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

The director's office at the vocational college.

Afternoon sunlight streamed through the window lattice, casting a neat glow on the polished floor.

Masamichi Noi sat behind his large desk, his posture as straight as a pine tree, his face even more serious than when he was lecturing.

Duanmu Yan stood quietly in front of him, while Xia Youjie and Wutiao Wu leaned casually against the wall on either side.

Nocturnal Moth Masamichi took out a card with a peculiar texture from the drawer.

He took out the card and handed it to Duanmu Yan with both hands.

"Duanmu Yan. Based on your outstanding performance in the special incident at 'Private Sakura Academy', and after review by the Tokyo Metropolitan Higher Specialized School of Spellcasting, and with the joint recommendation and guarantee of first-class spellcasters Gojo Satoru and Natsuyu Jie, you are now officially recognized as having the strength and qualifications of a first-class spellcaster."

He handed the silver card forward.

"This is your Level 1 Sorcerer Certification Card. It is officially effective from today. Your relevant privileges, benefits, and responsibilities will be updated accordingly. Congratulations, Duanmu."

Looking at the card that symbolized official recognition and a higher status in the world of sorcery, Duanmu Yan felt a heavy sense of security.

He extended both hands and solemnly accepted it: "Yes, Teacher Moth. I will continue to work hard."

"Wow! Congratulations! You've reached level one!" Gojo Satoru, standing by the wall, immediately clapped his hands. Although the applause was sparse, his smile was dazzlingly bright.

"From now on, you'll be Lord Duanmu, Level One! Can I get a discount when we eat out?"

Masamichi Nobi glared at him, and Satoru Gojo gave an awkward laugh.

Xia Youjie smiled and nodded to Duanmu Yan: "Well deserved, Duanmu."

Just then, Gojo Satoru appeared beside Duanmu Yan without warning, casually draping his arm over Duanmu Yan's shoulder and practically hanging on him, enthusiastically suggesting:

"Hey! Now that Duanmu has been promoted, such a joyous occasion deserves a celebration! Summer's almost here! Let's go to the beach! Izu? Or Okinawa?"

"Sunshine! Beach! Swimsuits! Ah, and most importantly, dessert! That super famous mango shaved ice place by the sea!"

He became more and more excited as he spoke, his azure eyes sparkling.

Xia Youjie straightened up from the wall and bluntly exposed, "Wu, you just wanted to go play by yourself, right? You were afraid of being scolded by the teacher if you brought it up alone, so you dragged Duanmu, who had just been promoted for his meritorious service, into the conversation as an excuse, right?"

"What does it matter~!" Gojo Satoru didn't care at all about Natsume Yuuki's sabotage, and instead spoke with righteous indignation.

"We just dealt with a top-tier cursed spirit! We saved hundreds of people! Don't you understand the importance of work-life balance? Go to the beach to relax and unwind so you can train and exterminate cursed spirits better when you come back! Moth-sensei, don't you agree?"

He looked at Moth Zhengdao with a grin.

Looking at the three students in front of him, who had different styles but had already formed a solid little group, especially the white-haired one in the middle with his bright smile and expectant eyes, and thinking about the danger they had just experienced and the amazing results they had achieved, Ye Mo Zhengdao finally couldn't keep his serious face up.

He raised his hand to rub his temples, sighed, and his sigh was a mixture of helplessness, indulgence, and a hint of barely perceptible pride.

"Go ahead. You can choose the location yourselves, but remember, you only have two days! Once you've had your fun, get back to training immediately! Three of you teamed up to take on a Special Grade monster, and it was still so difficult. You only managed to break through the domain by having Duanmu use a trick. I'm ashamed to even tell anyone! From now on, double the training volume!"

"Yes!!" the three answered in unison, their voices loud and clear.

Gojo Satoru grabbed Duanmu Yan with one arm and pulled Xia Youjie with the other: "Let's go! Book tickets! Let's go now! Jie, quickly check which hotels still have ocean view rooms, I'll go tell Shoko!"

The three of them, arms around each other's shoulders, burst out of the office, their youthful voices and energy instantly filling the quiet corridor outside before quickly fading away.

The office fell silent again, and the sunlight moved quietly.

Night Moth Masamichi stood by the window, watching the three boys playing and walking away downstairs. He watched for a long time, then murmured to himself, his voice filled with a sense of nostalgia and a touch of melancholy: "Back in the old days..."

Chapter 32 Two People with Malice

"Remembering those days..."

Before Moth had finished speaking, the air around him rippled very slightly.

Gojo Satoru's handsome face, with a wicked grin, reappeared unexpectedly in front of him.

"Seriously~ You can't just secretly sigh like that."

"It's not about reminiscing about the past, because the teacher is still very young now. Also, you said something wrong..."

Gojo Satoru blinked, his azure pupils reflecting the somewhat bewildered face of Yamo. His tone was unusually serious, though it was quickly masked by a teasing tone.

"It should be, 'Seeing how energetic the students are these days makes me, as a teacher, very proud!' Bye-bye, Sense, take good care of the house!"

After saying that, before Moth could react, his figure vanished again like a phantom, leaving only a ripple.

In the office, Masamichi Noi was stunned for a moment, then a genuine smile slowly crept onto his usually serious lips, eventually turning into a helpless smile.

"This kid..."

He shook his head, sat back in his chair, glanced at the pile of documents and training plans on the table, and then looked out the window at the bright summer sky.

Let them be.

He spoke softly, leaning back in his chair, relaxing his straight spine for once.

"Should I... also find a reason to take a half-day off?"

……

Shoko ultimately did not go with them. In her own words, "Rather than being dried out on the beach and listening to some white-haired guy's endless nagging, I'd rather stay in the college's infirmary and catch up on sleep. Besides, what if some wounded soldiers are brought in?"

She yawned, waved, and watched the three energetic guys leave noisily.

Once the three people disappeared, the languid look on her face quickly faded, and a smile appeared on her lips.

"Those two troublemakers are finally gone..." she muttered to herself, quickly locking the infirmary door and pulling out a small, already packed suitcase from deep inside the cabinet.

"Although I feel a little sorry for Duanmu, having to endure two days of torture from those two scumbags... I have no choice but to sacrifice you for my precious vacation."

Without a trace of guilt, she changed out of her white lab coat, put on comfortable casual clothes, donned sunglasses, and left the college, dragging her suitcase and humming a song.

Destination? Of course, it's a hot spring resort, quiet, undisturbed, without dessert monsters or cursed spirits, just warm spring water and the latest magazines—perfect.

……

A secluded and beautiful private beach, with blue sky, white sand, azure sea, dazzling sunshine, and a sea breeze carrying the salty and free spirit.

After a short drive and an even shorter settling-in, the three boys had already changed into their swimming trunks and splashed and played in the clear seawater for a while.

The splashes of water refracted rainbow-like light under the sunlight, and the laughter and chatter startled the seabirds on the distant reefs.

At this moment, the three of them, tired from playing, lay side by side on the rented beach chairs, sunbathing.

Gojo Satoru wore flashy pink heart-shaped sunglasses, Xia Youjie wore ordinary brown sunglasses, while Duanmu Yan simply closed his eyes, enjoying the sunshine and sea breeze, a rare moment of relaxation.

However, this tranquility was soon shattered.

Several pretty college girls, dressed in revealing bikinis, were walking by chatting and laughing. Their eyes inadvertently swept over this area and then lingered on Duanmu Yan.

The boy's lean yet not exaggerated muscle lines, quiet profile, and the subtle contrast between him and his two companions with very different styles seemed to attract their attention.

They nudged each other, whispered a few words, and then actually came over and surrounded Duanmu Yan's beach chair, chatting and laughing.

"Little brother, are you alone? Oh, do you have any friends?"

"Are you here for tourism? Is this your first time here?"

"You have a great figure, do you exercise often?"

One problem after another. It's normal to be approached by strangers on the beach, but being surrounded by several enthusiastic and cheerful older women is more stressful for Duanmu Yan, whose romantic experience across two lifetimes is almost nonexistent, than facing three level-one cursed spirits at the same time.

He froze on the beach chair, unsure where to look, his face burning uncontrollably. His lips moved, but he could only utter a few indistinct syllables: "Ah, um, yes..."

He didn't even know what to do with his hands and feet, and his pleading gaze instinctively drifted to his comrade beside him.

Gojo Satoru turned to the side, propped his head up with his elbow, and took in the whole scene through his pink heart-shaped sunglasses.

He looked at Duanmu Yan's embarrassed and almost spontaneously combusting appearance, then glanced at the smiling girls, and curled his lip in displeasure.

"Hey Jay, why is this Duanmu more popular than me? I'm clearly more handsome, stronger, and more stylish, okay?"

Xia Youjie also tilted his head slightly, glanced at him, and calmly remarked, "Maybe... nowadays girls prefer the innocent-looking type like Duanmu? Look at him, his face is all red to his neck, maybe that actually arouses some kind of... protective instinct? Or the fun of teasing him?"

"Tch~" Gojo Satoru snorted, looking at Duanmu Yan's increasingly obvious pleading eyes, his eyes rolled, and a brilliant idea popped into his head.

He sat up abruptly, winking at Xia Youjie, "Jie! I've made up my mind! We'll execute Plan A!"

A sense of foreboding suddenly rose in Xia Youjie's heart, and he almost broke out in a cold sweat: "Wu, wait, are you serious? At the beach? With so many people?"

He paused, then couldn't help but ask, "And... what exactly is Plan A? I don't remember having such a thing."

"Relax, relax~" Gojo Satoru waved his hand, his smile strangely bright, and said eagerly, "Just follow my rhythm! With our chemistry, you'll naturally know how to coordinate! Let's go!"

After saying that, he ripped off his pink heart-shaped sunglasses, tossed them aside, and strode towards Duanmu Yan, who was surrounded by girls and in dire straits.

Although Xia Youjie knew that Wutiao Wu had ill intentions, his body still followed him honestly, ready to finish him off at any time.

Duanmu Yan was being roasted by his sisters' enthusiasm when he saw Wutiao Wu and Xia Youjie finally get up and walk towards him. At that moment, he felt as if he had seen a savior!

I was so moved I almost cried! They really are good brothers! They saw through my predicament! They're here to help me out! That must be it!

However, before his small flame of emotion could ignite, it was extinguished by Gojo Satoru's next action, who then poured a bucket of ice water on it.

Wu Tiao Wu rushed to Duanmu Yan's side with lightning speed, and then, to the astonishment of Duanmu Yan and the girls around him, he put his arm around Duanmu Yan's bare shoulder, pressed half of his body against him, and affectionately rubbed his head against Duanmu Yan's neck.

He even raised his face, revealing an expression that was a mix of grievance and coquetry—an expression worthy of an Oscar—to the girls, and spoke in a deliberately high-pitched voice:

"Hey~ you bunch of philandering cats, stay away from my Duanmu! We already made plans to go eat that super~~ delicious limited edition rainbow parfait together later! Right, Duanmu~"

As he spoke, he shook Duanmu Yan's arm.

Duanmu Yan: "..."

The blush on his face faded instantly, turning ashen.

Now, his mind is blank.

Help, help... something seems off about the script...

Chapter 33 It turns out to be a low-level cursed spirit.

The girls around the two young boys, who were snuggling together, were initially taken aback, but then their eyes lit up with curiosity and a certain indescribable... light, and their whispers grew louder.

Just then, another, cooler voice, tinged with a hint of displeasure, rang out at just the right moment: "Wu, what nonsense are you talking about?"

Xia Youjie strolled over slowly, his hands in his swim trunks pockets. His gaze, behind his brown sunglasses, swept coldly over Gojou's arm around Duanmu Yan, then settled on Duanmu Yan's other, empty shoulder. His tone was calm, yet brooked no argument:

"Duanmu promised me a long time ago that he'd come with me tonight to try that newly opened Chinese restaurant nearby. I heard the chef's cooking is really authentic. Right, Duanmu?"

As he spoke, he very naturally reached out and grabbed Duanmu Yan's other wrist.