Silence.
It dropped over the classroom like a curse.
Geto's entire body froze. His chair creaked under him as his fingers tightened on the edge. Gojo's grin vanished—wiped clean in an instant
Naoya watched all of it with an almost bored look.
"…Don't joke about that," Geto said, voice low and dangerous.
"I'm not," Naoya replied coolly. "She's alive. Breathing. Eating. Screaming at me, occasionally. You can thank me for that, by the way."
Gojo stood slowly, eyes locked on Naoya now—not playful, not mocking, but searching. "How?" he asked. "I saw her Dead Body."
"And yet, she's not dead," Naoya said, tone infuriatingly flat. "Weird how that works. Maybe reality's just more flexible around me."
Geto stepped forward. "If you're lying—"
Naoya raised a hand lazily. "Relax, you'll see her yourself soon enough. I just wanted to give you a spoiler first."
"Why now?" Gojo asked quietly. "Why tell us this now?"
Geto's jaw tightened. His cursed energy flickered, restless, barely contained. "You're playing games with something you don't understand."
"Maybe," Naoya conceded with a shrug. "Or maybe I understand better than you think."
Gojo hadn't moved, his piercing blue eyes still fixed on Naoya. "If she's alive," he said slowly, "then what happened that day wasn't real. Which means someone went through a lot of trouble to make us believe it was."
Naoya's smirk widened. "Now you're thinking."
Geto's voice was ice. "Who?"
Naoya exhaled through his nose, feigning exasperation. "So impatient. Fine. I'll give you one more clue—it's a sorcerer from a thousand years ago. That's all I know."
Naoya lied without flinching—he couldn't think of any other way to fool them.
Gojo's breath hitched, just for a fraction of a second.
Then, the classroom door slid open.
A familiar voice, sharp and irritated, cut through the tension like a knife.
"Naoya, you idiot—I told you not to—"
Riko Amanai stood in the doorway, alive, furious, and very much not dead.
Silence.
Again.
Then—
"Riko?!" Geto's voice cracked.
Gojo's sunglasses slid down his nose as he stared, wide-eyed.
Naoya sighed, rubbing his temple. "And that was supposed to be the dramatic reveal. Thanks for ruining it."
Gojo burst out laughing—wild, disbelieving, almost hysterical.
Geto just stared, his hands trembling at his sides.
Riko blinked.
She looked between Gojo and Geto, both frozen in place.
"...Yo?" she offered weakly, lifting a hand in an awkward half-wave. "Surprise?"
It was not the moment to joke, and yet it was the most Riko thing she could have said.
Geto's legs gave out.
He sat down hard on the nearest desk, staring at her like if he blinked, she'd vanish again.
"Y-You're really…"
He couldn't even finish the sentence.
Gojo, on the other hand, didn't move. He just kept staring at her, those pale eyes wide and searching, like he was trying to look into her soul and confirm it was real.
He didn't laugh again. He didn't speak.
He just whispered,
"…Riko."
She gave him a small smile, and for the first time, her voice softened.
"Yeah. I'm here."
Shoko watched from the side, arms folded, her expression unreadable. She'd never met Riko before—only heard stories—but even she could feel the weight of the moment.
A pause.
Then Geto stood again, shakily, but with purpose. His cursed energy flared uncontrolled, his emotions raw—nostalgia, guilt, anger, disbelief all twisted together.
He looked straight at Naoya.
"What the hell did you do?"
Naoya, unbothered as ever, raised an eyebrow. "I saved her. You're welcome."
"That's not an answer," Gojo said, his voice quiet but laced with a venomous edge.
Naoya let out a short breath. "I can't answer that. I've got a Binding Vow stopping me." A complete lie—but delivered with flawless confidence, he did not care if they believed him or not.
Neither Gojo nor Geto moved, but something sharp and dangerous passed between them.
Riko stepped in, gently placing a hand on Naoya's shoulder, as if to stop the conversation from boiling over. "It's… complicated. I'm still figuring it out too."
She looked at Geto now, her expression unreadable.
"But I wanted to see you both. Before I decide what, I will do next"
Before Geto could respond, Gojo stepped forward.
Right in front of Naoya.
His expression was cold.
Flat.
And deadly serious.
"You want to have a fight," Gojo said, his voice low, "with the intent to kill, Naoya?"
The air cracked with cursed energy, invisible pressure rolling off his body like a rising storm.
Geto didn't stop him.
Riko's hand slipped from Naoya's shoulder, her eyes wide.
Even Naraku, quiet until now, Took a step back, from the aura they are unleashing.
Naoya just stared at Gojo for a moment, then gave a half-smile.
"…Ok, Bet."
Suddenly, the classroom door slammed open.
Masamichi Yaga stormed in, his cursed energy flaring like a warning flare.
"What the hell is going on in here?!" he barked, voice like thunder. His sharp eyes scanned the room—Gojo and Naoya inches from exploding, Geto rigid with emotion, Riko standing awkwardly by the door, Naraku unmoving like a shadow.
Behind Yaga, Mei Mei peeked into the room, raising a curious brow.
"I was just passing by," she said smoothly, folding her arms, "but this looks… entertaining."
Yaga's gaze locked on Gojo and Naoya.
"It's the first day back after break," he growled. "And you're already causing this kind of shit?"
But Naoya didn't back down.
He kept his eyes on Gojo and asked, with infuriating calm,
"Is there any good place for me and Gojo to have a fight, Principal?"
Before Yaga could bark back, the door slid open again.
Two figures stepped in.
Nanami Kento and Yu Haibara—the bright-eyed first-year students—froze on the threshold, eyes widening as they took in the atmosphere.
Naoya's presence. Gojo's cursed energy. Riko standing beside Naraku. Mei Mei, amused. Geto, seething.
It looked less like a school and more like the buildup to a massacre.
"...Uh, did we miss something?" Haibara whispered.
Both of them had arrived—just like the others—after sensing the sudden rise in cursed energy output
Yaga glanced at the two new arrivals.
Then something shifted in his expression.
He changed his mind.
Instead of denying the challenge, Yaga folded his arms and said flatly,
"There is indeed a place. The outdoor training field."
Naoya raised an eyebrow. Gojo tilted his head.
"But," Yaga continued, "everyone will be watching. Especially the first years. Might as well let them learn something before they die young."
"Die young?!" Haibara yelped.
Nanami sighed.
Yaga ignored them. His gaze never left Gojo and Naoya.
Naoya stretched his shoulders with casual ease and turned toward the door.
"I don't mind showing you how cool I am," he said smoothly.
"I don't mind either," Gojo added
"Why are they fighting all of a sudden…?" Haibara whispered, eyes wide and clueless.
No one answered him.
...........................................................................
Another chapter will be realised later.