Chapter Text
Itadori Ryou was a mistake. He was not someone who was supposed to exist in this world. He wasn’t saying that because he was depressed. No, this belief came from the fact that he knew what was supposed to happen. The fate of this world had been set in stone, yet ripples of change had already made their splash on the calm surface of destiny.
Ryou knew this because he had lived twice. In his first forgotten life, he had been a regular human who picked up this story. He could no longer recall much of his personal history, but his memory of this book was stark and clear. However, something strange occurred after his death, and he found himself reincarnated as a detested and hated boy in ancient Japan. Deprived of the knowledge of his first life, he stumbled blindly into this new world and made a name for himself. It would be one thing if he were revered and respected. No. He had claimed the title of the King of Curses and became the most infamous sorcerer in history. In his boredom, he had agreed to Kenjaku’s whim and split himself into twenty fingers.
That was why it should have been impossible for Ryou to be born. The pieces of his soul should have been trapped within those cursed objects, waiting for the time he would meet his destined vessel, Itadori Yuuji. Yet, somehow, due to a strange twist of fate, Ryou was born as Yuuji's older twin brother. It was only then that he regained access to the remnants of his first life’s memories. Perhaps it was lucky that he had only been a babe, or else he might’ve killed himself in embarrassment and guilt. Although he wasn’t as bad as the original, he still killed and consumed many humans. The sorcerers’ fear and hatred toward him were wholly justified.
Like in canon, they were born to Itadori Jin and Kaori. It would be one thing if his mother bore the striking stitches on her forehead to mark her as Kenjaku, but there were none. While Yuuji was a simple babe, Ryou was extremely aware of his surroundings and thus easily noticed his mother’s smooth forehead. She was herself and not a flesh puppet controlled by a centuries-old curse user.
What the hell was going on?
Unfortunately, despite his sharp intelligence, Ryou was merely a baby with small, pudgy limbs. The best he could do was roll over onto his stomach. He could certainly scream his frustration out, but he felt that Yuuji had done enough for the two of them. Seeing his parents' disheveled hair and dark eye bags made Ryou refrain from adding more trouble. So, with a severe lack of options, he cruised his way through the dreadfully boring baby phase. Luckily, his twin could provide endless entertainment as the boy tried to keep up with his brother, who easily grasped crawling and then walking. No matter how many times the kid fell, he stubbornly tried to reach out to his twin.
It was a very peaceful and mundane childhood. Compared to his time as Sukuna, Ryou was blessed with doting parents and a safe environment. He never had to struggle against the gnawing hunger that persisted throughout his youth until he could master his cursed technique. There were no bandits or wild animals that threatened to kill him. With the improved living conditions of ordinary people, curses were much less severe than in the ancient era. At least that was what he wanted to say; the problem was that Ryou was completely blind to cursed energy.
It seemed that after becoming Yuuji’s brother, he could not escape from the curse of twins. Ryou was blessed with a minor Heavenly Restriction that granted him greater physical prowess than normal humans. On the other hand, Yuuji got… nothing. Yeah. The brat got the short end of the stick. When Ryou realized his situation, he quickly tried to suss out whether his brother could see curses. Unless the kid was a born liar, it didn’t seem like he could see anything. He also did not display any cursed technique, so it seemed Yuuji was a truly normal human. That made sense, considering that no Kenjaku had been tinkering with him during the pregnancy.
That did not put Ryou’s mind at ease.
On the one hand, he wished Yuuji a peaceful life. On the other hand, Kenjaku was still roaming around doing whatever crazy and unethical experiments to fulfill his dream. Yeah. This was bad. Sadly, there was nothing he could do. He was still a kid, and even if he had grown up and had his current body potential, there wasn’t much he could do against a special grade. He had to regain his power, and that meant he had to retrieve his fingers. However, that likely meant facing Finger-Bearers and curses that had claimed those cursed objects. Based on his estimation, Ryou could perhaps only reach Maki’s power level before her Heavenly Restriction advanced after the death of Mai. He could technically fix this issue, but that meant Yuuji had to die.
Yeah, no.
Ryou might have been Ryoumen Sukuna, but he no longer felt that all-encompassing apathy that haunted the King of Curses. While he wouldn’t hesitate to eliminate threats, killing his twin brother was not acceptable. And so, Ryou could only silently suffer and experience the ‘joy’ of childhood.
Things had gone perfectly during the first three years of his new life. Sadly, everything fell apart when Itadori Jin and Kaori got into an accident. Neither of them survived, and their grandfather, Itadori Wasuke, took the two brothers in. The transfer of guardianship was seamless since the old man had been staying with his son in the same home. Since they had no other relatives, only Wasuke could take care of the young children.
Yuuji was very young, so he could not understand death, while Ryou was used to the fleetingness of life and could not muster any tears. Wasuke was the one who grieved in their stead. Although the old man tried to hide it, children were relatively easy to read, especially Ryou, with his low presence. It wasn’t rare to see the man crying silently. Sukuna was a master of Jujutsu and battle, but he had never learned how to comfort. The best thing Ryou could do was to make as little trouble for the man as possible and to send the sunshine incarnation, Yuuji, to Wasuke.
It took some time, but they eventually managed to get used to their new situation. Since Wasuke was old, he had to force the two children to be independent early. Ryou had never wanted to be treated like a child, so he was fine with the new responsibilities. Yuuji liked to imitate his brother’s actions, so he followed his directions like an obedient child. It was a peaceful life.
Nothing noteworthy occurred for several years until one day, Wasuke brought them to Kyoto to visit an old friend. Since the old man did not have anyone who could take care of the two children for a long time, he decided to bring the two along. It wasn’t a hard decision, considering Ryou and Yuuji were very obedient twins who rarely caused trouble. The old friend Wasuke was visiting was ill, and even though they hadn’t met for many years, their bond was still quite strong. Several elders also showed up, and they seemed to find particular joy in squishing young kids’ cheeks. While Yuuji beamed under the attention, Ryou hated being touched by strangers.
Wasuke noticed this and allowed the older child to escape. “Don’t wander too far.”
Ryou didn’t wait any longer and quickly exited the house. Wasuke seemed to assume he would go to the nearby park where some other kids were hanging out. Unfortunately for that man, Ryou had no interest in being surrounded by snotty brats. Although he might get scolded later, he decided to act rebelliously and wandered into the city. He didn’t have an exact destination since he just wanted to look around.
In his first life, he had lived in an era similar to this one. Yet time had corroded his memories until only small flashes of recollection remained. Thus, he began to take in these new and old scenes. Since Ryou was just a kid, he was often stuck at home, so even this small trip was quite refreshing for his mind. Unfortunately, like all things in his life, his trip was ruined when someone interrupted.
“What the hell are you?” a young voice asked behind him.
Ryou stopped walking and turned around to meet the bright blue eyes of a small boy who was slightly older than him. His own golden eyes widened when he realized the identity of this child. That snow-white hair combined with striking blue eyes could only belong to one person. It was Gojo fucking Satoru.
Gojo Satoru was bored. As the heir to the Gojo clan, there was not much that was out of his grasp. Anything he wanted was granted, and his numerous retainers dealt with all mundane troubles swiftly. Besides being blessed with the Six Eyes and the Limitless technique, Satoru also had a sharp mind that allowed him to easily grasp various skills.
While other kids struggled to even understand basic math, Satoru felt like he was already bored with life, despite only being eight years old. Sure, he still had not fully mastered his Limitless technique yet, but that would come in time as his body matured. For now, he could only float through his life like an aimless, uprooted water lily.
It was due to that crushing boredom that Satoru began showing a rebellious streak. Although the elders in his clan liked to throw their weight around, everybody knew deep down that Satoru was already the head, if not in name. His Six Eyes had sealed his fate the moment he was born. He would be the head of the Gojo clan. The elders also understood this, which was why they took him as a baby from his parents. They could not trust the task of raising the next clan head to a low-ranking member of the clan. Not only would they not be able to instruct him in mastering the Limitless, but they also didn’t want the couple to teach the wrong things to Satoru.
Not that the boy cared much about his biological parents. After his fifth birthday, the elders allowed Satoru to meet them. It seemed that after birthing the next clan head, their status within the clan had risen significantly. Nobody wanted to slight the parents of the wielder of Six Eyes. Who knew if the kid got attached to them despite not seeing them for many years? Well, there was good news for those people: Satoru couldn’t care less. When he officially met his supposed parents, he didn’t feel anything. In his eyes, these two people were no different from the rest of the clan members who bowed and deferred to him. They were related by blood, so what? That bond also connected him to the rest of the clan members.
So, Satoru spent the majority of his days alone. He spent most of his time studying and training, and when he didn’t, he just lounged around the estate. There were other children in the clan, but none of them dared to ask to play with him. Their parents must have told them about his status, so no other kids wanted to get too close to him. What if they accidentally insulted or annoyed the next clan head? Even if they were in the right, the elders would side with Satoru. Not that he cared; he didn’t need to be surrounded by pathetic children who could only cry to their parents.
However, that didn’t change the fact that Satoru was bored out of his mind. His attendants tried to entertain him, but he was sick of being stuck inside the estate. And so, on a bright, sunny day, Satoru left to look around the outside world. He had heard tales of the city beyond their lands and was curious about all sorts of interesting things he could see. Well, the tall buildings and throngs of people were certainly new. There were also many advertisements and vehicles on the streets.
Yet, the one thing that kept being on his mind was the noise of the world outside. It wasn’t just the usual sounds; no, the amount of information his eyes were registering was more than he had ever experienced before. He could handle the new streams of information, but he knew his Six Eyes were still developing, and perhaps one day, he wouldn’t be able to withstand gazing at these sights.
While Satoru was processing all the new things around him, something suddenly caught his full attention. It was very subtle and fleeting. Perhaps nobody would notice it, but his Six Eyes could not miss it. That dark and overpowering aura. Cursed energy was not pretty in the first place, but this one took it to the next level. Initially, he had expected to see a powerful curse, but no, it wasn’t that. In fact, the source of that malevolent aura was a boy.
Satoru couldn’t help but quickly approach the other kid. Before his brain could register it, he had already blurted out, “What the hell are you?”
Bright golden eyes locked onto him as the unknown boy turned around. He had soft pink hair and was wearing a comfy hoodie. His two hands were shoved into his pockets while a lazy aura surrounded him. The other didn’t answer the question.
“I asked you a question,” Satoru pushed again.
The kid narrowed his eyes. “Who are you to demand that from me?”
Satoru was stunned. What? He had never had anyone say that to him. For as long as he had lived, everyone always gave him whatever he demanded. Yet now, this unknown kid refused to even answer a simple question!
“Isn’t that the polite thing to do?” Satoru said.
The kid snorted. “Huh? Aren’t you the weirdo who suddenly bothered me? I don’t know you at all. Why should I humor you? Also, you are asking me ‘what I am.’ In case you’re blind, I’m obviously a human.”
“No, you’re not!” Satoru replied heatedly. “Why is your aura so dark then? You’re more like a curse!” It was only then that he realized that if the boy was a mundane human, he had just said something he shouldn’t have.
The kid narrowed his eyes. “Rude. If you’re this hostile, I have no interest in interacting further.”
Before Satoru could react, the boy immediately ran away into the massive crowd. Although his Six Eyes could track many things, the amount of energy in the area overwhelmed his senses. He desperately tried to locate the strange kid, but he couldn’t find his target.
Breathing hard, Satoru stopped beside a tree when he finally gave up. That brat! How dare he run away! He would definitely track him down!
Ryou was a bit worried that Gojo would be able to track him with his Six Eyes, but it seemed the brat hadn’t fully mastered his gift yet. Using the crowd as his cover, the boy easily lost his pursuer and returned to Wasuke. He arrived just in time for his grandfather to begin searching for him. The old man narrowed his eyes at his grandson’s slightly labored breathing but decided to let it go, perhaps assuming the boy was just playing in the playground.
“Are we done?” Ryou asked. He hadn’t expected to interact with the future strongest sorcerer this soon, so the encounter spooked him somewhat. Since he and Yuuji were born earlier than they were supposed to, he knew there was a high chance of meeting a young Gojo. Dealing with adult Gojo Satoru caused headaches for many people; teen Gojo was a menace, while kid Gojo was a disaster. Perhaps this was Heaven's way of punishing him for his sins. Ugh.
Wasuke raised an eyebrow. “Did you not hear me? We’re going to stay here for a while.”
Oh, right. Wasuke had informed him that they would be staying in Kyoto for some time. Ryou groaned. Although he wasn’t thrilled about exploring the city, he decided to stay indoors for several days. Yuuji tried to accompany him, but the boy had high energy and couldn’t stay cooped up inside for long.
“Come ooooon! Let’s go out!” Yuuji whined.
“Then go out by yourself,” Ryou said, continuing to read his book.
“But I don’t wanna go out alone,” Yuuji replied, tugging at Ryou’s jacket. “Coooomeee oooooon!”
Ryou grumbled, considering tossing the kid aside. He really didn’t want to go outside yet. Who knew if Gojo had given up looking for him? Yet, one teary-eyed look from Yuuji made him relent. “Fine, but we’re not going too far from the hotel.”
The two decided to walk around the area near the hotel they were staying at. There was a park nearby, so Yuuji quickly headed there. Ryou walked slowly behind his twin, keeping an eye on his surroundings. Unfortunately, he could no longer sense cursed energy, so he had to rely only on his eyes. It hadn’t even been half an hour since they got outside when Gojo Satoru showed up.
“You!” the white-haired boy shouted, pointing at Ryou.
‘How the hell did this brat track me down this fast?’ Ryou wondered, his right eye twitching. “What?”
“How dare you run away from me!” Gojo exclaimed. “I was talking to you!”
Yuuji looked between the two with questioning eyes. “Is he a new friend?”
“No!” Ryou and Gojo shouted simultaneously.
“This weirdo bothered me a few days ago,” Ryou said, pointing a thumb at Gojo.
“Weirdo? I’m not a weirdo!” Gojo defended himself.
“Oh yeah? Then why are you suddenly showing up the moment I leave my lodging?” Ryou asked.
“That—” Gojo struggled to answer. Hah. It was obvious the brat couldn’t let go of the fact that Ryou had managed to escape. Kids had big egos, especially those who were as talented as Gojo Satoru.
Ryou rolled his eyes. “Listen, I don’t care what your problem is. Just leave me and my brother alone.”
Gojo huffed, crossing his arms. “Not until you answer my question!”
“What question?” Yuuji asked.
“I asked him, ‘What—no, who is he?’ and he just ran away!” Gojo said.
‘No, you didn’t,’ Ryou thought.
“Oh! That’s easy!” Yuuji beamed. “I’m Itadori Yuuji, and my brother is Ryou!”
Ryou put a hand over his face. Goddamn it. He wanted to avoid being remembered by Gojo. Good job, Yuuji.
“What’s your name?” Yuuji asked.
Gojo blinked, clearly not expecting someone to ask his name. Well, the brat had probably been surrounded by people who knew his status and name ever since he was born. “I-” The boy stopped and took a deep breath. “My name is Gojo Satoru!”
He emphasized his clan name so much as if expecting the two random kids to recognize one of the three big sorcerer clans. When neither of the boys showed any sign of recognition, the pride in Gojo's stance deflated a bit.
Yuuji gave a bright smile. “Nice to meet you!”
Ryou only hummed. “So, since you’ve already got your answer, why don’t you scram?”
Gojo twitched at the rude tone. “Don’t tell me to go away like a stray cat!”
“Well, you certainly act like one.” Ryou crossed his arms. “You just keep coming back even though I show no interest in interacting with you. Are you hungry or something?”
“Y-you!” Gojo pointed angrily at Ryou, his face turning red.
“Ryou, why are you so mean?” Yuuji asked, disappointed.
“What? I’m just speaking the truth,” Ryou said.
“Y-y-you!” Gojo couldn’t handle being shown this much disrespect. The boy was breathing slightly hard now as his face got even redder. “It’s not like you can just tell me to go away! This is a public space!”
Ryou raised an eyebrow. “Oh, so you are admitting that you’ve been harassing me?”
“I’m not!” Gojo exclaimed. “Ugh! Stop acting so high and mighty! Fine, let’s make a bet. If you can land one hit on me, I’ll leave you alone!”
Ryou narrowed his eyes.
Yuuji glanced anxiously between the two boys.
Gojo gave a satisfied smirk, believing there was no way a mundane human would accept such a challenge.
“Alright, deal,” Ryou said.
This time, it was Gojo who narrowed his eyes. “Don’t cry if I retaliate.”
“That is if you can actually hit me, brat,” Ryou shot back.
Gojo growled. He waited for the kid to prepare himself, but Ryou kept his hands in his pockets. The white-haired boy narrowed his eyes further. Was it all a bluff? Just when Gojo started to become suspicious, Ryou suddenly whipped out one of his hands.
BAM!
“Guh!” Gojo spat out some saliva when he suddenly got punched in the gut. His Six Eyes registered the blow coming, but his body was too slow. He even tried to protect himself with cursed energy, yet the sheer power from that physical punch still hurt. The white-haired boy fell to his knees as his hands covered his bruised stomach.
“Che, what a weakling,” Ryou said.
Gojo tensed at the insult and quickly got up. The other boy tried to throw a punch, but Ryou easily dodged the attack. He then turned around, grabbed the other’s arm, and threw his body to the ground. The white-haired boy wheezed at the second impact.
“Are you done?” Ryou asked as he stared down at the bright blue eyes.
Gojo only blinked dazedly.
Yuuji shrieked and finally stopped watching the fight. Placing his body between the two boys, the younger brother put his hands on his hips, imitating Wasuke. “What are you doing, Ryou?! You shouldn’t be hitting people.”
The older boy only huffed. “Sometimes violence is the only answer that some people can understand, Yuuji.”
Yuuji didn’t accept his answer and crossed his arms. “No, you’re just being mean.” He then turned around and tried to pick up Gojo, who still looked shocked. Perhaps this was the first time someone had soundly beaten him in a fight. “Look at him! He’s in shock.”
Ryou rolled his eyes. “He’s just being dramatic.”
Yuuji glowered at his brother. “If you don’t say sorry, I’m going to tell Grandpa.”
Ryou groaned and then shot a half-assed apology at the white-haired boy. “Fine, I’m sorry for throwing you to the ground.”
Gojo still didn’t respond.
Yuuji frowned worriedly. “Do you think we need to call an ambulance?”
“Don’t be stupid,” Ryou said. However, it did seem like Gojo was so deep in shock that it might take time for him to recover. “You wait here; I know how to snap him out of it.”
Ryou left Yuuji to fuss over Gojo while he went in search of a sweet shop. The best way to bribe Gojo was through his stomach, after all. Luckily, there was one nearby, and the boy purchased three ice cream cones. The two boys had moved to a bench, but the white-haired boy still wore that wide-eyed look.
Without hesitation, Ryou shoved one of the ice creams into Gojo’s mouth. Gojo was startled by the sudden cold, but his hand automatically grabbed the cone. The boy blinked several times.
Ryou clicked his tongue. “Eat it before it melts.” He then offered Yuuji another cone, which he happily accepted.
“You think you can bribe me with this?!” Gojo asked angrily.
Ryou huffed and took a bite of his soft serve. “I don’t care whether you eat it or not.”
“Grandpa said you shouldn’t waste food,” Yuuji said sagely.
Gojo’s eye twitched at the two brothers. He looked at the ice cream in his hand and then at Ryou, who was ignoring him in favor of eating his own cone. With a pout, the boy ate his snack. Once the ice creams were gone, Yuuji immediately shot an apologetic look at Gojo.
“I’m sorry about my brother,” Yuuji said. “He’s not usually this mean.”
“That’s because I’ve never met someone this unreasonable recently,” Ryou muttered.
Gojo pursed his lips but didn’t say a word.
“Why are you so interested in Ryou, anyway?” Yuuji asked, not bothered by the lack of response.
“It’s— It’s nothing.” The white-haired boy shook his head. “How can you be that fast anyway?”
The boy only shrugged, and it was his brother who replied, “Ryou has always been strong! Do you know that he can easily carry me?”
Gojo narrowed his eyes. Perhaps he guessed that Ryou might have a Heavenly Restriction. He shot a look at Yuuji, but it seemed his Six Eyes registered nothing about the other boy, as Yuuji looked confused.
“So, are you done bothering us?” Ryou asked. “Or do you need me to beat you again?”
Yuuji smacked his brother on the arm. “I said stop being mean!” Then, he turned to the other boy. “Just ignore Ryou, Satoru. He’s always a bit grumpy. Since you’re already here, how about we go play? It’s always better to have more people!”
“You’re asking me to play with you?” Gojo asked in surprise.
Yuuji nodded excitedly.
While his brother couldn’t read expressions very well yet, Ryou easily noticed the other’s surprise and hesitation. Based on his knowledge, the future strongest sorcerer seemed to have had a lonely childhood. Considering his lofty status, it was no wonder that children born in the Jujutsu world didn’t dare to get too close.
Gojo didn’t answer for some time, but Yuuji only kept looking at him with his big eyes. Eventually, the boy said, “What are we going to play anyway?”
“I don’t know,” Yuuji said. “Let’s look around. If we don’t find anything, we can just play tag or hide and seek!”
Ryou wanted to point out that Gojo would have an unfair advantage due to his Six Eyes, but he wasn’t supposed to know that. So, he kept his mouth shut and followed his brother’s whims. In the end, they decided to play hide and seek. Despite Ryou’s worries, it seemed Gojo knew how to play along and didn’t try to locate them immediately. They ended up playing for several hours until Wasuke showed up to bring them back.
“You made a new friend?” Wasuke asked.
Yuuji nodded. “Yup! His name is Gojo Satoru! He was actually Ryou’s friend first.”
Ryou wanted to protest because that wasn’t true, but he was afraid of Wasuke digging up the truth, so he stayed silent. Gojo looked up at the old man with wide eyes and quickly bowed respectfully. “Nice to meet you.”
“What a polite child,” Wasuke said. “I hope my grandsons didn’t give you too much trouble.”
Gojo and Ryou exchanged glances as they traded silent threats. With a bright white grin, the boy said, “Not at all, sir. I’ve been having fun.”
“Well, good,” Wasuke replied. “We’re going to stay here for a while, so feel free to visit and play more.”
Ryou wanted to say, ‘Please, no, I don’t want it. Let me stay away from this gremlin.’
Gojo noticed Ryou’s distress and smiled sweetly. “Of course, sir. I’ll come and play again tomorrow.”
God fucking damn it.
Yuuji was absolutely taken by Gojo Satoru. Despite being young, Gojo had mastered the art of charm and was able to make Yuuji adore him. To make matters worse, he had money. Wasuke didn’t have a lot of spare income, and it was rare for them to be able to buy toys or expensive snacks. Gojo quickly discovered this and bribed Yuuji with various shiny gadgets and sweets.
Despite Ryou’s best attempts, Yuuji couldn’t stop asking for his new best friend. Ugh. Kids. So impressionable and naive. Since he couldn’t let his brother go alone, he could only suffer through Gojo’s presence. While Gojo was absolutely charming toward Yuuji, he was downright annoying toward Ryou. It wasn’t rare for them to try to hit each other behind Yuuji’s back.
“Stay away from my brother,” Ryou hissed.
“What? Are you afraid I’ll take him away?” Gojo taunted back.
Ryou tried to punch him, but Gojo was able to evade it this time. Yuuji turned around and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” the other two boys said simultaneously.
Yuuji blinked doubtfully.
And so, their stay in Kyoto was infested by a gremlin called Gojo Satoru. Ryou couldn’t understand how the kid kept finding them. Wasn’t he supposed to be locked up inside the estate until he was a teen?
“Where are your parents?” Ryou asked when he got fed up one day.
“I don’t know, they can’t tell me what to do anyway,” Gojo replied.
“They can’t?” Yuuji asked.
Gojo grinned. “Nah. I did have to sneak away from my attendants, but they didn’t dare to bother me since I told them I wanted to study in my room alone.”
Ryou sighed. Useless sorcerers.
The sole hope that kept Ryou sane during their stay in Kyoto was the fact that it would eventually come to an end. Finally, Wasuke decided it was time to return to Kitakami City. When they heard the news, Yuuji was sad, Gojo was shocked, and Ryou was gleeful.
“You’re leaving?” Gojo asked in disbelief.
“Yeah, we don’t actually live here,” Yuuji replied.
“We’re only here to visit Grandpa’s friend,” Ryou added.
“Why can’t you stay?” Gojo demanded like a brat.
“Don’t be daft,” Ryou replied. “Our Grandpa still needs to return to work. We’re not rich like you.”
Gojo pursed his lips. “But I don’t want you to go.”
Ryou sighed. Although he was quite annoyed by the other’s presence, he wasn’t blind to the fact that the kid was very lonely. Of course, he would get attached to the two people who didn’t care about his status and treated him like a normal child. “We can’t stay, but I suppose we can exchange letters if you want.”
“Letters?” Gojo frowned. “Not that I have problems with writing, but isn’t that too slow? Don’t you have phones? We can just send messages quicker like that.”
“We don’t have that much spare money, idiot,” Ryou replied. He still gave Gojo the address to their home, which he took sullenly. He thought that would be the end of it, but he should’ve known better. Right before they left Kyoto, Gojo showed up to shove an expensive bag at Ryou.
“What’s this?” Ryou frowned as he opened the bag. The contents were wrapped nicely with beautiful packaging.
“It’s a handphone, obviously,” Gojo said with a self-satisfied expression. “I’ll also pay the credits, so you don’t need to worry about it.”
Ryou’s eye twitched, and Yuuji exclaimed happily as he took the present from his brother. “Thanks, Satoru! You’re so nice!”
Wasuke looked doubtfully at the white-haired boy. Perhaps he had just realized that the new friend his grandsons had made was the son of a rich family. “What do your parents think about this? Isn’t this too expensive?”
“Don’t worry about it,” Gojo replied. “They give me anything I want.”
Spoken like someone born with a golden spoon.
Wasuke knew there was nothing else he could do and only said thanks. Gojo insisted on accompanying them until they departed from the train station. Even as the train left the station, the kid stayed behind to watch them go. Ryou sighed as he witnessed that small figure become even smaller.
“He seems like a lonely kid,” Wasuke commented.
Ryou hummed as he made Yuuji lean on him while he slept. They had woken up quite early to prepare, so the boy was tired.
“You three get along really well,” the old man continued.
Ryou snorted. “You’re just imagining things.”
Wasuke only smiled.
Without Gojo Satoru harassing him every day, things became peaceful. They still had to deal with constant messages from the boy, but it was much better than dealing with him in person. Gojo had actually bought them two phones, so Ryou and Yuuji each had their own. Although Ryou was sure Gojo should be very busy, the kid somehow managed to message them almost every hour. The things he sent were very mundane since he wouldn’t tell them anything related to sorcery. Ryou was fine with this new routine, but one month after they left Kyoto, he received an ominous message.
[Gojo Satoru: Be prepared to be surprised! :D]
Ryou narrowed his eyes. Despite his best attempts, he couldn’t drag the truth out of the boy. Yuuji also didn’t know anything, but they finally received an answer several days later when a knock came at their front door. Ryou was the one who opened it since he was the closest, and he saw a horrifying sight.
“Yo!” Gojo grinned brightly as he stood in front of the Itadori house. He was wearing a hoodie, long pants, and had a thick backpack slung over his shoulder.
“What the fuck?” Ryou muttered.
How the fuck did Gojo Satoru show up in Kitakami City?!
Those useless sorcerers! They couldn't even keep an eye on a kid!!!
Omake:
Ryou: *Meets Gojo for the first time* Do not punt the child.
Ryou: *Gojo keeps annoying him* I want to punt the child.