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

sixth.

[Acquired: Threat Perception Rings (Pair). One wearer can perceive the other's real-time status; in times of crisis, they can ignore distance and instantly teleport to the other's side.]

The rest were all things we didn't need, so we sold them all.

[All epic chests have been opened.]

Duanmu Yan placed the Slashing Shell on the left side of the coffee table, the Everlasting Stone in the middle, and the two Threat Sensing Rings next to the coffee cup.

The ring is given to Riko, so that he can immediately sense any trouble she encounters from now on; the Everstone is given to Tengen, so that the old woman no longer has to go through the ordeal of evolving every few hundred years.

He sat down again, picked up the fried rice, took a couple of bites, and chewed.

I'll go back to the vocational college tomorrow. I've been away for so long, it's time to go back and visit.

Chapter 97 The Gift

Duanmu Yan decided to go back to the vocational college tomorrow, and then took out his phone and opened his contacts.

Riko's name was the second one pinned to the top. The first one was Gojo Satoru, who set it himself. He changed it several times on his phone without Riko noticing.

Before he could press the button, the screen lit up, and the incoming call picture popped up. The profile picture was a blurry photo taken in Okinawa, with Riko holding a sea cucumber and smiling so hard her eyes were squinted into slits.

He answered the call.

"...Riko?"

Instead of greetings, there was crying on the other end of the phone, the kind of crying that's really bad.

Duanmu Yan stood up from the sofa. "What's wrong? What happened? Where's Tsukumo Yuki?"

"Duanmu, I... I have a spell too." She cried so hard she could barely speak, sniffling several times in between. "Senior Jiujiu helped me determine it, the spell's name is Star Blessing."

Duanmu Yan's brows relaxed slightly. He knew the reactions of many sorcerers when they awakened their spells. Some were so frightened that they couldn't speak, some were so excited that they couldn't sleep, and some, like Gojo Satoru, simply floated up.

Riko's reaction was quite different.

"...Were they crying tears of joy?"

"No, that's not it!" She cried even harder. "Star Blessing helps other sorcerers restore their spell power or enhance their attack power through prayer. Senior Tsukumo said that I have a high natural reserve of spell power and that the nature of my spell power is gentle. If I become a support sorcerer, I will be very powerful in the future. But I don't want to be in the back... I also want to be like you, Gojou, and Natsuyu, standing in front and fighting the spell spirits!"

Duanmu Yan leaned back on the sofa armrest and completely relaxed.

This is a good thing. I was worried that it was a curse or some kind of spell that would harm her. It would be terrible if something like that happened to a fourteen-year-old girl.

If she's going to be a support character, that would suit her very well. Riko's personality is a bit like Itadori's—carefree and always wanting to help others, but she might just fall into an ambush at any time. Being a healer would be perfect for her.

But we can't say that now; the person on the other end of the phone still has tears on their nose.

“Support characters can also learn martial arts. There’s a sorcerer in Kyoto whose spells are supportive, but his fighting skills are very strong, and he’s often on the front lines.” He didn’t mention the songstress’s name, as it would give him away if he did.

After all, the songstress is just too weak.

He didn't really intend for Riko to fight on the front lines. It would be enough for her to provide support from the rear, just like Shoko. He said this simply to let her know that obtaining the auxiliary spell doesn't mean being stuck in the rear.

"So stop crying. Support spells are not a weakness; they are just another weapon."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, then the sound of someone wiping their nose with their sleeve. "...Really?"

"real."

"Hmm..." Riko cleared her throat and blew her nose forcefully. "By the way, were you trying to call me just now? When I called, it showed that you were also dialing."

"Hmm. Perfect timing, I have something to give you. When are you free?"

"Eh~~" Riko Tennen dragged out the interjection, then seemed to suddenly realize something and lowered her voice, "It's not some kind of training weights, is it? I don't want to wear those."

"We'll talk when we meet. I'm going back to the vocational college tomorrow."

"See you at the senior college entrance exam tomorrow! Don't be late, see you at 2 PM."

She hung up right after she finished speaking, and Duanmu Yan took the phone away from his ear.

He definitely won't be late tomorrow.

……

The following day. (High-level specialist).

Duanmu Yan parked his tricycle next to the torii gate and took out several bags of various sizes from the cargo bed.

He got up at five in the morning and rode all the way back from Tokyo, stopping at several shops along the way to be among the first to open.

The biggest advantage of being rich is that you never have to ask the price of anything.

"Senior Duanmu!"

Haibara Yu was the first to rush over from the direction of the training field. He was wearing a training uniform, with beads of sweat still on his forehead, and his eyes were so bright they could ignite fire.

He stopped in front of Duanmu Yan, his mouth agape as he looked at the large and small bags in Duanmu Yan's hands.

Nanami followed him over, glanced at the bags, and took one. "You're back earlier than the news said."

Duanmu Yan handed him the bag, "There was no traffic on the road, this is yours."

He gave me a seven-day Hawaii tour voucher.

"Haven't you always complained that life is too boring? Go take a break."

"Senior...you are indeed reliable."

"Haibara." Duanmu Yan handed another wrapped paper bag to Haibara. Haibara unwrapped the paper, and inside was a pair of professional goggles.

Haibara held the goggles, looked up, blinked, then quickly put them on, ran a few steps toward the training field, and then turned back.

"Nankai, look! Senior Duanmu's new one is much clearer than the previous one!"

"Keep them on." Duanmu Yan carried the remaining bags and walked towards the teaching building.

He ran into Shoko in the corridor. She was coming out of the infirmary, a white coat draped over her shoulders, and her eye bags were a shade darker than when they last met. Duanmu Yan handed her a paper bag, which Shoko opened. Inside were six bottles of Yamazaki single malt whisky, the labels indicating a vintage of 1996.

"This stuff isn't cheap." Shoko held the bottle up to her eyes and twirled it under the fluorescent light, preparing to savor it properly later.

"I'm glad you like it."

Gojo Satoru's voice came from the end of the corridor. He was originally cheerful, but when he saw the big bag of Xijiufu in Duanmu Yan's hand, his sunglasses almost slipped off his nose.

"Did you manage to buy both the edamame puree flavor and the hojicha flavor? Last time Jay went to buy them, he queued for half an hour only to be told that the edamame puree flavor was sold out."

He took the whole bag of Xijiufu directly, tore it open on the spot, took a bite, and squinted his eyes into slits. "Alright, you passed. Looks like you haven't forgotten us."

Xia Youjie walked from the direction of the training field. He was wearing a vocational college uniform, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He was breathing a little heavier than usual, probably because he had just finished physical training.

Duanmu Yan handed him the last paper bag, which contained a set of custom-made hand wraps. The material was specially made, and the wraps were printed with defensive spell patterns from ancient books.

Xia Youjie touched the fine runes on the bandages and said, "You can even find this kind of obscure stuff."

"It was just something I did."

Xia Youjie wrapped the bandage around his wrist to test its tightness, then nodded. "Lizi will be back today too."

"I know. We made an appointment for 2 PM."

Afterwards, the group of six went to a nearby izakaya (Japanese pub), filling the tatami room to capacity.

The group of people didn't disperse until almost 2 a.m. Gojo Satoru was pushed by Natsume to buy a second round of desserts, Shoko went back to the infirmary, Nanami and Haibara went to pack up the training equipment, and Kuroi went back to the cafeteria to prepare dinner.

Only Duanmu Yan remained at the Gao Specialist's office.

He leaned against the torii gate pillar and glanced down at the dial of his watch. The second hand was moving slowly toward the finish line.

Chapter 98 The Ring

(Thanks to Luo Chengzhu of the Zhatian Gang for his support)

Duanmu Yan leaned against the torii gate pillar at the entrance of Gaozhuan, the afternoon sunlight filtering through the gaps in the cedar branches, dappling the stone floor with golden light.

He looked up, and a cloud of gray-white dust rose from the end of the mountain road in the distance. Yuki Tsukumo's motorcycle rushed out from the corner of the mountain road. She controlled the handlebars with one hand and waved towards the door with the other. On the back seat, Riko held her waist with both hands.

The motorcycle came to a stop in front of the torii gate. Tsukumo pushed off with his long legs, pushed his goggles up to his forehead, and grinned at Duanmu Yan: "Yo... kid, have you been waiting long?"

Duanmu Yan straightened up and was about to speak when the person in the back seat, without even taking off their helmet, tumbled off the vehicle.

She stopped in front of Duanmu Yan, put her hands on her knees to catch her breath, and then suddenly took off her helmet.

My hair was soaked with sweat and stuck to my forehead, and my face was a bit darker than it had been two months ago.

"Duanmu!" She stopped after calling the name, her mouth open as if she had a lot of words stuck in her throat, unsure which one to say first.

Finally, he simply scanned him from head to toe, then wrinkled his nose. "You've lost weight."

Duanmu Yan was also looking at her. "You've gotten a tan."

"Senior Jiujiu made me run under the scorching sun every day. How could I not get tanned?"

Yuki Tsukumo turned off the motorcycle, remained straddling it without getting off, and watched the scene with a smile.

"Little Riko has worked very hard for me. She ran over a hundred kilometers of beach in two months and has also mastered the control of her curse power."

"I'm back for three days to rest, then I'll come pick you up, Riko."

After saying that, Jiujiu restarted the engine, waved to the two of them, and the motorcycle made a neat U-turn, raising a new cloud of dust along the way.

"Come on, let me help you carry your luggage upstairs. Kuroi made some fried chicken nuggets and saved a plate for you."

Duanmu Yan slung Li Zi's duffel bag over his shoulder and walked towards the college building. Li Zi, holding her helmet, took a few steps and walked alongside him.

Walking on the stone-paved road of the vocational school, Riko started talking right under the torii gate and didn't stop all the way to the edge of the training field.

"Senior Tsukumo's training methods are really crazy. On the first day, he made me run ten laps on the beach. I thought it was a normal beach, but it turned out to be a cursed beach... the kind where the sand will pull your ankles."

As she spoke, she gestured with her hands, "Another time, she made me practice casting spells in front of the waves. When the tide came in, I was almost swept away, and she stood on the rocks eating ice cream and watching."

"But I've gotten stronger too, okay? I can now remove low-level cursed spirits by myself. Last month, I took down a level four one all by myself. It looked a lot like a sea urchin, but it was ten times uglier than a sea urchin."

"Senior Jiujiu said my spell power output is very stable, and I can reliably use Star Blessing for ten minutes. Another time, Senior Jiujiu deliberately hid and told me to find a place to stay on my own. I used a spell to get a bowl of ramen, and the owner even praised me for being cute and gave me a soft-boiled egg."

"..."

Duanmu Yan walked beside her, listening to her recount the events of the past few months, nodding occasionally and offering a few words of praise.

When they arrived at the dormitory entrance, Riko was still talking about how she almost crashed into a tree while learning to ride a motorcycle when the door opened from the inside. Kuroi, wearing an apron, stood in the doorway. She looked at Riko, her mouth opening and closing, and then she pulled Riko into her arms.

"Miss, you've gotten darker and thinner."