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

141 ~ Hundred And Forty-One

[T]he heavy silence that filled the room was sliced clean by Shoko's lazy drawl. "Well, that was kinda cool," she said, her tone casual, but there was a gleam in her eyes that betrayed her admiration.

Everyone had watched you throw the flagpole into the air, sending it flying across the battlefield with impossible precision. It impaled the ground near your base, both your flag and your enemy's perfectly crossed in an X. The entire room had held its breath, unaware until the tension broke with Shoko's remark.

"Impressive," Nanami acknowledged with a quiet nod, arms crossed as he observed the screen. His tone was measured but carried an unmistakable hint of pride. You hadn't just won because of brute strength; you'd outsmarted the entire field. This victory was all intellect and strategy.

Gojo sat eerily still, his hands clasped in front of his face, fingers pressed tightly together. He'd been so damn sure you'd lose. So sure. Yet here you were, defying his expectations. It was just like your cursed technique—always one step ahead, always slipping through his grasp like water.

"Someone's gonna declare the winner, or should we just pretend that didn't happen?" Nanami's voice was calm, but the glance he gave Gojo had a cutting edge.

Gojo's head snapped toward him, eyes flickering as if being yanked out of a daze. His mind had been spiraling, still grappling with how you'd managed to pull that off. Sure, you'd blown him away—but more than that, you'd left him with a gnawing worry that he couldn't quite shake.

"I guess this means she's official now, huh?" Mei Mei's smooth voice floated into the conversation, cool and detached as always. Meanwhile, Shoko had already gotten up, her movements relaxed as she strolled over to where the mic sat near Gojo's seat.

Without waiting for a formal cue, she snatched it and, in her usual laid-back tone, announced, "And Y/N's team... takes the win."

Gojo didn't react. His eyes flicked briefly toward the screen before he reached for his discarded white blindfold. If Mei Mei was here, she had the intel he'd been waiting on. And despite her casual presence, he knew she wasn't one to waste time without reason.

"I think she's ready for Grade 1," Utahime remarked, her gaze shifting toward Yaga as she leaned back slightly in her chair.

It was hard to ignore the way Gojo's focus had been entirely on you throughout the match, but Utahime pushed down the sting of that fact. She had her doubts about Gojo's intentions, but she wasn't about to let those cloud her judgment about your abilities.

Yaga considered her words with a quiet nod. "She's proven herself. Grade 1 sounds fitting."

"No." Gojo's voice cut through the air before anyone else could chime in. His tone was sharp, almost too decisive, drawing every gaze in the room toward him.

Utahime's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, 'no'? She passed the test, Gojo," she pressed, frustration bubbling just beneath the surface. They all knew how Gojo had stacked the odds against you, yet you'd triumphed. This should've been a no-brainer.

Gojo leaned back slightly, shrugging as if the weight of the moment didn't faze him. "I'm not saying don't promote her. Just... not yet. Trust me."

Nanami spoke up next, his voice even and calm, but his gaze scrutinized Gojo with quiet intensity. "What exactly are you trying to do, Gojo?"

There was no malice in Nanami's question, but there was clear suspicion. They had all seen how focused Gojo had been on you during the match. This wasn't about ego. Something deeper was at play.

Gojo's lips quirked into a brief, almost reluctant smirk, but his eyes remained serious. "I'm protecting her. From the higher-ups. Obviously."

The words hung in the air, as casual as they were deadly. Nanami's suspicions clicked into place, the realization sinking in. Gojo wasn't holding you back out of spite or arrogance—he was keeping you out of sight. Your cursed technique was probably dangerous, not just in battle, but in the eyes of those who would seek to control it.

Nanami adjusted his glasses, his tone calm but resolute. "Then let's handle it this way," he suggested. "We'll tell her she's cleared for missions, but the higher-ups are blocking her promotion to Grade 1. And if things escalate, and they push for it—just let them know her cursed technique is... empathy."

The lie hung heavy in the air, but it was a necessary one. To protect you. Nanami wasn't one to advocate deception lightly, but without Gojo's protection, the consequences could be dire. Execution, interrogation—your strength was undeniable, but the risk wasn't worth it.

Gojo's shoulders, tense with the weight of the conversation, seemed to relax just a fraction. He shot Nanami a sideways grin. "Knew I could count on you, Nana-min."

Nanami, of course, didn't respond to the nickname, but his silence spoke volumes. He trusted Gojo, even if he didn't always agree with him.

Utahime frowned, her confusion palpable. "But why all this secrecy?" she pressed, her voice tinged with frustration.

The strongest didn't answer, his usual flippant demeanor replaced by something far more serious. Leaking information about your true cursed technique wasn't just risky—it was dangerous. Words traveled fast in their world, and the last thing he needed was for the wrong ears to catch wind of it.

Yaga shifted in his seat, his eyes flicking between Gojo and Nanami, trying to piece together the unspoken plan. Finally, he sighed, surrendering to the inevitable. "I'll trust you on this," he muttered. If Gojo and Nanami were aligned on something, there had to be a good reason.

Just then, the strongest raised a finger, as if something else had just crossed his mind. "Oh, Shoko, about her medical reports?"

Shoko, with a bored expression, glanced up. "Yeah, what about them?"

"She's going to need another set of blocker earrings. Think you can handle that?"

Shoko blinked, momentarily confused. "Uh? What do you mean?"

"She cracked hers. Probably from the way she's been pushing her cursed energy. Overloaded them, I'd bet."

"Ah, makes sense," Shoko replied, nodding slowly. "I'll look into it and see what I can do."

"Great," Gojo grinned, finally rising from his seat with a clap of his hands. "Well, now that that's settled, time to go check on my students. They probably look worse for wear."

"Yeah," Nanami agreed, while Utahime muttered something under her breath.

Yaga gave a simple nod, but it was Shoko who sighed the loudest. She knew exactly what that meant—more work for her. Rolling her eyes, she added: "Let's get this over with."

***

You didn't sense it at first, but the moment you heard the faint crack in your earrings, you knew things were about to get messy. Those earrings had been blocking out the memories you didn't need right now, and without them, well... you were screwed. The pounding in your head didn't help either.

As soon as Shoko had announced the win, Kirara's cursed technique had let go of you. Panda was released too, and the tension from Toge's command dissolved.

You glanced at Toge—his throat was raw, his mouth bloodied—but other than that, he looked steady. Two things were clear: One, his cursed energy was probably strong enough to outlast Panda's resistance. Two, the command wasn't intense enough to cause him a serious backlash.

But let's be real—you won because of Panda. If he'd wanted to, he could've resisted Toge's command. The guy's a tank, after all. But because Toge was his friend, Panda held back. He didn't want to push Toge further, knowing he was already hurting. That's just Panda—loyal to the bone.

As the effects of Toge's command faded, Panda scratched his head, looking baffled. "Uh, so... what just happened in the last five minutes?"

Maki, limping from her scrap with Kinji, walked up and gave him a playful smack on the back of the head. "Don't waste brain cells trying to figure it out, Panda."

You raised a hand, offering her a high five in solidarity. Maki returned it with a smirk. "You look like hell," you commented, eyeing her tattered appearance as she made her way to her discarded spear.

"Look who's talking," she replied dryly, her blunt tone making the insult almost friendly. She gestured vaguely at your face. "You're bleeding from the nose."

"Yeah, I noticed," you muttered, wiping your face with the back of your hand. The headache was creeping in, your vision blurring a little from pushing too far with that last flagpole throw. Typical, though—you'd been through worse.

Behind you, Kirara's voice rang out, laced with her usual sass. "What was Gojo-sensei thinking, throwing us against a freak like her? Seriously, Kin?"

Your head snapped around. Kin? Was she calling Kinji by a nickname? Were they... something?

Kinji ignored her and instead turned to you with an impressed grin. "You were a beast out there. Let's spar sometime."

You blinked, raising both hands in mock surrender. "Uh, no thanks. I'd like to stay alive, if that's cool with you."

Kinji chuckled, his eyes glinting. "I'm serious."

You shook your head, laughing with a hint of nervousness. "Look, I appreciate it, but you two were the real monsters out there. Not me."

Kirara rolled her eyes with an exaggerated sigh. "Oh, please. You're both freaks."

Maki just smirked, rolling her shoulders like she was ready for round two.

Kinji chuckled as he pushed himself back up to his feet, Kirara standing beside him with a huff, likely annoyed at being ignored. "Trust me," Kinji said, brushing the dirt off his pants. "If you polish up your hand-to-hand combat, even I'd have trouble keeping up. I had luck on my side, but in the end... I lost."

You fought back a grin, knowing full well that his loss wasn't entirely due to bad luck. After all, you'd been absorbing his cursed energy—his luck included.

"Yeah, well, I'm beat," you muttered, your usual calm smirk tugging at your lips as you turned toward Toge. "Need a hand, Toge-kun? Anything broken?"

He shook his head, though it wasn't clear if he was saying he didn't need help or that nothing was broken. Either way, you tried to help him up, only to find your body felt like lead too.

"Leave it, Y/N. I've got him." Panda stepped in quickly, hefting Toge onto his furry back with ease. You couldn't help but feel grateful; you didn't have the strength for it.

As Panda led the way out of the forest, Maki sidled up beside you, matching your pace. "Didn't think we'd win," she remarked, her tone casual, though her words carried a weight of surprise. "But I'm glad I trusted you."

"Thanks, Maki-san," you replied, your eyes flicking to her before shifting back to the path ahead. The school grounds were coming into view, but you weren't sure what you were expecting.

No—scratch that. You knew what you wanted. You wanted to see it. His face. What expression would he wear? Disappointment? Anger? Maybe... pride?

But of course, he wasn't there. He never was when you got your hopes up.

Instead, it was Nanami and Shoko waiting for you. And though you didn't ask, Nanami spoke up, his voice steady and matter-of-fact. "Something came up. Gojo isn't here."

Of course. Typical. No wonder he hadn't been the one to announce your win. You hid the sting of disappointment, refusing to let it show. If Gojo didn't say anything, that meant your victory had hit him where you wanted. That was good enough.

"So," you began, watching as Shoko instructed Panda to lower Toge gently to the ground. "How'd I do, Sensei?" There was a teasing lilt to your tone. You called him that on purpose, because Nanami had been the one to get you here—the one who hadn't dismissed your theories or ambitions. He had supported you, every step of the way.

You respected him more than anyone.

On any other day, Nanami might've reprimanded you for the title. But not today. Not when you caught the faintest hint of a smirk at the corner of his lips before he said, "Impressive. Well done."