Just then, the door to the rooftop opened.
Shoko Ieiri stood in the doorway with a cigarette between her lips.
The dark circles under her eyes were deeper than usual, her hair was thrown into a casual ponytail, and two buttons on her white coat were fastened wrong. She looked as though she hadn't slept all night.
A woman followed behind her.
Tall and slender, she wore her long blonde hair in a high ponytail, her face carrying a wild, unrestrained boldness, as though she might burst out laughing at any moment.
She wore a simple black tank top and cargo pants.
Yuki Tsukumo.
One of the four Special Grade Sorcerers.
"Yo."
Shoko Ieiri raised a hand in greeting, her voice languid.
"Gojo, Wangchuan."
"She said she wanted to see you two. I couldn't stop her, so I brought her up."
Satoru Gojo turned his head and looked at Yuki Tsukumo.
"Huh? Weren't you wandering around overseas? When did you get back?"
Yuki Tsukumo ignored him.
Her gaze settled on Wangchuan.
She looked him over from head to toe.
Then she spoke, her voice crisp, with a frank, easygoing cheerfulness.
"Wangchuan."
"Let me ask you something."
Wangchuan tilted his head.
"Yeah?"
"What kind of woman do you like?"
Shoko Ieiri nearly dropped her cigarette.
"...Huh?"
She turned to Yuki Tsukumo with a look that said, "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Tsukumo, his girlfriend is Utahime Iori."
Yuki Tsukumo tilted her head, her expression unchanged.
"Oh."
"So?"
"I asked what kind of woman he likes, not whether he has a girlfriend."
Shoko Ieiri drew a deep breath and stubbed her cigarette out on the stair railing.
"You..."
"You really are..."
She shook her head, not bothering to finish.
Satoru Gojo laughed beside them.
"Hahahahaha!"
"Tsukumo, you haven't changed."
He