Chapter 49
Kazuma Hatori's appearance was extremely brief; he merely called a meeting with the management team, went through the motions, and the proposal was unanimously approved.
He thought the higher-ups would say something difficult, but he didn't expect these old men to agree so readily.
It seems that even the fool Wu mentioned has at least learned to be flexible and adaptable.
When Fushiguro Megumi learned that Itadori Yuujin had actually passed the Level 4 Jujutsu Master assessment, he was so shocked that he almost choked on his soda.
When he later heard that he had obtained permission to enter the Jujutsu High School and would come to learn physical skills from Maki-senpai and Gojo-sensei, Fushiguro Megumi felt a strange sense of calm, like, "Ah, that sounds reasonable."
"Once my leave is over, I'll come here to study during my afternoon club activities!"
Yuuji Itadori smiled broadly, "Please take care of me from now on, Fushiguro!"
"…………"
Fushiguro Megumi was momentarily dazzled by that overly sunny smile before quietly replying, "Yeah, over here too."
They were waiting at the entrance of the vocational high school today because Mr. Gojo told them that the first-year student who had been unable to come due to family matters had finally arrived in Tokyo today.
They were waiting for Gojo-sensei and Kamo-sensei, and then they would set off together to Harajuku to pick up their loved ones.
In the words of Teacher Gojo, "It's a good opportunity to get to know each other better, and then do some kind of field test or trial!"
However, they had been standing there waiting for quite a while, but they still hadn't seen any sign of Gojo-sensei or the others.
"Why haven't they arrived yet?"
Fukuro Megumi had finished two cans of soda but still hadn't seen a single person. She started taking out her phone, ready to call and urge them on.
Then Hisahito Itadori stopped him, gesturing with both hands in front of his face, but for a long time he still couldn't understand what it was trying to express.
Megumi Fushiguro: "...Hmm?"
"That...it couldn't be them, you know, that one..."
Yuujin Itadori, still a pure-hearted high school boy, hesitated for a long time before finally managing to squeeze out a sentence in a low voice.
“I saw Kamo-sensei coming out of Gojo-sensei’s dormitory yesterday morning.”
"…………"
Fukuro Keiko raised his eyes, calmly put away his phone, and silently uttered a single word.
"oh."
Hisahito Itadori was greatly surprised, "You're not surprised at all?!"
"What's so surprising?"
Fushiguro's words sounded particularly exhausting.
If you were to tell this to someone else, it would certainly be a very suggestive statement—but what use is it to him? He knew from the beginning that these two people were living in the same apartment, and they even almost dragged him over to be a third wheel.
It's perfectly normal for these two to live in the same dormitory at the vocational college; there's nothing strange about it.
Yuji Itadori carefully observed his expression from the side.
"...Wow, it seems like you've been through a lot, Fukuro."
Fortunately, they didn't have to wait very long—Gojo Satoru, wearing his usual all-black uniform, walked towards them from a distance and waved, looking to be in a good mood.
"Huh, where's Kamo-sensei?"
Yuji Itadori glanced behind him several times to make sure that Kazuma Hatori hadn't followed.
"He has some other things to take care of, so he can't come with us to pick up Wild Roses today."
Gojo Satoru tilted his head with a smile, every word radiating happiness.
"I wonder who'll be unlucky today, haha."
That "haha" sounded like schadenfreude, and even a hint of regret that he couldn't go along.
Fushiguro Megumi was quite used to this. "Is everything alright with Kamo-sensei?"
"It's alright, don't worry about him. He just had to go back to Kyoto for some business. Besides,"
Gojo Satoru waved his hand, his words still carrying a hint of a smile that hadn't completely faded.
"As long as he's dealing with a human being, there's absolutely no chance of anything happening to him."
"Alright, alright, let's go—"
…………
Kyoto, Kamo clan.
As before, Kazuma Hato sat in the main seat, Nokichi Kamo knelt to the side, and there was an elder from Kamo next to him, whose name I think was Kosuke Kamo.
“We have searched through all the books in the Kamo family’s collection, but we haven’t found any spells related to this rune.”
Summoned urgently back to Kyoto, Kamo Nokichi's opening line caused Hatori Kazuma to frown.
Seeing that this living devil was a little unhappy, Kamo Nokichi quickly finished speaking.
"But this is illogical, because more than one or two people have seen this curse mark in the book, so it's impossible that everyone remembered it wrong."
Kazuma Hatake gave a curt "hmm," signaling the other person to continue.
"The only possibility we can think of is that someone secretly tampered with the books and erased this part of the content."
At this point, Kamo Nokichi, whose heart was practically in his throat, paused for a moment, secretly glancing at the head of the family who didn't seem any more angry. He then turned slightly to the side, making Kamo Kosuke the focus of the conversation from here on out.
"Kousuke said he remembered that many years ago, he had given the Zen family a copy of his notes, which should contain clues about this mantra."
“The Zen temple family…”
Hato Kazuma remembered what Satoru had told him: Zen-in was one of the three great families and also the main family of Fushiguro Megumi.
"Then let's go get it and take a look," he said calmly.
"We also sent a message..."
Kamo no Yoshikichi said hesitantly, “The Zen-in family said that if you want that transcribed manuscript, you need to come and pick it up in person.”
"Why?"
Kazuma Hatori was certain that he did not know any other members of the Zenin family besides Fushiguro Megumi.
"The General Manager's Office," Kamo Nokichi whispered a reminder.
Kazuma Hatake: "…………"
Forgot that those old men from the Zen temple were also among the senior executives of the management department.
"so what,"
Kazuma Hatori stared coldly at Nokichi Kamo, immediately understanding the unspoken meaning behind the other's words.
"Are they trying to blackmail me with the copied manuscript?"
This statement carried a strong sense of ambiguity, and Kamo Nokichi, feeling that the other party was on the verge of death in every sense of the word, dared not utter a word.
To be honest, he felt they probably didn't intend to blackmail him; it was more like a negotiation...
After all, this living Yama has almost no weaknesses—in fact, no one can control his only known weakness, Gojo Satoru.
Having finally found a bargaining chip to hold in their hands, everyone is naturally inclined to try and make a move.
As for why they invited him to the Zen temple's house instead of coming to the Kamo house...
At the director's office and Kamo's house, this living devil was utterly ruthless in his killings, showing no regard for hierarchy or etiquette, nor for his own reputation.
Now that he's in the crowded and noisy territory of the Zen temple, he should at least tone down his ruthless and cold-blooded Yama-like demeanor.
Now, the Gojo family is secretly the happiest, both happy and fortunate, because if the Kamo family can successfully form a marriage alliance with the head of the Gojo family, they will also benefit, while the Zenin family will become the weaker party.
Unlike the Kamo family members, they don't have to work 16 hours a day.
Moreover, according to the latest developments they secretly found out, those two even slept in the same dormitory at the vocational college!
We're just one step away from success!
For this reason, the Zen family actually still has a strong sense of crisis.
If the Kamo and Gojo families were to successfully form a marriage alliance and merge their powers, they would completely lose their voice in the General Headquarters—not to mention the thought of Gojo Satoru ascending to the top position with a living Yama (devil) under his command, which would give anyone a heart attack.
Therefore, after hearing that the Zenin family might have something that the head of the Kamo family urgently needed, the Zenin family still wanted to try to make a move.
But these words took on a completely different meaning when heard by Kazuma Hatake.
The player was actually threatened by an NPC.
"Then let's go to the Zen temple."
He got up and walked outside, passing Kamo Nokichi and the others, casually uttering a sentence in a flat tone, the last syllable fading into the tense atmosphere.
“Even if I were to kill the entire Zen family to get the manuscript, it wouldn’t be difficult.”
Kamo Nokichi finally managed to relax, but the breath caught in his throat again, choking him and preventing him from swallowing.
...How could you just think of slaughtering the entire Zen family?!
Upon receiving the urgent communication from Kamo Nokichi, the Zenin family also fell silent.
"Why don't we just hand it over?" one of the elders suggested.
He had no intention of provoking the other party and then being forced to follow in Maeda Yasuo's footsteps.
No, at least Maeda Yasuo survived, but after hearing the cruel words of the living devil, he didn't even intend to spare their lives...
"We've finally found something that he values, so we should exchange it for something, right?"
Another elder, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, seemed somewhat dissatisfied, but couldn't offer any good suggestions at the moment.
But if I just give it away without asking for anything in return, I feel like I'm losing out.
"Then you should take a look at his behavior. More than half of the old guys at the Kamo family's place still have plasters on their waists and they go to get massages every night."
"Maeda ate that for several days in a row..."
"Pointing a gun at someone at the slightest disagreement..."
"Naiji said that when he shot us, he didn't even blink..."
"Wasn't the former chief minister the one who was forced to be silenced after being relentlessly pressured..."
The more they talked, the more subdued the atmosphere became in the conference room. Everyone remained silent, heads bowed, looking at the old notebook placed in the center of the table.
It seems that offering sacrifices directly is the only way forward.
In this profound silence filled with desolation and despair, the sound of a paper door being pulled open could be heard.
What are you all worried about?
The voice, tinged with a flippant laugh, sounded particularly abrupt in the conference room.
"Ugh, what a terrible atmosphere."
He looked around, shrugged slightly as if startled, and sat down in one of the empty seats.
“Zhizai, you’re a bit late,” one of the elders reprimanded. “The Zhipi people have something to do, but do you have something to do too?”
Zenin Naoya, who came to the meeting in place of the Zenin family head, smiled and said "I'm sorry" to the elders present, but he himself maintained a rather indifferent attitude.
"He's just the newly appointed head of the Kamo family. Is it really necessary for all the elders to make such a fuss?" he said casually.
"I heard that as soon as he took office, he went to find Gojo Satoru to arrange a marriage? That sounds really ridiculous."
The Kamo family would never allow news of their own members being killed by the head of the family to leak out. The General Headquarters was even less inclined to reveal the humiliation of Hato Kazuma's constant threats to them. As a result, Zenin Naoya's strongest impression of the Kamo family head was still the sensational rumor that he had gone to Gojo Satoru for a marriage alliance.
That's absolutely hilarious, he thought.
"...You don't understand."
Another elder hesitated, but did not reveal the inside story. Instead, he gave a serious warning.
"When that family head comes over later, don't treat him with the same attitude you have now. Be more respectful."
"Yeah?"
Zenji Naoya responded slowly, as if he had finally adopted a serious attitude, or as if he was merely going through the motions.
He wanted to see who this person was.
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