Sitting behind the wheel with my favorite characters beside me was, in fact,
something that had always been on my bucket list.
But I never thought it would happen like this.
Not like this.
Sweat poured down my forehead as I tried to compose myself. I kept glancing down at my feet, avoiding everyone's gaze like my life depended on it.
To my left sat Gojo Satoru and Shoko Ieiri, while Geto Suguru sat in the driver's seat, one hand steady on the steering wheel.
The car moved smoothly down the road, but my heart was anything but steady.
"Hey, Shion," Geto said, glancing at me through the rearview mirror. "Are you okay? It looks like you're having a hard time breathing back there."
The moment he addressed me, I flinched instinctively. Still, I forced myself to respond.
"I-it's nothing," I said with hesitation. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine…!"
I tried to smile, but my voice cracked under the pressure.
Gojo leaned back lazily, hands behind his head.
"Don't stress about the mission," he said with a grin. "Since you're weak and all, just leave it to us. Sit back and watch."
Then he pointed at me, like he was assigning me a role.
"In fact," Gojo continued, sounding amused, "isn't this your first mission?"
Geto turned slightly, his expression calm but curious.
"…Is it?"
Since I had no recollection of this body's memories, I could only answer half-truthfully.
"Ah… yes," I replied slowly. "If I remember correctly, this should be my first time."
On cue, Gojo and Geto glanced at each other in unison.
As if their minds connected instantly, their faces twisted into the same devilish grin.
My stomach sank.
Gojo and Geto's gazes met for a brief
second.
Then both of them smiled.
Not the friendly kind.
The kind that made my stomach sink.
"Ooooh… your first mission," Gojo muttered, leaning closer. "That's cute."
Geto's voice was calm as he drove. "Then you should remember a few things."
I swallowed. "W-what things…?"
Gojo lifted a finger. "If you hear someone calling your name inside the mansion…"
He grinned wider.
"Don't answer."
Geto nodded. "And if you see a child standing in the hallway…"
His eyes met mine through the rearview mirror.
"…don't approach it."
My blood ran cold.
Shoko sighed, blowing smoke out the window. "You two are disgusting."
Gojo shrugged. "I'm just helping."
Geto added casually, "Fear attracts curses. If you panic, you'll be the first one they notice."
I stiffened.
Gojo leaned back with a lazy grin. "So try not to scream, okay Shion?"
My throat tightened.
....
"Well, that won't be a problem anyway, since we're the strongest."
The way he said it—unbothered, overflowing with confidence—was strangely reassuring.
I knew how powerful Satoru Gojo was.
To be able to bend the very laws of the world simply by being born… now that was something worth bragging about.
And with Suguru Geto being able to compete with him…
It only made me wonder.
Just how big of a gap in power did Satoru Gojo truly stand in?
BOOM!
I covered my eyes as debris flew in my direction.
When I looked again, my eyes widened at the destruction unfolding before me. Up ahead, Satoru Gojo charged forward without hesitation, obliterating every curse in his path with zero concern for the damage he was causing.
Suguru Geto followed closely behind, his newly acquired rainbow dragon tearing through everything in its way.
"Are they going to be okay…?" I muttered, glancing at Shoko beside me.
"Huh?" She looked slightly toward the two of them. "Oh, them? Don't worry about it. They'll be fine."
THAT WAS NOT WHAT I MEANT!
First and foremost, Satoru Gojo didn't even bother setting up a barrier. And secondly—what about the destruction?
Didn't Masamichi Yaga specifically mention not causing anything that could lead to property damage?
So why didn't I say anything?
Welp… I was too much of a coward to speak up. I did want to set one up, but I didn't know how. I couldn't even perform one.
At one point, I wanted to ask, but from their perspective, it might look suspicious.
Like—every sorcerer should know how to do it, so why would I suddenly not know?
The words got stuck in my throat, and I swallowed hard. Seeing something in real life was completely different from watching it in animation.
One of the curse spirits flew upward as Satoru Gojo used Blue to drag it into the air.
Then Geto's rainbow curse swallowed it whole.
Mesmerized, I watched with excited fascination.
"I'm bored. Just call me when this is done."
With a casual flip of her phone, Shoko glanced back once before walking out of the premises.
"H-hey, wait! Aren't you going to stop them?!" I asked hurriedly, panic rising in my voice.
"If you wanted to come with me, you could've just asked," she replied with a smile.
"No, that's not what I meant!" I protested, frantically trying to catch up to her.
'How did I end up with this?'
I thought bitterly as I struggled to carry a ridiculous number of bags in both hands.
They were stuffed to the brim—so full I could barely breathe, let alone move properly.
Even my head wasn't spared from this misery.
I only followed her because I didn't know anyone else. Aside from Satoru, Geto, or even Masamichi Yaga… I was alone in this world.
No relatives in sight, at least as far as I knew.
Glancing to the side, I caught a glimpse of Shoko.
She walked beside me leisurely, as if she didn't have a care in the world—forcing me to carry her things without offering even the slightest help.
Honestly, it was exactly what I imagined her character would be like.
'Well, sucks to be you. Better be prepared in the future… because you'll be smoking that cigarette like your life depends on it.' I cursed inwardly.
Shoko's eyes flicked toward me.
"If you're going to keep staring at me like that, I might as well classify you as my number one stalker."
"That's not why!" I answered quickly.
With a sigh, I continued. "I wanted to ask you something."
"Oh?" she said, raising a brow. "And what would that be?"
I coughed, trying to compose myself.
"What year is it?"
"..."
Silence.
Shoko stared at me like I'd just asked her the dumbest question in existence.
"Gosh, are you brain-dead?" she asked, looking almost genuinely worried. "Well, since I'm feeling generous today, I guess I'll entertain your short-term memory loss."
She tilted her head slightly.
"Today is January 30, 2006."
My breath caught.
"Now that that's done," she added, already walking ahead, "hurry up, slowpoke."
She quickened her pace just a little, leaving me standing there for a second—frozen—muttering her words under my breath.
'January 30…'
A quick recap.
From what I remembered about the plotline, Riko Amanai and the entire Hidden Inventory arc happened sometime around May—or maybe August—of 2006.
At least, that's what fan theories suggested.
Which meant…
I only had a few months left before the real storyline began.