50 stones
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Gojo walked with carefree steps toward the training area, having just left Yuta settling into his new room. While thinking about his role as a mentor and the progress of his students, he couldn't help but feel a touch of pride and satisfaction for what they had accomplished so far.
Upon arrival, he noticed something unexpected: Maki and Makima were engrossed in a fight. "Well, I didn't expect that," he thought, raising an eyebrow as a slight smile appeared on his face. By the atmosphere and the intensity of their movements, it seemed like training, although Maki's expression suggested otherwise; her movements were fierce, with a hint of desperation that belied the calm of a simple friendly spar.
Gojo watched his students closely. With his ability to read people, he could see how Maki's style was becoming more aggressive, yet somewhat careless. That made it easier for him to anticipate, though he acknowledged it wasn't simple for just anyone.
"That girl fights like her life depends on it..." he thought. However, it was Makima who truly caught his interest. Her technique and movements seemed familiar to him. Gojo analyzed her gestures and stances, immediately recognizing the style. "Hmm... that's Naobito and Naoya's style. I suppose they taught her," he concluded, surprised. Makima's ability to employ those movements flawlessly seemed to press Maki with a precision he had rarely seen.
The confrontation intensified. Maki launched quick and precise attacks, looking for any opening, but Makima responded with equal skill, using defensive maneuvers that displayed refined ability. At one point, Makima managed to knock Maki down, and Panda began counting. However, he didn't even reach "three" when Maki, in a fierce burst, broke free from Makima's hold, returning to the fight with renewed determination. They exchanged several more blows until, suddenly, Maki landed a hard punch to Makima's face. Gojo let out a small laugh. "Ouch, that had to hurt," he thought, watching as Makima staggered slightly, visibly disoriented.
That brief lapse in concentration left Makima vulnerable, and Maki took the opportunity to press again. However, after a few more hits, they separated; both stared intensely at each other, evaluating each movement, each breath, looking for an advantage. Gojo observed Makima and noticed her adopting an unmistakable stance, one he was more than familiar with. "Oh? Isn't that my pose? Hehe, you're going to make me blush, Makima-chan," he thought, pleased to see his own style's mark on his non-student. The fight concluded shortly after, with Makima applying a full-body hold, which Maki couldn't break free from. When Panda counted to ten, Makima released her, leaving Maki still on the ground.
She said a few words to her before turning around to leave. As she walked away, she noticed Gojo's presence, watching her with a look of amused curiosity. "You're full of surprises, Makima-chan," he said, letting out a light laugh. Makima gave him a simple look. "How long have you been watching?" she asked without altering her tone, though a slight shadow of surprise crossed her face, having not noticed his arrival.
Gojo shrugged, unbothered. "Almost from the start. I didn't know you were that good at fighting. Beating Maki in her own territory isn't easy." Makima merely looked at him as if evaluating whether she should say more. Finally, she replied calmly, "I was trained in this since I was a child. That's the explanation." Gojo nodded, impressed by the maturity of her words and the confidence in her voice.
"By the way," Gojo added, in a casual tone, "someone will be coming to see you soon. Let's say… we're friends," he said, leaving the statement hanging with a touch of mystery. Makima looked at him curiously, though she didn't ask for more details; she simply nodded and walked away.
Gojo remained alone, watching his students recover from defeat. "Looks like they need a bit of Gojo-sensei," he thought with satisfaction. His role as a teacher never ceased to surprise him, and each day became an opportunity to see his students break their own limits.
After leaving Gojo, she arrived home without much desire to do anything. She had walked for a while. It was still early, and she knew Rika wouldn't arrive for some time. The silence filled the room, but her stomach, in contrast, emitted light growls. She was hungry, although she had no desire to cook.
With little hope, she opened the pantry and found a cup of instant ramen. "I guess this will do," she thought, taking it and putting water on to boil. Once it was ready, she poured the water into the cup, covered it, and let it cook. She looked at the clock as she waited, her golden eyes fixed on the cup. Five minutes passed, and with a bit of reluctance, she added the seasonings and began to eat.
After the first bite, she grimaced. "It tastes horrible," she murmured, frowning. However, she continued eating. As she slurped the noodles, her mind returned to recent events, particularly the cursed finger she had recovered during her mission. That object radiated a cursed energy so potent it was hard to ignore. She vaguely knew it was a fragment of a powerful being, but the details were unknown to her.
"Should I study it?" she wondered. However, she shook her head, answering herself quietly. "No, it was nothing special." She felt she had more pressing matters to focus on than a simple centuries-old finger. With that thought, she continued eating the ramen, trying to ignore the bad taste.
Shortly after, she heard the door open and saw Rika enter. She looked at her, and upon seeing her with a cup of instant ramen in hand, her eyes widened. With a choked gasp, she seemed almost horrified. "Ma'am! Why are you eating that?" she exclaimed, immediately approaching.
"I was hungry and didn't want to cook," she replied, shrugging. But Rika, without hesitation, quickly apologized and headed to the kitchen. "That's not worthy of you," she murmured as she rummaged through the ingredients. In a matter of minutes, she began preparing a much more suitable meal, with a fervor that almost made her smile.
She watched her from the table, feeling the aroma of freshly made food fill the house, thinking that, after all, Rika always knew how to make the days end a bit better.
After enjoying the meal Rika had prepared, much more delicious and hearty than the bland instant ramen, she got up from the table.
She headed to her room and beneath it, where her notebook waited. She opened it and began flipping through the pages, reviewing notes and diagrams on her technique and all the domain theory she had managed to study, as well as observations from her previous mission. She flipped through a few pages until she found a blank space, setting it aside specifically for a topic that particularly interested her: the Ten Shadows.
She knew the basics of the technique, but she didn't want to limit herself to recording information she already knew. Her intention was to fill those pages with all the knowledge she could obtain from Megumi, who was the current holder. Soon they would be working together on missions, and she had decided it would be the perfect opportunity to learn firsthand.
She had made a decision: eventually, that technique would be hers. It didn't matter if she had to obtain it through friendly means or not. Her first attempt would be to approach Megumi with kindness and understanding, seeking a genuine connection. If that wasn't enough, she thought about offering him something in return, though for that she would first need to study his needs and weaknesses, understand what motivated him.
However, if all those options failed, her eyes darkened for a moment as she considered more drastic alternatives. "If it doesn't work... I'll see what to do," she thought, a half-smile forming as she ran her fingers over the paper, envisioning all she still had left to learn.
With determination, she wrote the first lines of her future entry on the Ten Shadows, anticipating the day when each of those secrets would be hers.