Chapter 53

As soon as they left the hospital, the three exchanged glances, and Xia Youjie spoke first to Rokudo Mukuro, "Shall we have a match?"

Xia Youjie looks gentle and has a good temper, but how serious can someone who can wreak havoc on the entire high school with Wu Tiaowu be?

Having watched Rokudo Mukuro and Gojo Satoru fight, he was already eager to try it out. Today, after witnessing Rokudo Mukuro's methods for dealing with cursed spirits, his desire to fight intensified.

As for Rokudo Mukuro, a hidden battle maniac who has been fighting Hibari Kyoya for years, he certainly wouldn't let go of a challenge that came knocking on his door.

"I couldn't have gotten it."

Xia Youjie looked at Gojo Satoru, who was staring longingly at the cake, and said, "Satoru, let's go find a secluded place."

Gojo Satoru was unwilling; he just wanted to taste the delicious cake.

"Hurry up, I'll buy you daifuku later, you can choose any flavor."

Hearing this, Gojo Satori, carrying his cake, followed after him, complaining as he went, "I knew it! Jet is a violent freak pretending to be a good student. He beat me up the first time we met..."

Xia Youjie's forehead veins throbbed. What did he mean by "beat him up"? Wasn't it Wu Xian who provoked him? And then they started fighting each other.

"...But since Jay is my best friend, I'll reluctantly forgive your weird bangs."

Xia Youjie gritted his teeth and said, "Then I really thank you."

Gojo Satoru said with a grin, "You're welcome."

The three quickly found a park; it was midday, and there weren't many people. Xia Youjie, however, was still a little hesitant. Would making too much noise disturb others?

Rokudo Mukuro immediately saw through his concerns. "Don't worry, with my genjutsu, no one will be able to detect what's going on here."

Illusion is indeed omnipotent.

Gojo Satoru sat obediently to the side, holding the cake, staring at the two people standing in the open space with a well-behaved expression.

Because neither side had a good understanding of the other's energy system, they both chose to engage in close combat.

When Rokudo Mukuro conjured his weapon, the trident, he saw Natsume Yuuki unarmed. "Where's your weapon?"

Xia Youjie rubbed his nose. He was a Spirit Master, which is basically a summoner who throws Poké Balls. In close combat, he would also coordinate with the spirits he summoned to deliver powerful physical attacks.

He never imagined that one day he would engage in one-on-one close combat with someone other than Wu, without even using a cursed spirit.

He had a general understanding of cursed tools, but he had never encountered a weapon that suited him.

"I don't have a suitable weapon."

Sitting to the side, Gojo Satoru shouted, "Jay is a Pokémon Master, but he's always been dedicated to being a warrior."

Natsume ignored Gojo Satoru's teasing and instead said to Rokudo Mukuro, "Use your illusion magic to conjure up a dagger for me."

Rokudo Mukuro raised an eyebrow. This guy is really something...

One of them held a trident, and the other held a dagger. The moment they looked at each other, they moved simultaneously, and the trident and dagger collided with a crisp sound.

With just this one move, Rokudo Mukuro was somewhat surprised. Neither of them had used their true abilities, but in terms of close combat alone, Rokudo Mukuro was not at an advantage in this match.

In terms of fighting skills alone, Xia Youjie was definitely no match for Rokudo Mukuro, an experienced illusionist. However, despite his slender build, Xia Youjie possessed immense strength. When their weapons clashed, Rokudo Mukuro even felt his hands go numb.

In a life-or-death struggle, he certainly had hundreds of ways to kill his opponent; a simple cut with his trident would be enough to catch him off guard. However, the two had no deep-seated hatred or conflict of interest; it was merely a simple contest. Furthermore, both were individuals whom the World Consciousness had specifically asked him to rescue. Therefore, he was even more restrained in his fighting.

We can't hurt him, but we have to defeat him, and his strength is not weak at all, but rather very strong.

Xia Youjie felt the same way. He had to try his best to control his urge to release the cursed spirit, while also dealing with Rokudo Mukuro, whose combat skills were superior to his. For him, the difficulty was extraordinary.

But he also knew that this was a very good learning opportunity. Weren't these the very skills he lacked?

Within minutes, both of them were covered in a fine layer of sweat.

Xia Youjie took a step back and said to Rokudo Mukuro, "Rokudo-kun, I'm going to summon the cursed spirit."

Rokudo Mukuro nodded; he also wanted to see how Xia Youjie would cooperate with the cursed spirits in battle.

A gigantic cursed spirit shot up from Rokudo Mukuro's feet, attempting to swallow him whole; beautiful lotus flowers and vines also appeared out of thin air around Natsume.

Xia Youjie dodged the vine attack and charged towards Rokudo Mukuro. Rokudo Mukuro, having dodged the gaping maw of the cursed spirit, stood on its back and looked at Xia Youjie, who was riding a flying cursed spirit towards him, a smile playing on his lips.

A massive pillar of fire shot into the sky, heading straight for Xia Youjie, who controlled his spirit to dodge it.

Rokudo Mukuro watched as Xia Youjie approached him again, a mysterious smile playing on his lips. Xia Youjie felt uneasy looking at Rokudo Mukuro, but seeing the oncoming attack, he quickly focused on the fight.

Sitting not far away, Gojo Satoru adjusted his small round sunglasses and muttered to himself, "I told you he was a fraud. Without me around, poor Jai would have been fooled like that."

The air around him rippled slightly, and Six Eyes caught the ripple precisely. He looked to his side, his tone tinged with displeasure, "How could you tease Jay like that?"

Rokudo Mukuro, who had withdrawn from the battle, was also helpless, but he said with a straight face, "I am a delicate illusionist, and I am not good at close combat. I prefer peace to fighting."

Gojo Satoru wasn't buying it. "Jay is also a summoner who isn't good at melee combat."

Rokudo Mukuro's lips twitched. A summoner who isn't good at close combat? Are you sure you're not wrong? Even if the force didn't land directly on him, it still made his hand go numb through the dagger.

Even with all that, you're still not good at close combat.

He opened his palm to Gojou, letting the facts speak for themselves.

Gojo Satoru then realized that the strange strength emanating from his best friend had also caused him great suffering. He remained silent, feeling embarrassed.

Forget it, it's a rare opportunity to see someone make a fool of themselves. I'll write it down so I can laugh at them later. Punching at thin air, hahaha...

Rokudo Mukuro took out the chocolate Marui Bunta had given him and slowly savored it. And it was surprisingly delicious. After such a difficult battle, he needed to replenish his strength.

He was enjoying delicious chocolate while controlling the illusion that was fighting, feeling quite content.

As an illusionist, even if he is skilled in physical combat, he wouldn't be foolish enough to go head-to-head with someone who is incredibly strong and skilled in fighting.

Satoru Gojo couldn't resist the temptation and unwrapped the cake in front of him. Marui Bunta had even thoughtfully provided them with forks. He picked up a piece and stuffed it into his mouth, then looked up at his best friend who was fighting against thin air in the arena. His smile grew wider and wider, and the cake in his mouth tasted more and more delicious.

He secretly took out his phone and recorded a video, which he then took home and treasured!

Xia Youjie, standing on the field, felt increasingly uneasy. A strange feeling was surging within him, and he quickly remembered Rokudo Mukuro's ability. His movements slowly came to a halt. "Are you really fighting me?"

After both sides stopped moving, Xia Youjie, who had calmed down, smelled a sweet aroma – the scent of cake and chocolate.

He suddenly looked in the direction of Gojo Satoru. Gojo Satoru was sitting on the steps with a cake on his lap, holding a phone in one hand and a fork in the other. When he noticed him looking over, he smiled and waved at him.

However, Xia Youjie, who knew him well, could clearly see that something was wrong with his smile. It was a malicious smile, the kind of smile Wu would only show when he was doing something bad.

And where did that chocolate smell come from?

He turned back to look at Rokudo Mukuro opposite him, and the man slowly turned into a wisp of green smoke and disappeared...

By this time, Xia Youjie had realized he had been tricked, but when exactly? Yes, it was that pillar of fire that caught his attention, and that's when he felt something was wrong.

Rokudo Mukuro revealed himself beside Gojo Satoru, a smug smile on his face. He seemed about to say something to Natsume, but as soon as Natsume approached, Gojo Satoru burst into loud laughter:

"Jay, you're such a loser! No way, you were fooled by my amazing six eyes right next to you? I recorded it all. Xia Youjie punched the air and kicked the phantom. It's so stupid... I'm going to keep this video for the rest of my life!"

Excellent, Gojo Satoru perfectly drew away all the hatred points.

Rokudo Mukuro also spoke up to explain, "Natsuyu-kun, I'm a delicate illusionist, and I'm not good at close combat. And you're too strong; I'm still young, and I'd easily get hurt..."

With a perfect reason, a perfectly innocent expression, and the perfect Gojo Satoru stirring up hatred on the side, plus the fact that even as an illusion he had learned a lot of skills, Xia Youjie easily forgave Rokudo Mukuro.

Rokudo Mukuro smiled. "Illusionists should be delicate and frail when necessary. There's nothing shameful about that."

Xia Youjie glared at the arrogant Gojo Satoru and said, "Satoru, were you just sitting here eating cake and watching the show while I was fighting over there?"

Seeing his best friend was quite angry, Gojo Satoru became obedient. "I left you half a piece." He held up the half-eaten cake and handed it to Xia Youjie, staring straight at him. He knew that Jie couldn't stand this kind of look from him.

Xia Youjie, who was initially a little soft-hearted, saw Rokudo Mukuro standing to the side and remembered what Gojo Satoru had just said. He hardened his heart, took the remaining half of the cake, and ate it in big bites, leaving none for Gojo Satoru.

Gojo Satoru stared longingly at Xia Youjie. He knew that Xia Youjie didn't like sweets and would only have a bite or two before, leaving the rest for him. But now he had eaten it all, leaving not a single bite for him.

Xia Youjie suppressed the sweet taste in his stomach, took out a tissue to wipe his mouth, and then looked at Gojo Satoru's slightly aggrieved expression. Feeling much better, he looked up and smiled, "The taste is good. Also, Satoru, your daifuku is gone too."

"Ahhh, Jay, how could you do this?"

Yes, I feel much better now.