Chapter 44, Section 43

The two of them returned soaking wet because it started raining halfway there.

Xia Youjie held towels in both hands, his gaze sweeping over the two carefree, laughing and playing children. Looking down, he could see the shopping bags piled on the ground.

Haha, off to buy games.

He can make a complete mess of himself, but he can play games without getting a drop of water on his plate.

Wow, that's dedicated.

"Jay, how many pillows do you have?"

Hearing that the topic involved him, Xia Youjie became more serious and wary of Matsusaka Airi.

Don't be fooled by her innocent expression. This girl is the same type as Gojo Satoru; she can easily create a mess for you to clean up. If Gojo Satoru is the one who caused the trouble, he might even beat her up. Airi...

Who could bring themselves to do that?

They acted lawlessly because they were pampered.

"Jay~"

She shook her head, a towel draped over her head, her rain-soaked red hair clinging to her cheeks, her face half-hidden beneath the towel. Her indifferent expression softened, revealing a gentler, more playful side; only now did she resemble an ordinary young girl.

Youth should be squandered; let it be wasted. Leave the burdens of thought to the future.

While you can still laugh freely now, don't save your smiles for later.

There aren't many times when a person can smile easily.

These are words that anyone in their twenties could say, taking away carefree and joyful hearts and bringing adult anxieties and endless contemplation.

If a person doesn't keep thinking, it's as if they're not alive...

"Jay~"

His fingers were tugged and shaken, interrupting his increasingly distant thoughts.

How many pillows do you have?

It's still the same problem.

“One,” he answered cautiously.

Actually, there are two.

I'm afraid she'll take both of them to play with, and then give him back two dirty pillows.

Although not having a pillow didn't affect his sleep, he still hoped that his pillow could stay clean in his room.

"That's a lie, he has more than one."

Micro-expression expert Yuichi Echizen immediately saw through his trick.

Airi Matsuzaka's expression immediately became incredibly cute, her smile both sweet and adorable.

"Jay~ Where's your room~"

Xia Youjie realized that this person wanted to make a mess of his room, leaving a complete chaos so he could just leave without cleaning up.

"Go take a shower." Xia Youjie changed the subject, wanting to leave immediately.

"Don't walk so fast."

A clingy monster climbed up.

"......"

The other clingy creature also cooperated and climbed up.

It's impossible to move an inch.

"...Go take a shower first."

It wasn't that he wanted to compromise; if he didn't agree, these two would keep bothering him until he lost interest.

Who knows when their interest will shift?

Airi Matsuzaka, with a towel dangling from her head, practically floated as she walked. She opened the door, went in, and then peeked out again. "Yuichi, the barbecue smells bad if you don't eat it."

"Okay, I'll eat in a bit."

【Bang】

Having confirmed that Airi had finished explaining things and wouldn't open the door again, Echizen Yu expressionlessly put his hands in his pockets and took a few steps back to create distance.

Tsk, what a drama queen.

I'll stop pretending now that Airi's not around.

A master of disguise, he can fool anyone.

The big swindler and his little swindlers took his money and went out to have fun, and now they're coming back to cause trouble. He's not just sitting around doing nothing; he's an adult with plenty of problems to deal with.

As I turned to leave, I was not surprised when my clothes were grabbed.

This little devil is even more troublesome than dealing with a monkey.

It wasn't a misperception; on the very first day of these two visits, he sighed more than he had in a whole month.

"Jay, where are you going?"

"..."

Xia Youjie felt as if he had raised two Gojo Satoru.

It's still the same DK Wu from ten years ago.

Really, it can cause him a lot of trouble.

"Go back to your room."

While Airi is taking a shower, Yuichi will calm himself down so he won't bother her.

Even being alone is a rare moment of peace and quiet these days.

"oh."

He let go, taking advantage of his high mobility, and carrying a bunch of shopping bags, he rushed into the room before Xia Youjie. By the time Xia Youjie slowly pushed open the door, he almost felt like this wasn't his room anymore.

This looks just like their toy room.

"You actually sleep in the bed, Jay." Yu, who was fiddling with the game box, didn't even look up, but it was obvious that she was making fun of him.

?

He is wearing a kasaya, that's true, but he's not a real monk. What's the conflict between a kasaya and a bed?

"Because Jay looks a lot like a monk." As he said this, he put down the game controller and looked up to observe Jay's clothes, mainly his face.

"Jay has the face of a compassionate monk..."

This kid is just as bad as DK Wu, in terms of how annoying people are when he talks.

Without Airi's mediation, the two of them actually had very little to talk about.

Xia Youjie leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes to rest, while Youyi sat on the small rug, ready to play a game. The silence between the two was neither awkward nor abrupt.

The former is not a talkative person, and the latter is used to being silent, so it is not difficult for them to say something to liven up the atmosphere.

I don't want to do it.

Small talk and lively conversation were unnecessary for them.

"Spirit Manipulation Technique, that's your spell." After testing the game's operation, Yuichi put down the controller, and the two picked up the conversation again.

"What do you need to do?"

When the topic turned interesting, Xia Youjie opened his eyes, turned to look at him with a half-smile, and met his gaze.

“Amamiya Emi has two techniques.”

"[Intrusion] and [obfuscation], you know how to use them, right?"

A cunning undercurrent flowed slowly in his dark blue eyes; his cunning and intelligence failed to reveal his true danger and restraint.

It seeps in like flowing water, silently corroding even the smallest parts.

They excel at finding deceptive weaknesses in seemingly invincible enemies and delivering a fatal blow.

They come and go freely, advancing and retreating with measured steps.

"Ah, it is indeed an excellent technique." He had already figured out how to maximize its use. He didn't mean to exaggerate; Amamiya Emi's technique had greatly helped the progress of his plan.

Hypnosis, induction, memory confusion, mind manipulation.

Its availability needs further development.

Then what?

Should we hand over Emi Amamiya to him?

"That's not all." Without lingering on that statement, he moved on to other matters. "The sooner we resolve this, the better. It's not too late to separate the two of them now."

Ah, right. Amamiya Emi and Airi have merged into one...

"Can they be separated?"

I guess he's already prepared a plan; is this a way of asking for his help?

"...You're strong, just help hold her down."

?

So all I have to do is physical labor?

"...Don't make me stop."

Look at his dejected appearance; this is the expression a young person should have.

Do you need my help?

"...Let me help you."

Hiss, Yuichi's timid appearance really startled him; he wasn't used to it.

"I couldn't pretend I didn't hear her cry out in pain..."

Is that how it is?

"When does it begin?"

"The sooner the better."

Then we just wait for her to come to us, right?

"Knock him out directly."

Xia Youjie rested his chin on his hand, looking slightly troubled.

"You're really pushing a bunch of bad things onto me."

Superficial hypocrisy.

Yuichi ignored this. With Amamiya Emi, a special cursed spirit with dual spells, as a reward, Natsuyu Jie would never remain indifferent.

In Xia Youjie's eyes, he and Airi were at most useful accomplices who could be discarded at any time.

People who betray for profit are better suited as temporary partners than those who succumb to love and desire.

Xia Youjie without a heart would be perfect.