he would reprimand a subordinate.
"I should have taken you down with me long ago—"
"Alright, alright, I didn't come here to watch you two shift the blame."
Gojo Satoru impatiently interrupted their bickering, spreading his fingers to form the starting gesture of [Azure].
"Will you kneel down and beg me to spare your lives first, or will I beat you until you kneel down and beg me to spare your lives?"
Those pale eyes that used to always radiate a cheerful smile now resembled a frozen lake, revealing his cold and arrogant side in battle—a composure and confidence he had cultivated since childhood, standing at the pinnacle of strength and achieving countless perfect victories.
And, showing no mercy to the enemy.
"Three seconds to decide—come on, let me choose."
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