Chapter Text
Satoru had a mission. This wasn't an unusual occurrence since he always had missions. Being the strongest meant that he had to carry the whole jujutsu society on his shoulders. And if he wasn't on yet another special grade assignment, he had to deal with his clan. Meetings, missions, making sure Megumi and Tsumiki were fine. Meetings, missions, a few hours of sleep. Meetings, missions, rinse and repeat.
However, this mission was not like any other. Because not only was it a joint assignment, the sorcerer accompanying him was Shoko herself.
“Fancy seeing you here,” he greeted her with a cocky smirk, ignoring Yaga’s glare. It wasn't the first time he was late and it wouldn't be the last one. The briefing room was cold and dark, with only the last rays of the setting sun providing any light. “I didn't think you even left the school anymore.”
Shoko snorted at that but there was barely anything amusing about this. As the years had gone by, both of them had been busy dealing with curses on both ends. While Satoru was spread out across the country and even beyond it sometimes, Shoko had been stuck in the infirmary, living probably on spite and cigarettes alone.
“Focus, Satoru,” Yaga interrupted curtly before he pointed at the map placed on the desk. “This mission is extremely important.”
Satoru resisted the urge to roll his eyes at that. Every mission was always important, even if it took him five minutes to deal with it sometimes. Everyone wanted him to focus, to do as they told him, to stop trying to live a life. He knew he was only a weapon for them but he refused to give up the few joys in life he still had. Besides, he had a dream and he intended to achieve it. No number of old farts in charge could stop him from reaching his vision.
But first, he had to survive this boring briefing.
He glanced at Shoko. She looked like she always did nowadays - tired and with an apathetic smile and empty eyes. Satoru, sometimes, wanted to talk to her, really talk to her and not just bicker, but he always gave it up the moment he saw her. What could he even say? They were both stuck in their places, being slaves for the broken system.
When he finally broke their shackles and created a better world, he would talk to her, openly and sincerely. For now, all he could offer her were jokes and deflection.
“Shirokawa is a small village near Matsumoto,” Yaga pointed at the map, circling around the small dot. “Recently, we’ve received reports of people falling ill or suddenly getting injured. The windows are sure there are numerous curses, all of different grades. We don’t know for now what their goal is - so far, only one person died due to the illness."
Shoko tapped her finger on her chin, humming. Satoru hid his hands in the pockets of his pants and waited for her to say her theory. Her hair was longer now, going past her shoulders. Even with high heels, she was still so small compared to him.
“I can’t say anything for sure, I will have to see it for myself,” she stated, frowning slightly before shrugging with an easy, fake smile. He knew all of those, he practically invented them after Suguru defected. “But it seems the curses are feeding off their lives, and that’s why they are getting sick first.”
Yaga nodded at that, his expression grim as he rolled the map. He seemed tenser than usual, now that Satoru paid attention. Well, it couldn’t be easy to be the principal.
“Satoru, you will go with Shoko and protect her from curses while she works out what’s happening and heals as many people as possible.”
“Another glorified babysitting job? It didn’t go so well the first time around,” Satoru replied with a mocking smile as the images of Amanai’s dead body filled his mind. But as always, he dismissed them easily.
He noticed Shoko’s twitch of her eyebrow before she chuckled without any humor, barely glancing at him.
“It’s gonna be fine, Satoru, I’ll just heal myself when someone attacks me.”
“If,” he replied, frowning at the sudden image of his friend lying in the pool of blood. Dismissing it this time was a lot harder. “And I would not let it happen.”
“Then I guess I’ll be safe with you.”
“Focus, you two. You’re not teenagers anymore. Lives are at stake,” Yaga sighed at them, clutching the bridge of his nose. Satoru could be twenty two but seeing his former teacher this exhausted made him forgo his next jab and just groan loudly.
“Fiiiine. Let’s go then, the sooner we finish, the sooner I’ll have time to get parfait later.”
As he walked out, he didn’t check whether Shoko was following him. He knew she would.
After packing for a few days, Shoko arrived at the station late in the morning, where Satoru told her to wait for him. Now that he lived away from the jujutsu high, she had barely seen him. It was only a matter of time before they would drift apart, she supposed as she lit her cigarette, promising herself that she would quit soon. Or maybe next year.
She knew she wasn’t Suguru. She could never be Suguru because Suguru was strong and charismatic, while she was a healer and quiet. Even during their high school days, she was always just a mere shadow between those two - lingering but forgotten. She shouldn’t be surprised that after Suguru defected, Satoru wouldn’t bother to spend time with her anymore.
She wasn’t Suguru so she didn’t matter.
“Here you are,” Satoru walked up to her, holding one of the tickets and wearing a travel backpack. In one of his hands was a grocery bag from the konbini down the station. “Come on, I got us a green car.”
“It’s not that long of a trip,” she murmured, following him to the shinkansen ticket gate. Satoru just rolled his eyes at her, giving her a fake smile and replying something playful. They walked to the platform in time to see their train arriving.
“So? We can sit in a green car so of course I’m reserving us seats in a green car,” Satoru replied with a shrug before getting on the train. Without a word, he took her duffel bag and placed it on the rack before plopping himself in the seat next to the window. She sighed at that as she sat down as well, preparing herself for a little over an hour of travel before they would change into a local train to arrive at the village.
“Here, do you even remember what food looks like after working so much?” Satoru gave her one of the bento boxes from his grocery bag alongside one of her favourite drinks. He didn’t wait for her reply and simply took out his earphones, ready to listen to music.
Shoko’s eyebrows twitched as she forced herself to drop this issue. Some things didn’t seem to change and Satoru throwing jabs at her while simultaneously doing something kind was apparently one of them. She remembered their high school days, when he would always tease her about her height but never let her deal with her luggage by herself. His words never matched his actions.
“Thanks,” she muttered, opening the box and seeing a display of delicious side dishes with rice, neatly placed. The box was one of the more expensive ones, and Shoko wasn’t even surprised that he would pick this one for her. Without hesitation, she took the chopsticks and began eating, realizing that she, in fact, didn’t remember when was the last time she had eaten.
“You’re welcome,” Satoru said softly, barely audible, as he kept his eyes closed, seemingly listening to the music. Shoko didn’t call him out on that - she didn’t want their nice moment to break.
The rest of the way came relatively quietly and peacefully. Shoko busied herself with her phone, playing some mind-numbing game as she lost herself in thought. Satoru sat beside her, unmoving and with closed eyes. Why did he even want to sit near the window was a mystery to her. The bento had been delicious and the drink refreshing. She was now energized to find out what was happening with that village. However, one thing remained that made her frown.
Satoru's bento was still untouched. While he had already finished his soda, the box was still inside the grocery bag, abandoned. With how long they still had to go, now was a good time to eat, especially since they would have to leave the shinkansen in about twenty minutes.
“Aren't you going to eat that?” she finally asked, trying to sound unbothered. She noticed that whenever she showed any concern about him, Satoru would more likely dismiss her. It started after the whole fiasco with Amanai Riko – back then Satoru trained like crazy, barely sleeping or eating. Whenever she tried to bring this up to him, he would just smile at her and tell her he was fine.
At least he didn't lose sight of what was truly important, like Suguru did. At least Satoru poured his energy into helping people instead of destroying them. At least Satoru stayed.
“... I guess,” he replied, putting away his earphones and reluctantly reaching out for the bento box. Shoko watched him with a neutral expression, her face not betraying any of her worry. Satoru was lean and slim, and while he definitely had muscles and was strong physically, she was almost sure he hadn't been eating as much as he should. With how busy he constantly was, she wouldn't be surprised if he regularly skipped meals.
Well, on this mission, she would remind him to eat. He may not consider her his friend but she didn't share the same sentiment.
Satoru opened the bento and although he had been reluctant, he quickly finished off the whole box, just in time for the arrival. He quickly put the box in the grocery bag, ready to be thrown in the trash, before he stood up and, once again, without a word, took her duffel bag from the rack above and gave it to her.
“Thanks,” she murmured, remembering the times during high school when he would tease her about her little strength as he helped her with heavy suitcases. They didn't have long-term missions that often but she remembered them all fondly. During that time, Suguru and Satoru always had some kind of shenanigans.
She missed those times. She missed being just a stupid kid, enjoying summer days and complaining about homework.
“Let's go, I hope we won't have to stand for hours,” Satoru said as they got off the shinkansen and walked to the gate. When they were at the main part of the station, he quickly found where their train would depart from.
Unlike shinkansen, the local train was way slower and the seats were non-reserved. Thankfully, there were still a few of them available, even if they had to sit on different benches. As the train moved, Shoko occupied herself with her phone. She played a few games and replied to a text from Utahime, declining the offer for drinks. She wasn't in the mood, especially since recently her friend loved to complain about Satoru. As much as Shoko liked Utahime, even she got tired of constantly hearing shit about her friend.
She could feel his eyes on her. Shoko didn't react, pretending that she didn't notice it. But the intensity of his gaze made her wonder just what he was thinking. Was he truly annoyed that he had to protect her during this mission? It didn't sound like him. Even if they grew apart, she trusted him and she knew he would save her when it mattered.
Satoru saved people whenever he could. And when he couldn’t, he just smiled and trained more.
But who could save him from himself?
The train ride to the village was long and tedious. Satoru busied himself by watching the scenery from the window, playing games, and observing Shoko whenever she wasn't looking his way.
He didn't expect her to still inquire about his eating habits. He bought two bento boxes but he didn't even think of eating his during the shinkansen ride. However, the moment Shoko asked him about it, he realized that he had been hungry. The food was delicious and the ride with her wasn't so bad. Although he still didn't know how to talk to her, it almost felt like the good old days.
The only thing missing was Suguru. But his best friend chose his path and left everyone behind.
Left Satoru behind.
“Yaga didn't lie, this place is infested with curses,” he commented in distaste as they got off the train. Shoko adjusted her grip on her duffel bag and Satoru resisted the urge to carry it for her. She wasn't weak, she could take care of her own bag. He only helped her during the shinkansen ride because old habits die hard - that was all there was to it.
“Is the inn we're staying at far from here?” Shoko asked him, a hint of whine heard in her voice. Satoru smiled to himself briefly before steering them in the right way.
“Nope, only a few minutes on foot,” he answered, his Six Eyes already spotting a few low-level curses he could exorcise. But, without Shoko checking what was actually happening in the village, it was better to leave those curses be, for now.
When they arrived at the inn, the assistant manager assigned to this mission greeted them, explaining basically everything that Yaga had already told them. And if that wasn't a waste of time, Satoru didn't know what else could be.
Shoko nodded along, acting like this was brand new information for her. Honestly, if she wasn't here, Satoru would already cut this waste of time and demand to be left alone. But, even if the repeated information annoyed him, he didn't want to show Shoko just how quickly he lost his temper nowadays. He had always been quick to whine, pout and complain, but recently all he did was bark at people or throw passive-aggressive comments at them. He didn’t want Shoko to see how bitter he grew under the constant responsibilities he had to shoulder. The few jabs he threw at her and Yaga already felt so mean the more he remembered them, and he knew he should be happy to finally be able to spend time with his friend.
So, with a smile he didn't feel but came to him effortlessly at this point, he charmed up the assistant manager into leaving them alone after she delivered the whole briefing. However, as he and Shoko were ready to go to the counter for the keys to their rooms, the woman stopped them with an apologetic expression.
“I'm so sorry but the inn is used as a haven for anyone still healthy. I couldn't negotiate two rooms with how many people are here right now so you have to share one. I am truly sorry,” the assistant manager bowed deeply before taking out the key and giving it to him. Satoru kept his easy smile on his face, trying not to react to this.
It was fine. He never really shared a room with Shoko before but it was fine. She was Shoko, and this wouldn't be weird. It was fine.
“That's fine! We shouldn't be here too long anyway,” he replied with forced cheer before finally leaving the woman behind. Shoko followed him to their room, silent but observing him. Satoru sighed to himself as he turned around and faced her.
“What?”
“Nothing. I'm just surprised you didn't throw a tantrum about this,” Shoko replied with a shrug, not showing any of her emotions. Or maybe Satoru simply forgot how to read her. He remembered how often she smiled and smirked during their first two years of high school. He missed seeing her happy. He missed being happy.
The only time he ever got that now was when he dropped by to see Megumi and Tsumiki. Those were the only moments when his smile was real, when the weight of his responsibilities wasn't so heavy.
“What's the point?” Satoru said with a dry smile, glad that his dark glasses hid his eyes from view. “We won't be here long and if us sharing just one room keeps more people inside this hotel and away from the main part of the village, it's better for us.”
“I suppose so,” Shoko nodded with a hum, resuming the walk. Their room was apparently at the end of the corridor. “In any case, I don't mind sharing a room with you.”
Satoru didn't reply to that, focusing on the mission instead of why that statement didn't sit right with him. It was good that neither of them minded sharing the room – the last thing he wanted was to make Shoko uncomfortable. But he just didn't understand the reason why she didn't mind this arrangement.
Maybe he was overthinking this. Maybe sleep deprivation finally caught up to him.
With a forced smile, he opened the door and walked inside their room. It wasn't big, barely enough to let two people move comfortably around each other. The bathroom was basic, everything was cluttered next to each other to use as little space as possible. There was only soap, shampoo and toilet paper there but it was enough for a few days.
However, a new problem arrived.
Satoru was pretty sure that since this was not a traditional ryokan, the bed would be western. But, even if the inn looked like a modern hotel from the outside, it was very much not like that. Because instead of a bed, there was only a futon innocently laid out on the floor, next to the small table.
One futon. For two people.
“I'm gonna ask for another one,” Satoru muttered as he put his backpack on the ground, frowning at this arrangement. This was ridiculous. Could that assistant manager and the inn do anything correctly?
“Do you honestly think they have a spare one right now?” Shoko asked him in a dry voice, dropping her duffel bag and walking to the window barefoot. She sighed in relief as she looked through the window. “Ugh, those heels were killing me.”
“Well, they should have,” Satoru turned around, sighing to himself. The least the people at the village could do for them was to provide a functional room and sleeping arrangements. “But are you okay with this? And why do you keep wearing heels if your feet hurt?!”
“Yeah, it’s not a big deal because, as you said, we will only be here for a few days at most, and sleeping with you is not the end of the world for me. Unless you can’t keep your hands to yourself, for some reason?” Shoko raised her eyebrows at him, a challenging look in her eyes mocking his own crankiness over it. With a huff, he shook his head, repulsed by even the idea of being handsy with her. They were friends and he would never hurt her, and that included forced advances. Besides, she was Shoko, his friend.
After a second, Shoko turned back to the window, her voice serene as she answered the second question.
“And I wear heels because I like being taller. Although, I guess I’m still tiny compared to you,” When she chuckled at that, Satoru couldn’t stop a small, sincere smile adorning his face.
Shoko could be short and delicate but she was also a lot stronger than people gave her credit for. Her strength wasn’t physical but mental. Satoru knew for sure that lesser people would quit already if they had to see death as often as Shoko did.
“Yeah, you are. Fine, I’ll ask about the spare futon but I won’t make a scene if they don’t have any. You just rest a bit, and then we can check out the village.”
With that said, he made his way out of the door, intent on finishing this mission as soon as possible. He could feel the curses roaming through this village, both weak and stronger. The cursed energy clung to people, the air was oppressive, and even the guests at the inn weren’t exactly free of the smallest of curses following them. It was a mess and although nothing in this building was even remotely strong enough to hurt Shoko, he would keep vigil for the whole night.
So yeah, maybe that spare futon wasn’t really needed.
Turned out, Shoko had been right and there was no spare futon available. It didn't make any difference to her – not only did she trust Satoru, but she also knew that with so many cursed spirits roaming around, he would most likely keep vigil or spend the whole night exorcising as many curses as he could.
Even now, as they walked through the streets, she saw how his hands twitched to exorcise the curses lingering around. For now, though, he didn’t do anything of the sort, not until Shoko checked a few of the victims and deemed that their lives were not tied to the curses. There had been a situation like that before, and due to that, a sorcerer died - his partner didn’t know that killing the curse that attacked them would result in the other person dying as well. The curse had a special technique that allowed it to steal some of the cursed energy of the sorcerer and then tied it with its own, so that it would be less likely to be killed. Shoko spent hours checking the body and the residuals before she came to that conclusion.
“Here, this looks like the worst case so far,” Satoru murmured to her as he nodded at the house at the far end of the street. So far, none of the curses attacked them but Shoko also knew that many of them hid after sensing a special grade sorcerer nearby. She had no doubt that after a day or two the curses would grow bolder but for now it seemed they were fine with observing them.
“Alright, showtime,” she muttered, knocking at the door. They heard some clinging and coughing before, finally, a frail-looking woman with ashen skin and sunken cheeks greeted them. “Hello, we are here to help with the disease.”
“Y-you?” the woman coughed, her breath labouring. Some of her skin had small, faded scratch marks. “You’re a… a doctor?”
“The one and only! Ieiri Shoko at your service!” Satoru replied with a wide grin, effortlessly going inside. The woman gasped but didn’t protest, probably glad that someone wanted to help her in the first place. Shoko apologized for the intrusion and followed Satoru, trying not to wince at the mess surrounding them from all sides. The neglect was visible whenever she looked, from bags of trash at the door, to dirty dishes in the kitchen, to the terrible smell and small curses currently running away from Satoru.
“Is it okay if I perform a quick check-up?” Shoko asked, focusing on her task and ignoring the smell. Satoru, on the other hand, had a hard time not scrunching his face in disgust.
“Um, yes… O-of course,” the woman cleared her throat, showing them the only uncluttered spot in the entire living room, a couch. She was visibly embarrassed and ashamed of the state of her home, so Shoko and Satoru didn't mention anything out of politeness.
“So, what’s your name?”
“Um, Mi-mizuki Hana.”
“And since when you've been sick, Mizuki-san?” Shoko asked, sitting beside the woman and looking at her. So far, there was nothing exactly extraordinary about her. Satoru was still standing watch, silent and with brows furrowed.
“Two w-weeks ago,” Mizuki murmured before coughing. “It started with a headache… and then the c-cough came… and heavy chest…fainting spells...”
Shoko hummed, checking the woman with her cursed energy but finding nothing at all on the surface, unlike the people at the inn that Satoru mentioned to her before coming here. She frowned, going deeper until she found the source of the illness: a dark, cursed energy inside the woman, oppressive and heavy. When Shoko tried to dispel it, it only made Mizuki wheeze and cough again.
And this time there was blood.
“W-what a-are… you do-doing?!”
“I’m sorry but I had to check you,” Shoko answered, making sure her voice was soft and soothing while she already thought of ways to get rid of that dark energy. “It seems that this illness is more complex than I thought. Can I come tomorrow and try again?”
“W-will it help?”
“I believe so.”
“Then… fine,” the woman coughed again, nodding at them. Shoko got up, promising to drop by tomorrow, and leaving the cluttered house with Satoru hot on her heels.
Once outside, her friend didn't hesitate to press close to her, keeping an eye on their surroundings.
“There's been movement the moment you checked that woman,” he told her quietly, brows drawn close and lips set into a thin line. Shoko frowned, nodding in understanding.
“Seems like the curses are connected then,” she mused, following Satoru as he led her further into the village. “But how? You didn't notice anything in common between them?”
“No, nothing so far,” Satoru clicked his tongue, genuinely angry at himself. Shoko knew that he took on his shoulders a lot of responsibility, yet she was still surprised by how serious he was during this mission. “But they're observing us. Assessing. I don't like that.”
“You can't kill them until–”
“Tch, I know that,” Satoru huffed, walking ahead and putting distance between them. Shoko bit her lips, refusing to feel bad about reminding him of their main objective. It wouldn't be the first time Satoru got impatient and did things his own way. “Come on, you wanted to check at least three people today, right? Down this street is another serious case. Hopefully not as dirty house, though.”
She didn't reply to that, only sighed and followed Satoru. They both had a job to do.
Two more victims gave them nothing concrete to work on. It was obvious that the illness was connected to the curses, and the curses seemed to be connected to each other but how they were connected, neither Satoru nor Shoko could tell.
What he did know, however, was that the moment Shoko first probed into that woman, the curses stirred awake. As if they had been waiting for this to happen. As if this whole mission was some kind of elaborate trap for Shoko.
But why? And how?
So far, the curses left them alone but instead of hiding away from Satoru, they now simply observed them. Big or small, each of them was watching, assessing, waiting for something. Satoru wanted to annihilate them on sight but with how the illness seemed connected to them, killing them would probably kill the victims as well.
And as easy as it would be to just sacrifice this village for the greater good, Satoru knew there was another way to solve this issue.
“Your tea is getting cold,” Shoko said, at the low table and drinking from her own cup. She didn't seem exactly as tired as usual, but he knew she was still thinking about the illness and how to combat it.
“So? I don't mind cold tea.”
“You did before.”
“People change,” he replied, his voice bitter while memories of Suguru, as always, filled his mind. He closed his eyes and focused instead on monitoring the curses rather than the longing he felt in his heart.
Shoko was quiet, finishing her own drink. The room wasn't big so there was nowhere to escape the sudden tension in the air, the unspoken words. So, the next best thing was just to ignore it. Satoru was a master of ignoring his problems and pretending that everything was fine. He was the strongest, so he had to be fine anyway – no one ever asked him if he was, no one bothered to care if he was tired or sad or anything other than a perfect little weapon.
No one except Suguru and Shoko. But Suguru left him and Shoko was too busy. Satoru didn't blame her but sometimes…
He bit the inside of his cheek. It didn't matter what he wanted, anyway. He would never get it so what was the point of wishing for something unattainable? He already had his dream, that should be enough for him.
Eventually, Shoko got up with a sigh and went to her duffel bag, taking out her night clothes and cosmetics. Satoru didn't move from his place by the window and didn't even acknowledge her as she closed the door to the bathroom. He ran a hand through his hair when he heard the shower running, and wondered when he stopped knowing Shoko like he did before. On the surface, she was the same but after growing apart, he noticed small differences in her, things that made him realize just how much both of them had changed over the years.
He stayed by the window, observing the curses. They moved around, careful to avoid the inn, but close to it anyway. Satoru clenched his teeth, being on edge at the amount of cursed energy surrounding them. He hoped Shoko would figure out how to save the villagers because the moment the curses grew bold enough to attack them, Satoru wouldn't hesitate to protect his friend.
He barely noticed when Shoko left the bathroom, a scent of lavender following her as she plopped herself on the futon. Her hair was wet from the shower, her skin glistening with stray droplets of water.
“You don't dry your hair?” he asked, remembering that she used to do that in the past.
“People change,” she replied wryly, one corner of her lips raising in a semblance of a smile. “I don't want to waste time when I barely have any to spare.”
Satoru turned away, knowing exactly what she meant. He hated how they grew apart, how they were both overworked because no one else could do what they did.
“You know, substituting reverse cursed technique for sleep works for a few days but shouldn't be overdone,” she added casually after a moment.
Satoru huffed a laugh, his smile sharp around the edges. He wasn't the one people should worry about, never had been.
“Then it's a good thing we're going to finish this mission in a few days, right?”
She didn't reply for a while, adjusting her pillow and getting comfortable. Satoru turned off the light for her, and the room was enveloped in darkness. The lack of light didn't do much for his headache that was forming from overuse of his Six Eyes.
“At least take something for your migraine, then. I know you're about to have it right now.”
“Yes, doctor .”
Satoru popped one of the pills and took a sip of his cold tea. The night was quiet, the curses too far away for them to be heard here, in this room. Shoko was turned away from him, her breath slow and soft. She wasn't yet sleeping but knowing how tired she must be after today, she would doze off any moment now.
“Goodnight,” he murmured, barely audible, drinking the cold tea and keeping vigil for the night.