Xia Jie tossed aside the terrible joke that had flashed through his mind and directly revealed his identity to Maki and Okkotsu.
"My name is Xia Jie. I'm a student at Toyama High School," Xia Jie said. "As for what you said about having a Cursed Spirit attack you, are you sure Shadow Maru wasn't attacked by you first?"
Maki's expression froze slightly. She clearly had not expected Xia Jie to be so frank, or even to speak as though he were defending the Cursed Spirit.
"Although it didn't attack us first, it attacked other people!" Okkotsu looked at Xia Jie and spoke seriously.
"Did anyone get hurt?" Xia Jie asked unhurriedly.
Okkotsu's voice caught. "It seemed like... no!"
"That has nothing to do with whether anyone was hurt!" Maki pointed at Shadow Maru and retorted. "Cursed Spirits are meant to be exorcised!"
"But... Shadow Maru isn't a Cursed Spirit. It's my Shikigami," Xia Jie said slowly.
Maki was choked up by his response. She exchanged a glance with Okkotsu, and both of them felt that Xia Jie was difficult to deal with.
After thinking briefly, Maki changed her approach. "Since you're its master, why did you let it attack other people?"
"Well..." Xia Jie pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "I can't tell you."
"You..." Maki gritted her teeth. "Don't push it too far!"
"I can only say that everything I did is related to my Cursed Technique. I really can't say anything more."
After some thought, Xia Jie still revealed a little information about himself to Maki and Okkotsu. After all, the two of them were very likely to become his classmates in the future.
Maki looked at Xia Jie in some surprise. She keenly sensed the goodwill hidden in his words.
"If that's the case, it wouldn't be appropriate for us to keep prying," Maki said, her anger subsiding. "But you must come with us to Jujutsu High and explain this matter to the Higher-Ups!"
Xia Jie shook his head. "What kind of place is Jujutsu High? The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department? And what gives you the right to make me go there with you?"
"Besides, what do I have to explain to this Jujutsu High you keep talking about? At most, I only scared a few people!"
A "#" popped up on Maki's forehead. Once again, she experienced Xia Jie's utter stubbornness, yet she could not deny that he did have a point.
Seeing Maki's expression, Xia Jie was just about to congratulate himself on his cleverness when Maki suddenly smiled. "Since you're such a reasonable person, let me tell you exactly what Jujutsu High is!"
"On the surface, Jujutsu High is a school, but in reality, it's a special institution jointly established by Jujutsu Sorcerers and the government to manage Jujutsu Sorcerers. It holds basic administrative authority over Jujutsu Sorcerers throughout Japan."
As she spoke, Maki displayed her Jujutsu Sorcerer Certificate and pointed at the seal on it. "This is a Jujutsu Sorcerer Certificate jointly issued by Jujutsu High and the government. Those who hold one are authorized to deal with Jujutsu Sorcerers who use Cursed Techniques to disrupt public safety as they see fit."
"Do you understand what kind of place Jujutsu High is now? Calling it the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department of Jujutsu Society wouldn't be an exaggeration!" Maki sneered. "Will you come to Jujutsu High with us now, Xia Jie?"
Looking at Maki's friendly smile, Xia Jie felt as though ten thousand alpacas were stampeding across his heart.
Jujutsu High was actually this kind of institution? Gege Akutami had never mentioned it either!
"Perhaps you're right. Perhaps Jujutsu High truly does possess such authority! Going with you to Jujutsu High would indeed be the best choice."
Xia Jie had Thunder Maru grab his shoulder, his face taking on a thoughtful expression.
Just as Maki thought she had won, Xia Jie's face suddenly became sharply defined. In a strange tone, he said, "However, I refuse!"
"I, Xia Jie, love nothing more than saying no to so-called authority!"
The moment Xia Jie finished speaking, Thunder Maru wrapped around him and transformed into a strange bolt of lightning. In the blink of an eye, they vanished from the spot.
Maki stared wide-eyed in the direction Xia Jie had gone. The speed he displayed when leaving had stunned her.
"What the hell was wrong with that guy?" Maki turned to Okkotsu, fury written across her face. "He told us his name already. Does he really think he can still evade Jujutsu High's search?"
"I think he was probably making a reference..." Okkotsu muttered quietly.
He and Panda had happened to read JoJo manga by Master Araki, so he naturally understood what Xia Jie's answer meant. He simply could not explain it to Maki, since doing so would only make her angrier.
"What did you say, Okkotsu?" Maki asked.
"N-Nothing!" Okkotsu hurriedly made an excuse. "I meant that he might not trust us that much, so naturally he doesn't have any attachment to Jujutsu High either."
"So no matter what we say, he probably won't come back to Jujutsu High with us!"
As Okkotsu kept talking, he ended up convincing even himself. Maki beside him also furrowed her brow.
Okkotsu had a point. If it were her, she probably would not casually leave with strangers either.
As Maki was thinking, she heard Okkotsu ask with concern, "By the way, Maki, are you all right? You were inside that Shadow Maru for so long..."
"I'm fine!" Maki shot Okkotsu an irritated glare and walked away to pick up her gunblade.
Okkotsu looked at Maki, hesitating before he spoke. "Maki, what do we do next? Do we keep looking for Xia Jie?"
"Idiot! What would we look for him for?" Maki cursed Okkotsu. "That brat clearly doesn't take either of us seriously! Even if we found him, what could we do?"
"With our strength, we had trouble dealing with just one of his Cursed Spirits, let alone the fact that he has another subordinate Cursed Spirit that might be Special Grade!"
"Then what should we do?" Okkotsu continued to ask.
"Obviously, we return to Jujutsu High and report the situation from this mission, then find someone who can handle that brat!" Maki said as she walked over to Okkotsu.
"Gojo-sensei?" Okkotsu asked.
"Who else could it be besides that idiot?" Maki sighed. "Come on, let's go back!"
Meanwhile, Thunder Maru had already brought Xia Jie home.
Xia Jie stretched his body, only to see both Shadow Maru and Thunder Maru looking at him in confusion.
"What is it?" Xia Jie asked with a smile. "Why are you both looking at me like that?"
"Lord Xia Jie, why did we... leave?" Shadow Maru did not directly say "run away," instead using "leave" in its place. "With Thunder Maru's strength and mine, dealing with those two hateful Jujutsu Sorcerers would have been effortless..."
Xia Jie waved his hand, stopping Shadow Maru from continuing.
Shadow Maru and Thunder Maru were both highly intelligent. Though they were loyal to him and would strictly carry out his commands, they also had thoughts of their own.
Xia Jie could not yet tell whether that was good or bad, but having people around him to talk to did not feel bad.
"I'm human. No matter what you think, that fact cannot be changed," Xia Jie said calmly. "Dealing with them might be easy for you, but it would plunge us into endless trouble."
"I would no longer be able to survive in human society, and the Jujutsu Sorcerers would not let the matter rest!"
"In that case, why not run?" Xia Jie said without hiding it. "If you don't want to fight, it's perfectly fine to run away!"
Before you continue