(Y/N) prepared herself to go jogging, it was earlier than usual, but she needed to get her head free. She had been thinking about Satoru and how she would train with him without giving away her ability to fight. But she had come to no conclusion. She only hoped by the time she stood before Satoru she would know what to do.
Satoru had just arrived by her apartment when she was leaving. He got enthusiastic because it wasn't usual for her to get this early out, but after an hour of following her, he was disappointed. 'Doesn't look like she is going to meet someone...'
As the time passed (Y/N) got thirsty and that's when she noticed she had no clue where she was. She had been lost with her thoughts and ended up somewhere she didn't know. But she had her phone with her, so she wasn't worried. Before going home she bought a water bottle in a convenience store.
Back at home, she didn't feel like cooking, so she just prepared some instant ramen. She sat on her kitchen counter while eating.
'Should I buy a table and some chairs?' she thought to herself. 'Nah. If I manage till now without it, then I will make it until I'm gone again.' Her budget was small, so every money she could save was welcome.
She didn't feel like going out again, so she decided to take a nap since she had slept less than usual. She was woken up by her phone ringing. Disoriented as she was, she didn't even look who was calling, so she answered with a "hello?".
An enthusiastic voice talked back.
"Hi, Yuna-san. Are you busy right now?"
"Satoru? Ahm, no, I was taking a nap actually..."
"Oh, I'm sorry, I hope I didn't wake you up." He surely didn't sound apologetic...
"No, no, it's alright." She couldn't suppress a yawn. "So, what's up?"
"I was wondering if you would like to train with me now, as we talked yesterday."
She could feel how her worries from the night and the morning came back in an instant. She wasn't expecting him to ask her so soon. But he would probably be suspicious if she refused. But still, she said:
"I have been jogging in the morning, so I'm a bit tired."
She wasn't tired, she had kept a slow pace because she wasn't paying attention. If she would go any faster, it could be dangerous, like that time she sprained her ankle by falling down the stairs.
"Now you sound like an old lady. Come on, I will go easy on you. I even put my couch to the side so we have enough room." Satoru had thought for some time where they could fight. He couldn't take her to the school because of the protective barrier. He had thought about her apartment since she had so much unused space, but her floor was hard... He had a fluffy rug in his living room that could serve as a mattress. And if she would be reluctant to train with him, maybe the prospect of having a chance to go through his things at his place would change her mind. He wasn't disappointed when hearing her say.
"It seems you really took some time to think about it. I didn't think you were serious when you asked me... Well, send me your address and as soon as I'm ready I'll go meet you."
*****
'Why does she take so long?'
Satoru was tired of waiting for Yuna. He had stopped his surveillance when she got ready after his phone call. He wanted to prepare things at his apartment for their training, but it passed way more time than what she would need. He had his phone in hand, pondering whether to call her or not when the ring of his doorbell stopped him. He opened up the building door for her and waited till she came up.
'A knock on the door.'
"It's open, you can come in."
(Y/N) opened the door and took her shoes off at the entrance. She stepped further into the apartment reaching the living room. It looked nice. The furniture was a mix between black and white, but there were some splashes of colors, like the cushions or the big rug in front of the TV. Although it was nice, it somehow doesn't go along with Satoru's peculiar personality. It was probably some interior stylist.
"I was beginning to worry you might not find my home."
Her attention was drawn to Satoru. He was wearing some black track pants and a gray, oversized shirt. His hair was messy falling over his eyes, as usual when he wore sunglasses. She scratched her neck in embarrassment before answering.
"Sorry, I was waiting for my training clothing to dry. I don't have that many clothes..."
"Right. So, shall we start?"
"What? Right away? No warm-up or something?"
He gave her a smug smile which sent shivers down her spine. 'He is so beautiful with that smile, but it just looks so dangerous.'
"Don't worry, I won't hurt you. Or at least I'll try not to."
Yeah, that didn't help calm her down. Reluctantly she got closer to the sorcerer, stepping on the rug.
"What shall I do?"
"What exactly have you learned in that self-defense class?"
"We have learned what to do if we should get attacked, like when someone would hold our wrists, grab us from behind, and such."
Gojo thought for a moment before declaring: "You can forget all of that for now, I'm going to teach you how to fight for real."
"What? But what I know has helped me in some situations. Don't think I need to know how to really fight."
"Nonsense. Why would you settle with instant pudding if you could learn to make the real one?"
"Hum?" Now he had lost her.
He made a dismissive hand sign before continuing. "Oh, come on. You will see it's fun. Now, let's start. First, you have to take a fighting stance."
The sorceress saw how Satoru got ready so she did the same, but with some flaws. Soon enough she was corrected by the white-haired man.
"Your stance should be only slightly wider than the hips, your weight evenly distributed. Good, now bend your knees a bit more."
*** Almost two hours later ***
(Y/N) was panting, her sweat dripping down her face. The training wasn't that intense, Satoru stayed with the basics but maintaining her curse energy hidden while trying not to react on instinct was hard. She was glad though. It was to her favor being so out of breath.
Once the man said the training was over, she let herself fall to the ground.
"I'm dead."
"What? This was nothing. I thought you would be in better shape."
'If she is so out of breath, that must mean she really isn't used to fighting. Hum. One more clue that she isn't a curse user.'
"What nothing. I told you I already went on a jog today, so this was my second workout today."
She moved to get up when Satoru extended a hand to help her up. She took it and stood face to face with the handsome man.
"I should probably go home. I'm all sweaty and need another shower. Maybe put some ice on my bruises before they become all black."
"No, I feel bad to push you so hard. Please stay and let me treat you."
"I would like that Gojo, but I don't feel comfortable staying all dirty."
The sparkle she saw in his eyes and the rapidly growing grin on his face told her that whatever came next, wasn't good.
"You can take a shower here," he said.
"I don't have any clothes to change."
"I can borrow you some. Come on, please?"
He looked over his sunglasses direct into her eyes and she lost herself in the sky.
"Alright, I will stay."
"Perfect! I will go get some clothes for you."
In the meantime, (Y/N) went to the kitchen to drink some water. Soon enough, Satoru was back.
"Here you go. The bathroom is there, just help yourself with whatever you need. Or do you need help?" He got closer to her, his smile now a smug one.
With one hand to his face, she shoved him back.
"No, don't think so."
*
The white shirt and gray jogging pants were way too big for her, but still, she preferred it than putting her sweaty clothes back on. After her, Satoru took a shower too and she used that time to rest on his couch. That training had really drained her.
"Hey, you aren't falling asleep, are you?"
Her head shot up by hearing his loud voice. "What, no. I'm awake."
"Good. So let's order our dinner."
They were watching TV while making conversation until the food would arrive, but then his phone began to ring.
"Hello?" He answered.
On the other side, a female voice could be heard before he replied again.
"Yes, I know. Shoot."
He made an apologetic hand sign before leaving to his room, closing up the door behind him.
(Y/N) smiled to herself. 'He doesn't want to know that he has another girl? Well, I wasn't expecting for him to stay loyal...' Although it was true that she wasn't expecting that, she still couldn't deny a light stab of envy in her chest. She still felt disappointed to not be the only one in his life...
Meanwhile in the bedroom. "Have you found something in her emails Ieiri?"
Gojo tried to go through Yuna's e-mails, but there were so many that he ended up asking Shoko for help.
"What was that? You don't answer your phone like that. Were you with her?"
"Stop stalling and get it out already."
"Jeez, you're even more impatient than a child. I couldn't find anything wrong with her emails yet, but I haven't read them all. The reason why I called you is actually that I found an encrypted folder. If she is hiding something then I would say it's in that folder."
"Can you open it?"
"No, but I know a guy who might be able."
"Is he trustworthy?"
"I would say he is, but we don't need to give him much information, so I think it's not that important."
Satoru pondered for a while. If Shoko thought he was trustworthy enough then she would go directly to the guy. Unless he wanted something she couldn't give.
"How much does he want?"
A slight hesitation from the medic told him that it wasn't going to be cheap.
"He doesn't want money. He says he has enough of that."
"Shoko, what does he want?"
"He wants a date."
'What? That 's it?'
"My dear Shoko, I know you don't appreciate men, but would you please do this sacrifice for our mission?"
On the other side of the line, the sorceress needed to suppress a burst of audible laughter.
"I think I expressed myself wrong. My acquaintance doesn't go on dates with women."
... Silence...
"Are You saying that I need to go on a date with that man?"
"Don't worry Gojo, he is a gentleman and doesn't expect anything more than spending a good time with a man by sharing a meal and a nice conversation." Shoko was struggling to stay serious.
"Come on Gojo, won't you do that little sacrifice for your own mission?"