Chapter:45 The 'Talk'

Gojo's head tilted to the side almost imperceptibly, her gaze fixed on the younger woman.

"'Stay the night?' You mean, like... sleepover?"

Renko shrugged, not seeing any point in playing coy anymore.

"I have a spare room, you need a place to crash for the night. Why not?"

Gojo chuckled, waving her hand which caused the stacked-up furniture in the corners to fly back into their places.

"Well, don't mind if I do then."

With that settled, Renko led Gojo to the spare room, a guest bedroom she had rarely ever used. It had a spare bed, a bedside table, a wardrobe, a chair, and a desk, which was the basic configuration for a room in a motel or a private room in the barracks. Though the barracks were a bit more cramped.

[New Quest: Spend a Night with Gojo

- Objective: Make the sleepover memorable. This could involve meaningful conversations, bonding activities, or simply ensuring Gojo has a comfortable stay.

- Reward: Gojo's trust +2, Unlock Related Quests]

The system's notifications made Renko raise an eyebrow. It seemed the system was turning her interactions into some kind of game, complete with quests and rewards.

"Alright, Gojo, make yourself at home. I'll grab some spare blankets and stuff,"

Renko said, gesturing to the room.

Gojo flopped onto the bed, looking far too comfortable for someone who had just met Renko.

"No need to stress, Kono-chan. I'm easy to please."

Renko nodded and left to get some supplies. As she returned with blankets and a couple of pillows, she found Gojo inspecting the room with curiosity.

The night went on with surprisingly casual conversations, mixed with Gojo's tales of supernatural encounters and Renko's recounting of her first supernatural encounter.

"That's strange,"

Gojo muttered,

"Curse spirits below Grade Three never actively look for a target. Not unless they were born from the sudden fluctuation of your emotions.

Renko nodded, thinking back to the possible cause for the cursed spirit to be born from her emotions. She hadn't experienced something bad or even remotely irritating, in fact, she was quite happy at the time.

But she decided to investigate it in the future, for now, she was more interested in Gojo's recounting of the Jujutsu Sorcerers. 

Eventually, as the clock ticked past midnight, they decided to call it a night. Renko turned off the lights, leaving only the soft glow of the moon filtering through the window.

[Congratulation]

[Quest: Spend a Night with Gojo: Completed]

[Reward: Gojo's trust +2 (42/100), Quests Related to the Individual 'Gojo Satori' have been unlocked.]

[Note: New Quest Available - Midnight Confessions]

- Objective: Engage in a heart-to-heart conversation with Gojo during the quiet hours of the night.

- Reward: Gojo's trust +6, Cursed Eyeglasses (Semi Grade Three)]

The reward was a bit too much for her to simply pass on. So, she went back into the room and saw Gojo lying on the bed, hands behind her head, staring at the ceiling. Renko hesitated but eventually joined her, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"So, Gojo, anything on your mind?"

Renko teased.

Gojo chuckled.

"Maybe, Kono-chan, maybe. But seriously, this has been... unexpected. Not every day you get to crash at a high schooler's place and have a heart-to-heart."

Renko nodded.

"Life's weird like that. But I wouldn't have it any other way."

They talked a bit, mostly about Gojo's student, a kid named Megumi who was around twelve years old. Apparently, Gojo had high hopes for the kid, high enough to see him with enough potential to be her equal someday.

Renko glanced at her status,

[Renko Ivanov, Lv.5, Delinquent]

And then at Gojo's 

[Gojo Satori, Lv. 1069, Strongest Sorcerer of the Age] 

*Scoff*

'Yeah, right'

As Renko prepared to leave, Gojo spoke up.

"Kono-chan, you're not as ordinary as you seem. I think you are hiding something extraordinary, not like any of this is ordinary, but you should keep your wits about you, alright?"

[Quest Completed: Midnight Confessions

- Reward: Gojo's Trust +6(50/100)]

Renko chuckled, accepting the mysterious compliment.

"I'll keep that in mind, Gojo-chan. Good night."

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

The following morning, Renko woke up to find the spare room empty. It seemed Gojo had left without waking her. However, a sudden cluttering sound made her look into the kitchen, where she spotted the white-haired woman fussing about the stove.

'Is that... ?'

Gojo was wearing a blue apron, one with a flowery pattern to it. The straps were tied around her waist, emphasizing her rear and back. But the biggest change was her hair, the woman had tied her hair in a ponytail.

*Kuh*

*Splurt*

A jet of blood spurted down Renko's nose as she took in the surprisingly arousing sight, staining her white t-shirt in a strange red pattern,

[Mental Attack!]

[Critical Hit!]

[HP - 35]

[HP: 265/300]

Renko quickly grabbed a tissue to staunch the nosebleed, trying to regain her composure. She coughed awkwardly, trying to divert her attention from the captivating scene in the kitchen.

"Uh, Gojo-chan, didn't expect to see you cooking. What's for breakfast?"

Gojo turned around with a playful grin, seemingly unaware of the impact she had on Renko.

"Ah, good morning Kono-cha... What the hell happened to your nose!"

She pointed at the large blood stains on Renko's shirt and exclaimed in surprise. Renko chuckled,

"Ma, it's nothing."

She rushed into the bathroom, trying her best to clean up but unexpectedly ruined her white shirt,

'Shit'

Left with no option, Renko was forced to come out of the bathroom with nothing but her bra on. 

Fortunately, she managed to sneak past Gojo and put on another shirt.

"So, what are you doing in the kitchen?"

Gojo answered without looking back,

"I figured I'd make us some pancakes. You know, a proper morning-after meal."

Renko's mind was still reeling from the unexpected sight, but she managed to nod in agreement.

"Sounds great. Thanks."

As Gojo continued cooking, Renko took a moment to reflect on the peculiar events of the previous night. Strangely enough, the part she regretted the most was her kiss with Gojo, it was a sudden decision and a rash one too. A kiss is meant for after the confirmation of a relationship, anytime before that and it's a fling. 

'Not like I have a relationship with Gojo or anything, a fling would be the best way to describe it anyway.'

She opened the inventory and spotted a rather unusual item on the list,

[Inventory]

[Tools]

[Cursed Eyeglasses (Semi Grade Three)

Description: Cursed tool, a pair of glasses drenched in curse energy. Allows the wearer to see what is hidden from the mundane eyes.

- Defence + 25

- Vision: Allows one to see all supernatural aspects of the world]

She took the eyeglasses out of thin air and inspected them. The pair was a simple half-rim design with the top of the rim missing. Tinted violet and purple, they had a rather unique design to them. Unique as in...

'What's with the strange texture?'

They had the same texture as that of human skin.

Gojo glanced at what she was fiddling with and chuckled,

"Oh my, Kono-chan, I never thought you would have something like this in your possession."

"Hmm?"

Renko tilted her head questioningly,

"And why's that?"

Gojo's chuckle turned into a snicker,

"Don't you know? The cursed glasses are made from the skill bone, skin, and eyes of a dead sorcerer."

"... what?"

Renko blinked, her eyes widening in disbelief.

"Did you just say 'skill bone, skin, and eyes of a dead sorcerer'?"

Gojo grinned, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Yep, that's right. Those glasses are made from the remains of a deceased sorcerer. Quite the collector's item, don't you think?"

Renko looked down at the glasses, no wonder the texture felt like the skin. It was made from skin after all. The seemingly innocent glasses in her hand suddenly felt ominous, not disgusting or anything, just ominous.

Gojo chuckled, leaning against the kitchen counter.

"Don't worry, Kono-chan. It's not as creepy as it sounds. Besides, the cursed spirits are everywhere, and someone with your curse energy can barely see some of the stronger ones. I think the only reason you could see the flyhead that attacked you was because they were 'directed' at you."

Renko was torn between efficiency and disgust at the thought that someone's skin would be touching her face for a longer time.

[Note: Material used in making the item 'Cursed Glasses' are; the skin, bones, and eyeballs of 'Yuki Minari' a grade 3 rogue sorcerer.] 

'And the material being a woman's skin is supposed to help how exactly?'

[Yuki Minari: Age 29, Beauty point: 7.5/10]

'NOT HELPING!'

With a sigh, she reluctantly put the cursed glasses back into her inventory.

As Gojo continued cooking breakfast, Renko couldn't shake off the eerie feeling. It appears that people's remains are used to create curse tools, if so, then were the unaffiliated or rogue sorcerers hunted down for material? She wouldn't know, and it appears Gojo won't be answering that as well.

The breakfast was surprisingly good, much better than something Renko could cook up. Their conversation seemed to have died and they ate in silence, sometimes Renko would ask a question, and Gojo would answer.

After the meal, Gojo stood up and stretched,

"Well, Kono-chan, anything else you might wanna know? Cause we were supposed to take care of this 'Strong' curse you found."

Renko thought about it and asked the last question that had been bothering her,

"You kept on saying curses and 'other' supernatural entities. Mind clearing up the 'other' part for me."