Chapter 127
During this New Year holiday, Gojo Satoru neither returned to the Gojo family nor stayed at the high school, but instead boarded a train to Kamakura with Hato Kazuma.
Located in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, this was a promise made by Kazuma Hato and Satoru Gojo when they went to Kamakura on a mission together.
They will come back to this warm seaside city to ride the inverted train, play beach volleyball, collect seashells, and pray at the shrine, experiencing many more fun things together.
The row of delicate and exquisite porcelain cats on the windowsill were also brought back to him by Kazuma Hato from Kamakura.
Thinking this, Gojo Satoru put on his hat in a great mood, tucked in the stray hairs that were sticking out from the edge, and adjusted the angle of the brim.
With everything ready, Gojo Satoru finally put on his sunglasses and gave a confident smile to the glass window that reflected his image.
Hmph, the incredibly eye-catching Gojo Satoru is still a cool guy whose charm remains undiminished even with a baseball cap on!
His gaze shifted slightly to the side, meeting that of Kazuma Hatake.
—Look, right now there's a love-struck fool who's completely smitten with him!
As Gojo Satoru stepped out of the car, every move he made exuded a subtle sense of pride.
After they finished singing that song at Junko Arasena's concert, the forum erupted in wild jubilation, as if countless dazzling fireworks had exploded, nearly crashing the server again.
Photos and videos from various angles, accompanied by even more explosive and assertive analyses—each post, aside from the raucous gushing about their looks, uses various theories to convincingly prove the conclusion that Zhenwu and I are already together.
Gojo Satoru not only enjoys reading those who praise him and Kazuma, but also enjoys reading all kinds of "reasonable and well-founded" analyses.
If he sees a detail that a fan guessed correctly, or one that he hadn't noticed, he'll chuckle to himself and roll around in bed, wishing he could immediately register an account to reply.
That's right, that's exactly it!
Oh dear, I didn't even notice that! What a blunder!
It's a shame that no one on the forum uploaded a photo of them holding hands while walking next to the concert. How annoying! He wanted to secretly save one.
Gojo Satoru was so disappointed that he slapped his thigh.
It's such a shame that such strong evidence wasn't captured on film!
—At that moment, Gojo Satoru, who had gotten off the bus first, turned his gaze to Hato Kazuma, who was also walking out with a bag slung over one shoulder.
Yeah, he's definitely a cool guy.
Because he always has a cold face, others always feel that he is unapproachable, and even the emotions he reveals seem to always suppress a certain indifferent gloom.
But in reality... Gojo Satoru knows how easy it is to coax him.
"Hands, give them to me, give them to me—"
Gojo Satoru extended his hand to him, smiling as he waved it back and forth twice.
"Oh dear, this is our first time in such a crowded place, we can't let you get lost—"
He even deliberately used the tone of someone who speaks to a child, talking nonsense to him in a serious manner.
So, the cool black-haired guy's aura immediately turned into an inability to suppress his laughter, and even his eyes showed a hint of amusement.
Amidst the hurried footsteps of the passersby, Kazuma Hatori extended his hand to Satoru Gojo and shook it tightly.
Kamakura truly lives up to its reputation as a tourist city; even in the early winter months of the new year, the city remains bustling with visitors.
Gojo Satoru and Hato Kazuma booked a hotel here and planned to stay for two to three days.
As planned before their trip, they bought tickets to ride the Skyrail, watching the clear blue sky outside the window gradually merge with the distant sea, turning into a faint white mist that was difficult to distinguish.
Directly below them was a continuous stream of cars, their horns and flashing lights far away, like tiny matchboxes rushing past their feet, like sparks that were lit and then extinguished.
Gojo Satoru had never ridden a train that was suspended upside down on the tracks before, and he was very excited as he pressed his face against the glass window to look out.
Behind the sunglasses, a glimpse of beautiful misty blue peeked out from the edge of his pale eyes, which stared intently throughout the entire scene without blinking.
If he sees a pigeon suddenly take flight, he will excitedly call out to Kazuma Hatori to come and see it too.
So the two of them, heads close together, squeezed in front of the glass window, watching with great interest as passersby fed the pigeons, completely oblivious to whether doing so would make them "uncool".
When Gojo Satoru got off at Enoshima Station, he also noticed several small metal-decorated birds on the railing outside the station, all wearing hats and cute little capes.
"Oh, that was knitted by an old lady here using wool."
An uncle passing by saw Gojou Satoru examining the metal birds dressed in clothes with great interest, so he offered to introduce them.
"She even changes the clothes of these little birds. You see, right now they're white and black stripes? They'll have a new pattern next month when she comes back."
Gojo Satoru's eyes lit up: "Wow—"
He raised his phone and took a series of selfies with Kazuma Hatake, a dressed-up little bird, and himself.
At the end, the uncle even pointed out a window in a shopping street where there was a queue.
"It seems like the government is organizing some kind of New Year's event over there. I think you can go to a few locations to collect stamps and get a prize—but I guess it's just something like coupons or cheap paper fans?"
The uncle, who was born and raised in the area, had no interest in this kind of activity and left with his hands behind his back after saying that.
But when Gojo Satoru heard about the interesting activity of stamp collecting, he immediately became super excited.
"It's stamp collecting!"
He immediately turned to look at Kazuma Hatake, his face clearly saying, "Come on, come on, come on."
Kazuma Hatori thought about it and realized that even 28-year-old Satoru was enthusiastic about playing a stamp collecting game in Yamagata Prefecture to exchange for sweets, so it goes without saying that 16-year-old Satoru would be even more enthusiastic.
"Okay, let's give it a try."
Kazuma Hatake and Satoru Gojo each received a blank stamped backing paper and walked through the crowded little commercial street, heading first to Katase Beach.
The beach is deserted in winter, and the sea breeze carrying a lot of moisture is fierce, making pedestrians who come to take pictures shiver and leave without staying for a moment.
Even under the sun, the sand still feels cold and damp to the touch, so no one would choose to go to the beach to collect seashells or play beach volleyball at this time.
Apart from two silly guys who look incredibly happy.
Afterwards, Kazuma Hatori and Satoru Gojo arrived at Eshima Shrine, where the iconic torii gate stands. They walked from Hetsu-gyu Shrine to Nakatsu-gyu Shrine, and then to Okutsu-gyu Shrine, where they stamped their seals and tied red envelopes to make their wishes in the proper order.
It's the New Year, and joyful laughter can be heard everywhere. Scattered winter peonies bloom among the crowds, making the atmosphere even more lively.
"What did you wish for... Never mind, don't tell me, wishes won't come true if you tell them out loud."
Gojo Satoru asked out of curiosity, but immediately waved his hand to tell Hatori Kazuma not to say anything.
Kamakura has a lot of shrines and temples. Following their stamp-collecting route, they also visited Hachimangu Shrine, Hase-dera Temple, and Kotoku-in Temple—although Kotoku-in Temple was destroyed by the tsunami, leaving only the Great Buddha of Kamakura sitting on the open-air pedestal.
The last stop before sunset was Benten Zaishi Shrine, which Kazuma Hatori had visited before.
Here, he ignored the old woman who was cursing people's advice, and instead picked up a lucky passerby's coin from the pool and threw it into the donation box in the center.
The curse incident that he and Xia Youjie resolved was not made public, and the death of the curse master was also completely concealed.
Therefore, many people still come here to perform the [money washing] ceremony, and the sound of coins clinking and clattering as they hit the donation box and stones is constant.
"The aura of the curse is gone."
Gojo Satoru knew about this, so he slightly raised his sunglasses and used his fully automatic [Six Eyes] to carefully scan the small shrine, drawing a conclusion.
"Including money laundering rituals is perfectly normal, why not give it a try?"
Their paper linings were almost completely covered, and Kazuma Hatake had lost count of how many wishes he had made that day.
The prayer process is pretty much the same: tossing a coin, hanging ema (votive plaques) of various shapes, tying red or blue origami paper, and washing hands with water—every time, Kazuma Hatori makes the same wish.
Please give Gojo Satoru all the love he desires.
Each time, I would put my hands together, close my eyes, and make a sincere and earnest wish.
Even if he knew that there were no gods in this world, it was impossible to specifically choose this wish from among countless wishes to fulfill it.
This time, Kazuma Hato also strictly followed the procedure, putting his and Gojo Satoru's coins in a small bamboo basket, washing them in the pool, and then accurately throwing them into the donation box.
Gojo Satoru's aim was also excellent, drawing a "wow" from a girl passing by.
"Okay, now I can have all my wishes granted... Hmm, let me think, nine wishes in total!"
Gojo Satoru counted on his fingers, his expression exceptionally pleased.
"Are all of Wuxu's wishes different?"
Kazuma Hatori was somewhat surprised.
"Yeah, after all, with so many gods, it would be a waste to only make one wish. I made all sorts of different wishes, like... um, no, I can't say."
Gojo Satoru snorted softly, and before leaving Benzaiten Shrine, he dragged Hagoromo Kazuma to draw fortune slips for fun.
"I heard the fortune slips at this shrine are very accurate, let's give it a try!"
"good."
Kazuma Hatori, of course, wouldn't want to spoil the fun.
After paying, Gojo Satoru and Hato Kazuma each shook a fortune stick engraved with a number, and then found a divination slip in the corresponding wooden box.
Kazuma Hatake unfolds his piece of paper—Ominous.
[Thorns lie before the path, startling the wild geese that fly away, causing their feathers to fall; the mighty whale stirs up giant waves, and the seven treasures begin to reveal their true form.]
Kazuma Hatake: "..."
Although I don't really believe in this, there's no need to just draw a bad card for him right away...
What is it?
Gojo Satoru had just finished looking at his own fortune slip and, out of curiosity, asked Haguchi Kazuma about it.
"fierce."
Kazuma Hatori handed over the slip of paper.
"You used up all your luck on a coin toss."
After reading Kazuma Hatake's fortune slip, Satoru Gojo shook his own slip and shared it with him.
"At least I have a Suekichi card."
Life is a mix of joy and sorrow, white hair on a young head; after a thousand trials, finally a sage appears.
The explanation isn't very good, but it's definitely a bit better than Kazuma Hatake's [fierce] card.
However, according to the shrine maiden, they don't need to worry if they draw an unlucky fortune slip. They can simply tie the fortune slip to the shrine next to them and offer it to the Benzaiten goddess to protect them and turn their bad luck around.
Kazuma Hatori felt that even if the Benzaiten goddess was truly enshrined in this shrine, she probably wouldn't protect him.
After all, if that's really the case, then he once killed an old shrine maiden in front of this Benzaiten goddess...
Gojo Satoru immediately helped him tie the divination slip on, while keeping his own as a keepsake.
As a prize for their successful stamp collecting, Kazuma Hato and Satoru Gojo each received a peace charm—perfectly matching the style of their pilgrimage.
Seeing that Gojo Satoru had been playing with it for a long time, and that he seemed to like it quite a bit, Hato Kazuma secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, it's not an abstract work like [spicy curry Mont Blanc].
Aside from the minor detail of drawing an unlucky fortune slip, the two had a very enjoyable trip to Kamakura.
Gojo Satoru originally wanted to buy a bunch of ceramic puppy figurines to bring back, but unfortunately Enoshima is a "cat island," with only the various cute cat figurines that Hagoromo Kazuma had bought before, and no puppies.
With no other option, Gojo Satoru finally picked out a black Shiba Inu plush toy about the size of his forearm from the pet supply store and stuffed it into Hagoromo Kazuma's arms.
"Keep it in your dorm, don't throw it away."
Add a deliberately fierce warning.
Kazuma Hatori, holding the doll, suppressed a laugh: "Okay."
—On why dog lovers put porcelain cats in their dorm rooms, while cat lovers put dog plush toys in their dorm rooms.
After the New Year, Gojo Satoru and Hato Kazuma returned with souvenirs. After distributing them to Yagami Masamichi, Ieiri Shoko, and Natsuyu Suguru, they took a special gift to Saitama while they were still on winter break.
Gojo Satoru didn't even need to ask Yagami-sensei for the address; Hatori Kazuma still remembered how to get there.
A knock was made on the door, followed by light, quick footsteps that seemed to approach from a distance. The footsteps didn't sound heavy, so it was likely either Fushiguro Megumi or Fushiguro Tsuki.
Then, with a whoosh, the door was pulled open.
"Mom, you—"
When she realized it wasn't her mother returning, Fushiguro Miki's voice faltered—but upon recognizing the older brother who had helped them before, her expression became even happier.
She immediately made way for Kazuma Hatake and Satoru Gojo to enter the living room.
"It's the older brother who helped us before, Hui!"
While calling out to Fushiguro Megumi to come quickly, Fushiguro Miki found two pairs of new slippers for them in the shoe cabinet in the entryway, and then hurriedly ran to the kitchen to make tea.
"Hi, Happy New Year, Megumi, and Tsumi-ki too—"
Gojo Satoru greeted the two cubs with a smile, and when they asked him why he knew their names, he explained that he had heard them from Mr. Koi. As he handed the souvenir to Fushiguro Megumi, he quickly glanced at the small room.
Is there no adult at home?
His purpose in coming here with Kazuma was not only to check on how the siblings were doing, but also to find out what Fushiguro Megumi's relationship with the Zenin family was.
In the world of sorcery, the connection between a stable, heritable technique and one's family bloodline is very deep.
In particular, the Zen family's [Ten Shadow Spells], which possess exceptional potential, is not a spell that non-family-trained sorcerers can awaken casually.
“Last month, Tsumiki’s mother came back.”
In any case, Gojo Satoru and Hato Kazuma were kind people who helped them solve their living expenses problem. Fushiguro Megumi accepted the gift with a cold expression, but she answered Gojo Satoru's questions truthfully.
"Seeing that we had nothing to do, he threw down a few bills, stayed for a few days, and then went out to have some fun somewhere else."
After he finished speaking, his stern little face turned towards the living room, indicating that they could sit there.
Gojo Satoru thought to himself, "I see. Mom doesn't seem very reliable..."
Fuhei Hui said with a sour face, "All adults are the same. By the way, what are your names?"
"Oh dear, Hui, how can you be so rude!"
When Fushiguro Miki, who was boiling water in the kitchen, heard Fushiguro Megumi's rather impolite question, she quickly ran over, pressed Fushiguro Megumi's head down, and bowed to Gojo Satoru and Hato Kazuma.
"I'm sorry, that's just Hui's personality. I've caused you trouble... Also, Hui, quickly thank the older brothers for their gifts. This is the first time we've had guests at our house! Remember to say it with a smile!"
With a hand gripping the back of her head, forced to bend over, Fushiguro Megumi seemed to suppress her emotions for a moment before obediently speaking up, following Fushiguro Tsumiki's lead.
"Thank you for the gifts... Okay, let go of me now."
As for the phrase "[said with a smile]", Fukuro Megumi pretended not to hear it.
—His second half of the sentence was addressed to Fushiguro Miki, who smiled and let go of his hand, reminding him to do the same in the future.
Although these were etiquette tips she learned from television, and she didn't know if they were actually correct, they were certainly much better than Fushiguro Megumi's cold reception.
Kazuma Hatori stood by and watched for a while, and then he roughly understood why Fushiguro Megumi would grow up to have that kind of personality.
"My name is Gojo Satoru. And this older brother who's making the same expression as Megumi is Hato Kazuma. Just call us by our names."
Gojo Satoru wasn't angry at all about Fushiguro Megumi's attitude—in fact, he basically had the same sour expression when he was a child, especially when facing the elders in his family.
Kazuma Hatori, who was described as having the same expression, remained somewhat silent.
"Hello."
He actually felt that he had changed a lot since he spent time with Wu.
For example, if Wu hadn't realized it, this game in his hands would have been a Souls-like hack-and-slash game, instead of the romance and puzzle game it is today.
"Brother Wu, Brother Yizhen, what brings you here this time?"
When Miki Fushiguro served tea and the four of them sat down in the somewhat cramped living room, she took the initiative to ask.
Gojo Satoru took a sip of the bitter tea, which was clearly brewed from inferior tea leaves, and gave a friendly smile to Fushiguro Miki, who looked nervous.
"Nothing much, we just happened to be on winter break, so we came to check on you guys. How's Hui doing with her part-time job?"
Sitting opposite him, Fushiguro Megumi nodded with her chubby face, looking rather cute.
"There's nothing wrong... Thank you for your concern."
Seeing that Fushiguro Miki frowned in disapproval, as if she was about to criticize his attitude again, Fushiguro Megumi added a sentence.
"That would be great."
After chatting for a few minutes about part-time jobs, Gojo Satoru leaned forward slightly, adopting a relaxed posture with his armrests against the railing, and his tone of voice also became casual.
"Speaking of which, don't Megumi and Tsumiki's mother have a good relationship? Why don't they address each other by name?"
Because they had taken the initiative to help Fushiguro Miki and Fushiguro Megumi with their lives, the other party no longer had the wariness they had at their first meeting, and asking more personal family questions would not cause any offense.
"Ah, this..."
Fushiguro Miki paused for a moment, seemingly pondering how to explain this somewhat difficult-to-describe relationship.
"I have absolutely no relationship with that woman."
Fushiguro Megumi spoke first, her tone stiff and revealing complete unfamiliarity and rejection.
Gojo Satoru feigned curiosity and uttered a "Huh?" to guide them to continue the conversation.
"Oh, well, my mom and Hui's dad are actually a blended family, each with children from previous relationships..."
Fushiguro Miki rubbed the hem of her clothes and explained somewhat embarrassedly, "Megumi and I are only step-siblings; we are not related by blood."
Gojo Satoru nodded, saying "I see," and roughly understood why Fushiguro Megumi had the talent of a sorcerer, while Fushiguro Tsumiki did not.
I had only heard Yizhen say that she was her stepsister, so I thought they were half-sisters or something.
"Even so, it's too much for your parents to abandon you and go off to have fun, isn't it?" Gojo Satoru tilted his head. "Do you remember Tsumiki's mother's and Megumi's father's names? Ichizane only heard Megumi's father's name once when he was little, and now he doesn't remember it at all. But if you know their names now, I can try to find them for you."
Finding out the situation was one thing, but wanting to help them was another.
Leaving aside cases like his, where he was forced to separate from his parents to receive clan education, this brother and sister were clearly abandoned by their parents, which Gojo Satoru found hard to accept.
“It’s no use finding it,” Fushiguro said. “Even if we find it, it’ll just be used as a burden and discarded after a couple of sentences.”
"At least I can beat them up a few times to vent my anger, and then make them give back their living expenses."
Gojo Satoru clenched his fist, giving off a "[Leave it to me]" look.
“I’ve recently started reading the legal provisions, and they say that this would constitute the crime of abandonment.”
Whether she could get living expenses was another matter, but when she heard that she could beat the other party up a few times to vent her anger, Fukuro Megumi's black eyes lit up a little.
"But I can't remember what that guy looked like anymore. Even if you find him, I'm not sure if it's just a coincidence."
As Fushiguro Megumi said this, Fushiguro Miki on the other side had already run upstairs to the master bedroom, rummaged through drawers and cabinets to find the marriage certificate that was registered at that time, and handed it to Gojo Satoru.
"As for Mom, it's okay since she occasionally comes back to give us living expenses. It would be great if she could help find Hui's father. He didn't come back for Hui's birthday last month..."
Gojo Satoru took the slightly crumpled paper with its worn and curled edges.
"Let me see... Fuheshchen?"
Fukuro Jinji? I've never heard of that name before, but it wouldn't hurt to ask someone from the Zenin family—Gojo Satoru remembers that the Zenin family has a Naoya with whom he has a "fair" relationship, so he can ask him for help.
Gojo Satoru smiled and put away the paper, then said goodbye to Fushiguro Megumi and Fushiguro Miki before leaving.
"Leave it to me, I'll make sure we find Hui's father—"
With that assurance, he casually made a phone call to Zenin Naoya as soon as he left the house.
"Hello...who is it that's calling me at a time like this?"
The voice on the other end sounded very dissatisfied and arrogant, but Gojo Satoru pressed the speakerphone button and let Hato Kazuma speak first.
"It's me."
With just one sentence, Zenji Naoya was so startled that he let out a distinct gasp.
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