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Footsteps crunched against the ice.
A faint whistle cut through the air.
Then a voice, drawling, mocking:
"You're still as dramatic as ever, Suguru."
A gust of wind scattered dust and snow. A silhouette emerged from the shadows.
Silver strands swayed gently in the wind.
Gojo Satoru stopped a few meters away, hands in his pockets, a casual smile on his lips. His tinted glasses reflected the last glimmer of daylight, hiding his azure gaze.
Geto inhaled slowly.
"Satoru."
His voice was calm, almost warm.
Gojo tilted his head. Then he raised a brow behind his dark lenses.
"You really plan on keeping that appearance in front of me, kid?"
Gojo's smile faded slightly.
"…Or would you rather I force your hand?"
Geto blinked. For a moment, his expression remained unreadable, then the corner of his lips curled upward in faint amusement.
"Mr. Gojo, hm…"
Then, slowly, he sighed.
His features rippled. His silhouette thinned, his clothes seemed to readjust themselves, and in an instant—
It wasn't Geto Suguru standing there anymore.
A boy with youthful features lifted his head. His face showed a perplexed look as he scratched the back of his neck absentmindedly.
"Tch…" He pouted. "Guess I should've expected that. Fooling your eyes is like trying to hide an elephant under a sheet."
Gojo tilted his head slightly, an amused smile tugging at his lips.
"Good to hear you admit it, kid." He folded his arms, studying the boy intently. "Quite the technique, I'll admit. Being able to change your appearance—almost down to copying the original's energy flow."
The boy shrugged with mock nonchalance.
"I'm honored to receive a compliment from Mr. Gojo himself." His eyes narrowed. "But it would've been better if I'd actually fooled you."
Gojo let out a low whistle, shaking his head with a crooked smile.
"If I didn't have these eyes, I'll admit—you might've tricked me…"
Then his smile vanished, replaced by a more serious expression. His glasses slid slightly down the bridge of his nose, revealing a piercing flash of blue.
"But I doubt you picked that appearance at random, kid."
His gaze sharpened.
"Where did you meet Geto Suguru?"
Ryosuke hesitated. His foot scraped lightly against the hardened snow beneath him, and he looked away briefly before muttering, awkwardly:
"It was during my first mission in Kyoto…"
He folded his arms, then added:
"I ran into him by chance. We exchanged greetings, then went our separate ways."
Gojo didn't blink.
"Is he dead?" he asked flatly.
Ryosuke raised a brow, then smirked faintly.
"No."
He met Gojo's sharp stare and gave a slight shrug.
"At the time, killing him would've been a waste for me."
Gojo's eyes narrowed.
Then, without warning—
BOOM.
A shadow burst from the side. Ayanami cleaved through the air in a blinding motion, her foot striking down with lethal precision toward Gojo.
—But her blow met only empty space.
Her foot stopped mere centimeters from its mark.
Her eyes widened.
Gojo, unmoved, didn't even turn his head toward her.
His hands were still in his pockets.
Without paying the failed strike any attention, he fixed his gaze back on Ryosuke.
"Now, tell me, kid."
His voice was low, carrying unusual weight.
"Why take his appearance?"
Ayanami repositioned herself instantly, her foot pivoting against the ground. Her sharp gaze assessed Gojo, but when she glanced at Ryosuke, something in her expression shifted. Her shoulders loosened ever so slightly, and in a measured motion, she returned to the boy's side. Her fan opened slowly, half-hiding her face as her dark eyes remained locked on Gojo.
The strongest sorcerer let out a faint whistle, shaking his head. He cast a pointed glance at Ayanami before exhaling, almost amused:
"So this is what you did with Rika. My student's crying his heart out right now."
Silence fell.
Ryosuke didn't flinch.
"Yuta never could've controlled a curse like that," he finally said in a detached tone.
Gojo stayed silent.
"I only helped. The human soul was freed, so what stands before you now…"
He flashed a fleeting smile.
"…Is nothing but a curse. One hundred percent."
Ayanami didn't react, her fan lowering slightly.
Gojo exhaled through his nose. Then, slowly, he raised a hand to adjust his glasses.
His lips curved in a faint, absent smile.
"So let me get this straight… Your brilliant idea was to strut around in the body of an S-class criminal, out in public, leveling half a district in the process…"
He raised a brow behind his tinted lenses.
"Injuring my students, stealing a curse, and wreaking havoc? It never crossed your mind that maybe—you could've just… I don't know, sent an email?"
Ryosuke smirked.
"Hmm, yeah… But that wouldn't have been as fun."
He shrugged with feigned innocence.
"Honestly, it seemed like the best option. Geto Suguru is still a threat, right? Just showing his face was bound to attract some big names. And along the way, I got to take out two of his lackeys."
His fingers brushed casually against his coat collar.
"All I had to do was show up, and bam—" He snapped his fingers. "Jujutsu comes running in a panic."
His smile widened, as if savoring his own cleverness.
Then, in a casual gesture, he scratched the back of his head.
"As for my so-called 'help'…"
He pretended to think for a second.
"Let's just say I never claimed to be a saint. What better than helping while helping myself, right?"
Gojo arched a brow.
"Oh yeah? So leveling a district, injuring students, stealing a curse that isn't yours, and causing a goddamn mess…"
He tilted his head slightly, his glasses slipping a touch down his nose.
"That's your idea of 'help'?"
Ryosuke sighed, shrugging again.
"Eh… My help doesn't come free, you know."
He raised a finger.
"It's win-win. A little action, a little experience, and in the end, everyone's happy."
Gojo just stared at him. Then, slowly, he said, flat as stone:
"As a teacher, I'm not sure that counts as an excuse."
Ryosuke gave a low whistle.
"Ah, but don't worry—I was careful not to hurt your students too badly. Just… enough."
A small laugh slipped past his lips.
"Enough to make it memorable."
Gojo hadn't moved an inch.
Ayanami, meanwhile, remained in the background, motionless, her fan still covering half her face. But her dark eyes studied the scene with a cold focus.
Ryosuke spoke again, his tone still light.
"But let's be honest, sensei."
A sharper gleam flickered in his eyes.
"If you keep coddling them like this… They'll never grow."
Gojo gave no response.
Ryosuke held his stare.
"You know what shocked me the most?"
His smile widened.
"How weak they are."
Ayanami lowered her fan slightly, watching with heightened attention.
Ryosuke let a silence hang before adding, with a trace of amusement:
"I was holding back… and they still couldn't keep up."
Gojo didn't even blink.
A faint twitch rippled across his jaw.
Ryosuke continued, his voice dropping lower.
"Now imagine if it had really been Geto."
The silence froze.
And slowly—
A smile crept across Gojo's lips.
But it wasn't a smile of amusement.