𝑬𝑴𝑷𝑰𝑹𝑬 𝑶𝑭 𝑮𝑶𝑳𝑫 ⇢ Gojo Satoru

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐗𝐗𝐗𝐕 - 𝐀 𝐖𝐄𝐁 𝐎𝐅 𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐃𝐄𝐂𝐄𝐈𝐓

"YOU DO REALIZE LÉA IS GOING TO KILL YOU, RIGHT?"

Kinzoku Mikazuki sipped on her peach-flavoured tea, the ice inside of the drink clinging loudly as she stirred it with the plastic straw. The cafeteria was loud – as was expected from a school filled with overexcited children and future sorcerers to be – and the sorceress could barely hear her own thoughts, let alone the words spurred by Ieiri Shoko.

Still, when her question went unanswered, Shoko sighed loudly, delivering a well-aimed kick to her friend's shin, table shaking at the sudden move. Mikazuki swallowed back a Curse, glaring at the sorceress angrily before rubbing the sore spot on her leg. For a non-active shaman, Shoko surely had a strong kick.

"Shit, are you wearing steel-toed boots?" Mikazuki complained loudly, earning a bunch of annoyed stares from the rest of the people sitting in the cafeteria, at which the sorceress simply scoffed. "Also, bold of you to assume she hasn't already tried."

Friend were something Mikazuki had never been good at – both in the before and in the now. Back then she was too shy to even try, whatever little personality she had overshadowed by the weight of her clan. Shoko had been one of the only people willing to welcome her, not that it had been an easy task. The two women were very different, yet they were similar in many other aspects.

Ten years hadn't changed that, and for that, Mikazuki was grateful. But no matter how much she trusted the woman – now doctor, although the sorceress wasn't sure what board would be crazy enough to certify her, she would never involve her in her war with The Magistrate, especially when she had no intention of losing.

Shoko should stay away from all of that.

"Mizuki." Shoko called, drawing out the nickname she'd given the sorceress during their high school years.

Mikazuki smiled fondly at the memory. Hearing the name was odd, and it brought back memories she would rather not think of, but at the same time, it reminded her of the good old days part of her – the part that still cared, even without a heart – had missed dearly during the past decade. Shoko's amused tone quickly faded away, a more serious expression appearing on her face as she nursed her drink.

"No, but seriously. This will have consequences, you can't just not pledge your loyalty to The Magistrate."

Mikazuki leaned back against the chair as she watched the kids eat their lunch. Her status as a special-grade sorceress had been reinstated less than an hour ago and she was already causing trouble – it was a real Gojo move on her part. Challenging The Magistrate had certainly been a bold move, and the sorceress knew she would have to face the consequences for that soon enough, but none of that seemed to matter in grand scheme of things. Besides, she was ready now.

I know. Mikazuki wanted to say, but the words wouldn't leave her lips, as that would have earned her far more questions that she was willing to answer, which is why she said something else instead.

"They need me, which means I currently hold all the cards."

It wasn't even a lie, with everything going on and the sudden increase in Curses (along with the sudden death and disappearances of high-ranking sorcerers), Mikazuki was The Magistrate's first line of defence along with the rest of the special-grade elite of sorcerers.

Shoko took a long sip of her drink, the alcohol momentarily dulling her senses before she set the glass down, eyeing the woman in front of her with a knowing look.

"Until they don't anymore and dump your body in a ditch somewhere."

It wouldn't be the first time, and both girls knew it very well. The Magistrate wasn't particularly discreet nor kind when it came to disposing of people they no longer had a use for. Mikazuki would probably be just another name on an endless list of sorcerers. Pruning up the tree, as Léa often referred it to. Except the reality was far crueller than that.