"Wow, you're actually pretty capable, Kuroi-san."
"I guess that's what you'd expect from the Star Plasma Vessel's caretaker...?"
"My apologies for causing you such trouble..."
"No, no, as long as you're safe, that's what matters. Besides, I didn't have to play the body double after all. Right, Riko-chan?"
"That is right! If anything had happened to Kuroi, I...!"
"I am truly sorry, My Lady. I have caused you great worry..."
This exchange took place at a steakhouse on Kokusai Dori, a famous tourist spot on the main island of Okinawa.
Surprisingly, Misato Kuroi had managed to escape from the curse users' hideout on her own. The rescue team met her at the rendezvous point she provided. After a thorough check by Gojo's Six Eyes, which guaranteed she was the real Misato and free of any curses or physical traps, she joined the group. Now, they were all enjoying authentic steaks.
"We're glad she's safe, and since the teachers are heading this way too, we should stay put for now. ...What's the plan once we meet up, Satoru?"
"Hmm... Let's see."
Gojo's gaze shifted to Riko Amanai, who was tearfully rejoicing over her reunion with Kuroi. No matter how one looked at her, she was just a fourteen-year-old girl; the mental strain she had endured was surely immense.
In that case...
"Hey, brat."
"Who are you calling a brat?! I am Lord Tengen, and Lord Tengen is I! Show some respect, you!"
"Yeah, yeah, you can drop the act for now. Turn off the edge-lord mode for a bit, okay?"
"Satoru. Be a bit more gentle. She's at that age, after all. Going through a phase like that is just part of puberty, isn't it?"
"Hey, the way you said that is even more insulting! You guys are as trashy as ever!"
"Waaah! Kuroi, they're bullying me!"
"Please pull yourself together, My Lady. ...By the way, what was it you were about to say, Gojo-san?"
"Right. I wanted to ask the brat what she wants to do. Since we're here, want to do some sightseeing in Okinawa? I bet you've never been."
"I... I was supposed to come here for my school trip, so I haven't seen it yet. ...But..."
"Don't start with the polite hesitation stuff, it's annoying. Apparently, we're supposed to grant any wish you have anyway. Right, Suguru?"
"That's right. We've been ordered by Lord Tengen to ensure Riko-chan's every wish is fulfilled."
"You're young, so don't hold back. Let yourself be pampered."
"Wait, aren't you all also young...?"
"That applies to you too, Kuroi-san."
"...I turn thirty-one this year, actually."
"No way!!?"
As the three of them shouted in shock, Riko puffed out her chest with strange pride. "Kuroi is often mistaken for a high schooler!" she bragged. After a brief, unnecessary interlude where Shoko asked Kuroi about her skincare routine, Riko finally reached a conclusion after some internal debate.
"Since I'm here... I want to try traveling around Okinawa," she said, her request perfectly fitting for a girl her age.
"Leave it to me," Gojo replied with a grin.
"Okay!" Riko smiled back. For a brief moment, she looked like her true self, forgetting the suffocating tension of the past few days.
---
"What does 'Mensore' mean? Everyone keeps saying it to us."
"It means 'Welcome'!"
"We didn't exactly come here as tourists, but they even put flower leis on us. ...Wait, isn't this Hawaiian culture?"
"The assistant supervisor said only the 'Super Premium Seats' were available when he forced the reservations through, right? It's probably because of that. I didn't mind the extra legroom, though."
"Well, we're all pretty big guys! I hope we can get premium seats on the way back too."
"I have a feeling the way back won't be a flight, but a warp. Knowing Satoru-kun, that's likely what he'll do."
"...'To respect the wishes of the Star Plasma Vessel and sightsee in Okinawa until the very last moment,' was it?"
"Supposedly. Though I'm sure it was Geto's idea as much as Gojo's... Regardless, Naoya and I will stay at the airport to guard against any terrorist attacks from curse users. Nanami and Haibara, head to the meeting point at Araha Beach as planned. Gojo's message said they're going swimming, so buy some swimsuits on the way."
"Understood! This is going to be fun, Nanami!"
"Haibara, you're treating this entirely like a vacation. ...Well, if the goal is to make the Star Plasma Vessel enjoy herself, I suppose that's the correct attitude..."
The four who had flown from Haneda Airport to follow Gojo's group were now having this conversation. Dressed in civilian clothes with leis around their necks, they looked exactly like tourists. Even at Naha Airport, they didn't stand out—other than the fact that they were all exceptionally well-built and one of them was wearing a jinbei.
As discussed, Haibara and Nanami headed off to join Gojo's group as guards. Toji and Naoya were tasked with defending the airport and meeting up with the others for the return trip.
Thus, Nanami and the other left in a taxi. In that arrangement, Naoya sensed a flicker of a hidden scheme.
Watching the taxi drive away from the lobby, Naoya held a lemon tea he'd bought at the airport Starbucks. He handed a black coffee to Toji and sat down on a long bench. With a certain degree of conviction, he spoke to Toji.
"Toji-kun, you've got something to say, don't you?"
"Your intuition is as sharp as ever. It's creepy."
"Well, of course. When you're always chasing someone's back, you start to see all sorts of things, don't you think?"
"Gross..."
"Stop using that dead serious tone, really. It hurts my feelings."
"It's entirely your fault for being creepy. —Anyway, about that. My goal is the 'protection of Riko Amanai'."
"I know. We're all on the same mission... Wait. Do you mean 'in that sense', Toji-kun?"
"Yeah. Exactly that. I have to prevent the 'erasure' of Riko Amanai."
"Why? That's bad for the world's status quo. Depending on the details, I might have to be your enemy, you know?"
"That's why I'm telling you this now."
"I suppose so. I'll judge after I've heard everything. I don't want to die. But if we're going to talk about this—'The fleeting shadow-play of a single night'."
As he recited the incantation and formed the hand seal, Naoya's barrier technique, 'The Fourth Wall', expanded to envelop both him and Toji.
"Considerate of you. ...First, for the baseline: the client is Yuki Tsukumo."
"Yuki-san? That's an unexpected name. Isn't she the type who wants to save all of humanity? She doesn't seem like the character to mess with the world by stopping Tengen's merger."
"Well, according to her, Tengen's evolution is vital for the salvation of all humanity. Her assessment is that even if Tengen evolves, the risk of them going berserk is incredibly low because of their sheer will to live. Her plan is to let Tengen evolve into an existence closer to a cursed spirit or a god, and then subdue them."
"Why take such a gamble? There's no way to know Tengen's state for sure. You can't predict the outcome."
"That's the thing. Yuki is also a Star Plasma Vessel."
"...I see. So she'll subdue the evolved Tengen and then merge with them?"
"Most likely. She'll probably establish a binding vow favorable to both of them and aim for an 'assimilation' where Yuki remains in control. Riko Amanai said it herself, right? The Vessel is Tengen, and Tengen is the Vessel. In other words—"
"Tengen will be assimilated into Yuki Tsukumo. You're saying such a thing is possible... That's a difficult judgment call. The safe play is to just let that girl merge now and push the problem back another five hundred years, isn't it?"
"But if Yuki's ideal is realized, it would be for the sake of all humans in the long run. Both paths are 'good' in their own way. In this case, what do you choose?"
"Well, as long as there's no issue with the binding vows, I'll just choose what I want. —Fine. I don't want to fight you, Toji-kun. I'll help you stop the merger."
"...Is that so. —Hah, why do I have to deal with all this stress? Seriously."
"You probably took the job because she offered a mountain of cash again, didn't you?"
"Pretty much."
"There's no such thing as easy money, you know."
"I know that. That's why I'm trying to navigate around your binding vows like this."
Having said that, Toji drained his coffee. Swallowing the bitterness, he let out a fearless smirk and looked out through the glass at the blue sky.
"Well, whatever. Now that we've come to an understanding, we just have to suppress the curse users and those idiots from the Time-Vessel Association, and we win. Let's not get careless."
"Indeed. I'm worried about the curse users. The 'Q' group can be quite nasty."
"Those guys... Well, I'll just slaughter them instantly next time."
"Scary... but they're just curse users, so I guess it's fine."
As they exchanged these words, the two of them spotted a man who looked like a freelance curse user appearing in the airport. They deactivated the barrier and stood up from their seats.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]