Chapter 59
Assimilation of the Heavenly Origin...
For Kazuma Hatori, it was a completely unfamiliar term.
All he knew was that [Tengen] was a sorcerer with an immortality technique, and that he seemed to be living a secluded life somewhere in Tokyo High School—this was something Wu had casually mentioned to him before, without any further explanation.
Currently, his task is to prevent the assimilation of the Heavenly Primal Force next year.
The fact that his identity cannot be discovered by the Tokyo Higher Vocational School indicates that their goal is to successfully assimilate Tengen.
If we consider the perspective of a Tokyo high school teacher from the first playthrough, Kazuma Hagoromo would naturally support the high school's side.
However, his identity in this timeline is very problematic, and is obviously much more complicated than that of the Kamo family, who simply and brutally rose to power—most importantly, he will most likely be at odds with Tokyo High School.
As for the middle-aged man in front of him... Kazuma Hatake opened the [Social] interface and glanced at him, which showed that he was [Shigeru Sonoda].
This Sonoda Shigeru spoke to himself in a very stern tone, showing absolutely no respect for the so-called "Holy Son of the Panxing Cult".
Of course, these are not the points that Kazuma Hatori is currently concerned about.
What troubled him most was whether the [Tianyuan Assimilation] had succeeded or failed at that point in the first playthrough.
Oh no, I skipped all the plot introductions at the beginning of my first playthrough, and I never talked to him about them again.
When he decided not to skip anything on his second playthrough, the game wouldn't let him play it again...
But since Wu is at the High School, he assumes that the High School is the righteous one. So, according to the usual plot development, the [Tianyuan Assimilation] mission should have been successful, right...?
Is he set as the villain in the second playthrough?
Hagoromo Kazuma frowned and pondered for a moment, then thought that this identity design was not bad.
Wouldn't it be better to infiltrate the villain's camp right from the start and better understand Xia Youjie's strange behavior and his accomplices' plans?
In that case, he should keep a low profile.
"I see."
Kazuma Hatori accepted the task.
Anyway, there's no punishment for not finishing—just as this thought popped into his head, he heard Sonoda Shigeru continue.
"Although I didn't really expect much from you, you'd better remember that you've already placed a [binding]. You sorcerers know best what the consequences of a [binding] will be."
Kazuma Hatake: "…………"
No, he doesn't know.
But [Binding] clearly worked, because he saw a new label next to the task of [Preventing Tianyuan Assimilation] - [Forced].
Well, it's not a bad thing to be a villain and go all the way. Anyway, his behavior in the first playthrough was pretty villainous.
"I see."
Kazuma Hatake responded a second time, but was met with two cold warnings from Shigeru Sonoda, who slammed his knuckles on the table, his tone extremely stern as he corrected him.
"Yes, Your Excellency. Hagoromo Kazuma. Will you show this same lack of respect to [that person]?"
Kazuma Hatake: "…………"
If it weren't for gathering intelligence, I'd love to shoot this guy right now.
Fortunately, after Kazuma Hatake replied "Yes, sir," the other party did not continue to anger him. Instead, he waved his hand dismissively and spoke to a woman beside him.
"Take him away. Remember not to let him see the believers yet. Let him stay in the apartment that has been arranged for him, and wait for the teachers from the college to pick him up."
"Excuse me for speaking frankly... Lord Sonoda,"
The woman did not immediately agree, but instead frowned with concern.
"He has always shown his face in front of the believers. Even if he forges his identity and is sent to a higher vocational college to carry out the program... aren't you worried that his identity will be exposed and cause losses to the Panxing Cult?"
Kazuma Hatori became increasingly speechless as he listened.
The other party's words sounded like they were only worried about the failure of the plan and the consequences for the Panxing Sect, rather than about his safety after his identity was exposed.
This guy can still be called the "Holy Son of the Panxing Sect"... He has absolutely no status as a Holy Son.
But after a moment's thought, he quickly felt relieved.
Well, that's just how players are. To get a few good identities at the start, you basically have to fight your way up with your own sword and spear.
"Yes, your concerns are not without merit, after all, I have never mentioned this to you before."
Sonoda Shigeru crossed his fingers, his attitude noticeably better than when he had treated Hatori Kazuma earlier; in fact, it could be described as amiable.
“Although we are only a branch of the Panxing Cult—the House of Star Children,” he explained.
"But in any case, the Panxing Cult is a thousand-year-old religion that originated in the Nara period. It was formed by non-magicians who knew the truth after Lord Tengen set various moral standards for magicians and even sacrificed themselves to stabilize the world.
"This close connection with the world of sorcery over the past thousand years has ensured that we have never lost our bridge to the other side of the world—as for those superfluous mouths and ears, they have always been easily covered up."
Do you understand what I mean?
Sonoda Shigeru's words weren't exactly subtle, and coupled with his experience from the first playthrough, Hato Kazuma immediately grasped the unspoken meaning behind his words.
—The Panxing Cult has people in the upper echelons of the sorcery world who will actively cover up his false identity.
Seeing the woman's bewildered expression, Shigeru Sonoda stood up and patted her on the shoulder.
"Alright, now relax and take him away. From now on, you will be the only one responsible for contacting him. Although we will have people to help, we can't make it too obvious."
The woman with the low ponytail nodded and then gestured for Kazuma Hatake to follow her.
"The assimilation problem of Lord Tengen cannot be ignored,"
When the woman drove Kazuma Hatake to his apartment building, she still had a stern face and emphasized it to him again.
“Even if the president doesn’t have any expectations of you other than attracting believers, I still hope that you can fulfill this responsibility well and not make mistakes.”
Seeing that the black-haired boy standing outside the car didn't react, and even his dark eyes seemed to be unfocused as he looked at her—was he daydreaming?
"Are you even listening to me?" she immediately frowned in displeasure.
“Excuse me,” those dark eyes flickered slightly, but when they looked at her, they asked a question completely unrelated to the topic.
Which room do I stay in?
The woman with her hair tied in a low ponytail instinctively exclaimed, "Huh?"
"Besides, I don't have the key."
Kazuma Hatori spread his hands in front of the woman who was displayed as [Ayako Sakami] in the [Social] interface, indicating that he was basically penniless at the moment.
"I don't have any living expenses yet."
He emphasized this point.
The gold coins from the first playthrough did carry over to the second playthrough, but he has no source of income now. Plus, he's allied with a villainous faction that seems quite wealthy, so why not take advantage of it?
"…………"
Sakami Ayako, with a sigh, led Hatori Kazuma to the door of his apartment, stuffed a spare key into his hand, and finally pulled out a wad of cash from her wallet and gave it to him.
Two days later, she also sent him a file folder and a new cell phone—although, given the technological advancements at that time, he only received a flip phone with outdated features.
“Contact me through this number if anything happens,” Ayako Sakami said. “The fake identity is here; memorize it and remember to burn it.”
“In this document, you are an orphan who lost both parents, and I am your adoptive aunt. But I am usually busy with work and will not live with you.”
"good."
Kazuma Hagoromo nodded, then tried to inquire further, "I don't have to see those believers for a whole year, is that alright?"
"It's nothing, we'll just say the Patriarch has his own arrangements."
Ayako Sakami's tone was rather perfunctory, but at least she said a few more words.
"Originally, it was just using your magic to fake miracles and attract believers to join the church and make offerings. Now, even if it's delayed for a year, it doesn't matter. They're already spontaneously going out to preach."
Kazuma Hatake: "…………"
Sure enough, this religion is no good thing—and his identity as the "Holy Son" is only good for fooling those who aren't part of the core group.
In essence, his status in the Panxing Cult is no different from that of a money tree placed in front of a company or a lucky cat waving its front paws on a counter.
Kazuma Hatake wanted to ask something more, but Ayako Sakami had no intention of staying in his apartment any longer. She casually reminded him to memorize his identification information and to remember to leave when the vocational high school came to pick him up, before leaving in a hurry.
The person who came next was an old acquaintance from his first playthrough.
—The Night Moth's Righteous Path.
At this point, his hairstyle didn't resemble a pineapple, he wasn't wearing sunglasses, and he didn't look so weathered; he looked more like a muscular strongman who would play rugby or baseball.
"Kazuma Hodori?"
Night Moth Masamichi glanced at the document in his hand and confirmed that the appearance in the photo matched the boy in front of him.
"It's me."
Kazuma Hatori, who opened the door for him, nodded.
"Sorry for being late. There's a guy among the first-year students whose identity is a bit troublesome. He's clearly a family mage with exceptional talent, but he insists on coming to the vocational college, no matter what his family says to persuade him otherwise."
Night Moth Masakazu pressed his temple with his thumb, clearly exhausted from the past two days.
"A family-based sorcerer?"
Even though he already knew who it was, Kazuma Hatori still cooperated and asked.
"The Zenin, Kamo and Gojo families, together form the three main families that have always kept the world of jutsu intact."
As they drove the unusually calm and composed black-haired boy downstairs, Ye Mo Zhengdao gave him a brief explanation of the subject on the way to the college.
"Compared to ordinary people, the descendants of the three families who inherited the bloodline of the Onmyoji from a thousand years ago are more likely to possess spells, and if it is an ancestral spell, it is even more powerful."
"It's quite rare for someone like you, whose parents are ordinary people, to awaken a magical technique."
"I see."
Kazuma Hatake nodded and looked at the skill window that had been displayed in front of him.
[Curse Power (Level 4): The foundation for all skill usage. The maximum Curse Power can be increased through various methods, granting greater sustained combat time.]
[Black Flash (Level 4): Power is 2.5 times that of a normal attack. Consumes a large amount of magical energy when used.]
[Ten Directions Maha (Core) (Level 4): You will gain the ability to manipulate space within a certain range for combat. You can increase your proficiency through continuous combat, unlocking more related skills.]
Unlike the [Crimson Blood Manipulation Technique] inherited from Kamo in his first playthrough, his core skill this time has been reset to a life-giving technique he has never heard of before.
It's related to space... It sounds impressive, but the skills that come from it aren't as flexible and varied as the [Crimson Blood Manipulation Technique] which manipulates blood; there are only two types: clockwise and counterclockwise.
They are all still locked in dark gray.
"However, your other two classmates are also non-family lineage sorcerers, so there's no need to feel too much pressure."
As he led the group to the classroom door, Masamichi Yagami seemed to mistake Kazuma Hatori's staring at the floating window for nervousness, so he raised his hand and patted him on the shoulder.
"In short, let's try to get along well with everyone first."
The classroom door, resembling a shoji screen, opened, and Yuzuri Kazuma was gently nudged by Yagura Masamichi's shoulder, gesturing for him to step inside.
Those familiar, beautiful blue eyes turned around at the sound of his voice, and through the gap in his not-so-thick sunglasses, they met his gaze.
"Oh, teacher,"
It was lighter than I remembered, like a long, drawn-out, coquettish note, yet it exuded the spirit and vitality unique to youth, proud and bright, like a bonfire suddenly rising in the snowy night.
"Is he the fourth new student you're going to pick up?"
"Wow, he's kind of gloomy," a girl lying on the desk next to her muttered. "He's probably the type that's hard to approach."
"Yeah?"
The 15-year-old white-haired boy propped his head up, his pale eyes scanning Yuzuri Kazuma back and forth several times.
"What do you mean gloomy? You can tell he's totally clueless at a glance."
Upon hearing this, Kazuma Hatori, who was trying to keep a straight face, couldn't help but smile.
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