Chapter 39 Sincerity

　　Kojima Kei looked up at Gojo Satoru.

　　But Gojo Satoru suddenly said:

　　"Kyu, isn't it time to cut your hair?"

　　Kojima Kei: "..."

　　Ruining the atmosphere!

　　He banged his head against Gojo Satoru's face and said angrily:

　　"What do you care?"

　　Kei Kojima angrily picked up his coat and left, leaving Gojo Satoru alone there touching his red nose.

　　After a while, Gojo Satoru caught up with him, and leisurely followed Kojima Kei and asked:

　　"Are you angry? Your hair is too long and it's blocking your view. I'm just offering a friendly suggestion~"

　　Kojima Kei was walking in front, not wanting to pay attention to him:

　　"Hmph, thank you for your kindness, but no thanks."

　　"Are you really angry? Or are you expecting me to say something else? What do you want me to say~"

　　Kei Kojima heard the smile in that person's voice and said kindly:

　　"I just think that Kyu looks cuter with short hair~"

　　It was not until Kei Kojima returned to his room at night that he slowly realized the problem.

　　Was he playing tricks on me again?

　　Damn it! I tried it again, but I still can’t match his skills!

　　He is obviously a seasoned warrior, yet he was fooled by a boy who just came of age?

　　Kei Kojima tossed and turned in the middle of the night, unable to sleep. He angrily punched his pillow and secretly vowed to get back at the situation.

　　When he woke up the next day, Kei Kojima did not see Gojo Satoru at the training ground.

　　The housekeeper waited at the door to tell him that Master Wu had gone to school for something and there was no need to wait for him.

　　Kojima Kei nodded somewhat disappointedly:

　　"Okay, I understand."

　　Kei Kojima is not at the technical college and has no way of knowing the internal information of the technical college.

　　I wonder what happened to his friends...

　　Are you training well and living well?

　　He missed them a little.

　　Without the magical power, it is completely divided into two worlds.

　　But if he were to set foot in that world, his mother would inevitably be implicated, and he didn't want to go through the same thing again.

　　The war that will sweep everyone into it is still a few years away, so he must make all necessary preparations before that.

　　Kei Kojima looked up at the scorching sun at noon in summer, then turned around and saw a group of people standing outside the training ground. Several servants were holding a large umbrella, and under the umbrella stood a woman in a kimono.

　　The woman held a fan in her hand and seemed to be giving instructions to the maid next to her. The maid came over and bowed to Kei Kojima:

　　"Master Gui, Madam invites you to sit in the pavilion next to us and drink some cold tea to cool down."

　　This was Kei Kojima's first time receiving an invitation, but he was sweating and wearing training clothes, which inevitably made him look a little unsightly. He looked at his clothes hesitantly:

　　"Please tell my lady that I am not dressed properly. I will change my clothes first and come back later."

　　The maid said:

　　"No need. Just sit for a moment. Please follow me."

　　Kei Kojima had no choice but to follow her. The big umbrella moved, and Hinako Gojo had already moved into the pavilion and sat on the mat waiting for him.

　　The woman's gaze lingered on him for a long time, with a perfect smile curved at the corner of her mouth:

　　"I'm sorry, I was in such a hurry when we met last time that I didn't greet Kojima-kun properly. I'm so sorry~"

　　Someone handed Kojima Kei a towel to wipe his sweat, and he shifted his feet uncomfortably:

　　"I was too abrupt last time. I'm sorry for disturbing your rest at night."

　　"No problem, you are Wu's friend and an important guest in our family. This little thing is not worth mentioning. You have been training for a whole morning, you must be hungry."

　　Gojo Hinako beckoned the servants to bring the dishes:

　　"Eat something to calm your nerves."

　　She watched the boy sitting obediently on the mat, taking small bites of food. He seemed a little afraid of her, and his eyes were always lowered when he spoke, not looking directly at her. Was he so shy because he was staying in someone else's house? Or was he just being polite?

　　Gojo Hinako fanned herself and observed silently.

　　Wu's concern for this young boy has obviously exceeded the normal range.

　　As a mother, Gojo Hinako knew this very well, but she did not point it out.

　　Some time ago, they even went to great lengths to buy land in the suburbs of Tokyo, renovate the building, set up high-level security, and move all their staff there, just so that the boy's mother could work here with peace of mind. To accommodate them, all staff working here will be provided with a free house.

　　Not only that, some sorcerers under the Gojo family had already moved in in advance, leaving the houses in the middle circle, quietly waiting for the mother and son to move in.

　　I did this just to avoid arousing their suspicion.

　　Gojo Hinako was very curious about who this boy named Kojima Kei was.

　　He seems quite honest, a little shy. He has a well-behaved personality. He has lived in our house for more than ten days and has never caused any trouble. After suffering such a serious injury, he has now picked himself up and trained under the scorching sun every day.

　　He is an optimistic and positive child.

　　——But, it’s too ordinary.

　　Her son had been blessed with the best of everything since birth. Born with innate talent, a brilliant mind, and a privileged family background, he undoubtedly would one day rise to the pinnacle of the world of sorcery, the strongest.

　　Wu has too many halos surrounding him and has gained a lot, but this young man is just an ordinary person.

　　Why?

　　What was it about him that Wu saw so well?

　　Gojo Hinako slowly waved her fan, thinking silently in her heart.

　　Kei Kojima felt very uncomfortable during the meal. The woman sitting at the top of the table would glance over at him from time to time, as if sizing him up. She would occasionally bring up one or two topics to make the table lively, and most of the time she was asking about his situation.

　　But it was obvious that most of the information was already known, and it was just a courtesy.

　　Kei Kojima felt that in this life, Gojo Satoru's mother seemed to be more curious about him than in the previous life, for some reason.

　　In his previous life, he stayed with Gojo Satoru for a long time and dated her as a lover for ten years, but she was indifferent and even refused his visits several times.

　　Why are you so enthusiastic this time?

　　Kei Kojima had no way of knowing.

　　The care from the female elders made him feel uneasy. He didn't dare to eat more and just wanted to go home early.

　　However, guests cannot leave the table before the host speaks.

　　A maid walked up behind Gojo Hinako and whispered something in her ear. Seeing that the woman's expression did not change, Kei Kojima just raised his eyebrows slightly and nodded to indicate that he understood.

　　Kojima Kei didn't pay any attention until he heard the servant in front of him salute: "Master Wu."

　　Gojo Satoru walked up the stairs wearing a high school uniform.

　　Kei Kojima's gaze instantly shifted over and he couldn't move it away.

　　Gojo Satoru exchanged glances with him, then turned to Gojo Hinako and said:

　　"Mother, how can you have the leisure to eat with Gui in the middle of the day?"

　　"It's because I'm bored and want to find someone to talk to, but that person is always too busy to see me. So I had to ask the kids to keep me company." said Gojo Hinako.

　　Gojo Satoru sighed slightly:

　　"Mother, Kei has his own things to do, please stop bothering him~"

　　Gojo Hinako curled her lips and whispered:

　　"It's just a meal together, it's nothing serious..."

　　Gojo Satoru squatted in front of Kei Kojima, picked up the handkerchief on the tray, wiped his hands casually, picked up the piece of meat on the plate in front of Kei Kojima, and fed it into his mouth.

　　"I'm a little hungry too."

　　Gojo Satoru licked his fingers and said.

　　Kojima Kei looked a little disgusted, picked up a handkerchief and wiped his fingers, then handed him his chopsticks:

　　"Take this and eat it."

　　"Oh~ Thank you~"

　　The servant stood behind him holding a new set of bowls and chopsticks. Seeing his young master using the guest's chopsticks without any hesitation, he was stunned and looked up at Gojo Hinako who was sitting at the top.

　　Gojo Hinako shook her head slightly, waved her hand, and let him go.

　　Her eyes flicked back and forth between the two of them.

　　After Wu appeared, the young man could no longer see anything in his eyes, and his gaze stayed on Wu for a long time.

　　It was as if this was the only person left in his world.

　　"Didn't you have lunch?"

　　Kei Kojima handed over the cup, apparently not realizing that it was the one he had used.

　　"Old Noctua has been lecturing for half the day today, and he's also asked me to mentor the newbies. He's been busy all morning."

　　Gojo Satoru pulled at the tie of his shirt and drank the water in the cup.

　　"Huh, I'm finally alive."

　　"I see. Is he all right?"

　　"Yeah, pretty strong! He can easily teach those freshmen a lesson, though he can't compare to me~"

　　Kei Kojima smiled helplessly.

　　"Go to bed early after eating."

　　The two turned around and saw Gojo Hinako had already stood up.

　　"I'm sleepy too~ Let's go back~"

　　When she passed by Kojima Kei, she smiled at him:

　　"Kyu~ It was nice to spend time with you today~ Let's have dinner together next time~"

　　"...Okay, thank you for the treat, auntie."

　　Kei Kojima quickly stood up and said.

　　"Wu, I'm leaving."

　　She looked at her son, and their eyes met in the air. Gojo Hinako watched her son raise his eyebrows proudly at her.

　　I’m saying - look, my Kei is pretty good, right? He likes me very much!

　　Gojo Hinako glared at him obscurely.

　　Even though it was her own child, she couldn't help but feel angry at his arrogant behavior.

　　It’s great that someone likes it!

　　Gojo Hinako walked a long way and looked back at the two people in the pavilion. They were leaning against each other and talking with relaxed expressions on their faces.

　　The most difficult thing to obtain in this world is sincerity.

　　At least in this moment, Satoru is having it.

　　Damn it, I really envy him.

　　"Oh, by the way, we have guests coming to our house this afternoon, and I'd like to introduce you to them."

　　Gojo Satoru said after finishing his meal.

　　"guest?"

　　Kojima Kei was confused:

　　"He should be a guest visiting your home, why did you introduce me to him?"

　　His heart tightened.

　　Could it be Geto Suguru...!

　　"We are the same age as you,"

　　Gojo Satoru replied:

　　"My underclassmen, two boys, want to come visit my house. Would you like to get to know them?"

　　It must be Haibara and Nanami!

　　"think!"

　　Kojima Kei immediately said.

　　He couldn't go to the technical college to meet them, but it would be nice to have the opportunity to see their faces.

　　only……

　　Kei Kojima looked at Gojo Satoru with some suspicion.

　　Why so sudden?

　　He always felt that this guy seemed to know something.

　　Otherwise, why would he suddenly call someone home?

　　He remembered that this had never happened in his previous life. Or was it because of the butterfly effect that the future had undergone subtle changes?

　　From his mother's perspective, he saw that his mother had gone back more than twenty years, but he himself only awakened his memories of his past life a year or two earlier due to stimulation.

　　According to this reasoning, Gojo Satoru should be the same as him. At this stage, he should know nothing.

　　Maybe... there's something special about his physique?

　　"What's wrong?"

　　It seems that because Kojima Kei was silent for too long, Gojo realized:

　　"If you don't want to see them, then just leave. Don't worry. I just thought that you're the same age and you're kind of bored here. You should get in touch with them and learn about the world of sorcerers."

　　Kojima Kei paused and asked:

　　"Do you want me to enter the technical college?"

　　"This is your choice, I won't interfere~"

　　"Then let's meet."

　　Gojo Satoru smiled: "Okay~"

　　He turned his head and exhaled silently where Kei Kojima couldn't see.

　　It's really hard to cheat~

　　Three hours later, Kei Kojima finally met his old friend.

　　Haibara Yu and Nanami Takehito.

　　This time, they were no longer among the cold corpses in the photos. The two of them walked slowly towards him. Before they got close, they heard Huiyuan Xiong's loud voice:

　　"Hi, hello, my name is Huiyuan Xiong!"

　　Nanami Kento just nodded slightly at them:

　　"Good afternoon, Senior."

　　Just like I remembered, one person is calm and the other is lively.

　　Kojima Kei laughed happily:

　　"Hello."

　　Yu Haibara is a very outgoing person. Even if Kento Nanami is silent, he can still chat with Kei Kojima. In addition, Kei Kojima knows Yu Haibara's interests and hobbies well enough and knows all the topics that he is interested in at this time. At least to outsiders, the two of them hit it off right away.

　　Even if we can no longer train side by side in this life, there will be other connection points as long as we work hard.

　　In just one afternoon, Haibara Yu and Kojima Kei exchanged contact information, put their arms around each other and started to act like good friends. Unfortunately, after dinner, the two left.

　　After that, Haibara Yu came several times, sometimes with Nanami Kento, and sometimes alone.

　　Nanami Kento is too sensitive. Whenever he is present, Kojima Kei often doesn't dare to say much.

　　But when Haibara Yu is alone, Kojima Kei will try to communicate in an inductive way, being careful not to cross the line.

　　It’s just that “unconsciousness” is difficult to train. Even a very small thing is enough to trigger the punishment set in his body, which is really a headache.

　　There is still a long way to go.

　　"Are you going to stay here until the end of this month?"

　　Huiyuan Xiong was surprised and said reluctantly:

　　"Where should I go to play with you next time? Remember to send me a message."

　　"certainly."

　　Kojima Kei replied, "You must not forget me either."

　　I still need you to help me pass on relevant news about the world of magic.

　　He is the best candidate.

　　Huiyuan Xiong looked at him with a smile:

　　"Why do I always feel like I've known Kei for a long time? Maybe we were friends in our previous life!"

　　"I think so."

　　Going back in time, everything resets.

　　If they had the chance to do it all over again, some people's current choices would be enough to change the future in another direction.

　　Especially when he heard from Haibara Yu that Geto Suguru was still studying in technical high school and had been promoted to the fourth grade, Kojima Kei was so shocked that he almost couldn't hide his expression.

　　"Kyu, do you know Geto-senpai?"

　　Huiyuan Xiong scratched his head and asked:

　　“Actually, I wanted to ask this last time…”

　　He hesitated for a moment, then said:

　　"I saw your picture on Geto-senpai's phone."