"Then you…"
Betty clicked her tongue, clearly ready to keep going, but when she looked at him, the rest of her words died in her throat.
"Fine. I'll let it go this time. But if you pull something that stupid again, I won't forgive you."
"Yeah, yeah, Lady Betty is absolutely right. I hear you."
Gojo nodded along quickly, and only then did the tension in her small, serious face begin to ease.
Once she calmed down, his attention shifted to the remains on the ground.
Toji Fushiguro had been strong.
In terms of pure combat ability, he might have even surpassed Elsa.
Unfortunately for him, that strength depended on overwhelming others through his physical body, something granted by Heavenly Restriction.
But Heavenly Restriction wasn't absolute.
Raw physical power alone was nowhere near invincible, especially against abilities no one understood.
Betty's approach had been deliberate from the start.
The field of crystalline arrows surrounding them functioned as both offense and defense. Faced with that many projectiles, Toji's only viable choice had been to close the distance and eliminate her directly.
And that was exactly the trap.
The moment he stepped into range, the gravity spell triggered, locking him in place.
If she had tried to trap him from afar with gravity or Shamak, he would have escaped before either could take effect. His speed made that certain.
But once he was right in front of her, escape was no longer an option unless he could truly teleport.
And he couldn't.
With gravity pinning him down, Shamak followed naturally. The moment it took hold, the fight was already over.
The arrows that had seemed like an attack at the start were nothing more than bait.
When it came to battle sense, someone with centuries of experience didn't make mistakes like that.
Not long after, hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor.
Before the person even arrived, Gojo already knew who it was.
"Relax, relax, it's all handled. Betty took care of it, no need to panic."
His voice carried down the hallway, and Geto, who had been rushing back in a hurry, instinctively slowed.
It was true. After getting Riko to safety, he had immediately turned back to help.
But on the way, there had been no sounds of fighting at all.
Everything had been quiet.
Too quiet.
That silence had left him uneasy.
Now, hearing Gojo's voice, that tension vanished.
He hurried over and stopped at the entrance to the hot spring area. Aside from the blood Gojo had left behind, there were almost no signs of a battle.
Gojo and Betty were crouched on the ground, poking at something with pieces of purple crystal.
It took him a second to realize what it was.
A worm-like Cursed Spirit.
"This kind of Cursed Spirit is pretty rare," Gojo was saying. "You can use it like storage."
"It's ugly," Betty replied flatly. "Don't tell me you want to wrap it around yourself like that guy."
"…Now that you mention it, yeah, it's kind of ugly."
"But it's useful," he insisted. "If we go back later, we could carry a lot of stuff. Snacks, maybe that game console you've been looking at…"
"Wouldn't that need electricity?"
"Bring a solar charger. Or a generator."
"That thing doesn't look like it can hold a generator."
"Who knows? We can test it later."
"If it works, I might consider it. I saw on TV that plastic surgery is advanced now. Can't we fix its appearance?"
"…You're asking me that?"
Geto stood there, listening to the completely nonsensical conversation, his expression blank.
"…What about that guy?" he finally asked.
Gojo turned, still holding a thick chunk of purple crystal shaped like an arm.
"Right here. Just… in pieces."
Geto's eye twitched.
Now that he looked properly, the imposing man from earlier had been reduced to scattered purple shards across the ground.
It was almost surreal.
"You dealt with him that fast?"
"Of course," Gojo said, as if it were obvious. "I told you she's strong. She just doesn't get many chances to show it."
Geto fell silent.
He had heard Gojo say that before, but it had never really sunk in.
They had fought Special Grade Cursed Spirits before. Difficult, but not impossible.
But that man had been on a completely different level.
And yet, in the short time it took him to leave and return, Betty had erased him without a trace.
If he had been the one fighting her…
He didn't finish the thought.
"Alright, let's go," Gojo said, standing up. "I already called it in. Someone will come clean this up."
Then he glanced over.
"Where did Riko go?"
At the mention of her name, Geto snapped out of it.
"…Damn."
"She might be in danger."
Without another word, he bolted.
Watching him disappear down the hall, Gojo scratched his head.
"Still too young."
"You say that like you're any older," Betty muttered.
"It's different. I'm clearly more mature."
He scooped up the worm-like Cursed Spirit and started walking out with her at an easy pace.
Unlike Geto, he wasn't worried.
Attacks on Riko had already dropped off significantly.
After repeated failures, most of the attackers had been captured and locked up. The news hadn't been hidden either, it had been made public.
Seeing so many Curse Users, even semi-grade one level, taken down alive had scared off anyone weaker.
And just as expected—
When they regrouped, Riko was perfectly safe.
"See?" Gojo said with a grin, looking at the out-of-breath Geto. "Told you she'd be fine."
"Are you alright?" Riko asked, relief clear in her voice.
"I'm fine. It wasn't even a challenge."
He gestured toward Betty.
"With her around, it wouldn't matter if a few more showed up, right?"
"Hmph. Just a brute who doesn't know magic."
The simple statement carried absolute confidence.
"This is all because of me…" Riko murmured. "You ended up in danger because of me…"
"Danger?" Gojo let out a short laugh.
"If you really think that, I'd be pretty disappointed."
"If someone like that could actually put me in danger, I'd be way too weak."
"The only thing worth mentioning about him was that weapon. Other than that, nothing special."
He spoke lightly, without a hint of concern.
"So don't think like that. It's not even a real possibility."
He reached out and patted her head.
"Alright, enough worrying. Let's focus on what we're supposed to be doing."
"Once the bounty's over, I've got something big planned."
She didn't know what he meant, but his words eased the unease in her chest.
"Come on," he added. "We were supposed to have venison. Now that's ruined. Let's find somewhere else to eat."
Toji's appearance didn't leave much of an impact on them.
At least, not on Gojo.
Days passed.
The deadline to return Riko to Jujutsu High drew closer.
But none of them acted like it mattered.
They kept going out, visiting new places, treating every day like a holiday.
Time slipped by quickly when it was filled with laughter.
And before they knew it, the final day arrived.
Instead of returning to the school, they chose somewhere else entirely.
An empty Jujutsu High.
A deliberate absence.
"Hello? We're here to collect the bounty."
"Three hundred million. Thanks."
The group that should have delivered Riko to Jujutsu High instead walked into a place no one expected.
The Time Vessel Association.
"Don't think about stalling," Gojo continued casually. "We've got plenty of time to take her back if we want."
"So transfer the money now. Otherwise, we'll just head back to the school."
The room fell silent.
No one had expected him to show up here of all places, openly threatening them for payment.
"Do you even know where you are? You think a brat like you can—"
"If I remember right, you're Mr. Yamauchi, correct?"
Gojo cut him off with a smile, pulling out a chair and sitting down.
He leaned back, propping his long legs up on the table, his expression relaxed.
"Everyone," he said, glancing around the room, "take a good look at Mr. Yamauchi's face."
"This is the man responsible for stripping Master Tengen of their purity, for turning them into something less than divine—"
"What nonsense are you spouting?!"
The older man snapped, cutting him off, his face flushed with anger.
"Tch."
Riko stepped forward, cigarette dangling from her lips. She kicked Gojo's chair, holding a can of beer in one hand, clearly irritated.
"What did you drag me here for?" she said. "You're just here to protect me. Don't forget your place."
Her sleeves were rolled up, revealing tattoos covering most of her arm.
"I've got a pool party tonight. I'm not wasting time with these disgusting old men and women."
She hurled the beer can at Yamauchi without hesitation.
Gojo didn't react, still smiling faintly at the group.
"The choice is yours," he said. "I'm just here to complete a job."
"What happens to Master Tengen doesn't really concern me. And what happens to Jujutsu Society isn't my responsibility either."
"So go ahead. Decide."
The members of the Time Vessel Association exchanged looks, then glanced at Riko.
This was the "vessel" they had only ever seen in reports.
They had never met her in person, nor had they cared to.
But looking at her now…
If it came down to it, even someone reluctant would still be better than this.
This delinquent, cigarette-smoking girl was hardly appealing.
"How do we know you won't take the money and bring her straight back to Jujutsu High?" Yamauchi asked, his voice dark.
"Simple," Gojo replied with a grin. "Treat us well."
"We'll stay here."
"Yeah, that works," Geto added, poking his head into the room. Behind him stood Shoko, Betty, and Misato Kuroi.