Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"Satoru, it hurts a little."

The pressure on her leg increased, mixed with a slight sting from the medicinal oil being rubbed in, causing Xia Xiyin to let out a soft hiss. Reluctantly, she pushed his head with her hand.

The man crouching on the ground tilted his head back slightly, his gaze vacant, completely absorbed in his own thoughts.

The hand on her calf gradually moved downward, stroking as it went, causing her to tremble involuntarily.

Not understanding what was happening, Xia Xiyin thought maybe she had been too rough and upset him. This time, she gave a gentle push and then withdrew her hand, the push was so light it was barely noticeable.

If anyone had seen this, they would have thought it was deliberate teasing.

"Satoru?" She raised her voice a little, trying to get his attention. "The medicine is already applied. You should get up. Let's… go eat."

Finally, the words registered, and Gojo Satoru snapped back to reality.

"Okay."

Gojo Satoru slowly stood up and sat down beside her. He gazed at the woman next to him, his tone cheerful and certain: "I admit, Xiyin is beautiful."

As he spoke, his smile was frivolous, his tone rare—hovering between serious and teasing: "Really~"

Teased like that, Xia Xiyin froze for a moment, rolled her eyes, and headed straight for the kitchen without even glancing back: "I'm going to find Geto, Satoru, you clean up the table."

With that, she walked away without even glancing back, leaving Gojo Satoru alone in the spot.

The youthful, lingering atmosphere faded, but it planted a seed in his heart. The Six Eyes replayed the scene over and over until it was engraved in his mind.

He was serious, even though he used a joking tone, but the realization itself was clear: Xiyin was indeed beautiful—a vivid, tangible beauty—one that could frown, roll her eyes, cook, and get caught in the rain… a lively beauty.

In a life full of smooth sailing, the eighteen-year-old boy knew nothing about feelings, like looking at flowers through a fog.

If he had known, after that "really," he should have added one more word: "like."

But at that moment, he only vaguely felt something felt off in a corner of his heart, like being lightly brushed by a feather—neither painful nor annoying, yet impossible to ignore.

And so, before he knew it, a soft chuckle came from beside him.

Suguru Geto sat down next to him and teased, "What's wrong, Satoru? It's time to eat. Xi Yin called you many times; didn't you hear?"

He opened his mouth to retort, "I heard!" but something blocked it.

A smooth, slightly slick texture entered his mouth—buckwheat noodles.

Chewing, he turned sideways to find a fork pushed against his lips.

"Satoru, today we're having soba noodles." Xia Xiyin held a bowl, looking at Gojo Satoru in a light tone. "Take your portion; let's go eat at the table."

The boy in front of her had his left cheek slightly puffed up, like a little cat.

Noticing his calm expression, she couldn't help but wonder if the noodles didn't suit his taste today.

Or maybe it was strange that she was using the Italian pasta method, twirling it into a ball to feed him?

If that was the case… it wasn't her fault.

It wasn't like she could use chopsticks to feed him; that would drip broth.

Gojo Satoru stood there holding his bowl, between the two of them, only coming back to his senses when the three of them sat down in their respective seats.

"These noodles are pretty good." He picked up some noodles with his chopsticks, eating as he spoke.

Seeing her hard work being appreciated, Xia Xiyin felt her heart warm.

Good. Since he was so appreciative, for the next month, whenever she had time, she would be in charge of cooking.

Xia Xiyin couldn't help but put her hands on her hips and bragged: "See, I adjusted the flavor considering you came from Japan!"

"And Geto, you should eat more too."

This sudden addition made Suguru Geto pause. His eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of inquiry in his gaze as he asked calmly, "Why? I only helped clean up the kitchen; I didn't use much energy."

Xia Xiyin looked down, twirled a bunch of noodles around her chopsticks, shoved them into her mouth, and mumbled vaguely while chewing, "Because… yesterday you seemed to like it?"

Swallowing the noodles, she raised her chopsticks and pointed at his noodles, her brows slightly furrowed as if thinking.

"In last night's hotpot, everything seemed to taste the same to you, but you ate a couple more bites of the soba noodles?"

"It feels like you're not picky? But maybe you like soba noodles?"

When she finished speaking, a faint, elusive smile flickered in his warm yet slightly distant eyes. He didn't fully answer her question, neither denying nor confirming.

He just lowered his head slightly, took a big slurp of noodles, and praised, "The noodles are indeed delicious, and I'm really not picky."

After all, nothing in the world tasted worse than a Cursed Spirit Ball…

He savored the soba noodles slowly, a strange feeling slowly rising in his heart.

Probably because today's noodles tasted both good and somehow different from before.

"Xiyin," the nearby Gojo Satoru, unwilling to be left out, dragged his chair over and bumped his shoulder against Xia Xiyin, his face excited: "What do I like?"

Bombarded by his blinking eyes, she pushed away his handsome face that was so close, and said firmly, "Sweet."

She paused, seeing Gojo Satoru's eyes instantly light up, and added, "And the sweeter the better—sickeningly sweet. Kikufuku with edamame and fresh cream, right?"

Being accurately called out on his preference, Gojo Satoru wasn't embarrassed at all; instead, he let out a smug "hmph hmph," lifting his chin higher as if loving sweets to death were some kind of prestigious medal.

"Exactly! My taste is just that refined!"

Xia Xiyin said nothing, lowering her head to enjoy her lunch.

She knew Gojo Satoru liked sweets—first, because Suguru Geto had mentioned it, and second, because yesterday he only picked sweet things from the snacks, especially daifuku. He won't even drink diet cola, and the more sugar in hotpot sesame sauce, the more excited he got.

Based on that, Gojo Satoru was extremely fond of sweets.

Glancing at the soba noodles that had been sweetened, Xia Xiyin's mouth twitched.

If he kept eating like this, wouldn't he get diabetes?

He probably wasn't Japanese—was he American?

Only in America is sugar addiction this bad. In the future, Gojo Satoru could go on business trips to the U.S.—at least his diet wouldn't be an issue there.

Xia Xiyin was just about to ask him if he had mixed ancestry, otherwise why would he love sweets so much.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed, pulling her thoughts back.

"Ah!"

A scream rang out at the dining table, so loud it made the table shake.

Both of them watched Xia Xiyin, who sprang up from her chair like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. Her face turned pale in an instant, then flushed red.

She rushed back and forth in the living room, pinning her phone between her ear and shoulder, clutching a notebook in one hand and a pen in the other, looking flustered.

"What's going on, Xiyin...?"

"Shh!" Suguru Geto hadn't finished speaking before being cut off.

Xia Xiyin pressed a finger to her lips, signaling for silence.

Covering the earpiece with her hand, her lips moved as she whispered, "I have a meeting, ahhhh."

Seeing this, Gojo Satoru set down his bowl, grinned mischievously, and sat down beside her.

He kept poking Xia Xiyin's waist in a smug show-off manner.

Suguru Geto, whom she had relied on, also let her down—just as unreliable.

He leaned back on the sofa and reached a hand behind him to ruffle Xia Xiyin's hair, producing a rustling sound.

The two exchanged a glance, smirked slyly, and silently agreed.

It wasn't loud, but it was noticeable.

Xia Xiyin looked at the screen, her tone fawning: "I'm so sorry, boss, it's my junior from Japan."

The two couldn't understand the foreign language, but they could pick up on the atmosphere.

Their mischievous natures kicked in, and they began to openly cause trouble.

For instance, blowing in her ear, making her shiver involuntarily; swaying their bodies randomly, occasionally brushing against her; tugging at her notebook while giving her innocent puppy-dog eyes.

Xia Xiyin swatted his hand away, but Gojo Satoru stuck out his leg to mess with her, and no matter how much she resisted, it was useless.

Even worse was Suguru Geto, who stood behind her and actually started braiding her hair.

His large hand brushed the strands behind her ear, stroking the back of her head.

His fingers twisted in her hair, and she could feel a lock being lifted, gradually gathered, loop after loop, forming a braid that finally rested against her nape.

The boundaries between them blurred, and though his hand only occasionally brushed past without gripping her throat, her breath hitched.

Not to refuse meant tacit consent—tacit consent to their crossing the line, their teasing, and the "trivial" price she thought she had to pay. Letting others control her, possess her, take from her, in exchange for their life together, until even the air she breathed was stolen.

They say meetings fly by like fleeting moments—if you don't take them seriously, they're over in a minute.

But for her, the meeting felt like torture. Finally, it ended. Xia Xiyin set down her earpiece and clenched her fists.

She turned sideways, her gaze fixed on the number one culprit: Suguru Geto.

This man was insufferably arrogant.

Even with her anger written all over her face, he just shrugged and smiled.

She rested her arm on the shoulder of the person next to her, met the eyes behind the sunglasses, but found only mischief and stubborn refusal to repent.

Fine, culprit number two, Gojo Satoru, was audacious and couldn't care less about her.

He even took off his sunglasses, stuck out his tongue, and made a face.

Enough was enough—there was no need to hold back anymore!

Even a clay idol has some temper, and she wasn't a clay idol—she was petty!

In a flash, Xia Xiyin rushed to the corner of the living room, grabbed a broom, and pointed it at the two of them.

Gritting her teeth, she warned sternly, "You two are dead meat."

A whoosh of air passed her ear, but it caused no harm.

The broom hit a barrier, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get within a step of Gojo Satoru.

"Wow, Xiyin's an idiot." Gojo Satoru's sunglasses slid down his nose as he pointed at his own temple and teased, "Suguru, didn't I just explain my ability this morning?"

Saying this, he draped his arm over his best friend's shoulder.

When one didn't work, she went after the other.

Xia Xiyin swung her broom the other way, and it met resistance—she had hit something. But what she hit wasn't Suguru Geto; it was a tiny flying white horse.

"Flap-flap～"

This cursed spirit, about the size of a basketball, snickered at her.

It rolled its eyes and circled around her endlessly.

"Sorry, Shion-chan, I don't want to get hit."

The high school boy, true to his nature, tried to soothe her: "This is a non-aggressive cursed spirit. Isn't it cute? I hope you like it."

Her hands hung limp at her sides, but she kept clenching her fists. Xia Xiyin was completely out of options.

So this is what a Jujutsu Sorcerer is like? With all these strange and wonderful abilities.

Anger surged, and she gritted her teeth, desperately trying to catch the "Sunshine Rainbow Little White Horse" flying around her.

She pounced left and right, but no matter what, she couldn't catch it.

In her mind, she kept grumbling inside about Suguru Geto: No matter how cute a cursed spirit is, if it messes with you, it's not cute.

Frustration and grievance welled up, and Xia Xiyin silently put the broom back in its place.

She leaned against the wall and slowly slid to the floor, hugged her knees and buried her face in them, and curled into a ball.

Alone, helpless, trembling—like a stray cat.

"Scumbags..."

The whisper was as faint as a mosquito's buzz, but it lingered in the sorcerers' ears.

Finally, they realized they had gone too far.

Gojo Satoru immediately felt a tightness in his chest, a knot of gloom forming between his eyebrows. He swallowed a mouthful of bitter cold air, his mouth opened and closed silently.

He lowered his eyes. Somewhere deep inside, instinct urged him, commanded him to say something—before it was too late.

Standing silently in front of Xia Xiyin, he looked down at the pitiful figure, clenching his fists until they cracked.

"I'm sorry..."

The voice was so low it was almost inaudible, tinged with apology and cowardice.

Timidity?

When that word came to mind, Xia Xiyin was both shocked and aggrieved, emotions surging straight to her chest.

The long-suppressed emotions burst out like a flood through a broken gate.

Her eyes reddened, and tears filled them, dripping down the corners of her eyes like a broken string of beads, rolling past her chin—a heartbreaking sight.

These tears didn't fall on the carpet and disappear without a trace.

On the contrary, the teardrops trickled down his chest, sinking into his heart, scalding him.

A wave of agitation and self-loathing rose inside him, making it impossible for him to remain unmoved.

After a long silent moment, Suguru Geto rolled up his sleeves, pulled out a tissue, and wiped her tears in rough circles, as if washing a child's face.

"I'm sorry, Xi Yin. We won't do this again."

His expression was grave, his tone stern.

Xia Xiyin clung to that fierce and broad hand. She saw bulging veins lurking under his skin, winding all the way up until hidden by the black school uniform.

It hurt.

Her cheek pressed against that hand—rough and hard, chafing her skin, raw and aching.

"It hurts... and it's cold..."

Then an arm tightly encircled her waist, hooked under her knees, and lifted her off the ground suddenly.

She squeezed her eyes shut and wrapped her arms around Gojo Satoru's neck, let her face rest against his chest, nestling into his broad, warm shoulder, couldn't help but sob a couple of times.

Behind her, Suguru Geto could only see the top of her head and the calf dangling from his arm.

He set Xia Xiyin on the sofa, and she leaned against Gojo Satoru's shoulder, the two of them snuggled together.

Beside them, Suguru Geto brewed a cup of tea and handed it to her, saying with concern, "Warm yourself up a bit. The floor is quite cold."

Then Suguru Geto wrapped his arm around her waist, and all three squeezed together on the sofa.

The living room was silent except for the sounds of tea being drunk and breaths being taken.

The sound of breathing gradually slowed. Just as all three were getting drowsy and closing their eyes—

A "ding" sound broke the silence.

Xia Xiyin groggily picked up her phone and played the voice message from her friend.

"Xi Yin, at the end of the meeting, you seemed to accidentally turn on your camera."

"There's a guy braiding your hair behind you. Is he your boyfriend?"

Author's Note:

Dating a high school guy is the happiest time. After all, after they get together, it's two Cursed Users.

The first 300,000 words are all sweetness.

At the 330,000-word mark, the Cursed User arc starts, with Cursed Technique: Blue right in your face and the leader Geto killing monkeys. Also, the story is now paywalled; the author writes 6,000 words daily. Thank you for your support.