Gojo Satoru gently ruffled Fushiguro Megumi's spiky hair.
Under Satoru's gaze, Megumi's vast cursed energy and formidable talent were fully apparent. His mastery of the Ten Shadows Technique, a skill revered in his clan and respected by sorcerers like Satoru himself.
If the elders who coveted this ability knew that the coveted Ten Shadows Technique had become the disciple of a Six Eyes sorcerer from the Gojo family, their expressions would be priceless.
"Goose… box… box…" Megumi muttered, glaring as Satoru grinned foolishly.
He turned to Toji in frustration. "This is the teacher you found for me through connections? He's just as unreliable as you."
"That's fair," Toji Fushiguro admitted with a wince. "A jobless guy who gets beaten up and runs home sounds impressive, right? His connections might be questionable."
Toji Fushiguro rubbed his temples, regretting his decision to entrust Megumi to Satoru. Satoru and his twin, Shion, the Six Eyes brothers of the Gojo family, were unpredictable at best.
Still, with Megumi's potential, Toji Fushiguro knew his son deserved the best possible mentor.
"Satoru, by the way, where's Shion? I haven't seen him around much," Toji Fushiguro asked.
"Bro," Satoru said with a silly grin, messing up Megumi's already wild hair into an even more chaotic sea urchin look, "they've found a promising sorcerer and are thinking about taking him on as a disciple."
"It's a shame that Megumi is the master of the Ten Shadows Technique," Satoru continued, "no matter how much my brother searches, he won't find anyone better. Although I'm not as strong as him, my disciple will be stronger than his."
"Megumi, carry my expectations and stomp my brother's disciple into the dirt! Hehehe…"
Megumi was left speechless with irritation.
---
On a Tokyo street, a sleazy man in black lurked, eyes fixed on two small figures ahead.
"Ah chu~" he muttered under his breath.
"Damn it! That guy Satoru must be talking trash about me again." He clenched his fists with a dark determination. "I'm going to teach him a lesson when I get back."
Nearby, Shion effortlessly ignored the strange looks of passersby, as though his private thoughts had marked him as unhinged. He slowly followed two elementary school students walking side by side.
The air around them was filled with quiet laughter and the unfiltered joy of childhood sweethearts. Their hands were clasped together as they chatted, promising to marry each other when they grew up, even making wedding rings to seal their vow.
Outrageous and undeniably pure, their bond exemplified a love so simple yet impactful.
Seeing them walk together made Shion feel as though someone had shoved a mouthful of dog food down his throat.
He had never even held a girl's hand in all his lives, present or past, and yet here he was watching a genuine expression of happiness.
Shion remembered the original plot more clearly then, and the sharp sting of nostalgia settled in.
In the canon story, the girl named Rika Orimoto died in a tragic car accident when she was 11. Her death was witnessed by Yuta Okkotsu, and in his grief, he unconsciously cursed her, transforming her spirit into a powerful force that became bound to him.
That cursed bond would shape Yuta's future as a special-grade sorcerer, but it came at the cost of Rika's life.
Shion pondered whether his interference in the timeline might alter what was supposed to happen.
Would acting now prevent tragedy, or would it disrupt fate in unforeseen ways? Memories of distant possibilities clashed with his desire to shield others from pain.
Just then, screams erupted from the crowd.
"Ahhh!"
Shion's eyes snapped open.
A large truck veered uncontrollably through the fence on the opposite side of the road, barreling toward the crowd with terrifying force.
Yuta Okkotsu and Rika were among them.
From his vantage point, Shion could see that Rika stood directly in the truck's path. Her face was frozen with fear, wide eyes locked on the approaching vehicle.
Blue smoke trailed behind the tires as the truck tore across the pavement, inches from her.
Rika's gaze flickered toward Yuta, who was being pushed away by the panicked crowd, his hand stretched out toward her.
Boom!
The truck's front collided with a utility pole, sparks flying wildly and thick smoke clouding the scene.
In that moment, everything seemed suspended.
Yuta stared blankly, despair surging through him as his cursed energy boiled over like a stallion breaking free of its restraints.
"Rika!!!" he screamed, bursting through the crowd with raw strength.
Witnesses were stunned, but someone grabbed him, attempting to restrain him from rushing further into danger.
"Don't go any closer! It's dangerous!"
"Let me go! It's Rika!"
Despite his small frame, Yuta's power was terrifying — he nearly wrenched free from the person holding him.
Then he heard a familiar voice.
"Looking for this kid?"
Yuta turned in shock.
Before him stood Shion, holding Rika in his arms. Her face was pale but alive with fright, not gone nor broken.
Shion looked up at the scene. Despite the severity of the crash, the pedestrians injured were only lightly hurt, and the driver had survived thanks to the airbag deployment.
This violent crash had targeted Rika specifically, yet here she was, saved at the moment it mattered most.
Shion realized that his unexpected arrival had likely caused the timeline to shift, making Rika's death occur earlier in this version.
But this was the moment he had been waiting for.
Though fate might bend in unpredictable ways, Shion's decisive arrival meant that tragedy might yet be rewritten.
____
🌙 TO ALL OUR MUSLIM BROTHERS AND SISTERS WISHING YOU ALL A WONDERFUL EID!
MAY ALLAH'S BLESSINGS BE WITH YOU TODAY, TOMORROW, AND EVERY DAY
MAY TODAY BRING LAUGHTER, DELICIOUS FOOD, AND JOY