Early the next morning, the hustle and bustle at the Star Plasma Cult base arrived earlier than usual.
The self-healing abilities of Jujutsu Sorcerers far exceed those of ordinary people. Miguel, Larue, and the others, who had been dead drunk the night before, were now full of life. Miguel was shirtless in the courtyard, throwing punches, the wind from his fists carrying real power.
Larue sat at the dining table, wolfing down a steamed bun while chatting animatedly with Manami next to him.
Only Negi wore a pair of heavy dark circles under his eyes, his face looking as haggard as if he had pulled an all-nighter.
He had confronted Rin for a long time last night, only leaving in frustration late at night. In his eyes, he had ultimately "won"; after all, the kid had "vanished in the blink of an eye" at the end, which surely meant he was afraid.
He rubbed his aching temples, thinking to himself: "Next time I run into him, I'll definitely make him know what I'm capable of."
"Why don't we go shopping in town this afternoon! I heard a new dessert shop opened up, and their signature cake is super delicious!" Nanako suggested suddenly while munching on a fried dough stick.
Mimiko was the first to agree. Larue and Manami nodded with smiles, and even Miguel, who had just finished boxing, came over and patted his chest, saying, "It's on me."
At this moment, Rin had just finished his morning warm-up, having run ten laps around the base while maintaining a two-hundred-kilogram weight load the entire time, yet his breathing remained steady.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead, didn't join the group's discussion, and headed straight for the reception hall; he needed to find Geto Suguru.
The reception hall was the place Geto Suguru used to host followers and partners, always exuding a sense of solemnity.
When Rin reached the entrance, he heard voices coming from inside. Peeking through the door crack, he saw Geto Suguru sitting in the main seat, with several businessmen in suits and wearing luxury watches sitting opposite him, their expressions showing a hint of nervousness.
Rin didn't go in to disturb them; he just stood quietly at the door and waited.
About half an hour later, those businessmen walked out of the reception hall with pale faces, their steps frantic as if they were fleeing, not even daring to greet Rin at the door.
Only then did Rin push the door open and enter. As soon as he stepped inside, he saw Geto Suguru talking with Manami. Both had smiles on their faces; judging by their expressions, they had clearly secured quite a few more donations.
Seeing Rin enter, Manami smiled and nodded at him, then tactfully left, leaving just the two of them in the reception hall.
"Why are you here at this hour?" Geto Suguru leaned back in his chair, his tone relaxed. "Usually, you should be in the training ground struggling with the iron puppet right about now."
Rin didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the point: "Teacher, I want to go out for training. Are there any suitable missions you can assign to me?"
Hearing this, the smile on Geto Suguru's face faded slightly, and his eyes held a bit more concern: "Why the sudden desire to go out? Did someone say something to you? If that guy Negi is giving you trouble, just tell me directly."
Rin shook his head, his tone firm: "It has nothing to do with anyone else; it's my own decision. A few days ago, I felt that my cultivation had hit a bottleneck. Staying in the training ground all the time, my progress is getting slower and slower. It would be better to try actual combat; it can both accumulate experience and better improve my strength. Besides..." He paused and added, "Having been taken care of by you and everyone for so long, I should also contribute my share to the Star Plasma Cult."
Looking at the seriousness in Rin's eyes, Geto Suguru was silent for a few seconds before finally nodding: "I understand your thoughts. Your current strength is indeed sufficient to protect yourself. But don't be in a rush; wait another two days. I'll arrange a suitable mission for you, guaranteed to let you get some good training."
Rin nodded in agreement and turned to leave the reception hall.
After he left, Geto Suguru leaned back in his chair, fingers tapping lightly on the tabletop, his brows slightly furrowed, as if contemplating something. A moment later, he sighed softly.
Manami happened to come in to deliver some documents. Seeing his grave expression, she asked, "Suguru, what's wrong? Is it about Rin?"
Geto Suguru looked up at her, his tone calm: "I'm fine. By the way, Manami, help me call Negi over."
Over the next two days, the atmosphere at the base gradually became busy. The holidays were over, and the cadres were preparing one after another to set off, heading to various parts of Japan to carry out missions to collect Cursed Spirits.
Larue and Manami set off first. Miguel also patted Rin on the shoulder before leaving, smiling as he said, "When you get back, I'll spar with you on elbow strikes again."
On the afternoon of the day Miguel left, Rin came to the reception hall again. Geto Suguru was already sitting there waiting for him, with a file folder and two plane tickets in front of him.
"Your mission has been arranged," Geto Suguru said, pushing the file folder toward Rin. "Considering this is your first mission, I'm having you go with someone else so you can look out for each other."
Just as his voice fell, the door to the reception hall was pushed open, and Negi walked in.
Rin was taken aback; he hadn't expected that his partner would be Negi. But there was no surprise on Negi's face; he walked to the table with a calm expression, clearly having known about this arrangement long ago.
"Rin, is that alright?" Geto Suguru looked at Rin, his eyes filled with inquiry.
Rin glanced at Negi. Seeing that the other party didn't object, he nodded: "No problem."
Seeing this, a smile appeared on Geto Suguru's face, and he handed the tickets to the two of them: "Very good, you two should get along well. The tickets are for four in the afternoon; the flight takes off in two hours. The destination is Hokkaido."
The two took the tickets, didn't say much more, said goodbye to Nanako and Mimiko, and then took a taxi to the airport.
The road from the base to the airport was jammed for nearly two hours, but the flight from Tokyo to Hokkaido only took a little over an hour and a half. Japan's land area isn't large, which is convenient; business trips don't take up too much time.
Along the way, Rin and Negi didn't say a single word.
Negi leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes to rest, a look of "victorious" smugness on his face. In his view, Rin was afraid of him and didn't even dare to speak.
Rin was happy to have the peace and quiet, leaning against the window and watching the clouds outside, thinking to himself: "What on earth did Geto Suguru say to Negi to make him this calm?"
This tranquility was eventually broken by Rin. After the plane landed in Hokkaido and the two walked out of the airport, Rin spotted a small shop on the street selling "Hokkaido Seafood Donburi." His stomach happened to be hungry, so he turned to Negi and said: "Let's go eat something first; the mission isn't urgent anyway."
Negi immediately opened his eyes, put on the posture of a senior, and lectured with a frown: "We are here to execute a mission, not to go sightseeing. You need to be mindful of your status and stop thinking about pleasure all the time." Although he said that, he was the first to step toward that small shop.
Watching his back, Rin shook his head helplessly. This guy was really saying one thing and doing another.
After entering the shop, the two ordered a seafood donburi each.
Barely a few mouthfuls in, Negi started lecturing endlessly. One moment he was saying, "When executing a mission, you need to survey the terrain in advance," and the next, "When you encounter a Cursed Spirit, you must first judge its grade." His words were filled with a sense of superiority, implying, "I have more experience than you."
Rin was getting a bit impatient listening to him. Just as he was about to interrupt, his peripheral vision suddenly caught two figures at the shop entrance.
...
"I really didn't expect to run into you here, Aoi Todo." A white-haired woman with a braided ponytail in front of her forehead spoke, her voice carrying a hint of laziness as she looked at the burly man opposite her.
That burly man was Aoi Todo. He scratched his head, his tone bright and cheerful: "Me too. There's a Takada-chan autograph session here today, so I came a day early. I didn't expect to meet you, Mei Mei. Are you here to execute a mission?"
"That's right." Mei Mei nodded, toying with a strand of hair with her fingertips: "I happened to be in the vicinity, and the principal sent me a mission. The reward is quite generous, so I just took it. Since we've run into each other, why don't we eat something together?"
After speaking, the two walked into the snack shop side by side.
Mei Mei had just found an empty seat and sat down, placing the huge wooden box she was carrying on her shoulder to the side, when her gaze suddenly swept over the adjacent table. There were two seafood donburi bowls on the table that had only been eaten a few mouthfuls, but the chairs were empty; clearly, the people had just left a short while ago.