Leaning on a railing in Harajuku, Kyouka waited with Megumi and Itadori for Gojo. With Itadori's acceptance into Jujutsu High, this was the first mission where all three first years would be present. "Why are there only three first years?" Itadori asked, nibbling on an ice cream.

"How many people have you met who can see curses? Jujutsu sorcerers are rare." Megumi answered him.

"Each sorcerer has a speciality, but Megumi is right. We're rare." Kyouka added on. "There's only a handful of second and third years as well."

"So Gojo is the head of the first years. Are you a teacher as well, Kyouka?" Itadori asked easily. Megumi groaned nervously while Kyouka stiffened at the question and narrowed her eyes.

"I am to a certain degree. I'm here to watch over you three as well. I'm not exactly teacher material."

"She's here to keep Gojo in line." Megumi interrupted, earning a smack from Kyouka. "It's true! Neither of you would admit it though. It's been like that for as long as I can remember."

"It's hilarious that you think he listens to me." Kyouka murmured, noticing the white haired sorcerer making his way over to the group. "He's his own problem that not even I can solve."

"That's not very nice, Kyouka. Come on, Nobara is over here." Gojo smiled, leading the group to a brunette girl chastising a modeling recruiter. After hearing the rants from the girl, Kyouka shook her head.

"She's insane." Kyouka stated, hearing Itadori burst out laughing.

"Reminds me of you a little at that age." Gojo replied, his infinity barrier protecting him from Kyouka's slap. "Feisty this morning. Have you eaten?" He asked. Ignoring Gojo, Kyouka called over the third student to the group.

"Nobara Kugisaki. You should be honored boys." The brunette greeted, the air of eliteness exuding from her. Kyouka winced at the cocky attitude and mumbled.

"Now I see what you mean." She whispered to Gojo who cackled at her. "Now kids, for you country folk, today may be a little different for you." Itadori and Nobara quickly quieted down and gave her their full attention. "Tokyo is a far cry from the outskirts of country life; so we thought it would be best for you to visit a place…more city-like." She smirked, seeing Gojo buzz with excitement next to her.

"To Roppongi!" He cheered, seeing his excited students join in his happiness. Megumi however, glared at his two teachers, knowing something was fishy.

Unfortunately for Nobara and Itadori, Roppongi was the location of a cursed building not far from a cemetery. "It's cruel to mess with country folk!" Nobara complained, seeing the gloomy building before her.

"Who wants to tell me why there is a curse here?" Kyouka asked, waiting for a student to reply.

"Graveyard plus abandoned building and you have a curse!" Gojo answered her happily.

"How about an answer from the non-grade one sorcerer?" Kyouka groaned, turning to Megumi.

"It's not necessarily the graves themselves. It's how people view graveyards. Fear and uneasiness." Megumi explained.

"It's the same as the school right"? Itadori asked, causing Nobara to freeze.

"Wait? You didn't know that yet?" Megumi groaned and explained the Sukuna situation.

"You swallowed a special grade cursed object?! That's so unsanitary!"

"That's not nice!" Itadori retorted.

"I agree with her." Megumi conceded, before Kyouka cleared her throat.

"Children. This is a field test of sorts to see what skill set you have. That's why we are here." She explained, rubbing her eyes roughly. "Please, try to behave."

"Nobara and Itadori, go exorcize this demon." Gojo told them, handing Itadori a cursed blade. "Since you can't control your cursed energy well, use this." Dismissing the teens again, he spoke up once more. "Don't let Sakuna out either. He'll cause more problems than I want to deal with today."

"That's an understatement." Kyouka mumbled, watching the teens run into the building.

"I can help, you know." Megumi mumbled, seeing his fellow students disappear.

'You still need to heal." Gojo reminded him, brushing past his student. "Don't strain yourself too much." Kyouka gazed up into the building in thought. "Kyouka?"

"Nobara has no idea what's about to happen." Megumi gave her a quizzical look before she explained. "She's from the country. Curses from the country aren't as strong as city curses. That's just the way it is. She thinks this will be a walk in the park."

"She's the one we're testing today; not Itadori." Gojo spoke up, sitting next to a bench behind the group. "That being said; Itadori has some screws loose. These curses take up the image of terrifying things that are trying to kill him. And he has no fear jumping into the fight. So today is about testing whether or not she is crazy enough to do this job."

"Do you think she is?" Megumi asked out loud, gingerly sitting on the bench with Kyouka. She narrowed her eyes in thought, hearing the commotion within the building.

"She has a lot to learn. She just found a kid by the sounds of it. Interesting turn of events."

"The weight of human lives hangs in the balance." Gojo said, also knowing what was transpiring in the building. "She's debating her life over the child's."

"Her decision surprises me." Kyouka smirked, hearing Itadori crash through the wall. "Good kid." Seeing the curse jump out of the building, Megumi braced himself.

"I'll handle it." Megumi said, before Gojo spoke up.

"Hold on." He said, looking up to see Nobara's energy engulf the curse and destroy it quickly. "Oh good. She's crazy." He smiled, seeing Kyouka shake her head in annoyance.

"Must you always be right?"

'"It's a gift." Itadori and Nobarra appeared from the building and joined their teachers on the ground. "Feel good?" The two teens buzzed with adrenaline as Megumi and Kyouka joined them. "Let's head home."

They had walked a mile or two before Kyouka cleared her throat next to Gojo. "I have been requested to go back to Kyoto." She whispered, stringing her fingers through the ends of her purple strands.

"Permanently?" Gojo asked. If Kyouka didn't know any better, there was a slight concern in his voice.

"Not sure. I think it's just for a few days; but I do still have a place there if they need me. Principal Gakuganji requested me." Both groaned as neither sorcerer cared for the elderly principal. His beliefs were deeply rooted in the higher ups ideology that Gojo and Kyouka were trying to change.

"Kill him for me when you get the chance." Gojo mumbled, seeing Kyouka laugh at him. "I'm glad you find that amusing."

"I wonder sometimes what it's like in that Gojo brain of yours sometimes. You have the clear ability to kill everyone in power; but you choose not to. But yet, you have no issue telling me to."

"I know what you can do, Mari. I trust that you can do what is asked when the time comes." Kyouka rolled her eyes and turned to see the students following them dutifully.

"Keep up or you won't get dinner." She called out, hearing their footsteps rapidly increase. "Kids." She smirked, keeping her gaze on the horizon. Gojo regarded her smirk from beneath his blindfold, pleased to see Kyouka finally relaxing. "I can hear your thoughts, Saturou." Her voice sounded, breaking Gojo from his gaze.

"No you can't. You haven't touched me in some time; you have no idea what I'm thinking." He teased, sticking his tongue out.

"I don't need to use my cursed technique to know what you're thinking. I think a decade of friendship has given me that power." Kyouka retorted, nudging into Gojo; his infinity not blocking her. He laughed at her and nudged her back.

"Probably the most fearsome skill you have. Ability to read the strongest sorcerer."

"Self-proclaimed strongest sorcerer." Kyouka reminded him, hearing a soft whine coming from Gojo. "I will bring that up at every chance." She smiled, turning her attention to the bickering students behind the pair. "When do you leave for your mission?"

"Day after next. You? When do you leave for Kyoto?" Gojo asked, stretching his arms out.

"Same. I need to catch up on paperwork before then." She explained, sighing heavily. "The duties of a teacher."

"I think it's safe to say that we're more than teachers." Gojo prodded her, seeing a semblance of a smile on her lips. "I mean…I'm definitely better than one. But, I wouldn't have asked for your help if you were 'just a teacher'."

"What a Gojo sided compliment." Kyouka laughed, running her hands through her purple hair. She felt a tension headache forming as they walked back to the city in search of food. "You can't do what you want without me anyway, Satarou." Her bright eyes shot up to the taller man with a conviction that sent shivers down Gojo's spine. The power that the girl in front of him held was enough to make him thank whatever God existed that Mari Kyouka was on his side.

"Good luck in Kyoto. Stay safe."

"You too."

As if she could see into the future, Kyoka's mission to Kyoto was a colossal waste of her time. "Tell me again why I was summoned for…test taking? And not physical tests, I may add…but writing?" Kyokoa's annoyance gritted through her teeth. "I spent days cooped up in a dusty classroom watching over kids taking a standard test. Literally a monkey could do that."

"I assure you, Kyouka, that Principal Gakuganji asked for you personally." Principal Yaga groaned over the phone. Kyouka sat in her car, gripping the steering wheel tightly to keep from shouting at her boss. "One should be honored to be chosen by a prestigious man such as him."

"Be that as it may, I could have done something more beneficial with my time. Say…train the first year students while their number one distraction was out of town?" She continued, pulling onto the highway. "How are they doing?" A thick silence hung on the other end of the phone for too long. "Principal?"

"I will talk to you when you return." Then he hung up. Kyouka's heart raced at the vagueness of the tone.

"Well that's not foreboding at all." She hissed, pulling up Megumi's number on her phone. "Pick up child, pick up."

"Kyo? Are you almost home?" Kyouka sighed in relief and calmed her heart rate.

"Yes. What happened? Tell me everything."