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

On the other side, Sumi Kichikawa finished the last record and went into the restroom.

Turn on the tap and let the cold water run over your fingertips.

He lowered his eyes, mentally listing the keywords he had overheard in the stairwell one by one.

Residue.

Secondary.

Report it to higher authorities.

There is one more word.

—The Cursed Spirit.

Kikawa Sumi silently recited it once amidst the sound of water.

He had always thought they were just some kind of harmless parasitic phenomenon in this world, and had gotten used to ignoring them.

But today, the "game console" he handled has been able to invade children's dreams, manipulate their fears, and cause substantial physical harm.

Moreover, the conversation between those two just now shows that this world not only has monsters that can harm people, but also a complete organization specifically responsible for dealing with them.

This organization has a hierarchical structure, a reporting mechanism, and a systematic operating process.

Everyone was operating silently in places he didn't know about.

Kikawa turned off the tap and dried her hands with a paper towel.

He suddenly thought of something more.

If these things are classified into different levels, then those that he encountered before that would automatically disintegrate upon approach were probably only the lowest level.

Today's "game machines," which can only construct rules and exploit fear, are clearly not on the same level as those tiny insects.

So, what about higher-level cursed spirits? What would they be like?

Furthermore, the core of that cursed spirit's rules bears obvious traces of human intervention.

Who is cultivating them?

What is the purpose?

He turned off the tap, took a tissue to dry his hands, and moved the hand that had been bitten; the faint coolness at his knuckles had long since dissipated.

It seems the world is much more complex than he thought.

He temporarily put away these scattered clues and took out his phone, which had been vibrating in his pocket.

[Wu: Is Xiaocheng not finished yet?]

[Wu: I've chosen a movie, it's not a horror film.]

[Wu: But there's only half a pudding left.]

Sumire looked at the screen, a faint smile appearing on her face.

[Sumi Kawakawa: Go back right away. Don't steal the remaining half.]

[Realization: I am trying hard to restrain myself.]

[Wu: Xiaocheng, come back soon.]

He put away his phone and went back to his office to get his coat.

When she checked out, only the duty lights were on in the lobby. Kikawa Sumi walked slowly towards the parking lot exit.

The phone lit up again.

Gojo Satoru sent me a photo.

In the photo, he is wearing new pajamas, sitting cross-legged on the sofa, holding a half-empty pudding cup in his hand, with an innocent expression.

A white cat-shaped plush pillow was pressed on her lap, and next to it was a bag of candy that had been opened and then reassembled.

[Wu: I waited very patiently.]

Sumire Kikawa's gaze paused for a moment.

[Sumi Kawakawa: Put the candy away.]

[Wu: ? ? ? How did you know?]

[Sumi Kawakawa: The bottom right corner of the photo is showing.]

[Wu: Xiaocheng's observation skills are amazing!!]

[Sumi Kawakawa: So don't sneak food in front of the doctor.]

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end, then a voice popped up:

[I suddenly feel a little nervous.]

Kikawa Sumire's lips curved into a smile as he read the sentence. He put his phone back in his pocket and walked towards the station.

The living room of the Kikawa family home was warmly lit.

Gojo Satoru sat cross-legged on the sofa. After sending the message, he placed his phone face down on his knees and poked at the rim of the pudding cup with a bored expression. The spoon handle touched the plastic cup wall, making a very soft sound.

The movie selection page is still open.

Horror movies were rejected, action movies were too noisy, and art films would likely make you fall asleep halfway through.

On the cover of the romance film, the male and female protagonists stand in the snow, gazing deeply into each other's eyes; judging by their expressions, they've been missing each other for at least thirty years.

Gojo Satoru stared at it for two seconds, then decisively gave up.

He leaned back, sinking deep into the sofa.

"Ugh, I've really been going astray lately."

Actually, his work is still just as busy.

Tasks kept piling up, and the rotten oranges were as infuriating as ever, making you want to tear the roof off the director's office. Meetings felt like listening to a bunch of moldy cardboard boxes attacking each other with their stench.

The annoying cursed spirits won't be considerate enough to wait in line until tomorrow just because he wants to rest.

Logically speaking, his life hasn't become any easier.

But after Sumi Kirikawa came along, things did seem to change.

He would remember there was strawberry milk waiting for him in the refrigerator after the mission was over. He would buy two when passing by a dessert shop, choosing the sweetest one for himself and a less sweet one for Sumi Kichikawa.

When I'm so angry at the stupid things the higher-ups say that I feel like I'm about to explode, I suddenly remember the image of Sumi Kichikawa frowning as she puts his candy box away in the cabinet, and how he says in that gentle yet uncompromising tone, "Your share for today is up."

Then my mood would inexplicably improve.

Gojo Satoru buried his face in the white cushion, his voice muffled: "Oh no, I got a little too happy."

I was just waiting for someone to get off work. I was just sitting on someone else's sofa, and there was only half a pudding left.

He, however, felt that today was a good day.

Gojo Satoru rolled over, lay back on the sofa, and stared blankly at the ceiling.

Of course, there's one more thing.

As long as you stay with Sumi Kichikawa, cursed spirits almost never appear.

The world did not suddenly become peaceful, nor did his workload decrease.

However, whenever you're near Sumi Kichikawa, those things that should have surfaced because of the crowd and resentment seem to be separated by some invisible barrier, becoming unbelievably quiet.

It was a coincidence.

Both times were coincidences.

But for Six Eyes, after so many times, coincidences are no longer coincidences.

He was so used to seeing the "abnormal" that when the "abnormal" disappeared, it became all the more conspicuous.

There was only emptiness around Sumi Kichikawa.

Clean, stable, with no excess magical energy flowing, and no curses approaching.

Sometimes, Gojo Satoru even felt that as long as he sat next to Sumi Kikawa, the information that was always overloaded in his mind would be gently suppressed by something.

The world is no longer so blinding.

This feeling is so rare.

So much so that he would occasionally think jokingly: if this was a trap set by someone, they must have been incredibly good at choosing the bait.

The trap contains hot tea, pudding, clean pajamas, and someone who will carefully put his desserts in the refrigerator.

It was a well-intentioned but extremely insidious scheme.

He chuckled silently, then fell silent again.

Joking aside, he's not the kind of person who would let his guard down just because he's "comfortable".

Behind every mission lies a life lost.

The cursed spirit won't refrain from killing just because the probability it assesses is low. Probability is something you can see in a report, but when it comes to living people, it's a gamble with their lives.

Gojo Satoru doesn't like gambling with other people's lives.

He can act silly, laugh as he steps into danger, and talk about trouble as if it were a game with a nonchalant tone.

It wasn't because he genuinely didn't care, but because he knew all too well that he had to always be more relaxed than the danger, otherwise the people behind him would be the ones crushed.

He curled up, rolled around a few times, and only stopped when he had rubbed the sofa a little, before lying on his side. Looking at the silly face on the cushion in his hand, he muttered, "If I stay with Xiao Cheng all the time, will the cursed spirits just become extinct?"

He laughed as soon as he finished speaking.

"How wishful thinking."

The sound of a key turning came from the doorway.

With a soft "click" from the lock cylinder, Gojo Satoru's eyes immediately lit up.

He had been lazily lounging on the sofa, wrapped in a cushion like he had no bones, but upon hearing the sound, he sat up abruptly, still clutching the cushion, his eyes bright as he looked toward the door, ready to call out "Xiao Cheng" as usual.

There is no way out for the call.

Those pale blue eyes, which had always held a smile, suddenly turned cold the moment Kikawa Sumi entered the room.