Final exams ended, and summer vacation began in earnest.
Shoichi Kano settled into a daily routine of staying home. Although the entertainment available at this point couldn't compare to the 2020s of his previous life, there were still things to enjoy.
He could play World of Warcraft on his computer, for example. There were major light novel series like A Certain Magical Index, and even masterpieces like The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya were currently airing.
Even if he suddenly felt like watching tokusatsu shows such as Kamen Rider, he had acclaimed Heisei entries like Kuuga, Agito, Faiz, Ryuki, Hibiki, and Kabuto, which was still airing, to savor at his leisure.
Shoichi Kano also discovered that the name of his current identity shared a given name with Agito's protagonist, Shouichi Tsugami. It was a rather amusing coincidence.
All in all, he wasn't all that bored.
His father, Takeshi Kano, called again a few days later. He said his fleet had reached India and would be setting sail again before long, probably heading toward the Americas next.
Shoichi Kano chatted with him for a while and casually mentioned that he might like to take a trip during summer vacation.
"A trip?" Takeshi Kano asked with a laugh over the phone. "Where do you want to go? I hear Sendai's pretty nice. Besides, I have a friend living there. You could go see him, Shoichi, and save yourself the accommodation costs."
"Oh, it actually won't cost anything." Shoichi Kano thought about it and realized Kenjaku could probably reimburse their travel expenses. "It's... uh... a study trip organized by the school. They'll cover the expenses. We just have to pay a small, symbolic fee."
"Oh?" Takeshi Kano paused. "Your school has activities like that? That's great. So where are they taking you?"
"Inner Mongolia, in China," Shoichi Kano said a little stiffly. "To see the Hulunbuir Grassland and things like that. You can't find scenery like that in Japan, after all."
Of course, Shoichi Kano was just making things up. Their first stop was actually Hohhot, but he had never been there in his previous life and had no idea what attractions Inner Mongolia's capital had to offer. Naturally, he could only name the most famous place.
Takeshi Kano suspected nothing. "That sounds great. Just stay safe and have fun. Take some pictures to bring back if you can!"
"And if you need to reach me, call this satellite phone. If I don't pick up right away, leave a voicemail. I'll get back to you as soon as I hear it!"
"Okay, okay! Stay safe out at sea too, Dad!" Shoichi Kano exchanged a few more pleasantries with his old man before hanging up.
Just then, the Slit-Mouthed Woman, who had gone out to do who knew what, strolled back home wearing a mask and carrying a small shoulder bag. Her white strappy high-heeled sandals came to rest on the floor like two little boats.
She didn't close the door right away, so the waves of heat outside seeped in, bringing the sweltering warmth of summer with them.
"My dad just called," Shoichi Kano said, looking at her. "I told him we were going to China, but I didn't tell him the whole truth."
"That's fine." She removed her mask, revealing the black stitches at the corners of her mouth. Combined with the shape of her lips, those two lines actually looked a little like the much-talked-about smiling lips. "By the way, sweetheart, are you still not going to tell him a little about how cruel Jujutsu Society is?"
"I... I don't know how to say it." Her question struck right at the heart of Shoichi's dilemma, leaving him at a loss for how to respond.
"Forget it. Let's not talk about that. Anyway, Mom, what were you out doing?"
The Slit-Mouthed Woman waved a hand. "Just a little... commission."
Then she pulled a whole pile of identification documents from her shoulder bag, including a health insurance card and a passport, and tossed them onto the coffee table. "That woman got me a set of identification I can use normally in your human society. We'll probably be using these to go abroad."
Shoichi Kano picked up the passport and flipped it open. The ID photo did bear some resemblance to the Slit-Mouthed Woman, except the slits at the corners of her mouth were gone, and her eyes had normal, clearly defined whites and dark pupils.
"Miyano... Yuko?" Shoichi Kano tried sounding out the name on the passport. "Looks like that's your new name, Miss Yuko."
"Where are your manners?" The Slit-Mouthed Woman feigned indignation and gave Kano a smack on the head. "Call me Mom!"
Shoichi held his head. "Weren't you against it at first?"
"None of your business! Call me Mom!"
"Mom..."
"That's a good boy!"
After watching Kabuto for two days, Shoichi Kano found himself wondering whether Gojo had learned that arrogant pose he struck upon awakening—one hand pointing at the sky, the other at the earth, declaring, "Throughout heaven and earth, I alone am the honored one"—from Souji Tendou.
When he put that question to the Slit-Mouthed Woman, he earned himself a baffled stare from Miss Cursed Spirit.
Utterly puzzled, she asked, "What are you talking about?"
So he introduced her to the Kamen Rider series, starting with Kamen Rider Faiz, the show that had first hooked him back in the day. At first, the Slit-Mouthed Woman wasn't particularly interested. She thought it was nothing more than tin suits fighting each other. But after watching a little, she suddenly realized-
Holy shit, there are hot guys!
And just like that, she was hooked. She only skimmed over the plot, though, picking up at most who belonged to the Rider faction, who belonged to the Orphnoch faction, and why they were fighting.
But she could happily feast her eyes on the handsome men in the show, such as Takumi Inui, Yuji Kiba, and Masato Kusaka. She also felt that some of the fighting moves could serve as references to help make up for the flaws in her own hand-to-hand combat.
Watching the Slit-Mouthed Woman sitting beside him, drinking cola and thoroughly enjoying the line, "I may not have a dream, but I can protect other people's dreams," Shoichi Kano somehow found a thought popping into his head:
How other people exorcise cursed spirits: use cursed tools, cursed techniques, Domain Expansion, and Cursed Technique Reversal: Output.
How I exorcise cursed spirits: call her Mom, live with her, and binge-watch shows together...
It's just so... you get it, right?
Over the following days, Shoichi Kano found time to apply for his own passport, then started figuring out flights abroad with the Slit-Mouthed Woman.
They first called the airline to ask whether there were any direct flights. Finding there weren't, they had no choice but to transfer in Beijing.
Naturally, the first leg would take them from Narita International Airport to Beijing Capital International Airport, followed by a flight from Beijing Capital International Airport to Hohhot Baita International Airport.
"Sweetheart, shall we stay in Beijing for a while?" the Slit-Mouthed Woman asked with a smile. "This is Mom's first trip abroad, after all."
That was indeed the truth. Before the Tengen Barrier developed a flaw, none of the curses born within Japan could leave their birthplace. But because Riko Amanai had failed to merge with Tengen during the earlier Star Plasma Vessel Incident, the barrier had finally developed a flaw, allowing the curses to move freely.
Honestly, Kano couldn't say whether this phenomenon was good or bad. But he did know it meant Kenjaku's plan was progressing steadily.
Still, what did any of that have to do with their all-expenses-paid vacation?
"Then how about we spend a week or so exploring Beijing before heading to our next stop?" Shoichi Kano suggested. "I speak Chinese, and I've been to China before, so I can take you around, Mom."
"Sure."
Shoichi Kano felt something cool and soft brush his cheek, touching it for the briefest instant. By the time he realized what had just happened, his whole face had flushed red.
"Sweetheart, you still can't handle even a little teasing?" The Slit-Mouthed Woman rubbed Kano's face. Her cool little hands really did help ease the heat rushing to his cheeks. "Good thing it's Mom here today. If you ran into some other wicked woman, wouldn't she steal your very soul?"
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