Bound In Love's Curse [Gojo Satoru x Female Readers]

128 ~ Hundred And Twenty-Eight

"I don't care what's going on between you and Gojo Satoru," Nanami's voice cut through the silence as his broad figure came into view, walking ahead of you with purpose. His eyes were sharp, scanning the deserted school grounds with a professional focus that never wavered. "But don't think for one second that it's going to affect the way I evaluate your performance."

He moved with the precision of a seasoned sorcerer, his sheathed blunt sword in hand, ready for anything.

Even in his usual tan business attire and blue dress shirt, Nanami radiated a sense of calm authority, every step calculated, every sense on high alert.

You, on the other hand, were dressed in a sleek black suit that Ijichi had handed over—standard issue for a personal assistant.

While sorcerers like Gojo Satoru wore dark blue, assistants stuck to the classic black blazer and slack pants. You'd even opted for black stilettos, though they were far from practical in a situation like this.

"I never expected otherwise," you replied, your tone casual, unbothered by the looming threat of a Semi-Grade 1 curse spirit lurking nearby.

This wasn't your first exposure to curses, but it was your first mission with Nanami. You had asked him to train you, and if it weren't for Gojo's ridiculous request that you pass some preliminary test under Nanami's watch within two weeks, you would've been focusing on improving your curse energy manipulation instead of chasing down a curse.

But still, this was better. More exposure meant faster progress, right?

"Gojo briefed me on your progress," Nanami commented, stopping briefly to adjust his glasses, his tone as neutral as ever. His eyes were still scanning the area, though he cast a quick glance over his shoulder at you. He rarely showed this level of seriousness, but considering the life-and-death stakes, it wasn't surprising. "He mentioned your curse energy flow is constant—like it never runs out. Is that accurate?"

"Yes, that's correct," you nodded, twirling the dagger Nanami had handed you at the start of the mission.

A curse tool, one that he'd told you was incredibly valuable—an heirloom from a well-known clan. Though he hadn't said it outright, it wasn't hard to connect the dots. This was Gojo Satoru's doing. Of course, it was.

"And from what I understand, you've achieved curse energy awareness," he continued, voice level but firm. "You can track curse energy signatures now?"

"More or less," you answered, rolling your shoulders to ease the tension as you glanced around.

The weapon in your hand felt heavy with responsibility. Nanami's gaze lingered on you for a moment longer, his expression unreadable, before he resumed his careful sweep of the area.

There was no room for mistakes here, and you knew it. This wasn't just a test; it was a reminder of how quickly everything could go wrong in this line of work.

"And you can now withstand only up to five percent of another's curse energy?"

"Ten percent," you corrected immediately, straightening your posture.

Thanks to absorbing Gojo Satoru's curse energy—strong, potent, and finely honed—your tolerance had jumped from five to ten percent. You weren't stupid; you knew exactly what you were doing when you asked Nanami to train you.

You didn't fully understand how, but you knew there was a way to increase your resistance to curse energy. Maybe that was the key to getting stronger. The thought made Nanami pause in his stride, turning to glance back at you with a slight frown.

"Your endurance increased to ten percent?" His tone remained calm, though the skepticism was clear.

"Yes." You nodded, stopping a few steps behind him. The moonlight from a nearby window cast a faint glow over his green glasses, his eyes narrowing as he considered your response.

"How?"

"No idea," you replied honestly, shrugging. "But I think it's because of Gojo Satoru's curse energy. When he infused it into me, it... I don't know, forced my body to adapt."

Nanami sighed, rubbing his temple as though he could already feel the headache forming. "I'm not sure what Gojo's been teaching you, but my methods aren't the same as his."

"I'm aware."

"Then let's get one thing straight." Nanami's voice was blunt, but there was no malice in it. "You've got two weeks to prove yourself, and that's not enough time to teach you how to fully control your curse energy—certainly not to switch it on or off at will. Especially not when you'll need to be involved in every mission we take on. These missions are dangerous, 100% of the time."

You arched a brow, sensing the weight behind his words. "So, what are you suggesting?"

"Stay within your limits."

You blinked. That was... not what you expected from Nanami, of all people. You stared at him, slightly confused. He was serious. Dead serious.

Before you could misunderstand his intent, Nanami turned to face you fully, pushing his glasses up his nose as he scrutinized you. "I mean understand your limits. Absorb and use only as much curse energy as your body can handle. Adjust as needed, but don't push yourself beyond that, or you'll black out again—and the last thing you need is another seizure in the middle of a fight."

"Right," you muttered, processing his words.

You hadn't considered that before. None of this had really crossed your mind, especially since Gojo had hardly trained you in months. Half the time, you two were either fighting, shutting each other out, or... well, doing other things that had nothing to do with training. Not the most productive way to grow stronger, that's for sure.

Nanami, ever pragmatic, wasn't one for dramatics or indulgent lectures. He was direct and practical. If he told you to respect your limits, it wasn't a suggestion. It was survival advice.

"Do you really think you're capable of adjusting the frequency of inflow and outflow of curse energy from your body? Start at one percent and see what that gives you before gradually increasing. Since you can barely switch it off, this might help you control it better."

You nodded. "I'll give it a shot."

With that, you carefully removed one of the curse blockers you'd been using, pocketing it. The moment you did, an overwhelming surge of raw, violent curse energy slammed into you, as if the air itself had thickened, pushing down on your chest. It threatened to steal your breath, the force of it almost unbearable.

Nanami immediately noticed the shift and called out, "Y/N, are you—"

You quickly raised a hand to silence him, eyes closing as you focused inward, drawing on what Gojo had taught you about tuning into your curse energy.

Nanami had warned you not to absorb more than you could handle, but another thought crossed your mind—what if you could use the energy you were absorbing, channel it into something active? Like Yuta did with his sword when he imbued it with his own curse energy. If you couldn't switch your energy off, maybe you could control its flow by exhausting it through attacks.

You took a deep breath, steadying yourself. The violent energy still pressed against you, but you began to regulate it, reducing your intake to one percent. It wasn't easy; the pressure still weighed heavily, but it was manageable.

Nanami watched you closely, his brow furrowing in concentration. He could tell you were attempting something new, but he didn't interrupt. Slowly, you felt the shift—you imbued the dagger in your hand with that steady one percent of energy, letting it run consistently through the weapon.

"What are you doing?" Nanami asked, his tone cautious, though he caught the smirk on your lips.

Without answering, you hurled the dagger forward, watching as it sailed through the air with pinpoint accuracy and impaled a smaller, lurking curse. The blade sank deep into the concrete wall where the curse had been moments before, leaving only the faintest trace of residual energy in its wake.

You'd done it—successfully managing the inflow and outflow simultaneously, maintaining a steady pace.

More than that, you realized, your senses had heightened. The one percent you were using wasn't just in your weapon, it was coursing through your entire being, amplifying your awareness of your surroundings.

"Not sure what you just did, but good job," Nanami offered, a rare note of praise in his voice. His usual stern expression softened, just slightly. "Now, let's track down that Semi-Grade 1 curse spirit."

You shook your head, already walking towards the dagger you'd thrown. "No need. It's on the first floor—waiting for us."

Nanami's brow arched, his attention fully locked on you now. "How do you know that?"

"I can sense the fluctuations in the air. The subtle currents of curse energy," you explained, pulling your weapon from the wall with a clean yank.

Nanami's eyes flickered with a hint of surprise. Your level of sensitivity had sharpened—far beyond what most sorcerers could achieve without years of training. Almost like a walking radar. And while most Jujutsu Sorcerers could sense curses to some degree, even the strongest like Gojo had their limits—well, unless you had the Six Eyes. But you? Your ability to sense the flow of curse energy was freakishly polished.

"You're picking up on curse energy fluctuations that sharply?" Nanami asked, his tone slightly incredulous as he fell into step behind you.

"Seems like it," you replied, already making your way towards the staircase that led to the first floor. Your senses tingled—there it was, waiting.