It wasn't a big deal for Gojo.
He could fly freely. Compared to that, the weightlessness of a roller coaster didn't even register as frightening.
"No problem."
He glanced at Betty. "Come on, let's try it together."
"What's the point of this?" she asked, staring at the massive track coiled like a steel dragon.
"You can fly, so you don't get it," he said. "For ordinary people, this kind of thrill without real danger is addictive."
"People in your world live far too comfortably."
He didn't argue.
Even the poorest in Japan lived better than those struggling at the bottom in Lugunica. Once survival wasn't a concern, places like amusement parks existed to satisfy something else entirely.
"Come on," he said. "You're here already."
Roller coasters. Drop towers. Giant pendulums.
Riko's choices clashed completely with her appearance.
She looked bright and gentle, but everything she picked pushed straight toward the most intense rides available. If it wasn't thrilling, she had no interest.
Her classmates were dragged along in her wake, one adrenaline rush after another, barely given time to breathe.
"Where to next?" someone asked.
"The haunted house!"
It was her first time experiencing anything like this, yet instead of shrinking back, she seemed more energized with every ride.
"Works for me," Gojo said. "When we go in, stick with Geto and Shoko."
He pointed to Betty. "We'll head in first."
"Got it!"
He and Betty stepped into the haunted house ahead of the others.
"The ghosts in your world are… strange," Betty muttered, glancing around. "Are they just how ordinary people imagine Cursed Spirits?"
"Sort of. People think ghosts are the dead lingering behind. Beyond that, it's mostly imagination."
They moved deeper into the dim corridors.
"There's someone hiding up ahead," he said quietly. "I'll take care of it."
He added over his shoulder, "Everything here is fake. The ghosts are just people in costumes."
"Try not to use magic if you get startled."
"Tch. As if I'd be scared of something like this," she scoffed. "Even if they were real, it wouldn't matter."
Satisfied, he slipped ahead into the darkness and vanished.
Left alone, she moved slowly, following the faint shuffle of other visitors, feeling her way forward through the gloom.
Not long after, Gojo emerged at the exit.
Slung over his shoulder was a burly man with a paper bag over his head.
A staff member hurried over. "Sir, is everything alright?"
"No problem," Gojo said easily. "My friend just got tired and needed a rest."
He waved off further concern, carrying the man aside while pulling out his phone to call Jujutsu High.
The Curse User had been hiding inside the attraction, waiting for a chance to strike at Riko. Gojo had noticed him the moment they entered and dealt with him immediately.
As he waited, a series of familiar screams echoed from inside.
They grew louder, closer, rushing toward the exit.
Moments later, Betty burst out, hair disheveled, breathing hard.
Only when she stepped back into the crowded park did she finally slow down, pressing a hand to her chest.
"Seems like the haunted house was scarier than you expected."
His voice sounded right beside her, making her flinch again.
Realizing it was him, she scowled and started punching his arm.
"Couldn't you announce yourself first? That's terrifying."
"I thought you said it wasn't scary."
"I wasn't scared," she shot back. "I was worried I'd lose control and start attacking them. That's why I came out early."
"Another minute and I wouldn't have held back."
As always, she refused to admit it.
"I see."
He tilted his head toward the unconscious man nearby. "Caught another rat. Someone's coming to pick him up."
"They really don't give up."
"Three hundred million is a tempting number."
He glanced toward the entrance, where Riko and the others were about to go in.
"They're having fun."
They waved when they spotted him.
"Let's wait for them," Betty said.
She looked thoughtful for a moment. "The ones we've run into lately are all weak. Are there no strong Curse Users in this world?"
"There are," he replied. "But I can't control whether they show up."
He shrugged. "If they don't come to us, we can go find them later."
"A Curse User is a Curse User. None of them are innocent."
"I was hoping to experience a Domain Expansion at least once," she muttered.
Since learning about Domains, she had been curious. If she couldn't develop one herself yet, she at least wanted to see it in action.
But it seemed that ability wasn't common.
"Don't worry. You'll get your chance," he said. "We might run into one when dealing with those useless higher-ups."
"Hopefully."
Inside the haunted house, screams continued to echo, including Riko's and Shoko's.
The group stumbled out eventually, laughing and shouting at the same time.
By then, the most intense rides were done. The rest were gentler, things like the Ferris wheel or the carousel.
They stayed until night fell, watching fireworks burst across the sky before finally calling it a day.
"We're heading off, Riko! Message us when you get home!"
Her classmates waved as they left, phones already in hand, clearly planning to interrogate her later.
After all, someone with brothers like that had no right to keep it a secret.
Riko watched them go, then turned to Gojo with a bright smile.
"Thank you for today. This was my first time coming somewhere like this."
"If it weren't for you, I probably never would have had the chance."
"No need to say that," he replied, ruffling her hair. "We've got more planned tomorrow."
"Go take a shower and get some sleep."
"There's still a lot you haven't experienced."
The next day, he took her to the movies. Popcorn in hand, cola in the other.
The day after that, they went to Mount Fuji.
Day after day, they treated each one like it might be the last.
Every day brought something new.
And with each passing day, Riko's smile grew brighter.
It wasn't the forced cheerfulness from before, the kind she used to convince herself everything was fine.
This was real.
She had seen what life could be, how vibrant and beautiful it was, how much she wanted it.
And that made everything harder.
As time passed, everyone grew closer to her.
And with that closeness came a quiet understanding of her fate.
"Riko."
Geto sat in the hot spring, a small towel draped over his head. Across from him, she sat in the water, wearing a swimsuit, looking slightly uneasy.
"Have you changed your mind at all?"
Everyone turned to look at her.
After everything she had experienced, her answer no longer came as quickly as before.
Back then, she had been like someone living in darkness for so long she had grown used to it.
She could only listen as others described the colors of flowers or the blue of the sky, able to do nothing but imagine.
Now, a light had entered her world.
And once you've seen the light, you can't go back.
She sank lower into the water, until half her face was submerged, bubbles rising as she breathed out.
No one rushed her.
They waited.
"I…"
After a long silence, she lifted her head, hesitation in her eyes.
She didn't know exactly how strong Gojo and Geto were, but she understood their pride.
If she said she didn't want to go through with it, they might ignore even Master Tengen's orders.
And that would bring trouble to them.
But still…
She remembered everything they had told her.
Don't worry about anything. We're the strongest. Just say what you want.
She bit her lip, then gathered her courage.
"I want to stay with everyone."
Her voice trembled, but she kept going.
"I want to experience more things. More fun things. I want to do all the things I've never done before."
She didn't stop.
Everything she had held back poured out at once.
Her thoughts. Her hopes. That small, fragile wish she had buried deep inside.
When she finally finished, even she seemed surprised by how much she had said.
Silence settled over the hot spring.
Then applause broke it.
"Just as I thought," Gojo said with a smile. "I didn't misjudge you."
"Congratulations. That was a brave choice. And the right one."
"Assimilation might sound noble, but your own wishes matter too."
He clapped his hands together.
"Since you've made your decision, there's no need to go back to the college. We'll just wait things out."
Then he paused, snapping his fingers.
"Oh, right."
"We could still claim the bounty."
"Think about it. The Time Vessel Association put it out to stop your Assimilation."
"Even if you're not dead, we've technically achieved their goal."
He grinned.
"So it makes sense, doesn't it?"
Spending too much time around certain people had made him think about money in everything.
Geto nodded thoughtfully.
"That actually does make sense."
"We didn't even wipe them out. We helped them, if anything."
"Three hundred million is a lot."
Shoko leaned her chin on her hand, clearly interested.
For them, that was a massive sum.
"Then it's settled," Gojo said.
"We'll collect the bounty and split it."
"Then we celebrate properly."