Chapter 21. Christmas dinner

Tokyo, Shinjuku. In a good ramen shop.

After the "Night Parade of a Thousand Demons," initiated by Goto Suguro, ended in failure, there was still work to be done for the Sorcerers. Individuals like Kiyotaka were faced with two enormous piles of crap in the form of paperwork chaos and bureaucratic "BDSM" spanking from the Japanese government and the Sorcerer Council. Some remained to cleanse the streets of minor Curses of the Fourth and Third ranks that had managed to slip away during the chaos.

Of course, in contrast to these busy individuals, there were those of us who could afford to relax after successfully completing our work and go eat a couple of bowls of hot ramen or udon. 

Mei lounged on the couch beside me in a leisurely pose. Across from us, Nanami crossed his arms, and to his right, Satoru rocked in a comfortable chair. Our group clearly stood out — a beautiful woman with pale-blue hair, two tall, sturdy men: one with white hair and an eye patch, and the other with a stern face and blondish hair, and then there's me, the one who looks most like a Japanese.

It's amusing how the isekai protagonist is the least special even among secondary characters… Although, I think in the "magical battle," secondary characters are much more interesting and extraordinary than the main ones.

"You're too pessimistic," Satoru expressed discontent, addressing Nanami.

"Direct knowledge is not yet understanding," Nanami replied with indifferent expression.

"Don't bring Plato into this," Satoru tilted his head upward. "And really, how can you worry about the fact that there are two more people in the world who can protect the peaceful world? For you, it's only a plus, no overtime."

"There must be a balance between Sorcerers and Curses," Nanami shook his head. "Or, for one of the sides not to exist at all."

"We're not in an anime or a book where the world's essence maintains a balance of good and evil," the Strongest snorted.

"Do I need to remind you that after your birth, the Sorcerer world began?" Nanami asked, scratching his cheek with light stubble.

"But after the birth of Sukehiro and Yuta, nothing similar happened," the white-haired mage shrugged.

"Your optimism annoys me."

"Based on my analysis of the Sorcerer job market, in the past year, seventy percent more Curses were born than the previous year," Mei interjected into their conversation. "And last year, there were fifty percent more Curses than the year before. However, the vast majority of these Curses are minor pests that no one wants to deal with. But because there are more Curses in general, Special Grades have also increased. In just this year, ten Special Grade Curses were exorcised, plus two that Sukehiro dealt with."

"Is this situation only a plus for you?" Nanami stared at the mercenary woman.

"I like money, and I also like a 'bear market'," Mei ignored the dissatisfaction of the "junior." "But when the market grows, it will eventually burst, like a balloon filled with water. And that already worries me."

"That's why I believe it's necessary to nurture as strong a new generation as possible," Satoru replied. "Now there are four Sorcerers of the Special Grade. Two of them are still magic school students. So, if your "balloon" doesn't burst in the near future, it means we can assume that in the "distant" future, Sorcerers will need as much "strong blood" as possible."

A sensible thought. Even the Strongest is not immortal, so if his goal is to preserve the Sorcerer world and protect ordinary people, the only correct solution is to raise a new strong generation. There's even a saying: "Hard times create strong people, strong people create easy times. Easy times create weak people. Weak people create hard times." So, the logic of preparing in advance strong individuals is absolutely logical... However, their "distant future" is damn close.

"And we're back to where we started," Nanami said, looking at us. "Sukehiro and Yuta Okkotsu — two, Kinji Hakari, Inumaki Toge, Megumi Fushiguro, so only five Sorcerers with the potential to enter the Special Grade. Will that be enough?"

"Where do we fit in your future, with Yuki?" Satoru asked with feigned sadness.

"I can't deny that I'm impressed by how talented the new generation is, but I would like to believe that they won't need to work together in the future against some unknown threat," Nanami ignored Satoru's childishness.

"What do you think, Sukehiro?" the Strongest turned to me.

"Maki and her sister, Todo and Mekamaru, Tengen, Director Yaga, plus the five Nanami mentioned, and you with Tsukumo Yuki — there will be thirteen Sorcerers in the Special Grade in the next five years," I expressed my opinion.

"That's optimism for you!" Satoru complained, throwing a glance at Nanami.

"We all know what Maki and her sister's trouble is. Solve it, and you'll have a new Toji Fushiguro and Yorozu, if you know who that is. As for Tengen and the director, I think it's unnecessary to specify. As the owner of "Heavenly Restriction" Mekamaru has very good chances to realize his potential, and Todo... I'll say this, among the entire new generation, he's the most talented Sorcerer, so I won't believe that when he sees himself being overtaken, he'll decide to stay in the first rank."

"Still damn optimistic," Satoru grinned. "But I like it!"

"Yorozu sounds familiar," Nanami mused.

"A Sorcerer who lived a thousand years ago under the Zenin clan," Satoru replied.

"Someone's getting romantic?" Mei addressed me with a strange smirk on her face.

"What are you talking about?" I asked again.

"It's unlikely that you would just randomly inquire about Maki Zenin and her situation, and not only did you find out, but you're also thinking about how to help. Isn't that romantic?" Mei teased.

"Are you jealous?" I didn't succumb to her provocations. Besides, it was Mei's initiative to keep our "working" relationship secret; apparently, it could affect our image. Well, as for me, I don't care when such a beauty lies in my bed.

"Why should I be?" Mei smiled.

"Boss, finally," our conversation was interrupted by Satoru, who addressed the old man who approached our table.

"I know what kind of appetite you have, so I personally took care of the cooking," the wrinkled face of the chef remained unflinching. "Enjoy your meal."

"Thank you," we all nodded in unison.

"Quite a family atmosphere, don't you think?" he smiled at the rest.

"A Christmas dinner in good company," Nanami nodded, breaking apart his chopsticks. " It's been a while."

"Did you just say you love us?" Satoru asked in surprise.

"I only said that we have a good company," Nanami shook his head.

"But it sounds like you acknowledge us as a big family," Satoru insisted.

"Not at all," Nanami tried to remain unruffled.

"Nanami: "You are my family, and I love you, but you're awful,"." I supported Satoru, trying to parody Nanami's speech and demeanor.

"I didn't say that."

"But that was the subtext," Mei added with a sly smile.

"You're unbearable," frowning, Nanami expressed himself.

In such an atmosphere, we continued this "Christmas dinner." In reality, it was difficult for us to call ourselves a family. Each of us was so different: someone's aspirations and character were diametrically opposite, someone sometimes didn't understand what was going on in the other's head, and from time to time, we could even snap at each other and start biting each other's throats. However, even with this, there was something familial in our relationships. Perhaps because, as Sorcerers, we never counted on a real family, and therefore decided to design it in the form of relationships with each other.

In general, I didn't care about "normal" relationships, or how people usually perceive them. For me, everyone gathered here were people for whom I was ready to kill and die. After all, including them, I decided to change this world. It sounds quite romantic, as if I were some main character with a bad ending...

There were ten months left until "Sibuya".