One month had passed in what felt like the blink of an eye, and the dynamics between the four had shifted significantly. Gojo and Geto had quickly become inseparable, their personalities complementing each other in a way that made their friendship seem almost inevitable.Naoya, who had once kept his distance, now found himself reluctantly drawn into their orbit. Despite his initial resistance.
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One afternoon, as the sun streamed through the windows of the school, Naoya spotted Shoko sitting at her desk, flipping through a book with her usual laid-back expression. He smirked and casually approached her, leaning against the edge of her desk.
"Hey, Shoko," he said, his tone light but with a hint of mischief. "What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?"
Shoko glanced up. "Studying. You know, that thing people do to actually learn something?" She closed her book and tilted her head, giving him a once-over. "What's your excuse for being here, Naoya? Did Gojo and Geto finally annoy you enough to seek refuge?"
Naoya chuckled, crossing his arms. "oh please,as if those two could ever get under my skin."
"I just figured I'd grace you with my presence. You're welcome, by the way."
Shoko raised an eyebrow, a small smile playing on her lips. "How generous of you. Should I bow or something?"
"If you want," Naoya replied, his smirk widening. "But I'll settle for something else if you know what I mean."
Before Shoko could retort, Gojo's voice echoed down the hallway. "Naoya! There you are! We've been looking everywhere for you!"
Naoya groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Speak of the devil."
Gojo appeared in the doorway, his grin as wide as ever, with Geto trailing behind him, looking mildly exasperated but amused. "We're heading out for food. You in?" Gojo asked, leaning dramatically against the doorframe.
"Depends," Naoya said, glancing at Shoko with a sly grin. "Is Shoko—"
But before he could finish, a deep voice cut through the air. "You four. There's a mission for you."
All heads turned to see Yaga standing at the end of the hallway, his arms crossed and his expression as stern as ever.
"This is urgent. Get your things and meet me in the briefing room in ten minutes."
Geto sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Guess dinner's going to have to wait."
Shoko closed her book with a soft thud, standing up and slinging her bag over her shoulder.
Naoya rolled his eyes. "Of course it is."
Gojo pushed off the doorframe, tinged with excitement. "Alright, mission time. Let's make this quick so we can get back to the important stuff—like food."
...
"Gojo and Geto, you're paired for this mission. You'll be exorcising curses suspected to be at least one of them is a first-grade," Yaga said, his tone firm and no-nonsense.
Gojo yawned, stretching his arms lazily. "I hope they won't be so weak."
Geto leaned against the wall, his arms crossed. "I needed to stock some high-level curses anyway. This works out."
Yaga ignored their comments, turning to Shoko and Naoya. "As for you two—Shoko, you'll head to a village near Mount Fuji. Some sorcerers were injured during a mission, and they need healing. Naoya, you'll handle a curse that's been causing trouble in the area. Don't take it lightly."
Shoko nodded, her expression calm. "Understood. I'll head out right away."
"This is going to be annoying," Naoya muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets. The three of them already knew that Shoko could use the Reverse Cursed Technique, both on herself and on others. It was one of the many reasons she was invaluable to the team.
Flashback:
One week after their first meeting, the four of them were sitting in the classroom, trash-talking each other as usual. The atmosphere was light, though the tension between Naoya and the others was still palpable. Suddenly, Naoya stood up and walked over to Shoko.
"So, Shoko," Naoya began, leaning casually against her desk, "what's the difference between you and monkeys that can't even use jujutsu? I don't like sitting with commoners for three years, let alone monkeys." He shot a meaningful glance at Geto as he spoke, clearly aiming to provoke.
Naoya already knew that Shoko could use the Reverse Cursed Technique from his memories of the show, but he needed a reason to not make himself suspicious when he asked Shoko to teach him about RCT later. Gojo and Geto were also curious, as they didn't want to ask about her abilities directly. It was considered rude to pry into someone's cursed technique, especially since some techniques had special conditions or restrictions. It was an unwritten rule among sorcerers—unless, of course, the person was famous enough that everyone already knew their abilities, like Gojo or Naoya.
Shoko, who had been playing with her Nokia phone, looked up at Naoya, her expression calm but slightly amused. "Did you ever hear about the Reverse Cursed Technique?"
Naoya raised an eyebrow, his smirk still in place. "Are you implying that you can use it?"
Geto and Gojo, who had been lounging nearby, suddenly looked at each other, their expressions briefly stunned. They both knew how rare and valuable the Reverse Cursed Technique was, and the fact that Shoko could use it was no small thing.
Shoko shrugged, setting her phone down. "It's what separates me from the, what did you call them, monkeys? Apparently. I can heal myself and others. Can you?"
Naoya's smirk didn't waver, but there was a flicker of irritation in his eyes. "At least I'm not a commoner and a woman."
Gojo burst out laughing, slapping his knee. "Oh Naoya, you're really bad at comebacks, you know that?"
Geto shook his head, though there was a small smile on his face. "You walked right into that one, Naoya."
Shoko leaned back in her chair, her tone dry. "Commoner or not, at least I'm useful in more ways than just swinging my fists around."
Naoya crossed his arms, his smirk sharpening. " The real fight is won by those strong enough to end it before they even need healing."
Shoko raised an eyebrow. "And yet, you'll still be crawling to me when you get your ass kicked."
Gojo whistled, grinning. "Damn, Naoya, I think she's got you there."
Geto chuckled. "You sure you wanna keep digging this hole?"
Naoya scoffed, rolling his shoulders. "Hah. As if I'd ever need help from a woman."
Shoko smirked. "Famous last words."