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

After finishing off the pudding in the cup, the two naturally turned the conversation to their next game plan.

"How about we try a fighting game next time?" Gojo Satoru suggested casually, leaning back in his chair.

"Can."

"What about horror games?"

Sumi Kichikawa glanced at him.

Are you scared?

"Of course not." Gojo Satoru shrugged confidently, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "But we can observe whether Dr. Kosumi will be afraid."

"I don't know either."

"So confident, huh?"

"Um."

"Since we're not afraid, then we should definitely play!" Gojo Satoru immediately made the decision.

Sumire Kawakawa nodded and added in a serious tone.

"Sure. But horror games aren't suitable for playing too late at night, as they can easily disrupt your sleep."

Gojo Satoru: "..."

He slowly turned his head, looking at Sumire Kikawa with an expression as if she were a rare animal, his tone incredulous.

"Dr. Kosuke, you really do consider sleep quality when discussing horror games?"

"Sleep is very important for the recovery of bodily functions."

"He is such a responsible and good doctor."

"Thank you for the compliment."

Seeing Sumi Kichikawa's serious and unyielding expression, Satoru Gojo finally couldn't help but chuckle softly, his shoulders trembling slightly.

Infected by his emotions, Sumi Kichikawa looked at him, and a faint smile unconsciously appeared on her lips.

Just then, a very faint light suddenly flashed in the depths of his mind.

Like the lingering afterimage when the game console screen went white.

[Residual data recorded simultaneously...]

[A temporary companion...]

[Anchor point...]

The sound was so soft it was almost an illusion.

Kikawa Sumi's smile faltered slightly as he subconsciously looked down at his hands.

There was nothing unusual about the fingertips.

The pudding cups were just ordinary plastic cups, and there was a little caramel stuck to the spoon.

The world around us remained quiet.

There were no mission prompts, no system interface, and no spatial oscillations typical of those before crossing over.

But that prompt was all too familiar.

He was so familiar with it that he could hardly ignore it completely.

Gojo Satoru, always keenly aware of changes in emotions, immediately noticed his unusual behavior.

"Xiao Cheng?"

Sumire Kawakawa looked up.

Gojo Satoru still had a smile on his face, but his voice was a little lower than before.

"I was daydreaming again."

"Hmm." Sumi Kichikawa didn't deny it, and readily offered an excuse, "I might be a little tired."

This is not a lie.

A lot happened today.

After get off work, an accident, Yuji Itadori, a family restaurant, an arcade, and that strange "Stargate Adventure" machine.

Although his distraction wasn't due to those things, he was genuinely quite tired today.

Gojo Satoru considerately refrained from pressing further, simply stating...

"Shall we head back now?"

Sumi Kichikawa glanced at the time.

"It's about time we went back."

Gojo Satoru stood up and threw the empty pudding cup into the nearby trash can.

"I send you?"

Sumiya Kigawa stood up.

"No need. My home isn't far from here, it'll be quick to get a taxi."

"It's perfectly normal for friends to give each other gifts."

After a moment's thought, Sumire Kikawa conceded a step.

"Then walk to the intersection where you can hail a taxi."

"make a deal."

They walked side by side toward the intersection.

Their steps unconsciously adjusted to the same rhythm.

Kikawa Sumi naturally noticed this tacit understanding, but he didn't say anything. He simply stopped as he passed a vending machine on the street corner.

Gojo Satoru stopped as well.

"Want to buy water?"

"Hmm." Sumi Kikawa put in the coins, bought a bottle of mineral water, and handed it to Satoru Gojo. "It's best to drink some water after eating sweets."

Gojo Satoru took the bottle.

"After-sales service from a doctor friend?"

"It's health advice for a friend."

"So strict."

"You've said that many times today."

"Because Dr. Kosumi was strict a lot today."

Kikawa Sumi reflected on whether he had been too strict with Gojo Satoru. He didn't want his good intentions to become a burden, so he looked at Gojo Satoru seriously.

"Actually, you can choose not to listen."

Gojo Satoru unscrewed the water bottle, paused upon hearing this, swallowed the slightly cool purified water, gently shook the bottle in his hand, and took a sip with a smile at the corner of his eyes.

"I'm listening."

Sumire Kikawa nodded.

"OK."

There was more traffic at the intersection than at the small square, and the two of them didn't have to wait long before they got a taxi.

This time, it was Sumi Kichikawa who called the car first.

Gojo Satoru stood by the car door, looking down at him.

"next time."

Sumire Kawakawa looked up.

"Um?"

"About playing games at your place," Gojou Satoru kindly reminded him, "you just agreed to come over."

"I will remember."

"You can't go back on your word."

"Of course not."

"The exclusive challenge slot for Gojo Satoru should also be retained."

Sumire Kichikawa, who was about to fasten her seatbelt, froze in mid-air, somewhat bewildered: "What challenge position?"

"The spot in front of your sofa, directly opposite the game console," Gojo Satoru said matter-of-factly. "I already checked it last time; that's the best view."

Sumire Kichikawa recalled that night when Satoru Gojo did indeed glance around his living room.

I didn't expect them to even remember the location in front of the game console.

"Okay," Sumi Kichikawa reluctantly conceded, "but it's not exclusive to me for now."

Gojo Satoru immediately drawled out, "Eh—"

"Then I want to win the right to use it."

"How do we win?"

"Let's have a game showdown next time."

Sumire Kawakawa thought for a moment.

"Can."

Gojo Satoru revealed a satisfied smile, one that seemed to say, "I've got this all under my belt!"

"Then it's settled."

Kikawa Sumi closed the car door.

Just a second before the driver was about to press the accelerator, he suddenly rolled down the window and shouted:

"Enlightenment".

"Um?"

"I had a lot of fun today."

Gojo Satoru was stunned for a second by these sudden words.

The streetlights cast shadows on his white hair, and the night made his features appear softer than usual.

He laughed quickly.

"Me too."

Kikawa Sumi nodded.

See you next time.

"See you next time, Dr. Kosumi."

Sumikawa Gojo waved, and the vehicle quickly drove away.

The taxi drove into the night.

Gojo Satoru stood by the roadside, watching the taillights of the car gradually merge into the flow of traffic.

He was still holding the bottle of mineral water that Kikawa Sumi had bought for him.

The bottle feels a little cool.

Gojo Satoru glanced down and suddenly chuckled.

"My friend."

It sounds like there's no problem.

He and Sumire Kichikawa are now friends.

That makes perfect sense.

Wu Tiaowu tightened the bottle cap.

Ok.

friend.

That should be correct.

On the other side, in the back seat of the taxi, Sumi Kichikawa leaned back, watching the streetlights recede outside the window.

The city at night is like a flowing river.

He raised his hand and glanced at his fingertips.

No exception.

But deep in my consciousness, that brief message still seemed to retain a trace of warmth.

[Temporary travel companion anchor point: Recording.]

This time, it was a little clearer than before.

Sumire Kawakawa frowned slightly.

The next second, the text disappeared again.

It's as if it never happened.

The driver glanced at him in the rearview mirror.

"Are you feeling unwell, guest?"

Kikawa Sumi raised her eyes, her expression having returned to normal.

"No. I'm just a little tired."

"It's so late, you should get some rest."

"Um."

Sumire Kichikawa looked out the window again.

Gojo Satoru's figure had long since disappeared from sight.

But the image of that pixelated star gate on the game console screen remained vividly clear in his mind.

Stargate Travel Companion.

Synchronization rate: 91%.

Temporary companion anchor point.

These words, strung together, vaguely resemble some long-awaited omen.

Sumi Kichikawa has traveled through many worlds, accompanied by systems, quests, storylines, and all sorts of characters.

But after retiring, he hasn't seen similar notifications for a long time.

more importantly--

This time, when the notification appeared, Gojo Satoru was next to him.

Kikawa Sumi quietly lowered her eyes.

Shouldn't.

If it's just residual system fluctuations, it shouldn't involve the people of this world.

In particular, it should not involve Gojo.

Wu was just an ordinary person.

He wanted to confirm, but couldn't find a way in.

The system seemed to be asleep, offering no response.

His profile was reflected in the car window.

Gentle and calm, with only a faint hint of contemplation in his eyes.

After a while, Sumi Kichikawa gently exhaled.

"...Let's observe first."

Just observing.

It doesn't mean that anything will definitely happen.

Perhaps it was just an illusion caused by that old game console, or perhaps he hadn't met anyone who could be in sync with him to this extent in a long time, so his subconscious mind mixed up the game mechanics with the system prompts from the past.

Sumi Kichikawa decided to accept it for the time being.