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

Duanmu Yan smiled, put his hands in his pockets, and said casually, "When we're busy with official business, it's okay to chat about personal matters. Everyone is still willing to give me, the chairman, face."

He didn't elaborate on what those official duties were, nor did he explain them.

For him, it wasn't difficult to make a phone call with the other hand while holding a knife to chop down cursed spirits.

Riko stared at his face for a while, then she took half a step closer to him and gently rested her shoulder on his arm.

Duanmu Yan raised his arm to make her more comfortable, and the two of them leaned against each other, watching the fireworks fill the sky.

Below the breakwater, Haibara took the last firework tube off the launcher, wiped the sweat from her brow with her sleeve, and let out a long sigh: "Finally, I've completed the task assigned by Senior Duanmu! That golden one exploded so beautifully just now, I almost thought I was going to miss, but luckily I calculated the angle accurately."

He put his hands on his hips, looked at the silhouettes of the two people leaning together on the breakwater, and smiled even more happily than the day he was promoted to a higher level of mage.

Nanami put the ignition device back into the toolbox and stood up to stretch his shoulders.

He looked up at the breakwater, the sea breeze blowing his hair back, and his expression relaxed a little: "I hope you and Riko have a pleasant night."

Logically speaking, as a virtuous sorcerer, Nanami Kento shouldn't have abandoned his job to come to the beach to set off fireworks just because the chairman of the Federation made a personal request.

Even if the other party is a top-level official, even if the other party is the chairman, he should still uphold his principles.

That's exactly what he thought.

But Senior Duanmu gave so much... After completing the mission, you can take Haibara on a seven-day vacation here.

He simply couldn't refuse such a offer.

He fastened the toolbox, picked it up, and walked towards the parking lot, casually pulling at Ai Haibara, who was still grinning foolishly at the breakwater.

"Let's go, don't stand here and ruin the atmosphere. Our mission is complete, let's leave Senpai and Riko alone."

Haibara was pulled by the back of her collar and walked backwards for two steps. She waved her hand and silently shouted something in the direction of the breakwater, then turned around with a grin and followed Nanami's steps.

The two figures gradually disappeared into the depths of the pine forest.

That's really... amazing.

As the last embers of fireworks dissipated in the night wind, the sea returned to its inky blue, reflecting the starry sky.

Riko leaned on Duanmu Yan's shoulder, feeling both happy and sad.

He was happy because she was always on his mind. He was also truly sad; the fireworks were beautiful, but they had faded, and their brief time together was probably coming to an end.

Just as she was about to say, "Let's go back," her stomach suddenly growled.

Her face flushed red, and she clutched her stomach, trying to stop it from making any more noise.

Today, aside from a quick bite of bread and a carton of milk this morning, all I ate was a crepe for lunch. I spent the entire afternoon sitting on the beach, daydreaming, watching the sunset, and thinking, completely forgetting about eating.

But she called out at that very moment, right in front of him, when the fireworks had just finished, the sea breeze was so gentle, and the atmosphere was so wonderful.

She lowered her head, her ears burning red, the color spreading from the tips of her ears all the way to the base of her neck.

Duanmu Yan's heart raced as he looked at her, so shy she seemed to want to disappear into the ground. It felt like someone had gently pinched the tip of his heart.

He knelt down on one knee in front of her, took her hand which was clenched tightly in embarrassment, and then looked up at her with a tender gaze he had never shown to anyone before.

"I wonder if this young lady would do me the honor of having dinner with me?"

Riko looked at him kneeling on one knee in front of her.

The sea reflecting the starry sky is beautiful, but his smile is more beautiful than the whole world.

She nodded vigorously, slowly loosened her grip on his hand, and then turned to hold it in her own.

Duanmu Yan stood up, without letting go of her hand, and led her towards the city.

She looked down at her feet, then secretly glanced at his profile, glancing at him briefly before looking away, only to glance at him again a few seconds later.

After walking a few steps, she muttered softly, "That one doesn't count. My stomach doesn't usually growl."

"Yes, the sea breeze was too strong, I misheard."

“You clearly heard it.”

"Should we silence them? Top-tier silencing, no charge."

Riko chuckled, covering her mouth with the back of her hand, her shoulders shaking slightly.

Duanmu Yan turned his head to look at her smile, and then smiled back.

Chapter 170: A Conspiracy of Brain Tears

One morning in August 2009.

Duanmu Yan walked unsteadily down the corridor, one hand on his waist, his brow furrowing with each step.

At the office door, Ichiji had just put down a stack of documents when he turned around and saw his boss looking like this. He paused for a moment, then adjusted his glasses and said with concern, "Senior, although you are still young, you should still exercise restraint. Would you like me to make you some goji berries?"

Duanmu Yan's face flushed red at a visible speed. He slapped Yi Dizhi on the shoulder, his voice low but explosive: "Don't think of me as so filthy! I just accidentally twisted my waist!"

He paused, then added, his tone stubbornly defiant, "Also, real men never drink goji berries."

Iji looked at him calmly through her glasses, her eyes conveying the message: I understand, but I won't say it.

This is, after all, my direct superior, and I have to give face to the chairman of the federation.

Duanmu Yan quickly slipped into the office, closed the door behind him, and leaned against it, letting out a long sigh of relief.

My hands unconsciously rubbed my lower back as memories of last night flooded back uncontrollably.

After dinner last night, he originally planned to take Riko to a hotel in Tokyo Bay for a good night's rest.

Everything was arranged, and the room was booked in advance.

But just as he turned to leave, Riko gently grabbed his hand.

She didn't look up at him; her ears were so red they looked like they could bleed, her voice was barely audible, but her fingers were clenched tightly.

"Can I stay? I'm already eighteen."

Then came tens of thousands of words of forbidden content.

Duanmu Yan buried his face in his palms, then looked up at the pile of documents waiting to be stamped on the table, his eyes gradually becoming firm.

He took a deep breath and said with absolute certainty, "It must be Su Suo who is secretly cursing me. Otherwise, how could a top-level sorcerer like me have such severe back pain after just one night?"

This reasoning is logically sound.

Duanmu Yan successfully convinced himself and then threw himself back into work mode. However, the stamping speed today was noticeably slower than in the previous days.

……

The morning sunlight slanted in through the window as Duanmu Yan hunched over his desk, stamping documents at a slower pace than usual.

His kidneys were still throbbing, and he had to change his sitting position every ten minutes, continuing to reassure himself that it was probably just a minor ailment.

The door was pushed open, and Duanmu Yan looked up to see Xia Youjie standing in the doorway. He then closed the door behind him.

Jay's hands were empty, and his expression was unusually serious.

Duanmu Yan put down the seal and subconsciously sat up straight, temporarily forgetting his back pain.

Ever since Jie took over the kindergarten, he has been followed by several little tails wherever he goes, with Nanako and Mimiko almost inseparable.

But today he didn't bring any of them. Those clingy little ones wouldn't leave him on their own unless Jay deliberately sent them away.

It must be quite a hassle for Xia Youjie to temporarily put aside his children's affairs.

Duanmu Yan dropped his relaxed expression, leaned back in his chair, and his gaze became serious.

Xia Youjie pulled out a chair and sat down, the two of them separated by a desk.

A long-lost sense of tension filled the air, as if we had returned to the time when we fought side by side two years ago.

Xia Youjie placed his hands together on the table, his thumbs touching, and his head slightly lowered.

After several seconds, he took a deep breath and slowly said, "Duanmu, there is a very urgent matter that requires your and Wu's help to make a decision."

Duanmu Yan nodded solemnly, his fingers unconsciously tightening around the armrests of the chair.

Countless possibilities flashed through his mind in an instant. Was it possible that he had been tricked into a trap? Was he perhaps trying to escape? Was he perhaps trying to escape a trap ...

He asked in a deep voice, "What exactly is it that requires the three of us to be mobilized?"

Xia Youjie placed the fingertips of his hands on his forehead, slowly raised his head, and looked at someone with an unprecedented heaviness in his eyes.

"The six of them... are already of primary school age."

The air in the office seemed to freeze. Duanmu Yan remained motionless in that tense posture, and then a few drops of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

"Indeed. It's a very troublesome matter."

Duanmu Yan rested his elbows on the table, interlaced his fingers under his chin, and slowly said, "These little guys really can't be directly crammed into a regular elementary school."

Xia Youjie sighed and rubbed his temples.

"Maki and Mai's physical abilities are simply unfair among their peers. Although Nanako and Mimiko are quiet, they have an instinctive wariness of others. As soon as someone raises their voice even slightly, their magical power starts to overflow."

He lowered his hand, looked at Duanmu Yan, and said in a more serious tone, "The most troublesome one is Hui. He is only six years old, and the two jade dogs, black and white, can already bite through the skin of a level two cursed spirit. Last time, Wutiao Wu teased him and snatched his homework book to throw as a frisbee. The jade dogs darted out from the shadows and were then grabbed by the tails and spun around by Wutiao Wu. Hui was so anxious that he almost cried."

Duanmu Yan imagined the scene and his lips twitched. He leaned back in his chair, stared at the ceiling in silence for a few seconds, then sat up straight again.

“If these six children are sent directly to a regular primary school, it is easy for something to happen, but it is also unfair to them to keep them in a vocational college.”

Xia Youjie nodded: "That's what I think too. They need peers and normal social interaction, but ordinary schools can't provide that, and vocational colleges are too small to form a complete class."

Duanmu Yan pondered for a moment, then tapped his fingers lightly twice on the table.

"In that case, we won't run it in a vocational high school, nor will we try to squeeze it into a regular elementary school. I'll have Ijichi check if there are any private elementary schools in the suburbs of Tokyo that are willing to accept funding from the Federation. We'll invest in the name of the Federation, on the condition that we can send two resident staff members, ostensibly as life counselors or school workers, but secretly responsible for monitoring the magical energy fluctuations of a few children."

He paused, then looked at Xia Youjie, "You decide on the school resident. Have Wu talk to Hui and teach him not to summon the Jade Dog in front of others. For a child this age, reasoning with him is more effective than giving orders."

Xia Youjie nodded and continued, "I do have a few candidates, but you'll have to handle Hui's side. He rolls his eyes at Wu, but he's fairly obedient to me. You're the only one who can get him to ask a question."

Duanmu Yan couldn't help but chuckle. Indeed, that brat with the sea urchin hair was indifferent to everyone else, but he was the only one who received a warm welcome.

"Okay, leave Hui to me, and you can take care of the other five."

Duanmu Yan picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip. “There’s one more thing—these children need a transition period. For the first month of school, let them go to school for half a day every day, just to sit in and not participate in the formal classes. Once they’ve adapted to the environment and the people, and their spell power has stabilized, they can officially enroll.”

Xia Youjie nodded, the anxiety on his face finally subsiding considerably, and stood up.

"I'll go back and discuss the school assignment with Wu. You can polish that plan a bit more. This afternoon, I'll compile a written document detailing the children's situation for you."

He turned and took a few steps toward the door, then stopped and looked back at Duanmu Yan. "Duanmu, is your back bothering you? You've been changing your sitting posture since earlier."