Zurich is a beautiful city. It is astonishing how old and new harmonize so well together. All the old buildings are well kept while the new ones stand tall. There are so many fountains and small parks throughout the city that make it pleasant to walk around.

'Well, it would be more pleasant if it wasn't for that suffocating heat…' (y/n) thought during her last three days there. '…But I will surely miss the time we stayed here.'

(Y/n) and Satoru were leaving Switzerland. This business trip, which had a touch of vacation, had a huge impact on their relationship. They began their journey with an understanding to let go of their past to be able to work together. Now, as they were leaving, they were closer than ever before.

Three days earlier *

Small drops of perspiration slowly slid down (y/n)'s back as she entered yet another store behind Satoru. He had insisted on buying her a completely new outfit for their fancy dinner later, and now he was buying things for himself.

The only rest (y/n) got that day was during lunch or in the restroom, and even then she couldn't take long or else Gojo would knock loudly on the door, telling her to hurry because there was still much left to do.

While tiresome, the young woman was thankful. The constant sensory bombardment was what she needed to overcome the events of the night before. She could still feel that curse user's cursed energy in her, accompanied by bits of foreign feelings she had deduced were his.

"What do you think, which one should I buy?"

Satoru had two watches on each wrist, fumbling his arms in front of (y/n)'s face, probably expecting it would help her pick one out. It didn't help. Desperately trying to catch his arms so the man would stay still, she managed to say:

"Have you seen how much they cost? It's like having a nice car on your wrist, so don't play around like that."

Grinning, Satoru stopped. (Y/n) was holding him still by his forearms. In a quick move, he freed himself while grabbing the woman's wrists instead. Stepping behind her, he made her cross her arms in front of her chest. Stooping slightly, he softly talked into her ear, his warm breath tickling her neck.

"Don't worry about the value. Just tell me which one you like the most."

Forced to choose, the sorceress looked at each watch. Eventually, she pointed to the first one on his left wrist.

The man pondered her decision without letting her go. This made (y/n) uncomfortable. She was too aware of his body almost pressed to her back. She stood completely still, afraid of what she might feel if she leaned into him.

"So be it then, I'll take that one!" In an instant, Gojo let her go. The shopping tour was over, and they went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.

As (y/n) was showering, the uneasiness resurfaced. It was like her body was having withdrawal symptoms. It wanted more cursed energy, not from curses, but from curse users...

To escape that feeling, the woman focused on her best diversion, Gojo. She remembered how she met him as a teenager. He was cocky, self-centered, and made her feel worthless when he told her she was too weak. But that harshness probably saved her life. If it wasn't for his words, she would never have left her town to evolve as a sorceress.

'But Satoru is so different now. No, not different. He is just layered.'

Amused by her thoughts, (y/n) cleansed her body as she continued her train of thought.

'His first layer is that cocky snob who doesn't care about anything or anyone. Then his next layer would be his childlike personality, I would say... Hmm, what's next? Maybe his disgust for the higher-ups. Then surely, there's a layer for the care of his students.'

(Y/n) smiled to herself as she remembered how Satoru handled his students.

'Could there be a layer that cares for me too?'

As her feelings started to get out of control, the woman preferred to end her shower so she could get dressed.

Some time later, Gojo was knocking on her door. Like her, he was wearing the clothes they had shopped for that day. Without much to say, they made their way up to the restaurant.

Mr. Meier was sipping on his iced tea at the restaurant's bar. He preferred bourbon but, since he was on pain relief medication, it was best to stay away from alcohol. He had been lucky to have a curse user with reverse cursed technique nearby. If not, he would probably be in a wheelchair after Gojo's "visit".

He had learned his lesson not to side with small, dumb criminals as he did. But he surely wouldn't forget what Gojo did to him. As the sorcerer who caused his pain entered the restaurant, he carefully studied his companion. That woman had been a surprise when she showed up. Gojo was supposed to travel alone. That had been the information from his friend Gakuganji. The Kyoto school principal had no reason to lie to him because it was clear the old man wanted Gojo off the higher-ups' backs, so who was that woman and how important was she to the sorcerer?

A dangerous smile from the man in question made Mr. Meier hurry to finish his drink and leave the restaurant. His limp wouldn't allow him to move as quickly as he wanted to, but his thirst for revenge helped to dull the pain, and so he withdrew for the night.

Somewhat disappointed to see the head of the Swiss jujutsu community able to stand, Satoru didn't let him sour his night though. He had spent the whole day distracting (y/n) from whatever bad memories she had from the night before, and he surely didn't want to fail that task now.

He had enjoyed the day. It was easy to spend time with her. She didn't mind when he acted impulsively; most of the time, she even matched his energy, going along with his behavior. He was positively surprised that she was mostly the same as when she posed as Yuna. He had liked her personality then, so it was nice to see it was her true self.

They were led to their table. Since this was a fine establishment, Satoru helped (y/n) sit by pulling her chair. Wordlessly, she tilted her head in thanks, although her smile and shiny eyes told more than her small gesture. He found himself thinking how beautiful this woman was, on the inside and the outside. She was as strong as she was sensitive. Funny but also down-to-earth. Patient but also restless to grow. So many contradictions, but they all made sense as he got to know the woman.

The conversation flowed effortlessly. The small pauses between different topics felt nice instead of awkward, and so the evening went by.

(Y/n) was reluctant to ask, but curiosity was too strong. "It was odd that Mr. Meier was limping. Did you notice?"

She noticed a slight nose twitch from the sorcerer, indicating his discontent. "Yeah, he must have access to a sorcerer with reverse cursed technique to be up already."

"Satoru, are you responsible for that?" She already knew the answer when she saw how Gojo's expression darkened.

"He is lucky to have just a limp. Maybe I should pay him another visit before we leave." Catching (y/n)'s exasperated expression, he quickly changed the subject. "Just forget about it. Let's just enjoy our first date."

Laughing, she said, "First date? I think we had some before."

"No. I had some dates with a woman called Yuna, but this is my first with (y/n)."

Going along with Satoru, she added playfully, "No, no, no. That doesn't work like that. Don't even think of asking me for a first kiss to go along with the first date."

"Oh, so then I can ask for something more since this isn't our first date?" He got closer to her, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Pushing him back, she said, "That isn't what I meant. I thought we agreed to stop teasing each other."

Remembering what they had agreed on before flying to Switzerland, Satoru got serious. He had let himself get carried away. This wasn't a real date. Their relationship had started with a lie, and they had agreed to forget everything that had happened between them and just be friends, well more like business partners.

"Yes, sorry, you're right," he said, stopping his playfulness.

The silence that followed was awkward for the first time before (y/n) interrupted.

"I'm sorry for all the lies. If I could go back, I would have done things differently. I would have told you from the beginning who I was. But what I did was because I was scared. I am a curse user. For all I knew, you could arrest me for that or even kill me. So I had to make you care for me so you would hear me out."

Somewhat sour, Gojo replied, "You're so conceited to think I would care for you." He knew he was being petty; his pride was hurt. Was he mistaken about (y/n)? Had she been acting this whole time? No, she couldn't have been. If she had been, after the trauma she had been through last night, she wouldn't be able to act. So this was her true self. He just had to admit to himself that he did care for her. Even if their relationship was a result of a lie, his feelings were genuine.

Unaware of the debate in Satoru's head, (y/n) felt sad that he still resented her. "You are right. It was a stupid plan from the beginning."

Exhaling, Satoru reached out and took her hand in his. "No, I understand why you did what you did. I... I'm not saying it was the smartest plan," he added playfully, "but I know you couldn't trust me without knowing me. I'm not mad at you; I never truly was. I was more disappointed in myself for not seeing through you."

As he said that, he felt the last bit of resentment he had toward (y/n) disappear. In her eyes, he saw surprise and relief. A small nod showed him she accepted his apology, and the mood returned to pleasant, though they carefully avoided conversations that could expose their feelings.

As the night went on, dinner eventually ended. Although the couple tried to extend it, they eventually were the last people in the restaurant, and the waiters politely made it known they wanted to close up.

They slowly went down to their floor. As expected of a gentleman, Satoru accompanied (y/n) to her room. Her thoughts were all over the place. She felt overwhelmed by her emotions: the dark presence of foreign cursed energy and the nice feelings she had from interacting with Gojo. Yet Gojo gave her mixed feelings. He made her heart beat faster, sometimes even miss a beat, but they had agreed to just be friends.

"So, here we are," Gojo pointed to her door.

"Hum, yes. Thank you for everything, Satoru." She wanted to express exactly what she was thankful for: that he had distracted her from her dark thoughts, that he didn't ask about what had happened last night, that he had made all this effort.

Even without words, her eyes told him all that. He bent down and kissed her on the forehead.

"It's nothing. Now go rest, (y/n). Good night."

"Good night." She was relieved to turn around so he couldn't see the tears starting to roll down her cheeks.

Satoru stood still for a while in front of her closed door. He noticed her tears but knew it wasn't his place to make them stop. He had done all he could for (y/n) as a friend and couldn't cross the limits he had set for their relationship. Eventually, he got back to his room. Closing the door behind him, he leaned on it. Little did he know that (y/n) had done the same.

She felt relieved after closing her door, her back against the cold surface felt good as her tears ran down her face. Her dark room felt empty, as she did without the warm feeling Satoru gave her. Eventually, she managed to go to the restroom and wash her face. As she looked at her bare face in the mirror, it was as if she was looking at her bare feelings. She cared for Satoru more than just friends. She wasn't okay without him. With an impulsive thought, she left her room. She was about to knock on Gojo's door when she stopped herself. She needed to respect his boundaries.

Satoru was still leaning against his door, his sensitive hearing picking up the noise of footsteps. Recognizing her cursed energy, he hesitated to open the door but eventually he did.

"(Y/n)." His voice was no louder than a whisper but conveyed so much more than just her name.