Curse Reply: After choosing Nawa, the cursed spirit cursed me for being cruel.

Gojo Satoru feigned a shy expression, then hugged Duanmu Yan: "Hooray! Duanmu is truly the best to me. If I were a woman, I would definitely marry you!"

Duanmu Yan pushed him away forcefully: "Get out of here, don't get so close to me!"

He was really happy!

Perhaps, as Gojo Satoru said, they themselves are just teenagers a year older than their juniors, who would argue about the taste of desserts, be chased by teachers to write self-criticisms, and have the troubles and immaturity that belong to this age.

At the same time, they are indeed top-tier special-grade beings standing at the pinnacle of the sorcery world, shouldering the responsibility of protection, possessing the power to change the future, and... are influencing those around them in their own way.

Looking at everything before him, Duanmu Yan felt a little less burdened by the weight of knowing the future.

With them here, with these younger generations striving to grow, with this noisy daily life...

The future can truly be different.

Chapter 118 Xia Youjie's Bitter Summer

As June progressed, the summer heat intensified.

Duanmu Yan has been back at the vocational college for some time now, and his life seems to have returned to a certain established track, yet it is also quietly changing because of his presence.

For Haibara Yu and Nanami Kento, this change was most noticeable, as their schedules were filled to an unprecedented degree.

In the past, the daily training of the two first-year students mainly consisted of sparring. As special graders, Gojo Satoru and Natsumi Yuki had heavy tasks and were often away from home. It was already rare for them to find time to give guidance, and most of the time they practiced sparring.

But after Duanmu Yan returned, the situation changed. He would spend at least an hour every day personally guiding them.

The process was extremely unpleasant. Often, by the end of training, Haibara Yu and Nanami Kento were as if they had been pulled out of the water, their muscles aching all over, their magical power depleted, and they didn't want to move a single finger.

But the effects were immediate; their control over their magical power became visibly more refined, and their teamwork became increasingly seamless.

Most surprisingly, the two of them were able to trigger Black Flash relatively consistently.

At this moment, on the training field.

Nanami Kento and Haibara Yu collapsed onto the scorching sand, their chests heaving and their faces flushed.

Not far from them, Duanmu Yan sat upright with his legs crossed, his breathing steady, a stark contrast to the two juniors lying on the ground like dead dogs.

Anyone who didn't know better would think he was bullying his junior.

In the distance, Ieiri Shoko and Natsuyuki came over carrying popsicles and bottles.

With a lollipop dangling from her mouth, Shoko glanced at the carnage on the ground and said matter-of-factly, "Duanmu, you've managed to exhaust them to the point where they don't want to move anymore today, haven't you?"

Xia Youjie smiled helplessly, walked over, helped the two up, and then took out chilled drinks and popsicles from the bag and put them in their hands.

“Really, Duanmu,” Xia Youjie turned to Duanmu Yan, his tone gentle but disapproving, “Appropriate training is necessary, but there has to be a balance. Let them catch their breath and relax. Look how tired they are.”

Haibara Yu took the ice-cold drink, almost impatiently twisted off the cap, and gulped down more than half the bottle in one go. He was instantly full of energy and retorted:

"Senior Xia You! It's not hard at all! Senior Duanmu's training is really fun! I can clearly feel myself improving every time! I don't feel tired at all!"

Nanami Kento also felt that the training was effective: "The training volume is indeed much larger and the intensity is higher than before, but I can really feel the improvement in my strength."

He paused, then added, "Compared to... that white-haired senior's so-called guidance, which was occasional, haphazard, and usually ended with mockery and one-sided crushing, Senior Duanmu's teaching was much more effective."

Upon hearing this, Shoko shrugged and said, "Well, after all, that guy Satoru has absolutely no talent for teaching. All he probably thinks about is 'Why can't you do something this simple?' and 'Watch closely, I'm only demonstrating once,' and the rest is up to the other person to figure out on their own. It would be a miracle if they could learn it."

As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly felt two pairs of eyes fall on her at the same time.

It was Duanmu Yan and Xia Youjie.

They exchanged a glance. The meaning in their eyes was crystal clear.

Shoko, we agree that Satoru lacks teaching talent, but your own theory on learning inversion techniques doesn't seem much better than Satoru's, does it?

Shoko ignored their gazes.

Haibara Yu didn't notice the silent exchange between his seniors. He finished his drink, sighed contentedly, and looked up at the sky.

The June sun was already quite powerful, hanging brightly in the sky, baking the training ground until it was steaming hot.

"But then again, summer came really early this year. It suddenly feels so hot."

Xia Youjie also raised his head and looked at the blazing sun that was radiating intense heat. The sunlight was a bit dazzling, and he squinted slightly.

Whether it was just his imagination or not, when summer was mentioned, the inexplicable melancholy that had been lingering in his heart since the beginning of summer seemed to resurface.

He gazed at the sky, unconsciously murmuring to himself, "It must be...another sweltering summer..."

It seems that every year around this time, he feels a vague unease, like a mental blockage and depression weighing heavily on his heart.

"This summer isn't so bad."

A calm voice interrupted his thoughts.

Xia Youjie snapped out of his daze and looked at Duanmu Yan, who was speaking.

Duanmu Yan had already stood up, brushed the sand off his pants, and walked up to him. "I plan to stay at school this summer and not go anywhere else. What, does my staying make you feel uncomfortable? Is it 'bitter'?"

Xia Youjie was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled and quickly waved his hand, "Don't make it sound like I'm bullying you. How could I be upset? We're overjoyed that you can stay."

His smile remained gentle, but the weariness in his eyes hadn't completely disappeared. "It's just... I don't know why, but after becoming a Special Grade, I always feel... the burden on my shoulders seems to have suddenly become much heavier. Missions, responsibilities, and those..."

He paused, not finishing his sentence, but letting out a soft sigh, "Sometimes I feel a little tired. Not physically, but here..."

He pointed to his heart.

Shoko, chewing on a lollipop, glanced at him and mumbled, "Psychological fatigue? Or mental exhaustion from excessive use of magical energy? Do you want me to take a look? Although you can reverse spells yourself, maybe..."

“It’s alright, Shoko.” Xia Youjie smiled and shook his head, interrupting her suggestion. “It’s really nothing serious. I’ve probably just been busy with a lot of tasks lately and haven’t been getting enough rest. As long as I can stay at the college and be with you guys, I feel… quite happy.”

After he finished speaking, he habitually reached out to smooth his bangs, but paused slightly in his movement.

Because he noticed that Duanmu Yan's gaze had been fixed firmly on his face for some time now.

Xia Youjie felt uncomfortable under that gaze and was about to ask a question.

Duanmu Yan acted first. He stepped forward and gently patted Xia Youjie's arm. "Jie, come with me for a moment. There's something I want to talk to you about alone."

After saying that, he turned and walked towards the relatively secluded grove of trees next to the training ground without waiting for Xia Youjie's reply.

Xia Youjie watched his retreating figure, hesitated for a moment, and then took a step and followed him.

Chapter 119 Xia Youjie is on the verge of a breakdown

At the edge of the woods, the shade of the trees blocked the scorching sun, making it slightly cooler.

Duanmu Yan stopped under an old banyan tree, turned around, and looked at Xia Youjie who had walked up to him.

Instead of getting straight to the point, Duanmu Yan spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Jie, I've read your recent mission reports, and I heard... there have been several missions where... there have been casualties among ordinary people?"

The smile on Xia Youjie's face melted away instantly upon hearing those words, like thin ice under the sun.

He remained silent, not answering immediately, which made the silence between the two of them somewhat oppressive.

After several seconds, Xia Youjie's lips curled up stiffly, "...Yes, it's happened...several times already."

Is this the reason you feel tired?

"Tired...?" Xia Youjie repeated Duanmu Yan's question, his voice low and hoarse, "Probably... that's why."

He raised his hand, rubbed his temples vigorously, looked at his best friend, and decided to confide in him.

“Last month… I dealt with a near-Special Grade Cursed Spirit in a remote prison for hardened criminals in the northeast. When I received the mission briefing, I felt… uneasy.”

"Why? Duanmu, tell me why? We sorcerers risk our lives, even endure disgust to devour those filthy things, to save and protect these murderers, rapists, drug lords, and inhuman scum?"

He forced a smile, a smile more painful than a grimace. "Once inside... the revulsion was almost overwhelming. You know what, Duanmu? Even with the cursed spirits raging outside, death looming, what were those prisoners... those so-called people, thinking?"

"It wasn't fear, it wasn't regret, but how they harmed their cellmates in the chaos, how they looted limited supplies, and even... how they took advantage of the confusion to assault the seemingly weak to vent their filthy desires! Their eyes were filled only with the nakedest greed, violence, and selfishness! I saw it all clearly!!!"

Xia Youjie's voice gradually became more agitated, and he even stood up to meet Duanmu Yan's gaze, his body becoming increasingly tense.

"At that time, I was thinking... was everything we sorcerers did to protect people like this really meaningful? Did they deserve it?"

"This non-magician world, filled with such scum... is it really worth me using a disgusting spell like Spirit Manipulation to swallow that stuff that tastes like rotten matter mixed with curses, just to maintain its stability?!"

His breathing became rapid, his chest heaving slightly, as if he had returned to the prison that made him feel nauseous.

"But... Sorcerers are there to protect non-sorcerers... This is the right thing to do, the great principle I've always believed in, so I went in anyway, found the cursed spirit, exorcised it, and then swallowed it."

As he said this, Xia Youjie's body trembled, and his face revealed undisguised disgust and pain.

"The rag that wiped the vomit... no, it's worse than that. It's the solidified entity of countless negative emotions and curses, the pure taste of 'evil.' Every time I swallow, I feel like vomiting. But in the past... I could deceive myself with the idea of ​​righteousness, of protecting more people, and force myself to swallow it down."

He suddenly looked up at Duanmu Yan. His usually gentle and smiling narrow eyes were now bloodshot, churning with pain, confusion, and a hint of barely suppressed coldness and ferocity.

"But, Duanmu! Do you know what?! After I disgustingly cleaned up that cursed spirit... guess what those scum who survived did? They! Shamelessly! Surrounded me! Begged me! To let me, the sorcerer who just 'saved' them, take them out of that collapsing prison area! They said... they'd pay any amount of money! As if money can buy everything, including the ugliness they just exposed!"

Xia Youjie's voice suddenly rose, and he grabbed Duanmu Yan's arm, his eyes filled with struggle and a near-explosive madness:

"At that moment... I really couldn't hold back anymore! Duanmu! I fucking wanted to... I wanted to kill all these maggot-like things right there and then! Leave not a single one alive! Clean them up! You know?! Do you understand that feeling?!"

After he finished shouting, as if he had used up all his strength, he slowly released his grip on Duanmu Yan's arm, his body hunched slightly, he ran his hands through his hair, and his voice lowered, filled with endless confusion and self-loathing:

"What should I do? The principles I uphold... the path I chose... is it right or wrong? Why do I swallow those disgusting cursed spirits every day? To protect these... things? I feel like... a joke."

"So tired...so tired..."

He maintained this posture, his shoulders shrugging slightly, and said nothing more.

Duanmu Yan listened quietly the whole time, without interrupting or commenting, simply remaining a silent listener.

Xia Youjie roared out all his pent-up anger, pain, confusion, and doubt before falling silent.

He looked at his dear friend, who was almost torn apart by inner conflict, and at this genius who once firmly believed that "spells exist to protect non-spellcasters," but whose faith was now wavering because of the darkness he saw. His face showed little surprise or shock.

"So, this is the root of your fatigue?" Duanmu Yan asked.

Xia Youjie nodded, his voice returning to its previous low tone, but sounding even more tired: "Yes, it's in the serious crime ward of that prison."

“That cursed spirit… attacked that area first. I watched it… tear apart and devour those prisoners, listening to their screams, pleas for mercy, and curses… and I was standing not far away.”

He closed his eyes. "But I didn't move. I didn't immediately stop them as usual. I just... watched. I watched those guys, whom I felt were evil and didn't deserve to be saved, die in front of me, one, two... until the area became completely quiet."

He opened his eyes and looked at Duanmu Yan. His eyes held pain, confusion, and a sense of relief that he himself was unaware of.

"Then... I took action, dealt with the cursed spirit that had become stronger by devouring enough people, and...ate it."

After saying this, Xia Youjie seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, and his warm smile reappeared on his face. However, this time, there was no trace of his former composure in that smile; only endless bitterness and emptiness remained.

“Look, Duanmu, I am such a hypocritical and weak person. I talk about righteousness, but I have such dark thoughts in my heart, and even... I would not help someone who is dying.”