𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 |ʳʸᵒᵐᵉⁿ ˢᵘᵏᵘⁿᵃ| ʳᵉʷʳⁱᵗᵉ|

Chapter 0 - Prologue: 5th

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For any readers who were here before the rewrite: so this is technically the same story, and it's really just events unfolding a little later(or earlier) depending on how you look at it. I understand if this isn't the fic you originally signed up for, but I felt that this is the fic I imagined when I started writing the first few drafts. I just didn't write it well, I think, since there was a lot of ideas and no organization. So basically feel free to drop this if it isn't up your alley anymore!

And for the readers that left comments, thank you very much for your support. I know a comment may not seem like much, but it really puts a smile on my face when I get a little notification in the middle of the day, and it really gave me a boost, so thank you!

For completely new readers—welcome! If you read the tags then you know there's some time travel stuff, so buckle in for that, and any questions regarding the logic behind the physics in this fic can go to the comments!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

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"You're late, Suguru."

Gojo arrived early, and they had arrived too late.

Splatters of red were all Kiko could see. Beside her, Suguru stared. At the bodies fallen over and limp, the trickling blood, and Riko's corpse. There was red on Gojo's cheek, the same color smeared on his uniform, and even bits staining the white of his hair.

Gojo looked at nothing as he stood in the center, talking to himself. "The star cult has many hideouts in this city, after all."

The blood didn't disturb her. The outcome this time, however, was different. She waited.

"Satoru...?" Suguru asked, and she watched.

Gojo smiled, laughing to himself. "How strange. I don't feel a single thing." He turned towards Suguru, a smile—a genuine one that belonged on a sunny, carefree day—plastered on his face.

She left then, knowing this was the end. The future, once again, had been changed, and the results came back negative. Another failure.

No matter. She knew better than to become greedy. This was only the fourth time, after all.

"Cursed Technique—Paradox."

Fifth time's the charm, or so she hoped.

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How long has it been? she thought.

She opened her eyes to the ceiling of her room, a room located in the student dorms at Jujutsu High. It was the beginning of second year again.

Summer in the dorm rooms was always stuffy, and without a ceiling fan, the humidity bothered her more than she'd like to admit. But it wasn't as though the elders would give her an upgrade anytime soon.

She closed her eyes.

Gojo was the one that went berserk. And that was before starting third year too.

She added another tally in her mind, recounting the times she'd lived through this already. Starting now, this was the fifth time she'd travelled back, but still, no progress.

In fact, because she and Suguru arrived late, Gojo killed the followers of the star cult, and her progress so far was undone. Gojo just had to give into his impulse, didn't he? Now, instead of resetting back to third year, she had to relive second year as well.

Suguru would go rogue in the middle of their third year, and then after nine years, he would fight Yuta Okkotsu before Gojo killed him. Then Gojo would beg her to go back and fix this, and thus the cycle repeats.