Gojo glanced down at the girl standing a short distance away, still a little shaken, and gave a careless smile.
To him, Miko was just an accident, a small detour while he was out on a mission.
Still, he pushed his sunglasses back into place and tapped his fingers lightly against his arm. He thought back to how nervous and scared she'd looked earlier.
She'd only seen this cursed-spirit-filled world for what it really was because he'd guided her there, and she'd chosen this path because of it.
So naturally, he had to take responsibility.
For a while after that, Gojo sat down on a nearby bench. Betty stood quietly beside him, fiddling with her small drone, though its camera was quietly pointed at Miko.
Gojo took the time to explain some basics about the jujutsu world to Miko, along with the existence of Jujutsu High.
"If you've really decided to join the Jujutsu Society, you'll have to transfer schools."
He said it casually, like it was no big deal. To him, the kind of paperwork ordinary people found annoying wasn't even worth mentioning.
"You'd also have to live in the dorms, so you'll probably need to go home and talk it over with your family."
He added that while looking at Miko's slightly tense shoulders. He could tell she was hesitating.
"Okay, got it. But if it's all right, could you and Betty come over to my house?"
Miko looked up, her eyes cautiously hopeful. She was gripping the hem of her clothes with both hands so tightly that her fingertips had gone a little pale.
She looked at the two of them and shyly made the offer.
"You've helped me so much. I want to thank you properly."
As soon as she said it, her cheeks turned red. She lowered her head a little and didn't dare look Gojo or Betty in the eye.
Miko hadn't actually done anything the whole time. She'd just watched from the side.
She'd watched Gojo easily take care of the cursed spirit that had terrified her for so long and nearly killed her. She'd watched Betty calmly control her drone and quietly keep watch nearby.
But Gojo and Betty showing up had given her a completely new kind of hope.
Before this, she'd been suffering alone with the ability to see cursed spirits. She lived every day in fear and anxiety, with no idea how long it would go on, and at one point she'd felt like she was about to lose her mind.
But now she knew she wasn't alone. There were other people in the world who could see those creepy things, people who could protect her, and there was a way out of the fear.
The world that used to make her so uneasy was something to look forward to again.
"Then thanks for having us."
Gojo looked up at the sky. The sun had already dropped below the horizon, the sky was tinted a light orange, and night was slowly settling in.
It was getting late. He didn't have to finish all these missions in one day, and the cursed spirits weren't going anywhere. He might as well go to her place for a free meal and get a look at her family situation while he was at it.
The two of them followed Miko to her house.
It was a small detached house. Green vines climbed the outer walls, and a few little flowers he didn't recognize grew in the yard. It looked cozy and quiet.
It was a bit sudden, but Miko had called ahead, so her mother had already made a big dinner.
They could smell it from a distance, a rich stew and pan-fried fish. It made them hungry right away.
"Oh, right. Gojo, Betty."
Before going inside, Miko suddenly stopped, turned around, and caught both of them by the sleeve. She sounded like she had complicated feelings about something.
"It's just me and my mom at home. There's no one else."
Her voice was soft, with a sadness that was easy to miss, and her eyes dimmed a little.
"But my dad's soul seems to have stayed in the house this whole time. If it's okay, I want to take care of it myself after I become a Jujutsu Sorcerer."
When she talked about her father, her eyes softened, but there was determination in them too.
Unlike the hideous, malicious cursed spirits outside, the "father" at home had always kept the way he looked when he was alive. He wore his favorite plaid shirt, and his hair was neatly combed, just like before.
She knew her father was dead. But this cursed spirit still moved around the house, often tried to find ways to talk to her, and would gently pat her head when she was sad. It felt like her father was still there.
She couldn't bring herself to just get rid of a cursed spirit that held all her longing for him. So she wanted to become strong, strong enough to control it, so it could stay with her and her mother.
Honestly, as long as it wasn't one of those scary-looking, malicious cursed spirits, Miko thought she adapted pretty well.
At least when it came to her father's cursed spirit, she wasn't afraid at all. All she felt was how much she missed him.
"No problem."
Gojo agreed right away. He still sounded casual, but completely sure.
He had no reason to interfere much in something like this. Everyone had things they couldn't let go of and people they cared about. He respected Miko's choice.
Inside, the house was simply decorated but clean and tidy. A family photo hung on the living room wall, and the family of three in it was smiling happily.
It wasn't fancy, but it was warm and felt like a real home everywhere you looked.
Her mother was very welcoming. She was wearing a floral apron and still holding a spatula, and she hurried over with a gentle smile to invite them to sit.
"Welcome, welcome! Please sit down. Dinner's almost ready. Sorry to keep you waiting."
Her voice was kind and warm, and her eyes were full of gratitude. She didn't know who these two young people were, but she knew they'd saved her daughter.
Gojo also saw the "father" Miko had mentioned.
He was sitting on the couch reading an old newspaper, completely focused, just like a normal person. If Gojo's Six Eyes couldn't clearly sense the faint cursed energy coming off him, Gojo might have thought he was a living person.
He really was different from ordinary cursed spirits. He kept his human form, and there was no malice in him at all, only a faint sense of longing.
He wasn't strong, though. He'd make decent practice for Miko.
During dinner, her mother kept putting food on Gojo's and Betty's plates and chatting away, asking about them. She was very warm the whole time.
Miko sat quietly to the side. Every now and then she refilled her mother's rice, and every now and then she snuck a look at Gojo with a small smile.
Gojo didn't get impatient either. He answered every one of her mother's questions in a relaxed, friendly way, and now and then he and Betty exchanged a look like they were on the same page.
After dinner, they swapped contact info with Miko, and then Gojo and Betty said their goodbyes.
Miko stood next to her mother and watched them leave, full of anticipation. She'd already made up her mind. She was going to transfer to Jujutsu High, and she was going to become strong.
The rest was up to Miko to talk over with her family.
As for the transfer, that part was even easier.
The Jujutsu Society operated above the ordinary world. Simple paperwork like this wasn't a problem at all. One word from him, and any school would cooperate, no questions asked.
That night, the lights came on one after another across the city, and the neon signs pushed back the dark.
Gojo finally got home. He kicked off his shoes, tossed his jacket on the couch, and flopped onto his familiar bed with a satisfied sigh.
After a busy day, even the strongest Jujutsu Sorcerer got tired.
All his exhaustion hit him at once, and his eyelids started getting heavy.
"Do you think that Miko girl will actually come to Jujutsu High?"
Betty sat in a chair next to the bed, fiddling with her drone. She tapped her fingers on it while checking the footage from today and asked offhandedly.
The video had cool shots of Gojo taking out cursed spirits, and also shots of Miko panicking but forcing herself not to run.
"No idea."
Gojo kept his eyes closed. He sounded lazy and a little tired.
"That's up to her."
He shrugged, still lying lazily on the bed. He thought of the determination in Miko's eyes, and part of him figured she'd probably come.
"By the way, Yaga's so busy right now. Does he really have time to take on a student?"
Betty put down the drone and turned to Gojo, sounding puzzled.
She knew things hadn't been calm in the Jujutsu Society lately. Cursed spirits kept appearing, and Yaga was buried in work every day.
Gojo paused at that and opened his eyes. The laziness slowly faded from his face, and he looked a little lost.
"Huh... I actually never thought about that."
He'd been so focused on taking responsibility and telling Miko about Jujutsu High that he'd forgotten what Yaga was dealing with right now.
Then again, even if Yaga didn't have time, there were other teachers at Jujutsu High. Someone would end up teaching Miko. He didn't think about it much more. He closed his eyes again and fell asleep soon after.
The next day, Betty woke Gojo up at the crack of dawn. He still looked half-asleep and groggy as he dragged himself out of bed, clearly not happy about it.
Gojo and Betty headed out again to take care of the remaining missions.
They'd lost a lot of time yesterday because of Miko, so they needed to deal with the rest of the cursed spirits quickly before anything else went wrong.
But not long after they left, Gojo got a message from Miko.
His phone screen lit up with a notification: [Gojo, I talked it over with my mom, and she said I can transfer!] There was a happy emoji after it. Miko was obviously really excited.
"That was fast. She must have really been through a lot before."
Betty leaned over to glance at the screen and gave a small smile as she said it.
She understood how Miko felt. Just thinking about living in fear every day felt awful. Now that she finally had a chance to escape it, of course she couldn't wait.
"Come on. Let's go to Jujutsu High and tell Yaga, and see what he says."
Gojo put his phone away. All the tiredness was gone from his face, his eyes were bright, and he sounded a lot more upbeat.
He grabbed Betty and headed straight for Jujutsu High.
When they got there, Yaga had already been working since early morning. His desk was piled with documents, his pen moved quickly across the page, and he was frowning hard. He looked serious, and the mood around him was heavy.
When the two of them came in, he didn't even look up. He just kept working.
"Yaga, being this cold is really hurtful, you know."
Gojo dragged the words out on purpose, putting on an exaggerated wounded look. He leaned over the desk with both hands on it, tilted his head, and gave him a teasing look.
"If you have time to talk nonsense here, you have time to go finish your missions."
Yaga didn't look up as he said it, sounding a little impatient. His pen paused on the paper for a moment, then kept moving.
He knew Gojo too well. The guy was always goofing off and never took anything seriously. If he'd come to Jujutsu High on his own, it couldn't be anything good.
"We're not here to talk nonsense. There's just something I need to ask you."
Gojo dropped the teasing and got a little more serious. He straightened up and stuck his hands in his pockets.
"Yesterday I ran into a girl who can see cursed spirits. She wants to transfer to Jujutsu High, and I already told her yes. So I came to ask which teacher you're going to assign to her."
He gave a quick rundown of Miko's situation without going into too much detail. The main point was getting Yaga to assign a teacher.
Once Gojo finished, Yaga finally looked up at him. His expression was complicated, a little resigned, and there was something calculating in it that was easy to miss.
"The teachers at Jujutsu High haven't been officially decided yet. You'll be the one teaching the new student."
He said it flatly, like it was the most normal thing in the world. Then he lowered his head again and went back to his paperwork.
"Huh?"
Gojo froze. The serious look vanished from his face, replaced by total confusion. He thought he'd heard wrong.
"What do you mean, I'll be the one teaching her?"
He leaned in close to Yaga and took off his sunglasses. His pale blue Six Eyes were full of disbelief, and he sounded a little flustered.
Gojo stared at Yaga, completely lost. Sending him to deal with cursed spirits was fine. Special grade or anything else, he could handle it easily.
But being a teacher was a first.
He had zero experience with this. He was the kind of person who loved slacking off himself. How was he supposed to teach a student properly?