Curse Reply: After choosing Nawa, the cursed spirit cursed me for being cruel.

He stood up, took a few steps toward the embankment, and then turned back.

She stood on the beach, holding a crepe in one hand and waving at him with the other.

The sea breeze tousled her hair, and he hurried away.

The surroundings quieted down, and Riko sat on the sand with her knees drawn up to her chest. The half-eaten crepe rested on her knees; it looked delicious, but she had lost her appetite.

The sea breeze grew cooler, and waves crashed onto the beach before receding.

She slowly tucked her head between her knees and chest, shrinking into a small ball.

She told herself that this was fine.

He's so busy, it's a rare luxury for him to spend a whole morning with her.

But she still couldn't help bury her face even deeper into her knees.

She remembered that long ago, ever since she could remember, everyone had been telling her the same thing: you are a star-like being, you are different from others, and you will assimilate with Lord Tianyuan in the future.

This is glorious, this is necessary, this is for maintaining the stability of the entire Japanese nation.

She accepted it very early on, but she doesn't remember when she stopped being afraid.

All I remember is that Kuroi's eyes would redden every time assimilation was mentioned, but she herself was very calm. Isn't it just about becoming one with Lord Tengen... If it can protect so many people, that's good enough.

Although she was reluctant to leave Kuroi and everyone at the school, she was ready to assimilate with Tengen-sama.

Then that summer came, to the vocational high school, to the beach in Okinawa.

Gojo Satoru chased after her with a sea cucumber in his hand, Natsuyu Jie sighed on a beach chair, and Kuroi's hat was blown away by the sea breeze.

And then there's him... He doesn't talk much, and when he smiles, the corners of his mouth only curl up slightly, but he'll shield her behind him, he'll help everyone heat the water in the hot spring, and he'll say "no" for her in the white void of the Ryousei Palace.

He would say "okay" when she decided to become a sorcerer, put a Senzu Bean in her palm on the morning she left, and tell her "I'll be back soon" before he turned into a gust of wind and left from the Osaka seaside.

The world of sorcery is currently undergoing reforms. The Federation has just been established, the affairs of the three starter families are not yet settled, and sorcerer activities are frequent in various places. Everyone is watching him; he is the center of everyone's attention.

She shouldn't make him squeeze out time to spend with her just because of her own selfish desires.

That's exactly what I was thinking...

But... she couldn't suppress the emotions in her heart.

He's the strongest, but he gets tired too. He'll cover his face with documents in the office to slack off, he'll lie in bed with his eyes closed listening to her talk, and he'll show that look of wanting to run away but being unable to when Ijichi chases after him for a signature...

Duanmu is a human being, not a machine. He needs someone to watch over him, stand beside him, and let him rest his head on his lap when he is tired.

The waves crashed onto the beach, receded, and then crashed back up. The cloth bag containing small seashells on her shoulder swayed gently in the wind. She lifted her face from her knees and wiped her eyes.

Before we knew it, it had gotten completely dark.

She was the only one left on the beach, along with a line of crooked footprints leading to the sea.

Chapter 168 Waiting

As darkness fell completely, Riko lost track of how long she had been sitting there, from noon until dusk. Now, the stars in the sky were beginning to twinkle one by one.

She hugged her knees, the sea breeze ruffling the stray hairs on her forehead, but she didn't bother to tidy them up.

The lighthouse in the distance began to rotate, its beam sweeping across the sea in circles.

She forced a smile and said, "It's okay, it's okay. I was only looking forward to half a day, and I'm already very happy with what I've accomplished."

She sniffed and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "But why... do I still want to cry?"

She was still smiling, but tears streamed down her cheeks. She raised both hands and vigorously wiped her eyes with the heels of her palms until her eyes were red.

Then she took a deep breath, patted her cheeks twice. "Come on, Riko, maybe Duanmu won't be so busy anymore. Things at the Federation will eventually stabilize, and things will go smoothly with the three starter families, then he'll have more free time. Then we can come to the beach again, go to the aquarium to see the penguins, and eat at that seafood rice place with the long queue... We can do it all together next time."

Her voice grew softer and softer until the last few words were barely audible.

Both hands slid down from her cheeks and landed on her knees, her fingers slowly curling up.

Will he really finish his work?

Just then, a large shadow loomed over her. Riko looked up, but before she could see the person's face clearly, she was flicked on the forehead.

"Oh dear, who made you cry?" Duanmu Yan squatted down in front of her, tilting his head with a mischievous grin.

He had sweat on his forehead, his breathing hadn't quite evened out, and his shirt collar was loosely open.

Riko covered her forehead, staring blankly at the face that had suddenly appeared.

He reached out and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, his fingertip brushing away a drop that hadn't yet dried. He then withdrew his hand, looked at it, and then looked at her again. "Tell me, who bullied you? I'm going to settle the score with them."

Riko covered her forehead, staring at the mischievous face squatting in front of her, still not quite understanding. Duanmu Yan reached out and gently touched the corner of her eye again, his fingertip wiping away a tear that hadn't been wiped clean, then lightly flicking the droplet away.

"You... why are you back? Didn't you say there was a group of curse masters in Osaka?"

"It is an urgent matter, but I am the chairman of the Spellcaster Association, a special-grade spellcaster named Duanmu Yan. A mere group of spellcasters is not easy to deal with."

Duanmu Yan smiled and snapped his fingers, then stood up, bent down, and patted the sand off his knees.

"What, you don't want me to come?"

Riko also stood up. Because she had been squatting for too long and stood up too quickly, her knees buckled and she almost lost her balance. Duanmu Yan reached out and supported her arm, letting go only after she regained her footing.

Riko patted the sand off her skirt and brushed her bangs, which had been ruffled by the sea breeze.

"No, I just thought you probably wouldn't come back. It's so late, and you look so tired."

As she spoke, she looked up at his face again. The two faint blue marks under his eyes were still there. Looking at his disheveled appearance, she realized that he must have rushed over in a hurry, finished his business, and rushed back.

"I may be tired, but how can I leave you here alone?"

“I’m not a child anymore. I’m a level two sorcerer now, and I can protect myself,” Riko sniffed and said stubbornly.

Duanmu Yan looked at her red eyes but didn't expose her.

He opened his arms and pulled Riko into his embrace, one hand around her shoulder and the other on the back of her head, letting her face rest against his neck.

Riko's body stiffened for a moment, then she raised her hand, slowly wrapped it around his waist, and buried her face in the crook of his shoulder.

Duanmu Yan felt her shoulders trembling slightly. It wasn't from crying, but from something that had been weighing on her for a long time finally finding a place to let go.

He tightened his arms, holding her even closer.

After a long silence, she finally spoke in a muffled voice: "You know, when I was little, Kuroi told me that astral bodies shouldn't cry because Lord Tengen doesn't need a crybaby. So I've been holding back for many years."

"There's no need to endure it anymore. Lord Tianyuan can go shopping now. Don't worry about these things." Duanmu Yan's voice came from above.

Riko lifted her face from his shoulder, her eyes still wet. "You're the president of the Federation now, there'll only be more to do than before, right? After the three main families are done, there are local matters. After the local matters are done, there are matters concerning the cursed spirits. After the cursed spirits are done, there are other things..."

“I know you’ll always have something else to do, so I’m already quite satisfied with this half-day.”

Duanmu Yan looked down at her. "Who told you to be satisfied with just half a day? I'm not the kind of person who thinks I'm responsible just because I only give you half a day."

He released his grip on her, took a half step back, his expression softened slightly, but his eyes remained gentle.

“I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t even had time to have a proper conversation with you, but you’ve never complained to me once.”

“Every day, Ijichi would tell me when I came, what I left at the door, and when I left quietly. I didn’t say anything, but I remembered everything.”

“I’m just afraid of bothering you,” Riko said. “I’m afraid that if I open my mouth, you’ll have another thing to be distracted. You have so many documents to sign, so many people to meet, and so many long meetings every day. I can’t add to your troubles.”

“You’re not a nuisance, you’re Riko. Those two words aren’t on my to-do list, so don’t prioritize them.”

After Duanmu Yan finished speaking, he paused for a moment, then turned his head and touched the back of his neck. "I'm not good at saying these things, but that's the gist of it."

Riko chuckled as she watched his awkward expression, as if he wanted to disappear into the ground after saying those cheesy words.

She raised her hand and gently straightened his disheveled collar. "You said a lot of things you don't usually say today. Did the sea breeze make you stupid?"

"Maybe. I suggest you eat some shaved ice to calm your nerves." After Duanmu Yan finished speaking, the two of them smiled.

The last vestige of deep purple on the horizon faded into inky blue, and stars densely covered the entire sky. The Milky Way stretched across the sky overhead like a faint band of light.

Riko looked up at the stars for a while, then turned to look at him, her eyes filled with a little reluctance, but mostly with contentment.

She took a soft breath, tucked the wisp of hair he had flicked behind her ear, and then smiled.

"That's enough for today. I'm already very happy. Let's go home."

Duanmu Yan didn't move. He looked at her as if he were looking at a painting that was not yet finished but was already beautiful enough.

He stretched out his hand, palm up, and placed it in front of her.

"No, before we go back, there's one more place I want to take you."

Chapter 169 Fireworks Display

"No, before we go back, there's one more place I want to take you."

Riko looked down at his outstretched palm. "Where are we going? It's so late. You said we couldn't stay too long."

Duanmu Yan did not answer. He took half a step forward, took her hand, and gently intertwined his fingers with hers.

Riko was pulled away by him and walked away, tilting her head to look at his profile as they went: "Where are we going? You're not taking me night fishing, are you? I'm not good at that."

"No."

"Is that going to the lighthouse? The lighthouse isn't open at night, is it?"

"Not at all."

"Where else can we go, Duanmu? Slow down..."

Duanmu Yan slowed down and continued to lead her forward, onto a small path, past a grove of low pine trees, where an old breakwater stretched into the sea.

It's not far from the beach, but it was blocked by the pine forest earlier, so you couldn't see it from the beach. At the end of the breakwater is a wide platform facing the sea. Several old fishing boats are moored to the stone pillars of the platform, gently bobbing with the waves.

"We're here." He released her hand, turned to face her, and said, "Stand still. Look up."

Riko looked up. There was nothing in the night sky except for the stars. Just as she was about to ask what she was looking at, the first ray of light shot up from the sea.

A thin golden line shot straight into the night sky with a sharp whistling sound, exploding at its highest point and shattering into a shower of golden rain.

Then came the second, the third... different fireworks overlapping each other as they rose from the sea, blooming one after another, turning the entire sea into a colorful ribbon.

Duanmu Yan stood half a step behind her, his hands in his pockets, looking up at the fireworks that cast alternating light and shadow on her face, watching the colorful lights shatter in her pupils.

Riko's mouth was open as the light from the fireworks streamed across her face—red, gold, silver. She covered her mouth with her hand, and her shoulders trembled slightly.

"When did you make this? You're so busy you don't even have time to sleep, how did you find the time to prepare this?"