Settling back into life at Tokyo Jujutsu High is easier than you previously thought. It requires no effort at all to move back into your old dorm room, not when everything is the way you left it a year ago.

Finding out that Satoru moved out in the time you were gone isn't much of a surprise since he's a rich wanker with more money than you could imagine. His offer to let you stay at his place only made it halfway past his lips before you swiftly declined, much to his dismay. After a few pouts and excessive whining, you told him that there was no way in hell that you're going to spend the night, not when you think back to the things he said when you were still in a hospital bed.

You wouldn't say you hold many grudges, but in this case, you enjoy watching him grovel. That doesn't stop him from calling you as soon as you get into bed.

"Hm?" you greet him, rubbing your eyes tiredly.

"What happened to 'hello'?"

"Hello, Satoru, apple of my eye, light of my life," you hum and pull the blanket tighter around you.

"Heh," you can hear his smirk from the other end of the phone, "I like that. Keep going."

You playfully roll your eyes. "So, why'd you call?"

"Just wanted to check in and make sure that you're all settled."

"Ah, yeah, I am. I was surprised when Yaga told me that my dorm room was still available. I figured someone else had moved in while I was gone."

It's silent for a moment which makes you ponder over how exactly your room is still unoccupied. There aren't many new students, but it is still weird-

"Did you-" you start when the realization hits you.

"It was a small favor to make them keep your room available in exchange for a special-grade mission," he says, too casually.

"Why?"

A beat of silence.

"I guess I kept hoping that you would come back eventually," he confesses and even though he tries to hide it by sounding light-hearted, you can hear the vulnerability in his voice.

Your heart clenches nearly painfully.

"I thought so, too," you sigh, running your hand through your hair. "Moving to Kyoto was supposed to be a temporary solution until things with Suguru settled. But then I liked it there, and going back would mean being reminded of him every day. I guess I was scared."

"Hey- You don't have to explain yourself. I know I'm part of the reason you stayed away."

"I'm sorry," you whisper.

He exhales loudly through his nose like he thinks it's funny. "Why are you apologizing? You didn't do anything wrong."

"It's just," you start and struggle to find the right words, "you lost him, too. He was like a brother to you. I guess I feel bad for leaving you when you needed me most. I feel sorry for that."

Rationally, you know that what he did warranted your reaction, but he is still the closest thing to family that you have in the sorcerer world. Abandoning him never felt good, or righteous.

"You're here now, and that's what counts," he tells you and it makes you smile involuntarily.

"Alright, let's quit the heavy talk. What are we going to do tomorrow?"

The last time you rushed into a mission, you ended up in a hospital bed, so giving yourself two days to prepare has seemed like the more reasonable thing to do. But now that you are fully briefed on the mission, you're starting to get thrilled. The adrenaline of the fight, the release of cursed energy that's restlessly flowing through your body…there's no better feeling in the world.

"Let's spar tomorrow," he hums excitedly. "I have to see how rusty you are."

"Rusty?" you repeat in mock offense. "I'm at the top of my game! Never felt better, actually."

"We'll see how well you fare when you're up against the Great Gojo Satoru," he boasts, and it makes you giggle.

How can anyone take this guy seriously?

"I'll go to sleep, so I have a minuscule chance at besting you," you tease and reach over to turn off your bedside lamp.

You bid each other goodnight and hang up, and it only takes a few minutes until you're fast asleep, your heart feeling lighter than it has for a long, long time.

"Your Infinity fucking sucks."

The temperatures are close to freezing, and there is not a single ray of sunlight shining down on you. The training field outside of the school is empty, save for yourself, Satoru, and a few curious onlookers. Your presence in Tokyo is new to some of the first-year students, and apparently, they all want to witness the collision of an immovable object and an unstoppable force.

The immovable object being Satoru, who keeps blocking your hits with his Infinity, while you are already covered in bruises.

"You have to hit me harder, then," he grins, white hair plastered on his forehead and sweat rolling off his temples. You suppose you don't look much better.

You scoff and set your feet apart, taking on your fighting stance. "You know that's not how it works. You said no cursed techniques."

"I don't mind playing dirty," he watches you closely, looking for a gap in your defense.

He ducks and tries to aim for your abdomen, but you sidestep and block his incoming fist that would have otherwise hit you square on your nose.

That's why you love training with Satoru. He doesn't hold back, not even a little bit. And what you lack in strength, you make up with agility and speed.

He follows with a series of quick punches, the next one stronger than the last, and you swiftly dodge them. Your mind is fixated on his movements, the slightest twitch of his muscles.

It ends rather unspectacularly when he promptly sweeps your legs with his foot, making you fall on your butt, gasping for breath.

You have been sparring since morning, and it's almost noon now. Everything hurts, from your bruised legs to your sore arms that hang off your body like wet noodles.

"That's three to one," Satoru announces smugly and offers you a hand. You let him pull you up with a grunt.

You massage your muscles and groan when pain shoots through your body like lightning. That's going to warrant a visit to Shoko.

"You didn't go easy on me," you sigh and rotate your shoulder.

The corner of his mouth quirks up as he watches you. "I wouldn't insult you by holding back."

You stick out your bottom lip. "At least I got your ass one time."

"Oh, there he comes," Satoru announces, and you lift your head curiously.

A teenage boy walks toward you, looking more nervous by the second. You tilt your head in question before you vaguely remember that the first-year student who's going to help you in two days is supposed to meet you around twelve.

His brown hair lifts with every hasty step he takes, and you notice the scar on the left side of his forehead. Other than that, he looks rather mundane, no one you would recognize in a crowd.

"H-hello! I'm Yoshio Haruno! It's nice to meet you!"

He abruptly bows at the waist, and you exchange one glance with Satoru, quickly looking away when he starts to grin which nearly makes you laugh as well.

You jab your elbow into his chest, pleasantly noting that he turned off his Infinity again, and clear your throat. You introduce yourself and Satoru, although it's clear he already knows who you are.

"So, Yoshio, what's your technique?" you ask curiously and muster him from head to toe. His build is somewhat scrawny, but you notice the considerable flow of cursed energy around him.

"I can create illusions. O-or rather, I'm able to conjure domain-like territories."

You nod, a plan slowly forming inside your head. You look at Satoru whose eyes are already on your face, and you silently agree on Yoshio's role in defeating the Oracle Curse.

"You've been briefed already?" you ask him, and he nods quickly.

"Okay, now listen to me. You are not going to fight the Curse with us, understood? You're going to use your technique to help us, and then you're going to keep your distance."

As long as you're alive, you do not want to bury another underclassman. Not because of a curse that sees them as the weak link, or because of their own foolishness.

"I understand," he says, and you affectionally pat him on the shoulder.

"Great," you whistle and rotate your shoulder again. You fell on it quite unfortunately a while ago. "I've got to pay a visit to Shoko now."

"You need me to come with you?" Satoru offers and steps forward.

You wave him off. "I'm good, but thanks."

You turn around and walk away, stretching again to relax your muscles, arms raised to the sky. Your shirt rides up to expose a strip of soft skin.

An arm wraps around your midsection, and you yelp when you feel the familiar tug of teleportation behind your belly button. You promptly get dropped into the middle of Shoko's empty lab.

"Satoru!"

He shoots you a cheeky grin and walks to the door. "What? I feel bad for beating you up."

You narrow your eyes. "You can't just go around sweeping people off their feet and teleporting them."

He opens the door and lifts his blindfold to look at you, the blue of his eyes dancing in the low light. "Nah, I don't do that for anyone else. Only for you."

And then he is gone.