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

The two walked a little further along the forest path.

A gentle breeze rustled through the trees, making a soft, intermittent sound.

Just then, a boy's panting voice suddenly came from behind the bushes not far away: "Teacher! Don't run so fast—"

Before the words were finished, a "plop" was heard, and a round, chubby calico cat rolled out of the roadside bushes and plunged headfirst into the thick pile of fallen leaves.

Immediately afterwards, a boy with short, soft, light brown hair pushed aside the branches and hurriedly chased after them.

The boy was running quite fast, and there was a fine sheen of sweat on his forehead. He looked up, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over the two people standing in the middle of the path, and he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

His clear amber eyes widened slightly as the boy looked at the gentle-looking young man in a casual trench coat with black hair, his expression incredulous. He hesitated before speaking:

"...Sukawa, sir?"

Kikawa Sumi looked at the boy standing not far away, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. Then, a rare and extremely gentle smile appeared in her usually calm eyes.

"Long time no see, Natsume." Sumire Kikawa walked over, her voice soft. "You've grown quite a bit taller."

Natsume scratched his head a little embarrassedly, his eyes filled with the joy of reunion. He took two steps forward, his tone tinged with anxious concern: "Mr. Kikawa, what are you doing here? You said you went to Tokyo, now... is everything alright?"

"It's all good." Sumi Kikawa stopped in front of Natsume, looking at the boy with gentle eyes. "I'm currently working as a pediatrician at a general hospital in Tokyo."

"A pediatrician?" Natsume paused for a moment, then smiled genuinely, his eyes crinkling.

"If it's Mr. Kikawa, it feels really suitable. The children would definitely love you. So, what brings you back to Yahara this time...?"

"I happen to have some time off recently." Sumi Kichikawa paused slightly as she said this.

Gojo Satoru, who had been standing obediently half a step behind him, seemed to feel a little dissatisfied with this greeting that he hadn't participated in.

He took half a step forward, his tall body pressed against Kisakawa Sumi's back, and a long arm naturally reached over Kisakawa Sumi's shoulder, loosely embracing him.

"Sumi," Gojou Satoru drawled lazily, lowering his head slightly, his warm breath brushing against Sumi's neck, like a big cat begging for attention.

"If I run into someone I know, won't you introduce me?"

Sumi Kichikawa did not show any aversion to this overly intimate, even somewhat inappropriate, gesture.

He simply turned his head, glanced helplessly at the fluffy white head on his shoulder, and indulgently shifted his body slightly to the side following Gojo Satoru's force.

"This is Takashi Natsume, a friend I met here."

Kikawa Sumi first gave Gojo Satoru a gentle introduction, then turned her gaze to let Natsume see the white-haired young man who was half-embracing her completely.

"Natsume, this is Gojo Satoru."

Kikawa Sumi's voice was steady, but when he mentioned the next form of address, a very faint ripple appeared in his dark eyes.

"My...good friend. I took him out for a break during this vacation."

Natsume's first reaction upon seeing Gojo Satoru was a noticeable two-second pause.

This person... is too conspicuous.

Even in Yahara, a place teeming with all sorts of strange yokai, Natsume had never seen anyone with such a strong presence.

That head of short, silvery-white hair that seemed to glow in the sunlight, that excessively tall and slender figure, and that nonchalant yet flamboyant aura that couldn't be concealed even with most of his face hidden by black sunglasses.

Natsume sighed inwardly.

Mr. Kikawa, who has always been used to being alone, has actually made friends?

And they seem to have a very close relationship.

"Hello, I'm Gojo Satoru." Gojo Satoru gave Natsume a big smile, his tone friendly and approachable. "I'm Sumi's good friend."

He emphasized the word "Xiao Cheng" very lightly, with a hint of undisguised possessiveness that only the two of them could understand.

Just then, the calico cat, which had just pulled itself out of the pile of fallen leaves, shook its fur.

The cat teacher's round eyes first swept over Sumi Kikawa, then narrowed slightly.

When this black-haired human first arrived in Hachihara, it sensed an extremely incongruous sense of alienation from him, as if he were "something from another world."

But because this human had no ill intentions towards Natsume, and had even secretly helped Natsume solve a tricky little problem once, he didn't say anything.

Of course, the idiot Natsume still doesn't know about this.

But now, this person seems to have brought along an even more troublesome one...

Nyanko-sensei's gaze slowly shifted to the white-haired man standing next to Sumi Kikawa.

His aura was strange, and he carried a chilling pressure; his identity was unknown.

Tsk, Natsume always seems to make some weird friends.

However, since it doesn't seem to have any ill intentions for the time being, Nyanko-sensei decided to hold back and continue to observe.

How could Gojo Satoru not have noticed the abnormality of this "cat"?

The information transmitted back by Six Eyes clearly told him that this was not a calico cat at all.

But Gojo Satoru did not expose him.

He was just watching the human-like fat cat with great interest when he suddenly squatted down, stretched out his long fingers, and scratched straight at the cat teacher's chin.

"Nyanko-sensei?" Gojo Satoru trailed off lazily, a wicked smile playing on his lips. "What a cute name."

The cat teacher froze.

"……Meow."

The mighty demon Madara forced out an extremely perfunctory meow from his throat.

Natsume was unaware of the undercurrents of conflict between the human and the cat.

Hearing Sumi Kiseki describe her life in Tokyo, Natsume smiled sincerely: "Life in Tokyo must be very colorful, right?"

Kikawa Sumi thought for a moment, and images of everyday life filled with warmth and life floated into his mind, along with a white-haired young man who always suddenly appeared at his apartment to freeload. The smile in his eyes deepened.

"It's great. Life in Tokyo is much more interesting than I imagined."

"Of course."

Gojo Satoru, who was squatting on the ground, immediately stood up and naturally moved closer to Kikkawa Sumi, tilting his head slightly to whisper in his ear.

"That's because Xiaocheng met me."

His warm breath fell unabashedly on the side of Kikawa Sumi's neck as he spoke, carrying a hint of self-satisfaction.

Kikawa Sumi turned her head and glanced at him, without denying it.

Instead of backing away, he raised his hand and placed his palm on the back of Gojo Satoru's neck, gently massaging the warm skin twice in a soothing manner.

It was full of indulgence and intimacy.

Natsume stared at the scene for a moment, then a genuine warmth welled up in his eyes.

He was genuinely happy for Mr. Kikawa.

The traveler who was once so lonely that he felt he had nowhere to go finally found a bond that made him willing to stop.

"Mr. Kikawa, Mr. Gojo, would you like to come to my home for a visit?"

Natsume extended a gentle invitation.

"Auntie Ta made a lot of snacks today."

Kikawa Sumi turned her head and asked Gojo Satoru for his opinion with her eyes.

Gojo Satoru shrugged indifferently and casually put his hand on Sumi Kikawa's shoulder: "Sumi, whatever you decide is fine with me."

The three people and the cat walked slowly along the path towards the Fujiwara family's house.

The evening sunset painted the sky a brilliant orange-red, casting long shadows on the dirt road that occasionally overlapped.

The Fujiwara couple remained as warm as ever.

Aunt Toko was clearly very happy to see Sumi Kichikawa.

She had a very good impression of the young man who had briefly stayed in Hachihara. She remembered that he was always quiet, very polite, and would even help clean up the dishes after meals.

When Aunt Touko saw Gojo Satoru following behind Sumi Kiseki, she was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but cover her mouth and exclaim in surprise:

"Oh my, what a beautiful child..."

Wu Tiao Wu is extremely good at pleasing elders. With just a few words, he made Aunt Toko smile from ear to ear. She immediately turned around and went into the kitchen, insisting on adding several more of her signature dishes.

The air was filled with the fresh scent of grass and trees after dinner.

Natsume and Sumi Kikawa sat side by side on the wooden walkway outside the courtyard.

Considering that the two of them might have their own topics to discuss, Gojo Satoru considerately did not follow them, but only said that he was going to ask Aunt Touko for some snacks.

A small wind chime hangs under the eaves, occasionally making a crisp sound when blown by the night wind.

"How have you been lately?" Sumi Kichikawa asked softly, looking at the night view in the courtyard.

Natsume hugged his knees and smiled. "It's the same as always. Occasionally... I still encounter some 'special' things."

As he said this, he unconsciously turned his head to look at the cat teacher who was happily devouring a plate of yokan (sweet bean jelly) inside the house.

Kikawa Sumi glanced in the direction of his gaze and refrained from asking any further questions.

"And what about Mr. Kikawa?" Natsume asked him in return, "Why did you choose to become a pediatrician?"

Sumire Kawakawa remained silent for a while.

The night breeze ruffled his black hair, and his profile appeared exceptionally soft under the dim yellow corridor lights.

"Maybe it's because...children are simpler."

Sumire Kichikawa looked at the moon in the sky.

"They cry loudly when they're sad and laugh when they're happy; they don't hide it. Once you heal them, they'll show you their most genuine smiles."

For a retired person who has schemed against people in countless worlds and seen through complexity and hypocrisy, that undisguised purity is what he longs for most.

Natsume listened quietly, his mind involuntarily recalling Mr. Kikawa from the past.

That was a long time ago.

Mr. Kikawa stayed here for a while.

Natsume was deeply impressed by him because he felt there was a subtle similarity between them—neither of them was very good at building deep social connections with others.

However, there is one difference.

By then, Natsume, with the support of the Fujiwara couple and his friends, had begun to slowly open his heart to them.

But Mr. Kikawa is not.

At that time, Mr. Kikawa was impeccable in his dealings with people.

Every time Natsume watched him leave the crowd, he always felt that his back was as light as a weightless feather, as if it could be blown away by the wind at any moment without leaving a trace.

Later, Mr. Kikawa came to say goodbye, saying he was going to Tokyo.

Natsume did not try to stop him.

Because he could clearly sense that Mr. Kikawa was merely "passing through" in Hachihara.

Nothing here could stop him.

But now, the Mr. Kikawa standing in front of him is different.

Those were still her gentle eyes, and she still listened quietly, not saying much. But Natsume could sense that the fleeting, detached feeling, as if it might disappear at any moment, was gone.

Mr. Kichikawa is now like a ship that has finally dropped its anchor, gaining real weight in this world.

Natsume couldn't help but turn his head and look into the room through the glass door behind him.

The white-haired young man was leaning against the door frame.

Gojo Satoru wasn't wearing sunglasses; his pale blue eyes were quietly watching Sumi Kikawa's back in the corridor through the glass door.

He was clearly a person with such a powerful aura that people dared not look him in the eye, but when his gaze fell on Kikawa Sumi, it was incredibly soft, carrying a tenderness that seemed to completely envelop the person.

Natsume looked away and smiled inwardly.

It seems that Mr. Kichikawa has also found his place.

Meanwhile, inside the house, Gojo Satoru was listening to the whispers coming from the corridor, his gaze meticulously tracing the outline of Sumirei Kawakawa.

Suddenly, he heard a very faint rustling sound at his feet.

Gojo looked down.

Then, the chubby calico cat wandered over and sat properly in front of him.

The cat teacher put her two fluffy little paws together and placed them neatly in front of her. She raised her round head and stared at him with an extremely serious and scrutinizing gaze.