A worm-like cursed spirit crawled out from the end of the alley.
Its pale, milky-white body was covered in pores, with countless legs writhing beneath it. A sickly, bloody stench filled the air.
Dark purple cursed energy radiated from the creature, spreading outward. Judging by its strength, it was a grade 2 cursed spirit.
Geto Suguru stepped in front of the two four-year-old girls. His stance was firm, his gaze locked on the spirit.
Nanako and Mimiko, unfazed, simply covered their eyes and asked in unison:
"Master Suguru, are you counting to ten again?"
A small smirk tugged at Geto's lips. "Yes, let's count to ten."
Gojo Satoru rubbed his chin, watching in amusement.
Some things never changed.
"One, two, three..." The girls' voices rang out.
The cursed spirit gaped, its massive maw stretching wide as thick strands of mucus dripped to the ground with a sizzling hiss.
Then, a blinding flash of blue light.
To the average person, it would've been incomprehensible. But not to Gojo Satoru—he saw everything.
A controlled surge of cursed energy extended from Geto's palm, striking the spirit directly.
The enormous creature shrank rapidly, its writhing form collapsing inward until all that remained was a small, black, spherical orb.
The orb hovered for a moment before settling into Geto's open hand.
"Eight, nine, ten."
Gojo noted that, unlike before, Geto didn't immediately consume the orb. Instead, he simply tucked it into his shirt pocket and turned to the girls.
"Master Suguru, is it over?" Nanako peeked through her fingers.
"It's done." Geto nodded.
"Yay! Another monster gone!" Mimiko cheered, throwing her arms into the air.
Without acknowledging Gojo, Geto resumed walking toward the movie theater, the girls following close behind.
Gojo stuffed his hands into his pockets and trailed after them at a leisurely pace. Pretending not to notice things was a skill, too.
The moment they entered the theater, Gojo's eyes locked onto the ice cream stand near the entrance.
"Geto, I want ice cream!" he whined, deliberately mimicking a high school girl's tone.
Several nearby girls turned to stare.
Geto rolled his eyes. "Why don't you buy it yourself?"
"Because I want you to buy it for me."
Ignoring him completely, Geto turned to Nanako and Mimiko. "What movie are we watching?"
"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire!" Nanako said excitedly.
Mimiko shook her head. "No, Master Suguru wants to watch Lost in Translation."
Gojo's eyes narrowed. An art film?
Wait. This was bad.
Suguru was already a deep thinker. His righteous ideals had led him down a dark path once before. If he started indulging in introspective movies, who knew where that would lead?
Gojo clapped his hands. "How about The Chronicles of Narnia? It's perfect for kids!"
Mimiko hesitated. "But—"
Geto shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Nanako and Mimiko chose the movie, so we'll go with Narnia."
Before they could change their minds, Gojo rushed to the counter and bought four tickets.
Inside the theater, the real battle began.
Popcorn.
Gojo snatched the caramel popcorn bucket straight from Mimiko's arms, dumping a bucket of plain popcorn onto her lap.
"The caramel popcorn is mine."
Mimiko glared. "Master Suguru bought that for me!"
"La la la~ The movie's starting." Gojo shoved a handful of caramel popcorn into his mouth, completely guilt-free.
Geto: "..."
Before the war could escalate, the theater darkened. The girls became engrossed in the film, and Gojo… was not.
Movies weren't his thing. But darkness? Now that was perfect for observation.
The moment the screen flickered to life, his gaze shifted—not to the film, but to a figure standing in the corner of the theater.
A young man in a blue shirt, his face unnaturally pale.
Except… he wasn't standing.
He was floating.
A ghost.
Gojo frowned. Ghosts typically avoided crowded places. But this one remained still, watching.
He lowered his sunglasses slightly, revealing his pale blue eyes.
A quick glance at Geto confirmed it—he had noticed the spirit, too.
The two locked eyes, silently acknowledging the presence of the ghost.
Nanako and Mimiko, however, remained oblivious, their eyes glued to the screen.
By the time the movie ended and the theater lights flickered back on, the ghost had shifted—now following a little girl in a red dress as she exited the theater.
Ghosts usually attached themselves to loved ones. There was no immediate danger.
Gojo shrugged and tossed his empty popcorn bucket into the trash.
"Geto, where are you staying? I could—"
"No need." Geto cut him off immediately.
Gojo gasped dramatically. "What?! You're wandering alone in Tokyo? My heart—"
"Then suffer." Geto readjusted the girls in his arms, clearly uninterested.
Gojo pouted. "Fine, but at least give me your phone number. And don't even think about giving me a fake one!"
His blue eyes shone with an exaggerated hurt expression.
Few could resist those eyes.
Geto Suguru definitely couldn't.
With a sigh, he begrudgingly exchanged numbers with Gojo.
Gojo, pleased with himself, immediately called the number just to make sure it was real.
Pushing too hard would only drive him away. But patience? Patience could bring him back.
"Alright, see you later, Geto~" Gojo sang, heading off in a good mood.
By the time he returned to Jujutsu High, it was past eleven.
Humming a tune, he walked toward the dormitory—only to run into Nanami Kento.
Gojo froze.
Nanami looked exactly the same as he did when they were younger.
Slowly, Gojo raised a hand in greeting.
…Completely forgetting he had abandoned Nanami at the train station earlier that day.