A Young Girl's Ten Shadows

By Special FX and Icura

~o~

Chapter 6: Day Off

~o~

It had been a year since her encounter with the spider curse.

In the serene stillness of the early morning, the dojo of the Zenin clan stood as one of the few sanctuaries of discipline and tradition in the compound. Inside the building, the polished wooden floors gleamed under the soft light that filtered through the paper screens, enhanced by the fresh scent of synthetic nature that lingered in the air. After all, it was meticulously cleaned every day and sprayed down with expensive air fresheners. Otherwise, it would be more likely to smell of yesterday's body odor and ardent sweat.

Tanya wiped the dripping sweat from her forehead with a towel.

It was Sunday—her day off—so she didn't have any lessons with any of her instructors today, but that didn't mean she was going to slack off. Her morning routine on her days off consisted mainly of strength and agility training to build up her still growing body. While cursed energy could supplement one's physical abilities, the body still served as the base while the cursed energy was more of a multiplier. Thankfully though, she didn't actually have to worry about it stunting her growth. Apparently, that wouldn't be an issue with cursed energy, though she wouldn't put it past Being X to be vindictive with her genetics.

In any case, that allowed her to spend this time making her body stronger where other children would have used it to play around or slack off all day. Knowing full well that Being X's machinations were coming in the future allowed her to keep focus on what she needed to do. Unlike in her previous occupation as an aerial mage, the life of a jujutsu sorcerer mainly consisted of close quarters combat so physical ability was especially important.

Of course, the essence of exercise was breaking down her own body and allowing time for it to rebuild. In that perspective, overtraining would do nothing but hinder her progress, no matter how much she wanted to prepare for the future.

With that thought in mind, Tanya finished her last set before she took a long drink from a still cold water bottle and let out a sigh of contentment. Now that her morning training was done, she could finally relax a bit and do some reading, especially since the internet—even as slow as it was—was waiting for her back in her room. Though, she would still need to take a shower first and eat some breakfast beforehand. Getting proper nutrition was important if she didn't want to stunt her growth like in her previous life. After wiping off the rest of the sweat on her face with a towel and tossing it into a basket near the wall, she left the dojo.

On her way through the Hei compound, she ran into Naoya. Their eyes met as they crossed paths with each other.

"Good morning, Naoya," she politely greeted.

"...Tanya," he eventually replied. "Were you training again?"

"Just finished."

Naoya narrowed his eyes. "...I'm going to train too then."

"I see." She nodded her head approvingly. "Keep up the good work."

The boy just clicked his tongue in response before he walked past her.

Ever since they had been sent on that mission to exorcise the cursed spirit in the factory, she had noticed a change in how he treated her. There was a lot less hostility compared to before. For one, he stopped simply referring to her as 'stupid girl' and actually used her name instead. Even though the results of that mission could have been better, her plan to improve her standing within the clan seemed to be working nonetheless. Previously antagonistic relations within the clan had improved somewhat, though many of them were still looking down on her for being a foreigner and a girl at that.

Gender inequality didn't have a place in corporate society, but this was hardly a corporate setting. The old traditional gender roles were alive and well here, and they could afford to keep them. It was grating to work under unfair work conditions, but at the very least, it would keep her out of the more dangerous missions. In her previous life, if there wasn't a gender exception for mages, she wouldn't have lived under the dangers of being drafted into the army, which had essentially forced her to enlist. If she was going to eventually be forced into the military anyway, then it was better to do it earlier to gain some advantages and benefits.

In fact, Naoya's perceived rivalry with her could work to her advantage.

Any dangerous mission, he would probably try to take in order to one-up her and prove his—and the clan's—view of male superiority. Therefore, he would be essentially acting as her shield, allowing her to take less dangerous missions and stay at home, despite the fact that she had inherited the Ten Shadows technique. In that sense, she would be safer while still having a prestigious position, albeit slightly less prestigious than Naoya's.

Not to mention, it wasn't like they actually needed to be on friendly terms with each other. As long as she wasn't considered an enemy to him, that was satisfactory enough. Naoya was likely to succeed Naobito as the clan head—if he didn't die first—especially since the other sons, while hardworking and impressive in their own rights, had nowhere the potential that Naoya had. Having a bad relationship with someone like that was just asking for trouble in the future.

A good working relationship would be best, especially since she was essentially stuck here; there was no way that the clan would allow someone with their prized inherited technique to leave after all. Her fate was synonymous with the clan, and Being X wasn't a creature who would allow that to end peacefully. Indeed, Being X would never allow her something like that just to spite her.

That damn Being X!

Fury rolled off of her as Tanya made her way back toward her quarters. Just the thought of that bastard always puts her in a foul mood. Her attendant, noticing her mood, pretended like it didn't bother her, and upon her request, left to get her breakfast instead, giving her some time alone. It was good to have a consummate professional as her assistant. In the meanwhile, she stripped off her clothes and made her way to her attached bathroom.

It was a standard Japanese bathroom, though bigger in size and more traditional in style. Since her training was a weekly routine at this point, her attendant had already prepared the tub with water so it was immediately ready for her use. After soaping up and washing herself off—her long hair taking the most time—she went over to the tub and sank into the heated water.

As she allowed the warm water to soothe her body, Tanya found her mind wandering. Honestly, she would have preferred to have shorter hair like she did in her previous life—it was far easier to manage—but her attendant insisted that it was better for her to keep it long instead. Whether that was because the Zenin clan followed some archaic beauty standards or Misato had simply thought it looked good on her, she didn't know or care. If her appearance could help improve her standing with others, then she was going to take advantage of that.

As a former Human Relations manager, she knew the value of one's appearance. Besides, it was just another means to an end. It wasn't that difficult to tie her hair into a ponytail during her day-to-day activities anyway.

After she finished her bath and dried herself up, Tanya found her breakfast waiting on her desk. It was a traditional Japanese style breakfast: rice, fish, and miso soup. The only western addition was the mug of coffee, something that she had very much insisted on. For a very good reason too.

After all, what kind of breakfast was complete without a nice cup of coffee?

Rays of sunlight streamed through her curtains, casting delicate patterns of light across her room as she enjoyed her meal. After eating her breakfast and making sure to clean up after herself, she cradled her still steaming mug of coffee in one of her hands as she sat down at her computer desk. Turning it on, she heard the loud whine of her expensive computer that would eventually become less powerful than a calculator in the future.

Tanya took a sip of her mug as she waited for the long boot-up process to finish.

Overall, it was a nice cozy Sunday morning.

It was moments like these that made her really appreciate her current situation. Sure, some things could have been better, but the situation was still far better than her previous life. Even though being a jujutsu sorcerer was a dangerous occupation—just like with being an aerial mage—she had thankfully been brought into a very influential family that allowed her numerous advantages. If she played her cards right, she could even secure herself a prominent seat in the clan where she could affect the jujutsu world's bureaucracy in the future. The clan elders—with the exception of Chojuro—seemed to have a leisurely enough time.

Ah…she could already imagine how nice that would be.

A sudden sharp knock on the door shattered the relaxing silence, jolting Tanya from her reverie. She frowned, glancing at the clock on the table. It was barely 10 AM. Who could it be on her day off? Reluctantly, she got up from her seat to answer the door.

When she opened it, she was met with Satoru Gojo's smug grin. "Morning, Tanya."

"..."

She promptly slammed the door shut in response.

"Hey!" Satoru whined. "Come on, open up!"

Of course, it would be Satoru who decided to come bother her during her one day off of the week. Ever since he had pulled that crazy stunt, the Gojo clan had forbidden him from visiting the Zenin compound, especially after he almost caused an inter-clan incident just because he was 'bored'. Unfortunately, it seemed that his ban only lasted for around a year. Did his clan lift the ban (unlikely) or did he simply break the rules (very likely)?

Whatever the case, she'd find out soon enough, whether she wanted to or not.

"Heeeeeeeeeeeey, Taaaaaaanyaaaaaaaa!" Satoru called out. "I'm not leaving until you let me in!"

After a long sigh, she reluctantly opened the door again. Knowing Satoru, he really would do that. The silver-haired boy grinned at her with that characteristic smug smile of his. It took a lot of willpower to not try and strangle him right then and there.

"What do you want, Satoru?" She tiredly asked. It was too early for this.

"Sheesh, as cold as ever," Satoru said as he let himself in and walked past her into her quarters. "I'm just here to hang out. I miss you, ya know?"

"You call me often enough," Tanya dryly replied.

"That's not the same," Satoru waved off as he took a seat on her bed. "Plus I wanted to show off. Did you notice?"

"Notice what?"

Satoru smirked in response as he raised his head. "I'm taller than you now."

"..."

"..."

They both stared at each other in silence for a brief moment.

"...you're an idiot," she eventually settled on.

"So mean!"

Tanya just rolled her eyes before she took a seat at her desk—not her computer desk—and sipped on some much needed coffee. It was still way too early to be dealing with the human hurricane known as Satoru Gojo. Honestly, she could already feel a headache starting to come on.

"How did you get in here anyway?" She exasperatedly asked. "Did you just bulldoze your way through the front gate again?"

"Nah." He smirked. "They didn't bother trying to stop me this time."

Tanya gave him the side-eye. "That's not a good thing, Satoru. You shouldn't be here; your clan won't stay quiet."

"I don't care what those old geezers say," Satoru nonchalantly replied as he laid down on her bed and put his hands behind his head, looking up at the ceiling. "I've actually been thinking lately. Why should I bother listening to anything those geezers say at all? I'm way stronger than all of them combined."

"Rules and order exist for a reason, Satoru," Tanya chided. "You can't just disregard them whenever you want."

"Sure, I can," he refuted. "Who's going to stop me?"

"...didn't I tell you to stop being so arrogant?" Tanya questioned back, annoyed.

"Is it arrogant if I'm just stating the truth?"

"Yes, it is," she dryly replied. "We've had this conversation before."

"Whatever. It's not like I'm wrong." Satoru turned over on his side so he was facing the wall. "I don't care about the clans' stupid dispute with each other. You're my friend and I'm not going to let anyone stop me from hanging out with you."

While she was happy that someone like Satoru looked at her favorably, this was still not an ideal situation. If he pushed things too far, he could end up getting ostracized from his clan and perhaps even jujutsu society completely. She had already invested far too much time and effort into building this relationship. Just remembering how many phone calls she had to endure made her get a sickening feeling in her stomach. And it wasn't just for a few minutes; some of those conversations had gone on for hours at a time.

Despite that, she had still indulged him, but now, her investments were about to fall in price!

"Satoru, listen to your clan more and don't come here again."

The boy got up from the bed and frowned. "I already said—"

"If you want to hang out, just let me know and we'll meet up somewhere else," she interrupted. "That way, you won't be breaking the rules."

Satoru blinked at that. "For real?"

"Yes," Tanya said with a sigh. "For real."

With some stipulations anyway. At least, this way, she could prevent him from coming over unannounced again. His clan would probably get around to forbidding him from having meetings with her eventually, but that was an issue to worry about at a later date.

Satoru just smirked in response. "Alright, next time then, but since I'm already here, whatcha got to do around here?"

"..."

She didn't have nearly enough coffee to deal with him so early in the morning.

~o~

Satoru Gojo was the strongest.

That was how it had always been since the day he had first opened his Six-Eyes. From the day he was born until now, there was always an invisible wall between him and everyone else. Even though he was constantly surrounded by people who adored and venerated him, there was always a gulf that was as deep as the ocean.

That was because none of them could understand him.

Everyone around him was just too weak. Even if they were better at him in certain aspects like martial arts, it still couldn't hold a candle against Limitless. He had to hold himself back just to feel a bit pressured. It was stifling. He had tempered his expectations to prevent himself from being disappointed.

At least, that was how it was until he met Tanya Zenin.

Who said that the strongest had to only be one person? He was the Six-Eyes Limitless user and she was the wielder of the Ten-Shadows. They were natural foils with one another, historical rivals even, but to him, that just meant that she was someone who had the potential to become his equal.

Someone who could understand him.

Even if, one day, they might be destined to kill each other.

Tanya was snappy. Almost like a cat, she was easily irritable and preferred to be left alone. There was a fire within her though. She was someone who would never back down without a fight. He could see it; deep down, she enjoyed the thrill of battle. He could feel it. Taste it even. They were similar in that sense. He could tell ever since the day he had seen her fight at the train station.

Honestly, he was almost like a moth drawn to her flame. Burnt alive? It would be worth it even if only his wings could be singed. He would welcome the feeling with open arms.

Satoru just couldn't leave her alone. Why? Because he knew that feeling of loneliness all too well. Surprisingly, the unexpected side benefits were good too. Life was more fun when she was around, and he eventually stopped caring what the clan elders thought about it. He had crossed that line, and there was no going back now.

Not that he even wanted to.

"Satoru, are you even listening?" Tanya asked with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Nope!" Satoru replied with a grin, which only seemed to further annoy her. "Spaced out, sorry~"

They were both sitting outside on large rocks by a fancy Koi fish pond, idly feeding the fish. The Zenin clan was as wealthy as the Gojo clan, so he wasn't surprised by their home. As expected, Tanya didn't have any fun things here. There were no video games or board games. Just a bunch of boring old books and a computer. That was how he found himself sitting in front of a Koi pond with her.

The koi seemed particularly healthy and well taken care of, but they were still just fishes. He had already got his fill of them in his own home, the Gojo compound. Besides watching them swarm around the food that they dropped, it wasn't really interesting at all.

"I'll repeat the scenario then," Tanya dryly said as she threw more fish food into the pond. "A special grade curse appears in front of you and challenges you to a duel at a specific location. What do you do?"

"That's easy, I accept and kill it."

"Bzzt! Wrong answer." Tanya made an 'X' with her arms. "The cursed spirit has a cursed technique that counters your Infinity under just the right circumstances. As a result, you die."

"Seriously?" Satoru raised an eyebrow. "You and I both know that wouldn't happen."

"It's a scenario, Satoru," she dryly replied. "The point of it is that just because you're the 'strongest' doesn't mean that you're invincible."

"Pfft. Yes, it does," he waved her off. "That's what it means to be the strongest."

She gave him an annoyed look. "…your arrogance never ceases to amaze me."

He winked in response. "Thanks."

"That's hardly a compliment, idiot," she chided. "You're going to get yourself killed one day if you keep underestimating your enemies like this."

"Geez, so cold." Satoru pouted. "Are you sure you aren't actually a Yuki-onna?"

"…I'm ignoring you from now on."

"Ack!" He pretended like he had been struck. "I was just kidding!"

"…"

She didn't bother dignifying that with a response, instead focusing on feeding the fishes instead.

"Come on, Tanya. Don't give me the cold shoulder again!" Satoru poked her in the arm a few times. "I'll even—"

He suddenly noticed something with his Six-Eyes. A void, a blank spot in his awareness. It felt like an air bubble in an ocean, something that didn't belong there. It was…unnerving.

Satoru turned his head and saw an older man leaning against a tree, watching him. There was a flicker of surprise on his face when their eyes met, as if the man hadn't been expecting to be spotted.

"...Satoru?" Tanya asked, her brow furrowed at his sudden silence. "What is it?"

"Who's that?"

Tanya glanced over toward the direction he was looking at.

"Oh. That's Toji."

Toji? Toji Zenin? Who was Toji Zenin? That wasn't a name that he knew, but then again, he only knew the name of one other person in the Zenin clan, and that was Naobito Zenin.

"Hmm…" Satoru hummed aloud to himself. "He doesn't have any cursed energy."

"It's a Heavenly Restriction," she replied.

Heavenly Restriction…

Ah, didn't they warn him about someone like that being in the Zenin clan? He hadn't really listened; it had gone in one ear and out the other. Not like it mattered anyway, why did he need to worry about anything? Nothing was going to get past his Limitless.

"A Heavenly Restriction, huh?" Satoru mused to himself. "Well, whatever. Weird old guy aside, you want to go out and get some ice cream? I'm getting bored."

She just rolled her eyes before responding.

"Fine, let's go then."

~o~

Naobito Zenin took a slow sip of sake, savoring the warmth that slid down his throat. Fiery, just the way he liked it. Allowing his gaze to drift to the Koi fish pond outside of his room where the two children had once been sitting, he took another sip before setting the cup down on the table with a gentle clink. However, after that, his fingers didn't leave the table; they instead drummed lightly on the wooden surface. Not randomly; there was a rhythm to it, a tune from an old animation that he liked. The motion was soothing in a way, allowing his mind to focus on the intricate web of political maneuvering that had occupied his thoughts as of late.

This era could quite possibly be a turning point for the Zenin clan.

It had been centuries since the clan had been in such a prime position. It was a chance to separate themselves from the other two clans and become the sole dominant power in jujutsu society.

The Kamo clan had been steadily losing its foothold among the three great clans, though they clung to their position through politics and diplomacy. It was no coincidence that they were deeply embedded in the inner workings of the Jujutsu Headquarters, controlling the stray sorcerers and mediating between the Gojo clan and the Zenin clan. As a result, the Kamo sorcerers of this era were far weaker than in the past, especially since barely any of them inherited their clan's prized Blood Manipulation technique.

The Gojo clan was fortunate enough to be blessed with a Limitless Six-Eyes user, but that was as far as their luck went. Much to his amusement, the Gojo clan's chosen one had already become rebellious. If what he saw today was true, then their clan was in for a difficult time. Did they have anyone who could reign the boy in? If they didn't, the spoiled brat would only become worse and worse as time went on. He could already imagine the headaches and troubles those fools would be in for.

And yes, at the center of it all, was the Zenin clan's prized treasure, Tanya. He had already been satisfied with his son manifesting Projection Sorcery, but this was beyond the fortunes of even karma.

She had the talent. She had the legendary Ten Shadows technique. She had the right attitude. Most importantly of all? She had the undivided attention of the Gojo clan's crown jewel. The fact that Satoru Gojo was willing to completely disregard the Gojo clan's orders at her siren call cemented it.

It was like the hand of a god was at play here.

Naobito picked up his cup, brought it to his lips, and took another sip. He savored the taste, letting the liquid swish over his tongue. Patience was a virtue, something that he had learned after many long years. Unlike the Gojo clan, he could simply allow the current situation to be. He already informed the gate sentries to allow Satoru Gojo passage—even though they wouldn't have been able to stop him anyway—and did not plan to interfere with the Six-Eyes brat anymore. Tanya was loyal to the clan, but could the same be said about the Gojo heir and his clan?

If the wind continued to blow so favorably, he wouldn't even have to lift a finger.

All he needed to do was wait.

Naobito took another sip of his cup and savored the taste as he continued to watch the Koi fish. The sound of sandals on wood could be heard as the sounds of footsteps grew louder, interrupting his nature viewing. From the sound of his footsteps, Naobito already knew who it was. There was only one pompous bastard who always wanted the whole damn clan to hear his presence approaching.

Ogi Zenin stopped in front of the doorway, blocking his view of the Koi fish pond. A sheathed sword hung by his side while his long black hair was slicked back into a high ponytail. They were brothers and once, they had been rivals vying for the position of clan head. However, Naobito had long surpassed his younger brother in strength. He may try to delude himself otherwise, but were they to ever clash, the result would be obvious.

"What do you want, Ogi?" Naobito questioned, mildly annoyed.

"Aren't you going to invite me in, brother?"

"Tsk. Get in here then."

"Crass as always." Ogi stepped into the room and made his way to the other side of the table. There, he sat down on the mat and settled in. "Have you given thought to what we talked about before? About the girl."

"Tanya has the Ten Shadows—"

"She's a woman!" Ogi slapped his hand down on the table. "And a foreigner at that! You know that you're acting against tradition."

"And what would you have me do? Lock her away? Waste her talent?"

"Teach her to know her place."

"You're stepping over your bounds, Ogi," Naobito said bitingly. "Don't think that you can be a better clan head than me."

"I'm merely advising, brother."

"I won't hear another word."

"You're setting the elders against you."

"So what? Let them stew." Naobito took a sip of his cup, but he soon grimaced. He then slammed the cup down on the table. "Bah. The taste is gone."

"You're playing a dangerous game, brother. The rumors have been spreading that you're planning on making her your heir."

"That's none of your concern. Begone."

"Hmph. I will come back when you're more receptive." Ogi stood up from his seat and made a face. "...and less drunk."

Naobito just belched in response. "My answer won't change."

"I must still endeavor." Ogi began walking to the doorway. "For the good of the clan."

Naobito disdainfully watched as Ogi left. Tradition. Bah, what use was tradition in the face of sheer power? His own cursed technique was not traditional in any sense of the word and yet, it far surpassed his younger brother's more 'traditional' technique. The man could cling to his 'traditions' all he wanted, but it didn't change the fact that he was the one who had snatched the position of clan head for himself.

In the end, jujutsu was everything. Tanya would become a jujutsu sorcerer who would undoubtedly leave her mark in history and his legacy would be set as the one who shaped her.

Naobito took another sip of his drink before he tossed the rest of it into the pond.

"Tch. Annoying bastard ruined my drink."

~o~

Tanya had gotten coffee-flavored ice cream in a small plastic cup. Two scoops of the same flavor since different flavors would melt into each other and mix, diluting the taste by the end. Picking up the plastic spoon, she used it to dig out a small piece of the ice cream and raised it to her lips. The creamy coffee taste entered her mouth, lingering on the taste buds of her tongue.

Ah, how long had it been since she had tasted such delicious sweetness?

"You're really enjoying that, aren't you?" Satoru Gojo took a lick of his triple scoop ice cream of different flavors on a spike-shaped cone. There was bubblegum, rocky road, and chocolate chip peppermint flavored ice cream.

"Yes," Tanya simply replied, making sure to carefully avoid looking at Satoru's ice cream cone. It felt like she would lose her appetite just by seeing that horrendous combination of pink, brown, and green. There were so many questions she wanted to ask about that, but those could wait until after she was finished eating. After all, she didn't want to waste what she had already paid for.

They were sitting on a bench just outside the ice cream shop, enjoying the sunny day. There were plenty of pedestrians walking by. While some of them smiled at them, they didn't bother to return those smiles.

In the Empire—and western civilization in general—it was acceptable to eat while walking. However, in Japan, that was not the case so she was stuck here until she was done. It was a little lacking in efficiency, but it was nothing too major. Besides, they didn't have any schedules or plans in the first place; they had gone out just to kill time.

Or rather, Tanya had only gone out to indulge Satoru. If she were on her own, there would be far better uses of her time. That included training, researching, preparing, and opening a stock market account. She was still working on that last one, but it was unfortunate that she had no one she could trust to do it for her.

Some would say that she should wait until she was older. Of course, in her previous life, she had died before reaching that age. In that perspective, it was more urgent. Quite frankly, by the time that she would be old enough to open the account herself, it would be far too late to be of use. Having money that wasn't connected to the clan in case she needed it was a good idea, but it was hampered by her inability to carry it out due to the legal age restriction. Thus, even though she knew of the future companies that would likely grow big, she couldn't act on it without the information benefiting someone else instead of her. Was there anybody she could really trust?

Her parents?

They had been nice to her, but would they trust her with a stock market account under their name? The answer to that question was…maybe. It was a possibility. She would need to go and actually visit them sometime. Naobito had already asked if she wanted to once before, so it didn't seem like the clan would forbid her from visiting.

"You want to try some?" Satoru offered, holding out his monstrosity of an ice cream cone.

"Absolutely not."

"Can I get a taste of your coffee ice cream then?"

"No," Tanya said bluntly. "If you're curious, just go buy some."

"Don't have much money on me."

"Then I'll pay for it," Tanya replied. It made sense that his clan would cut him off from their finances since he was being so rebellious with them right now.

"Nah, forget it. I still have to eat all this anyway." Satoru gave his towering three scoop ice cream a lick that brought his tongue from bottom to top. However, Tanya didn't miss the slight shiver that went through his body.

"...you actually hate that, don't you?"

"You got me," Satoru admitted with a shrug. "I was hoping to share the experience, but whatever."

Without looking, he tossed the ice cream—all three scoops and the cone—into the public trash can with perfect aim. Just looking at that performance made it seem like he could easily become a star basketball player if he wanted to.

"Do you want to buy another one?" Tanya asked. "Seriously, I'll pay."

Especially since Naobito had essentially given her a VIP credit card with a basically unreachable limit earlier in the year. Anything she wanted, she could get, though all her purchases would be monitored. Since Naobito was okay with her hanging out with the Gojo clan prodigy, it was basically implicit approval to use the credit card for Satoru's purchases as well.

"It's fine," he brushed off. "I was getting tired of ice cream anyway."

"Then do you want to head back?"

"No way! We just got here!" Satoru adamantly denied. "I know what we can do. We'll go…"

~o~

"Sightseeing…"

Tanya and Satoru stood on top of a skyscraper, looking down at the city below. They had taken the restricted-access elevator all the way up to the rooftop and were now balancing on top of the security fence.

~o~

"Gaming…"

They played a few rounds of the same fighting game from their last visit. She won, of course, much to Satoru's chagrin. However, it was a lot closer than before.

~o~

"Bungee-jumping…"

Satoru had a makeshift rope tied around his waist before he jumped off a commercial bridge. Tanya, for her part, simply watched from the crowd of screaming onlookers.

~o~

"Swimming…"

Having bought swimsuits, Satoru and Tanya were in a local public pool, wading through the water. When Satoru started splashing around, Tanya glared at him to stop.

~o~

"Bar hopping…"

A bouncer in front of a bar shook his head at them, refusing them entry, even after Satoru showed them his obviously fake identification card. Tanya, who was standing behind him, merely rolled her eyes.

~o~

"Rock-climbing…"

Tanya was indoors, staring at the rock wall that Satoru was walking vertically up on. The rest of the customers there had stopped climbing to stare at him in shock.

~o~

"Vandalizing…"

In a dank and dim alleyway, Satoru shook up a can of spray paint. However, before he could use it, Tanya slapped it out of his hand.

~o~

"Camping…"

They had set up a tent in the middle of a park. However, a police officer was standing outside their tent, looking angry and tapping his foot.

~o~

"Cooking…"

Satoru was in the kitchen of a restaurant, cooking food. Tanya was sitting blankly in a nearby chair. The staff and chefs were standing at the far wall, looking worried even though they had already been paid off.

One of the chefs attempted to step forward, but another chef blocked his way with an arm. When the first chef looked at him questioningly, the man shook his head and turned his gaze back to the scene.

"Let him cook."

~o~

Tanya let out a long and exasperated sigh.

She should have expected as much. Give Satoru an inch, and he'll take the entire mile. The sun had already set, signaling that it was the end of the day, and her one day off more specifically. While disappointing, she wouldn't say it was a complete waste. Indulging some of Satoru's whims was the price she had to pay if she wanted to keep him under control instead of running wild and pissing off every single highly influential elder just because he was 'bored'.

Like Naoya, Satoru was going to become an important person within jujutsu society in the future, and it wouldn't hurt to ingratiate with someone like that. She was just stacking the cards in her favor since making connections with important individuals was a key facet of climbing the proverbial corporate ladder.

Was it nepotism? Of course, it was.

Was it fair? Obviously not, but a lot of things in life weren't fair. There was a reason why people desired to have relationships with elites and put so much effort into networking after all. Connections were valuable, and that was why she tried to have cordial relations with most of the people she interacted with.

"Aww, it's dark already?" Satoru whined. "I wanted to try basketball."

"...spare me." Tanya sighed once again. "We already spent the whole day together."

"Fiiiiiiiine." The Gojo heir pouted. "Let's go back then."

It didn't take very long for them to walk back toward the car. One of the Zenin clan's personal chauffeurs—who had been ferrying them around the entire day—was waiting patiently for them. They both got into the back seat before the sedan hummed to life and began gliding down the road back toward the Zenin clan compound. Tanya rolled down a window, letting the cool and crisp night air blow through her hair as she watched the city lights pass by.

Satoru was surprisingly quiet, which she took advantage of. She closed her eyes, enjoying the relaxing silence.

"Those chefs were pretty nice," Satoru eventually brought up, breaking the silence. "They even gave me their business cards and everything."

Tanya opened her eyes and gave him a look.

"...they wanted to use you for child labor, Satoru."

"Doesn't that mean I'm just that good?"

"Children are easily exploited so they're easy to manipulate, less likely to unionize and strike, and won't complain when underpaid," she matter-of-factly explained. "It's a legal matter at the end of the day."

"So…you're pretty much saying that our clans are breaking the law."

"...I said no such thing."

Satoru just laughed in response.

As the sedan began to approach the Zenin compound, Tanya couldn't help but notice some of the vehicles parked in front. She didn't recognize them nor their license plates so they were most likely guests. Though, it was rather late to have guests over, and the compound rarely had guests in the first place.

"Ah. Looks like the old geezers showed up for me," Satoru said as he narrowed his eyes at the parked cars. "Laaaaaame. Maybe I should just blow up their cars."

She gave him a dirty look in response. Did he really have to try and undermine her efforts at every opportunity?

"Don't even think about it, idiot."

"Relax, Tanya." He gave her a lazy smile. "I was just kidding."

"Don't even joke about it."

"Or was I?" He grinned before he hopped out of the car.

"Satoru!"

"Haha!"

~o~

Authors' Notes:

Icura: Let them make food!

SpecialFX: The annoying one has made his glorious return.