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

Shoko on the other end of the phone seemed to have sensed something based on her intuition from years of working with the same group.

"Gojo."

"Um?"

What are you laughing at?

"I laugh a lot usually too."

"You know what I'm talking about."

Gojo Satoru picked up his cup and took a sip of water.

"Glass is unusually perceptive today."

"Don't change the subject," Shoko said. "Is someone next to you?"

Upon hearing this, Gojo Satoru subconsciously raised his eyes and looked at Sumi Kikawa, who was sitting at the other end of the sofa.

The other person quietly picked up the game controller again, without asking who he was talking to. In order not to disturb him, they even took the remote control and turned the TV volume down a few levels.

Gojo Satoru's mood improved somewhat because of his understanding.

"There's a cat next to me," he said slowly into the receiver.

Glass: "..."

There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone, followed by Shoko's speechless voice: "Gojo Satoru."

"Beep beep, the white cat is being fed properly at a friend's house."

"I'm asking about people."

"They're here too."

"name."

I won't tell you.

Shoko realized she wouldn't get anything useful out of this guy, and clicked her tongue softly on the phone.

"Okay, I won't ask."

Gojo Satoru said with a smile, "Shoko is so considerate."

"Come on."

Glass's voice calmed down.

"I don't care what you're doing, but whatever you do, don't drag other people into it."

Gojo Satoru's smile faltered almost imperceptibly.

This is the second time I've heard this phrase today.

Nanami said that.

Glass is talking about it now too.

In the world of sorcery, there are few relatively normal people who always say the same thing at times like this.

He lowered his eyes slightly, the eye mask concealing the fleeting deep thought in them, and when he spoke again, his voice remained steady.

"I know."

Shoko didn't press the matter further, softening her tone slightly before replying with her usual sharp tongue.

"It's alright now. I'm sure there's nothing wrong with your brain."

"Glass is so mean," Gojo Satoru complained, drawing out his words.

"Can someone with your personality really make friends?"

"I'm very popular, you know."

"Really? I hope that's what my friend thinks too."

Gojo Satoru looked up at Kigawa Sumire.

Noticing his gaze, Sumire tilted her head slightly, as if asking if he had ended the call.

Gojo Satoru raised his eyebrows and smiled broadly: "He must think I'm pretty good."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the line.

"...Gojo."

"Um?"

"Your tone is disgusting."

Gojo Satoru: "Eh—"

Before he could finish speaking, the phone was hung up.

Gojo Satoru held his phone and chuckled softly for a moment.

Only then did Sumirei Kawakawa ask, "Friend?"

"Yes, at the same time."

"Did you need something?"

"Let me confirm that I'm still alive."

Kikawa Sumi paused slightly as she adjusted the handle, then looked up at him.

Gojo Satoru quickly waved his hand: "Just kidding."

Kikawa Sumi didn't look away, quietly watching him, as if trying to discern the truth of his words.

Gojo Satoru leaned back on the sofa, smiling casually and relaxed: "It's really nothing, just some things at school, and she's a little worried about me."

However, Sumi Kikawa did not immediately look away. He quietly stared at Satoru Gojo, his clear eyes showing no trace of inquiry, yet as if he were carefully discerning the true weight behind those seemingly casual words.

The two looked at each other for a moment, then Sumire reached out and pushed the water glass towards him again: "Then have some water."

Gojo Satoru lowered his eyes to look at the rim of his cup: "I just drank some."

"Take another sip."

Gojo Satoru blinked: "Are you worried about me?"

Sumire Kawakawa readily agreed, "Yes."

Now it was Gojo Satoru's turn to be speechless for a moment. After a brief silence, he lowered his head and took a sip of water.

"Good girl."

The moment he finished speaking, Gojo Satoru nearly choked on the water in his mouth.

Sumi Kichikawa herself was taken aback.

Perhaps it was because Gojo Satoru always had these kinds of jokes on his lips, or perhaps it was because he had developed countless unconscious indulgences towards this person.

In short, once the words have been spoken, they cannot be taken back.

The living room fell silent for half a second.

Gojo Satoru slowly put down his water glass, the bottom of which lightly tapped the table, making a soft sound.

"Dr. Kosuke".

Sumire Kichikawa looked up: "Hmm?"

"Were you just trying to comfort me?"

Kikawa Sumi remained calm, her tone steady: "No."

"You're lying~ You're just trying to fool me." Gojo Satoru's eyes crinkled, his tone a little cheeky.

"I'm just giving an objective assessment of your willingness to listen to my advice," Sumire Kichikawa explained calmly.

"That's just trying to coax me."

Sumi Kichikawa did not continue arguing with him.

He picked up the controller, canceled the game pause, and gestured to Gojo Satoru.

"Shall we continue?"

Gojo Satoru stepped forward.

"continue."

In the following games, Gojo Satoru was clearly in excellent form.

He won two games, lost one, and the last game was extremely close, ultimately winning by a narrow margin.

When the victory notification popped up, he immediately raised the controller with a proud expression.

"Did you see that, Dr. Kozumi?"

Sumire Kikawa nodded good-naturedly.

"I saw it."

"So, this spot on the sofa is mine from now on."

"It's yours for now."

"What about the cup?"

"The cup is yours now."

Gojo Satoru's tone instantly brightened: "Really?"

"Yes, a cup just for you," Sumi Kichikawa replied.

Gojo Satoru chuckled and leaned back on the sofa, then followed up with, "Does that seat count as your private seat?"

"That depends on whether you can hold onto your position next time."

"Dr. Kosuke is too strict."

"But you like challenges, don't you?"

Gojo Satoru turned his head to look at him, and Kikkawa Sumi also quietly looked back.

The two were separated by only the distance of a game controller, and the dim light from the TV screen gently covered their faces.

Gojo Satoru suddenly realized that Sumi Kiseki was really good at saving room for him.

The other party's response is never one of unconditional indulgence or complete agreement without principle, but rather one of leaving just the right amount of leeway, no matter what the situation.

The cup can be assigned to him, but the seat needs to be challenged through games; desserts can be brought over, but not in excess; work can be very busy, but whenever he is not working, he must drink water, eat, and rest properly on time.

This is very much in Sumire Kawakawa's style.

Gentle, clear-headed, and with boundaries.

It gradually draws people closer.

Without realizing it, you start to want more.

Gojo Satoru chuckled softly.

"Dr. Kosuke".

"Um?"

"Are you this nice to all your friends?"

Sumire Kawakawa paused for a moment.

This problem has occurred before.

Every time Gojo Satoru asked a question in this nonchalant tone, it was as if he was carefully confirming some kind of uniqueness.

After thinking carefully for a moment, Sumire Kikkawa said, "Not entirely."

Gojo Satoru gazed at him quietly.

"You're more likely to push your luck."

Gojo Satoru was speechless for a moment, then chuckled softly, "Sumi is so straightforward."

A faint smile appeared in Sumire Kichikawa's eyes, and she added softly, "However, I don't dislike it."

Gojo Satoru's laughter abruptly stopped.

Kikawa Sumi, however, had already lowered her head to tidy up the lunchboxes on the coffee table.

Gojo Satoru sat on the sofa, watching his back.

A few seconds later, he raised his hand and pressed his forehead.

"Wow."

This person has absolutely no self-awareness.

At 10:30 p.m., when Gojo Satoru left, Sumirei saw him to the door.

Gojo Satoru put on his shoes, turned around, and pointed in the direction of the kitchen.

"Don't let anyone else use that cup."

Kikawa Sumi looked at him, her tone calm and resolute.

"It's a promise that if it's yours, you won't give it to anyone else."

"That's my special cup."

"It's just fixed."

Gojo Satoru looked at Sumireki Kawakawa with amusement.

"Dr. Xiaocheng, is there a big difference between fixed and dedicated ones?"

Sumire Kawakawa thought for a moment.

He said, "Not many."

Gojo Satoru smiled triumphantly.

"That's for dedicated use."

Sumi Kichikawa did not refute this further.

Gojo Satoru left in high spirits, feeling like he had won a great victory.

But before leaving, he turned back.

"Xiao Cheng."

"Hmm?" Sumi Kichikawa looked up at him.

"I had a lot of fun today."

Upon hearing this, Sumire Kichikawa's expression softened, and a slight smile appeared on her lips: "Me too."

Gojo Satoru casually waved his hand, turned around, and prepared to leave: "See you next time then."

Remember to send a message when you get home.

Gojo Satoru paused, then turned back again: "I just stepped out the door."

"It's the same when you first leave home; you need to send a message when you get home."

"Okay," he replied with a smile, then turned and left completely.

After closing the door, Kikawa Sumi returned to the kitchen, turned on the tap, and carefully washed and dried the white ceramic cup with light blue lines.

Originally, he instinctively wanted to put the cup back in the deepest part of the upper cup holder, but when his hand reached halfway up, the movement stopped.

Finally, he withdrew his hand and placed the cup steadily in a separate compartment next to the kitchen counter.

There was an empty space there, just enough to fit a cup.

On the other side, downstairs in the apartment building.

Gojo Satoru stood in the night wind and glanced back at the lit window upstairs.

A typical apartment.

General doctor.

If we ignore the overly coincidental mission cancellations, and ignore the two cursed spirits whose existence was erased—

Everything else is fine.

My phone vibrated.

[Dr. Xiaocheng: Remember to send a message.]

Gojo Satoru looked down at the screen and smiled.

He had just reached the bottom of the stairs when the other party had already begun confirming the information.

[Wu: Dr. Xiaocheng, I'm not home yet.]

[Dr. Xiaocheng: I know.]

[Wu: So, does that count as reporting now?]

The other side didn't reply for a while.

[Dr. Xiaocheng: This counts as a mid-term confirmation.]

Gojo Satoru laughed out loud.

[Wu: Okay.]

[Dr. Xiaocheng: Be careful on the road.]

The night breeze, carrying the dampness of Tokyo's night, brushed past Gojo Satoru.

Nanami's admonition, Shoko's probing, and the report of the strange movements of the cursed spirit flashed through my mind.

Gojo Satoru put his phone back in his pocket and stepped into the deep night.

A soft murmur drifted away on the wind: "I know."

He would absolutely not let those dangers get close to Sumire Kichikawa.