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

Shoko reached out and patted her head: "Don't come back covered in injuries. You're so cute... If you get hurt, someone will feel sorry for you."

"It's not what you think, um~"

Riko grinned, then took two steps back and bowed to Haibara and Nanami. "Haibara, Nanami, did you receive the Okinawa seashells? Natsuyu-senpai said he gave them to you."

Haibara nodded frantically: "I received it! I put it on the bedside table. He put Nanami's in the drawer. He said it was useless, but he didn't actually lose it."

Nanami sighed: "Haibara."

"That's exactly right!"

Riko laughed out loud. Looking at Nanami's face, which seemed to say, "Why was I dragged to this farewell party so early in the morning?", she felt that the fact that he was standing there despite finding it troublesome was itself a kind of kindness.

"Nanami."

"Ah."

"Be careful on missions in the future. Haibara-senpai is too impulsive, you should keep him in check."

Nanami paused for a moment, then nodded: "You too."

Riko bowed to him again. Then she walked up to Xia Youjie.

Xia Youjie took out the small cloth bag from his arm: "Are you still taking this with you? After all, you're the one who found it."

"I'll leave this for Haibara and Nanami. Consider it my welcome gift for joining the high school." She paused, her voice lowering slightly, "Natsume."

"Ok?"

"Thank you for lighting the stone lanterns for me in the courtyard that night. And outside the Hōsei Palace, you said we were the strongest. I was actually very scared then, but your words made me feel that no matter what happened, you would always be there for me."

"So Xiayou, you have to work harder too. Sooner or later, you'll be better than both of them."

Xia Youjie's smile froze slightly. He put the small cloth bag back into his arm, lowered his head, and when he raised it again, his face was that gentle smile.

"Thank you for your kind words. When I come back, I will catch a few more top-grade ones to show you."

"Then I'll wait."

Then there's Gojo Satoru.

Riko stood in front of him, hands on her hips, looking up at him. Gojo Satoru pushed his sunglasses up his nose and looked down at him as well.

The two stared at each other for several seconds.

"Five items."

"uh-huh."

Chapter 90 Warm Tea Curse

Riko Tennen pointed at Satoru Gojo and said, "I know you're the strongest. But if you try to scare people with sea cucumbers again, the first thing I'll do when I get back is stuff sea urchins into your bed."

Gojo Satoru chuckled, then took off his sunglasses. "Seriously, you should learn from Tsukumo. Next time we meet, I want to see how much stronger you've become. After all, you're someone we've protected, so don't embarrass us."

Riko nodded and extended her fist, and Gojo Satoru also extended his fist, and the two fists collided.

Finally, there's Duanmu Yan.

She walked up to him, and he looked down at her, taking his hand out of his pocket.

He opened his palm, and on it sat a Senzu Bean, just like the one from last time.

"This is for saving your life. Hold it in your mouth, don't swallow it."

"The same one as last time?"

"Same, but you didn't get to use the one last time, so you were just lucky. This time it might be different."

She took the magic bean, looked down at him, and then clenched it tightly: "I know, you're leaving too, right?"

"Correct."

"When are you coming back?"

"I'll be back after I kill the cursed spirit."

"That's a really ambitious goal. I'll be with you when the time comes."

"it is good."

"Bye-Bye.

Watching Riko's departing figure, Duanmu Yan opened his mouth, wanting to say something, wanting to say not to push yourself too hard in training, not to force yourself when 99 is unreliable, and to remember to fill up your journal.

But he said too much; he wasn't good at saying goodbye, never had been.

Her usually taciturn tongue felt thin and powerless at this moment, and in the end, she could only say, "Come back soon."

"Oh, and remember to charge your phone. Don't just reply with two words when you send a message."

"understood."

Ninety-Nine pulled down her mask and revved the engine: "Alright, alright, stop being so sentimental, let's go, Riko."

Gojo Satoru nudged the top of the wood flame with his elbow: "Have you whispered enough?"

Xia Youjie nodded from the side: "That's enough."

"I haven't finished yet," Riko suddenly said.

Everyone looked at her. She walked quickly over, passed by Kuroi who was standing there, gently patted her on the shoulder, passed between Natsumi and Gojo Satoru, and then avoided that gaze.

She didn't stop. She walked up to Duanmu Yan, stood on tiptoe, and kissed his cheek. Then she stepped back, turned around, and wiped her nose with her sleeve.

“…I’m done talking.” Her voice choked for a moment, then she quickly walked to the motorcycle, climbed onto the back seat, and wrapped her arms around Jiujiu’s waist.

The motorcycle roared down the mountain road, her hair blowing wildly in the wind.

After a brief silence in front of the mountain gate, the crowd began to jeer.

"Alright, alright, stop teasing me," Duanmu Yan said, blushing. "I should be leaving now."

"Li Zi is gone. Duanmu is leaving too. Now the college is so quiet."

Gojo Satoru put his elbow on Xia Youjie's shoulder, tilted his head and looked at Duanmu Yan, "Hey, when are you leaving?"

"Now." Duanmu Yan bent down, picked up the backpack leaning against the torii gate pillar, and slung it over his shoulder.

Xia Youjie reached his hand out from his sleeve: "Don't forget to come back and see us."

Gojo Satoru pouted, "Jay~ This guy must have forgotten about us as soon as he left the house, only thinking about Xiaotian."

"What nonsense are you talking about? I'm not that kind of person... Bye."

"Remember to come back!" Gojo Satoru stretched out his hand, and Duanmu Yan also stretched out his hand, their fists touching.

Xia Youjie joined in with his fist, and the three of them bumped fists together.

Duanmu Yan turned and walked towards the mountain path. The stone steps were long, longer than usual. When he reached the third turn, Gojo Satoru's voice suddenly came from behind him: "Come back alive!"

Then Xia Youjie's voice came through: "Don't try to be brave by yourself... If you can't beat us, call us!"

Then it's Haibara's turn: "Go, Duanmu-senpai! We're waiting for you to come back for a celebration party!"

Nanami: "Senior, don't work too hard. Remember to balance work and rest."

Shoko: "If you encounter an injury you can't handle, remember to come back to me."

He didn't turn around and continued walking down, pulling his backpack strap up a bit, waving his hand behind him, and then pulling it back.

Everything about the vocational college... is what he wants to protect.

He didn't want to see anyone die.

Absolutely... absolutely not.

My fingertips felt the coolness of the mountains in the early morning, as well as a trace of lingering warmth.

At the end of the mountain path was a hazy horizon, beyond which lay countless cursed spirits, and beyond that, the place he had to return to.

……

Two months later.

Outside what appears to be an ordinary school, a dozen or so people in black suits are standing in a row at the school gate. Some are holding folders, while others are holding their phones to their ears.

They were assistant supervisors, waiting for a sorcerer who could deal with the cursed spirits here to arrive.

Buzzing sound—in the distance, a three-wheeled motorcycle drove up from the end of the road. It wasn't the usual delivery tricycle; it was a retro model with a single seat on the side.

The motorcycle slowed down, turned into the open space in front of the school gate, and came to a steady stop in front of the auxiliary supervisors, turning off the engine.

The person on the vehicle was standing on one leg, wearing a dark jacket, carrying a worn-out backpack, and with a layer of dust covering their helmet visor.

"This is the place."

A man, around forty years old, stepped out from the auxiliary supervision area. His tie was tied too tightly, and his Adam's apple bobbed slightly above his collar.

"Excuse me, are you the sorcerer who came to resolve this incident?"

He opened the folder in his arms. "According to preliminary investigation, the level of magical power in this incident is at least level one. According to the regulations of magical arts, we need to check your credentials. Only a level two sorcerer can enter."

After taking off his helmet, Duanmu Yan brushed back the hair that had been pressed against his forehead.

He pulled a card from his pocket and handed it over; the words "Special Grade" on it were clearly visible.

"I am Duanmu Yan, a top-tier mage, here to handle this matter."

The assistant supervisor took three steps back, his heels clicking rapidly on the concrete. A young assistant behind him quickly steadied his shoulder.

"Special, Special-Special-Grade?!"

Duanmu Yan put the documents back in his pocket and got off the motorcycle.

He bought the car with money he got from a system treasure chest.

He could also get cursed items from the treasure chests. He sold the ones that were of average quality and made a considerable amount of money. He also bought a house in Tokyo.

The sidecar of the three-wheeled motorcycle was empty. If Gojo Satoru were there, he would undoubtedly be the one to rush to sit in that single seat.

He'd probably have one leg propped up on the edge of the bucket, his sunglasses askew, yelling all the way, "Faster! Faster!"

Thinking of this, Duanmu Yan smiled and said, "Alright, no need to be surprised, I'm going in."

"Wait! Sir!" The assistant supervisor took two steps after him, flipping through the folder in his hand. "Regarding this cursed spirit, we detected that its barrier covered the entire teaching building, its internal structure may have been altered, and..."