While I was chanting a curse, the system said I was Xiao Yan?

Xia Youjie's face was expressionless, but there was something indescribable in his eyes, like an emotion that was suppressed in his heart and could not be expressed.

Nanami Kento paused for a moment, then shook his head.

"No."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was firm: "Senior Xia You is very strong."

Xia Youjie's lips curved slightly, but there was a hint of bitterness in his smile.

"yes."

He didn't say anything more, and just continued to look out the window.

The sea is blue outside the window.

The sunlight shone on the sea, making it sparkle like countless tiny diamonds dancing.

Tianyan sat on the steps for a long time.

The sun moved from the east to the west, and the sunlight changed from golden to orange-red, painting the entire sky like a richly colored oil painting.

Riko ran back from the beach with a smile on her face, carrying a small bucket containing a few seashells and a small crab.

"Mr. Tianyan! Look! I found this!"

Tianyan looked at her bright smiling face and the corners of his mouth curved slightly.

"It's very beautiful."

Riko raised her chin triumphantly, then ran into the hotel carrying the bucket.

Misato Kuroi followed behind her, bowed slightly to Tianyan, and then quickly caught up with him.

Shoko Ieiri followed behind them toward the hotel, her wooden clogs making a crisp "clack-clack" sound as they stepped on the stone steps.

She wore a loose white short-sleeved shirt and dark beach shorts, her brown short hair fluttering slightly in the sea breeze. She looked like a tourist on vacation, rather than the holder of the most precious external reversal spell in the world of sorcery.

The aroma of takoyaki filled the hall, the sweet and salty sauce blending with the umami of seaweed and bonito flakes, like an invisible hand gently drawing everyone's attention.

Shoko Ieiri carried the box of takoyaki to Tenen's side, sat down on the chair next to him, and handed the box to him.

Tianyan glanced down at the golden-yellow dumplings coated with a dark brown sauce, the bonito flakes trembling slightly in the steam, they looked quite appealing.

"Here, eat it while it's hot."

Tianyan took the box of takoyaki, glanced down at it, and saw that the takoyaki was sprinkled with seaweed powder and bonito flakes. The bonito flakes trembled slightly in the steam, as if they were dancing.

He picked one up with a bamboo skewer, blew on it, and put it in his mouth. The outer skin was crispy, the filling was soft and chewy, the octopus pieces were very chewy, and the sauce melted in his mouth, bringing a sweet and salty satisfaction.

"It's delicious," he said calmly, but the corners of his mouth curved slightly.

"Have you checked on Natsume-kun's side?" Tenen swallowed the takoyaki and glanced at Shoko.

Shoko put a bamboo skewer in her mouth, nodded, her expression still calm, but her brows were slightly furrowed: "I've seen it. The wound is healing very well. You know the effect of the reversal technique. There are basically no problems with the external injuries."

She paused, took the bamboo skewer out of her mouth, and tapped it in the air: "But his condition... how should I put it, it doesn't seem like a physical problem, it's more like... depression."

"Dejected." Tianyan repeated the word, as if pondering its meaning.

Shoko turned her head to look at him, a slight smile playing on her lips, but tinged with helplessness: "You've sensed it too, haven't you? Ever since you were defeated, Natsuyu-kun has been acting strangely. Although on the surface he doesn't seem to have changed much—he talks as usual, he reads as usual—that feeling..."

She paused, as if choosing her words carefully: "How should I put it? It's like someone is standing in front of you, but their soul has already drifted off somewhere else."

Tianyan was silent for a moment, then nodded: "A little."

"Boys are such a hassle."

Shoko sighed, tossed the bamboo skewer into the empty box, braced her hands behind her back, and looked up at the sky, her short, brown hair gleaming softly in the sunlight: "It's just one loss, is it really worth making such a fuss?"

Tianyan's lips twitched. He wanted to say, "This isn't just about losing once," but he swallowed the words back.

He recalled Xia Youjie from the original work, the man who gradually went to extremes after the Star Essence Incident, the man who repeatedly questioned himself "why protect non-magicians" day and night.

This failure may just be a trigger, an opportunity to bring to the surface those questions that have long been buried in our hearts.

But he didn't say it.

He simply picked up another takoyaki, put it in his mouth, and chewed it slowly.

"Hey, hey, hey, what good stuff are you two sneaking around eating?!"

Gojo Satoru's voice came from behind him, loud enough to be heard throughout the entire corridor.

Tenyan and Shoko turned around at the same time and saw Gojo Satoru striding towards them, carrying two boxes of takoyaki in his hands—no, three boxes, one of which was tucked under his arm and looked like it was about to fall.

Shoko glanced at the three boxes of takoyaki in his hand, raising an eyebrow slightly: "You're eating three boxes by yourself?"

"This box is for Jai, this box is for Nanami and Ai, and this box is for me."

Wu Tiao Wu solemnly distributed the items, then sat down next to Tian Yan, placed the box for Xia Youjie on his lap, opened his own box, picked up a takoyaki, stuffed it into his mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and looked as satisfied as a cat that had stolen a fish.

"Hmm, this place is good. The sauce is rich, and the octopus pieces are big. I'll buy a few more boxes to take with me before I go back tomorrow."

Shoko looked at his "I'm here on vacation, not to do a mission" attitude and her lips twitched: "You seem to be in a great mood."

"Of course!"

Gojo Satoru swallowed the takoyaki, picked up another one, twirled it in his hand, and said in a relaxed tone as if it were a matter of course: "What's the use of looking gloomy now that it's already happened? Eat, drink, and have fun. We'll figure something out when we get back."

He paused, glanced at the balcony upstairs in the hotel, and lowered his voice: "Besides, you don't need to worry too much about Jay."

Shoko's eyebrows twitched slightly: "Oh?"

"Don't you guys know Jay well enough?"

Gojo Satoru stuffed the takoyaki into his mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and said indistinctly, "It's like when he's playing a video game, he encounters a mini-boss, can't beat it right away, and feels a little unwilling to accept defeat."

Tenyan and Shoko were both looking at him.

"Little boss?" Shoko repeated the word, her tone carrying a sense of skepticism, as if to say, "What nonsense are you talking about?"

Gojo Satoru swallowed the takoyaki, held up a finger, and said with a serious expression that didn't seem like he was joking: "Think about it, when you're playing a game, what do you do when you encounter a boss you can't beat? Your first reaction is definitely, 'Damn, how come this boss is so strong?' Then you go back to level up, farm for equipment, and come back to fight it when you have good gear, crush the boss, and then you feel great."

He paused, then a bright smile spread across his face: "Jay is currently in that 'first reaction' phase. Once he figures things out and finds a way to deal with that person, he'll naturally feel better."

Shoko looked at him, remained silent for two seconds, and then sighed: "You're making it sound too simple for them."

"It's really that simple." Gojo Satoru shrugged, picked up another takoyaki, and said with a hint of helplessness that said, "You guys are overthinking it."

"People become depressed because they feel they can't do it, but if they know they definitely can, it's just a matter of time, then what's there to be depressed about?"

Tianyan looked at him and fell silent.

He wanted to say, "Things aren't as simple as you think," and that "Xia Youjie's depression wasn't just because he lost, but because he started to question the meaning of his existence." He wanted to say, "That boss and the little boss you mentioned are not the same thing at all, because that boss is Shen Er, the 'Tyrant of Heaven,' the man who almost killed even Gojo Satoru."

Xia Youjie's chances of winning against Shen Er are indeed slim. Shen Er's speed, strength, combat experience, and his collection of strange and unusual magical artifacts are all things that Xia Youjie would find difficult to deal with.

Although the spell manipulation technique is powerful, it requires time to summon and control, and Shen'er's speed is so fast that Xia Youjie doesn't even have a chance to summon it.

What's more troublesome is that Shen'er has no magical power whatsoever, so Xia Youjie's perception ability is useless in front of him.

Tianyan shook his head inwardly. Xia Youjie didn't need "better equipment" to beat Shen Er; he needed a "fundamental breakthrough."