Chapter 28

Chapter 28

The hands trembled a little in her palm, a faint pull that stopped just as quickly as it started. The fingers tightened just a little, pressing flush against Xia Xiyin’s face.

Xia Xiyin kept nuzzling, from the knuckles to the fingertips, from the back of the hand to the wrist.

To be honest, she didn’t actually crave his hands. Little Satoru might have stood in the cold wind for too long—his hands were slightly chapped and freezing cold. Coincidentally, she had been in the car with the heater on, soaking up the warm air, her face felt like it had been warmed by the sun.

To prevent the child’s hands from freezing, she simply used the simplest way to share her warmth and comfort him.

Gojo Satoru half-closed his eyes, feeling the warmth passing from her hands into his, his gaze tracing the woman’s smiling face.

This smile was slightly different from any he had seen before.

Adults always looked at him with strange eyes—respectful, evasive, fearful.

When they approached, they bowed and lowered their heads; when they left, they’d bow slightly and glance back. No one ever dared to be so bold as to touch his hand so freely, and no one had ever dared to press food into his hand.

In a corner of the estate, he had once caught a glimpse of a servant casually handing a candy to a child his age, speaking gently, saying, “Be good, Merry Christmas.”

Gojo Satoru had plenty of candy and sweets, piled up in his room, delivered day after day. No one ever asked him if they were sweet, and no one reminded him they’d rot his teeth.

His gaze flicked to the bag at the woman’s side. He had eaten sweets like Kikufuku before.

But today’s Kikufuku tasted distinctly different—it was a different kind of sweetness. They formed silken threads that coiled around his tongue.

Even after the flavor had faded, his tongue couldn’t help but recall the sweetness.

At ten years old, the Divine Child was cold and aloof, emotionally distant, not yet understanding what feelings were. He simply watched in silence, yet his eyes betrayed him.

If he’d realized, or if someone had told him, that was liking.

Even if it was only a vague liking, give it the right environment, plenty of sunlight and rain, and let it quietly take root—it would surely grow into something huge.

Time quietly slipped by until Xia Xiyin’s stomach growled loudly, reminding her it was dinnertime.

“Little Satoru, shall we go back and eat? Then I’ll explain where we are.”

With that, Xia Xiyin let go of his cold hands, took off the scarf around her neck, wrapped it around his neck, and tied it into a bow.

She nodded. The white goldfish kimono and red scarf matched perfectly.

Xia Xiyin pointed to the car parked at the park entrance and explained, “My home is only five minutes away. Shall we walk together?”

She spoke in a coaxing tone, doing her best to sound soft and gentle, afraid to startle him.

Gojo Satoru neither nodded nor shook his head. He just raised one hand, very slowly, paused it in the air for a second, then let it fall—

It landed on the top of her head.

Lightly, like a cherry blossom choosing its resting place.

Seeing this, Xia Xiyin’s eyes crinkled happily. She stood on tiptoe and rubbed her head against his hand.

The two of them, big and small, walked hand in hand through the pitch-black night.

Finally, with the roar of the engine, they disappeared completely from sight.

*

Back at the villa at the end of the village, on the sofa.

Gojo Satoru sat cross-legged, leaning back into the cushions. He held the remote control, flipping through channels without stopping.

Scenes flashed across the TV screen—news, variety shows, old movies, shopping ads.

None of the programs seemed to his liking.

*Bam!*

The remote flew out of his hand, arcing through the air and smashing onto the sofa with a loud thud. It even bounced twice before landing harmlessly.

Beside him, Suguru Geto sighed and put a hand to his forehead, then chimed in to remind him, “Satoru, if you break the remote, Xi Yin will get angry.”

Gojo Satoru didn’t even bat an eye.

“If she starts crying, I’m not taking your side,” Geto said, distancing himself first. He dropped the broom, grabbed the mop, and started mopping while swinging it around like a spear. “Besides, just hold on a little longer. She said she’d buy you something to apologize.”

The mop spun in his palm; thrusting forward was for mopping, twisting his wrist turned it into a staff, arcing through the air before hitting the ground again.

He was basically practicing martial arts while mopping.

At the word “apologize,” Gojo Satoru pursed his lips and clicked his tongue.

He turned his head to look at Geto, curious about how Xia Xiyin would apologize.

Would she buy Kikufuku? A cake? Or use that muffled, whimpering tone like last time, saying, “Sorry, I won’t do it again”?

“Geto, did Xi Yin prepare...”

Before he could finish, Geto’s mop moved faster and faster, swinging from his left shoulder to his right and lifting a little.

As Satoru spoke, Geto got a bit distracted, apparently not noticing the light bulb on the ceiling. The mop handle went a little higher than usual.

*Crack.* The bulb shattered into pieces.

Geto’s movements froze.

He stayed frozen, hands still gripping the pole, tip pointing up, slowly raising his head.

Up on the ceiling, the bulb that had been lit was now just a jagged ring of glass shards, hanging precariously from the socket.

Glass fragments scattered on the floor, in his hair, beside Satoru.

And they also fell into his heart, leaving a bloody gash.

Oh crap. Shion-chan probably wouldn’t be angry about the remote, because her anger had already moved to him.

Gojo Satoru looked at the glass shards on top of Geto’s head, then at the worried expression on his face. A smirk tugged at his lips, full of glee.

“Whoa.” He drew out the word, his tone dripping with barely hidden glee. “Geto—you’re screwed.”

Gojo Satoru strode over to the fridge, whistling, took out a bottle of cola, and gulped it down.

“Ahh~ Refreshing!”

He set the empty bottle on the coffee table and let out a satisfied sigh, showing no concern for his best friend’s plight.

After being mocked like that, Geto wasn’t annoyed. He quickly grabbed the broom and swept up the glass shards. Then he looked up at the second floor—he remembered there were spare light bulbs in the attic. As long as he fixed it before Xi Yin got back, everything would be fine.

Only the heavens knew, just the two of them.

The most important thing is to convince Gojo Satoru.

The two were indeed old friends; Suguru Geto's intentions were obvious.

Gojo Satoru, sipping a cola, wiggled like a fish without a spine, turning his gaze toward the door.

He opened his mouth and said, "Xi Yin, you're back~"

It was too late to convince him.

As Suguru Geto was stunned, the sound of tires rounding the corner and the dull thud of the engine shutting off came from outside.

Xia Xiyin unbuckled her seatbelt, looked back at the miniature Gojo Satoru outside the window, and casually said, "I'll put the stuff at the door first. Wait for me."

As she spoke, she grabbed all the gift bags in one go, not bothering to make multiple trips. The shopping bags cut into her fingers, and the plastic bags groaned under the strain.

One step from the door, the door silently opened, and Gojo Satoru's figure came into view.

One leg bent, one hand resting on the door, he whistled, his posture as lazy as someone posing for a magazine cover, but his eyes never left the gifts in his hands.

The starving man took the bags, drawled, and said with certainty, "Wow, so many Kikufuku and cakes. They're for me."

As he spoke, he opened the bag directly, plucked a Kikufuku from the bag with his fingers, and stuffed it into his mouth and chewed. At the same time, he pulled a tube of hand cream from his pocket and handed it to Xia Xiyin.

Xia Xiyin glanced at the hand cream for a moment, then turned and walked toward the car, saying, "Thanks. But you can only eat two; I promised the rest to someone else."

Someone else?

Gojo Satoru felt a twinge of doubt. Was there someone else in the house who liked Kikufuku besides him?

Just then, he sensed a familiar, undeniable fluctuation of Cursed Energy radiating from Xia Xiyin's car.

His pupils shrunk, his chewing stopped, and the hand holding half a Kikufuku froze in midair.

At that moment, Suguru Geto placed a hand on his shoulder and said gravely, "Satoru, what's that cursed energy in the car?"

Before Gojo Satoru could answer, the answer became clear.

Xia Xiyin opened the car door, and the boy sitting up straight and proper glanced at her, his gaze was calm and untroubled. His hands hung by his sides, neither reaching out nor pulling away, just waiting there.

A smile unconsciously tugged at the corner of her mouth, and her heart skipped a beat. This was the Divine Child—pure and otherworldly, like a celestial being. Gojo Satoru hadn't lied to her; he really was a Divine Child when he was little!

Without hesitation, she extended her hand, and they linked their fingers.

The boy used her hand for support to step onto the side step, his knee jarred slightly when he landed.

The car was an SUV with high ground clearance. Xia Xiyin, afraid he might fall, held out an arm to steady him.

In the yard not far away, Xia Xiyin's frame enveloped the small boy, holding him in her embrace. Even from the side, one could see how wide she was smiling.

The tall and the small, one leading, one following, gradually their steps and figures merged into the same rhythm. Although their leg lengths were clearly different, the boy matched her every step.

Until they appeared before Gojo Satoru and Suguru Geto.

Xia Xiyin started to introduce, "Satoru, Suguru, this is..."

Before she could finish, Gojo Satoru interrupted her, "I can see."

His voice was harsh and dismissive. Gojo Satoru frowned, his mouth pursed, plainly in a foul mood.

Their eyes met, both sets of Six Eyes reflecting each other.

But one was stormy, the other still and calm.

Suguru Geto, standing to the side, looked between the three of them. Putting two and two together, he immediately realized what was going on. Since they could come to Xi Yin's house, others could too.

But seeing a younger Gojo Satoru for the first time surprised him a bit. The fact itself was enough to give him a faint feeling of surrealness.

Suguru Geto looked behind him, but there was no cursed energy fluctuation and no one else. He breathed a sigh of relief; at least there wasn't a miniature version of himself from childhood.

Xia Xiyin held the Divine Child's hand, gestured inside, bent down to look at him, and said, "Inside is my home. Wait on the sofa for a bit, okay?"

The Divine Child looked at her, his pale blue eyes almost devoid of emotion.

He simply nodded slightly, held her hand tighter, and remained silent.

With that, she ignored the resentful gazes of the two spoiled brats and walked straight to the sofa.

The Divine Child sank into the sofa, his legs dangling, staring straight at her, and his lips moved slightly, "Thirsty."

This voice was incredibly gentle compared to the unreasonable delinquents.

If it were the jerk of a delinquent at the door, he would have flopped onto the sofa and whined in a sing-song voice: "Xi Yin—I'm so thirsty—I want cola~ Ice cold~ Hurry up~"

That scene popped into her head. She glanced at the door, where the two stood flabbergasted and frozen.

With that in mind, she picked up a blanket from the sofa and draped it right over him, covering his lower half.

She knew there was that kind of cold where "your mom thinks you're cold."

But considering that this was the countryside, where the temperature was lower than Japan's winter, she grabbed the edge and pulled it up around his shoulders. Only a white head, pale blue eyes, and a tuft of hair sticking up from the blanket were visible.

She didn't have younger siblings, and her parents didn't plan to have another child.

Every time Xia Xiyin went to pick up Li Xin's younger brother, her eyes would always lock onto him in the noisy crowd. The soft "big sister" was like candy, making her heart swell with joy.

Now, she had an even sweeter, better-behaved little brother.

Xia Xiyin felt an unprecedented happiness!

Her desire for a little brother overrode her common sense. She leaned forward slightly and gave a little peck on his forehead, a quick touch-and-go.

"Wait for me," she said.

This scene didn't escape the eyes of the two at the door. The two of them stood like statues.

Gojo Satoru leaned against the doorframe, not moving for a full thirty seconds, holding his breath.

—What did I just see? Who got kissed?

His Six Eyes burned into memory that feather-light kiss—him bending over, gently cradling his head.

Something exploded in his chest, his fingertips burned, and a restless anger surged inside him. In that moment, he understood so many things he'd missed.

He stood frozen, and Suguru Geto beside him wasn't much better.

Even though the view was dim, his vision wasn't affected. His retina firmly imprinted that smile, sent it to his brain, and it flooded his heart.

It was a smile that had never been shown to them—not polite, not helpless, nor the indulgent smile after being teased by them.

Pure joy, with no room for any impurity.

He turned to look at his friend beside him. His lips were slightly parted, his eyes unfocused, as if lost in a mist, but his gaze never left the two figures on the sofa.

His fingertips uncontrollably touched his forehead, exactly where the younger version of himself had been kissed.

The corner of Suguru Geto's mouth twitched involuntarily.

Yet what he didn't know was that when Xia Xiyin kissed the child's forehead, Satoru Gojo's forehead was also moist. It was as if the sensations of the two Gojos were synchronized, linked together.

It was just a fleeting illusion and Satoru Gojo forced the chaotic thoughts out of his mind.

The woman in his view brewed a cup of tea, cupped it, and handed it to the smaller version of himself.

The atmosphere between them was harmonious, leaving no space for anyone else.

"Xi Yin." Satoru Gojo lowered his eyes, racking his brain for a way to draw her attention back, and finally decided to throw his friend under the bus. "The light was broken when Jie was mopping the floor."

Hearing this, Suguru Geto said nothing, just silently, tacitly accepting his friend's decision to use him as a scapegoat.

Failure.

Xia Xiyin didn't even glance at them, simply replying, "It's okay, let Jie go to the attic and get a new one."

Satoru Gojo clenched the daifuku in his hand, accidentally crushing it.

"Squish."

The cream squeezed out from the cracked rice cake skin, smearing all over his hand.

He looked down at the mess, then raised his head.

"Xi Yin, I want to eat stew for dinner."

Another failure. The woman squeezed out the hand cream he had given her and applied it to the child's hand, rubbing it in circles carelessly, as if handling fragile porcelain.

Her gaze still didn't turn to them.

"No, Satoru," she replied while applying the cream. "Stew is not suitable for a child; it's hard to digest. Let's have noodles for dinner tonight."

The woman who used to take everyone's opinions into account today was like a tyrant, firm and unequivocal.

In Xia Xiyin's heart, that child took priority over him.

During the Western practice class, Satoru Gojo confirmed one more thing: his senses were synchronized with his younger self.

His own hand was covered in cream, sticky, with cream oozing from between his fingers and smeared all over his palm. Yet on the back of his hand and between his fingers, he felt a gentle wiping sensation, along with the residual warmth of her touch.

That sensation was like a feather, tickling the softest part of his heart.

Satoru Gojo gritted his teeth, thinking, what is this, what is this feeling?

He wanted to curse, to pull Xia Xiyin over, to stick his hand in front of her and say, "Hey, Xi Yin, why aren't you applying it for me?"

But when the words reached his lips, not a single one came out. Because he realized that if he spoke now, at this very moment, he would lose this treasured touch.

His hands hung at his sides, feeling a touch that wasn't his, spreading along his nerves like a silent tide, slowly, bit by bit, drowning him.

Suguru Geto sensed the tension in the air and considerately spoke up: "Xi Yin, I'll go to the attic to find tools."

With that, he disappeared in a flash, as if fleeing the center of an impending storm.

Now only three people were left in the living room, and that sensation had vanished.

Satoru Gojo stepped forward, walked over to Xia Xiyin, and repeated his request: "Xi Yin, I want to eat stew."

Xia Xiyin frowned, about to scold Satoru Gojo for arguing with a child.

But she saw him standing there, sunglasses pushed up on his head, his eyes misted over like glass marbles. The corners of his mouth turned down, pulled into a straight line, and it was written all over him that he was in a bad mood.

How did he suddenly become like this?

Just a moment ago, he was jumping for joy over the gift, happily eating sweets like a cat who'd gotten the cream. How did he suddenly become like this? Was the gift not to his liking?

Following Satoru Gojo's unfocused, vacant gaze, his focus was on the hand of his younger self.

"I want to eat stew, Xi Yin."

Since Satoru Gojo was standing beside her, his voice was flatter this time, deliberately pressed flat.

In a flash, Xia Xiyin suddenly understood—he was squabbling with a child.

Moreover, she saw Satoru Gojo's hand hanging at his side, cream oozing between his fingers, dripping drop by drop onto the floor.

"Sigh."

The one who knew everything sighed, pushed Satoru Gojo down onto the sofa, pulled a wet wipe from the table, and stuffed it into his hand.

"Wipe it clean."

Satoru Gojo didn't move a muscle, hunched over with his head down, his eyes still fixed on his younger self's hand.

Seeing this, Xia Xiyin's expression tightened, and she forced a helpless smile.

She picked up the wet wipe, rolled up her sleeves, and wiped each finger bone, spreading his fingers apart, squeezing in, moving in circles.

Her gaze was fixed on his angular hands, naturally ignoring everything else, such as the slight upward curve of Satoru Gojo's lips.

After three wipes were used up, the angular hand was finally restored to its original state.

Just as Xia Xiyin was about to stand up, that hand pressed her down. She tried to brush it off, but it caught her chin and gently lifted it. The force was not heavy, but it was very steady.

She couldn't escape, not because she didn't want to. Rather, the posture of the two now—she was half-squatting, he was sitting, her chin held in his fingertips—robbed her of all strength to resist. Like a cat caught by the scruff of its neck, aside from meowing, it could only freeze in place, letting itself be examined.

"Xi Yin, I want to eat stew." He repeated the request once again.

At the same time, Satoru's hand stroked hers, confirming that she was listening, that she wasn't glancing at anyone else.

The air grew thick, and the two remained in silence.

Satoru Gojo lowered his gaze, his fingertip slid from her jaw to her cheek, stopping there. The scorching heat of his palm approached, carrying the sweet scent of daifuku, lingering around her nose.

His other hand also cupped her cheek. Her fair face was wrapped in his palms, foreheads touching, their breaths mingling, making Xia Xiyin's heart pound.

"Jie, do you want stew or noodles?"

Hearing this, Xia Xiyin's gaze swept to the side, catching Suguru Geto, who had been watching from somewhere. This clever diversion tactic caught Suguru Geto off guard, his temples throbbing.

He looked at the two who couldn't bear to part, then at the miniature version of his best friend.

At this moment, Suguru Geto understood how hard it is to be a woman—keeping things even was still too hard.

Just as he was about to smooth things over, a clear, cold voice interjected.

The understanding Divine Child spoke up: "Have stew."

The deadlock was broken, and Xia Xiyin nodded. Since the child had agreed, she couldn't say anything more.

"Have stew," Xia Xiyin compromised helplessly. She'd thought Gojo Satoru would let go, but she was still fixed in place, unable to move.

Thus she shoved her arm against Gojo Satoru's hard muscles. Not only did she not move him, but she also stumbled backward from the momentum.

Gojo Satoru released one hand and wrapped it around her waist. His other hand went under her knees, lifting her horizontally into his arms.

His gaze was intense, his lashes fluttering like startled butterflies.

He spoke again, his tone serious: "Xiyin, have thin noodles."

Xia Xiyin finally understood: this guy was just looking for a fight! Whether it was stew or thin noodles, he didn't care; he was simply in a bad mood.

Once she figured it out, she gave a knowing chuckle.

Now the blush on her earlobes faded—not gone, just shifted elsewhere.

Xia Xiyin took hold of his arm with one hand, and placed the other on the back of his head, pulling herself forward.

Without any hesitation or buildup, their lips and teeth intertwined as she invaded his mouth, pushing in recklessly, his fortress instantly crumbling in utter defeat.

All his words were swallowed up, and even his sulky mood was wiped away, leaving just a wisp of smoke.

A few seconds later, she saw that Gojo Satoru's eyes were rimmed red, his lips kissed to a glistening sheen and slightly swollen.

The taste of blood filled both their mouths. Xia Xiyin deliberately grazed the soft inside of his mouth with her sharp teeth.

When the kiss ended, she pulled away from his broad chest, her movements crisp and clean, without any hesitation.

She walked over to Suguru Geto and gave him a firm slap on the back.

"Geto," Xia Xiyin clasped her hands behind her back, her tone playful and sly, "We're having soba noodles for dinner. You like that?"

After speaking, she pulled Suguru Geto's arm and strode toward the kitchen, her steps as light as a bird, eager to find food.

Suguru Geto let himself be dragged along, stumbling but obedient. He glanced back at his best friend on the sofa, then leaned in to look at the back of her round head.

So this was what real balance looked like.

The young Divine Child stared at the stupefied "himself," then looked at the woman in the kitchen enveloped in Cursed Energy.

In his view, the woman was wrapped in a deep, thick blue Cursed Energy that wouldn't dissipate.

He spoke like a thunderbolt: "So this is why her whole body is covered with my Cursed Energy?"

"No, not just. Not just your Cursed Energy, but also..."

Author's Note: A question for everyone—they only kissed twice, so why is her whole body covered in Cursed Energy?