Rebirth In The Days When Curse Gao Was The Boss Chapter 26
byDay 26 of Transmigration
The New Year finally passed in the suffocating atmosphere of the Gojo Clan estate. Early the next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Gojo Satoru ignored the elders’ hesitant expressions, pulled Xue Yang into the car, and floored the accelerator, leaving the ancient mansion behind.
It wasn’t until the car drove out of the barrier and merged back into the bustling traffic of Tokyo that Xue Yang felt the invisible pressure lift from his chest. He leaned back in his seat and let out a long sigh of relief.
“How was it? Isn’t Jujutsu High more comfortable?” Gojo Satoru asked with a smile while driving.
Xue Yang glanced at him and didn’t speak, but the disdain in his eyes said it all.
Gojo Satoru burst into laughter: “I knew you couldn’t stand it. So, Teacher is taking you out for some fun to make up for it!”
On New Year’s Day, the streets of Tokyo were much quieter than usual. Many shops were closed as families enjoyed time together. Gojo Satoru, however, led Xue Yang through winding streets to a high river embankment. The view here was expansive, overlooking most of the city.
The sky gradually darkened. The city lights began to turn on, intertwining with the last trace of sunset in the sky, forming a hazy sea of light.
“Why are we here?” Xue Yang looked at the empty embankment, feeling confused.
“Wait and see.” Gojo Satoru winked mysteriously. He pulled a huge picnic basket from the trunk, filled with exquisite bento boxes, snacks, and two cans of warm sweet wine (non-alcoholic version).
The two sat on the grass of the embankment, spreading out the picnic blanket, sharing food in the cold winter wind. The sweet wine brought a wave of warmth. It was quiet around them, with only the sound of the wind and the faint noise of the distant city.
Suddenly, a sharp whistle pierced the night sky!
“Whoosh—bang!”
A beam of golden light shot up into the sky and exploded violently in the dark night, transforming into thousands of falling sparks, cascading down like a golden waterfall.
It was fireworks.
Immediately afterward, more fireworks launched one after another, competing to bloom in the night sky. Brilliant red, bright blue, fresh green, dreamy purple… light-flowers of various shapes and colors splashed across the massive canvas of the night, illuminating the entire sky as if it were daytime. The city below was bathed in a flowing, colorful brilliance.
Xue Yang looked up, staring blankly at the magnificent sight he had never witnessed before. The extreme beauty that bloomed and vanished in an instant carried a breathtaking fragility and splendor. The firelight flickered in his clear amber pupils, like stars falling into them.
He had seen blood and fire, conspiracy and slaughter, the deepest darkness, but he had never seen such pure, grand light, existing merely for the sake of beauty.
Gojo Satoru wasn’t watching the fireworks; his gaze remained fixed on Xue Yang’s profile, illuminated by the light. Watching the brilliant glow reflected in the boy’s eyes, seeing his slightly parted lips, and that rare, almost pure expression of astonishment, Gojo Satoru felt it was more worthwhile than watching any firework display.
“I heard that if you make a wish when you see the first firework on New Year’s, it will come true,” Gojo Satoru leaned close to Xue Yang’s ear, his voice laced with laughter amidst the roar of the fireworks.
Xue Yang snapped back to attention and turned to look at him. The light of the fireworks danced on his face, making the eyes that usually held wariness or mockery look exceptionally bright, even… innocent, at this moment.
Make a wish? Xue Yang scoffed internally. He never believed in such things. Wishes were the desperate pleas of the weak; he only ever believed in what he seized with his own hands.
But… he looked at Gojo Satoru’s features, which appeared unusually soft under the fireworks, and saw his own reflection clearly in those pale blue eyes. He felt the tangible warmth and protection provided by the person beside him. A feeling he had never experienced before, faint yet firm, quietly surfaced in his heart.
If… if wishes really could come true…
He raised his head again, looking up at the vast night sky lit up by the fireworks, and silently made a wish in his heart with a sincerity he didn’t even realize he possessed:
‘I hope things can stay like this.’
A place to return to, someone to rely on, sweet treats to eat, fights to be had, these noisy but not entirely unpleasant “companions,” and this sky, which was strange but gradually becoming familiar.
‘And of course,’ he added internally, with an unconscious mix of dependence and arrogance, ‘this annoying guy has to be around too.’
The fireworks continued to launch and explode, painting the night sky with magnificent colors. After making his wish, Xue Yang felt his face flush slightly. He quickly lowered his head, pretending to adjust the corner of his clothes ruffled by the wind, and mumbled, “…Boring.”
Gojo Satoru saw his awkward demeanor; how could he not guess what was on his mind? He didn’t expose him, only deepening his smile. He reached out and wrapped an arm around Xue Yang’s shoulder, pulling him closer into his embrace.
“Yeah, it’s pretty boring,” Gojo Satoru agreed, though his voice was full of indulgence and amusement. “So I won’t bring you next time.”
Xue Yang struggled slightly in his arms but couldn’t break free, so he let him be. His nose was filled with the faint scent of sweets from Gojo Satoru and the crisp air of the winter night. In his ears were the booming fireworks and the steady beat of the other man’s heart. Before his eyes were the brilliant lights constantly blooming and fading.
In this moment, Xue Yang suddenly felt that making a wish might not be so stupid after all.
The fireworks display lasted for nearly half an hour before ending. The night sky returned to silence and darkness, leaving only the faint smell of gunpowder in the air, evidence of the grand celebration that had just passed.
The two packed up and returned to the car. The engine started, and they drove toward home.
The car was quiet. Gojo Satoru focused on driving, while Xue Yang watched the streetscape, still adorned with holiday lights, rapidly receding outside the window.
“Hey, Gojo Satoru,” Xue Yang suddenly spoke.
“Hmm?”
“Happy New Year.” Xue Yang’s voice was very soft, almost swallowed by the car’s engine noise.
Gojo Satoru paused for a moment. Then, an incredibly brilliant smile bloomed on his face, more dazzling than any firework just moments ago.
“Happy New Year, Xue Yang.”
He freed one hand and accurately found Xue Yang’s hand, gripping it tightly.
The warmth transmitted through his palm made the wish Xue Yang had just made feel a little more real.
Should things continue like this? Perhaps the road ahead was still unknown, perhaps the darkness in his bones had not completely dissipated, but at least at this moment, on this night marking the beginning of the New Year, he was willing to believe that the guy with the sword of “Hope” and the annoying smile could allow him, a villain who had crawled out of hell, to glimpse a sliver of light in the human world, and… greedily want to hold onto it forever.