That Time When I Fell Down the Stairs and Became a Jujutsu Sorcerer

Chapter 19 - Chase

Lifting up my leg behind me, I adjusted the back of my sneaker. With a flip, I threw my dark auburn hair back and tied it into a ponytail. Finally I tightened the strap of my dagger's holster on my hip, then looked over at Gojo.

"God damn you're beautiful." He said through a grin, leaning against a wall in the alley with his head on his hand.

I rolled my eyes, "Not the time Gojo."

"It's always the time." He said with a chuckle as he pushed off the wall and stood beside me, "You're gonna chase him, huh?"

"Been through this before." I nodded, "He's gonna pop out right there and then it's on." I looked up at Gojo with a smirk, "I've got some new tricks, so try to keep up."

He bristled with excitement, his eyebrows shooting up, "Oh, do you now?"

A breeze struck suddenly, like a gentle pressure as the air was pulled inward towards the end of the alley. The familiar bright white light of a shimmering portal cracked open, like opening a fridge. A short man stepped out, his hair and face covered with a ball cap and scarf.

Dashing forward, I jumped at him but as usual he was too quick on the draw and ducked back inside. I dove right in, tumbling through the blank white landscape inside the portal. The man yelped and let himself fall backwards out of another portal behind him.

I rushed through the bustling streets of Tokyo, my heart pounding as I chased after the man. Gojo, watched my back, his eyes glowing with anticipation. The neon lights of the city reflected off the wet pavement, creating a kaleidoscope of colors that blurred as I sprinted in and out of portals.

The man ahead of me darted through another portal, and I followed without hesitation. Each jump through these otherworldly gateways disoriented me, but I couldn't afford to lose him. I emerged into a crowded street, my breaths coming in ragged gasps. Gojo appeared beside me moments later.

"Looks like he juked you." He said, but as soon as he glanced back I was already flicking open the side of my holster. One side of the blade on my dagger stuck out just enough for me to slice my palm and the last thing I knew he saw was the peace sign I threw him and my smirk.

What he didn't see was that I dragged the blood across my eyes, and with a single word we were reversed back before the last three turns in the portal chase. Behind me I heard Gojo gasp, as I skidded to a halt and looked up. The man yelped again as I caught sight of him doubling back through a different portal and I jumped up to climb through.

He glanced back, his eyes met mine and I knew he recognized me. I saw his hands flashing signs, he was ready to fight back. With a quick heel turn as he dropped through a portal, I slid behind him and let myself fall up through the floor into a diner.

"Nice trick." I muttered, as I righted myself and ducked out back into the streets after him.

With the flick of his hand, he rolled into a portal with me hot on his tail. He tried to juke me again by looking like he was going to fall down, but instead he went up. I knew he had control of the inside of the domain, so this wasn't gonna shake me this time. I jumped after him, climbing out and falling through the roof into a dark library. He pushed a shelf over as I landed, but Gojo caught it as he stood over me.

I nodded my thanks, rolling to my feet and follwing after the man. We raced through the portals, the Tokyo cityscape changing wildly around us with each jump. It was always a  high-speed game of cat and mouse with this guy. I was determined to catch him, his ability was perfect . The perfect ingredient to make a cursed tool.

With each portal, the angle would change. Each building in a different orientation, and even the gravity inside the domain would seemingly change. I knew Gojo wouldn't have any trouble adjusting to my technique, but I still enjoyed seeing the flashes of confusion on his face with each rewind.