"If I remember correctly, the village is in that direction, right?" Gojo Satoru murmured to himself, looking around.
Before Puck could react, the surroundings blurred again. Just like before, it lasted only a fleeting instant. When the two reappeared, they were already standing just a short distance from the village.
"Alright, here we are. This is the village Subaru and the others are visiting tomorrow." Gojo looked at Puck with a grin. "Feeling a bit more at ease now? If any trouble truly arises, I can be here in a heartbeat—even with you in tow. If you want to bring Roswaal along too, that's perfectly fine."
Puck looked at the village nearby, then turned his head back. It was now impossible to spot the mansion within his line of sight. He had heard of the layout; the village and the mansion were separated by a fair distance. Yet Gojo had covered it in the blink of an eye.
That speed... that distance...
Puck stared at the village and thought it over seriously. Finally, he gave a slow nod.
"Fine. Your actions have moved me, at least a little. But looking at it this way, it shouldn't be a problem if we just watch from afar, right?"
"I've got no interest in that. If you don't want to keep Betty company, you're free to fly over here yourself," Gojo shrugged with an air of indifference. "Anyway, Betty is really looking forward to it."
"Honestly, you're just making things difficult on purpose," Puck said, throwing up his paws in resignation, but his intent to stay was already clear.
"Then it's a deal," Gojo smiled, flashing his white teeth.
Night fell.
Gojo Satoru was in his room, enjoying a dessert brought by Rem. For every afternoon tea, late-night snack, and regular meal, Rem would specially prepare a sweet treat. While Gojo was full of praise, he also shared several pastry recipes he knew from modern society with her. He framed it as "the taste of home," asking if Miss Rem could help a traveler fulfill a small wish.
"Miss Rem, I thought of another great dessert today. It's called Dorayaki."
"May I decline to listen, guest?" Rem said expressionlessly. She stood to the side, waiting for Gojo to finish so she could take the tray and dishes.
"Mastering an extra special menu is a priceless treasure for a maid, you know." Gojo continued describing the process of making Dorayaki as if he hadn't heard her.
As they were chatting, a knock sounded at the door. Knock, knock, knock.
Rem shot Gojo a look and went to open the door.
"Satoru! I can't slee—"
Natsuki Subaru cut himself off mid-sentence when he realized it wasn't Gojo in front of him, but Rem. Late at night... a man and a woman alone in a room... After a brief daze, Subaru snapped out of it.
"Uh, don't mind me, you two continue..."
"Guest, please stow your unsavory thoughts," Rem said calmly, stepping aside as she held the door open.
"Yo. It's late. Instead of resting up for tomorrow, you've come running to me?" Gojo said, leaning his arm over the back of the chair with a spoon in his mouth.
"Is it... really not a bad time?" Subaru asked awkwardly.
Rem looked at Gojo's finished dessert, stepped forward to collect the plate, and headed for the door. "Goodnight to you both."
Once Rem was gone, Subaru hurried into the room and shut the door.
"Whoa, whoa, what are you doing? You aren't a cute girl like Miss Rem," Gojo said, leaning back in his chair.
"Forget that! I'm so excited about going out with Emilia tomorrow that I can't sleep." Subaru looked at Gojo sheepishly. "Say... would you mind coming to the village with me to check it out?"
"Right now?" Gojo looked out at the pitch-black sky and asked, deadpan.
"It's fine! I'll borrow the ground dragon carriage from Roswaal. I realized tonight that I've never even been to the village. I don't know where the fun spots are. This is my first date—if I go in without a plan, it'll be a total disaster." Subaru rubbed his hands together, his voice thick with anticipation.
"You really are love-brained," Gojo sighed, feeling a bit helpless.
"Satoru, just come with me this once! It won't take long. If I go alone, I feel like I'll get lost and never find my way back." It was dark out, and there were no streetlights. Even with a carriage, there was only a tiny bit of lantern light; for a high schooler, it was a bit nerve-wracking.
"Honestly... it's already so late." Gojo put down his spoon, then suddenly changed his tune. "But hey, we are partners, aren't we? I can certainly help with a small favor like this."
Gojo stood up and patted Subaru on the shoulder. "Let's go. I'll accompany you to the village."
"Great! I'll go find Roswaal to borrow the carriage—"
"No need for all that trouble. I'll just take you there directly."
Gojo grabbed Subaru and led him straight out of the room to the manor exterior, just as he had shown Puck earlier. In a single moment, using 'Blue' to compress the distance between the starting point and the destination, he brought Subaru to the village with an effect practically indistinguishable from teleportation.
"There. Here's the village you're visiting tomorrow," Gojo said, holding Subaru by the collar as they floated in mid-air.
Feeling the empty air beneath his feet, Subaru's face was a mask of total bewilderment. It took a long moment for him to react, his voice pitching up an octave.
"Satoru, you can fly?!"
"And teleport?!"
"Yeah. What about it?" Gojo raised his hand slightly and met Subaru's gaze with an innocent look.
"What do you mean 'what about it'?! This... this is..."
"This is so cool!" After the initial shock, Subaru shouted excitedly, his eyes full of envy and wonder. For humans, soaring through the sky is a primal yearning. Even if one is normally afraid of heights, no one would refuse the ability to fly under their own power.
"Well, like I said before. Once we've got some downtime, I'll teach you Jujutsu. Since you can't use magic, a hero's companion can't afford to be useless. We can't have you being bullied by small fry, can we?"