// SURVIVOR'S GUILT // : MAKI ZEN'IN

//ESTELLA.

She turned to her side, clutching her pillow under her head and shutting her eyes.

Just sleep, don't fuss over the small things, Maki....

Little did Maki know what Satoru Gojo had in store for her, as deep in the murky, dim domain of the Jujutsu higher-ups, just the morning prior, he was in the midst of a briefing on the mission he had passed over to her and the second-years that same afternoon.

When he heard what the higher-ups demanded of him, he couldn't help but chuckle.

"Pft~, you kidding me~? You old geezers think there's an unregistered Special-Grade out there that I haven't picked up on yet~?"

A raspy, agitated tone spoke out from behind the doors of the domain. "Mind your attitude, Satoru Gojo! We've been getting reports that a powerful cursed energy signature has been detected throughout an entire three-block radius deep within the city, and it's all been coming from an abandoned apartment complex that was the victim of an arson attack several years ago!"

From the murky shadows that cloaked his superiors came an old photograph of the smaller complex with its coordinates written in its top corner, which Gojo snatched from the ground.

Studying it briefly, Gojo took note of several key features he could extract from the snippet of information given to him. The building, located between two empty lots of space, was nearly crumbling down on itself; black soot was coating a vast majority of empty windows, cracks scattered across the face of the apartment, unkept shrubbery dotting the lawn out front. Visibly beyond any repair, Gojo noted the demolition notices on the walls and vines creeping across the bricks as the last things of any significance in the photo.

Another voice of an old man spoke up, just as raspy, and just as malicious in its tone.

"Civilians have reported feeling senses of dread and overwhelming danger going anywhere near the area, it's more than just a measly cursed spirit! Get to investigating, Satoru Gojo!"

The sorcerer in question only brushed off the concerns of the superiors around him with a smile, shoving his hands and the photo in his pockets. "Gotcha, gotcha, let the younger generation take care of the problems you're too decrepit to handle any longer~."

As Gojo exited the meeting, ignoring the discourse over his nonchalant behaviour behind him, he thought to himself,

So, a Grade-1 mystery that has enough cursed energy to plague entire city blocks, huh? Sounds fun~......

The dim lighting of the room the higher-ups holed themselves into always were a hindrance to Gojo's eyes the second he walked back out to greet the rest of humanity, and he clicked his tongue when his shaded glasses let in a little bit of the morning sun.

Big downside of possessing the Six Eyes, one of the most coveted and powerful abilities in the Jujutsu world; that moment of eye adjustment to a brighter environment is brutal.

Soon finding himself in backseat of a black car with Ijichi as a driver heading into Tokyo, Gojo hummed to himself, patting the space of car seat between his legs like a drum in a slow, limp rhythm absentmindedly.

"Something up? You've got your head in the clouds again, it seems." Ijichi noted, taking his eyes off of the road to glance up at the rearview mirror.

"Ahhh," Gojo smiled after a moment, "just wondering what to do about the higher-ups and their little demands of me~."

The head manager of Jujutsu High only let out a sheepish sigh at the sorcerers words, keeping his words to himself.

How about you just listen to them, Gojo-sensei, that's not such a bad idea, you know.....