Step step Step step Step
In the deserted corridor, Rin, Monna, Ruby, Ellen, and Gojo walked together. The girls led the way while Gojo trailed behind, his face turned outward toward the golden sun as he gazed at it through the windows.
Ahead, Rin stared down the corridor, recalling the hollow alarm from earlier and how the teachers had made everyone huddle in an emergency room until they confirmed the school was safe.
"Hahh~ What a waste of time. We didn't have time to take Gojo to practice, and now we have to go straight to the court and face that asshat..." She let out a long sigh.
Monna stepped closer and patted her on the shoulder. "There's nothing we can do about it. Instead of dwelling on that, let's think about how to beat them"
Ruby nodded. "Let's brainstorm, then"
Beside them, Ellen only nodded silently.
Meanwhile, quietly behind them, Gojo stared at the system interface floating between him and the sun. The sun's golden light tried to frame his calm, magnificent face. But it kept failing because the system refused to let this Bum look cool. She would keep this Bum looking like a frog beneath her cold, blue, mocking interface!
(Look, Go|Jo. The two spawn points for this Hollow generation happen to overlap by half. It's like a backstreet sandwiched between two clean apartment buildings that dump their trash onto it. Only that road is full of garbage and stink)
(In other words, only the overlapping area has intense Aether Energy fluctuations, and there's a strong chance of breaking through to Level 6 there)
'I see... even after all of my professional negotiation, I still have to personally act...' He ran his slender, flawless fingers through his silky white hair. 'Being the coolest and strongest guy in the world is lonely and hard'
He let out a dramatic sigh. From his cherry lips, warm air drifted outward, carrying the melancholy of someone at the very top of the world.
Then Nicole's shaky mountains rushed back into his mind, crashing in with the force of Jell-O. 'But Level 6? Looks like Nicole and the others are still in great danger'
(Host... the words in your thoughts are full of worry. And yet, the image I see is that mercenary cow breast! Not a single danger in sight!)
Gojo tilted his head. 'You think wrong, system. Nicole is my great, great best friend'
Beyond his black eyeglasses, the image of her mountains appeared in crystal-clear quality. Both were hugged tightly by her shirt. 'I was just remembering her resolute image'
(You!)
As the system watched his flippant attitude, a sense of hopelessness clawed deep inside her. Unable to dodge or leave, she could only stand still and endure silently as it left a long dark tunnel and a vast void in its wake.
(Hahh... Whatever, just... please do not slack off, you Pervert Bum. Focus on completing the mission)
In response, Gojo shook his head. 'Relax. If I went there now and completed it, it would stunt their growth. So for now, let them do their job. If something happens, I can teleport there and fix it in a flash. So take it easy' He chuckled.
Then, with the grace of an assassin's, a phone slid from his sleeve and landed smoothly on his soft palm.
W: Cunning Hares. If you sense an emergency, alert me. I will send reinforcement ASAP.
Boss Rabbit: The client is so nice! Since you're willing to send reinforcement, this mission must be more dangerous than it seemed. Could you add more Denny for the commission?
Gojo's lips parted. He wanted to scream, but his voice had already been eaten by the pinching money devil.
'Damn it! As expected of the Cunning Hares. She can turn my generosity into a tool to bully me into giving her more money!'
W: Fine. 150,000D. That's the price. You cannot raise it further.
Boss Rabbit: The client is so generous!
Somewhere in the Hollow, after Eous delivered the message, he shook his head as Nicole, with her arms wide open, laughed cunningly toward the heavens.
Meanwhile, in the school corridor, the edge of Gojo's lips twitched. 'Uh-huh... Generous. how triumphant... well. At least I can still make 100,000D' He shook his head.
The moment the number settled in his mind, he frowned. 'Wait a minute... If something happens, doesn't that mean I'll be the one doing the mission myself? That me-'
"Hey! Hei!" A bright voice snapped him back to the present. A slender hand was waving before his face. He blinked, then traced it to its owner.
"Look at this~" Once she had his attention, Monna rested her hand on his shoulder. "Brokie here always said he doesn't have money~"
She pointed her index finger at the phone. "His 7th phone for today, by the way" She smiled teasingly, then leaned closer until her face was close to his. "Are you contacting your 7th sugar mommy~"
Ruby crossed her arms. "Given how many phones he has, the possibility is high"
Rin gasped. "Gojo! I never expected a boy like you to do something like that!"
She covered her face with both hands, though her eyes peeked between her fingers. "You naughty boy~" she said in a singsong voice.
Nearby, Ellen's hands were clenched into tight fists behind her back.
A sunny smile bloomed on Gojo's face. "It's not like that. The kitten back at home asked me to bring a new batch of clay for her pottery"
"Oh" Monna drew her hand back. "It's only Nekomata... I thought it was something really interesting"
Rin's shoulders sagged. "Yeah"
Ruby uncrossed her arms and rubbed their backs, offering quiet comfort.
At their disappointed expressions, the tension in Gojo's chest disappeared. 'They didn't peek at my phone after all'
Looking at his charming smile, Ellen let out a sigh, and her fists gradually relaxed. 'It's just Nekomata...'
Then, after a moment of collecting herself, she crossed her arms. "Let's stop this teasing. We were about to ask him about the strategy brainstorm, remember"
Gojo's right eyebrow lifted. "Strategy? About the basketball court?"
The girls nodded.
"You're worried about the senior who got easily scared and got smacked by the tigress?" As he said this, the smooth criminal slid the phone back into his sleeve with a single gesture of fixing his collar.
"Do you not believe in my skills?"
Rin crossed her hands into an X and shook her head. "It's not that we don't believe in you. But this time, the Basketball Club captain took first place in the tournament for all schools in New Eridu. Our opponent is very strong, and not just a street thug"
Gojo waved a hand dismissively. "All of you are overthinking it. Do you remember who I am?"
He spread his arms wide. "{(Gojo Satoru)}"
The instant the name was uttered, his fingers darted to mute the system, closing the cold blue interface in one swift motion.
The sun's golden light fell helplessly onto him. His handsome, cute face and magnificent figure attracted the divine light just as a succubus lures its prey closer.
The girls stood frozen as the golden radiance washed over them, leaving them speechless, not a single word able to escape.
Gojo smiled at their silence. 'As expected of me'
Then a chorus of miserable groans echoed, all in one moment. "MY EYES!!!" Girlish screams thundered over the world, overlapping into one another, making it sound like one scream instead of three.
Ruby covered her eyes with both hands. "Someone, please! Just tone down the light!"
Gojo shook his head. "Not until you see how majestic I am!"
Monna's eyelids opened just enough to glimpse something through the gaps in her hands, and somehow she could see the bones in each of her fingers. "We couldn't see a single thing!"
After shaking his head, Gojo let out a seductive smile. "Then you just need to feel it!"
The sun, looking at his alluring smile, couldn't help but fall harder toward him, completely lovestruck, unable even to turn away.
Now, the divine light covered the corridor. Rin clicked her tongue. "We feel it, alright! Turn it off!"
Gojo closed his eyes, mournful at their inability to see him in his most divine form, then he unmuted the system.
Ellen sighed. "Stop being dramatic"
In reality, there was no divine light or anything. They were just playing their usual game.
"It is overuse. Not funny anymore" she said flatly.
In response, the four of them shared a glance. After taking in each other's sheepish expressions, Gojo scratched the back of his head. "Looks like she's not having fun" he said.
Ruby nodded. "Let's brainstorm, then"
"Yeah!" Monna and Rin took a step closer.
Under Ellen's exasperated gaze, the four of them huddled together in a circle. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"Guys, we are talking about brainstorming a strategy to face the senior basketball club. Can you all focus for once?"
Hearing the exhaustion in her voice, they turned toward her. Ellen's expressionless face greeted them, and they exchanged looks. A faint, guilty laugh passed between them.
"Ahem" Rin stepped forward. "But we couldn't really do anything about it" She gestured at everyone, one by one. "Think about it. Ruby, Monna, and my skills in basketball are not even remotely good enough to somehow stall a second-ranked championship team in all of New Eridu"
She shrugged. "The gap is just big enough that strategy couldn't really do anything"
She sighed. "Besides, at worst, we'll just give them our contact information. If they send a message, we can just ignore them"
Gojo eyebrow raised. "Right, Ellen, you brought up contact information earlier. Could someone explain what actually happens?"
Rin stepped forward with a con artist's confidence, a tear already perched at the corner of her eye, waiting to be summoned. "Let me tell you what terrible things that happened" she said, her voice just a touch unsteady.
Afterward, she explained everything to him with a series of gestures. There were wide arms, one hand on her chest with the other facing the sky, and somehow even a choking gesture.
After absorbing her 100 skill speech, Gojo frowned. "That's grave"
Rin nodded enthusiastically, though it held for only a brief moment before being replaced by a tearful, dying patient vibe. "Yeah, it is"
Gojo shook his head. "They actually want to hit on Ellen? Sigh... Ellen will just knock them flat and eat their house furniture clean. How do these people's eyes work? Of all people to court, they had to target nom-nom shark..."
"Courting death!" A melancholy so deep rose in his eyes, pulling everything into the deepest abyss.
Of course, the only thing being pulled was Ellen's pointed gaze, glinting with a light sharper than a sword, cutting his melancholic emotion into pieces of panic.
He immediately raised both arms in a French salute. "Wait! Let me tell you somehting! Let me tell you someting!"
But it was too late. A shark tail swiped at his legs.
WHAP
"Ahh..." His voice, so faint, so tiny at this moment, had echoed throughout the world, carrying the deepest regret in its tone.
His Six Eyes turned to the window, taking in the blue sky, trying to capture every moment to store as a last memory.
The sun, usually so cheerful, spilled its golden radiance across the world and eventually onto him, gently framing his features as it mourned this moment as their last meeting.
'Ta-ta-ta-tana' The sun sang its goodbye to him, for one last time.
Plap
The corridor ceiling had gone still, no longer moving.
The cold, wet, and slightly slimy sensation brought him back to the present. Slowly, he slipped his hand to his back.
A skin, a little rough. And yet pleasant to the touch, greeted his fingertips.
He patted it gently, greatly enjoying the sensation.
"Enough. Get up, Gojo" Ellen's flat tone reached him.
"Ehh~ But I don't want to~" He turned around, hugging the tail that had stopped him from hitting the floor, and rubbed his cheek against it.
Looking at his spoiled act, Ellen felt a faint blush creep into her cheeks. "Tch. Next time, if you make that joke again, I will let you drop to the floor!" She looked away and gently set him down in a sitting position.
A regretful stare followed the shark tail as it withdrew. Gojo sighed, then looked at Ellen, who already had her face turned away from him. He noticed the faint redness on the tips of her ears.
A soft smile bloomed on his face. 'Catching me... You're still the same softie from back then'
Outside their little bubble, the three girls exchanged a glance. A tiny smile appeared on each face. But when they noticed how forced it looked, their gazes dropped to the floor, and a shallow exhale escaped them.
The sensation of Gojo hugging her tail returned to Ellen, and she felt the heat in her cheeks grow stronger. She took a steadying breath, then stepped a few paces away from the group. "Enough playing games. We have a competition to attend!"
As she walked off quickly, Gojo blinked and instantly pushed himself up. "Wait for me!"
The three girls who were left behind sighed, shook their heads, and patted each other's shoulders before following the two, their footsteps heavy.
The lively atmosphere in the corridor had evaporated. Silence took its place as the group's shape blurred and faded into the distance.
TBC