The Strongest Sorcerer, Chapter 34: Natsukawa Masuzu

Afternoon.

Umaru and Ebina Nana sat on a park bench, their arms resting against the bags of items they’d purchased throughout the day. Among the haul were summer clothes, snacks, and even some of Gojo Satoru’s favorite Kikufu mochi.

“Hey, Umaru, has your brother Gojo-san come back from Kyoto recently?”

Ebina asked casually while munching on a rice ball, her tone carrying an unmistakable hint of excitement.

Umaru froze mid-bite, her rice ball suspended in the air.

Damn it. I thought we were besties, but here you are scheming to become my sister-in-law.

She shot an irritated glance at her "so-called" best friend, feeling extremely displeased.

“He came back ages ago. In fact, he’s even working as a homeroom teacher for first-years at Sobu High,” Umaru grumbled, her voice full of reluctant annoyance.

“Gojo-san’s a first-year homeroom teacher at Sobu High?!”

Ebina’s face lit up with surprise.

“Though… I haven’t seen him around,” she added, tilting her head in confusion.

That’s because he spends most of his time slacking off or on leave. Other than the first day of school, he’s basically been a ghost, Umaru thought to herself, resisting the urge to roll her eyes.

Before she could respond, Ebina suddenly gasped, interrupting her.

“Wow, look at that girl! She’s so pretty! But… is she being harassed?”

Pretty? Harassed?

Umaru’s curiosity was piqued. She followed Ebina’s gaze and saw a scene unfolding not too far away.

A boy with short, neatly trimmed hair and large round glasses was standing beside a girl with long silver hair, his expression overly excited as he spoke animatedly.

The girl, however, looked utterly exasperated. She barely responded to him—either nodding curtly or replying with one-word answers.

Eventually, her patience seemed to run out, and she snapped at the boy, her voice carrying a sharp edge. But despite her protests, the boy continued to talk earnestly, his face filled with determination.

“Let’s go help her,” Umaru said decisively.

Ebina nodded firmly. “Yeah!”

The two of them stood up, holding hands as they approached the scene.

As they got closer, they began to hear snippets of the boy’s words.

“Really! You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. You’d be perfect as the second female lead in my game! A half-Japanese, half-foreign heroine—it’s such a great character concept!”

Game character? Umaru frowned at his odd pitch.

Nevertheless, she decided to step in, feigning familiarity as she walked up to the silver-haired girl and linked arms with her.

“Oh my gosh, what are you doing here? You’re in Tokyo and didn’t even tell me? Honestly, after all these years, I thought I’d be the first person you’d visit—not wandering around Shibuya!” Umaru said brightly, her voice carrying a mix of mock surprise and lighthearted reproach.

The silver-haired girl blinked in confusion for a moment before catching on to Umaru’s act. Her expression softened, and she gave a small apologetic smile.

“Sorry, I was planning to swing by later tonight and surprise you after checking out Shibuya first.”

“No worries,” Umaru replied with a grin before glancing at the boy. “But… who’s this?”

The silver-haired girl’s demeanor immediately turned cold as she answered, “Just a stranger.”

“No, no! I’m not just some stranger!” The boy quickly interjected, waving his hands in protest. “I’m a game designer, and I was just asking your friend here to be the second female lead in my game.”

“Are you… Aki Tomoya?”

Ebina, who had been quietly observing the situation, suddenly spoke up, her voice laced with recognition.

“Huh? How do you know my name?” Aki Tomoya looked genuinely surprised.

“You’re a high school student, right?”

“Yeah… How did you know?”

“We’re from Sobu High. I’ve heard of you—you’re the guy who plastered your classroom with anime posters, right? I heard some of them were pretty, uh… questionable,” Ebina said, wrinkling her nose in disdain.

“That’s not… it’s not like that!” Aki tried to explain, his face turning red.

“Alright, that’s enough,” the silver-haired girl cut him off sharply, her tone firm. “We’ve got catching up to do, and I’m pretty sure you don’t want to intrude on a private conversation between us girls, right? Aki Tomoya-kun?”

Her words were pointed, leaving no room for argument.

Aki opened his mouth as if to protest but sighed instead, realizing he was outmatched. Shoulders slumped, he muttered a quiet goodbye before walking away.

The three girls watched him leave, waiting until he was completely out of sight before relaxing.

“Thank you so much for stepping in,” the silver-haired girl said, turning to Umaru and Ebina with a look of genuine gratitude. “I really didn’t know how to deal with him…”

“It’s nothing! Us girls have to stick together, right?” Umaru replied with a bright smile.

“Yeah! If I were you, I’d just yell at him non-stop until he left. And if that didn’t work, I’d call the police,” Ebina added, her expression sour at the memory of Aki’s persistence.

“I was thinking about calling the police myself before you two arrived,” the girl admitted with a small laugh. Then, as if remembering something, she straightened up and gave a polite bow. “Oh, I haven’t introduced myself yet. That was rude of me. I’m Natsukawa Masuzu. It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”

“Nice to meet you! I’m Gojo Umaru, but just call me Umaru,” Umaru said cheerfully.

“Hehe, and I’m Ebina Nana! You can call me Raerae!”

“Umaru, Raerae,” Masuzu repeated with a soft smile.

That smile was so breathtakingly beautiful that even Umaru had to admit how stunning she was.

With her silver hair cascading like moonlight, striking blue eyes, and delicate, elven-like features, Masuzu looked like she’d stepped out of a fairytale. Her skin was so pale it resembled freshly fallen snow, completing her ethereal beauty.