𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓,  𝐇𝐄  𝐇𝐀𝐃  𝐍𝐎𝐓  𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐃     —     𝐁𝐔𝐓  𝐎𝐇  𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐋.  A  laugh  bubbled  from  his  lips  nonetheless,  the  sound  fueled  by  shameless  delight  at  her  impulsive  reaction.  ❝   Yikes,  talk  about  greedy.   ❞   

Watching  her  attempt  to  chew  an  entire  handful  at  once  promised  a  certain  degree  of  entertainment,  yet  he  could  not  help  feeling  distressingly...  candyless.  

❝   That’s  a  level  of  commitment  I  can  only  respect,   ❞   he  mused  through  the  lingering  upcurve  of  his  lips.  ❝   You’d  rather  risk  choking  than  share.  That’s  actually  kind  of  inspiring.   ❞   

What excitement was there to contain, as Panko rose from the rubble? For the saving of her life, which has been rendered useless again? That it was him to got her out of serious trouble this time? 

𝐖𝐀𝐒  𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓  𝐀  𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐓  𝐎𝐅  𝐁𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒  𝐇𝐄  𝐂𝐀𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓  𝐈𝐍  𝐇𝐄𝐑  𝐓𝐎𝐍𝐄  𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐃  𝐎𝐅  𝐓𝐇𝐄  𝐄𝐗𝐂𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓  𝐇𝐄  𝐇𝐀𝐃  𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐃?  Satoru  tilted  his  head  with  open  curiosity  as  he  neared  the  rubble  with  slow,  relaxed  steps,  nonchalance  radiating  from  his  very  being. 

❝   Hm?  What’s  with  the  face?   ❞   Sure,  poor  Panko  looked  like  she  had  been  through  a  rather  unfortunate  series  of  events...  but  that  shouldn’t  overshadow  the  fact  that  none  other  than  Satoru  Gojō  had  hurried  to  her  rescue,  should  it? 

Either  way,  he  extended  a  hand  in  supportive  gesture  to  help  his  fellow  sorcerer  peel  away  from  the  obscene  amount  of  dust  and  debris.  ❝   Don’t  look  so  gloomy.  You’re  gonna  make  everyone  think  somebody  died.   ❞   

Suguru laughed, surprising himself. His chest felt lighter for the moment, like they really were back to hanging out after school, talking about anything and nothing without underlying meaning. It’s cool was so blatantly Satoru that he had to laugh, an expression of unexpected relief, seeing inside the gimmicky parts of his best friend again. He wanted to believe nothing had changed. That was the easy lie.

“They’re going to rob you of your humanity, aren’t they? Every last inch of it.” Jujutsu society took and took, they both knew that, but Satoru would never stop being busy, never stop being a savior. Suguru knew he’d push back, because Satoru never did anything he didn’t want to, and yet it still didn’t change the fact. And he was jealous for it, stupidly, confoundingly. He didn’t want to be a god. He didn’t want there to be any gods.

𝐀  𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐍  𝐒𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃  𝐀𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐒  𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐔’𝐒  𝐋𝐈𝐏𝐒  𝐀𝐓  𝐓𝐇𝐄  𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃  𝐎𝐅  𝐒𝐔𝐆𝐔𝐑𝐔’𝐒  𝐋𝐀𝐔𝐆𝐇;  𝐎𝐇-𝐒𝐎-𝐅𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐑  𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐓𝐄  𝐇𝐎𝐖  𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄  𝐇𝐄’𝐃  𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐃  𝐈𝐓  𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐘.  It  brought  him  right  back  to  what  had  undoubtedly  been  the  best  time  of  his  life:  late  nights  spent  with  Shōko  and  Suguru,  their  greatest  concerns  a  lack  of  sleep  and  Yaga’s  inevitable  scolding. 

❝   You  know  they  will.   ❞   Satoru’s  tone  was  far  too  lax  for  a  boy  who  had  to  bid  those  carefree  days  a  premature  goodbye.  But  should  he  mourn  something  he  had  known  to  be  inevitable  since  the  first  adamant  lecture  received?  From  the  earliest  days,  he  had  realized  that  tears  and  wails  were  a  waste  of  time.  To  break  free  from  a  system,  one  had  to  rebel  against  the  chains  imposed  upon  them     —     and  if  anyone  was  willing  to  give  the  higher-ups  hell,  it  was  Satoru. 

❝   Or,  well...   ❞   A  crooked  grin  tugged  at  his  lips  as  he  tossed  another  sweet  into  his  mouth.  ❝   They’ll  try.   ❞   As  though  he  hadn’t  just  casually  declared  war  against  the  expectations  resting  on  his  shoulders,  Satoru’s  cerulean  eyes  flicked  back  toward  his  best  friend. 

❝   A  village?   ❞   He  grimaced  in  an  overt  display  of  distaste  at  the  thought;  not  because  he  disliked  the  idea  of  nature,  of  a  serene  life  led  somewhere  far  away  from  the  urban  hustle,  but  because  villages  rarely  housed  cursed  spirits  worth  a  damn.  What  cursed  energy  could  possibly  accumulate  somewhere  with  barely  any  people  around? 

❝   What’re  they  even  sending  you  out  there  for?  You’re  still  special  grade.   ❞   Satoru  puffed  out  his  cheeks  before  exhaling  loudly  through  his  nose.  ❝   Weirdos.   ❞   

❝    ⠀THE  MORAL  OF  THE  STORY  IS:  I  WILL  GUT  YOU  IF  I  NEED  TO.  I  WILL  CARVE  MY  WAY  OUT  WITH  ONLY  MY  TEETH.    ⠀❞

“I came because you told me to report back immediately,” he added, voice steady despite the faint edge of embarrassment creeping in. “Not because I was worried you’d get lonely.”

He stepped closer to the desk, setting the mission file down with more care than necessary. “And for the record… if I was just visiting, you’d know.” A small, almost imperceptible sigh slipped past him as he met Gojo’s gaze. “You’d complain either way. So just listen.”

𝐎𝐍𝐂𝐄  𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑  𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋  𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐇  𝐇𝐀𝐃  𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐄𝐃  𝐓𝐎  𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐇𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐙𝐄  𝐇𝐈𝐒  𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐆𝐄𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆  𝐖𝐎𝐄,  Satoru  displayed  the  (definitely  noteworthy!)  decorum  to  straighten  his  posture  to  some  degree  and  cast  a  glance  at  the  file  gingerly  placed  before  him.  The  neatly  written  kanji  demanded  little  more  than  cursory  consideration  to  confirm  what  Satoru  had  deemed  a  non-negotiable:  the  results  of  a  mission  perfectly  executed. 

❝   Just  like  I  expected.   ❞   Though  the  words  were  a  mere  echo  of  his  student’s,  Satoru  still  managed  to  add  a  rather  distinctive  touch  to  them     —     his  tone  rooted  in  the  smugness  of  a  teacher  proven  right  in  both  his  teachings  and  his  calculations.  ❝   Of  course  it  went  fine.  I  did  train  you,  after  all.   ❞   

If  he  had  hoped  for  a  visible  reaction  from  his  stoic  student  at  that  lighthearted  tease,  he  would  likely  end  his  day  unsatisfied...  and  yet,  satisfaction  still  prematurely  blossomed  across  his  features  as  he  leaned  back  again,  arms  casually  crossed  behind  his  head.  ❝   C’mon,  give  me  a  few  more  details.   ❞   

@tenshadowws

𝐀  𝐇𝐔𝐌  𝐎𝐅  𝐀𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓  𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐃  𝐎𝐍  𝐇𝐈𝐒  𝐋𝐈𝐏𝐒,  indecorously  mingling  with  his  thorough  indulgence  in  the  sugary  treat.  ❝   Exactly.   ❞   

As  though  the  matter  were  entirely  self-evident,  Satoru  gave  a  mere  casual  shrug  of  his  shoulders  while  his  greedy  fingers  already  crept  toward  the  next  foil-wrapped  candy.  ❝   I’m  helping  you  finish  them.  You’re  welcome.   ❞   

𝔖𝔢𝔯𝔞𝔭𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔞 earnestly thought about his question. Did she know? No. She'd never heard of it. Did it make sense though? Yeah, actually. People who sighed a lot probably had a much more stressful life than people who didn't. A big weight on one's shoulder would make them sigh more. She'd noticed that in herself whenever she was feeling down.

She opened her mouth to reply, but Gojo already continued without waiting for an answer. Oh. Her mouth closed, as well as her eyes. A deep sigh. Of course he wasn't just sharing some fun facts, it was Satoru they were talking about here. She should expect haphazardness from him by now. What a naive idiot she could be.

Indeed,  it  was  a  huff  of  laughter  that  eventually  barked  from  his  throat,  seemingly  stirred  by  her  audible  indulgence  in  the  drink  that  had  once  been  his.  ❝   Talk  about  outrageous  while  resorting  to  theft.  How  cold.   ❞