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

“I’m back,” he said.

“I’m back,” she said.

Then neither of them knew what to say next, and Riko looked down at her toes.

Duanmu Yan: "To be honest, I was also surprised. I didn't expect you to come to the vocational college."

Riko looked up and stuck out her tongue: "You didn't expect that, did you? Actually, I was the one who insisted on coming."

She lowered her hands from behind her back, her voice suddenly softening, "Because you're here."

Duanmu Yan didn't speak. He shifted his gaze from her face to the window, hiding his shy expression, and hurriedly said, "I'll show you around. Anyway, you haven't been back for a long time."

“I’ve only been away for two months in my life. It’s like I’ve been gone for two years.” She caught up with him and walked out of the hall door side by side.

The college is still the same as before. The ivy on the teaching building wall is thicker than it was two months ago, lush and green, completely covering half of the wall.

"It's still the same there," Riko said, pointing to the training ground.

Duanmu Yan asked, "By the way, how is Jiujiu to you?"

"It's pretty good. It's just a bit unreliable. Once she said she would teach me how to control my spell power, but then she went to the convenience store to buy ice cream and made me wait at the training ground for an hour."

She wrinkled her nose, not really angry, "but the day before I came back, she gave me a pair of wristbands, saying they were ones she used before."

Riko stopped at the stone steps on the back of the mountain. "It hasn't changed much. Last time you and Satoru fought here, I watched from behind the rocks. Shoko-senpai even said that you two would flatten the back of the mountain one day."

Duanmu Yan looked at the shrubs that had grown back at the end of the stone steps, and there was no trace of the fight between her and Wu last time.

Riko: "Actually, Senior Tsukumo asked me why I insisted on returning to the vocational high school, and I said it was because I promised someone."

Duanmu Yan turned to look at her, "When did I ever say such a thing?"

“I can read minds, and that’s what I know through mind reading…” Riko looked up at him.

Duanmu Yan sighed and said, "By the way, does Miss Kuroi know you're back?"

“I never said that to Kuroi…” Riko hugged her knees and squatted there like a mushroom.

"Then let's go find her..."

Duanmu Yan naturally extended his hand.

Riko released the foxtail grass, stood up to face him, and then placed her hand in his palm.

His fingers were a little cold, so he closed them and wrapped her whole hand in his palm.

The back mountain was quiet, with dappled sunlight filtering through the gaps in the tree canopy onto the stone steps.

They walked hand in hand across the training field, past the canteen, past...

No one spoke; no one felt there was no need to speak.

Riko stopped by a bench at the edge of the playground. "You promised to let me be a sorcerer here last time. You said yes then, but I thought you were just making excuses."

Duanmu Yan pulled her to sit down on the bench.

The two were closer together than last time, their shoulders almost touching.

"I'm not like that guy Wu, I don't like to lie."

"You're lying! How many times have you lied? Every time you say it's safe, but it's always a very dangerous place..."

Riko lowered her head and raised their clasped hands, holding them up to the sun so that the lines on their fingers were clearly visible.

He turned his head to the side, and she turned her head to the side too. They were very close, close enough that he could smell the faint lavender scent of her shampoo.

“Because I was worried about you, that’s one of the reasons I insisted on coming,” she said with her eyes closed.

"One of them? There's another."

I'll tell you the second part later.

Just then, footsteps came from the far end of the corridor. Kuroi came out from around the corner carrying a tray with two cups of tea on it.

Riko opened her eyes and released her hand at the same time as Duanmu Yan. Riko immediately sat up straight and placed her hands properly on her knees. Duanmu Yan put his hands in his pockets and looked towards the other end of the playground.

The entire process took less than 0.2 seconds.

Kuroi was still the same as always, her apron tied perfectly, her hair neatly pinned up, and her sleeves rolled up to her elbows.

There were two faint bluish-gray lines under his eyes, probably because he hadn't been sleeping well for the past two months.

"Kuroi, you've lost weight," Riko said, frowning.

“Miss has lost weight.” Kuroi reached out and straightened Riko’s clothes.

"Is the field training tough? Did Lord Jiujiu make sure you ate properly? Did you finish the snacks I packed for you before you left?"

“I’m done eating, I’m done eating,” Riko grabbed Kuroi’s wrist and pulled her towards the bench. “Don’t start checking me up the moment we meet… I’m not a child anymore. But you, how have you been at the vocational high school these past two months? Has anyone been bullying you?”

"Shoko-senpai said you help out in the cafeteria every day, Haibara said you always serve him extra rice, and Nanami said you clean the dormitory corridor until it's shinier than his leather shoes."

“Miss.” Kuroi sat down on the bench and sighed helplessly. “I’m doing well here. Principal Moth has arranged logistics work for me. Every day I just clean, organize the warehouse, and occasionally help out in the cafeteria. It’s safe here, so you don’t need to worry about me.”

Chapter 139 The Last Straw

Riko sat down next to her, placed Kuroi's hand on her knee, and turned it over to look at her palm. There was a thin layer of calluses on Kuroi's palm.

Riko's tears welled up immediately: "I'm sorry, Kuroi, for leaving you alone at the vocational high school."

Kuroi pulled his hand away and instead grasped Riko's hand in return. "Miss, what nonsense are you talking about? I spend my days at the vocational high school sunbathing, watering flowers, and helping Miss Shoko organize the medicine cabinet. I'm living a very comfortable life. But you... are you very tired from training outside? Are you injured?"

Riko: "Yes, but I always disinfect carefully, and it also provides me with experience for my surgical techniques."

Kuroi took a deep breath. "It seems that Lord Tsukumo has taken good care of you."

“I take care of myself, okay?” Riko lowered her hand and took Kuroi’s hand again. “But Tsukumo-senpai really taught me a lot. I can now use spells proficiently, and I can even strengthen my body with magical power. I can shatter a rock this big with one punch, hahaha…”

Riko laughed heartily, then pressed her face against Kuroi's shoulder and wrapped her arms around her. "I'm back, Kuroi, I won't leave again."

Kuroi reached out and put his arm around Riko's back, resting his chin gently on the top of her head.

Riko closed her eyes. Kuroi's apron smelled of soap from laundry detergent, exactly the same as before she left.

This scent has been with her for sixteen years, from birth to college, and it has never changed.

Duanmu Yan leaned against the crooked tree by the playground, watching Riko and Kuroi on the bench.

This scene is really nice.

A familiar voice came from the side. Gojo Satoru had somehow gotten to the other side of the same tree, his sunglasses pushed up to his forehead, and a blade of grass that he had picked from somewhere was dangling from his mouth.

"Isn't that wonderful?"

Duanmu Yan didn't turn his head. "Wu, has Yidizhi made the arrangements?"

Gojo Satoru chuckled, "I've handed him over to Jet, he's best at that."

"With your personality, you're not suited to be a teacher. Jay is definitely more suitable."

"I'm just dividing the work reasonably. Jay is in charge of teaching the new students, and I'm responsible for watching from the sidelines... Well, that's also an important part of education."

Gojo Satoru spat out the grass stem, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke: "By the way, have you noticed that Jay has changed recently?"

Duanmu Yan pondered for a moment, then nodded: "He's become more lively, hasn't he? I heard he's been helping Haibara apply for Level 2 Spellcaster status recently, and he's been busy for several days."

“Yes.” Gojo Satoru was silent for a moment, then spoke, “Thank you, Duanmu.”

Duanmu Yan turned to look at him. "We don't need to talk about this. After all... we're best friends."

Gojou Satoru looked at Duanmu Yan, and Duanmu Yan looked back at him. Then Gojou Satoru grinned and said, "Duanmu, you're still as gentle as ever. You'll definitely enjoy life to the fullest in the future."

Duanmu Yan glared at him fiercely, while Gojo Satoru smiled, took two steps back, and disappeared in a flash.

Across the playground, Riko stood up from the bench and waved to him, "Duanmu, time to eat!"

Duanmu Yan smiled, straightened up from the tree trunk, put his hands in his pockets, and walked towards Riko.

"coming."

This is the life they should have.

……

A week later, after helping Haibara obtain her Level 2 Spellcaster certification, Xia Youjie ended his months-long vacation and took on a simple task.

The mission location is a remote mountain village. The report states that two girls attacked the villagers with witchcraft and have been imprisoned by the villagers.

The higher-ups only told him to go and see if he had the talent, and then handle the matter accordingly.

It sounds like a sorcerer who suddenly awakened has alarmed the villagers, which is not uncommon.

"It's okay. It's such a simple thing, there won't be any problems," he told himself.

My phone rang; it was Duanmu Yan calling.

"You went on a mission? Why didn't you tell me?"

Xia Youjie smiled and put the phone to his ear. "It's nothing. It's just that two newly awakened sorcerers scared the villagers. It's a very simple task. No need to make a fuss."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. Xia Youjie thought he had hung up, but when he glanced at the screen, the call was still going on.

"Jie." Duanmu Yan's voice was much deeper than before. "You wait here, I'm coming too."

Judging from the plot, those two children should be Nanako and Mimiko, right?

He knew what this mission meant to Xia Youjie; it was the last straw that broke the camel's back in the old story.

Xia Youjie was a little confused, then smiled and said, "This is just a common misunderstanding among the villagers, it doesn't require both of us to come together..."

"Jie!" Duanmu Yan roared suddenly, making Xia Youjie's eardrums buzz.

He was stunned. Duanmu Yan rarely yelled at people, and even less so at him.

“You need to understand that there are still some places where we are completely unknown. We might be called monsters, even though we are the heroes who protect them, we end up being called monsters... Do you understand?”

Xia Youjie paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "I understand, Duanmu. You can rest assured and leave it to me. I'm not the same person I used to be."

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone. Then Duanmu Yan hung up on his own.

Xia Youjie put his phone in his pocket and said to the assistant supervisor in front of him, "Could you please gather some information about that village for me? I need to find out what's going on there."

"Okay, summer oil, premium grade."

On the other side, Duanmu Yan sat on the edge of his bed in the college dormitory, staring at the phone in his hand with its screen still lit up.