Satori and Suguri walked side by side in silence, making their way through the road.
As a wind passed by them, Satori opened her mouth and said in a casual tone,
"That idiot, he left the boring job to us and ran away."
"He must have his reasons..."
"Reason? That idiot must be lazing around on his bed playing video games—"
"Stop calling him an idiot."
Suguri suddenly interrupted her with a frown on her face.
"He has a name; it's Naoya."
Hidden behind the sunglasses, Satori narrowed her eyes and continued,
"He's my friend; I can call him whatever I want."
"He's also my friend, and I do not enjoy you calling him disrespectful names," Suguri retorted almost immediately.
"You..."
Satori bit down on her lips, remembering the dream from yesterday, and asked while trying to appear calm,
"Heh, you're talking like his girlfriend. Tsk, don't tell me you like him or something?..."
Suguri didn't say anything, remaining silent.
Seeing the scene, Satori heaved an internal sigh of relief, but just as she was about to joke around to lighten the mood...
Suguri parted her lips and said in a small voice,
"So what if I do?"
As soon as she finished speaking—
A fair hand grabbed her shoulder.
With a calm look on her face, Suguri turned her head, only to meet a pair of crystal-clear blue eyes.
"You... what did you say?" Satori instinctively asked in a heavier voice than usual.
Suguri met her gaze and said in a calm tone,
"Let go."
Satori's eyes widened as she quickly retracted her hand.
She didn't know what got over her. After hearing what Suguri said, her body moved on its own, wanting to stop her.
"S-suguri... you don't really mean what you said, right? After all, this is Naoya we're talking about... why would anyone like him?" Satori said while clenching her hands, trying to appear calm.
"Says the one who's head over heels for him," Suguri ignored her lie and said the truth outright, making Satori pause in confusion.
Meanwhile, on a faraway building, Naoya was looking at the two of them using a telescope with confusion.
'What the hell are these guys doing?'
Why were they just standing there instead of going to the Star Plasma Vessel?
What's wrong with these two??
Finally, after some time, the two started walking again.
Though for some reason, they no longer walked together but maintained distance between each other.
Having trained with Satori, he already knew about her maximum detection range, which meant she wouldn't be able to sense him from this distance.
Naoya watched as they protected Riko Amanai, the Star Plasma Vessel, from two sorcerers and followed her around like guards.
Just two days later, Tengen will assimilate with her.
That will be the time when Toji will strike.
Naoya frowned. Due to Toji's special physique, he couldn't sense him at all.
Maybe he didn't take up the mission...
Shaking his head, Naoya continued observing them in silence.
Time passed by.
----
Day of the assimilation.
Satori, Suguri, Riko, and her maid Misato Kuroi walked together, having entered the boundary of Tokyo Jujutsu High.
"Don't be afraid, Riko-chan. We have arrived inside the barrier. There will be no danger now..." Satori said with a calming smile while patting the silent Riko's head.
"Yes, Riko-chan, don't be scared..." Suguri also added with a small smile on her face, trying to calm the young girl.
Unlike the original, both Satori and Suguri were females, due to which Riko felt more at ease with them, not putting up the act she did in front of their male versions.
"Suguri-san.... Satori-san....." Riko called out their names and raised her head when suddenly—
A blade pierced through Satori's body from behind.
Suguri's eyes beside her widened in disbelief.
'Impossible..... we're inside Jujutsu High's barrier....'
At some point, a muscular man with a cut mark on his face had appeared behind them without them noticing.
Satori turned her head and looked at the man with a half smile.
He looked familiar.
"Do I know you from somewhere?"
"Don't sweat it, I'm not good at remembering people's names either," Toji replied with a grin on his face.
Satori and Suguri attacked at the same time, sending Toji flying into the air, then being swallowed by a cursed spirit.
"Satori!"
Suguri worriedly called out her name, but Satori stopped her by raising her hand.
"It missed my vitals...."
She reinforced herself with cursed energy, stopping the bleeding, and turned towards the site where Toji and the cursed spirit had crashed.
"Seriously, I am fine. Riko-chan is the priority right now. I will stop him. You guys go ahead."
"Satori..." Suguri silently looked at her straight back, then lowered her eyelids before taking Riko and Kuroi ahead.
Satori walked towards the cursed spirit, only to see it being cut to pieces, revealing the figure of the muscular man.
She looked at the cursed spirit resting on his shoulders with narrowed eyes.
She quickly raised her hand to attack, only to find that Toji had disappeared from his spot.
'He's fast!'
Toji's figure flashed all around her at terrifyingly high speed, making it difficult for her to even catch his shadow.
Thinking of a way, she used her cursed technique and summoned Blue, throwing it around her, decimating the surroundings, leaving no place for Toji to silently approach her.
Just as she had finished clearing the surroundings, Satori sensed several new energies and quickly turned her head, only to be surrounded by a large herd of Fly Head cursed spirits.
'He's trying to hide his presence among the Fly Heads?'
Her brain worked at a fast speed as she quickly scanned the place, trying to find Toji.
Then suddenly—
A thought hit her.
'No, wait! This is a distraction! His real target is—'
She instinctively turned towards Jujutsu High.
And the moment she did, Toji, like a ghost, appeared behind her with an inverted spear in hand, catching her off guard.
Satori's eyes widened as she used her Infinity to block the attack.
But then, to her shock, the cursed tool bypassed her Infinity and pierced through her throat.
Guh
Blood gushed out as a pain she had never experienced before rushed to her mind.
And for that brief instant—
A feeling of dread emerged in her heart.
Unknowingly, the image of a familiar boy passed through her mind.
'Naoya.....'
Idiot, you should have come for this mission....
The two of them together would have been unstoppable.
But now here she was, about to be killed.
Which reminded her...
Why hasn't this monster attacked her till now?
With his speed, she should have become a kebab by now—
It was only now that she noticed.
A blade had pierced through Toji's heart from his back.
Satori's eyes widened when she saw who the perpetrator was.
Naoya Zenin....
He really came....
...her knight in shiny armor...was truly here...
Although he was a little late, since her neck had already been pierced.
"Unreliable idiot..." Satori spoke with a smile as blood flowed out of her mouth.