Temporal Paradox - Suguru Geto x OC

Chapter 11

A crooked frown pulled at Torako's mouth. She inhaled deeply with rigid shoulders. "C'mon, don't look at me like that. You swallow curses all the time!"

Suguru exhaled with a crease in his brows, then said, "Because I have to."

She shrugged. "What's the difference?"

Suguru's face shifted and his mouth flattened into a straight line. He looked like he no longer had the effort to argue.

(If that was the case, then Torako was very thankful.)

"Anyway, back to your business," she continued quickly.

"We are off to a very decent start. Forty percent is plenty. Lucky you. Now," she hopped over the many things lying on the ground, then sat down on her bed. "Describe the taste to the camera."

With hesitancy, her junior scratched his cheek. "Can't I just describe it to you instead? This feels a little awkward."

Torako cackled, as if to give him hope, before crushing it by flatly saying, "No."

He visibly wilted.

○○○

"It's the afternoon now. Senior, we should go get lunch," Suguru spoke as he stood up from her chair, watching his senior end the recording.

With her eyes still fixed onto the computer screens, Torako gave him a hum of acknowledgement, her fingers moving vigorously across the keyboard.

Suguru smiled kindly. "You still haven't trained, either."

Hearing those words, Torako's mouth stretched into a wry smile, her face twisting into an expression resembling that of a child about to get scolded. Why was this junior so naggy?

“I haven’t? That’s funny, because I clearly have. You just weren't here to see it," she said easily with a shrug.

'She’s lying,' Suguru thought as he hummed humourlessly with a tilt of his head. There was a perpetually flat smile on his face as Torako dismissed his existence.

"Senior," he called slowly, patience evident in his tone. "Neglecting training is still unacceptable, even if you're a special grade. Talent alone is not enough in jujutsu society."

For a moment, Torako thought about her junior's words.

He was right. A normal person's life was already unpredictable enough, but compared to a sorcerer's life, every mission felt like navigating through a field of landmine. It wasn't about the constant fear of stepping on one, but the faux bravery that pushed you into the field in the first place. How long would that façade last? How much could your soul bear? Because in the end, sorcerers and non-sorcerers were both human alike, and there was a limit to every human. In other words, if this world didn't kill you, then it would certainly kill your sanity.

'The Suguru of the future must've ended up on this path,' she mulled on the thought.

'Killed over one hundred villagers… Killed over one hundred villagers… Killed over one hundred villagers…' These words floated back up to the surface of Torako's mind, causing her smile to tighten at once.

It was hard to believe sometimes – the fact that this thoughtful junior of hers was an evil curse user in the making. His amiable exterior was so believable that it was hard to imagine him as a genocidal maniac. It sounded like quite a pitiful downfall.

Returning her attention back to said maniac, Torako tilted her head to a slight angle. The squinting eyes and the bemused grin that she had made it obvious she wasn't in agreement with him – at least, not entirely. She locked her eyes with his and said, "Talent alone is not enough in any society, actually. Because if it did, then Gregor Mendel wouldn't have had to struggle so much for recognition when he was alive."

At the mention of the foreign name, Suguru's face dropped into a deadpan and he muttered politely, "Who is that?"

Torako immediately brightened at the question.

"Never mind," he sighed again with a gentle shake of his head.

Torako immediately withered at the dismissal.

"Satoru doesn't really like you, so I'll be training with you for now. He doesn't hold grudges, but I'm afraid you'll say something rude again."

Hearing this, a strong wave of shame washed over Torako's heart, and she felt the sudden need to make amends.

"That wasn't rude, I really do like Jack Frost!"

"Not that part."

She thought for a moment. "The part where I indirectly said he and Ieiri are stupid?"

"Yes."

"…Ok, I stand corrected."

"So, you'll train?"

"I never said that."

"Senior…"

The second Torako saw the earnest frown on her junior's face, she immediately felt a disliking to it. Disappointment was a pitiful expression to wear, after all. Torako was sure that she knew this better than most people. One could only get sick of wearing it.

Therefore, if saying 'yes' was going to peel that expression off his face, then Torako suppose she could go for a few hours of training.

Besides, his nagging was purely out of genuine concern. It was full of good intentions! This benevolent junior was only looking out for his amazing senior; it was what every good child would do! So, with that said, wouldn't it be a little too cruel to decline him for his kindness?

Plus! Unless they were a pretty crier, a pretty face should never be sullied by a frown!

She only hoped that he wouldn't bruise her guts just like last time again...

Following that thought, Torako released a soft exhale as she pushed herself off of her bed. "Fine, I’ll train..." she spoke out like a child accepting a punishment from their parents.

Hearing those words brought a small smile to Suguru's face, and he happily said, "Now, let's go get lunch."

However, as they began tiptoeing out of the room, they had completely forgotten about one thing.

This whole time, there was a certain shikigami that had been diligently assembling a machine for its beloved master, only for her to cruelly trudge away without even a sliver of acknowledgment for it.

The shikigami flinched as it saw Torako walking out the door. How neglectful! She didn't even spare it a glance! Even when it had been so hardworking from the beginning, her attention would still be elsewhere!

In its heart, the shikigami's face was covered in tears, and still, it wasted no time in dropping everything to slither back under her sleeve.