The boy Nanami had rescued suddenly lifted his head.
"Is Takeru-kun, cough, in danger?"
Nanami regretted his words but couldn't take them back, so he explained calmly.
"I can't guarantee anything. However, we have a competent doctor on our side, and I plan to entrust him to her."
Though Ieiri didn't actually have a medical license yet. Nanami swallowed the words he couldn't say.
The boy's eyes wavered. It was he who had invited Takeru-kun to the pool that day.
'If something happens to Takeru-kun...'
…would it be my fault?
The boy quickly approached Nanami.
"Please save him."
"...I'll try."
"Save him... please save him, please! You have to save him!!!"
The boy screamed and grabbed Nanami by the collar.
"Calm dow—"
"Could you calm down if it was youuu! Takeru-kun, Takeru-kun...!"
Fwoosh!
Suddenly, the boy's eyes drooped and he collapsed, losing strength. Zoro safely caught him and laid him down.
Nanami, seeing the Conqueror's Haki for the first time, only realized that Zoro had done something.
"What did you...?"
"I just knocked him out."
It's troublesome if a non-sorcerer makes a scene here. The curse may be dead, but it's still not a safe environment. There's much to do.
Nanami, realizing it wasn't the time to talk, picked up his phone.
"...I'll contact the assistant director. We should transport him to the classics."
Taking him to a non-sorcerer hospital wouldn't help with treating the curse. He needed to be taken to Shoko.
"Alright. Please do."
As he said this, Nanami grabbed Zoro, who was about to dive back into the water.
"What are you doing?"
"There are still people underwater."
"...You mean there are survivors?"
Zoro shook his head.
"It's bodies. Three of them."
I saw them when dealing with the curse earlier. Unfortunately, they had already died and sunk in the water before Zoro and Nanami arrived.
"...Wouldn't it be better to leave that to others?"
"No, it needs to be done now."
Drowned bodies decompose very quickly. Zoro had seen a few bodies washed ashore near Shimotsuki Village where he lived.
It wasn't something he wanted to see again. Some of the villagers had vomited because of it.
'It's not for nothing that seafarers carry gold on them, supposedly for funeral costs.'
A body that has been in the sea for a long time is in such a ghastly state that no one wants to touch it. If there's gold, at least they might handle the body to take the gold, and they are more likely to bury it out of conscience.
Zoro thought that the gold earrings Koushiro gave him when he set off to sea might have been meant for that reason.
Zoro snapped out of his thoughts and dove back into the water.
One by one, the three bodies were brought out of the water. They hadn't been in the water too long, but their bodies were bloated, and the marks of the curse's hair entangled on them were clearly visible.
Nanami, still not accustomed to seeing dead bodies, turned his head slightly away. Meanwhile, Zoro calmly looked at the bodies, then fetched something while dripping water.
Flutter.
Zoro took a large towel that had been laid out at the poolside and first draped it over the two living people. Then, he respectfully covered each of the three bodies with a towel.
Clap.
He pressed his palms together audibly. With his eyes closed, Zoro bowed solemnly in front of the bodies.
"...."
Nanami silently watched Zoro.
...
"Since you exorcised the curse, we thoroughly searched the hotel but found no one else as Mr. Zoro described. One of the two people you rescued... that is, Yamazaki Takeru-kun, has been transported to the jujutsu high."
Nanami paid close attention to the assistant director's words. The assistant director continued, flipping through documents.
"And... Mr. Zoro mentioned it was odd for a second-grade curse to appear suddenly at the hotel pool, so we investigated. It turns out there was an unreported drowning accident. We suspect it was a regular accident and have reported it to the police."
Nanami bowed deeply to the assistant director.
"Thank you."
His gaze fleetingly shifted to Zoro. Zoro, draped in the towel provided by Nanami, sat nonchalantly on the hotel's front steps.
Nearby, a curse that Zoro was supposed to deliver to Geto was sneakily trying to escape but was firmly caught and squashed by Zoro's hand. Though originally large, it had now shrunk to the size of a palm, like a dried piece of seafood.
As Nanami watched intently, the middle-aged assistant director spoke.
"Mr. Nanami."
"Yes?"
"Do you know what's common among those who last long in the world of sorcery?"
"What do you mean..."
"They are the ones who don't think too long."
Ever-increasing curses. Ever-diminishing allies. Those they saved and those they couldn't. Talent that no matter how hard one tries, can't keep up. Gratitude and recognition that aren't received even though they've been helpful. The harsh reality of minors being overworked before reaching adulthood.
Those who dwelled on such things didn't last long in the world of sorcery. They either died or quit. It was always one or the other.
"If you plan to work here long, you should think less."
After all, there are no answers. The assistant director, once a sorcerer himself, swallowed these thoughts and left.
"..."
Nanami mulled over his words for a moment, then approached Zoro. Zoro, who had carelessly thrown the towel far away, was now covered again by Nanami with a new towel.
Zoro grimaced.
"Why cover me again if I took it off?"
"Even in summer, staying in wet clothes can lead to a cold."
"Only those with a gap in their spirit catch colds."
"One can catch a cold regardless of having gaps in their spirit."
Nanami firmly spoke and deliberately took out a few more towels, wrapping Zoro up like a mummy. Although it was uncomfortable to move, Zoro grumbled but did not exert himself to escape.
Looking down at Zoro's small frame that one towel could easily wrap, Nanami asked,
"Are you used to situations like earlier?"
"Earlier?"
"Seeing bodies, or not receiving thanks even after saving someone."
"Ah, yeah, kind of."
Bodies? He had seen plenty, whether now, during his wandering days, or his pirate days. He had seen them, and had even turned others into bodies.
It wasn't rare for him to help and not receive thanks. People often feared Zoro without him causing any harm, probably because of his Conqueror's Haki.
'It must be because of the Conqueror's Haki.'
A person with Conqueror's Haki inherently exudes an intimidating presence and charisma, and with someone like Zoro, that vibe was terrifyingly intense. Different from Luffy's Conqueror's Haki.
"How did you feel each time?"
"…? I didn't really think much of it."
In fact, if Nanami hadn't mentioned it, he would have almost forgotten. Zoro wasn't particularly intelligent, and he used what little brain capacity he had for swords, fighting, and the people he cherished, not for harboring any ill will.
A warm indifference, Nanami assessed Zoro's attitude as such.
Nanami carefully spoke up.
"…I keep thinking that you shouldn't be here."
Too young to experience water ghosts, drowned bodies, and unrequited devotion. Just six years old.
Zoro calmly responded,
"I decide where I should be."
If he truly hated it, he would have turned the world of sorcery upside down to get out. But with a father to support him no matter what he did, and only siblings to care for without a single ally, why would he leave?
"I'm a swordsman, Nanami."
Someone who must fight and cut down someone or something to feel fulfilled.
"That's why I have no plans to quit being a sorcerer."
In this country, much more peaceful than in my previous life where merely carrying a sword could cause trouble, the world of sorcery is the only place where Zoro can live as a swordsman.
'It bothers me that I'm only rated as fourth class, though.'
I understand why Chopper used to get so upset whenever a bounty poster of 100 or 1,000 berries was issued. It was quite an insult to his pride.
'Fourth class? Zoro as fourrrrrth class? Hey, then I want to be fourth class too, not special!'
Well, Satoru did the complaining and whining on my behalf.
"It's a win-win."
Zoro gets to fight, which he likes, and the sorcery world benefits from the additional manpower.
Faced with Zoro's combative remarks, which seemed like they came from a mindset far removed from modern times, Nanami couldn't help but ask,
"Do you think you are a samurai from the Sengoku period or something?"
"...? What's that?"
"...Never mind."
Every time he looked at Zoro, Nanami felt like he understood how Toji felt when he constantly had to remind or embrace his son. Anyone would become overprotective if their child frequently got lost and wandered around aimlessly.
Ding. Zoro's phone rang. He had taken it out before jumping into the water, so it was still in working order. Zoro read the message from Shoko.
"Satoru got scolded by Teacher Yaga for going to rescue Utahime and Mei Mei."
"What happened this time?"
"He didn't put up the barrier."
"...There must have been chaos."
It wouldn't be surprising if the news was now covering the site of a mission that Senior Gojo had attended. Just the thought of it made Nanami's head throb.
"Teacher Yaga is calling. I'm going back to the jujutsu high. Are you coming too, Nanami?"
"I should."
Can't let the senior go back alone... Nanami answered with a distant look.
...
After showering and changing clothes, when they returned to the classroom assigned by Yaga, Zoro was greeted by Gojo with a huge lump on his head, and Geto sitting next to him.
Geto welcomed Zoro cheerfully.
"Hello, Zoro. Coming back from a mission?"
"Yeah. Here's the curse."
Zoro tossed the octopus curse, now just a head, to Geto. Geto skillfully caught it and turned it into a black curse.
"Thanks. I'll have to capsule this and swallow it later. What kind of curse was it?"
"Water ghost. Second class."
Gojo, who hadn't changed his still-wet shoes, commented.
"Your shoes are wet. Where did you go for the mission?"
"Swimming pool."
"Sounds like a likely place for a water ghost."
Zoro sat down and glanced at Gojo.
It was obvious who had caused the huge bump on Gojo's head, so Zoro didn't bother to ask. It was surely Yaga. But he was puzzled why the Reverse Technique hadn't been used to treat it.
"Why not use the Reverse Technique?"
Gojo replied with a downcast look.
"Teacher said if he used the Reverse Technique on the bump, he'd eat all my snacks..."
I already lost one, huh. Seeing Gojo pretending to cry made Geto grimace. He'd forgotten to set up a barrier after going in carefreely.
"Why did Yaga call just the three of us and not Shoko?"
"Who knows~"
Creeak.
Yaga opened the door and appeared.
"You three, it's a joint mission."
"Huh? Not one of us but all three?"
Gojo's reaction was reasonable. Gojo was special class, Geto first class, and though Zoro was only fourth class, he had the ability to face either one-on-one.
"And Toji Zenin will accompany you as the leader."
"...Are we going to demolish a country? What kind of mission requires all three of us and the gorilla... I mean, Teacher Toji?"
Yaga glanced at Zoro for a moment with an inscrutable look. Zoro metaphorically scratched his head with a question mark.
"Honestly, I don't think it's a mission you should be handling."
Especially Zoro. Yaga averted his gaze from Zoro and continued.
"Lord Tengen personally requested your team."
"So, what's the mission?"
"...It's to escort and protect a 14-year-old girl named 'Amanai Riko'."
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