This time, Shoko would definitely have a room to herself, while the three of them squeezed into another. After all, Qingxiao and Shoko were nowhere near that stage yet.
After they briefly unpacked, washed up, and rested, night had fully fallen, and the room was quiet and relaxed.
Too bored to sit still, Satoru Gojo immediately got up and announced that he was going out to find food, then turned to Qingxiao and held out his hand with a demand.
"Qingxiao, Qingxiao, I'm going to the shopping district downstairs for desserts and cold drinks! I didn't undermine you once today. Shouldn't you sponsor my snack fund?"
Qingxiao didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He had to admit that Satoru Gojo had behaved himself all evening, never once teasing him and Shoko in public. He had shown him exceptional consideration.
He wasn't stingy either. He simply took out his wallet, pulled out thirty thousand yen in cash, and handed it over, his tone casual and generous. "Sure. Since you didn't cause trouble today, buy whatever you like."
"Wow! So generous!" Satoru Gojo's eyes instantly lit up. He happily accepted the money and stuffed it into his pocket, suddenly brimming with enthusiasm. "Don't worry! I'll come back fully loaded!"
Watching Satoru Gojo eagerly push open the door and leave, Qingxiao turned to Suguru Geto, who was leaning against the headboard beside him. His eyes full of sincere gratitude, he quietly thanked him again. "Seriously, thank you for today. You must have been stopping Satoru from running his mouth. Otherwise, knowing him, Shoko and I would definitely have been embarrassed tonight."
Suguru Geto's lips curved slightly, his tone relaxed and casual. "It was nothing. Hardly any trouble. I couldn't just watch you two get put on the spot."
"That's a separate matter. Anyway, once tomorrow's mission is over, all our fun is on me. Don't turn me down."
"All right, all right. Then I'm definitely making you splurge tomorrow."
The two chatted casually as they waited. Before long, Satoru Gojo returned carrying a large bag packed with desserts, cold drinks, and snacks. The bulging bag looked particularly plentiful.
He casually spread the snacks out by the headboard, unwrapped an ice cream, and took a bite, mentioning offhandedly, "Oh, right. When I went out shopping just now, I ran into someone suspicious. They furtively followed me for a few steps, but their cursed energy was pathetically low, practically negligible, so I couldn't be bothered and came straight back."
Suguru Geto nodded slightly, his expression calm. "There are quite a few low-level cursed spirits and ordinary people affected by cursed energy wandering around this area. That's normal. Don't worry about it."
Qingxiao didn't take it seriously either and casually agreed. "Small fry can't stir up any trouble. We can sweep the area while we're out on tomorrow's mission."
All three treated it as an utterly ordinary little incident, paying it no mind and quickly moving on.
After finishing the snacks, they cleaned up and all lay flat on their beds to unwind. Only the faint sound of air blowing from the air conditioner remained in the room. It was quiet and comfortable.
Just then, Satoru Gojo abruptly spoke, asking a question that cut straight to the heart of the matter. "Qingxiao, let me ask you something seriously. Do you like Shoko?"
Instantly, everything went quiet.
Qingxiao and Suguru Geto turned their heads in unison, staring at Satoru Gojo as though he were an idiot.
Satoru Gojo looked bewildered. "What? Did I ask something wrong?"
Qingxiao didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "No, it's just..."
"Just what?"
"You only figured that out now? I thought the whole world knew."
He openly admitted his feelings, not the least bit embarrassed in front of his two close friends.
Satoru Gojo's appetite for gossip instantly flared, and he relentlessly pressed Qingxiao for every detail of how his feelings had started and developed.
Suguru Geto chimed in then too. "I'm pretty curious myself."
Unable to withstand their alternating questions, Qingxiao could only begin, "It was a sunny morning with a gentle breeze..."
"Get to the point!"
After hearing the whole story, Satoru Gojo immediately thumped his chest and pulled Suguru Geto into a team, insisting that they become Qingxiao's personal love advisers.
Unable to win against Satoru Gojo's insistence, Qingxiao had no choice but to accept the two advisers.
Satoru Gojo let his imagination run wild with terrible ideas, making the corners of Qingxiao's mouth twitch uncontrollably as he rejected them one after another.
Public confessions, forcibly holding hands, pulling out every romantic trick-the whole approach was mindlessly direct and incredibly awkward.
Qingxiao really couldn't listen anymore. At the end of his patience, he spoke up. "Seriously, can you stop giving me bad instructions? You've never even dated anyone yourself. Where do you get the confidence to be my love adviser?"
At those words, the room fell deathly silent.
Satoru Gojo, who had just been spouting off with absolute confidence, abruptly froze, sinking into a rare, prolonged silence.
He opened his mouth but couldn't squeeze out a word for ages. His usual arrogant, fearless swagger was instantly punctured.
After a long silence, Satoru Gojo finally stiffened his neck and stubbornly retorted, "So what if I've never dated? That doesn't mean I've never seen it! I know all the romantic tricks from TV and novels inside out! I'm a master of theory!"
"Besides!" He immediately raised his voice, forcing an attempt to save face as he argued indignantly, "Dating takes talent! I just can't be bothered to date. It's not that I don't know how!"
Suguru Geto's temples throbbed as he listened. "Watch fewer melodramatic soap operas. They lower your intelligence."
That single remark left Satoru Gojo speechless. After struggling for ages, he could only wave a hand sulkily. "Fine, fine, fine. You know best. You do it!"
Suguru Geto shook his head helplessly and offered a plan. "Don't listen to his nonsense. He'll only make things worse. Satoru happens to be going out for desserts tomorrow, so we'll take him away and give you two some time alone. Taking it slowly is the safest approach."
Instantly moved, Qingxiao gripped Suguru Geto's hand tightly and exclaimed, "I have drifted through half my life, regretting only that I had yet to meet an enlightened lord..."
Satoru Gojo, meanwhile, had refusal to concede written all over his face as he muttered that his plan wasn't bad either.
The three discussed the next day's matchmaking plan in detail, talking late into the night before finally turning off the lights and going to sleep.
Before you continue