Chapter 26 Mother

　　Since the first mission began, Kei Kojima and two other first-year students have joined the mission to remove the cursed spirit.

　　Haibara Yuu had become a permanent partner with Nanami Kento, while Kojima Kei was on his own. Missions were always carried out in pairs, but the higher-ups had specifically selected one of the lower-level sorcerers to form a team with Kojima Kei.

　　Kei Kojima's partner is Yuichi Kashima, who has already graduated from technical high school, but due to his low strength, he has been mediocre in the world of curse. His peers have either risen to high positions or have been buried in the belly of curse spirits.

　　It is a miracle that he is still alive and still active in the world of sorcery.

　　Kei Kojima rarely contacts him. Only after the mission is issued, Yuichi Kashima will arrive at the mission site leisurely. After entering the tent, he will use the earth escape technique to disappear and will only appear after the curse spirit is removed.

　　It's okay once or twice, but after it happened many times, Kei Kojima realized that his new partner was a veteran in the workplace.

　　Although the mission rewards are divided according to the proportion of effort, for low-level missions like this, as long as you arrive at the scene, enter the tent, and successfully remove the cursed spirit, you can get 30% of the mission reward.

　　Even if you do nothing, the reward is not much different from the salary you get after working hard to remove the curse.

　　Yuichi Kashima has survived to this day by relying on this method.

　　If there were no lone sorcerers, he would just lie at home and play games, sometimes even taking a break for half a year. If there was a mission, it would be an extra sum of money. He was already familiar with this and his ability to escape and hide was first-class.

　　After hearing about this, Huiyuan Xiong said angrily:

　　"How could he do this! Abandon his companions? Run away on his own! This is too much!"

　　Nanami Kento took a sip of tea:

　　"So he survived."

　　However, Huiyuan Xiong could not agree:

　　"If he doesn't want to work, why is he taking up his quota? This means Kei has to handle every mission alone. This is not what a sorcerer should do!"

　　Kei Kojima comforts the angry Haibara Yu:

　　"It's okay, Huiyuan. Those cursed spirits are very weak. I can handle them all by myself. Not only can I practice at the same time, but I can also get some extra pay. It's like killing two birds with one stone!"

　　Huiyuan Xiong was immediately convinced:

　　"Too!"

　　Nanami Kento silently watched the two simple-minded people from the side and thought: If only it were that simple.

　　Knowing that the rules were unreasonable but not perfect, Nanami Kento had never heard of the name of Kojima Kei's partner, Yuichi Kashima.

　　Maybe there are some inside stories that he doesn't know.

　　Summer is coming soon.

　　Kei Kojima plans to use the salary he saved from mission rewards to buy a gift for his mother, but he hasn't decided what to buy yet.

　　Clothes? Jewelry? Or is it better to just give me cash?

　　Kojima Kei thought about it for a long time.

　　He remembered his mother's phone, which hadn't been changed in years. After the next mission, he would stop by the store to have a look. If there was a good phone with a good price/performance ratio, he might buy one.

　　Ye Mo Zhengdao said that his mother had accepted a long-term commission and went abroad with the team. It was a confidential mission, so she only told him secretly and asked him not to make it public.

　　Well, as long as I'm not in the country, maybe I can avoid... Geto Suguru.

　　Maybe it's even safer.

　　Now that he knows Geto Suguru's past, it's like a time bomb for Kei Kojima, and he doesn't know when it will explode.

　　Except for the time when he is out on missions, Kei Kojima spends most of his time with Gojo Satoru.

　　What is scary is not the genius, but the genius who works hard.

　　After returning, Gojo Satoru only slacked off for a day or two before diving into new training, spending time at the training ground from morning to night.

　　As the most recognized strongest person in the technical high school today, even the seniors and other sorcerers in the school are very respectful to him. He occupies one of the training grounds in the school most of the time, and no one dares to disturb him.

　　Of course, there may be some people who want to deliberately provoke, but Master Gojo does not have the culture of courtesy to seniors in his mind, and Kei Kojima also benefited from it.

　　There have been a lot of rumors going around in school lately.

　　Some people say that Gojo Satoru and Geto Suguru have been included in the list of candidates for special-grade sorcerers, while others say that the pair of good friends had a fight at school because of a junior and fell apart.

　　Even Kei Kojima's name was spread out and became known to everyone.

　　Many people don’t know the twists and turns here, but are just interested in this gossip. After all, she is the publicly acknowledged lover of the “young master of the Gojo family”, and many people want to see what Kei Kojima looks like.

　　"Is that him? He looks so skinny standing next to Gojo~~"

　　"She's quite pretty!"

　　"Humph, breaking up my relationship! Unforgivable!"

　　"Hey... I already told you they're just friends, you're overthinking it!"

　　Amidst the busy work, gossip and anecdotes always spark discussion.

　　Kei Kojima discovered that there were always some inexplicable people around him recently. It seemed that the school, which was originally quiet and rarely seen on weekdays, suddenly became lively.

　　...It’s human nature to love gossip.

　　"How does it feel to be a celebrity? Are you getting used to it?"

　　After finishing his training, Gojo Satoru wiped the sweat from his head and looked at Kei Kojima who was squatting beside him in a daze.

　　Kojima Kei came back to his senses:

　　"Huh? Um... not bad."

　　"What are you thinking about, Kei?"

　　Gojo Satoru threw away the towel, walked to his side and looked down at him:

　　"You have that expression on your face, is there something on your mind?"

　　Kojima Kei quickly shook his head, stood up, brushed off the non-existent dirt on himself, and pretended to be busy:

　　"It's okay, just thinking about... things at home."

　　"Home? Your mother?"

　　Gojo Satoru's eyes darkened:

　　"What's wrong?"

　　Kei Kojima was not surprised by this. He was afraid that this guy had already investigated his family situation clearly, perhaps on the first day they started dating, or even earlier, because of his abnormal behavior in front of them, or even on the first day he arrived at the technical high school.

　　The first impression was truly terrifying. Kei Kojima had always thought Gojo Satoru was a man who didn't care about anything and was arrogant. But after spending more time with him, he finally began to understand some of this man's inner thoughts.

　　Unlike Geto Suguru, who appears gentle and kind on the surface but is actually a man with a deep mind, Gojo Satoru chose another way.

　　He is even more terrifying and can see through people's hearts more clearly. He even knows everything without anyone noticing, but just pretends not to know and uses jokes to cover up his true purpose.

　　Kei Kojima still doesn't understand why Gojo Satoru wants to be with him.

　　At first he thought the man was simply having fun, but later he thought he was influencing... Geto Suguru, and wanted to separate them.

　　After all, before he came, Gojo Satoru and Geto Suguru were very good friends. Even though they often quarreled and fought with each other on the training ground, more often than not, Kojima Kei saw the two of them standing together and laughing.

　　...Even Kojima Kei had never seen Geto Suguru like that.

　　Even after they started dating, Kei Kojima had never seen Gojo Satoru like that.

　　"Well...I miss my mother a little bit."

　　Kojima Kei lowered his head and said.

　　Gojo Satoru was silent for a moment:

　　"If you miss her, give her a call."

　　Kojima Kei shook his head:

　　"Forget it, she must be very busy. Teacher Ye Moth said not to disturb her as much as possible. She is still on a long-term mission..."

　　After saying this, Kei Kojima suddenly realized something was wrong and shut his mouth.

　　“Hehe~”

　　Gojo Satoru chuckled:

　　"Didn't the old man tell you not to tell anyone? What should I do? I know~"

　　Kojima Kei: "..."

　　This is such an annoying thing to say. I really want him not to tell anyone, but I'm afraid this young master won't listen to me.

　　Kei Kojima was too embarrassed to speak and hesitated for a long time.

　　Gojo Satoru placed his palm on top of Kojima Kei's head:

　　"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

　　Kojima Kei looked up with joy, but before he could even say thank you, he met the man's smiling face and extended his hand towards him:

　　"Hard work fee~"

　　Kojima Kei: "..."

　　hateful!

　　"Don't look so reluctant! I know you recently received your mission pay, so why don't you buy a gift for your beloved boyfriend, me?"

　　Gojo Satoru hummed:

　　"My birthday is coming soon!"

　　"What number?"

　　"December 7th."

　　"Isn't that still more than half a year away?!"

　　"I'm talking about last year's birthday present~"

　　Kojima Kei: "..."

　　He felt that this man's shamelessness had reached a very high level.

　　"Let's go on a date now! Buy me a gift!"

　　Gojo Satoru grabbed Kei Kojima's collar and prepared to go out.

　　"Hey! Gojo Satoru! Put me down! This is school!"

　　Kei Kojima blushed.

　　This guy always behaves like this regardless of the occasion. It's so shameful. Doesn't he know how many eyes are staring at them right now?

　　"You're not calling me senior anymore? You're calling me by my name. It seems like our relationship has gotten closer~"

　　Gojo Satoru said with a smile.

　　"You two have such a good relationship."

　　A male voice suddenly interrupted.

　　They both stopped at the same time.

　　Kei Kojima was still on Gojo Satoru's shoulder. He immediately became quiet after hearing the words, as if a mute button had been pressed on him.

　　There is only one person in this school who can do this.

　　Gojo Satoru put one arm on Kojima Kei's back and waved at Geto Suguru with the other arm:

　　"Hi~Jay~"

　　"Wu, will there be time?"

　　Geto Suguru's eyes only passed over Gojo Satoru's face:

　　"I have something I want to talk to you about."

　　"Of course."

　　Gojo Satoru raised his eyebrows:

　　"Wait a moment."

　　He disappeared from the spot, and Geto Suguru's clothes swayed gently. The next second, Gojo Satoru appeared in front of him again, and Kei Kojima on his shoulder was gone.

　　With a smile on his face, he said to Geto Suguru as before:

　　"How's it going? I'm almost done with my super long-distance teleportation!"

　　Geto Summer Oil nodded:

　　"Yeah, that's impressive."

　　Gojo Satoru placed his hands on his hips and hummed triumphantly.

　　Geto Xia Yu couldn't help but laugh, but he quickly restrained his smile and fell silent.

　　Seeing this, Gojo Satoru's smile slowly faded. He stared at Geto Suguru's expression and said:

　　"Jay, what do you want to say? I'll listen to it."

　　Geto Xia Yu's lips moved, and he finally made up his mind. He looked up at Gojo Satoru:

　　"Satoru, am I your friend?"

　　Gojo Satoru nodded without hesitation:

　　"certainly."

　　"So...if one day, I stood against you and did something irreparable, what would you do?"

　　Geto Summer Oil asked in a low voice.

　　Gojo Satoru's eyes were gloomy:

　　"Of course I'll pull you back. Need I say more? ... But it also depends on what you've done. Jie, you haven't looked well these past few days. Did you sleep well last night?"

　　"I'm just... a little confused lately."

　　Geto Suguru's voice was low.

　　He gradually began to waver as to whether the principles he had always adhered to were correct.

　　In the dream, he gradually changed from completely denying everything that [Geto Suguru] did to having some recognition of it.

　　However, he still hasn't seen the final outcome of Geto Suguru in his dream.

　　"Can you tell me what it is?"

　　Gojo Satoru said softly, "How can I help you solve it if you don't tell me?"

　　Geto Summer Oil shook his head:

　　"You can't solve it, Satoru."

　　"ha?"

　　Gojo Satoru tilts his head:

　　“Is there anything I can’t solve?”

　　Xia Youjie laughed.

　　After getting Gojo Satoru's answer, I knew his attitude, and also saw... Kei was very happy by his side.

　　Xia Youjie's purpose of coming here has been achieved, so he turned and left:

　　"You train, I'm going back."

　　Gojo Satoru looked at him without saying anything.

　　Xia Youjie took two steps and looked back at him, the smile on his face was the same as usual:

　　"Oh, by the way, Wu, don't ask anyone to follow me next time. Don't worry, I won't attack Kei again."

　　"Ah, you know."

　　"Of course, your people are too unskilled."

　　"Sorry~ I will teach you a lesson and try not to let you find out next time~"

　　"Oh."

　　Geto Summer Oil is gone.

　　Gojo Satoru looked at his back and didn't move for a long time.

　　Now that he knew he was being followed, Gojo Satoru decided not to hide it anymore.

　　Now that their abilities have been recognized, they rarely work together on missions, and most of the time they act alone.

　　Geto Suguru once again saw Gojo Satoru at the mission site.

　　"Wu, what are you doing?"

　　Xia Yujie said helplessly:

　　"This isn't your mission site."

　　"I was just wandering around because I was bored. You're overthinking it. I'm not here to follow you."

　　Gojo Satoru squatted on the rock and confessed without being asked.

　　People who don't know the future, even if they know clues, can only start from these details and piece together the truth bit by bit.

　　Even though Kei Kojima also returned from that world, all he knew was his own story. He knew nothing about the time in the Jujutsu world or the things he had not experienced.

　　The six eyes are not invincible. The future - only Geto Suguru knows.

　　Perhaps this is his advantage.

　　Two weeks later, Geto Suguru sent the seriously injured Haibara Yu and Nanami Kento back to school.

　　Ieiri Glass was surprised and said:

　　"Such a serious injury? What happened?"

　　Geto Suguru briefly explained that the mission was upgraded midway and the target to be removed was a first-level cursed spirit, which the two of them could not resist.

　　While treating the patient, Ieiri Glass asked casually:

　　"Luckily you're here, otherwise they'd both be in great danger. Why did you happen to be there? It wasn't your mission, was it?"

　　Geto Summer Oil smiled slightly:

　　"I just happened to be passing by."

　　"Hmm...I see."

　　Upon hearing this, Ieiri Shoko looked up and looked at Geto Suguru.

　　"Where's Gojo?"

　　"The mission has become more difficult, and he has gone to solve it."

　　"Hmm...why didn't you just take care of it? It shouldn't be too difficult for you."

　　"Glass, don't say that."

　　Geto Summer Oil said:

　　"There's still a gap in strength between Wu and me. What's more, I'm carrying two wounded soldiers. I don't want to fight any longer, so I came back early."

　　For some reason, under the light, the man's expression seemed a little strange.

　　A strange feeling flashed through her mind, but she focused more on the present and her work.

　　"Hmm...I see."

　　Ieiri Shoko withdrew her gaze and concentrated on treating the two injured people. When she looked up again, Geto Suguru's figure in the room had disappeared.

　　At the same time.

　　Kei Kojima stopped Noctua:

　　"I'm sorry... Teacher, I know this is against the rules, but I want to confirm where my mother went."

　　There has been no reply to text messages for two days and no answer to phone calls.

　　Kei Kojima suddenly realized that he hadn't had a video call with his mother for more than half a year, and hadn't even received a photo.

　　"Teacher Ye Moth, I'm a little worried about my mother,"

　　Kei Kojima said:

　　"I want to talk to her, or I want to find her wherever she is."

　　Ye Moth Zhengdao was silent for a moment before he asked:

　　"Why do you ask that suddenly? I told you, your mother is on a classified mission and can't keep in touch all the time."

　　"Is there anything that requires a third-level sorcerer to perform?!"

　　Kojima Kei asked back:

　　"Why do Nanami, Haibara, and I always go on long missions? Mother just returned to the world of curses and we've already been entrusted with important tasks. Aren't we worried that after all these years, she might be a little unfamiliar with the mission procedures?"

　　Yega Zhengdao sighed: "Kyu, even if you ask me, I can't tell you the truth. This is for your own good."

　　Kojima Kei stared at Mr. Yaga and suddenly asked in a trembling voice:

　　"My mother...did something happen to her?"

　　Yaga Masamichi's silence made Kojima Kei's tone even more panicked:

　　"Mr. Yemo! Tell me! You must know!"

　　"Feel sorry……"

　　Ye Moth Zhengdao sighed deeply:

　　"Kyu, I just received the news too. Your mother lost contact yesterday."

　　He hadn't noticed it the whole time, he should have noticed it sooner.

　　Since arriving here, he has been immersed in the hatred of his previous life. He goes out early and comes back late every day, just wanting to vent the anger and despair deep in his heart, so that he can truly feel that he is still alive.

　　In the name of protecting himself and his mother, he once again ignored the people around him.

　　All that's left in my eyes are my enemies.

　　Why has my mother never video chatted with me?

　　Why are my mother’s contacts always so brief?

　　He noticed those strange behaviors, those abnormal behaviors compared to usual, but he didn't take them to heart.

　　Maybe his mother was too tired from work. He had never contacted his mother through the screen before, and he rarely left home for such a long time. The mother on the other side of the screen seemed very unfamiliar to him.

　　He didn't suspect anything.

　　But my mother never urged me to go home once?

　　Doesn't she want to see herself?

　　Why didn’t he hear the weakness in my voice when I called?

　　Geto walked out of the treatment room and looked up at the moon in the sky.

　　"Another year has passed."

　　He let out a breath.

　　At this moment, a woman suddenly rushed out from the corner and pounced on him.

　　Geto Suguru frowned and raised his hand. The Shikigami emerged from the whirlpool, and its white claws pressed down on the woman.

　　The woman's hair was loose, so her face couldn't be seen clearly, but judging from her breath, her breath was very weak. She was wearing a white robe that looked like it hadn't been washed for a long time.

　　Could this be the prisoner held in the back mountain?

　　He actually escaped into the barrier of the technical college?

　　Geto Suguru's thoughts quickly slipped away.

　　No, that's not right.

　　This woman came for him!

　　The target is very clear, I'm afraid he has been waiting here for a long time.

　　Geto Suguru became alert, as the Shikigami in the air slowly dissipated. He looked up and saw a huge palm forming in the air, growing bigger and bigger, rushing towards him like a whirlpool, swallowing everything around it, even the houses were swept in.

　　The woman raised her head, her eyes filled with hatred:

　　"Geto Suguru! Die!"

　　Geto Xia Yu was shocked.

　　A picture suddenly emerged in his mind, as if he had seen such a pair of eyes in the past, eyes full of hatred.

　　It was as if he had destroyed her whole world.

　　The woman's face was dirty and her appearance was a little unclear, but Xia Yujie inexplicably felt that her voice was familiar, but he didn't know where he had seen it before.

　　"Who are you? Why are you trying to kill me?"

　　Geto Xiayou dodged the attack, and the vortex hit the opposite wall. The wall melted like snow and collapsed. Geto Xiayou looked back and sighed in his heart at the powerful attack force. In an instant, the woman was already close to him.

　　Xia Yujie let out a light snort.

　　"Why don't you answer me?" asked Geto Suguru softly.

　　Another person who misjudged his ability in close combat.

　　Xia Yujie pinched the woman's slender neck:

　　"Now you can answer my question properly."

　　"You killed my son, I want you to pay with your life!!"

　　The woman growled, but after she said this, her whole body convulsed and she opened her mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood. Xia Yujie reacted very quickly and pushed her away, but was still sprayed all over by blood.

　　He had thought there might be a spell in the blood, but the woman lay on the ground, whimpering softly in pain.

　　"You said I killed your son? May I ask who your son is..."

　　Xia Youjie was puzzled and took two steps forward when he heard a trembling voice from the side:

　　"Mother……?"

　　Geto Suguru stopped.

　　His feet were covered in blood, which had overflowed from the woman's body and gradually gathered into a small lake, dripping. He raised his hand, which was already covered in blood, which was dripping down.

　　At this moment, the broken images in his mind suddenly came together and finally formed a complete picture.

　　He also remembered who this woman was.

　　She is Kei Kojima's mother.

　　He had killed someone in his dream.

　　In her dream, she also said the same words to herself, but she was just an ordinary person at that time, but she became a sorcerer here.

　　Geto Suguru turned his head and saw that Kei Kojima, with bloodshot eyes, had drawn his sword and was rushing towards him.

　　This was the first time that Geto Suguru saw Kei Kojima's new skills, and it was in such an occasion.

　　The overwhelming sword energy emanated from Kei Kojima's sword, instantly wrapping up Geto Suguru tightly.

　　The sword energy that bypassed Geto Suguru's side spread out into the distance, only stopping when it hit the wall a hundred meters away.

　　“Puff!”

　　Geto Suguru tilted his head and a blood mark appeared on his face.

　　The next moment, Kei Kojima appeared in front of him, swinging a sword towards him.

　　It was unclear whether the liquid on Kei Kojima's face was blood or tears, but he just kept his mouth tightly shut and said nothing, with only resentment and anger on his face.

　　Xia Yujie's smile was a little bitter:

　　"Why don't you ask me, Kei?"

　　Kojima Kei squeezed out four words:

　　"Murder. Man. Murder. Hand."

　　A huge explosion exploded between the two of them.

　　There was a cursed spirit supporting Geto Suguru from behind, but Kei Kojima flew backwards. He inserted the tip of his sword into the ground to slow down his speed, and rushed forward again by stepping on the ground.

　　"Calm down."

　　Xia Yujie pulled the corner of his mouth and said:

　　"Do you think you can kill me? Why not check on your mother's condition as soon as possible..."

　　"I haven't recognized you for a while."

　　Sweat was faintly visible on Gojo Satoru's forehead. He glanced at the mess on the ground, his gaze lingering for a long time on Kojima Rina lying on the ground, and finally stopped at Kojima Kei. He said:

　　"…Should I ask first what happened?"

　　Rina Kojima opened her eyes with difficulty, looked at Kei Kojima's back, smiled slightly, made a hand gesture, and slowly closed her eyes.

　　At that moment, Kei Kojima suddenly stiffened, as if his whole body was being controlled. Dense scars appeared on his neck, like scars caused by blood stasis in the blood vessels.

　　It appears in an instant and disappears in an instant.

　　It was as if I was hallucinating.

　　Kei Kojima seemed to have a premonition. He turned back stiffly, and the woman had closed her eyes forever with a peaceful face.