He paused, then added, "And I will take good care of your younger brother. I promise."
The air fell silent for a few seconds.
Tu Bao's tears were still hanging on his face, his expression shifting from anger to bewilderment, then to doubt. He turned back to look at Tu Bai, who also had a look of utter confusion on his face.
Pfft.
Laughter drifted in from the living room.
Dazai Osamu had walked over at some unknown point, his hand resting on Tu Bao's shoulder: "Oh my, Gojo-san, you sound so sincere~ However, your definition of 'taking care of' is quite interesting. Is it taking care of someone at work, or.. in life as well?"
Gojo Satoru put his sunglasses back on, his smile returning: "Both~ After all, we are partners."
Partners, huh?" Dazai Osamu drawn out his voice. "Then has Tu Bai-kun been staying at your house this week?
Tu Bai: ".. No!"
Gojo Satoru: "Not yet."
Both spoke at the same time, then looked at each other. Tu Bai glared at him, while Gojo Satoru shrugged innocently.
Tu Bao looked at this and then at that, finally wiping his face: ".. I'm taking Er Bao back to Yokohama."
Brother!
No," Gojo Satoru said. "He has another mission tomorrow, so he's coming with me.
Then I'm going too!
You're not a Sorcerer, are you?" Gojo Satoru tilted his head. "And isn't the Armed Detective Agency in Yokohama very busy? I heard there have been some overseas organizations active lately.
Dazai Osamu narrowed his eyes: "Gojo-san is quite well-informed."
Likewise.
The two looked at each other, something seemed to crackle in the air.
Tu Bai pressed his temples with a headache: "Um.. how about we go sit outside for a bit? There's a cafe downstairs."
---
In a booth in the corner of the cafe, the four people sat facing each other, the atmosphere subtle.
Tu Bao and Tu Bai sat on one side, while Gojo Satoru and Dazai Osamu sat opposite them. When the waiter approached, he clearly hesitated for a moment before setting down the menus.
"I want a Caramel Macchiato," Tu Bao said gloomily.
"An Americano, please, thank you," Tu Bai said.
I want—" Dazai Osamu flipped open the menu, his eyes lighting up, "Do you have a 'Forest of Sleep' special here? I heard it uses a lethal dose of caffeine?
Waiter: ".. We do, but you'll need to sign a liability waiver."
I want this one!
Dazai-kun!" Tu Bao grabbed his arm, "Don't be late! After you finished drinking last time, you stood on the roof of the Detective Agency for three hours saying you were going to fly, you almost fell off!
That was an accident~
If I say no, then it's no!
Tu Bai watched his brother and Dazai Osamu bickering, feeling an even greater headache. He stole a glance across from him; Gojo Satoru was resting his chin on his hand while looking at the menu, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth as if he found the whole thing quite amusing.
"I'll have this 'Sweet Bomb Parfait'," Gojo Satoru said, pointing at the mountain of desserts in the picture.
"That's a portion for two people.." the waiter reminded him in a low voice.
I can finish it all by myself~
After the order was placed, there was a brief silence.
Tu Bao spoke first, his eyes still red: "Er Bao, tell me honestly, did he actually bully you?"
No," Tu Bai said seriously. "Although Gojo-senpai's.. personality has some issues, he didn't bully me. He took great care of me during missions and even taught me how to use my Cursed Technique.
Really?
Really.
Tu Bao stared at him for a few seconds, then his shoulders relaxed. "That's good.. If you ever get bullied, you must tell me. I'll have Dazai-kun—"
Do what, exactly?" Dazai Osamu replied with a smile. "Make a scene at the Jujutsu Headquarters? Or go to the Gojo Clan?
"Anyway.. anyway, I can't let Er Bao suffer any grievances," Tu Bao said softly.
Tu Bai felt a warmth in his heart: "Mm."
The coffee and desserts arrived. Dazai Osamu's cup of "Forest of Sleep" was an eerie deep purple, with bubbles floating on the surface. He picked up his spoon with excitement.
Tu Bao immediately snatched it away: "You're not allowed to drink it! I'll order some Juice for you!"
Eh—Bao'er is so mean—
Gojo Satoru's parfait was indeed huge, with three layers of ice cream piled high with fruit, cookies, cream. He took a large scoop with his spoon and narrowed his eyes in satisfaction. "So good~ Xiao Bai, do you want some?"
No thanks, I have coffee.
"Try some~" Gojo Satoru handed over a spoon, topped with ice cream coated in strawberry jam.
Tu Bai hesitated for a moment, but ultimately opened his mouth and ate it. It was indeed very sweet.
Tu Bao watched this interaction, his expression becoming complicated again.
Speaking of which," Dazai Osamu said casually while sipping the Orange Juice that had been forcibly substituted, "was Tu Bai-kun very cute when he was little? Bao'er tells me that all the time.
Tu Bai had a bad feeling: "Brother, don't—"
Er Bao was so clumsy when he was little!" Tu Bao suddenly got excited. "The first time he learned the Construction Technique, he wanted to make himself a toy house, but he ended up making a house shaped entirely like Carrots! The door was a Carrot, the windows were Carrots, even the tiles on the Rooftop were Carrot slices!
Tu Bai covered his face: "Brother.."
And there's more!" Tu Bao continued, "When he was seven, his Demon Power was unstable, his ears would pop out whenever he got angry. Once, he got into an argument with a fox cub from the neighboring mountain, as they were arguing, his ears went 'poof' and popped out, scaring the other one into tears. He actually thought it was his own overwhelming aura—
"Tu Bao!" Tu Bai's ears turned bright red.
Gojo Satoru laughed so hard his shoulders shook. "Really? Will your ears pop out? Does it still happen now?"
I can't anymore!" Tu Bai gritted his teeth. "I've got it under control!
What a shame~" Gojo Satoru said, resting his chin in his hand. "I want to see.
I won't show you.
Tu Bao continued, "Er Bao's first transformation wasn't smooth either. He got stuck halfway through, stuck in a half-human, half-rabbit form for an entire day, crying his eyes out—"
"Brother! Please stop talking!" Tu Bai wanted to crawl under the table.
Dazai Osamu fanned the flames from the side: "Is there anything else? Like, his first time falling in love or something?"
He has never been in love!" Tu Bao immediately said. "Er Bao is very well-behaved. When he was in school, someone gave him a love letter, but he thought it was a challenge, so he used his Construction Technique to create a Shield to block it away—
"Pfft, hahaha!" Gojo Satoru couldn't hold it in this time and burst out laughing.
Tu Bai lay despairingly on the table, his ears burning hot. He felt Gojo Satoru's leg brush against his knee under the table, as if to comfort him, yet also as if to tease him.
He kicked back.
Gojo Satoru did not dodge; instead, he leaned his leg closer, his knee pressing against Tu Bai's knee, his body heat transmitting through their clothes.
Tu Bai froze for a moment and did not move again.
Dazai Osamu noticed this small movement, but he said nothing, merely smiling before turning his head to look out the window.
The conversation gradually turned to daily life. Tu Bao asked about Tu Bai's studies and then about his work. Gojo Satoru occasionally chimed in, saying nothing but kind words: "Xiao Bai is very impressive," "His use of Construction Technique is better than many people I've seen," and "He has a good tactical mind."
Tu Bao's expression grew better and better, until eventually, he even felt a bit embarrassed: ".. Do you really think so?"
Of course," Gojo Satoru said. "Otherwise, why would I specifically request to be his partner?
Tu Bao bit his lip and looked at Tu Bai: "Then.. then you have to take good care of yourself. Eat on time, don't stay up late, if a mission is dangerous, don't rush to the front—"
Brother, I am a Grade 1 Sorcerer.
Even a Grade 1 can get injured!
Alright, alright, I know.
Dazai Osamu yawned beside him, playing boredom with a straw. He suddenly pulled a small bottle from his pocket, containing a white powder.
"What is this?" Tu Bao asked alertly.
Poison," Dazai Osamu said with a smile. "I was wondering if adding poison to Juice would—mmph!
Tu Bao covered his mouth, tears welling up again: "No! Dazai-kun, you promised me you wouldn't try strange ways to die anymore!"
But I'm so bored..
If you're bored, play on your phone! You're not allowed to eat!
Tu Bai watched as his brother scrambled to snatch the bottle from Dazai Osamu's hands and sighed. He looked toward Gojo Satoru, only to find the other man watching him; the eyes behind the sunglasses revealed no emotion, but the corners of his mouth were turned upward.
"Your brother cares about you quite a bit," Gojo Satoru said softly.
.. Yeah." Tu Bai lowered his head and stirred his Americano. "He's been like this since he was little. He cries easily, but he's very protective of us.
We?
I have another younger brother, Tu, in Italy," Tu Bai paused. "We are triplets. I am the second, but the eldest.. is more like the one who needs to be taken care of.
Gojo Satoru laughed. "Then you're the eldest brother in practice?"
Pretty much.
After sitting for a while longer, Tu Bao checked the time: "We should head back; there is still business at the Detective Agency this afternoon."
The four of them stood up. As they walked to the entrance of the cafe, Tu Bao suddenly turned around and gave Tu Bai a tight hug.
You have to be well." His voice broke with a sob again, "If anything happens, you must tell me.
"I know." Tu Bai patted his back.
Tu Bao let go of him and looked at Gojo Satoru with a serious expression: "Gojo-san, my younger brother.. I'll leave him in your hands."
Gojo Satoru nodded: "Don't worry, not a single hair on his head will be touched."
Tu Bao stared at him for a few seconds, then took a deep breath and bowed, "Thank you."
You're welcome~