IT'S YOU

14. Second Year

"Here we go..!" You announced as you, Shoko, and Geto simultaneously threw a pencil, an eraser, and a small pencil sharpener. Your target was Gojo, who stood a few feet away from you and effortlessly stopped the incoming objects with his infinity.

"Yeah, it's working," Gojo proclaimed, having caught the eraser and sharpener and then plucking the pencil out of mid air with a proud smile.

Shoko was taken aback. "Ugh, what the heck was that?"

"Automatic selection of targets for your jujutsu technique?" Geto asked.

"Yup! Though, to be precise, I'm the target for the technique," Gojo answered. "I've automated what I used to do manually. Now it can discern an object's danger level based on the strength of its cursed energy, its mass, its velocity, and its shape. I'd like to get it to discern poisons, too, but that's still proving difficult. This will allow me to keep my Limitless technique active almost perpetually with minimal resources."

"Having it perpetually active will fry your brain," Shoko warned him.

"But I can also keep running the reverse cursed technique with the energy I generate on my own. So I'm constantly giving it a fresh brain to work with," Gojo assured her, beginning to spin the pencil between his fingers. "I'd already been working on shortening my hand seals. That's nailed now, too. So I can also activate multiple instances of Blue and Red simultaneously."

A year had passed and Gojo had truly become the strongest. He now handled all of his missions alone and was busier than ever. The date he had wanted to take you on never came to fruition and remained on the backburner, almost forgotten about at this point.

"The only remaining hurdles are Domain Expansion and teleportation over long distances," Gojo continued. "I should be able to get that down if we set up some courses without any obstacles in Jujutsu High. Shoko, could you lend me some lab rats?"

You glanced at Geto who seemed to have tuned out, lost in thought. He had become far more quiet and reserved then he used to be. Since Shoko was never sent on dangerous missions in the first place, he was naturally sent on them alone more often now too which you could see was beginning to take a visible toll on him. You felt like you had gotten closer to him since he had comforted you all that time ago but at the same time he never felt further away.

"Suguru, have you lost weight?" Gojo suddenly asked him. "You okay?"

"It's just heat fatigue," Geto replied. "I'll be fine."

"Did you eat too much somen?"

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"Thanks for coming with me, Geto."

Said boy glanced at you to see you smiling at him as you left a bakery together. He had to admit, it took him a little by surprise when you asked him if he would accompany you. Originally, you were going to come with Gojo but he had been sent on a mission at the last minute and Nanami and Haibara had plans already. Geto thought you would have asked Shoko before him and he couldn't help but wonder if you took pity on him. Slowly, he felt as if he were being left behind. He and Gojo were once the strongest together, but no longer.

"Of course." He told you. "I don't mind."

"Those cinnamon rolls were enormous, weren't they!?" you asked him with a laugh. "So good, though. I wouldn't have been able to finish one on my own. What did you think?"

Geto nodded. "They were good."

"We'll have to bring Satoru next time," you mused with a smile. "I bet he would love them."