Ms. Gojo thought she was dating an ordinary person's boyfriend.

"We talked about having dinner together last time, but of course we can do it another day. I just happened to be passing by; it doesn't have to be today."

Sumire Kawakawa spoke calmly.

Only he knew how long those words lingered on his tongue.

He is not good at asking others for time.

It's been too long; he's gotten used to appearing at the right time and leaving when he's no longer needed.

For him, taking the initiative to invite someone to stay was actually a very unfamiliar thing.

But unfamiliarity doesn't mean I don't want to.

Gojo Satoru looked at him.

Kikawa Sumi stood in the evening breeze, her eyes clear and bright, without any pressure or heavy expectations.

He was simply offering a possibility earnestly, like offering a piece of candy, a cup of tea, or a small lucky bag embroidered with the moon.

It's as if it's saying to you, "If you're willing, please catch it."

If you don't want to, that's fine too.

Gojo Satoru suddenly felt a slight movement in his chest.

But the next second, he remembered that he did have a mission to complete.

more than one.

It was packed full of a series of boring and annoying to-do items.

A sorcerer's time never belongs to themselves, especially Gojo Satoru.

He can be willful, he can be late, and he can make the higher-ups' blood pressure rise, but when he is needed, he will still show up.

"Sorry," he smiled, his tone light and casual, "I have work to do later today."

The light in Sumire Kichikawa's eyes didn't dim noticeably; she just blinked very lightly.

"I see."

"Mmm." Gojo Satoru smiled, "Physical education teachers are very busy too."

"Well, there's nothing I can do about that then." Sumire looked down at the paper bag in her hand, then looked up again as if she had thought of something. "I bought pudding. I was going to ask you if you wanted to eat some with me."

Gojo Satoru: "..."

His silence was somewhat suspicious.

Looking at him, Sumire Kikawa suddenly felt like laughing.

Do you like pudding?

"I like it," Gojo Satoru replied quickly. "But it's work, so there's no way around it."

"Okay." Sumi Kichikawa nodded. "Then next time."

Just as Gojo Satoru was about to say something, a black sedan slowly pulled up to a stop on the side of the road.

Kiyotaka Ijichi got out of the driver's seat, still holding a tablet in his hand, and looked a little more nervous than usual.

He saw Gojo Satoru standing with a strange man in the distance and assumed he was a passerby asking for directions, so he politely nodded to Kikkawa Sumi first.

Sumireya Kikkawa returned a gentle nod.

Then he naturally stepped aside a few paces, standing in a position where he wouldn't hear their conversation.

His demeanor was composed and his actions were perfectly measured.

Ijichi leaned closer and lowered his voice: "Mr. Gojo."

"Hmm? Where's the next one?"

"This..." Ijichi pushed up his glasses, looking somewhat confused, "The mission was suddenly canceled on the way here."

Gojo Satoru raised an eyebrow.

"Cancel?"

"Yes." Ijichi flipped open the tablet. "The previously confirmed Level 2 cursed spirit reaction suddenly disappeared ten minutes ago. After on-site supervision reconfirmed, there was no spread of residual evil, and no casualties."

Gojo Satoru's smile faded slightly.

"What about the next few?"

Ijichi's expression became even more subtle.

"Everything is under investigation," he said. "Two locations have reported that the cursed spirits' reactions suddenly became very weak, as if they were disintegrating on their own. At another mission location, the target appears to be being interfered with for some other reason, and its location cannot be determined at present."

"yes."

Gojo Satoru spoke softly.

This is a bit interesting.

One incident could be attributed to coincidence, two could be attributed to false alarms, but several tasks failing at the same time in a row seems unlikely to happen naturally.

His gaze passed over Ijichi and landed on Sumi Kikawa not far away.

Kikawa Sumi stood next to the vending machine, looking down at his phone. He switched the paper bag to his other hand, and the evening breeze ruffled his hair, revealing a serene expression on his face.

Ordinary people.

Clean, mild, like a cup of hot tea.

But Gojo Satoru suddenly remembered that afternoon at the bookstore last time.

There was supposed to be a last-minute task that day, but it inexplicably ended up free.

He and Sumi Kichikawa went to that old bookstore. The sunlight outside the window was bright, and the sound of turning pages was very soft. For the entire afternoon, there were no phone calls, no orders, and no curses.

At the time, he only felt that it was a rare opportunity.

Looking back now, it seems like too much of a coincidence.

Gojo Satoru's lips slowly curved into a smile.

"Alright," he said. "You can go back now."

Ijichi paused for a moment: "But Mr. Gojo, what if the follow-up mission needs to be reconfirmed—"

"We'll see when the time comes," Gojo Satoru waved his hand. "Anyway, it's been cancelled now, isn't it?"

"but……"

"Ichichi."

Gojo Satoru called out to him with a smile.

Iji immediately shut up.

"Thank you for your hard work," said Gojo Satoru. "That's all for today."

Ichiji opened his mouth, but ultimately swallowed his words. He dared not ask any more questions and could only nod, "Yes."

Before leaving, he glanced at Sumire Kichikawa, who was not far away.

The man seemed to notice the gaze and looked up at him, giving him a slight nod.

Polite and gentle, showing absolutely no signs of anything amiss.

Ichiya hurriedly returned the greeting, then got into his car and left.

The black sedan merged into the traffic and quickly disappeared at the intersection.

Gojo Satoru stood still, lowered his head, and chuckled.

Hearing footsteps approaching, Sumire Kichikawa put away her phone.

"Is the work urgent?" he asked.

"I was in a hurry at first," Gojo Satoru said lightly as he walked up to him, "but I'm not in a hurry anymore."

Sumire Kikkawa paused slightly.

Gojo Satoru bent down and moved a little closer.

The blindfold covered his eyes, but Sumi Kichikawa could still feel those unseen eyes fixed on him.

The white hair of the person in front of me was softened by the setting sun, with a sliver of light falling from the ends. He was clearly very tall, but when he looked down at people like this, there was no sense of oppression. Instead, he seemed like a large feline that was deliberately coming up to beg for candy.

"Cheng," he said, "it seems like today's work has been canceled."

Sumire Kawakawa looked at him.

The regret that had been suppressed in my heart was gently blown away by the wind, revealing a little warmth again.

"Well..." he paused, "would you like to go somewhere for a walk?"

Gojo Satoru smiled.

"I should be the one saying that." He straightened up, put his hands in his pockets, his posture casual yet elegant. "After all, we agreed last time that I would treat the doctor to dinner."

"It's not lunchtime yet."

"Let's go get some pudding first," Gojo Satoru chimed in naturally. "Didn't Sumi already buy some?"

Sumi Kichikawa glanced down at the paper bag.

There are only two.

"Just right," Gojo Satoru said. "One for Sumi, and one for the world's most handsome PE teacher."

"...Number one in the world?"

"Any objections?"

Sumi Kichikawa thought for a moment and answered seriously, "No."

Gojo Satoru smiled broadly.

As dusk settled, the streetlights came on one by one. The shadows of the trees along the sidewalk were stretched long, and the evening breeze slipped through the cracks in the city, rustling the promotional banners hanging outside the convenience stores.

They walked forward side by side.