In the center of the courtyard, Yamanbagiri Kunihiro and Tsurumaru Kuninaga worked together to activate the teleportation array within Honmaru. Watching Tsurumaru Kuninaga fumble somewhat clumsily as he adjusted the coordinates, Yamanbagiri Kunihiro hesitated before stepping forward.

“…Should I do it instead?” he asked, concerned.

Teleporting to another world wasn’t the issue—it was where they landed that could go terribly wrong. Dropping from the sky or something equally dramatic would be… less than ideal.

Tsurumaru Kuninaga shook his head confidently, rejecting the offer. “I’m good at this.”

Back in the old days, he was the one who always operated the teleportation array. Even though a long time had passed and some details were fuzzy, Tsurumaru Kuninaga was convinced he could handle it.

Yamanbagiri Kunihiro: “…”

Nope, now he was even more worried.

As Tsurumaru Kuninaga tinkered with the array for five full minutes, poking here and prodding there, Yamanbagiri Kunihiro could barely hold back his urge to intervene. Just as he was about to speak again, Tsurumaru Kuninaga suddenly exclaimed with excitement, “Got it!”

At his words, golden light spread under their feet, and in the next moment, they successfully descended—onto the new Sage’s head.

Yamanbagiri Kunihiro: “!”

His worst fear had come true!

Even though they tried to maneuver mid-air, the distance was too short for them to make any effective adjustments, and they hit their target—the Sage.

Pinned underneath the two of them, Lin Ge shakily extended a trembling hand from the bottom of the pile. “…”

I think… I can still be saved. Really.

A crisp sound echoed in his ears.

Crack!

Something had cracked.

My bones! They’ve cracked!

It didn’t hurt, but still—cracked!

My spine, which had just recovered!

Dear friends, what a unique reunion this has turned out to be.

The culprit, Tsurumaru Kuninaga, casually said, “Oh dear, my bad.”

With his golden eyes curving slightly in amusement, Tsurumaru Kuninaga didn’t even pretend to care as he watched Yamanbagiri Kunihiro busy himself beside him. Instead, he meticulously sized up the new Sage who had somehow captured his comrade’s attention in just a few days.

Admittedly, he was quite an odd one.

But not as frail as Hakusan Yoshimitsu had described.

Other than that, there wasn’t anything particularly noteworthy.

On the other hand, Yamanbagiri Kunihiro crouched down, quickly reaching out to help Lin Ge. The large movement caused his hood to slip down to his shoulders, revealing his dazzling golden hair.

“Apologies… Are you alright?” he asked earnestly.

Ah.

So this was Tsurumaru Kuninaga so-called “I’m good at this.”

Yamanbagiri Kunihiro was beginning to suspect it might have been deliberate.

Accepting his assistance, Lin Ge clutched his waist and, holding back tears, stood up with Yamanbagiri Kunihiro’s help. After briefly questioning his own existence, Lin Ge looked toward his two colleagues.

Yamanbagiri Kunihiro’s face was full of concern and guilt. As for the other one…

Wow, another white-haired guy.

Lin Ge made a mental note of this observation.

But why did his expression seem so cold?

He couldn’t help but notice that his new colleague didn’t appear to like him very much.

Am I about to face workplace bullying?

How exciting.

“I’m fine… Hello,” Lin Ge said, extending a hand in an attempt to initiate friendly communication.

Does he want a handshake?

Tsurumaru Kuninaga smirked slightly.

He didn’t refuse and extended his own hand. “I’m Tsurumaru Kuninaga.”

This hand, mismatched with its owner’s elegant appearance, was unexpectedly rough. The back of his hand was lined with scars of varying lengths, marks left by the passage of time. The scars, slightly darker than his skin tone, were a permanent testament to past battles.

When their palms touched, Lin Ge felt something pressed into his hand. Only when Tsurumaru Kuninaga let go did he realize he was now holding a shimmering, star-shaped candy.

Looking up, he heard the soft voice of the white-haired tsukumogami. “A welcome gift.”

Wow.

So the new colleague just looked aloof on the surface.

He’s actually so thoughtful—I’m crying.

Moved to tears, Lin Ge was just about to thank him when the candy in his palm suddenly emitted a cloud of white smoke, making him cough.

Half a second later, the smoke cleared, and the once-shimmering star candy had turned into… a frog?

Its large eyes were cartoonishly big, like something out of a fairy tale.

It was… oddly cute.

A ghost and a frog stared wide-eyed at each other.

“Ribbit,” the frog croaked.

Lin Ge, delighted, imitated it. “Ribbit.”

Such an adorable little thing!

For two seconds, they continued this odd standoff.

On the third second, the frog suddenly stretched its powerful hind legs and leapt straight for Lin Ge’s face.

KISS, KISS!

Lin Ge: “!”

Frog bro! What’s wrong, Frog bro?

The betrayal was faster than flipping a page in a book!

“Hahaha, surprised?”

Tsurumaru Kuninaga burst into laughter at the hilarious scene, tears glistening in the corners of his eyes.

Yamanbagiri Kunihiro: “…”

He shot a glare at Tsurumaru Kuninaga and, just in time, caught the frog before it could land its kiss on Lin Ge’s mouth.

Tsurumaru Kuninaga, completely unrepentant, shrugged innocently.

The candy was supposed to turn into a toad.

Even uglier.

Less cute.

He had already gone easy on them for Yamanbagiri’s sake.

Lin Ge: “…”

That was close! Just a little more, and he would have been kissed by a frog!

Clutching his chest in shock, Lin Ge’s face, always pale to the point of sickly, flushed red with indignation.

No, it wasn’t just his imagination—this new colleague really didn’t like him.

It’s decided. When we return to Honmaru, I’m catching a whole bucket of frogs and dumping them on Tsurumaru Kuninaga’s bed. Let’s see if he can keep smiling then!

Don’t even talk to me about turning the other cheek—it’s not happening here!

The frog, conjured from spiritual energy, dissolved into light at Yamanbagiri Kunihiro’s gentle squeeze. He turned to Lin Ge and frowned slightly. “Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked, inspecting him carefully. “…You seem very different now.”

A stronger body was a good thing, but this much change in just three days—was it harmful?

Even Lin Ge’s eye color had changed…

Yamanbagiri Kunihiro’s brow furrowed as he scanned their surroundings warily. Had Lin Ge eaten something he shouldn’t have? Something from the History Retrograding Army?

Seeing his troubled expression, Lin Ge mentally added another tally to Tsurumaru Kuninaga’s growing list of debts. Patting Yamanbagiri Kunihiro’s shoulder, he grinned. “Right? Haven’t I gotten much more handsome?”

Compliment me, quick!

Yamanbagiri Kunihiro: “…Yes.”

But that wasn’t the point.

Hearing the affirmation, Lin Ge nearly floated into the sky with pride.

Clearing his throat, he regained a semblance of composure. “Sorry for worrying you over the past few days.”

At the time, all he could see was the delicious History Retrograding Army, and he hadn’t considered the consequences.

Yamanbagiri Kunihiro blinked in surprise at the unexpected apology. Lowering his head, he tried to hide his reddening ears with his cloak, but since his hood had already slipped down, his effort only made the redness more obvious.

“It’s enough that you’re safe,” Yamanbagiri Kunihiro murmured hoarsely.

It had been his failure.

As a tsukumogami, he hadn’t protected either his companion or his Sage in that critical moment.

And yet, the Sage was so generous.

Not only did Lin Ge overlook his mistake, but he also apologized.

Yamanbagiri Kunihiro felt deeply undeserving.

Tsurumaru Kuninaga: “…”

He pursed his lips.

How sweet.

This new Sage was worlds apart from the previous one. Much better at playing with people’s emotions.

He’d almost turned Yamanbagiri Kunihiro into a lovesick fool.

Just as Tsurumaru Kuninaga opened his mouth to comment, the sound of the door being pushed interrupted him.

The three of them turned to look.

Thankfully, the bathroom was a private single-room setup, so the person outside didn’t manage to open it.

Lin Ge let out a sigh of relief.

But in the next moment, a voice called from outside.

“Still not done washing?”

“We’ve already finished eating, you know,” Gojo Satoru’s voice rang out.

Lin Ge: “……”

No! No opening the door now!

“Just a moment!” Lin Ge shouted back before whispering urgently to his two colleagues. “Can ordinary people see you?”

Tsurumaru Kuninaga, toying with the strands of hair near his ear, lazily replied, “Normally, no.”

Lin Ge immediately understood.

So… are there exceptions?

“People with spiritual power can see us, like shrine maidens or mediums…” Yamanbagiri Kunihiro explained softly.

Someone Lin Ge had met recently, perhaps?

It made sense. He was so sociable—it’d be easy for him to make friends.

Cursed Energy ≠ Spiritual Energy.

Sage ≠ Shrine Maiden.

I’m a magical boy.

Pulling a paper towel from the wall dispenser, Lin Ge confidently pulled open the door. “Sorry, the sauce was hard to scrub off—”

The smile on his face froze when he saw where Gojo Satoru’s gaze landed.

A moment later, as if to confirm Lin Ge’s sinking feeling, Gojo Satoru asked, “Are these your friends?”

Lin Ge: “……”

Heart. Dead.

Tsurumaru Kuninaga raised an eyebrow, straightening his posture as he took in the new arrival.

What an interesting surge of power. No, it wasn’t spiritual energy—it was something else.

Oh, this was going to be fun.

Folding his arms, he leaned back, curious to see how Lin Ge would handle this situation.