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

Higashido Aoi nodded seriously, crossed her arms, and said in an exceptionally earnest tone, "Yes, I haven't had a chance to ask during our previous meetings. What I really want to know this time is what kind of girls Gojo Satoru and Chairman Duanmu like."

"She's pretty ordinary, with long black hair, lively and active. She's been trying to lose weight lately because she's been eating too many sweets, but I don't think she's fat."

A gentle voice suddenly rang out from the side.

Duanmu Yan walked out of a house not far behind the group, holding a half-empty bottle of Kangshuaifu iced green tea in his hand.

He nodded to the stunned crowd. "Hey, classmates, long time no see."

Wild Rose was the first to raise her hand and wave at him: "Hey, Uncle, long time no see."

"Wild Rose, it's been a long time. I'm sorry, I've been quite busy since the start of the semester and haven't been able to properly welcome you," Duanmu Yan replied with a smile.

Maki and Mai also realized what was happening.

Zhenyi took a few steps closer, and Duanmu Yan unceremoniously reached out and rubbed her head. He then pulled Zhenxi over as well, and with one hand on each of their heads, he gently patted them.

Since the separation of the twins, Mayi has become many times more cheerful than before, no longer sharp-tongued, and has instead become gentle.

As for Maki, she's not much different from before, but she's starting to resist his loving touch.

Damn it, when I was a kid I could touch it for as long as I wanted.

He rubbed for a while before letting go, greeted the other classmates one by one, and finally fixed his gaze on Higashido Aoi.

"You must be Toudou from Kyoto. You did very well in the last battle."

The usually arrogant Toudou Aoi had become somewhat reserved, her hands hanging neatly at her sides, nodding repeatedly like a chick pecking at rice.

"Not at all, I only contributed a little in the last big battle."

At the same time, he was internally ranting: How could someone describe his preferences so specifically? It's like they're describing a real person. Is this chairman already married?

You guessed it right away! No wonder you have such high emotional intelligence, Toudou.

"I hope you'll do your best this time and try to get first place," Duanmu Yan encouraged.

Higashido Aoi nodded, then suddenly frowned and asked in confusion, "First place? Shouldn't it be a school match?"

Yu Xingji quickly moved closer to him and whispered, "Dongtang, you should check your phone more often. The principal released the new rules yesterday. This year's exchange meeting has been changed to an individual battle. Killing cursed spirits will earn you points, and you'll be ranked according to your points."

Looking at his expression, which showed that he hadn't even read the notice, Duanmu Yan couldn't help but shake his head and sigh, "You and Miss Jiujiu are really alike. Whether it's never reading other people's messages or asking about each other's preferences first when you meet, you are truly worthy of being master and disciple."

When her master was mentioned, a hint of pride immediately appeared on Dongtang Kui's face, and she straightened her back even more: "My master taught me a lot, and I respect her very much."

"By the way, Chairman Duanmu, my master has always had a question that he insisted I ask you in person."

Duanmu Yan nodded gently: "Sure. As long as I can answer."

Toudou Aoi took a deep breath and solemnly asked, "My master said that she feels that the relationship between you and Gojo-sensei seems to have gone beyond the scope of friendship. Is this true?"

Instantly, the surroundings fell into dead silence.

Duanmu Yan clearly felt countless gazes fixed on him, especially those from the second-year students at Tokyo High School, and Fukuro Megumi, who stood at the edge of the crowd with an expressionless face but whose eyes were clearly shining.

These people have been at the college for so long, so of course they know that he and Wu often appear in the same place at the same time.

But this needs clarification. It was all because of that guy Wu who shamelessly followed us; it had absolutely nothing to do with Duanmu Yan.

He spends most of his time diligently reviewing documents in his office. When he occasionally comes out for some fresh air, he's often intercepted by Gojo Satoru.

He's already had such a tough time, and now he's being slandered to his face.

Duanmu Yan's smile remained unchanged, but his lips were somewhat stiff: "How can you slander someone's innocence out of thin air? There is definitely only friendship between Wu and me."

Dongtang Kui suddenly realized and clapped her hands: "I see. Then I'll send a message to Master right away."

Duanmu Yan reached out to stop him in time: "Do you know why she doesn't dare to come and ask in person?"

Higashido Aoi shook her head in confusion.

"Go run a hundred laps on the track first. I'll tell you after you've finished." Duanmu Yan smiled, withdrew his hand, unscrewed the bottle of Kangshuaifu iced green tea, and took another sip.

Chapter 242 Although things are quite open now, we can't think like that.

"Ah, how many laps has Toudou done now?"

"I don't know, but it should be around sixty."

"You have great stamina."

On the sidelines of the training field at the vocational college, a group of bored people were sitting on the steps counting the number of laps that Higashido Aoi had run.

Wild Rose rested her chin on her hand and suddenly sighed, "I never expected Uncle Duanmu to be married. He doesn't seem like it at all."

Fushiguro Megumi, who was practicing the hand gestures, casually remarked, "He's been married for so many years. If he weren't so busy, his child would probably be in kindergarten by now."

Huzhang sighed thoughtfully, "Uncle Duanmu is a good person. But to be honest, he also gives off a rather scary vibe."

Fushiguro Megumi nodded, said nothing more, and continued to concentrate on practicing the hand seals.

Zhenyi tilted her head and looked at Wild Rose: "By the way, Wild Rose, what you just said meant that you like Chairman Duanmu's type?"

Wild Rose thought for a moment and shook her head: "The older man is indeed very reliable, but personally, I probably prefer someone more trendy. He's too serious."

She paused, then added, "And I've heard that men who have been married for a long time tend to have worse mental health and skin. Uncle Duanmu looks quite energetic; he doesn't seem like it at all."

"Really? There's such a saying?" May blinked, then turned her gaze to Itadori with a smile. "Eh, I didn't expect that Itadori, who seems so honest, would like that kind of woman."

Itarji scratched the back of his head, not looking embarrassed at all: "I just said what was on my mind. In my hometown, men usually marry tall women with big butts. I've heard that a lot since I was little, so I remember it."

Because Mai arrived a little late, she hadn't heard Fushiguro Megumi's previous answer, so she turned to him curiously: "By the way, Fushiguro, what kind of girl do you like?"

Fushiguro Megumi was so focused on reviewing the hand gestures that she didn't hear what was being said around her.

He subconsciously assumed the other person was still discussing Duanmu Yan, so without looking up, he replied, "Yes, because Teacher Duanmu is always reliable and gentle, everyone subconsciously wants to rely on him. In that respect, he is indeed very respectable."

Instantly, everyone's eyes were focused on him.

Even Higashido Aoi, who was sweating profusely on the track, suddenly stopped and turned to look in their direction.

“Fukuko…” Maki raised her hand to wipe the cold sweat that suddenly appeared on her forehead, and carefully chose her words, “Well, although people’s thinking is much more open now, and society is much more tolerant of these niche hobbies than before… but Mr. Duanmu is already married.”

The others quickly nodded in agreement.

Itadori chuckled dryly, trying to smooth things over: "Yes, yes, Fushiguro, some things still need to be considered carefully..."

Wild Rose crossed her arms in front of her chest, looking serious: "Don't just ruin other people's happiness like that."

From a distance on the track, Higashido Aoi cast a meaningful glance at him: "I admit I underestimated you a bit. You're much more interesting than I imagined."

After a moment's hesitation, Yukichi added, "We should respect our teachers and seniors, not love them..."

Fushiguro Megumi's face looked visibly grim, with dark lines creeping across her forehead and her eyes twitching uncontrollably.

He finally deduced from the reactions of these people what question he had just been asked.

"you……"

"Alright, alright, stop making a fuss. Once you've rested, go back to training. Don't huddle together unless you want to do extra training with me."

Maki strolled over slowly, clapped her hands twice, and dispersed the crowd of onlookers.

Uruga, Wild Rose, and Mai giggled and shoved each other as they walked deeper into the training field, while Toudou Aoi continued running the laps he hadn't finished yet.

Fushiguro Megumi gave Maki a grateful look: "Thanks, senpai."

Maki first looked around to make sure no one was nearby, then leaned down, put a hand to his ear, and said softly and solemnly, "If you really like men, please don't bother Mr. Duanmu."

Fushiguro Megumi stood up with a resentful look on her face and walked out of the training field without looking back.

His back view was even more desolate than when he was blasted away by Dongtang, and his back teeth were grinding together.

So he said that, in a sense, there are no normal people on the path of sorcerers.

Meanwhile, in the chairman's office of the federation, Duanmu Yan sneezed without warning.

"Ugh!"

Gojo Satoru raised an eyebrow: "What's wrong? Did you catch a cold last night?"

Duanmu Yan pulled a tissue from the table and wiped his nose. "How could I have caught a cold? Maybe someone is talking about me."

As someone blessed by nature, it would be impossible for him to catch a cold.

He suddenly sneezed, which was really puzzling.

……

A week later, in the deep mountains of Tochigi Prefecture, Tokyo.

There are hundreds or even thousands of buildings here, yet there are hardly any people to be seen.

This place was once very prosperous and was known as Tokyo's backyard: Kinugawa Onsen.

However, many years ago, many indescribable events occurred here. A super-grade cursed spirit suddenly formed, causing a horrific accident that killed nearly a hundred people.

Since then, both locals and tourists have abandoned this place.

The permanent resident population has long since dropped to zero, and the buses and railways connecting this area have all ceased operation.

But on this forgotten ruin, a long-awaited flow of people has arrived.

This is the venue for the exchange meeting that Duanmu Yan carefully selected.

The sorcerers arrived at the meeting point one after another. Duanmu Yan stood at the entrance, his gaze sweeping over the group of young faces before him, and announced the competition rules: the venue covered the entire former site of Kinugawa Onsen-kyo, points were calculated based on the level of the sorcerer, and each person wore a special bracelet to record their score.

After the rules were read out, he announced the start of the competition, which would last for three days!

Gojo Satoru leaned in, trying to grab the microphone to say a few words, but was pushed away by Satoru's hand pressing down on his face. The two were locked in a tug-of-war.

With a somersault, Itachi leaped onto a nearby abandoned three-story building. Standing on the rooftop, he looked around at the empty streets and buildings covered in vines, and couldn't help but sigh, "I never thought there would be such a desolate place in Tokyo."

Higashido Aoi had caught up with him at some point, standing behind him with her arms crossed. "There are always some places that will be abandoned due to unforeseen circumstances."

He paused, looked intently at Haddock, and solemnly extended an invitation, "Oh, brother, let's embark on this journey together."

Itadori blinked: "Hey, wasn't this supposed to be an individual battle?"

Higashido Aoi held up a finger and shook it, patiently explaining to him, "This can be an individual battle, or it can be a team battle. Having more people to look after you means you can get timely reinforcements if something goes wrong. You wouldn't want to get injured and have no one to help you, would you?"

He pointed to the crowd that had already gathered in twos and threes beside him, gesturing for Huzhang to look around.

Nanako and Mimiko were already standing hand in hand, Maki and Mai were leaning against the wall side by side, and Kokichi was helping Kasumi Miwa adjust her bracelet. Kamo and Momo Nishimiya had also discussed their tactics, with one in charge of high-altitude reconnaissance and the other in charge of long-range sniping.

Itadori thought that Toudou's words made sense; if he got injured, having teammates nearby would be a great help.