CHAPTER 7: BENEATH THE BIND

The sky over Tokyo was a soft shade of blue-gray, brushed with the remnants of dusk. Lights blinked alive in the buildings below, scattered like stars across the cityscape. Wind tousled Yuta's hair as he leaned over the railing of the school's rooftop balcony, eyes distant.

He was alone—until he wasn't.

"Yo," came a familiar voice.

Yuta didn't need to turn to know who it was.

Satoru Gojo stepped beside him, hands tucked in his coat pockets, blindfold loose around his face. He rocked on his heels as he stared out at the horizon.

"Nice view, huh? Perfect for brooding teenagers and philosophical breakdowns."

Yuta gave a weak smile. "I wasn't brooding…"

"Oh come on," Gojo grinned. "You've got the classic post-mission gloom. All that cursed energy, and not even a single punchline in sight."

Yuta sighed, quiet for a moment. "…I just keep thinking about that boy. If we were even a little slower…"

"But we weren't," Gojo said, his voice softening. "You saved them. You saved Maki."

"I had to use Rika again. I always end up using her…"

Gojo tilted his head. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

Yuta looked down at his ring, feeling its weight.

"Isn't it?" he whispered. "She's suffering… and I keep pulling her out to hurt things. It's not right."

Gojo was silent for a beat, then reached out and gently flicked Yuta's forehead.

"Ow—!"

"That's for feeling guilty when you shouldn't," Gojo said. "Listen. What you have with Rika—what she has with you—it's not just some cursed tool or weapon. It's deeper. She's not lashing out at the world. She's protecting you."

Yuta stared at the skyline, voice barely audible. "But I don't even know why she became like this…"

"That," Gojo said, stepping back and stretching with a lazy yawn, "is something we're going to figure out together."

Yuta turned to him.

"You mean it?"

"I always mean what I say. Eventually," Gojo said with a lopsided grin. "I've already started digging into some of the older curse records. The type of curse Rika became isn't something that just happens naturally. It's too… specific."

"So… there's a cause?"

Gojo nodded. "And an origin. Maybe even a trigger. We'll find it. And when we do—"

"—I'll break the curse," Yuta finished, standing straighter now. "I want to free her. She's still… the same Rika I knew. Just trapped. I owe her everything."

Gojo looked at him for a long second, then smiled—not teasingly, but sincerely.

"That's the spirit, Yuta Okkotsu."

For a moment, the silence between them wasn't heavy—it was peaceful.

And above them, the sky darkened, stars beginning to peek through the veil of night.