Tokyo, July 2006 — Outside Riko Amanai's Middle School
The stench of scorched talismans and broken curses still hung in the air.
The rooftop was still smoldering. In the courtyard below, the bodies of Q operatives were being dragged into waiting black vans by Jujutsu High's cleanup crew. The school was empty now—students evacuated, teachers unconscious, their memories about to be altered.
But the real objective stood just behind the school gates, peeking out from behind a utility pole.
She didn't look like a chosen one.
Riko Amanai had a band-aid on her knee, a cracked phone in her pocket, and a mischievous gleam in her eye. She watched the three figures approaching her like she was meeting a band she followed on secret fan forums.
"They sent all three of you?" she asked as she stepped into view, one hand on her hip. "I must be super important."
Gojo Satoru walked ahead of the group, white blindfold lazily tilted across his eyes. "Well, when your face shows up on underground bounty boards, you get the deluxe package."
Suguru Geto followed close behind, his robes still dusted with ash, expression unreadable. "We've cleared out the immediate threat, but you're still in danger."
Kishibe walked last—silent, eyes sharp beneath messy bangs, the blade at his back still slick with curse residue.
Riko's eyes flicked to him and stayed there.
"…You look like you've killed someone today."
Kishibe didn't stop walking. "I have."
Gojo snorted. "Aw, don't scare the kid."
"I'm not scared," Riko said, tilting her head, still watching Kishibe. "I'm just not used to being protected by people who look like assassins."
Kishibe paused beside her. His tone was flat. "We don't protect people. We finish jobs."
She raised an eyebrow. "Even if the job is me?"
"Especially then."
For a moment, the breeze was the only sound. A cicada buzzed. A leaf tumbled across the concrete. Riko's smile didn't falter, but something behind her eyes shifted—wariness, curiosity, a flicker of real fear.
Then Gojo clapped a hand on her shoulder with a grin. "Don't mind him. He's just mad you noticed him first instead of me."
Geto sighed. "Let's move. The extraction route's exposed. There might still be hostiles watching."
Riko didn't resist as they escorted her toward the waiting vehicle, but she kept glancing over her shoulder at Kishibe.
And Kishibe, ever the realist, didn't return the look.
---
Inside the Van – En Route to the Safehouse
The drive was quiet at first. Gojo had his feet up on the dashboard, tossing a pen in the air. Geto sat with his back straight, hands folded in his lap. Kishibe leaned against the rear wall, arms crossed, silent as stone.
Riko sat in the middle, hugging her backpack to her chest.
"So," she finally said, "are you guys always this gloomy, or is it just a Monday thing?"
Geto glanced at her. "This isn't a game."
"I know," Riko said softly. "But if I pretend it is, I don't start crying."
Kishibe's eyes flicked toward her.
Riko caught the look. "Let me guess—you think I should cry. Be scared. Mourn the life I'm about to lose."
"…No," Kishibe said after a pause. "I think you already did that. You're just trying to make the rest of us feel better."
Riko blinked.
Gojo whistled. "Damn. He does talk."
"I like knowing who I'm trusting my life with," Riko said, softer now. "You guys… you're not what I expected."
She looked at Geto. "You look like a monk, but you're way too tense."
Then at Gojo. "You act like a clown, but there's something scary under there."
And finally at Kishibe. "And you… you're the only one who looks like he's telling the truth."
Kishibe didn't react. But his jaw shifted slightly—like something behind it had clenched.
Riko tilted her head. "What's your name?"
"Kishibe."
"No first name?"
He stared out the window. "That's all you need."
She smiled. "Okay then, Kishibe. Thanks for saving me. Even if you're pretending not to care."
---
Arrival at the Safehouse – East Sector
Later that evening, in a quiet courtyard tucked behind old temple walls, the four of them sat on the veranda while the sun dipped into the horizon.
Riko tossed a pebble into the koi pond.
"Do you guys ever wonder if Tengen's wrong?"
Geto looked at her. "About the merge?"
"About needing me. About everything."
Gojo stretched. "Lady, if I started questioning the system, I'd never shut up."
Kishibe didn't move. But then:
"I don't follow Tengen. I follow the people I trust."
Geto turned his head slightly, surprised.
Riko asked, "So… do you trust her?"
Kishibe looked at her for the first time that evening.
"Not yet."
"But you're still protecting me."
"…That's how trust starts."