Arrangements

"Geto, what's wrong?" Ze Zenin asked softly when he noticed Suguru Geto staring into space.

"Nothing." Suguru Geto merely shook his head and gave his usual gentle chuckle. "I just spaced out for a moment. This scene feels so familiar."

"I see..." Ze Zenin smiled, walked over, and patted his shoulder. "Don't worry. One day, you'll remember everything."

"Geto, you're a man who aspires to become a Pokémon Master!"

Shoko teased Suguru Geto, then sat down beside Ze Zenin again, looking displeased. She gave him a cool look. "Why do you keep moving farther away?"

"I just wanted to comfort him," Ze Zenin said guiltily, not daring to meet Shoko's eyes.

"I think you're just chicken!" Satoru Gojo pointed at Ze Zenin and laughed loudly. "This A-Ze guy is such a loser!"

"Let's sing something good later!" Satoru Gojo said in a swaggering tone.

"Oh, please." Ze Zenin glanced at Satoru Gojo. "With your half-baked singing?"

"Tch. I'm invincible!"

Ever since childhood, Satoru Gojo had been an all-around genius. Apart from his lousy personality, he had virtually no flaws.

"By the way, Zenin, are you heading to Kyoto tomorrow to work as an adviser?"

Suguru Geto spoke up, looking at Ze Zenin with a grave expression.

Shoko turned her gaze toward Ze Zenin as well, seeming reluctant to see him go.

"Yeah." Ze Zenin smiled faintly and spoke in a rather casual tone. "It's nothing much, really. They just want me to serve as a temporary training adviser and teach the students over there. After all, counting me, Tokyo has four Special Grade Sorcerers..."

"Right! Speaking of which, Yuta is now a Special Grade Sorcerer who can hold his own!" Satoru Gojo pointed excitedly at himself. "That's my student for you! I really do have a gift for teaching... Hahahahaha!"

Shoko rolled her eyes at Satoru Gojo and punctured his boasting without hesitation. "He was already exceptionally gifted. Did he even need you to teach him?"

"Tch. I'm still his teacher..." Satoru Gojo curled his lip, unconcerned. "Look at Ze's students. They definitely can't compare to my dear Yuta!"

Ze Zenin: "..."

"Anyway, Kyoto really doesn't stand much of a chance this year." Satoru Gojo crossed his legs and rested both hands behind his head. "Even setting Yuta aside, Geto's two adopted daughters and Megumi already give us one Grade 1 Sorcerer and two Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerers..."

"Not to mention the King of Curses' vessel, who just enrolled."

"That boy named Yuji Itadori?" Suguru Geto rubbed his chin, recalling their encounter. "He seemed to have his heart in the right place. If he can keep Sukuna suppressed, someday he'll..."

"Exactly!" Satoru Gojo smiled confidently. "One day, Sukuna's Cursed Technique will be engraved into Yuji's body!"

"That means my first- and second-years will be able to beat your third-years easily, Geto."

"Not necessarily," Suguru Geto reasoned. "If Hakari gets lucky, even you might not be able to take him down easily, Gojo..."

Satoru Gojo thought of that blond boy with his mature air, and the corner of his mouth twitched. "No gambler loses every single day..."

"Hold on, hold on!" Ze Zenin interrupted their discussion. "We still have serious business to talk about."

"Gojo, you're going abroad in a few days, right?"

"Yeah!" Satoru Gojo answered blankly. "Why?"

"In a few days, Yuji and the others should receive a mission to exorcise a cursed spirit at the Juvenile Detention Center. Geto, I want you to lead the team and go with them."

"Huh? They should only be taking missions involving Grade 2 Cursed Spirits at most, right? Why would they need Geto?"

"No..." Ze Zenin shook his head. "This isn't an ordinary mission. It's a trap the Higher-Ups set to eliminate Itadori."

"What?" Satoru Gojo stood up, his gaze turning cold. "Those old bastards, I'll..."

"Calm down, Gojo," Suguru Geto reminded him. "Even if you kill them, more old bastards will take their places. Until Zenin has complete control over the middle and lower ranks, that isn't a viable option..."

"I know." Satoru Gojo regained his composure, sat back down, and drank a glass of juice.

"It's a special grade cursed spirit." Ze Zenin wasted no words, continuing calmly. "That's why I need you to lead the team, Geto. You'll also be there to stop Sukuna from taking over Itadori's body and doing anything."

"No problem."

Suguru Geto simply gave a faint smile, radiating reassurance.

"Let's have a toast." Ze Zenin looked at the three of them and raised his glass.

Satoru Gojo, Suguru Geto, and Shoko exchanged glances, smiles spreading across their faces.

"Cheers!"

"Ze Zenin, could you walk me home?" Standing outside the karaoke bar after Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto had left together, Shoko tugged at Ze Zenin's clothes and asked softly.

She had deliberately waited until those two were gone before speaking. In an unspoken understanding, Ze Zenin had stayed behind too.

"Sure." Ze Zenin smiled faintly at Shoko beside him, whose ears were slightly red.

The two walked along Tokyo's streets late at night. Why didn't Ze Zenin fly on Nue? Simply because he wanted to take a walk with Shoko too.

"Ze, how long have we known each other?" Shoko suddenly asked.

"Huh?" Ze Zenin paused briefly, then answered without even thinking. "Thirteen years now."

Pleased that he had answered without any hesitation, Shoko smiled sweetly and stepped in front of Ze Zenin. "Do you remember those Three Great Sage Lands for dates you told me about?"

"Yanjing Subway Station, the Three Gorges, and the Tokyo Red Well... If we ever get the chance, would you go with me?"

Good grief...

Ze Zenin looked helplessly at the endearingly clueless girl before him and gently poked her forehead. "There are a lot of stories behind those places."

"Really?!" Hearing that there were stories seemed to excite Shoko even more. "I want to hear them! I want to hear them!"

"All right, all right. I'll tell you another day..." Ze Zenin deliberately kept her in suspense. "I'm exhausted today..."

"Fine, fine. I'll give you another hundred yen, you greedy porcupine-head!" Shoko rolled her eyes, took a hundred yen out of her pocket, and handed it to Ze Zenin. Then she couldn't help laughing.

"Honestly..." Ze Zenin put the money away and muttered helplessly at the nickname Shoko had given him.

"I'll definitely tell you once I get back from Kyoto..." Ze Zenin started dodging his promise and broke into a jog. "It's not a story I can finish in a few minutes, after all."

"Y-you... How could you trick me?" Shoko exclaimed, immediately chasing after him.

Ze Zenin suddenly stopped, then took Shoko's hand and murmured, "The moon is beautiful tonight."

"Hmm?" Shoko looked at Ze Zenin with a blush, then raised her head toward the moon. Seeing it shining brightly in the sky, she smiled happily again. "It really is beautiful!"

What she didn't see was the warmth in Ze Zenin's eyes as he watched her profile-a warmth he had never shown anyone before.

Meanwhile, far away on the outskirts of Kyoto, a handsome boy dressed in white suddenly yawned. A cute girl beside him immediately stepped closer and asked with concern, "Did you catch a cold, Yuta?"

"I don't think so, Rika..." Yuta Okkotsu smiled gently at Rika, then looked toward Tokyo. "I have a feeling an old friend is coming to Kyoto too."