The brave Simmel wants to resign

It is only natural for a brave person to dedicate themselves to world peace.

but--

"Ugh! Ugh! Ugh! This is terrible! Why do I have to spend Christmas with Simmel?! Couples are disgusting!"

Obviously, some people don't think that way.

"Mmm."

As Simmel leaned against the wall, sipping her chain coffee, she glanced at Gojo Satoru behind her with a gentle tone as if soothing a child, her face showing displeasure.

"There's nothing we can do about it."

"......"

The person in the background, Gojo Satoru, has a slightly messy hairstyle because he hasn't styled it in a long time.

He was still wearing small sunglasses, his chin was tucked in, and the corners of his eyes were slightly upturned. Although he was much taller than Simmel, he gave the impression of looking up at people from below.

He tilted his head slightly, his fur standing on end, and looked at people sideways.

Although, it's understandable that he was angry.

Just today, the two visited Xia Youjie in prison and discussed all the details of the defection incident.

Haibara Yu's apparent resurrection, which was later confirmed to be due to his body being stolen and used, already made Gojo Satoru extremely unhappy.

What upset him even more was seeing that familiar face in prison, a face that showed no remorse.

Gojo Satoru almost tore the cage apart and went in to beat the guy up himself.

But what he didn't expect was that something even more upsetting would happen next.

That is, even Gojo Satoru himself admitted that he understood Natsume Yuuki, understood the choice he made, and was prepared to accept it and part ways with his best friend—

The guy next to me actually said something so 'stupid' that I didn't know how to refute for a moment, as if it were perfectly natural.

[Wouldn't it be better if Xia You just subdued all the cursed spirits in the world?]

indeed.

indeed.

The total number of cursed spirits will not change in order to maintain a certain balance of combat power with the sorcerers. The real reason why they are impossible to kill is that they will keep reincarnating.

As long as fear exists among humans, cursed spirits will continue to exist.

However, the Spell Manipulation Technique is an exception.

The total number remains the same, but the spirits controlled by the spirit manipulation technique are, in a sense, 'belong to the human side'.

So, let's try to make an assumption.

If there are cursed spirits born out of 'fear of volcanoes' in this world, and their existence is subdued by cursed spirit manipulation techniques, is it possible that a second cursed spirit 'fearing volcanoes' will appear?

No, no, no, humanity's fear of volcanoes doesn't just appear out of nowhere.

Therefore, Simmel's proposal was correct.

This idea was so naive that neither Gojo Satoru nor Natsume Suke had considered it.

Of course, there will be other issues to come.

But at least, if Xia You had realized his existence sooner, it wouldn't have been as 'meaningless' to the world of sorcery as he imagined.

He effectively balanced the relationship between humans and cursed spirits.

If Xia You had just realized this, she might have given a different answer back then.

But it's too late to say all this now.

Xia You believed that he had crossed that line in his mind. Even without actually taking action, if he were to stand in front of the Panxing Cult members right now, he would still take action.

Realizing this, even with Simmel's proposal, he did not intend to release himself from prison—considering the attitude of the higher-ups in sorcery, this might be the right choice.

Consider this ****! (Five profanities)

He's already choosing death anniversaries for the high-ranking officials.

In exchange, Xia Youjie agreed that if Xinmeier and Wutiao Wu solved the cursed spirit in the future, he could seal the cursed spirit or beat it to the point of being unable to resist and bring it to him for him to absorb.

At least—Xia You is still willing to reduce the pressure on future sorcerers.

However, it is clear that even if Gojo Satoru can understand this result, he cannot easily accept it.

So he followed behind Simmel angrily like a pufferfish, occasionally bristling his fur, exhaling, and performing a Russian swirl.

Fortunately, in this world, beautiful women and handsome men are forgiven for whatever they do. Even if Gojo Satoru suddenly starts doing a backflip on the street, people won't criticize him for it.

"This is Xia You's own choice, and there's nothing we can say. We can only wait for him to figure it out himself."

Of course, Simmel still intended to express her concern as a senior.

"but...."

Gojo Satoru still wore a dissatisfied expression, but Simmel didn't seem impatient with that.

Ultimately, Gojo Satoru was just a child.

Even now, if Gojo Satoru were ten years older, in Simmel's eyes he would still be a child with the face of an old man.

They can still get stuck on minor details and dwell on past mistakes.

It is something that needs to be watched over by oneself.

—Towards the end of his life, Simmel lamented that perhaps the elf Frillian in his hero's party also viewed humans with a similar mindset.

However, before joining the team, she may not have had a sense of responsibility to 'protect humanity'.

Now....

Will she change after leaving us?

I didn't have a chance to ask.

Simmel couldn't help but daydream, and this time, it was Gojo Satoru's turn to quietly watch him. After a while, he muttered something unpleasantly.

"That's also very annoying."

"what?"

“Simmel, you sometimes show that nostalgic look on your face, then hold it for a while and then look relieved and happy. That carefree attitude of yours really annoys me.” Gojo Satoru crossed his arms and shook his head repeatedly. “Doesn’t that make me look so childish?”

"Ha ha!"

After suppressing her laughter, what was Simmel thinking?

"Oh, by the way, I do think there are things you really need to reflect on, Wu Tiao."

"what?"

I casually grabbed a sample of fried chicken from a salt and pepper fried chicken shop on the commercial street. Wu Tiao Wu's speech was unclear.

"You and Xia You are both free to have disagreements, but even if you hate discussing puberty with your elders, at least talk to your classmates."

Simmel intended to criticize.

"Glass is lonely."

"what?!"

Before he could even chew the crispy skin, he hurriedly swallowed the fried chicken, leaving Gojo Satoru with an incredulous expression.

"It's clearly Shoko who's isolating me!"

Once on the cruise ship, Ieiri Shoko told Simmel that she couldn't interfere in the world of Gojo and Natsuyu.

Because she wasn't strong, she couldn't be truly cared for by either of them.

That's what she was thinking...

—It's clearly Shoko's fault, acting like she knows everything! If she's lonely, she should just tell me!

Gojo Satoru seems to hold a different view.

He never looked down on glass.

He just... though he probably would never say it out loud, Gojo Satoru himself knew that he and Natsuyuki were probably incomplete in some way.

Unlike glass, which can handle anything with ease and is stable and reliable.

Therefore, neither he nor Natsuyu ever considered the need to prove that trust to Shoko.

Although it's not quite appropriate, it's like how people don't specifically tell their parents "to stay with me forever."

"Huh? Is that so?"

Even the sharp-witted hero, who had guessed the general situation, did not expect Gojo Satoru to be so direct in expressing his goodwill.

This child...

Simmel looked at Gojo Satoru, who was slightly taller than her and still had a youthful appearance.

"You've grown up..."

"Huh? Whose old man is that?"

ˊωˋ

That's so unfair! It was clearly a compliment...

Let's change the subject.

Looking at the gradually darkening sky, the colorful lights of the shopping street lit up one by one.

"The New Year is coming soon."

"Yeah, but we won't be able to get everyone together for the New Year this year," Gojo Satoru complained.

"I've heard that student life is always full of regrets. But yes, this world is cruel to you, too cruel."

The hero tilted his head back, exhaled white breath towards the sky, and spoke softly.

"So I'll stay a little longer."

"Who needs you to take care of them!"

"Oh, speaking of which, what traditional foods do you have for the New Year? I personally prefer steak!"