Temporal Paradox - Suguru Geto x OC

Chapter 15

"Hmmm..." Torako took a good look at the shop, her eyes squinting with such an intensity that they had become two curved lines.

'Maybe we took a wrong turn somewhere.'

The reasoning behind this presumption was the fact that this store looked nothing short of normal. Indeed, no matter how intensely Torako scrutinised it, the place was but a simple fabric store, with its humble facade and vibrant interior from the blends of colourful fabrics. It was almost irritating how ordinary it was!

'Huh. This curse did a pretty bad job at being a curse, I must say. This place doesn't look like a cursed location at all.'

The window lady pointed towards the inside of the shop, specifically at a grey door behind the checkout counter. With her gaze rigid on the door, she spoke in a taut tone, "As you may know, you two aren't the first sorcerers to be sent here..."

Torako didn't know that...

She continued, "On the outside, it may look like a normal fabric shop, but reports have said that civilians and sorcerers alike have gone missing after entering that grey door. We don't know why they would go in there in the first place-"

"There is a domain behind that door," said Satoru, finishing the sentence off for her. Those words were said rather siwftly – Torako couldn't guess whether it was out of a lack of patience or an eagerness to fight.

The window sighed awkwardly at the interruption before nodding. "Y-Yes, we suspect that an incomplete domain has been laid out inside the room behind that door."

"Yay... another domain..." Torako felt like she could grow eyebags from just that word alone.

Hearing his senior's defeated voice – like a person on their death bed – a devious grin lifted the corners of Satoru's lips. He sneered, "Senior, be careful not to get lost inside the domain again, will ya?"

His senior hummed curtly before she began to walk ahead towards the shop. "You're overexaggerating, I'm not that bad with directions."

Satoru snickered.

"Miss Murakami..."

Halting her steps, Torako turned to look back at the window lady. The latter's voice, although gentle like a coaxing mother, was heavy with apprehension.

"Are you sure you don't need us to call Ms Ieiri? I know we didn't bring her with us today because it is quite close to the school, but still..."

How sweet of this person to worry over her. If memory served her right, this was the same lady who drove Suguru and her on their first mission together.

She almost felt guilty for not remembering her name.

Still, as a token of gratitude for her concern, Torako decided to offer a few words of comfort. "Don't worry, Ms... I know it's in your job description to care about me but I don't plan on getting injured today. It's Tuesday, after all."

The lady blinked.

What did the day of the week have anything to do with Torako getting herself injured?

Did this girl have Tuesday written down as a no-injury day?

How strange... Regardless, she pressed her lips into a thin line and relented. "If you say so..."

The interaction made Torako smirk, huffing out a small chuckle before turning to walk away again.

Satoru sauntered into the shop after his senior.

"Put up the veil for us too, will ya?!" the boy waved the lady off nonchalantly.

○○○

"Ah. I see how it is," said Torako as she fixed her eyes onto a nearby shelf. 

"Senior," Satoru called out from beside her with a wide grin. "You know what time it is?"

Her lips curled and she returned his toothy smile, immediately knowing what he was suggesting. That mischievous tone of his was more than enough for her to tell.

Dramatically whipping out a pair of sunglasses, she folded her arms across her chest.

"Jujutsu Mystery, Episode Three!" they declared in unison.

'Jujutsu Mystery' was a collaborative deduction game that the two invented on their second joint mission together where they encountered a mysterious Minka house full of haunted Hina dolls.

In this game, the two players would work together to observe and take turns in calling out clues in order to unravel its secrets and solve the puzzles presented to them by the cursed location! However, they must jointly reach a conclusion before or on their sixth clue, otherwise, they'd lose! (Well, there wasn't any punishment for losing anyway.)

And! This would be their third game, hence the third episode!

"The shop appears suspiciously normal, meaning that the curse behind this is the type to stalk and kidnap. Junior?"

"Everything's in place – no indications of a fight. Senior?"

"Many Grade 2 sorcerers have gone missing in this location – the curse is Grade 2 or higher. Junior?"

"Heavy amounts of cursed energy leaking from that grey door, so the boss room must be in there. Senior?"

"Although hard to see, there's a thin layer of cursed energy coating these fabric rolls, which means that the curse uses some sort of marking mechanism on its targets."

With the clues assembling together, their minds began to construct an imaginary sequence of the potential crime scene. And all of a sudden, a bolt of realisation striked down on them.

"...!" 

In a swift motion, they turned their heads to look at one another intensely.

"The curse marks its target by having them touch these fabric rolls which have been coated in cursed energy..." In a comically low voice, Satoru began their conclusion before passing it on to his senior.

"Once marked – or, substitute that word for 'cursed' – the target then falls into a hypnotic state that compels them to enter that grey door where they are killed," Torako finished with a resounding click of her fingers.

"Case closed!" once again, wearing wide smiles, they exclaimed in perfect agreement. 

Confident in their deduction, Satoru and Torako quickly got into position, one foot behind another as they leaned forward. Their shoes squeaked against the polished concrete floor, and immediately, they wasted no time in dashing down the aisle of shelves as though it was a marathon race. 

Reaching the end, the two jumped over the counter, and with one outstretched leg, they simultaneously kicked down the door.