𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑳𝑴 𝑶𝑭 𝑺𝑯𝑨𝑫𝑶𝑾𝑺 ⇢ Gojo Satoru

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐕𝐈𝐈𝐈 - 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋𝐒

IEIRI SHOOK TOOK A DEEP BREATH, pulling herself together as she manoeuvred her way through the thick crowd of mortals. Mikazuki was only a couple of steps in front of her, her high ponytail swinging with every stride while her arms were covered in bags. It was an early morning on a Tuesday, and although pay day was still a week away, it seemed all of Shinjuku had decided to gather at the mall that day.

Shoko sighed, trying to catch up with her friend while bypassing the mortals, her expression taut as she carefully surveyed the sorceress ahead. Mikazuki didn't seem to notice the scrutiny – and if she did, she decided not to make a big deal of it. Truth to be told, Shoo hadn't been able to take her eyes off from the sorceress since she'd showed up at her apartment, a credit card with unlimited Kinzoku money in hand and a swift proposal.

Ieiri was a simple woman, Mikazuki didn't even have to say the word 'shopping' out loud and the doctor was already out of the door. It wasn't everyday that Shoko got the opportunity to shop with someone with an endless supply of money, but that wasn't the only thing that pushed the doctor out of her apartment.

Maybe it was the doctor in her – despite what everyone believed, Shoko did pull herself through six years of medical school – or maybe it was the little girl still inside of her; the greasy Shoko who always veiled for her best friend. Either way, Shoko had always kept a close eye on Mikazuki; at first because she was naïve little Kinzoku, and now because that woman had gone through hell and come back through the other end.

Somewhere, halfway across the journey, Kinzoku Mikazuki had given up her soul – her heart.

Shoko didn't blame her, she would probably have done the exact same thing herself, but the idea of her best friend fending for herself in the wilderness half a world away didn't sit right with the doctor. Mikazuki halted her steps, Shoko's distracted body nearly colliding with hers as the two women stood still in the middle of the gallery, crowd parting around them like a river.

It was almost noon and the Lumine Shinjuku mall was heavily crowded, yet neither of the sorceresses seemed to care as they continued to stand in the middle of the gallery. The Kinzoku heiress had paused in front of one of the shops, eyes scanning the merchandise on display while Shoko slowly dragged behind her.

The two woman had been shopping for around three hours – which apparently was not long enough, considering Mikazuki still had plenty more clothes to get through before heading back to the Kinzoku Estate. The sorceress had been donning her mother's outfits for almost two months, and although Hide's taste was impeccable, Mikazuki was getting tired of the soft browns and pale pinks her mother used to wear. Kinzoku Hide was a discreet woman, the headmistress of a school and someone who was clearly obsessed both with composure and propriety. Mikazuki cared very little for either of those, and although she was doing her best to stick to Hide's strict expectations, there was a slight discrepancy between the two women.

Tajima, the family window, had been kind enough to drive the pair over to one of the biggest malls in the city, and armed with her father's credit card and Shoko's inner shopaholic, Mikazuki quickly made herself at home. The Kinzoku tilted her head to the side, inspecting the red dress that laid on the other side of the glass, the item almost calling her name like a siren song.

Shoko creeped in, leaning her head on Mikazuki's shoulder as she too watched the dress. It was a revealing red gown with sparking rhinestones stitched around the neckline, the fabric delicate yet bold as the neckline plunged towards the waist. The doctor sighed, pulling a still entranced Mikazuki away from the display and pushing her towards the other side of the mall where all the proper shops were located. The pair had already been walking long enough, they didn't have time to pointlessly stare at items of clothing they both knew the Kinzoku would never allow her to wear.

"My feet hurt" Shoko mumbled as she continued to pull Mikazuki around, her grip light yet still strong enough to lead her away from the dress.

The sorceress rolled her eyes, softly leaning against her best friend's side with a delicate smile playing on her lips. It had been a while since the two last spent some time together. Friday's consult didn't really count – not when Satoru had been standing right there while Shoko healed Mikazuki's injuries, and not when he'd hurt her so deeply.

Soon, the pair left the main gallery, going down the escalator and into the lower level of the mall. Hide had been very specific about the type of clothes Mikazuki should procure herself – the kind of clothes expected of a teacher, all proper and simple yet still nimble enough they would allow her to perform her duty as a Jujutsu sorceress.

"Then maybe you shouldn't have decided to wear heels" Mikazuki answered absentmindedly, her arm still looped around Shoko's, the contact recomforting even with the suffocating summer heat "We still have a couple of stores to check out and I need to find a pair of flats"

She still needed far more than that, but the sorceress was tired of walking aimlessly around the mall. They'd checked out at least half a dozen shops, with most of the stores either too fancy for her taste or far too cheap to satisfy Hide's. Mikazuki had already done good on her word and purchased a pair of plain suits that would do the job for the first couple of weeks, but she still needed some comfortable flats to pair them with.

Shoko bit the inside of her cheek.

"I can't believe you've been wearing your mother's wardrobe since you came back. Isn't she, like, a size zero?" Ieiri asked, slowing down when she caught the name of the sign above one of the stores, the words Saint Laurent scribbled on the glass in perfect calligraphy.

The doctor trailed towards the shopfront, brown eyes wandering across a beautiful brown suit with a double-lapel jacket and a matching pair of pants. It was simple enough to please Mikazuki while also being luxurious enough to satisfy Kinzoku Hide's expensive tastes. The sorceress followed her friend, she too pausing in front of the display to admire the suit. It was certainly better than the options she'd seen upstairs, simple yet sophisticated enough to catch her eye.

"She is, but it's not like I've had time to go shopping" Mikazuki mumbled, golden stare never leaving the suit "Today I was lucky enough Tajima was free to drive us here"

Shoko huffed out a laugh.

"No, today you're lucky I was available" she clarified, entering the store and walking directly to the back, trifling through the womenswear and looking for anything that would match the dress she bought at the previous shop.