No. He couldn't control it at all.
Tu Bai bit his lower lip. He couldn't go out to see Gojo Satoru like this. Although the other man had known for a long time that he was a Rabbit Demon and had seen him in this state before, exposing his original form so defenselessly in front of him still made him feel.. embarrassed.
He tried to focus his Spirit once more. This time, his ears finally managed to shrink back, but he could still feel them stirring atop his head, ready to pop out again at any moment.
Tu Bai stared at himself in the Mirror for a long time. Finally, he let out a sigh as if giving up, then turned and walked out of the Bathroom.
Forget it. Anyway, Gojo Satoru already knew. Anyway.. anyway, he was an Expectant Father now, so any abnormality could be blamed on that reason.
He walked back to the Living Room, Gojo Satoru happened to be coming out of the Kitchen, carrying two plates in his hands. Today was a Western Breakfast: fried eggs, bacon, toast, a small bowl of Fruit Salad.
"Time to eat—oh?" Gojo Satoru paused mid-sentence. He stared at the top of Tu Bai's head, his sunglasses sliding down slightly to reveal his Ice Blue Eyes underneath.
Tu Bai subconsciously raised his hand to cover the top of his head, but it was already too late. Gojo Satoru had clearly seen it.
"How did your ears come out?" Gojo Satoru said, his tone carrying a hint of novelty. He placed the plate on the dining table, walked over, stopped in front of Tu Bai.
Tu Bai lowered his eyes and said nothing. He could feel Gojo Satoru's gaze resting on the top of his head, a look that was focused and inquisitive, yet devoid of malice.
"Can I touch it?" Gojo Satoru asked, his Voice very soft, as if asking for permission.
Tu Bai froze for a moment. He raised his head and looked at Gojo Satoru. The other man had a hint of curiosity on his face, along with a touch of cautious anticipation, like a Child seeing something novel.
He hesitated for a few seconds, then slowly nodded.
Gojo Satoru smiled. He reached out his hand, his Finger lightly touching the tip of Tu Bai's right ear.
Tu Bai shuddered all over.
His ears were more sensitive than any other part of his body when in human form. Gojo Satoru's finger carried a warm body temperature, the force of the touch was very light, almost like a feather brushing past. But that touch clearly spread through his entire body, making the hair on his nape stand on end.
He bit his lower lip, resisting the urge to pull away.
Gojo Satoru seemed to have noticed his reaction, his movements became even lighter. His Finger slowly traced down the contour of the Ears, brushing against the soft fur, paused for a moment at the base of the Ears, then gently rubbed them.
So soft," Gojo Satoru said, his Voice carrying a hint of amusement, "The fur is very thick, the Touch is wonderful.
Tu Bai's ears twitched, drooping slightly out of control—this was the Rabbit Demon's instinctive reaction when relaxing. He felt his cheeks heating up, he turned his face away, saying softly, "Have you had enough.."
Gojo Satoru withdrew his hand, but his Eyes remained fixed on those two ears: "How did they suddenly come out? Are you feeling unwell?"
My Demon Power is a bit unstable," Tu Bai said, turning toward the dining table, pulling out a Chair, sitting down. "Lately.. the consumption might have been a bit high.
Gojo Satoru sat down opposite him and pushed a plate of breakfast in front of him: "Because of Baby?"
Tu Bai paused, then nodded. "Mm."
This was the most convenient reason. After all, any abnormality could be blamed on "Pregnancy."
Gojo Satoru stopped questioning him and began eating his own breakfast. However, he would occasionally look up at Tu Bai, his gaze involuntarily drifting toward those two Black Rabbit Ears.
Tu Bai ate with his head lowered, able to feel that gaze. He tried his best to pretend he didn't care, but his Rabbit Ears twitched uncontrollably, as if responding to that stare.
The meal was exceptionally quiet. There was only the faint sound of cutlery clinking and the occasional sound of birds chirping from outside the window.
Halfway through the meal, Gojo Satoru's Mobile Phone rang.
He put down his fork, picked up his Mobile Phone to glance at the Screen, his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. Then he stood up and said to Tu Bai, "I'm going to take a Phone call."
After saying that, he walked into the Bedroom and closed the door.
Tu Bai stared at the tightly closed door, his chewing slowing down. He couldn't hear what Gojo Satoru was saying, only catching a faint, muffled Voice, the tone seemingly quite unhappy.
What kind of Phone is it, that they need to specifically avoid him to answer?
Tu Bai put down his fork, suddenly losing his appetite. He picked up his cup and took a sip of water, his eyes still fixed on the Bedroom door.
About five minutes passed before the door opened. Gojo Satoru walked out, his face expressionless, but Tu Bai could feel that his mood was not quite right. That "not quite right" wasn't anger, but rather a cold, suppressed irritability.
"What's wrong?" Tu Bai asked.
Gojo Satoru froze for a moment, then burst into laughter, his smile no different from usual: "It's nothing, there's something going on at Jujutsu High. Yaga wants me to head over there."
Now?
Yeah, now." Gojo Satoru walked to the Entrance and grabbed his Jacket. "I'll be back soon. Eat your food well, rest for a bit after you're finished eating.
He opened the door, then looked back at Tu Bai once more, his gaze lingering on those two ears for a second before he said, "Your ears are very cute. You don't need to make a special effort to hide them."
The door closed.
Tu Bai sat alone at the dining table, looking at the empty seat opposite him and the half-eaten Western Breakfast remaining on Gojo Satoru's plate.
He reached out and touched his own Ears. They were fluffy and warm.
Is it cute?
He lowered his hands, picked up his fork, took two more bites of the Fried Egg, but it tasted like wax. Finally, he put down the utensils, carried the plate into the Kitchen, washed it, dried it, put it back in the Cabinet.
After finishing this, he walked back to the Living Room and sat down on the Sofa. His Ears were still sticking up from the top of his head; he tried, but he still couldn't tuck them back in.
Forget it. He leaned back into the Sofa and closed his Eyes.
His brain was a mess. Gojo Satoru's recent phone call, his avoidance of his actions, that sentence, "There's something going on over at Jujutsu High"..
Tu Bai opened his eyes, took out his Mobile Phone, opened the encrypted Chat Software. He sent a Message to the Agent: "What's the word on the street lately?"
The other party replied quickly: "Normal. But I suggest you keep a low profile; there seems to be some movement from the top lately."
What kind of movement?
I'm not sure, but I heard the Jujutsu World Higher-ups have been strictly inspecting unregistered personnel lately, especially non-human races. Be careful.
Tu Bai stared at that line of text, his Finger slowly tightening.
Non-Human Race. Strict investigation required.
He exited the Chat Software, opened the Browser, hesitated for a moment, then typed in the keywords: "Recent movements of Jujutsu Headquarters."
Most of what popped up were irrelevant News and official announcements. After scrolling for a long time, he finally spotted a Post from three days ago in a corner of an Anonymous Forum for Sorcerers, with the Title: "Heard there's an internal purge going on lately?"
The content of the Post was very short, consisting of only a few sentences: "There are rumors about a cleanup of 'Unstable Factors,' especially those with unknown origins who are suspected of being outliers. I wonder if it's targeting someone in particular."
There were a few scattered replies below. Some speculated it was targeting certain freelance Sorcerers, while others said it was aimed at the recently emerging Curse User Group. But one reply was pushed to the top: "I heard it has something to do with that person from the Gojo Clan."
Scrolling down further, the Post had been deleted.
Tu Bai stared at the Screen, feeling a slight chill on his Back.
He turned off his Mobile Phone and leaned back into the Sofa, his hand instinctively shielding his Abdomen. It was still flat, but he could feel the presence of that cluster of Energy—warm and stable, as if reminding him of something.
Suspected Anomaly. Unknown origin.
These two words pierced his heart like needles.
---
Gojo Satoru did not return until the Afternoon.
His expression was normal when he entered the door, he even brought the Puff from the Dessert Shop that Tu Bai liked. But when he handed the Dessert Box to Tu Bai, Tu Bai noticed that his finger joints were a bit red, as if he had gripped something forcefully.
"Is the business at Jujutsu High finished?" Tu Bai asked as he took the Dessert Box.
Yeah, just a little trouble." Gojo Satoru took off his Jacket, sat down on the Sofa, rubbed his neck. "It's settled.
He spoke very casually. But Tu Bai could feel a cold sense of pressure lingering on him, one that had not yet fully dissipated. It was the residual aura left behind after combat or a confrontation.
"What kind of trouble?" Tu Bai asked, opening the Puff Box. Inside were four Cream Puffs with crispy pastry skins, dusted with powdered sugar.
Gojo Satoru glanced at him and smiled, "Just a few old men being naggy, so I reasoned with them."
Reasoning with them. Tu Bai thought, Gojo Satoru's "reasoning" was usually not very peaceful.
He didn't press further and picked up a Puff, taking a bite. The Cream was very sweet, with a hint of Vanilla. He ate slowly, his Eyes fixed on the TV, but his peripheral vision remained focused on Gojo Satoru.
Gojo Satoru leaned back in the Sofa, typing on his Mobile Phone. He typed very quickly, his Fingers moving rapidly across the Screen, his brow slightly furrowed. After a while, he seemed to have finished sending the message; he tossed the Mobile Phone aside and let out a long breath.
"Tired?" Tu Bai asked.
A little," Gojo Satoru turned his head to look at him, his Ice Blue Eyes appearing somewhat weary under the Living Room lights. "How are you doing today? Can you still not retract your Rabbit Ears?
Tu Bai raised his hand to touch the top of his head. The Rabbit Ears were still there, because he was relaxed, they were currently drooping softly on both sides of his head. He shook his head. "It's still not working."
Then don't force it," Gojo Satoru said, reaching out to lightly pinch the tip of his right ear, "It's quite nice like this.
Tu Bai's Rabbit Ears twitched, but he did not pull away. He lowered his head to continue eating the Puff, a bit of Cream smudging the corner of his mouth.
Gojo Satoru stared at him for a few seconds, then leaned in naturally and used his thumb to wipe away the Cream from the corner of his mouth.
Tu Bai froze for a moment.
Gojo Satoru withdrew his hand, his thumb brushing against his lips as he licked away the bit of Cream. Then, he smiled: "It's quite sweet."
Tu Bai felt his cheeks burning. He turned his face away and stuffed the remaining Puff into his mouth, chewing rapidly.
Gojo Satoru laughed even more happily, but he stopped teasing Tu Bai. Instead, he leaned back into the Sofa and closed his Eyes, as if he were going to take a short nap.
The Living Room fell silent. Only the TV was playing a Variety Show, with the celebrities inside laughing exaggeratedly.
Tu Bai finished eating the Puff, closed the Dessert Box, placed it on the Coffee Table. He turned his head to look at Gojo Satoru.
The man had his eyes closed and his breathing was steady, as if he were asleep. But Tu Bai knew he wasn't sleeping—Gojo Satoru didn't sit so upright when he slept; he usually slumped into a heap or simply lay directly on the sofa.
He was lost in thought.
Tu Bai withdrew his gaze and leaned back into the Sofa. He raised his hand and touched his Ears again. They were fuzzy and warm.
But that was also the proof that he was an Anomaly.
He closed his Eyes.
---
At night, Tu Bai had a dream.
In his dream, he was in a vast, empty space, surrounded by a boundless white void where he could see nothing. He walked forward, trying to find an exit, but no matter how far he traveled, he could not escape.
Then he heard a Voice. The Voices of many people, buzzing, making it impossible to hear what was being said, but he could feel the malice and rejection within them.
Not of our kind.. monster..
Unknown Origin..
Dangerous..
The voice grew louder and louder, getting closer and closer. Tu Bai wanted to run, but his legs felt as heavy as lead. He looked down and discovered he was holding a swaddled infant in his arms; inside was a tiny baby, eyes closed, sleeping peacefully.
He had to protect Baby.