𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗧𝗟𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗥𝗞 𝗔𝗚𝗘

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐒𝐈𝐗 - SUCK PLUS ONE

"Better?"

"Of course." A small smile was on my face, a new and hazy feeling bubbles at my own carelessness. I lacked the stress and anxiousness today. "Someone seems confident, finally wake up in the right side of the bed?" The man of arrogance and eccentric attitudes commonly known as Gojo, made his way into the room with his usually hubristic stride and a unexplainable optimistic tone. "You're one to talk when it comes to pride." I retorted to the vanilla-haired shaman, his pearly smile that's know to charm faded into a smirk. "You got me there... anyways,"

"The reports for that mission came out, it's something I suggest looking into." He shrugged walking beside me. I nodded and stepped onto the stone path leading away from the school.
"Later." I simply said with a heedless attitude, it caught him off guard and his head quickly turned to me with a smile unmistakably impressed. "I didn't expect you to push aside priorities, already giving up?" Hearing the phrase giving up made my stomach churn a little but I let a simple suspire push it aside for me. "No, I'm just going to train with Maki again, I don't want to fall behind."

"I'm glad you're finally breaking out of that irritatingly nervous shell." He smiled deviously af my glaring side-eye, with a lighthearted chuckle toned with mischief the calm sufficed and he began on a new topic.

"But... I guess I'll just have to tell you about the reports myself." He sighed in faux disappointment his shoulders falling in exaggerated dismay. "You probably would've anyway." I smiled a little brighter at him my remark making me roll my eyes a little. "I liked it when you didn't have something to say after everything I did." He said in hope, his smile a little less bright and a little more offended which made me shrug. "I always had an insult to add." I said looking up to him with a sense of confidence. "Ouch."

He shook his head a little, Gojo's posture straightening a little silently telling me this would be serious. "But never mind that," He started in a much more stern voice, an explanation hound to come my way. "Like any great teacher, I was curious as to why one of the newest students with little experience with curses was 'accidentally' put in a mission for shamans of stronger value." He added keeping his pace matched with mine.

"Any guesses?"

"I thought you were going to tell me what happened — "

"The mission was never meant for you! A great teaching tactic is to hand off your missions to students you believe are capable enough to handle them — I've got a lot of priorities as the strongest I can't do everything at once...!" He explained over me and I could do was narrow my eyes a little, my face losing its glee and turning unamused. "I feel like your really just trying to defend your laziness." I pointed out with a nonchalant gaze sternly on him, it was skeptical and judgmental.

"Not true! Assignments have to be worth my attention if they want me to accomplish them — speaking of they," He looked away from me after defending himself with a louder tone."Higher-ups were trying to see if you could handle yourself. But realistically it was just a experiment, I hate to put it that way, but you're like their little science project." With a straightforward bluntness he uncaringly spoke of the devious plans made by the people deemed honorable. The individuals I was forced to respect were trying to kill me.

"How far can (L/N) (Y/N) go before she shatters under the pressure?"

————

"Don't put all your weight in one foot, that's exactly like putting all of your hope into an unstable option."

There's a pattern with makis lack of eye contact. At least that's what I hoped for.

She's narrow her eyes at a spot specifically, somewhere with believed she was probably going to strike next — however she would be using her peripheral vision and was secretly aiming for a spot completely different. Which means, I won't be able to counter a single one of her attacks — not without jujutsu. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to consciously activate it and it's becoming an issue as I won't be able to hide it if it's uncontrolled.

Yes, I'm still being targeted for an unknown reason — other than the bounty — shamans shouldn't just attack a student because they can sense their energy. Obviously, there's more to it that I am unaware of and Gojo is way more determined to find. I wouldn't be surprised if he's threatened a few people.

Of course, I'm not too happy about the bounty either. It's not much of a threat for anyone but the people I'm surrounded by — which is ten times worse. I put my trust into the people I stay around, a little money can sway anyone so I have to be more mindful of who I stay around. The judgement hurts me as much as it hurts them, but it's a habit, sadly.

"Well... at least you don't suck — you're like suck plus one."

"Thanks."

"Honesty's the policy."

Slouching on the ticklish emerald ground, I flicked open my water bottle and practically drained the liquid from the container — I felt dehydrated. The moment Maki sat herself down I fell on my back and all she could do was glance with a narrow-eyed concern.

"Already tired? It's not even lunch." She commented turning her back to me. "I wish it were." I mumbled placing my hands on my face, shielding my eyes from the bright golden star. "Yeah you're about to when I make things ten times harder for you."

"Wh...at?" My words dragged as I slowly sat up to look at her. I was wondering if she was joking or not because she was incredibly hard to beat as it is — how is there another level of complicated practice?

"You heard me. I've got an idea and you should try it." She stood up from the ground looking down at me with a faint smirk on her face, she ended up pulling me to my own feet and beckoned for me to follow. "That depends on what it is." I answered her with a subtle nervousness that she was able to pick out with no effort. "I notice that you're always incredibly worried and overthink." She stated with a harshness that almost made me flinch. We neared the schools entrance where two bags sat, one mine and the other was hers.

"Ouch." I muttered gripping my opposing arm with a awkward avert in my gaze.

"Those thought get in the way of your senses, you have good reflexes but those can't act when you're too busy trying to figure out what I'm going to do next." She crouched near the nag, and I stood nearby, my posture awkward as she reached carelessly for something. "So what does that mean..." My voice trailed off arching her tug a pitch black towel from her bag. She looked at the towel then through it at me with a faint harshness that urged me to follow her instructions. "You are focused on the wrong things." I held the black cloth lightly and looked at it with a raised brow, unable to piece together what she was asking of me.

"What do I do with this..."

Or, at least, I didn't want to believe what she was asking of me.

"I'll show you."