Satoru Gojo first met Riley during his first year at Jujutsu High.
At the time, she was a second-year student and the faculty's golden example of a "calm, steady powerhouse." She was a rare user of the Space Manipulation Technique. While she shared the exceptional talent of Suguru Geto and Shoko Ieiri, her personality was worlds apart. She lacked Suguru's righteous fervor and Shoko's laid-back ease; instead, Riley was defined by an absolute, unwavering composure.
She rarely spoke, and when she did, her words were lean and orderly. No matter the chaos surrounding her, her face remained a blank slate, her smiles small and carefully restrained. In the heat of battle, the only things that betrayed her presence were the faint sound of her footsteps and the precise flow of her Cursed Energy.
When faced with an arrogant underclassman who constantly declared himself "the strongest" and openly provoked their teachers, her initial reaction was simple:
"Hmm. He's loud."
...Yet, she had to admit, he really was outrageously strong.
Later, around the time of the Star Plasma Vessel escort mission, Satoru and Suguru began spending more time with the second-years. Riley was occasionally assigned to accompany them, helping coordinate tactics or acting as tactical backup.
After witnessing her spatial technique in action, Satoru's interest spiked. He pestered her constantly for a spar, only to be turned down flat every single time.
"I'm not here to play with you," she said coolly.
"Huh?! Senpai, are you scared or something?" Satoru would grin, the hunger for battle flashing in his eyes.
"I just don't want to waste my time," she replied flatly.
"...Wow!"
It was the first time anyone had refused him so bluntly without even blinking. Naturally, it only made him more obsessed with getting her into the ring. He pestered her relentlessly until, finally, she sighed in resignation and agreed to a match.
She knew that no matter how hard she trained, she could never truly defeat "the strongest." Yet, that realization didn't stop her from pushing her limits. Satoru quickly realized that her combat style was surgical—like a game of high-stakes chess where every move was pre-calculated. Her movements, her technique activations, her strikes—there was zero waste.
"Senpai, are you a robot or something?" he asked during a break.
"No."
"But you don't change your expression at all!"
"Will changing my expression mid-battle make the Cursed Spirit self-destruct?"
Satoru burst out laughing. "Hahaha! Senpai, why are you so sharp-tongued?!"
Riley didn't answer; she merely rolled her eyes in silent exasperation.
Eventually, Satoru learned that Riley had been abandoned by her clan as a child. Or rather, she was the one who had severed all ties with them. She didn't belong to any prestigious Jujutsu family; she came from an ordinary household that couldn't even perceive Cursed Spirits.
Because of her "sight," she had always been treated as an outcast. Eventually, she discarded her surname entirely. Even though her technique was formidable, her traditional, male-dominated household had labeled her "useless," never bothering to cultivate her as anyone special.
"Senpai, do you ever find this world boring?" Satoru asked her once.
Riley pondered for a moment before murmuring, "...It's livable enough."
At that point, Satoru had yet to experience his true Technique Awakening, and Suguru's defection was still a distant shadow. His world was still one where he was the strongest and could protect everything. He couldn't quite grasp her meaning; he simply felt this senior was even colder than he'd imagined.
But Shoko understood. "Riley has nothing she feels she must save, and no one she's desperate to protect. That lets her live a clean, uncomplicated life... but it also makes her life rather dull."
Satoru brushed it off, teasing, "Shoko, you're overthinking it. Senpai's just a little boring, that's all."
Later, he would realize how wrong he had been.
After Suguru left and initiated the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons, Satoru was forced to kill his best friend with his own hands.
He walked away from that alleyway smiling. He returned to Jujutsu High smiling. He filed his report smiling, and he continued to take missions and comfort his students with that same smile—shutting the rest of the world out behind a wall of cheerful indifference.
Everyone believed the strongest was merely "a bit sad," but that he would never show weakness.
Riley didn't buy it. She offered no empty comfort and showed no pity. She simply watched him in silence. She teamed up with him occasionally and crossed paths with him by chance, ensuring she was always nearby when it mattered.
On joint missions, she maintained an "appropriate distance"—neither too close nor too far. When he was troubled, she gave timely, practical advice without ever prying into his grief. Whenever the weight of being "the strongest" left him with no one to lean on, she became the quiet presence propping him up.
Her actions carried more weight than any words ever could. She didn't treat him as a god or a weapon. She treated him as Satoru Gojo—the guy who laughed while taunting others, the brat who shouted he was the strongest, and the man who would rather smash every enemy than think his feelings through.
Only much later did Satoru realize that while Riley had never once said, "I'll always stay with you," she had simply... always been there.
That was what terrified him most. Because what if, one day, she wasn't?
He began testing her. At first, he just wanted companionship. He'd ask her to spar just to confirm she was still willing to stand in the ring with him. He teased her at every opportunity to see if she'd snap back the way she used to.
At certain moments, he'd throw heavy, odd questions at her: "Senpai, do you ever regret becoming a Jujutsu Sorcerer?"
"No," she answered, calm as ever.
"Senpai, why did you choose this world?"
"Because I don't want to die without a purpose."
"Then… do you think my existence has value?"
This time she stayed silent for a long while before whispering, "Satoru Gojo, you've never needed to prove your worth to anyone."
He had gotten the answer he wanted. Yet, he discovered he'd grown greedy. No longer content with just being understood, he wanted more. He wanted her gaze to linger on him—even if he still wasn't sure what those feelings actually meant.
Eventually, Satoru realized that Riley wasn't "unmoved"; she was "overly cautious." It was as if she were hiding something, keeping their distance within a strict, safe range. Yet, even her armor showed cracks.
When he was wounded on the battlefield, he saw the brief flash of panic on her face as she rushed toward him. When he stood alone on the rooftop, she would quietly linger nearby, saying nothing, but never leaving. Each time he tested her, her surface stayed calm, but her fingertips would curl slightly, betraying a hint of hesitation.
"Senpai," Satoru called out one day after practice.
"What?"
"Do you… actually like me?"
Riley paused, then said flatly, "You're overthinking."
"But, Senpai, every time I'm hurt, you stare at me two seconds longer than usual." Satoru's grin turned sly. "And… I've never seen you do that for anyone else."
Riley stayed silent for a moment, then turned to leave. "Stop making noise."
But Satoru's smile only widened. He had caught sight of the tips of her ears turning a faint, betraying red.
From that instant, he knew—she was anything but indifferent.
POWERSTONE FOR SOME SUPPORT !!!!!