Western Tokyo, Musashino City, Inokashira Park 10:12 AM
"That's a great scenery." Jotaro thought to himself, sitting quietly on a bench under the shade of large cherry blossoms.
The soft pink petals fell down occasionally, carried by the wind. Despite the slight chill in the air, the weather was pleasant, and the atmosphere was peaceful.
To be honest, he wasn't the one to choose this location, but now that he was here, he had to admit it was a pretty nice spot. Only a few people passed by, birds chirped in the distance, and the occasional quacking of ducks echoed from the nearby pond. The place was quiet but not lonely.
Jotaro allowed himself to relax for a bit.
"Did you wait long?"
A familiar voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Before he could respond, the owner of the voice had already casually taken a seat beside him.
Jotaro turned his gaze to the left, observing the figure for a moment longer.
Jotaro had to admit she was pretty, almost unbelievably so.
Shoko, she was dressed casually light blue jeans, a simple white button-up shirt left slightly undone at the top, revealing a blue tank top underneath. Short brown hair around her small face, and a cigarette rested lazily between her lips.
"Been a while." She spoke in a casual tone, eyes fixed on the pond ahead.
"Yeah." Jotaro responded in a quiet tone. "How are things at Jujutsu High?"
"Just as chaotic as when you left," she responded, exhaling a thin wisp of smoke. "Other than the usual complaints from the teacher, people actually miss you." She flicked the remaining of her cigarette into a nearby bin.
Jotaro remained silent for a second, then simply nodded.
"So, what's up?" she continued, tilting her head slightly toward him. "Doubt you asked me to meet you here for a romantic date." A small smile played on her lips.
Jojo sighed. "You're the one who chose this location."
'True, but you still accepted.' Shoko though to herself.
Jotaro got up from the bench. "Don't twist around my intention, there is an important reasons I asked to meet up."
"Harsh words to say to a lady," Shoko teased.
Jotaro ignored that. "I need someone to teach me Reverse Cursed Technique." His gaze met hers.
Shoko raised an eyebrow, then let out a short chuckle. "Didn't you hear? I'm a terrible teacher. Even Gojo, with his Six Eyes, failed to learn form my lessons."
Jotaro crossed his arms. "I already know the theory behind it so I don't want you explaining it, just need to see it in person." He then added. "Of course, I'm not asking you to do it for free. Just name a price."
Shoko took a slow drag from her cigarette, "I don't really need money…" She tapped her chin as if considering her options. Then her eyes glinted with amusement. "Instead, how about a ride?" She lifted her hand and pointed toward the lake.
Jotaro thought he had misheard for a moment, but then he turned to see what she was pointing at, his gaze landed on a swan-shaped pedal boat floating on the water. He blinked... a boat ride?
"Unwilling?" Shoko tilted her head slightly.
Jotaro shook his head. "Nah, I'll go." Though he still wasn't entirely sure how things had led to this.
"Cool." Without warning, Shoko grabbed his wrist and pulled him forward, leading the way past Nanai Bridge toward the boat rental dock.
Jotaro fallowed her in silence, still trying to process how what was supposed to be a discussion about Reverse Cursed Technique had turned into… a boat ride.
Arriving at the dock, there was the boat attendant, an older man, watched a couple drift away on one of his boats. Turning around from that, his eyes widened slightly the moment he noticed Jotaro's tall figure.
"C-Can I help you, sir?" The man looked so tense that he failed to even acknowledge Shoko standing beside.
Jotaro simply asked. "How much?"
The salesman hesitated before awkwardly crossing his arms over his chest. "..What?"
From Jotaro's side, Shoko had to cover her mouth to avoid laughing. However that was enough for the old man to notice her. A relieved sigh escaped him as everything finally clicked into place.
"850 yen for a 30-minute ride, good sir." His professional demeanor returned almost instantly.
Jotaro pulled out a 1,000 yen bill and handed it over without a word. The man gestured toward the waiting boats. "Enjoy your ride." His sharp, practiced smile returned.
Shoko stepped into the boat first, with Jotaro helping her by offering a hand, she settled into the seat casually.
When it was Jotaro's turn to step in, the boat wobbled to one side under his weight. He froze slightly, looking down at the water. 'I don't know how to swim, damn it!'
"Nervous?" Shoko made a comment that Jotaro decided to ignore.
A moment later the boat finally stabilized as Jotaro sat down, though it leaned ever so slightly to his side making him stand stiff. The space inside was tight, the seats close together due to Jotaro's large shoulders but neither of them seemed to complain.
"Haven't been in one of these since I was a kid," Shoko murmured as she leaned her head outside the boat, making it wobble. Jotaro surpassed a grown.
When it was time to move, he quickly realized something was off, the boat was steering to the left side.
"You need to pedal too, you know?" Shoko snorted before adjusting her hair, which had fallen in her face.
"ugh" Looking down, Jojo felt his face distort. There were two small pedals at his feet. He barely had enough legroom in this tiny boat, and now he had to pedal?
For some reason, Jotaro felt more nervous in this ridiculous goose-shaped boat than when he was fighting a special-grade curse, the irony. Still, he sighed and complied.
The boat finally started moving straight. Shoko watched him struggle for a moment before exhaling in amusement.